Les travaux présentés contribuent à un des enjeux majeurs de l'Entreprise Etendue liée au domaine de la production d'énergie électrique. L'objectif est de maintenir en dynamique la qualité des services rendus par les processus de production. Ces travaux ont ainsi pour objet, en se référant au cadre de modélisation d'Entreprise GERAM, de proposer une méthodologie réutilisable pour l'automatisation intégrée des centrales hydroélectriques. Ces dernières étant structurellement des systèmes stables, cette méthodologie est basée sur une approche orientée processus et aboutit au développement de modèles pérennes et réutilisables. Le point central de cette méthodologie consiste en la définition d'un modèle de référence ICMMS (Intelligent Control-Maintenance-technical Management Systems) formalisant la connaissance générique, de niveau terrain, applicable à l'automatisation de toute centrale hydroélectrique. La mise en œuvre de ce modèle de référence conduit à la proposition d'une architecture HSAS (Hybrid Smart Automation System) qui intègre en un tout cohérent sur les points de vue Contrôle, Maintenance et Gestion Technique, les différents composants d'automatisation distribués, supportés par des actionneurs, capteurs, ou contrôleurs conventionnels de niveau terrain. Par rapport à cette architecture, les concepts innovants de "Surveillance Conditionnelle" pour l'îlot Maintenance et d' "Atténuation de Perturbations" pour l'îlot Contrôle sont définis et étudiés afin d'être intégrés au système ICMMS. De plus, nous proposons, pour la Gestion Technique, des concepts, critères et outils pour l'évaluation de performances des HGUs (Hydroelectric Generating Units). Cette contribution est basée sur la définition d'un système d'évaluation des performances économiques utilisant des descripteurs quantitatifs mesurant l'état d'efficacité, le niveau de gestion de l'exploitation et l'état de maintenance de ces unités. Une nouvelle stratégie en lien avec la maintenance, intitulée EBM (Economic performance Based Maintenance), est ainsi formalisée. L'ensemble de nos propositions est validée sur une étude de cas.

"Umweltaspekte und ihre Wertrelevanz für die Unternehmen: Eine Zusammenfassung existierender empirischer Forschungsergebnisse!" (diese Version ist nicht mehr aktuell! 03.04.2007) The management of the value of a firm requires the identification of important value drivers. The main objective of the paper is to find out whether value based management (e.g. shareholder value oriented management) has to take into account environmental aspects. In order to answer this question, the paper will determine whether there is an empirically proven relationship between the economic and environmental performance of companies. The paper is divided into three main parts: The development of a basic theory, the examination of existing empirical results and the concluding integration of theory with empirical results. Basic Theory: To build a basis, the paper first specifies the theoretical connection between economic and environmental performance of companies. Economic performance (e.g. definable by financial statement and/or capital market data) and environmental performance (e.g. definable by operational and strategic data) are linked in a model. Based on the model the influence of environmental aspects on corporate value is examined resulting in seven hypotheses for the relationship of environmental and economic performance. Empirical Results: In order to test the developed theoretical relation, empirical studies are identified and assessed, with regard to the relationship between economic and environmental performance. The research results in 122 studies from all over the world, which are subject to further investigation. The analyzing process includes different steps. First, the studies are divided and reviewed as far as their empirical method and soundness are concerned. Mainly they can be differentiated in regression, event and portfolio studies. Furthermore the study categorizes the environmental and economic variables used in the analyzed studies. Economic measures are divided into the following categories: market based measures (e.g. stock price), accounting based measures (e.g. RoA), accounting and market based measures (e.g. Tobins q), perceived performance measures (i.e. derived from questionnaires) and miscellaneous measures (e.g. shadow prices). Environmental measures on the other hand are divided into the seven categories: strategic environmental performance, operational environmental performance, questionnaires, rating/ranking, events, environmental disclosure and mutual funds. The next step identifies the empirical result of every study as well as important determinants (e.g. the distinguished environmental and economic categories) of the results. The objective is to show whether general patterns for the existence of different results can be defined. Overall it can be shown that about 40% of all studies report a significant positive relationship between economic and environmental performance, contrary to only 11% reporting significant negative results. Furthermore, in order to assess the special role of environmental aspects as value drivers 23 suitable studies are analyzed on the basis of Rappaport?s shareholder network. Results provide an even stronger evidence for the value creating role of environmental aspects. Conclusion: Finally we can detect statistically proven environmental value drivers combining theoretical and empirical research. At the same time, the empirical methods are also evaluated, especially with regard to there ability to provide useful support for the development and examination of the theoretical research. Overall it seems to the authors that the whole research on the topic runs parallel and is not combined. There are only a few studies who are built on already recognized relations or which try the confirm such relations. Based on these cornerstones, requirements for further empirical research are identified and specified.

