This study focuses on initial public offerings (IPOs), which are the process of making a company's shares available for public trading on a stock market. Despite global uncertainties in recent years, there has been a high demand for company listings in the market. Many IPOs have experienced a positive trend in share prices on the first day of trading as a publicly traded company.The objective of this study is to develop a multiple linear regression model to analyze the impact of various parameters on the first day return of IPOs. The generated model will be evaluated to create a reduced model with an optimal subset of variables. The study will specifically focus on IPOs listed on some Nordic marketplaces during the period 2017-2022.The results of the study suggest that the created models are not effective in capturing the variance of first day returns. The deficiency of the created models is likely due to both the complexity of the stock market and the difficulties of quantifying and capturing some of the factors impacting the initial performance of IPOs. However, the reduced model performs slightly better and indicates that variables such as NGM SME, First North, PreSubscribed, and AmountNewlyIssued explain most of the variance in the response variable. / Denna studie fokuserar på börsintroduktioner (IPO), processen i vilken ett företags aktier görs tillgänglig för allmän handel på börsen eller en annan marknadsplats. Trots omfattande globala osäkerheter under de senaste åren, så har efterfrågan på börsnoteringar varit hög. Många av dessa IPOs har upplevt en positiv aktietillväxt under första dagen som ett publikt handlat bolag.Målet med rapporten är att utveckla en multivariat linjär regressionsmodel med syfte att analysera påverkan olika variabler har på aktieprisets utveckling under första dagen som ett noterat bolag. Modellen kommer därefter utvärderas och en reducerad modell innefattande en optimal kombination av variabler kommer genereras. Rapporten kommer specifikt undersöka noteringar gjorda under perioden 2017-2022.\\Resultatet av studien visar på stora brister i modellernas prestationsförmåga. Troligen grundar sig deras oförmåga i både aktiemarknadens komplexitet samt svårigheter i att kvantifiera och fånga relevanta faktorer som påverkar de initiala aktieprisfluktuationerna efter en IPO. Den reducerade modellen presterar dock något bättre och indikerar att variabler som NGM SME, First North, PreSubscribed och AmountNewlyIssued förklarar det mesta av variansen i den beroende variabeln.

A brokerless edge service marketplace could play a significant role in enabling an eco- system where a large number of edge providers and Communication Service Providers (CSPs) offer Mobile Edge Infrastructure Services (EISs) to providers of edge-based applications and services. The marketplace would be the bridge between EIS providers and their customers, managing the relations between actors in the mobile edge eco- system. One of the key services of the marketplace is service selection where not only a list of EISs matching the customers’ demands is provided but also enables service selection based on the customers’ requirements to fully automate the process.We firstly consider different selection scenarios and investigate essential parameters for service selection in such a marketplace, including (i) important attributes of EISs such as coverage area, latency, pricing, etc, and (ii) the requirements of edge-based applications such as latency and reliability. We formulate how these application requirements can be fulfilled by choosing the right set of EISs among available services in the marketplace as two different optimization problems considering average latency and cost as separate objectives to minimize. First, we relax the objective function in average delay minimization problem, which is a linear-fractional programming problem. We solve the relaxed version of the problem by Branch and bound (BnB) and Bound and Branch with Priority Queue (BnBPQ) algorithms. Additionally, we relax the objective function in total monetary cost minimization problem which is an integer linear programming problem. We propose Best Fit (BF) and Improved Best Fit (IBF) algorithms to solve the problem. Furthermore, the IBM CPLEX Optimizer [1] is also implemented to solve the two problems. The evaluation shows that the algorithms we implemented can solve the problems with results close to optimal as compared to the results of exhaustive search and shorter run time than exhaustive search. Meanwhile, the CPLEX can solve the problem well, but it’s not scalable for huge problem instances since the problems are NP-complete and not solvable in polynomial time. / En marknadslös marknadsföring på kanten av tjänster kan spela en viktig roll för att möjliggöra ett ekosystem där ett stort antal kantleverantörer och acp CSP erbjuder Mobile acp EIS till leverantörer av kantbaserade applikationer och tjänster. Marknadsplatsen skulle vara bron mellan ac EIS leverantörer och deras kunder och hantera relationerna mellan aktörer i det mobila ekosystemet. En av marknadens viktigaste tjänster är val av tjänster där inte bara en lista över acp EIS som matchar kundernas krav tillhandahålls utan också möjliggör serviceval baserat på kundernas krav för att automatisera processen helt.Vi överväger för det första olika urvalsscenarier och undersöker väsentliga parametrar för val av tjänster på en sådan marknadsplats, inklusive (i) viktiga attribut för acp EIS som täckningsområde, latens, prissättning osv. Och (ii) kraven på kant- baserade applikationer som latens och tillförlitlighet. Vi formulerar hur dessa applikationskrav kan uppfyllas genom att välja rätt uppsättning acp EIS bland tillgängliga tjänster på marknaden som två olika optimeringsproblem med tanke på genomsnittlig latens och kostnad som separata mål för att minimera. Först slappnar vi av objektivfunktionen i ett genomsnittligt förseningsminimeringsproblem, vilket är ett linjärt-fraktionellt programmeringsproblem. Vi löser den avslappnade versionen av problemet med ac BnB och ac BnBPQ algoritmer. Dessutom slappnar vi av objektivfunktionen i totala monetära kostnadsminimeringsproblem som är ett heltal linjärt programmeringsproblem. Vi föreslår ac BF och ac IBF algoritmer för att lösa problemet. Dessutom implementeras IBM CPLEX Optimizer cite cplex för att lösa de två problemen. Utvärderingen visar att algoritmerna vi implementerade kan lösa problemen med resultat som är nära optimala jämfört med resultaten av uttömmande sökning och kortare körtid än uttömmande sökning. Under tiden kan CPLEX lösa problemet väl, men det är inte skalbart för stora problemstillfällen eftersom problemen är NP-kompletta och inte lösbara under polynom tid.

