Aciphylla species (wild spaniard/speargrass) are an iconic component of the Australasian high country flora, but their reproductive system is enigmatic. They are insect-pollinated dioecious mast seeders (synchronous highly variable seed production), which seems maladaptive. The resource supply to pollinators is highly variable, yet dioecious plants are dependent on pollinators, and dioecious masting requires male and female plants to flower synchronously. Floral display in Aciphylla is relatively large, with tall inflorescences bearing thousands of flowers, suggesting that plants would not have the resources to produce such large stalks every year. But why do they have such huge inflorescences in the first place? I tested whether pollinator attraction is providing an economy of scale which favours intermittent production of very large inflorescences, by manipulating floral display size during a high-flowering year and measuring insect visitation rates and seed set (female reproductive success). Using space-for-time substitution and selective removal of male inflorescences, I also tested whether female seed set was affected by distance to flowering male plants (i.e. changes in local pollen availability) to see if flowering asynchrony would reduce pollination success. Bags were used to exclude pollination by insects and test for wind pollination, and hand pollination was done to test for pollen limitation. Insect surveys suggest that Aciphylla has a generalist pollination system (to avoid satiating a specialist pollinator during 'mast' years'). Male inflorescences received significantly more visits than females, and some seeds were set inside bags (although only 20-30%), suggesting wind pollination may occur at low levels. Seed set rate was higher for taller inflorescences with greater flowering length in A. aurea but tall inflorescences with excess flowers led to a decrease in seed set rates in A. scott-thomsonii. Hand pollination significantly increased seed set rates although these effects were not as large as expected (e.g. 10% increases from natural to hand-pollinated inflorescences were typical). There was no evidence for resource limitation in any species. Female plants in dense flowering populations had higher seed set rates, and individual floral display size in females was particularly important when females were 'isolated' from males. Insect visitation rates were generally higher on inflorescences with a larger floral display, suggesting that display size is important for pollinator attraction. Overall, these results suggest that the pollinator-attraction benefits of such a large floral display (at both the plant and population level) are possibly providing an economy of scale, although the relative effects are small.

Much of industry is seeking scope economies, but this requires more complex and flexible product realisation. Modelling technologies have potential to support the life cycle engineering of both Economies of Scope and Scale (EoSS) manufacturing systems. However when companies operate in dynamic environments it is not sufficient to model manufacturing systems in isolation. Rather a holistic modelling methodology is needed which can create structural and behavioural models of dependencies between the manufacturing systems, and the business and engineering environments in which they operate; so that a suitable balance between economies of scope and scale can be achieved. This thesis describes the conception and development of a step wised Extended Modelling Methodology (EMM) which facilitates reasoning, and related decision making, about EoSS manufacturing systems. The EMM was conceived from exploratory research in two SMEs, following which it was applied and case tested in a large manufacturing company. Little academic attention to date has been paid to theorising about the link between ‘Economies of Scope and Scale (EoSS) phenomenon' and ‘manufacturing systems design'. Hence many questions about EoSS manufacturing remain unanswered, such as: (1) academic communities need to know what EoSS actually means and how state-of-the-art modelling can support qualitative and quantitative analysis of EoSS system phenomenon; and (2) industry needs to know how they can benefit from EoSS, what attended costs they might incur, and what best balance between scope and scale economies can be achieved. With these general requirements in mind the thesis reports on the conception and industrial application of the EMM. This has: (A) developed new ideas about EoSS, which can be used to characterise EoSS phenomenon; (B) introduced a new way of visualising architectural aspects of EoSS at multiple-levels of abstraction; and (C) with reference to case studies has illustrated the use of multi-level modelling to enable predictions to be made about EoSS benefits and costs.

Este trabalho procurou analisar o sistema produtivo da atividade leiteira em Minas Gerais, identificando a capacidade dos produtores em permanecer no negócio, a longo prazo, através da estimação da função custo translogarítmica. O estudo demonstrou que os produtores analisados ainda praticam altos custos por unidade produzida, sugerindo baixa eficiência dos estabelecimentos e falhas na administração do empreendimento. Os resultados econométricos revelam a possibilidade de ganhos de escala, no que se refere à alocação e melhor aproveitamento dos recursos, ou seja, as propriedades apresentam economias de escala. No entanto, retornos crescentes de escala não são compatíveis com a existência de mercados competitivos, sinalizando que os produtores enfrentam restrições geradas pelas imperfeições de mercado. O conhecimento dessas imperfeições é essencial à formulação de políticas econômicas e de organizações privadas que visem ao desenvolvimento econômico deste mercado, que atualmente é o sexto maior do mundo. Além disso, os resultados das elasticidades mostram que o produtor é mais sensível às variações de preços na mão-de-obra do que às variações nos demais fatores, reduzindo em maior proporção o uso do trabalho na produção, à medida que seu preço aumenta. Isto evidencia a principal característica regional da produção leiteira no país, que é o uso intensivo do fator trabalho. Também foi identificado que o os medicamentos, alimentos e energia, denominados no estudo de fator dispêndio, são os mais difíceis é o mais difícil de serem substituídos na produção, devido às particularidades no uso dos componentes deste insumo. Por fim, os valores positivos encontrados para as elasticidades parciais de substituição de Allen confirmam a substitutibilidade entre os fatores. / This study analyzes the production system of dairy farming in Minas Gerais, identifying the ability of producers to stay in business in the long run, by estimating the translog cost function. The study showed that the producers still have high costs per unit, suggesting low efficiency of facilities and mismanagement of the enterprise. The econometric results show the existence of economies of scale in relation to allocation and better utilization of resources. However, increasing returns to scale are not compatible with the existence of competitive markets, indicating that producers face constraints generated by market imperfections. Knowledge of these shortcomings is essential to the formulation of economic policies and private organizations that address the economic development of this market, which is currently the sixth largest in the world. In addition, the results show that elasticities of the producer is more sensitive to price changes in labor than to changes in other factors, reducing the use of a higher proportion of labor in production, as its price increases. This highlights the main feature of the regional dairy production in the country, which is the intensive use of labor. The study has also identified that the use of selected inputs, such as medication, food and energy, identified in the study as expense factor, are the most difficult to replace due to peculiarities in the use of components of this material. Finally, the positive values founds for the partial Allen elasticities of substitution confirm the substitutability between factors.