The management of the value of a firm requires the identification of important value drivers. The main objective of the paper is to find out whether value based management (e.g. shareholder value oriented management) has to take into account environmental aspects. In order to answer this question, the paper will determine whether there is an empirically proven relationship between the economic and environmental performance of companies. The paper is divided into three main parts: The development of a basic theory, the examination of existing empirical results and the concluding integration of theory with empirical results. Basic Theory: To build a basis, the paper first specifies the theoretical connection between economic and environmental performance of companies. Economic performance (e.g. definable by financial statement and/or capital market data) and environmental performance (e.g. definable by operational and strategic data) are linked in a model. Based on the model the influence of environmental aspects on corporate value is examined resulting in seven hypotheses for the relationship of environmental and economic performance. Empirical Results: In order to test the developed theoretical relation, empirical studies are identified and assessed, with regard to the relationship between economic and environmental performance. The research results in 122 studies from all over the world, which are subject to further investigation. The analyzing process includes different steps. First, the studies are divided and reviewed as far as their empirical method and soundness are concerned. Mainly they can be differentiated in regression, event and portfolio studies. Furthermore the study categorizes the environmental and economic variables used in the analyzed studies. Economic measures are divided into the following categories: market based measures (e.g. stock price), accounting based measures (e.g. RoA), accounting and market based measures (e.g. Tobins q), perceived performance measures (i.e. derived from questionnaires) and miscellaneous measures (e.g. shadow prices). Environmental measures on the other hand are divided into the seven categories: strategic environmental performance, operational environmental performance, questionnaires, rating/ranking, events, environmental disclosure and mutual funds. The next step identifies the empirical result of every study as well as important determinants (e.g. the distinguished environmental and economic categories) of the results. The objective is to show whether general patterns for the existence of different results can be defined. Overall it can be shown that about 40% of all studies report a significant positive relationship between economic and environmental performance, contrary to only 11% reporting significant negative results. Furthermore, in order to assess the special role of environmental aspects as value drivers 23 suitable studies are analyzed on the basis of Rappaport?s shareholder network. Results provide an even stronger evidence for the value creating role of environmental aspects. Conclusion: Finally we can detect statistically proven environmental value drivers combining theoretical and empirical research. At the same time, the empirical methods are also evaluated, especially with regard to there ability to provide useful support for the development and examination of the theoretical research. Overall it seems to the authors that the whole research on the topic runs parallel and is not combined. There are only a few studies who are built on already recognized relations or which try the confirm such relations. Based on these cornerstones, requirements for further empirical research are identified and specified.

This thesis explores the impact of democratic institutions amongst the Asian developing countries. There has been debate about the successful economic rise of these seven countries; however, questions remain over the differing levels of economic performance. Institutional literature has paid scant attention to the role of democracy, and how this has influenced economic development throughout Asia. This thesis explores the relationships between four democratic institutions - cabinets, party-systems, electoral systems and bicameralism - and economic performance across six developing democracies, in addition to Japan. Using current democratic institutional literature derived from OECD countries, this thesis expands the scope to include new countries. The analysis employs both statistical methods and case studies to assess the relationships between four democratic institutions and seven socio-economic indicators between 1986 and 2005. The linear regressions provided evidence that coalition cabinets are correlated with lower levels of inflation and unemployment, but large multi-party legislatures are not. This thesis also found correlations between strong second legislative chambers and higher FDI, lower tariffs and higher income inequality. Although this is an exploratory thesis, I suggest that democratic institutional analysis within Asia does warrant further examination; an assessment of the specific institutions may provide us with clearer notions regarding economic development.

