The current financial crisis draws attention to the level of financial education among citizens. This thesis maps projects which are focused on financial education of the citizens of the Czech Republic. Based on the information found after a close study of projects focused on financial education, a necessity to develop a new financial education project. A project which is suitable for the current needs and reflects gaps of the studied projects. New project would be created for a non-profit organization.

The subject of this diploma thesis is financial literacy in Czech Republic. The main interest is the government concept explaining National Strategy on financial education and Financial Education System for elementary schools and high schools. The thesis also deals with consumer protection as it is integral part of financial literacy. Activities of Supranational organizations like European Union and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development are presented enhancing their impact on steps taken by Czech government. Eventually analysis of own measuring financial literacy is performed bringing evaluated and compared results. Based on those recommendation are proposed.

The extensive literature on financial literacy has sought to explain financial behaviours and decisions. On the asset side of the balance sheet, financial literacy is associated with good financial practice and wealth accumulation. On the liability side, however, the contribution of financial literacy to individuals’ financial decisions is not entirely clear. To add to this literature, as well as that of behavioural finance and alternative financial services, this research develops a conceptual framework based on Ajzen’s (1991) theory of planned behaviour (TPB). This framework links individuals’ attitudes to financial matters, subjective norms, perceived feasibility, financial knowledge, and behavioural biases that include overconfidence and present bias on the decision to obtain high-interest loans. The empirical tests of the developed framework suggest that individuals in distinct socio-economic groups have different antecedents that lead to borrowing from alternative financial services. For instance, individuals from low-income households are more likely to obtain these loans if they: do not have access to other forms of credit; struggle to pay their bills; are unemployed; or do not have access to advice from finance professionals. In turn, individuals from high-income households are more likely to obtain these loans if they lack financial knowledge or have behavioural biases like overconfidence or present bias. These results suggest the importance of access to professional advice while ensuring access to traditional means of obtaining credit for low-income individuals in order to reduce the negative effects of these high-interest loans. The results also confirm the importance of current policy initiatives to implement basic finance education in public school curriculums, and the urgency to seek effective approaches to address individuals’ cognitive assumptions.

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Using a mixed method design, this study explored financial knowledge, behaviors, and economic socialization in a sample of men (N = 155) incarcerated in a Midwestern county jail. A financial knowledge assessment, adapted from the FLLIP assessment (Zhan, Anderson, & Scott, 2006), was administered as well as a survey of financial behaviors and criminal history characteristics. Based on responses to the quantitative survey, a theoretical sample of participants (n = 12) was selected to participate in in-depth, qualitative interviews regarding economic socialization to the formal economy, particularly banks. Quantitative analyses revealed that the mean financial knowledge score for the sample was 59%, with Whites (M = .68; n = 46) scoring significantly higher than non-Whites (M = .55; n = 108). Factors related to financial knowledge were explored through bivariate and partial (controlling for age and race) correlational analyses. Hierarchical linear regression was conducted to determine the demographic factors, criminal history characteristics, and financial behaviors that predicted financial knowledge. Results revealed that having filed a tax return was the strongest predictor of financial knowledge. Qualitative analysis, using a grounded theory methodology, revealed that the majority of the men were distrustful of banks and other financial institutions. There appeared to be two pathways to distrust of banks: (1) anti-bank socialization through family and peers, which was solely experienced by the older Black men in the sample and (2) usage problems, which was the predominant pathway for the White men.

Bakgrund: Ekonomistyrning fungerar som ett verktyg för att stödja chefer och styra medarbetare mot organisatoriska mål. Kommunikation som är kritisk för styrningen, är integrerad i organisationens processer, struktur, miljö och kultur. Intern kommunikation stöder anställdas förståelse för företagets mål, vilket påverkar deras beslutsprocesser och hur de bidrar till företagets framgång.  Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att öka förståelsen för hur ekonomistyrning genom intern kommunikation utformas med hjälp av olika kommunikationsvägar. Dessutom är syftet att undersöka om medarbetare på olika nivåer förstår det som kommuniceras. Metod: I metoden förklaras hur denna studie är genomförd. Studien är en fallstudie på ett medelstort industriföretag i Småland. Forskningsmetoden är kvalitativ genom semistrukturerade intervjuer, datainsamling via direkt observation och från dokument.  Slutsats: I slutsatsen besvaras frågeställningarna. Första frågeställningen är “Hur är den interna kommunikationen för styrning utformad? ” vilket besvaras att den är utformad hierarkisk, med en stark möteskultur samt är transparent för den som vill ta del och lyssna. Den andra frågeställningen lyder “hur väl förstår medarbetarna det som kommuniceras?”. Detta besvaras att kommunikationen inte är anpassad för alla och därmed skiljer sig förståelsen mellan nivå, roll och avdelning. Strategisk och taktisk nivå, som har chefsroller, har hög förståelse medan operativ nivå, med underställda roller, inte förstår all intern kommunikation. De som arbetar på produktionsavdelningen har sämre förståelse än resterande operativ personal på andra avdelningar. / Background: Management control serves as a tool to support managers and guide employees towards organizational goals. Communication, which is critical for management, is integrated into the organization's processes, structure, environment and culture. Internal communication supports employees' understanding of the company's goals, influencing their decision-making and contributing to the company's success. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of how management control through internal communication is designed using different communication pathways. Furthermore the purpose is to examine whether employees in different levels understand what is communicated. Method: The method explains how this study was conducted. This study is a case study of a medium-sized industrial company in Småland. The research method is qualitative, through semi-structured interviews, data collection via direct observation and from documents. Conclusion: In the conclusion, the research questions are answered. The first question is "how is the internal communication for management designed?" to which the answer is that it is designed hierarchically, with a strong meeting culture and is transparent for those who want to take part in the information and listen. The second question is "how well do employees understand what is being communicated?" This is answered by stating that the communication is not tailored to everyone, leading to varying levels of understanding based on role, level and department. Strategic and tactical levels, which include managerial roles, have a high level of understanding, whereas the operational level, with subordinate roles, do not understand all internal communication. Those who work in the production department have a poorer understanding compared to the rest of the operational staff in other departments.