Digitala marknadsplatser är digitala plattformar baserade på användargenererat innehåll. De är svåra att etablera då de huvudsakligen är beroende av användarens motivation och fria vilja att bidra med innehåll. Syftet med kandidatuppsatsen är att utforska och förvärva kunskap om användare av digitala marknadsplatsers perspektiv på den nuvarande utformningen av en digital marknadsplats. Målet med studien är att rekommendera designriktlinjer genom interaktionsdesign. Baserat på användares önskade egenskaper hos en förbättrad design av den digitala marknadsplatsen, som kan motivera användare att bidra med användargenererat innehåll. En kvalitativ ansats med en fenomenologisk forskningstradition har tillämpats för att besvara forskningsfrågorna, detta genom en gruppintervju med en fokusgrupp. Ett strategiskt urval görs, baserat på fem individer med tidigare kunskap om den digitala marknadsplatsen. För att analysera data tillämpas en tematisk analys, som sedan sammanställs i form av ett affinitetsdiagram. Self-determination Theory (SDT) tillsammans med en litteraturöversikt med fokus på områden inom marknadsplatser, användargenererat innehåll (UGC) och marknadsplatsdesign utgör en teoretisk ram som används för att förstå, tolka och diskutera forskningsresultaten. Forskningsresultaten visar att användare måste förses med enkla verktyg för att bidra med användargenererat innehåll. De känner sig också motiverade att bidra med innehåll när systemet består av ett gränssnitt med få steg, vilket gör det enkelt att interagera med andra användare. Genom att dela med sig av sina erfarenheter upplever användaren en känsla av samhörighet och gemenskap, vilket även ökar motivationen att bidra. Slutligen visar studien att anpassa designen av den digitala marknadsplatsen till specifika användare och deras behov, ökar användarens motivation att bidra med användargenererat innehåll. / Digital marketplaces are digital platforms based on user-generated content. They are difficult to be established as they mainly depend on users’ motivation and free will to contribute with content. Thus, the purpose of this bachelor thesis study is to explore and acquire knowledge about digital marketplace platform users’ perspectives of the current design of a digital marketplace platform. The aim of the bachelor thesis research is to recommend interaction design guidelines. Based on users’ desired characteristics of an improved design of the digital marketplace platform that could, subsequently, motivate users in contributing user-generated content. For the research, a qualitative approach with a phenomenological tradition is followed. The empirical data is collected through a focus group interview with five purposively selected participants that have previous knowledge of the digital marketplace platform. To analyze the data, a thematic analysis is applied, which is, then, compiled in the form of an affinity diagram. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) along with a literature review focusing on areas within marketplaces, user-generated content (UGC) and, marketplace design, formulate a theoretical framework that is used to understand, interpret and discuss the research findings. The research results show that users feel motivated to contribute content when simple tools are provided to them. Furthermore, users feel motivated to contribute content when the system consists of an interface with few steps, which enables easy interaction with other users and sharing of their experiences by giving them the feeling of belonging to a community. Finally, adapting the design of the digital marketplace platform to specific users and their needs inspires and increases the motivation of users to contribute with user-generated content.

