Agricultural system in Ghana underperformed because of limited financing, which constrained some small-scale maize and cassava farmers. The purpose of this case study design was to explore the methods that some small-scale maize and cassava farmers in Amankwakrom Subdistrict used in obtaining farm financing. Two themes from the literature review were a lack of collateral for small-scale farm financing and the small-scale farmers cooperative associations' role in farm financing. Regional-scale management sustainability index formed the conceptual framework for this study. Data collection included semistructured face-to-face interviews with 8 fluent English speaking small-scale maize and cassava farmers who have obtained farm financing in the previous years. Using the Microsoft Excel and Non-numerical unstructured data indexing and theorizing software program for data analysis method, 3 major themes emerged: the farmer's membership benefits of working in cooperative associations; farmer's ability to provide the collateral requirements for the financial institutions; and farmer's good loan repayment history. The study findings indicated that some small-scale maize and cassava farmers obtained farm loans because they used the cooperative associations as their collateral assets in order to satisfy for the requirements of the financial institutions. Social implications include the potential to guide the small-scale maize and cassava farmers to access farm credits to use in expanding their farm sizes. Expansion in farm sizes may result in more maize and cassava production that can help eliminate hunger and reduce poverty in the Amankwakrom Subdistrict of Ghana.

Finansieringsstrategier är betydande delar i företagens uppbyggnad. Pecking order teorin (PO) beskriver den preferensordningen företag har över finansieringsmetoder vid investeringar. Däremot är familjeföretag speciella företag med en stor fientlighet mot externt kapital på grund av risken att tappa kontrollen över företaget. Dessutom finner man betydande incitament till att familjeföretagen har goda relationer med sina leverantörer och kunder vilket möjliggör användandet av bootstrappingstrategier. Vår studie indikerar att PO teorin inte är applicerbar på familjeföretag på grund av ovanstående faktorer. Således skapades en egen preferensordning istället för PO, familjeföretagens pecking order (FPO). Följaktligen är uppsatsens syfte att förklara rangordningen i familjeföretagens finansieringsval vid investeringar. För att undersöka familjeföretagen konstruerades först ett familjeföretagsindex som mätte familjekaraktären i familjeföretagen. Därefter undersöktes den empiriska bärigheten i FPO-modellen på SME företag i Sverige med en enkätundersökning. Utfallen av korrelationstesten genererade flertalet signifikanser mellan familjeföretagsindex och de finansieringsstrategier som FPO-modellen består av. De betydande resultaten efter korrelationstesten var ett negativt samband mellan familjeföretagsindex och hur benägna företagen var att ta in kapital utanför familjen. Det innebär alltså att ju mer familjeföretag man är desto mindre är företaget benäget att ta in externt kapital vilket är den mest betydande implikationen till forskningen. Studien kunde också observera en betydande positiv korrelation mellan familjeföretagsindex då företaget har en huvudägarandel över 50% och deras inställning till att ta in kapital från familjen. Slutligen konstateras pecking order teorin inte verkar passa in på familjeföretagens preferensordning då fler alternativ till finansiering används av familjeföretagen.

The research focuses on the strategies for financing of higher education within the context of the massification thereof in China. The year 1999 was a turning point for the development of Chinese higher education. In that year the Chinese government decided to expand its higher education system rapidly. Since then Chinese higher education has experienced explosive expansion. The student enrolment in the Chinese higher education system increased from 5.87 million in 1998 to 17.57 million in 2003. The gross enrolment rate in Chinese higher education increased from 9% in 1997 to 17% in 2004. Chinese higher education changed during this transition process from an elite to a mass system. During the expansion many problems emerged. These problems are related directly or indirectly to the issue of financing. Giving that China is still a developing country, how to resolve the financing problem is the key to the success of the transition from an elite to a mass system. Using a literature study and a qualitative inquiry, the research examined the general theories in the financing of higher education, the relevant experiences in the United States, Britain and India and the recent development of higher education financing in China. The study reveals that to ease the financial constraints, it is important to develop non-traditional institutions to lower higher education costs. China established a diversified adult higher education system that expanded at about the same rate as its regular institutions. The study also found that few governments can afford a mass system. Therefore, it is necessary to seek non-governmental funds by strategies such as introducing tuition fees and developing private institutions. However, the fee policy should be paralleled by the student assistance policies so as to reduce the inequality in higher education provision. It is believed that theoretical knowledge gained from the research could contribute to the integration of the theories on the financing of higher education within the context of massification thereof. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Comparative Education)

The research focuses on the strategies for financing of higher education within the context of the massification thereof in China. The year 1999 was a turning point for the development of Chinese higher education. In that year the Chinese government decided to expand its higher education system rapidly. Since then Chinese higher education has experienced explosive expansion. The student enrolment in the Chinese higher education system increased from 5.87 million in 1998 to 17.57 million in 2003. The gross enrolment rate in Chinese higher education increased from 9% in 1997 to 17% in 2004. Chinese higher education changed during this transition process from an elite to a mass system. During the expansion many problems emerged. These problems are related directly or indirectly to the issue of financing. Giving that China is still a developing country, how to resolve the financing problem is the key to the success of the transition from an elite to a mass system. Using a literature study and a qualitative inquiry, the research examined the general theories in the financing of higher education, the relevant experiences in the United States, Britain and India and the recent development of higher education financing in China. The study reveals that to ease the financial constraints, it is important to develop non-traditional institutions to lower higher education costs. China established a diversified adult higher education system that expanded at about the same rate as its regular institutions. The study also found that few governments can afford a mass system. Therefore, it is necessary to seek non-governmental funds by strategies such as introducing tuition fees and developing private institutions. However, the fee policy should be paralleled by the student assistance policies so as to reduce the inequality in higher education provision. It is believed that theoretical knowledge gained from the research could contribute to the integration of the theories on the financing of higher education within the context of massification thereof. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Comparative Education)