Bakgrund: Revisorer omfattas av penningtvättslagstiftningens krav och ska rapportera misstänkta transaktioner som de upptäcker till Finanspolisen. Men revisorernas rapporteringar är väldigt få. Tidigare studier visar på att bristande utbildning och kunskaper hos revisorerna kan vara en orsak till det låga rapporteringstalet. Andra aspekter som framförts är att det är svårt att hitta oegentligheter under en revision eftersom det endast är ett urval av transaktioner som granskas, samt att penningtvätt lämnar få spår i en årsredovisning.  Syfte: Syftet med studien är att ge en ökad förståelse för revisorers förutsättningar för rapportering av misstänkta transaktioner genom att undersöka hur revisorer utbildas inom penningtvättsområdet och hur revisorernas möjligheter att upptäcka penningtvätt kan se ut i verkligheten.  Metod: Jag har utfört min studie med abduktiv forskningsansats, där jag växlat mellan insamling och tolkning av både teori och empiri för att uppfylla studiens syfte. Jag har samlat min empiri genom semistrukturerade kvalitativa intervjuer med personer från revisionsfirmor och utredande myndigheter, samt att jag använt mig av ett penningtvättsfall med domar från tingsrätt och hovrätt samt årsredovisningar för de bolag som ingick i fallet. Slutsats: Den generella uppfattningen hos respondenterna från revisionsfirmor är att revisorernas utbildning inom penningtvätt är tillräcklig för att uppfylla penningtvättslagens krav. Samtidigt framkommer att det finns ett behov av mer praktisk utbildning för att ge revisorerna bättre förståelse för vad de ska leta efter för att hitta penningtvätt. Vidare framkommer att lagkravet om transaktionsgranskning bör ges mer emfas i revisorernas utbildning. Studiens rättsfallsanalys visar på att revisorernas möjligheter att upptäcka penningtvätt i det aktuella fallet var bättre avseende små bolag. Revisorns val av granskningsmetoder samt att vara observant på avvikande betalningsströmmar är viktiga faktorer som påverkar möjligheterna att upptäcka penningtvätt. / Background: Accountants are subject to money laundering legislation and has to report suspicious transactions they detect to the Financial Police. But accountants submit very few suspicious transactions reports. Previous studies indicate that this could be due to the accountants’ lacking training and knowledge. Other aspects that have been expressed are that it is difficult to find irregularities during an audit as only a selection of transactions are examined, and that money laundering leaves few traces in a financial statement.  Purpose: The purpose of this study is to increase the understanding of the accountants’ conditions for reporting suspicious transactions by examining how the accountants are trained in the money laundering field and which possibilities the accountants might have to detect money laundering in reality.  Method: I have performed this study with an abductive research approach, where I have alternated between collecting and interpreting both theory and empirical data to fulfil the purpose of the study. I have gathered my empirical data through semi-structured qualitative interviews with persons from accounting firms and investigative authorities. I have also used a money laundering case with court decisions from Crown court and Court of Appeal together with the financial statements from the limited companies that were involved in the case. Conclusions: The general perception among the respondents from the accounting firms is that the accountants’ training in the money laundering field is sufficient to fulfil the legislative requirements. At the same time it appears that more practical training is required to give the accountants a better understanding of what they should be looking for to detect money laundering. Furthermore, it appears that the legislative requirement for examining transactions should be give more emphasis in the training. The study’s analysis of a court case indicates that the accountants’ possibilities to detect money laundering in the specific case were better regarding smaller sized companies. The accountant’s choice of audit procedures and to be observant of abnormal money flows are important factors that impacts the possibilities to detect money laundering.

As the U.S. population ages, there is a significant increase in functional impairment, chronic conditions and other age related health concerns. In later life, functional limitations and poor quality of health often lead to the utilization of skilled nursing care in institutional settings. However, older adults often report the desire to age in place even when experiencing health challenges. Therefore, identifying ways to promote aging in place at home as a long-term care option could enhance quality of life. The objective of the study is to examine the impact of home modification and other home and community-based services on the ability of Black older adults to age in place in comparison to Whites. The study utilizes administrative data from the Georgia Money Follows the Person program. The results indicate that race, the use of financial support and the utilization of many services were significant in attaining success in the MFP program.