Цель исследования – повышение эффективности продаж дизайнерских вещей на основе создания маркетплейса. Объектом исследования – ИС маркетплейса по продаже дизайнерских вещей. Предмет исследования – процесс электронной торговли дизайнерскими вещами на российском рынке. Результатом выпускной квалификационной работы является концепция маркетплейса, предназначенная для дальнейшей разработки. Практическая значимость исследования заключается в применении моделей, макетов сайта, ER-диаграммы в разработке. / The purpose of the study is to increase the efficiency of sales of designer items by creating a marketplace. The object of the study is the IP of a marketplace for the sale of designer items. The subject of the study is the process of electronic trading of designer items on the Russian market. The result of the final qualifying work is a marketplace concept intended for further development. The practical significance of the study lies in the use of models, site layouts, and ER diagrams in development.

<p dir="ltr">Amidst the rising popularity of digital marketplaces, addressing issues such as non-<br>payment/non-delivery crimes, centralization risks, hacking threats, and the complexity of<br>ownership transfers has become imperative. Many existing studies exploring blockchain<br>technology in digital marketplaces and asset management merely touch upon various application scenarios without establishing a unified platform that ensures trustworthiness and<br>efficiency across the product life cycle. In this thesis, we focus on designing a reliable and efficient e-commerce model to trade various assets. To enhance customer engagement through<br>consensus, we utilize the XGBoost algorithm to identify loyal nodes from the platform entities pool. Alongside appointed nodes, these loyal nodes actively participate in the consensus<br>process. The consensus algorithm guarantees that all involved nodes reach an agreement on<br>the blockchain’s current state. We introduce a novel consensus mechanism named Modified-<br>Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (M-PBFT), derived from the Practical Byzantine Fault<br>Tolerance (PBFT) protocol to minimize communication overhead and improve overall efficiency. The modifications primarily target the leader election process and the communication<br>protocols between leader and follower nodes within the PBFT consensus framework.</p><p dir="ltr"><br>In the domain of tangible assets, our primary objective is to elevate trust among various<br>stakeholders and bolster the reputation of sellers. As a result, we aim to validate secondhand<br>products and their descriptions provided by the sellers before the secondhand products are<br>exchanged. This validation process also holds various entities accountable for their actions.<br>We employ validators based on their location and qualifications to validate the products’<br>descriptions and generate validation certificates for the products, which are then securely<br>recorded on the blockchain. To incentivize the participation of validator nodes and up-<br>hold honest validation of product quality, we introduce an incentive mechanism leveraging<br>Stackelberg game theory.</p><p dir="ltr"><br>On the other hand, for optimizing intangible assets management, we employ Non-Fungible<br>Tokens (NFT) technology to tokenize these assets. This approach enhances traceability of<br>ownership, transactions, and historical data, while also automating processes like dividend<br>distributions, royalty payments, and ownership transfers through smart contracts. Initially,<br>sellers mint NFTs and utilize the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) to store the files related<br>to NFTs, NFT metadata, or both since IPFS provides resilience and decentralized storage solutions to our network. The data stored in IPFS is encrypted for security purposes.<br>Further, to aid sellers in pricing their NFTs efficiently, we employ the Stackelberg mechanism. Furthermore, to achieve finer access control in NFTs containing sensitive data and<br>increase sellers’ profits, we propose a Popularity-based Adaptive NFT Management Scheme<br>(PANMS) utilizing Reinforcement Learning (RL). To facilitate prompt and effective asset<br>sales, we design a smart contract-powered auction mechanism.</p><p dir="ltr"><br>Also, to enhance data recording and event response efficiency, we introduce a weighted<br>L-H index algorithm and transaction prioritization features in the network. The weighted<br>L-H index algorithm determines efficient nodes to broadcast transactions. Transaction prior-<br>itization prioritizes certain transactions such as payments, verdicts during conflicts between<br>sellers and validators, and validation reports to improve the efficiency of the platform. Simulation experiments are conducted to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of our proposed<br>schemes.<br></p>

<p dir="ltr">In response to the need for a modernized platform in the medical device industry, this thesis introduces the design of a comprehensive digital B2B (business to business) marketplace. The objective is to provide buyers with a user-friendly interface for streamlined purchases and communication with sellers, while empowering sellers with tools to expand their reach and simplify operations. The methodology involved a combination of on-site case studies, literature reviews, industry research, and user surveys to inform the design process. Through the use of wireframing and user interface design, a cohesive two-part digital service was developed to meet the specific needs of both buyers and sellers effectively.</p><p dir="ltr">The results demonstrate a successful integration of buyer-centric features for enhanced purchasing and seller-centric tools for efficient order fulfillment. For buyers, the marketplace offers an easy-to-navigate interface, transparent pricing, and improved communication channels with sellers. For sellers, it provides a platform to showcase products, manage inventory, and engage with potential buyers. The practical implications of this marketplace highlight the current lack of transparency in pricing and the potential benefits for both buyers and sellers through increased control and direct sales opportunities. By enabling manufacturers to market their products directly, the marketplace offers a solution to reliance on third-party sellers, ultimately enhancing efficiency and transparency in the medical device procurement process.</p>

