The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between gold and stock returns with evidence from BRIC countries during 2001-2010. The importance of this topic is caused by instability in the world economy and stock markets, and due to this instability, there is a growing interest in gold from investors and the current bull market of gold. Considering that gold is independent from most of the macroeconomic factors we believe that it therefore should be independent from or low correlated with stock, which makes this metal useful for portfolio diversification. Based on previous studies, we also believe that gold can be used to predict, to some degree, the stock market trend. The force behind such stable price growth of gold is sustained by demand from emerging countries such as BRICs. Moreover, there is lack of research on this topic from the perspective of different economic sectors. These facts determined the choice of countries along with their economic sectors. The research was designed in the frame of quantitative method. The types of relationship that were investigated are correlation and spillover effects. In order to examine these relationships we have utilized secondary data, which are gold prices and stock indices turned into returns. The Pearson’s correlation and diagonal BEKK GARCH were applied to test the correlation and spillover effects between returns of gold and stock, respectively. The results of the study showed that gold and stock returns are correlated, however to a low degree. Additionally, correlation varies across countries and their economic sectors over time, which may influence investors’ decision in choice of allocation of investments. The other findings showed the existence of mean spillover effects, both unidirectional and bidirectional, and volatility spillover effects between gold and stock returns. The principal conclusions were that gold is an efficient portfolio diversifier, which also plays a role of a hedge and a safe haven. Similarly, taking into account an existence of spillover effects, gold can be helpful in terms of stock prediction and vice versa. Further, another important finding was that not all of the economic sectors had mean spillover with gold, but in terms of volatility, every sector had a certain relationship with gold.

Magistriniame darbe analizuojamas verslo sektorių augimo poveikis Lietuvos komercinių bankų paskolų portfeliams. Kredito rizikos valdymas yra viena iš pagrindinių banko funkcijų, kuri reikalauja daug žinių, finansinių išteklių, kompetencijos ir įžvalgumo. Todėl šioje srityje neretai iškyla problemų. Šių dienų pagrindinė problema – nepakankamas dėmesys paskolų portfelio valdymui ir prognozavimui. / This masters diploma paper analyses the influence of business sectors development on the loan portfolios and credit risk of Lithuanian commercial banks. Credit risk management is one of the main internal bank functions, which needs a lot of knowledge, financial resources, competencies and providence. That is why, there are always some problematic fields in this area. The main problem is that on this day, there is paid not enough attention to the whole loan portfolio management, supervision and prognostication basing on business sector growth. Trying to solve this problem, there was made a survey, which revealed the influence of business sectors growth to the loan portfolio and credit risk. The paper consists of three main parts. The first one gives the theory on credit risk problematic, supervision and management models. There is also discussed the main factors in business doing effect on banks loan portfolios and credit risk. The second part looks through the situation in banking and other business sectors, analyses the structure of loan portfolios of several Lithuanian commercial banks. There is also evaluated the loan portfolio influence to “SEB Vilniaus bankas” financial results and the quality of the loan portfolio. Finally the third part evaluates the demand and supply of loans in various business sectors, and makes some suggestions on making the loan portfolio credit risk management more efficient.

A key aspect in legitimacy from an institutional perspective is the social evaluation of collective actors that create a generalized perception that an organizations action is desirable within some socially constructed system. Based on an empirical case based research, this paper interprets legitimacy highlighting the complex dynamics in a social enterprise in regards to the dualistic institutional logics. By adapting the evaluators perspective on legitimacy, we interpret the collective actors perception on the social enterprise examining the actors from various economic sectors. We further discuss the implication of the complex dynamic arguing for the impact from the institutional setting on the perception of social enterprises, suggesting that the social welfare system influences the perception and thus the positioning of the social enterprise. Lastly, we discuss the positioning of the social enterprise and its implication on the long-term sustainability in organization.

Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2006 / The study entitled The Role of Women’s Economic Contribution in the informal sector of the economy: A case study of women in Mankweng area in the Limpopo Province focuses on the participation of educated women in the Informal Sector of the economy. The participation of women in the economic development has been found to benefit a lot of families headed by women, Black women in particular. In Mankweng, the study found evidence of increased number of women’s participation in the economic development. This mini-thesis is comprised of four chapters. Chapter 1 This chapter is mainly introduction to the study. The chapter includes the problem statement, motivation for the study, aims and objectives and the importance of the study. The chapter also outlines the methodology of the study, the definition of key concepts used in the study and the limitations of the study. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 comprises the literature background for the study. The literature focuses largely on women in the informal sector, their employment opportunities, marginalization in economic activities and constraints on growth that are faced by women in small business enterprises. The literature also reflects on the challenges and limited achievements of women in their respective trading occupations. Chapter 2 looks at the state of women in the economy. The labour market segment theory attempts to explain gender inequalities in employment on the basis that the labour market is compartmentalized. The chapter also looks at the definition of the informal sector. The division of labour and the informal sector focuses on the areas women concentrate in the labour market. Positioning women in the informal sector and the labour market focuses on the role women play in the informal sector. The last part of the chapter deals with the challenges women are faced with and the opportunities available for them in the informal sector. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 focuses on data analysis and interpretation of the findings of the study. The analysis focuses on the respondents’ personal background and their economic activities as recorded during interviews. Chapter 4 Chapter 4 concludes the study by discussing and presenting a summary of the findings of the study and the implications thereof. A conclusive report is made and recommendations for improving the informal sector and for further research are made.

<p>This study employs the Human Capital Theory (HCT), which postulates that the education of women is positively related to the likelihood of their labour force participation, in order to investigate quarterly dynamics in the labour force. This approach is an advancement of knowledge gained from previous studies such as Serumanga-Zake and Kotze (2004) and Ntuli (2004) who investigated the annual dynamics in FLFP. Investigating quarterly dynamics in FLFP is prudent as the market economy is very dynamic particularly at a point when the world economy is experiencing recession. Data for the study are extracted from the 2008 Quarterly Labour Force Survey conducted by Statistics South Africa. Logistic regression analysis modeling was employed with the dependent variable, FLFP, as a binary outcome. Other variables controlled in the analysis are gender, population group, age, marital status, education status, sector, main industry, main occupation and province. The results show that there is association between education status and FLFP status. Findings from this research are expected to contribute to the knowledge about trends in FLFP in South Africa and aid in planning of interventions aimed at improving the status of women as one of the critical steps in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.</p>

<p>This study employs the Human Capital Theory (HCT), which postulates that the education of women is positively related to the likelihood of their labour force participation, in order to investigate quarterly dynamics in the labour force. This approach is an advancement of knowledge gained from previous studies such as Serumanga-Zake and Kotze (2004) and Ntuli (2004) who investigated the annual dynamics in FLFP. Investigating quarterly dynamics in FLFP is prudent as the market economy is very dynamic particularly at a point when the world economy is experiencing recession. Data for the study are extracted from the 2008 Quarterly Labour Force Survey conducted by Statistics South Africa. Logistic regression analysis modeling was employed with the dependent variable, FLFP, as a binary outcome. Other variables controlled in the analysis are gender, population group, age, marital status, education status, sector, main industry, main occupation and province. The results show that there is association between education status and FLFP status. Findings from this research are expected to contribute to the knowledge about trends in FLFP in South Africa and aid in planning of interventions aimed at improving the status of women as one of the critical steps in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.</p>