La presente investigación tiene como objetivo examinar la inclusión financiera en Perú, medida como tenencia de servicios financieros y, en especial, su relación con la educación financiera. De acuerdo con estudios previos, existe una relación positiva en las variables propuestas. Al mismo tiempo que, la literatura teórica sugiere que la educación financiera podría ser un factor que disminuye los costos de transacción para incentivar la tenencia de servicios financieros. Por estos motivos, el estudio analiza esta relación en Perú utilizando información de representatividad nacional provista por la Encuesta Nacional de Capacidades Financieras 2019 de la Superintendencia de Banca, Seguros y AFP del Perú (SBS), en la cual colaboró en diseño la Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económicos (OCDE). Sumado a esto, la OCDE ha provisto encuestas similares a instituciones gubernamentales de otros 40 países. En consecuencia, tomando en consideración un conjunto de variables socioeconómicas, este estudio utiliza los indicadores de educación financiera e inclusión financiera propuestos por la OCDE, los cuales permiten analizar un espectro más amplio de la inclusión financiera al ofrecer información sobre la tenencia de servicios financieros de ahorro, pago, seguro y crédito. En concreto, se utilizan 3 variables de inclusión financiera dentro de modelos de elección binaria para proveer resultados comparables internacionalmente. Finalmente, los resultados sugieren que existe una relación positiva entre la educación financiera y la tenencia de los tres tipos de servicios financieros. / The objective of this research is to examine financial inclusion, measured as tenure of financial services in Peru and, especially, its relationship with financial education. According to previous studies, there is a positive relationship between the proposed variables. At the same time, the theoretical literature suggests that financial education could be a factor that reduces transaction costs to encourage the ownership of financial services. For these reasons, the study analyzes this relationship in Peru using national representative information provided by the 2019 National Survey of Financial Capabilities of Peru’s Banking, Insurance and AFP Superintendency (SBS), in which the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Additionally, the OECD has provided similar surveys to government institutions in 40 other countries. Consequently, taking into consideration a set of socioeconomic variables, this study uses the financial education and financial inclusion indicators proposed by the OECD, which make it possible to analyze a broader spectrum of financial inclusion by offering information on the ownership of savings, payment, insurance, and credit financial services. Specifically, 3 financial inclusion variables are used within binary choice models to provide internationally comparable results. Finally, the results suggest that there is a positive relationship between financial education and the possession of the three types of financial services. / Trabajo de investigación