Blockchain technology emerged as a potent tool for revolutionizing energy systems, offering secure transactions and efficient resource management. Blockchain offers transparency by enabling decentralized transactions. Despite adopting blockchainbased solutions, some cybersecurity issues persist in Decentralized Renewable Energy Marketplaces (DREMs). Specifically, data privacy, security, and verifiability remain a concern for prosumers and grid operators. To address such issues, several blockchainbased solutions utilize technologies such as Self-Sovereign Identities (SSIs), Digital Machine Identities (DMIs), and Zero-knowledge Proofs (ZKPs). In this work, we first review the literature to gain insight into cybersecurity issues within DREMs addressed using blockchain technology. Based on our review, we conceptualize a framework that leverages SSIs, DMIs, and ZKPs to address these issues. This work-in-progress shows the potential of these technologies to enhance security, privacy, and trust in decentralized energy transactions, paving the way for more resilient and efficient energy systems.

採購作業在企業營運過程中扮演著重要的環節，若企業可取得有利原物料成本，將可有效提升企業競爭力。企業為確保採購作業優勢，通常希望找尋更多供應廠商，以期從中取得市場最低價格之原物料。 在1990年代網際網路(Internet)與全球資訊網( World Wide Web)的出現後，買賣雙方的交易行為開始透過電子商務(Electronic Commerce)進行交易，以降低採購作業溝通處理。企業為擴大詢價來源，電子商務更發展為多家買方(採購商)對多家賣方(供應商)的B2B電子交易市集(E-Marketplace)。B2B電子交易市集發展至今，台灣企業使用B2B電子交易市集的情況始終不普及。台灣企業在面對全球市場的競爭，台灣企業是否可更有效的運用B2B電子交易市集來進行採購作業，該如何提升B2B電子交易市集的價值，協助台灣企業營造良善的採購環境及提升競爭力，為本論文的研究動機。 在探討過去研究文獻、訪談電子製造業及醫療產業廠商及針對B2B電子交易市集經營廠商平台進行比較後發現：不論買方(採購商)或賣方(供應商)都認為B2B電子交易市集應提供透明、方便及快速有效的交易環境，系統功能應具電子型錄、詢報價、訂購、帳款及電子發票等功能，會員數愈多愈好並應確保會員資質、提供24小客服服務與顧問諮詢服務、重視交易可信任度、操作介面應具親和性、重視系統穩定性、系統安全性、資料正確性及合理計費標準，以期透過B2B電子交易市集，可降低買賣的交易成本與增加雙方的獲利能力。 為提升買賣方對B2B電子交易市集價值的認同感，建議本論文研究個案F平台可朝透過雲端、開放資料(Open data)、大數據(Big Data)的運用並朝下列幾點發展，以協助企業提升競爭力：(1)營造專業採購交易平台。(2)增加主動交易媒合功能。(3)運用交易數據資料，創造新主動提醒訂購功能、增加會員資質分級管理制度、提供交易指標參考數據等構面發展。 最後，在資訊科技技術不斷的推陳出新，各技術運用也日漸普及。因此，建議未來針對B2B電子交易市集研究方向，可朝如何運用各項資訊科技(如物聯網Internet of things)，整合買賣雙方及往來關係者資源(如政府、銀行、物流業者等資訊)並朝向智慧化發展，以提供買賣雙方更透明、更便利、更快速交易環境。 / Procurement practices play an important part in the process of business operations. If companies can achieve lower material costs, this will effectively enhance their competitiveness. To ensure the advantages of procurement, it is often desirable for companies to find more suppliers in order to obtain the lowest prices from them. In the 1990s with the emergence of Internet and World Wide Web (WWW), transactions between buyers and sellers started trading through electronic commerce to reduce the procurement communication and negotiation process. In order for companies to expand their sources of the market prices, e-commerce has been developed into a B2B E-marketplace with multiple buyers and sellers. In Taiwan companies, the use of the B2B E-marketplace services, as they have been developed so far, is not always popular. Therefore, the motivation for this study is to provide Taiwan companies with a more efficient method to use B2B E-marketplace services when undertaking procurement activities, and enhance the value of the B2B E-marketplace to help Taiwan companies create a better procurement environment and improve competitiveness when they face global competition. After reviewing the previous studies in literature and interviewing the electronic manufacturing industry, the medical industry, and the B2B E-marketplace industry, I find that buyers and sellers think that the B2B E-marketplace should provide a more transparent, more convenient, more efficient, and fast trading environment, have a function with the electronic catalog, quotation and ordering system, accounts and electronic invoices, etc., have a function to attract more members and ensure their records, offer a 24-hour customer and consultant service, create a user-friendly interface, and value the trustworthiness of the transaction, the system stability and security, the data accuracy, and the reasonable fee standard in order to reduce transaction costs and increase profitability for both parties. In order to enhance the value of identity of the buyers and sellers of the B2B E-marketplace, it is recommended that the case F platform of the study be conducted through the use of the cloud, open data, big data, and following the following points to help companies enhance their competitiveness: (1) to create a professional procurement trading platform (2) to increase the active trading and the matchmaking probability (3) to use the transaction data to create a new order function with an active reminding system, increase a management function with a membership grading system, and provide transaction indexes and reference data. Finally, we know that information technologies continue to innovate and the use of any new technologies has also become increasingly popular. Therefore, for the future research in the B2B E-marketplace, it is recommended that we can use various information technologies such as the “Internet of Things”, to reassemble buyers, sellers, and other partners such as government, banking, and logistics industry involved in the transactions, and develop the wisdom to provide buyers and sellers with a more transparent, more convenient, and fast trading environment.