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-08T14:44:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 2623035 bytes, checksum: 1fd2bee41d7d6f90a4bc156f6fb3d821 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-04-30 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The aim of this study was to analyze the spatial concentration of economic specialization in Rio Grande do Norte. The analysis variable was the number of formal jobs in 2000 and 2010 obtained from the Annual Social Information - RAIS, provided by the Ministry of Labor and Employment - MTE. To achieve this objective we have used instruments of regional analysis, more precisely the location quotient and coefficient of specialization. The analysis of the coefficients showed strong spatial concentration/spatial location of some economic activities within certain micro. Another aspect observed was the very strong presence of the economic sector of public administration in quantitative formal jobs each micro as well as the growth of the trade and services, respectively, in line with what also occurred in Brazil. / O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar a concentração espacial e a especialização econômica no Rio Grande do Norte. A variável de análise foi o número de empregos formais nos anos de 2000 e 2010 obtidos na Relação Anual de Informações Sociais RAIS, providos pelo Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego MTE. Para alcançar tal objetivo foram utilizados instrumentos de análise regional, mais precisamente o quociente locacional e o coeficiente de especialização. A análise dos coeficientes espaciais mostrou forte concentração/localização espacial de algumas atividades econômicas dentro de determinadas microrregiões. Outro aspecto bastante observável foi a grande presença do setor econômico da administração pública no quantitativo de empregos formais de cada microrregião, bem como o crescimento do setor de comércio e serviços, respectivamente, em linha do que ocorreu também no Brasil.

Magister Scientiae - MSc / This study employs the Human Capital Theory (HCT), which postulates that the education of women is positively related to the likelihood of their labour force participation, in order to investigate quarterly dynamics in the labour force. This approach is an advancement of knowledge gained from previous studies such as Serumanga-Zake and Kotze (2004) and Ntuli (2004) who investigated the annual dynamics in FLFP. Investigating quarterly dynamics in FLFP is prudent as the market economy is very dynamic particularly at a point when the world economy is experiencing recession. Data for the study are extracted from the 2008 Quarterly Labour Force Survey conducted by Statistics South Africa. Logistic regression analysis modeling was employed with the dependent variable, FLFP, as a binary outcome. Other variables controlled in the analysis are gender, population group, age, marital status, education status, sector, main industry, main occupation and province. The results show that there is association between education status and FLFP status. Findings from this research are expected to contribute to the knowledge about trends in FLFP in South Africa and aid in planning of interventions aimed at improving the status of women as one of the critical steps in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. / South Africa

Masters of Science / South Africa’s female labour supply increased substantially over almost the past two decades. Female labour force participation is an imperative indication of the extent to which females participate in the economic activities of any country. Female Labour Force Participation (FLFP) rates have gained interest among researchers and development specialists worldwide due to their significant contribution in measuring progress related to gender disparities across various economic settings. Amsden (1980) further posits that there has been an increase in women contribution to modern sector activities. Despite the advances in female educational attainment and the expansion of the market economy, FLFP rates are still low in comparison with the rates of their male counterparts. This study employs the Human Capital Theory (HCT), which postulates that the education of women is positively related to the likelihood of their labour force participation, in order to investigate quarterly dynamics in the labour force. This approach is an advancement of knowledge gained from previous studies such as Serumanga-Zake and Kotze (2004) and Ntuli (2004) who investigated the annual dynamics in FLFP. Investigating quarterly dynamics in FLFP is prudent as the market economy is very dynamic particularly at a point when the world economy is experiencing recession. Data for the study are extracted from the 2008 Quarterly Labour Force Survey conducted by Statistics South Africa. Logistic regression analysis modeling was employed with the dependent variable, FLFP, as a binary outcome. Other variables controlled in the analysis are gender, population group, age, marital status, education status, sector, main industry, main occupation and province. The results show that there is association between education status and FLFP status. Findings from this research are expected to contribute to the knowledge about trends in FLFP in South Africa and aid in planning of interventions aimed at improving the status of women as one of the critical steps in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

The diploma thesis is aimed at analysis of corporate income tax, often discussed part of a tax system, which has lately been also subject of a tax competition. The primary objective of this work is analysis of collection of corporate income tax in the Czech Republic, according to taxpayers, and different economic sectors NACE. The secondary objective is analysis of tax deduction, especially donations, spending on research and development, and tax credit. The applied methods are analysis, comparison; out of the mathematical and statistical methods regression analysis is used. The analysis is done on years from 2005 to 2013.