Kan lycka köpas för pengar? Prosocialt spenderande och lycka är ett nytt ämne inom forskning och har ännu inte studerats i Sverige. Föreliggande studie syftar till att utreda om prosocialt spenderande bidrar till en ökad grad av upplevd lycka hos studenter vilket tidigare forskning stödjer samt om det föreligger könsskillnader gällande prosocialt spenderande och upplevd lycka vilket inte forskningen stödjer inom området. Etthundratre personal- och arbetslivsstuderande varav 72 kvinnor och 31 män vid ett medelstort universitet i södra Sverige deltog. Ett randomiserat post-test-only experiment utfördes varav 51 deltagare utgjorde experimentgrupp och genomförde en intervention som innebar att de skänkte pengar till välgörenhet och 52 deltagare genomförde ett kognitivt test som kontrolluppgift. Efteråt uppmättes deltagarnas upplevda lycka med Subjective Happiness Scale. Statistisk prövning med tvåvägs-ANOVA visade ingen statistiskt signifikant skillnad mellan experiment och kontrollgrupp gällande upplevd lycka, vidare fanns inga skillnader mellan könen gällande upplevd lycka och prosocialt spenderande. Studiens resultat stöds inte av tidigare forskning. Studiens diskussion föreslår att vidare forskning inom området fokuserar på design och metodval. Storleken på summan som spenderas prosocialt påverkar troligen effekten gällande lycka i större utsträckning än vad som antagits. En undre gräns för att gynna lycka diskuteras. Relation till den som individen spenderar prosocialt på diskuteras och tros också påverka upplevd lycka. / Can happiness be bought with money? Prosocial spending and happiness is a new field within science and has yet to be studied in Sweden. The present study aims to investigate whether prosocial spending contributes to an increased level of happiness amongst students which previous research supports and also whether sexdifferences within prosocial spending and percieved happiness exists which current research does not support. One-hundred and three undergraduates of whom 72 were women and 31 men within a human resource and management-program participated, all studying at a medium-sized university in southern Sweden. A randomized post-test-only experiment was conducted in which 51 participants carried out a task where they were instructed to donate money to charity (experimental group) and 52 participants were instructed to complete a cognitive task (control group). Subsequently the participants levels of happiness were measured using the Subjective Happiness Scale. Statistical testing using a two-way ANOVA showed no statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups regarding happiness, furthermore there were no sex differences regarding happiness and prosocial spending. The results of the present study are contradictory with previous research. The discussion of the present study suggests emphasis on method and design for further studies within the area. The amount of money spent prosocially is likely to have a greater impact on happiness than the present study presumed. A lower limit to promote happiness is discussed. Furthermore the relation between the individual who is prosocially spending and the recipient is discussed and is likely to have an impact on perceived happiness.

No description available.

<p>In South Africa, as in many developing countries, most households are poor and do not save, as a result of which they do not acquire any positive net worth and which also constrains access to formal means of finance. South Africa is a consuming nation, with increasing ratios of household consumption resulting in dissaving and often unsustainable levels of household debt, which is also stimulated by the current lower level of interest rates. This situation is worse amongst poorhouseholds who also often experience financial shocks, for instance because of the death of family membersas a result of HIV/AIDS. This report provided an overview of household saving in South Africa for the period 1983 to 2003. It identified the main factors responsible for the lack of a commitment to saving which are particularly relevant in the case of poor households.</p>

Globally competitive industries need to keep up with the rigorous technical innovations to ensure that they reach their targets in terms of customer satisfaction. In order to do this, businesses need to ensure that they have the correct skills and capabilities in order to meet their demands. Organisations encounter difficulties as they constantly need to replace lost skills, and once these skills have been replaced, they need to spend additional money to train and equip new employees adequately to perform the jobs that they are employed to do. These days, many companies find themselves in financial turmoil which emerges from large turnover rates. There has been a severe exodus of skilled employees in the utility industry. During the past twelve months, this industry has lost 1 479 critical skills. Scarce skills are expensive to retain and it is important that employee well-being take top priority to keep up with changing labour demographics. This upkeep relates to huge emphasis being placed on customer satisfaction. In order to keep customers happy, companies first need to keep their employees happy. Efforts made by the organisation to improve situational circumstances for its employees, will promote positive individual and organisational outcomes. Two dimensions contribute greatly to a positive employment relationship which is conducive towards promoting positive individual and organisational outcomes, namely a fulfilled psychological contract and fairness in allocating monetary rewards. Money should not be used as a Band-Aid; not everything can be remedied with money. However, money is important, although it is not the most important factor. Fulfilment of the different dimensions of