This dissertation consists of four separate papers. Paper 1: Will Privatization Reduce Costs? I develop a model of public sector contracting. In this model, an agent can put effort into increasing the quality of a service or reducing costs. Being residual claimants, private owners have stronger incentives to cut costs than public employees. However, if quality cannot be perfectly measured, providing a private firm with incentives to improve quality forces the owner of the firm to bear risk. As a result, private firms will always be cheaper for low levels of quality but might be more expensive for high levels of quality. Paper 2: When Does Privatization Reduce Costs and Improve Quality? Theory and Evidence from Service Contracting I develop and test a model of service contracting in residential youth care. I find that private facilities have lower per-day cost of treatment for low levels of quality, but higher per-day cost for high levels of quality. Though public facilities generally have a higher level of quality, private facilities are relatively better at treating troublesome teenagers. Treatment periods are much longer under private provision, implying that the average total cost of treatment is twice as high in the private sector. Paper 3: Identity and Redistribution (co-author Robert Östling) This paper models the interaction between individuals' identity choices and redistribution. Both redistributive polices and identity choices are endogenous, and there might be multiple equilibria. The model is applied to ethnicity and social class. Paper 4: Political Polarization and Economic Performance (co-author Robert Östling) We study the effect of political polarization on economic performance using the dispersion of self-reported political preferences as our measure of polarization. We find that politically polarized countries are poorer and have smaller and inferior governments. / <p>Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögskolan, 2007 viii, s. 3-9: sammanfattning, s. 13-203: 4 uppsatser</p>

O etanol tem desempenhado importante papel na economia brasileira deixando de ser visto apenas como um subproduto do açúcar e passando a ser encarado como uma solução alternativa e permanente ao problema de abastecimento de combustível em sua origem relacionado ao risco da insuficiência das reservas petrolíferas, à necessidade de utilização de fontes energéticas renováveis, bem como, dos conflitos armados em torno de sua posse. Neste cenário, Brasil e Estados Unidos despontam como os dois principais players do mercado de etanol correspondendo a aproximadamente 90% da produção mundial. Apesar de obterem o mesmo produto final, Brasil e Estados Unidos possuem variáveis institucionais significativas que afetam o desempenho econômico da atividade. A análise do efeito das instituições sobre o desempenho econômico dos países tem ganhando destaque nos estudos de economia realizados no Brasil nos últimos anos. Sob o ponto de vista institucionalista, o desempenho econômico surge como consequência de uma determinada configuração institucional, em que o aspecto histórico é relevante, uma vez que esse reflete, direta ou indiretamente, o tipo de postura a ser tomada pelos agentes nas esferas econômica, política, social e inovativa. Nessas condições, o presente estudo tem por objetivo analisar as características institucionais verificadas no mercado do etanol brasileiro e estadunidense e as respectivas influências no desempenho econômico dessa atividade. Sendo assim, ficaram evidentes grandes discrepâncias nas características institucionais entre os dois países, o Brasil com um produto oriundo da cana-de-açúcar, produz dois tipos de etanol: o hidratado e o anidro, além do açúcar que é proveniente da mesma matéria-prima, entretanto, a cana-de-açúcar não afeta diretamente outras cadeias produtivas. O etanol brasileiro, se comparado ao estadunidense, possui um menor custo de produção, uma menor emissão de gases, com mais disponibilidade de terras para plantio, contudo, sem um marco regulatório claro para o setor, já os Estados Unidos com um produto vindo do milho e que devido a sua crescente utilização para a produção de etanol afeta diretamente outras cadeias produtivas, possui regras claras, assim como, metas de produção de curto, médio e longo prazo, além de subsídios diretos ao setor. Fatos que, entre outros, afetam diretamente o desempenho do setor de etanol em ambos os países. / Ethanol has played an important role in the Brazilian economy is no longer seen solely as a byproduct of sugar and going on to be seen as a workaround and permanent to fuel supply problem in its origin related to the risk of insufficient oil reserves, the need for use of renewable energy sources, as well as armed conflicts surrounding his possession. In this scenario, Brazil and United States emerge as the two main players of ethanol market corresponding to approximately 90% of world production. Despite obtaining the same final product, Brazil and United States have significant institutional variables that affect the economic performance of the activity. The analysis of the effect of institutions on the economic performance of the countries has notability in the studies of Economics held in Brazil in recent years. From the point of view on my institutionalist's hat, the economic performance arises as a consequence of a particular institutional setting in which the historical aspect is relevant, since this reflects, directly or indirectly, the kind of attitude to be taken by the actors in economic, political, social and innovative. Under these conditions, the present study aims to analyse the institutional characteristics of market verified Brazilian ethanol and American and their influences on the economic performance of this activity. So were obvious institutional characteristics large discrepancies between the two countries, Brazil with a product come from sugar cane, produces two types of ethanol: hydrous and anhydrous, besides sugar that is coming from the same raw material, however, sugarcane does not affect directly other productive chains. Brazilian ethanol, if compared to the United States, has a lower cost of production, lower emissions, more availability of land for planting, however, without a clear regulatory framework for the sector, as the United States with a product coming from maize and that due to its increasing use for ethanol production directly affects other productive chains, have clear rules, as well as production goals, short-, mediumand long-term, as well as direct subsidies to the industry. Facts, among others, directly affect the performance of the ethanol industry in both countries.