No description available.

Titel: Basel III – En studie om baselregelverkets påverkan på den svenska banksektorn   Nivå: D-nivå (30 Högskolepoäng) inom ämnet företagsekonomi   Författare: Nour Reda 891029-xxxx, Johan Laryd 850131-xxxx   Handledare: Per-Olof Bjuggren, Professor inom nationalekonomi; Economics, Finance and Statistics, Internationella Handelshögskolan. Louise Nordström, Doktorand inom nationalekonomi; Economics, Finance and Statistics, Internationella Handelshögskolan.   Datum: Jönköping, Maj 2011   Frågeställningar: (i) Vilka behov finns för att det befintliga regelverket skall kompletteras? (ii) Hur kommer införandet av Basel III ändra kostnadsfördelningen mellan banken och dess kunder? (iii) Kommer införandet av Basel III leda till en stabilare finansiell marknad?   Syfte: Det övergripande syftet med denna studie är att beskriva och undersöka Basel III:s påverkan på den svenska banksektorn.   Metod: Författarna har inom studien använt en kvalitativ metod med en deduktiv ansats som tillvägagångssätt. De intervjufrågor som vi tagit fram har grundats på studiens tre frågeställningar. Respondenterna som intervjuats är personer som är ansvariga eller delaktiga i arbetet mot införandet av Basel III. Det har lämnats stort utrymme för respondenterna att kunna föra sina egna diskussioner för att vidare mynna till väldefinierade resultat.   Resultat Resultatet av denna studie visar att de svenska storbankerna är positivt inställda mot införandet av Basel III och tror att det nya regelverket kommer bidra till en stabilare finansiell marknad. Kritik riktas mot regelverkets nya krav på bankers likviditet, samt det bruttosoliditetskrav som kommer införas. Som en effekt av det nya regelverket kommer bankernas kostnader öka, vilket i sin tur kommer drabba deras kunder negativt, i form av högre räntekostnader. / Title: Basel III – An investigation about the impact of Basel III on the Swedish banking sector   Level: D-level (30 ECTS) Master Degree in Business Administration   Arthur: Nour Reda 891029-xxxx, Johan Laryd 850131-xxxx   Supervisor: Per-Olof Bjuggren, Professor in Economics, Department; Economics, Finance and Statistics, International Business School. Louise Nordstrom, PhD in economics, Department; Economics, Finance and Statistics, International Business School.   Date: Jonkoping, May 2011   Questions: (i) Is there any needs for the existing set of regulations to be complemented? (ii) How will the new set of regulations effect the cost distribution between the Swedish banks and their clients? (iii) Will the effects of Basel III lead to a more stable financial market?   Purpose: The overall goal of this paper is to describe and examine the impact of Basel III on the Swedish banking sector.   Method: The authors have used a qualitative method with a deductive approach for the thesis. The interview questions are founded on the basis of the three question formulations of the thesis. The respondents who were interviewed are persons responsible or somehow involved in work towards the introduction of Basel III. There has been considerable scope for respondents to bring their own discussions in order to achieve well-defined results.   Result: The result of this study shows that the major Swedish banks have a positive attitude towards the implementation of Basel III, and that they believe the new regulation will contribute to a more stable financial market. The new liquidity ratios and the leverage ratio are given criticism from the banks. A direct effect of the new regulation is increased costs for Swedish Banks. Which will affect their customers negatively through a higher cost of capital.