Bakgrund: I Sverige finns det ett stort intresse för privat fondsparande. De svenska storbankerna erbjuder ett flertal fonder och utgör den huvudsakliga andelen av den svenska fondmarknaden. Fondförvaltares mål med en aktiv fond är att generera en högre avkastning jämfört med dess jämförelseindex, men tidigare forskning har visat att de svenska storbankernas aktiva fonder sällan presterar bättre än jämförelseindex. Syfte: Syftet med den här studien är att undersöka varför privatpersoner behåller fondinnehav i de svenska storbankernas aktiva fonder trots att tidigare studier visar att dessa fonder ofta har högre avgifter, men inte bättre avkastning jämfört med exempelvis indexfonder. Metod: Hypotesprövning har tillämpats med en kvantitativ ansats deriverad utifrån befintlig teori. Empiriska primärdata har samlats in med en fysisk enkätundersökning som 174 studenter vid Linköpings universitet har besvarat. I denna studie har ett icke-sannolikhetsurval med ett bekvämlighetsurval tillämpats. Bivariat och multivariat analys av studiens empiriska data har genomförts med logistisk regressionsanalys. Resultat: Nollhypotesen förkastas för den oberoende variabeln byteskostnader (p <0,1). För de oberoende variablerna finansiell kunskap och familjär-bias förkastas nollhypotesen tills vidare (p <0,1). Resultatet av beta-koefficientens riktning är negativ för byteskostnader avseende avgifter och andra finansiella kostnader, men positiv för relationskostnader, finansiell subjektiv och objektiv kunskap samt familjär-bias. Slutsats: De oberoende variabler som kan förklara varför privatpersoner i studiens urval behåller fondinnehav i de svenska storbankernas aktiva fonder är byteskostnader, finansiell kunskap och familjär-bias. Studiens resultat genererar ett kunskapsbidrag som kan öka kundrörligheten på fondmarknaden. / Background: In Sweden, there is a great interest in private fund savings. The major banks in Sweden offer several funds and constitute the majority of the Swedish fund market. Fund managers' goal with an active fund is to generate a higher return compared to its benchmark index, but previous research has shown that active funds rarely outperform the benchmark index. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate why individuals retain fund holdings in the Swedish major banks’ active funds, although previous studies show that these funds often have higher fees, but not better returns than for example index funds. Methodology: Hypothesis testing has been applied with a quantitative approach derived from existing theory. Empirical primary data has been collected with a physical survey answered by 174 students at Linköping University. In this study, a non-probability sample with a convenience sample has been used. Bivariate and multivariate analysis of the study's empirical data was conducted with logistic regression analysis. Results: The null hypothesis is rejected for the independent variable switching costs (p <0.1). For the independent variables financial knowledge and familiarity bias, the null hypothesis is rejected for the time being (p <0.1). The result of the beta coefficient's direction is negative for switching costs regarding fees and other financial costs, but positive for relationship costs, financial subjective and objective knowledge, and familiarity bias. Conclusions: The independent variables, which might explain why private individuals in this study's sample retain fund holdings in the Swedish major banks' active funds, are switching costs, financial knowledge, and familiarity bias. The results of this study generate a knowledge contribution which might increase customer mobility in the fund market.

The relationship between the role of leadership and agricultural cooperatives performance were examined in East, West and South Ethiopia. The hypotheses were tested in a survey of N=162 leaders, managers and directors of primary coffee farmers cooperatives. The results of the test confirmed the overall positive relationship between the role of leadership and agricultural cooperatives performances. This study highlights and gives general view into how the role of leadership can significantly contribute to cooperatives business performances. The results and findings of the analysis indicated that leaders who are most effective at business performances are those who utilize leadership behavior and the skills and trainings required in the cooperatives business organizations. The study encourages further and comprehensive research into the interconnection between the role of leadership, education and skills of leaders, financial management knowledge and decision making competency. The study followed cross-sectional survey design, and employed evaluative quantitative analysis method. The analysis was based on primary data generated through a structured questionnaire distributed to the respondents. Responses to research statements were scaled and converted to analyze the quantitative data of dependent and independent variables based on the role of leadership and associated performance variables. The findings from correlation and multiple regressions in testing the hypotheses showed that there are significant and positive relationship between each of the five independent variables and a dependent variable of business performances. The study concluded that leadership role was very important in cooperatives business performance and, therefore, recommended that leaders of coffee farmers’ cooperatives organizations that wanted to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their businesses performances need to implement the suggestions stated in the recommendation part of this study about the leadership roles. / Business Management / DBL

The relationship between the role of leadership and agricultural cooperatives performance were examined in East, West and South Ethiopia. The hypotheses were tested in a survey of N=162 leaders, managers and directors of primary coffee farmers cooperatives. The results of the test confirmed the overall positive relationship between the role of leadership and agricultural cooperatives performances. This study highlights and gives general view into how the role of leadership can significantly contribute to cooperatives business performances. The results and findings of the analysis indicated that leaders who are most effective at business performances are those who utilize leadership behavior and the skills and trainings required in the cooperatives business organizations. The study encourages further and comprehensive research into the interconnection between the role of leadership, education and skills of leaders, financial management knowledge and decision making competency. The study followed cross-sectional survey design, and employed evaluative quantitative analysis method. The analysis was based on primary data generated through a structured questionnaire distributed to the respondents. Responses to research statements were scaled and converted to analyze the quantitative data of dependent and independent variables based on the role of leadership and associated performance variables. The findings from correlation and multiple regressions in testing the hypotheses showed that there are significant and positive relationship between each of the five independent variables and a dependent variable of business performances. The study concluded that leadership role was very important in cooperatives business performance and, therefore, recommended that leaders of coffee farmers’ cooperatives organizations that wanted to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their businesses performances need to implement the suggestions stated in the recommendation part of this study about the leadership roles. / Business Management / DBL