Various academic disciplines have attempted to explain the factors underpinning superior economic performance. Generally they neglect the realities of small states. The literature fails to clearly define a small state . Mainstream theories associate smallness with sub-optimality . Small states studies tend to be conditioned by a vulnerability complex. Yet, a good number of small states have an economic track record which is the envy of much larger states. This thesis adopts an interdisciplinary approach to investigate the theoretical explanations of superior economic performance, at both the state and firm level. Resource-advantage theory, which claims to be a general theory of competition, offers valuable insights in understanding the superior economic performance of small states. The field research follows Porter (1998) in studying the performance of particular industries to understand the competitiveness of nations. A qualitative, case study approach, involving both primary and secondary investigation, explores the performance of the pharmaceutical industry in Malta following the country s decision to join the EU. This work perceives a small state as an organisation with well-defined, but permeable, boundaries. This open system is characterised by both a lack of market power and a small population. Through the secondary field research a small number of higher-order resources, competencies and dynamic capabilities (RCDCs) are identified. The field research s findings affirm the relevance of these arch-RCDCs in creating competitive advantage for the pharmaceutical industry in Malta. It also elucidates the key role played by an external catalyst, foreign direct investment, to circumvent domestic limitations. The study finds that it is still relevant to study small states and that achieving a strategic fit between the resource base and international market opportunities is essential if small states are to enhance their market power and achieve a superior economic performance.

This work deals with measuring of the economic performance and development of the region and especially with establishment of the factors and criteria which have effect on the economic performance and development of the region.

O etanol tem desempenhado importante papel na economia brasileira deixando de ser visto apenas como um subproduto do açúcar e passando a ser encarado como uma solução alternativa e permanente ao problema de abastecimento de combustível em sua origem relacionado ao risco da insuficiência das reservas petrolíferas, à necessidade de utilização de fontes energéticas renováveis, bem como, dos conflitos armados em torno de sua posse. Neste cenário, Brasil e Estados Unidos despontam como os dois principais players do mercado de etanol correspondendo a aproximadamente 90% da produção mundial. Apesar de obterem o mesmo produto final, Brasil e Estados Unidos possuem variáveis institucionais significativas que afetam o desempenho econômico da atividade. A análise do efeito das instituições sobre o desempenho econômico dos países tem ganhando destaque nos estudos de economia realizados no Brasil nos últimos anos. Sob o ponto de vista institucionalista, o desempenho econômico surge como consequência de uma determinada configuração institucional, em que o aspecto histórico é relevante, uma vez que esse reflete, direta ou indiretamente, o tipo de postura a ser tomada pelos agentes nas esferas econômica, política, social e inovativa. Nessas condições, o presente estudo tem por objetivo analisar as características institucionais verificadas no mercado do etanol brasileiro e estadunidense e as respectivas influências no desempenho econômico dessa atividade. Sendo assim, ficaram evidentes grandes discrepâncias nas características institucionais entre os dois países, o Brasil com um produto oriundo da cana-de-açúcar, produz dois tipos de etanol: o hidratado e o anidro, além do açúcar que é proveniente da mesma matéria-prima, entretanto, a cana-de-açúcar não afeta diretamente outras cadeias produtivas. O etanol brasileiro, se comparado ao estadunidense, possui um menor custo de produção, uma menor emissão de gases, com mais disponibilidade de terras para plantio, contudo, sem um marco regulatório claro para o setor, já os Estados Unidos com um produto vindo do milho e que devido a sua crescente utilização para a produção de etanol afeta diretamente outras cadeias produtivas, possui regras claras, assim como, metas de produção de curto, médio e longo prazo, além de subsídios diretos ao setor. Fatos que, entre outros, afetam diretamente o desempenho do setor de etanol em ambos os países. / Ethanol has played an important role in the Brazilian economy is no longer seen solely as a byproduct of sugar and going on to be seen as a workaround and permanent to fuel supply problem in its origin related to the risk of insufficient oil reserves, the need for use of renewable energy sources, as well as armed conflicts surrounding his possession. In this scenario, Brazil and United States emerge as the two main players of ethanol market corresponding to approximately 90% of world production. Despite obtaining the same final product, Brazil and United States have significant institutional variables that affect the economic performance of the activity. The analysis of the effect of institutions on the economic performance of the countries has notability in the studies of Economics held in Brazil in recent years. From the point of view on my institutionalist's hat, the economic performance arises as a consequence of a particular institutional setting in which the historical aspect is relevant, since this reflects, directly or indirectly, the kind of attitude to be taken by the actors in economic, political, social and innovative. Under these conditions, the present study aims to analyse the institutional characteristics of market verified Brazilian ethanol and American and their influences on the economic performance of this activity. So were obvious institutional characteristics large discrepancies between the two countries, Brazil with a product come from sugar cane, produces two types of ethanol: hydrous and anhydrous, besides sugar that is coming from the same raw material, however, sugarcane does not affect directly other productive chains. Brazilian ethanol, if compared to the United States, has a lower cost of production, lower emissions, more availability of land for planting, however, without a clear regulatory framework for the sector, as the United States with a product coming from maize and that due to its increasing use for ethanol production directly affects other productive chains, have clear rules, as well as production goals, short-, mediumand long-term, as well as direct subsidies to the industry. Facts, among others, directly affect the performance of the ethanol industry in both countries.

