The paper examines the impact of fees on the return of a fund investment using different simulation and fee structure models. The results show that fees have a significant expected impact, particularly for well-performing funds. Two simulation models were used, the Geometric Brownian Motion (GBM) model and Merton Jump Diffusion (MJD) model. Two fee structures were also analysed for each simulation, a High-water mark fee structure and a Hurdle fee structure. Comparing the GBM and MJD models, the two tend to generate very similar fee statistics even though the MJD model's day-to-day returns fit better with empirical data. When comparing the HWM and Hurdle fee models, larger differences are observed. While overall average fee statistics are similar, the performance fee statistics are significantly higher in the Hurdle fee structure for assets achieving higher returns, e.g. at least an 8% annual return. However, the HWM fee structure tends to generate higher performance fees for assets with low returns. Regression models are also developed for each combination of the simulation model and fee structure. The regression models reflect the above conclusions and can for investors serve as simple key indicators to estimate expected fund fee payments. The GBM regression results are likely more useful than the MJD regression results, as the parameters of the former are easier to calculate based on historical return data. / Uppsatsen undersöker effekten av avgifter på avkastningen av en fondinvestering med hjälp av olika simuleringar och avgiftsmodeller. Resultaten visar att avgifter förväntas ha en betydande påverkan, särskilt för fonder som genererar hög avkastning. Två simuleringar användes, Geometric Brownian Motion (GBM) och Merton Jump Diffusion (MJD). Två avgiftsstrukturer analyserades också för varje simulering, en High-water mark avgiftsstruktur och en Hurdle avgiftsstruktur. Jämförelse mellan GBM och MJD-modellerna visar att de två tenderar att generera mycket liknande avgiftsstatistik trots att MJD-modellens dagliga avkastning passar bättre med empiriska data. Vid jämförelse av HWM- och Hurdle avgiftsmodellerna observeras större skillnader. Medan den övergripande genomsnittliga avgiftsstatistiken är liknande för avgiftsmodellerna, är resultatbaserade avgifterna betydligt högre i Hurdle avgiftsstrukturen för tillgångar som uppnår högre avkastning, t.ex. minst 8% årlig avkastning. Däremot tenderar HWM-avgiftsstrukturen att generera högre resultatbaserade avgifter för tillgångar med låg avkastning. Regressionsmodeller utvecklades också för varje kombination av simulering och avgiftsstruktur. Regressionmodellerna återspeglar ovanstående slutsatser och kan för investerare fungera som enkla nyckeltal för att uppskatta förväntad kostnad av fondavgifter. GBM-regressionsresultaten är sannolikt mer användbara än MJD-regressionsresultaten, eftersom parametrarna för den förra är lättare att beräkna baserat på historisk avkastningsdata.