the psychological contract, including, but not limited to opportunities for personal growth and career advancement, and a management-supportive work environment are vital towards establishing and maintaining a positive employment relationship. The aim of the study was to investigate the role of psychological contract breach, job satisfaction and turnover intention in the utility industry and to determine the outcomes thereof. A mixed method approach was used to gather data. In the qualitative study, managers and staff (N = 15) were interviewed and a thematic content analysis was performed. In the second phase of the study, the quantitative part, questionnaires were distributed to employees (N = 251) across all levels of the organisation. The measuring instruments used were the Psychological Contract Inventory, Job Satisfaction Scale and Turnover Intention Scale. The results of Article 1 (Chapter 2) showed that a total of 60% of participants made reference to the importance of money. Emphasis was also placed on other aspects, where 53% of participants made mention of leadership being an important driver of job satisfaction. Other themes also regarded as important toward curbing skills loss were the importance of personal excellence and the need for effective communication as drivers of job satisfaction. Article 2 (Chapter 3) found that a fulfilled balanced psychological contract displayed a strong, positive relationship with job satisfaction and that job satisfaction had a negative impact on turnover intention. These findings support the negative impact of psychological contract breach on job satisfaction and, in relation to this, job dissatisfaction positively impacted turnover intention. It was further found that psychological contract breach of the balanced contract had an indirect positive impact on turnover intent via job satisfaction. Recommendations for future studies were made. / MCom (Labour Relations Management), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

This PhD thesis argues that accounts are influenced by culture, are a fundamental form of social practice by which interaction is accomplished, and thus a central sociological concept. The focus of the thesis is that accounts of time and money are affected by religious belief. It examines and (re)conceptualises the concept of an account. Accounts are re-theorised as taking two forms: rational and rhetorical, with their mediation emphasised as the feature that makes them empirically different. Studies of accounting in religious institutions are critically examined and complemented using research from a neglected (in 'financial' accounting studies) branch of sociological research about accounts as ubiquitous social practices. Time and money are appropriate phenomena to research sociologically because they are relevant to sociological and financial conceptions of an account as numerically accountable phenomena that also have socially meaningful features. Ethnomethodology and institutional ethnography are deployed as two mutual methodological frameworks for researching the social accomplishment of accounts in small-scale interaction and ways in which a complex of wider ruling relations, through institutional discourses, are implicit in accounting interactions, especially in institutional settings. The thesis forwards a set of theoretically derived propositions to provide an explanation of accounts that explores their social embeddedness more closely than previous work. Briefly, these are that accounts generally, and particularly as applied to time and money, are a key means to make actions visible; are an attempt to promote a morally worthy self; are culturally relative; give information about the social norms of the social collective; always occur at moral and sometimes institutional interfaces; and are ubiquitous social practices. To provide and interrogate an applied example of these theoretically and methodologically derived propositions about accounts of time and money and how these are affected by culture and beliefs, I use observation, participant observation, analysis of community produced literature, and semi-structured interviews in a critical case study of the Findhorn Foundation. Therein time and money are rhetorically accountable; are indicative of the spiritually influenced moral code of the Findhorn Foundation; and the moral code provides for a vocabulary of motives that members use in order present morally worthy selves. The ideal moral self is culturally relative to the Findhorn Foundation and sets itself in opposition to an ideal type of capitalist production, consumption and generally dominant ways of knowing, being, and organising in industrialised western societies. Rhetorical accounts of time and money pervade rational ones at the organisational level and spiritual principles are blended with business acumen. However, although spiritual principles have epistemological and ontological differences (from dominant ways of doing business in the wider society), they need to be commensurable with the extra-locally produced discourses found within the wider society in order to remain legally viable. Furthermore, tensions around inefficient decision-making processes exist. Accounts are tied to multiple (at times competing) moral codes within Findhorn, and also operate within pragmatically set limits involving disposable resources. This thesis is argued to be a valuable contribution to sociological literature around social accounting in general, and in religious institutions in particular, and contributes to the literature concerning social actors' accounts of their social actions, regardless of the specific setting. That is, these findings are 'about social practices' in general. Succinctly, my thesis puts forward a strong case for seeing accounts as a central sociological concept.