My thesis examines how metaphors of globalization shape the global governance of the Internet. I consider how, in a short span of time, discussions of the Internet’s globalizing potential have gone from the optimism of the global village to the penchant of the global marketplace to the anxiety of the global war on terror. Building upon Rorty’s theory of metaphors and Foucault’s notion of productive power, I investigate how the shifts in these prevailing metaphors have produced and legitimated different frameworks of global governance. In considering how these patterns of governance have been shaped in the context of a familiar example of globalization, I demonstrate that globalization has an important discursive dimension that works as a constitutive force – not only in Internet governance, but in global governance more generally. By illuminating globalization’s discursive dimensions, this thesis makes an original theoretical contribution to the study of globalization and global governance. It demonstrates that globalization is more than a set of empirical flows: equally important, globalization exists as a set of discourses that reconstitute political legitimacy in more ‘global’ terms. This recasts the conventional understanding of global governance: rather than a response to the challenges posed by the empirical transcendence of territorial borders or the visible proliferation of non-state actors, the aims, institutions and policies of global governance are shaped and enabled by discourses of globalization, and evolve as these discourses change. In short, this thesis provides further insight into globalization’s transformations of state-based political order. It links these transformations to the discursive processes by which systems of global governance are produced and legitimated as sites of power and authority.

<div><div><div><p>The purpose of this project was to investigate and propose a solution to gaps identified in existing paradigms for buying and selling secondhand goods online. Through a review of existing literature, the secondhand market was explored together with the variety of reasons for individuals’ participation. Different modes of collaborative consumption and some of the challenges unique to peer-to-peer markets were also examined. A computational approach to identifying items and actions within digital media was reviewed in support of the proposed solution. Research discoveries uncovered through directional surveys, semi-structured interviews, and an analysis of peer products were summarized. These discoveries were consolidated into a list of requirements, including 1) being able to sell many items at once, 2) disbursing items quickly and with minimal effort, 3) making lower value items worth selling, 4) establishing and maintaining trust by designing for safety and encouraging quality, and 5) reducing the need for communication between buyers and sellers by managing the sale, condition, and inventory status. After multiple rounds of concept development, a principal direction based upon the “make me move” concept in the real estate industry was selected. Combined with panoramic images, the resulting solution relied on computer-driven tagging of items for sale. This allowed many items to be listed at once through a single image while making it possible for buyers to find and place offers. Offers were suggested in lieu of bids or an immediate checkout process to avoid some of the negative, bid-related behaviors and minimize the communication required to complete a sale. An interactive prototype was created to evaluate the concept and usability via online user testing, which included surveys and cognitive walkthroughs. The results were analyzed and prioritized to refine the final details of the solution. Overall, I demonstrated a unique concept for buying and selling secondhand goods which supports selling many items, efficiently and safely, while eliminating much of the back and forth communication required to facilitate transactions on many existing platforms.</p></div></div></div>