Nach dem erheblichen Anstieg der Stromnetzentgelte in Deutschland in den vergangenen zehn Jahren ist zu erwarten, dass dieser Trend im Zuge der Energiewende weiterhin anhält: Der Zubau großer Kapazitäten von Windenergie- und Photovoltaikanlagen erfordert ebenso umfassende Investitionen in den Ausbau der Stromnetze, um die eingespeiste Energie abtransportieren zu können. Aufgrund der ungleichen Verteilung geeigneter Flächen, insb. für den Ausbau der Windenergie, sind und werden die Verbraucher in EE-starken Regionen von diesen Netzkosten ungleich höher belastet als Kunden in Regionen mit niedrigeren EE-Kapazitäten. Um diese Asymmetrie der Kostenbelastung abzumildern, beabsichtigt die Bundesnetzagentur, einen bundesweiten Wälzungsmechanismus zur Verteilung der EE-bedingten Netzkosten in Form einer bundesweit einheitlichen Umlage einzuführen. In der hier vorliegenden Analyse sind erstmals die langfristigen Auswirkungen dieser Reform mit Blick auf den voranschreitenden EE-Ausbau abgeschätzt. Im Ergebnis zeigt sich, dass im Jahr 2040 über die Hälfte der in Verteilungsnetzen anfallenden Kosten über die Umlage bundesweit gewälzt werden könnten. Von dieser Umverteilung profitieren überwiegend Kunden in ländlichen Gebieten, während Verbraucher insbesondere in großen Städten und kleineren Netzgebieten künftig erheblich höhere Lasten tragen müssen. Das Ziel einer gleichmäßigeren Beteiligung aller Verbraucher an den EE-bedingten Netzkosten wird damit zwar erreicht, zugleich bleiben jedoch künftige Herausforderungen unadressiert.:Zusammenfassung A 1 Aktueller Stand und historische Entwicklung der Stromnetzentgelte 1 2 Was zeigt der Vergleich der Abschätzung der Netzentgeltentwicklung mit den Ist-Netzentgelten? 4 3 Welche Ansätze für eine Netzentgeltsystematik bestehen? 9 3.1 Bestehende und künftige Herausforderungen 9 3.2 Optionen für eine effiziente kurzfristige Netzbewirtschaftung 10 3.3 Optionen zur Verteilung der Kapitalkosten für die Aufrechterhaltung und Weiterentwicklung der Netzinfrastruktur 12 4 Welche Änderungen der Entgeltsystematik werden vorgeschlagen? 15 4.1 Funktionsweise der gegenwärtigen Netzentgeltsystematik 15 4.2 Vorschlag der Bundesnetzagentur für einen bundesweiten Wälzungsmechanismus 17 4.3 Wesentliche Kritik der Stellungnahmen zum Eckpunktepapier 19 4.4 Anpassungen am Wälzungsmechanismus im Festlegungsentwurf der Bundesnetzagentur 22 4.5 Alternative Ansätze zur Netzkostenverteilung 23 5 Welche Auswirkungen sind von einer überregionalen Wälzung zu erwarten? 25 5.1 Auswirkungen des Wälzungsmechanismus im Status Quo 25 5.2 Auswirkungen des Wälzungsmechanismus bei Erreichen der EEG-Ausbauziele 27 5.2.1 Erfüllung der Ausbauziele für Windenergie 27 5.2.2 Erfüllung der EEG-Ziele für Photovoltaik 29 5.2.3 Erfüllung der EEG-Ziele für Wind und PV 30 6 Schlussfolgerungen der Analyse 32 Anhang 34 Literaturverzeichnis 35

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / Includes bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Prior to 1994, the school principal in conjunction with the Department of Education used to be responsible for the control and management of school finances. With the establishment of the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996, however, the liability in respect of finance has changed dramatically as self-management took effect in schools. With the Minister of Education’s announcement of no-fee schools in poor communities (quintiles 1–3) in 2006, parents’ obligation to pay school fees fell away. Together with the aforementioned policy and decentralisation, through which power, control and management have shifted from the national to the local level, schools have started to bear a heavier financial burden as well. However, principals and governing body members have often not been trained to cope with this. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the no-fees policy on the financial control and management of rural schools in the West Coast-Winelands education district (circuits 1, 2 and 3). The data for the research were firstly gathered by means of a literature review, after which an exploratory study was conducted in 20 rural no-fee schools in the abovementioned education district by way of questionnaires. The school principals and chairpersons of school governing bodies each received a questionnaire. They were afforded two weeks to complete it. The researcher personally analysed the data, based on which certain findings and recommendations are made at the end of the study. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Voor 1994 was die skoolhoof in samewerking met die Departement verantwoordelik vir die beheer en bestuur van skoolfinansies. Met die instelling van die Suid-Afrikaanse Skolewet 84 van 1996 het die aanspreeklikheid ten opsigte van finansies egter drasties verander, deurdat selfbestuur by skole in werking gestel is. Met die Minister van Onderwys se aankondiging in 2006 van geenskoolfondsskole in arm gemeenskappe (kwintiel 1–3), het ouers se verpligting om skoolgeld te betaal verval. Tesame met voormelde beleid en desentralisasie, waardeur mag, bestuur en beheer vanaf nasionale na plaaslike vlak verskuif is, het skole nou ʼn groter finansiёle las begin dra. Tog is skoolhoofde en beheerliggaamlede dikwels nie opgelei om hierdie finansiёle las te dra nie. Die doel van hierdie studie was om die invloed van die geenskoolfondsbeleid op die finansiёle beheer en bestuur van landelike skole in die Weskus-Wynland-onderwysdistrik (kring 1, 2 en 3) te bepaal. Die data vir die navorsing is eerstens by wyse van ʼn literatuuroorsig ingesamel, waarna ʼn ondersoekende studie deur middel van vraelyste by 20 landelike geenskoolfondsskole in bogenoemde onderwysdistrik onderneem is. Skoolhoofde en beheerliggaamvoorsitters van die skole het elk ʼn vraelys ontvang. Hulle is twee weke gegun om die vraelyste te voltooi. Die navorser het persoonlik die data ontleed, op grond waarvan bepaalde bevindings en aanbevelings aan die einde van die studie gedoen word.