In markets where suppliers experience learning by doing over time or, more generally, economies of scale in production, buyers are auctioning off longer-term contracts with an eroding price policy. Under an eroding price contract, the buyer initially competitively awards production to the lowest-bid supplier via an auction. Before the auction takes place, the buyer makes it clear to the suppliers that, if chosen, a sequence of price reductions will be mandatory in subsequent periods. In this thesis, we mainly study the design of the optimal eroding price contract in a two period setting under three different model settings : (1) Every supplier faces a new cost in each period (NLI model), (2) The supplier who wins the auction in the first period locks-in his cost for the future, and the buyer makes the future payment based on the winning supplier's current bid (LI1), and (3) The supplier who wins the auction in the first period locks-in his cost for the future, and the buyer makes the future payment based on the winning supplier's actual cost (LI1). Under NLI setting, the magnitude of the cost reduction due to learning by doing is common knowledge, while the magnitude is uncertain under LI1 and LI2 settings. We also study the optimal reserve prices in sequential independent auctions under NLI setting. We go on to compare the performance of the eroding price policy against sequential independent auctions (without or with the optimal reserve prices) under the above model settings. Via analytical and numerical comparisons, we find that even in the presence of learning by doing/economies of scale in production, a buyer is often better off running sequential auctions with a reserve price, rather than limiting competition and contracting with a single supplier in the hopes of extracting a better future price.

No description available.

Magistro darbo tikslas yra apžvelgus prekybos pramonės šakos produkcija teoriją, išanalizuoti Kinijos prekybos poveikį Lietuvos tekstilės pramonei. Pirmoje darbo dalyje pateikiama prekybos pramonės šakos viduje teorija, jos atsiradimo priežastys, palyginimas su prekyba tarp skirtingų pramonės šakų. Aprašomas prekybos pramonės šakos viduje skaičiavimas. Analizuojama pastarosios prekybos nauda. Antrojoje darbo dalyje analizuojamas staigus Kinijos ekonominis atsigavimas, vertinama Kinijos prekyba su pasauliu. Apžvelgiamas Kinijos prekybos poveikis Europos Sąjungos tekstilės ir aprangos sektoriui po pasaulinio kvotų panaikinimo 2005 metais. Pateikiami tekstilės importo iš Kinijos, kaip problemos, galimi sprendimo būdai. Trečiojoje magistro darbo dalyje pirmiausiai pateikiama Lietuvos-Kinijos prekyba (jos mastai, struktūra). Toliau analizuojamas Kinijos prekybos tekstile poveikis Lietuvos tekstilės pramonei. Atliekami prekybos pramonės šakos viduje skaičiavimai. Vertinamas tekstilės importo iš Kinijos poveikis Lietuvos bendrai šio sektoriaus gamybai bei užimtumui. Galiausiai darbe pateikiami apibendrinti atlikto tyrimo „Kiniškos tekstilės vertinimas Lietuvoje“ rezultatai. / The goal of the Master's thesis is to review the theory of intra-industry trade and analyse the influence of Chinese trade on Lithuanian textile industry. The first part of the work presents the theory of intra-industry trade, causes for its appearance, comparison with trade between industries. Calculation of intra-industry trade is described. The benefit of the latter is analysed. The second part of the paper includes an analysis of the sudden economical recovery of China, Chinese trade with the world is estimated. Next, an overview of the influence of Chinese trade on the European Union textile and clothing industry after the lifting of global quotas in 2005 is presented. Possible solutions to problem of textile import from China are provided. The third part of the Master's thesis primarily delivers information on Lithuanian-Chinese trade (its scope, structure). The influence of Chinese textile trade is further analysed. Calculations of intra-industry trade are carried out. Influence of textiles import from China to production and employment within this field in Lithuania is assessed. Finally, the paper presents summarized results of a research „Evaluation of Chinese textile in Lithuania“.

<p>Diss. Umeå : Umeå universitet, 1989</p> / digitalisering@umu

This thesis presents three essays on Malaysia’s poverty profile based on the Household Expenditure Survey (HES). The first and second studies were motivated by the shortcomings of the official poverty lines and poverty measurements. There are several conceptual and measurement problems related to evaluating the extent of poverty in Malaysia. The first study offers several alternative regional poverty analyses based on the consumption expenditure approach with varying underlying assumptions. The poverty lines are estimated using Ravallion-Bidani and Kakwani-Sajaia approaches and the consumption pattern of the 10th and 20th percentile per capita expenditure (PCE) households. Regional poverty lines based on Kakwani-Sajaia and Ravallion-Bidani lower bounds produced robust poverty measurement rankings across regions in the country for both the 10th and 20th percentile PCE households. However, for the 10th percentile PCE, Ravallion’s upper bound poverty lines do not produce robust poverty rankings. In relation to the shortcomings of the official poverty measurements, the second study analyses the economies of scale in consumption, specifically amongst poor households. Using the 10th and 20th percentile PCE households, the household size economies are estimated using specifications proposed by Deaton-Paxson and Kakwani-Son. The findings show that the economies of scale indices are sensitive to the selection of methods and sample groups. Economies of scale in poor household consumption are present for food, housing, clothing, furnishing, personal goods and miscellaneous goods. This study further suggests that these indices be used as complementary to the existing national poverty measurements. The final study provides new insights into the limited urban poverty studies and to the new dimension of urban poverty. Using logistic regression, the determinants are analysed using the new poverty lines estimated in the earlier essay. The test of robustness of the determinants is conducted through re-estimating the logistic regression using a range of poverty lines. The findings show that education, locational dimension, foreign migrant workers and household size are significant determinants of poverty in the urban areas.