The thesis addressed the saving behaviour of adolescents within the social context of the family, which has received little attention to date. The research regarded adolescent economic socialization and the development of saving behaviour as an integral part of general socialization and adolescent psychological development. The importance of saving was investigated relative to alternative ways for getting larger sums of money. Three large survey studies with adolescents and one survey study with adolescents and their parents were carried out. In Study 1, 470 students between the ages of 11 and 18 took part. The results of this study revealed that adolescents do think of saving as a means of accumulating larger sums of money. Studies 2 and 3 sampled 290 and 443 students between the ages of 11 and 17 and 13 to 14, respectively, providing empirical evidence of adolescents’ endeavour for independence, reflected by their saving motives as well as the changing of their attitudes towards saving as a skill. The thesis examined a number of significant predictors for adolescents’ general tendency to save. The studies linked adolescent saving with home atmosphere and perceived parenting style empirically for the first time. A path model illustrates the associations that were found between the behaviour and attitudes of the parents and the saving behaviour and attitudes of their adolescent child. It demonstrates that the development of saving behaviour is linked to the power relationship between parent and child. The findings support the behavioural life-cycle hypothesis as well as the benefits of being raised in an ‘authoritative home’ with regard to skills in saving.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / In the United Kingdom, a central issue of contemporary foreign policy is whether or not to enter into full membership of the European Monetary Union (EMU). Membership has profound implications for the development of the European Union (EU) and the future of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and potentially upon the much heralded Anglo-American 'special relationship'. On a practical level, excluding the political implications of membership, joining the EMU means surrendering the pound sterling for the euro and in doing so the British would also surrender control of monetary policy. This thesis will examine the historical links between British defence and monetary policy and argues that there are strong historical bonds that link the two in the political psychology of Britain. This link has created for Britain twin nationalistic icons in the pound and the military. This thesis illustrates that a paradox exists in that membership in the EMU would improve British defence spending and yet nationalistic forces resist membership. At the same time, forces in Britain in favor of monetary integration, unable to accomplish it but pressured to show they are dedicated to the project of European integration, paradoxically commit to further defence integration thought the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the EU. / Lieutenant, United States Navy

M.Comm. / The object of this study is to critically appraise the fundamental models, technical methods and statistical techniques that constitute the bulk of exchange rate forecasting methodology. Specifically, can any single approach, or combination of techniques, predict or explain the volatile currency movements characterising exchange rate behaviour in the modern international currency market? International currency markets are indeed complex in nature, and the layperson may be excused for not grasping the distinction between the fundamental, technical and statistical techniques described in the hypothesis. It is vital, however, for the comprehension of this study that the distinction between these approaches be explained, and the logic underlying their individual methodologies examined. It may prima facie seem that this study is based on a contradiction. Surely if one wants to predict an economic variable of any kind, one should refer to the economic theory upon which it is based as the starting point of an analysis. Consequently, if the objective is to forecast the future value of a currency, surely there are a great many economic texts that deal with this very question in voluminous detail. Why, then, should yet another paper be written when so much literature already exists? The answer lies not so much in the scope as in the purpose of this work. The aim of this study can be paraphrased. as follows: to provide a comprehensive and critical examination of the various methods of exchange rate forecasting and to explain why economic theory is still deficient in this important area. The question of whether or not short-term' exchange rates are able to be forecast at all will also be critically examined. This study will attempt to elucidate that while fundamental currency speculation models do provide a certain degree of guidance to currency-traders in their daily prognostications, these models are, in the context of modern capital markets, inadequate. At best, these models will be shown as trackers of long-term exchange rate trends, and not always accurate ones at that. Further, it will be demonstrated that the modern trading floors are characterised (if not defined) by split-second price changes, where the long-term'' can mean a minute, and he who hesitates is