The implementation of the South African Schools Act (Act 84 of 1996) has placed additional financial management responsibilities on school principals and school governing bodies. Financial management has created several challenges for school principals and members of school governing bodies who do not have the necessary financial knowledge, skill and expertise to perform this function. This research was undertaken primarily to determine how principals and members of school governing bodies, in public primary schools, implement financial policy. The research is supported by a detailed literature study covering financial policy, the budget process, approaches to budgeting, the advantages of a budget system and requirements for effective financial control. In order to determine the financial management practices at public primary schools a questionnaire was designed and administered amongst twenty five public primary schools in the Ekurhuleni South District of the Gauteng Department of Education. The findings suggest that there is a need for schools to communicate resolutions adopted at parents’ meetings and other consultative procedures to parents of learners and in this way ensure the dissemination of pertinent information. There is a need for early intervention by schools concerning outstanding school fees to prevent the exacerbation of the problem. Educational institutions should prepare their budgets on the basis of their main objectives and policies in order to ensure an efficient allocation of funds. / Education / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Convinced of the role of education in promoting and accelerating economic and social development, the Government of Kenya devoted the early years of independence to the expansion of the education sector. The Government, however, could not shoulder the whole burden of financing education for long and, therefore, introduced the cost sharing policy in 1988. Demand for education has considerably increased in Kenya, yet, the sources of education finances are experiencing constraints even with the cost sharing strategy. With increased poverty levels, many parents are not able to meet the cost requirements under the cost sharing policy. This study, therefore, intended to investigate the impact of the cost sharing policy in secondary education in Kenya. In particular, the study sought to find out the views of teachers, parents and students on the cost sharing policy, the costs of secondary education, the main participants of the cost sharing policy and the proportion of dropouts and absenteeism attributed to the costs of education. This study established that there was an escalation of school fees at secondary school level as a result of the introduction of cost sharing policy in Kenya as well as in the other countries cited in this study. Most parents viewed cost sharing as a burden because not all of them were able to educate their children beyond the primary school level. The study recommends that the Government should introduce better methods of financing secondary education that would enable poor but bright students to join secondary schools of their choice, establish policies of identifying needy students among others. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Education Management)

This dissertation is concerned with the financing of roads in terms of public finance economic theory. The theory of public goods is applied to the case of roads and it is concluded that roads possess significant elements of privateness and are therefore nonpure public goods. Given that roads are nonpure public goods, and that the market for roads has natural monopoly characteristics, it is proposed that user charges have a role to play in the financing of roads. Road user charging techniques such as licence fees, fuel levies, tolls, area licensing, parking charges and weight-distance charges are evaluated. The advantages of user charging versus tax earmarking and general fund financing are examined. A road financing system for South Africa is proposed, whereby National roads are financed by user charges, and Provincial and Local roads are financed partly by user charges and partly by general taxes. / Economics and Management Sciences / Thesis (M.Com.)--University of South Africa, 1996.