The study aims to investigate the relationship between audit fees and non-audit fees to the economic performance of companies listed on BM & FBOVESPA. Therefore, we carried out a descriptive, document and quantitative research through the canonical correlation through StatGraphics® statistical software for the period 2010 to 2013. The study population was 615 companies and the sample included 319 companies in 2010, 312 in 2011, 307 in 2012 and 282 companies in 2013. Thus, in general, to analyze all the years together, the lower the audit fees and non-audit fees, the higher the ROA and ROE of smaller the companies analyzed. The control variables, size of the audited company, corporate governance level and auditing firm (BIG4) had relationship with economic performance, but only the size of the company showed a positive relationship. The only independent variable with the high strength of association with economic performance was the size of the company. The ROA also stood out above moderate association strength every year. Therefore, it is concluded that there was a relationship between audit fees and non-audit fees with economic performance. / El objetivo del estudio es verificar si hay relación entre los pagos de honorarios por auditoría y los pagos de honorarios por servicios que no son de auditoría, y el desempeño económico de las empresas en la BM&FBOVESPA. Por lo tanto, se realizó una investigación descriptiva, documental y cuantitativa usando un análisis de correlación canónica durante el periodo 2010-2013. La población del estudio fue de 615 empresas y la muestra comprendió a 319 empresas en el 2010, 312 en el 2011, 307 en el 2012 y 282 empresas en el 2013. Los resultados demostraron que cuanto menor eran los honorarios por auditoría y por servicios adicionales a la auditoría, mayor era el ROA y menor era el ROE de las empresas analizadas. Las variables de control, el tamaño de la empresa auditada, nivel de gobierno corporativo y empresa auditora (BIG4) están relacionadas con el desempeño económico; pero solo el tamaño de la empresa presentó una relación positiva. La única variable independiente que tenía una gran asociación con el desempeño económico fue el tamaño de la empresa. El ROA también se vio afectado por encima del promedio en todos los años. Se concluyó que hubo una relación entre los pagos de honorarios por auditoría y los adicionales a la auditoría, y el desempeño económico. / O estudo objetiva verificar a relação entre honorários de auditoria e de honorários de não auditoria com o desempenhoeconômico de empresas listadas na BM&FBOVESPA. Para tanto, realizouse uma pesquisa descritiva, documental e quantitativa por meio da correlação canônica no período de 2010 a 2013. A população do estudo foi de 615 empresas e a amostra compreendeu 319 empresas em 2010, 312 em 2011, 307 em 2012 e 282 empresas em 2013. Os resultados demonstram que quanto menor os honorários de auditoria e os honorários de não auditoria, maior será o ROA e menor será o ROE das empresas analisadas. As variáveis de controle, tamanho da empresa auditada, nível de governança corporativa e empresa de auditoria (BIG4) apresentaram relação com o desempenho econômico, porém, somente o tamanho da empresa apresentou relação positiva. A única variável independente que teve força de associação alta com o desempenho econômico foi o tamanho da empresa. O ROA também se destacou com força de associação acima de moderada em todos os anos. Concluise que houve relação entre os honorários de auditoria e honorários de não audi-toria com o desempenho econômico.