lost. It is in this setting that traders must do battle for profit, and where the fundamental models that seem to serve so well in textbooks are anachronisms. The study then shifts its focus to a subset of technical analysis known as charting, the objective being to fill the void which arises due to the fundamental models' inadequacies in the short-term. The charting techniques utilised in this study deviate from their fundamental counterparts in that they attempt to explain future exchangerate trends in terms of past performance. That is, exogenous changes are factored out of the forecasting equation, to give way to a methodology based on trendextrapolation. The performance of these models, especially as they pertain to the medium- and short-term., will then be determined. Finally, in an attempt to supplement the use of charts as a forecasting tool, statistical analysis will be considered. The model utilised in this section will be a rudimentary auto-regressive process. Its simplicity, however, belies its consequence. That is, considering that no ubiquitous statistical model dominates exchange rate theory, it is reasonable to assume that an auto-regressive process, such as the one contributed by this study, will not be subordinate to other, more complex, quantitative offerings. Thus this study attempts to provide the necessary insights in order to perspicaciously 1 It should be noted here that the terms "short-term" and "short run" are interchangeable. For the purposes of consistency, only the former term shall be employed throughout this study. 2 The terms "long-term" and "long run" are also interchangeable. For the purposes of consistency, only the former term shall be employed throughout this study. ascertain the proficiency of statistical analysis as an accurate forecaster of exchange rate fluctuations. All of the models and methods examined in this study adopt a pragmatic acid-test. That is to say, if the predictions made as a result of adherence to the models do not comply accurately and consistently with real findings, then the models themselves should be revised. This revision can be in terms of the time-frame to which the model pertains, the application of the model, or the model itself. It must, however, be stressed that a model whose very raison d'etre lies in its ability to predict exchange rate movements must be able to do so without qualifications or exceptions. The methodology adopted in analysing the models themselves is therefore positive as opposed to normative. Thus, even in the "organised chaos" of the modern exchange rate markets, the application of the models should yield satisfactory results. In other words, despite the unprecedented volumes, speed and volatility of the currencies that are traded in the modern arena, the models themselves should still be able to achieve their purpose - to forecast the extent and direction of changes in the par value of a currency. The next logical question is: what is meant by the "organised chaos", and specifically why should this influence the predictive ability of the fundamental, technical and statistical methods of exchange rate forecasting? The answer to this can be introduced as follows. On an almost daily basis, currency traders move an excess of one trillion dollars throughout the world. Adding to the gravity of this somewhat overwhelming statistic is that most of these are intercomputer transactions occurring instantaneously via inter-bank wire-transfers. In fact, the volume of currency traded is so great that if one were to sum the trading of all the Saudi oil, American wheat, European aircraft and Japanese cars, the monetary result would seem pithy in comparison (Millman, 1995:xxi). It is, however, not only the sheer volumes of currencies traded that characterise the international money markets. It is perhaps more importantly the unanticipated and unparalleled volatility of the markets themselves which provides the greatest quandary for those who conform to 'traditional' methods of exchange rate determination. It is all too common, in fact, for currency prices to change on a minute-to-minute or even second-to-second basis. Exchange rates are thus in a constant state of flux. The significant though infrequent changes of past years have been terminally disposed of. The inception of the microcomputer and the floating exchange rate system currently dominating the greater world economy has irrevocably altered what was considered a flawed order. It is this very metamorphosis which will be examined in detail, specifically how fundamental models have assumed a differing purpose to those used by modern speculators, hedgers and arbitrageurs in their specific fields of application. Thus it will be shown how the changing paradigm of the world economy and consequently the currency trading floors themselves necessitate neoteric predictive powers, that is, the power to forecast currency changes not in terms of years, months or even weeks, but rather in terms of days, minutes and seconds. The object of this thesis will therefore be to show that a definite dichotomy has developed between the exchange rate models espoused in economic textbooks and the techniques upon which the de facto day-to-day buying and selling of currencies depend. The efficacy of this study consequently hinges on one decisive question - is there truly a consistent and precise method of forecasting exchange rates?