本研究以1980年至2015年美國及加拿大上市公司為研究對象，探討具有會計專長之執行長（CEO）與外界反應的關係。在探討外界反應之前，本文先檢視具有會計專長之CEO對於盈餘品質的影響，透過此結果，推論專業人士（包含會計師與分析師）與市場投資人之反應。本研究預期，當CEO具有會計專長時，會使盈餘品質降低，故審計風險隨之提高，導致審計公費增加，且分析師的追隨意願降低，同時也將影響市場投資人的反應。 研究結果發現，具會計專長CEO與盈餘管理、審計公費、公司累積異常報酬呈現顯著正相關，與分析師追隨數則為顯著負相關，顯示當CEO具有會計專長時，因有盈餘操控的情況，所以審計公費提高、分析師追隨數減少；但市場投資人或許無法體認盈餘操控的事實，故仍相信具有會計專長之CEO，有可能為公司帶來正面的影響。 / This study investigates the relationship between CEOs with accounting expertise and external reactions of investors, auditors and analysts. The sample firms used in this study are all the stock-listed companies in America and Canada during 1980-2015. Before examining such external reactions, this paper explores the association between CEOs with accounting expertise and earnings quality, which help us to obtain an explanation why auditors, analysts and investors have such reactions. The empirical results show that CEOs with accounting expertise manage earnings more aggressively than CEOs without such expertise. As a consequence, the firms with such CEOs will be charged higher audit fees and have less analyst following. However, investors might not recognize this fact; they still believe that CEOs with accounting expertise will have a positive influence on firms. Our findings could offer a reference for a company looking for a CEO that could bring accounting quality.

<p>The purpose of this thesis is to, from an institutional approach, study how the Stockholm importers within the textile sector adapted their foreign trade to the change in economic policy 1720 through 1738. The focus is to investigate to what extent the introduction of new laws, regulations etc. can be an explanation for what happened to Stockholm’s foreign trade, mainly imports, particularly textile imports during the period. It is mainly the economic policies that had been enacted during the Hornian government and their effects that have been studied. This is a period that has seldom been studied in other research.</p><p>This thesis begins when the Russian raids were over. This was a year when the foreign trade still was relatively free and was untouched by the 17th century’s regulations. After 1721 the policies that would be introduced to increase Sweden's level of self-sufficiency and strengthen ties with the North Sea area had several components. Besides the economic policy, the main sources for the thesis are the city toll records.</p><p>The trade policies in the shape of tolls and fees, import and consumption bans etc. and the commercial policies together became different kinds of political tools used for several purposes. The conclusion of this thesis is that the economic policies made the Stockholm importers adapt their trade to the change. The import bans and sumptuary laws had an effect. The economic policies gave rise to an increase in the import of textile raw materials. The rise in toll costs and import fees contributed to displacing the foreign trade towards other areas. The change in the economic policies was successful in the sense that it gave rise to new conditions for domestic production within the textile sector and forced Stockholm's importers to adapt their foreign trade.</p>

The thesis deals with the concept of financial systems of municipal budgets, especially in relation to different categories of municipalities and its size. The aim is to analyze the current legal regulation in this field and suggest legislative changes that could improve its existent state. The first chapter provides the theoretical basis for the subsequent analysis as well as for the recommendations presented in further chapters. Basic terms important to municipally policy, independent competence of municipalities and delegated powers of municipalities are defined here together with the basic principles of municipality finance system. The second chapter deals with the regulation of main sources of income of municipally budgets in the Czech Republic. The content of this chapter is concerned to legislation in Act on Budgetary Allocation of Taxes, Act on Local Fees, Act on Property Tax and legal regulation of subsidies. This chapter contains the characteristics of each individual income, presents a critical evaluation of its main advantages and disadvantages in relation to municipalities finance and a short summary of the issue. The third chapter outlines from the previous parts of the thesis and presents an analysis of selected municipalities of different categories and size. Analysis completes the...

Auditors play an important role in the reliability of financial statements. Many investors and other financial information users rely on their opinion. During the financial crisis, auditors were critised since they did not warn the markets about financially distressed companies. In our thesis, we examine whether auditors change their behaviour during a financial crisis. Using our collected data for joint stock companies in the Czech Republic, we focus on frequency of modified and going concern opinions, amount of audit and non-audit fees charged by auditors, and audit reporting lag. Our audit fees model showed that there were significantly lower audit fees after the crisis than during the crisis years. The results also suggest that both Big 4 and non-Big 4 auditors increased their frequency of issuing modified opinions (most of which were going concern opinions) during the crisis period. In our logit going concern models for the individual years we observed change of the auditors' behaviour during the crisis years 2008-2010. We have also found out that Big 4 auditors increased their audit reporting lag in 2008 but our overall results suggest that the audit reporting lag was shorter during the crisis.