Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1986. / Also available in print.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / On title page: Master of Philosophy (Information and Knowledge Management). Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

Submitted by Suemi Higuchi (suemi.higuchi@fgv.br) on 2009-07-29T21:15:59Z No. of bitstreams: 1 CPDOC2009SuelyTorresdeMelodosSantosLima.pdf: 4184254 bytes, checksum: 5528cd248cd865700e2bfb37c3730896 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2009-07-29T21:17:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 CPDOC2009SuelyTorresdeMelodosSantosLima.pdf: 4184254 bytes, checksum: 5528cd248cd865700e2bfb37c3730896 (MD5) / The National Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA) was established in 1952 as the first research institute by the Brazilian National Research Council (CNPq). From its beginning, IMPA was designed to pursue research in mathematics at its highest level and to promote the training of new researchers and the diffusion and improvement of mathematical culture in the country. More recently, IMPA began to pursue applications of mathematics in other areas of knowledge and in technology. In its 57 years of existence, it consolidated its scientific prestige and became a reference to research in mathematics and in the upgrading of new researchers in Brazil and in Latin America. In view of IMPA’s importance for the future of mathematical research in the country, it currently has as its main objective the establishment of directives for the creation of the Memory Center of the National Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (CEMIMPA). Following a tendency that IMPA has increasingly asserted since 1970, CEMIMPA would be a place for the production and re-elaboration of institutional identity and memory. This paper discusses IMPA's trajectory and the concepts of memory, holdings and identity, to effectively design the general directives of CEMIMPA and to demonstrate its importance for the Institution. The creation of a memory center like the one we propose would help to give visibility to the history of IMPA, to its researchers, and also to its areas of research. Reaching beyond the limits of the mathematical research scenario, CEMIMPA will seek to access a wide and diverse public that could vigorously influence the upgrading of youth in general, and in particular, future mathematicians. It could also enhance the research of the history of mathematics in Brazil and the trajectory of the researchers - past, present and future - who are members of the mathematical community. / O Instituto Nacional de Matemática Pura e Aplicada (IMPA) foi o primeiro órgão de pesquisa criado pelo Conselho Nacional de Pesquisas (CNPq), em 1952. Desde seu início o IMPA dedicou-se à pesquisa científica em matemática do mais alto nível e promoveu a formação de novos pesquisadores, promovendo também a difusão e aprimoramento da cultura matemática no país. Mais recentemente, passou a dedicar-se também às aplicações da matemática em outras áreas do conhecimento e em setores tecnológicos. Ao longo de mais de cinqüenta anos de trabalho, consolidou-se como o centro de referência em pesquisa matemática e formação de novos pesquisadores no Brasil e na América Latina. Tendo em vista a relevância da instituição para os rumos da pesquisa na área no país, este trabalho de conclusão de curso tem como objetivo estabelecer as diretrizes para a criação do Centro de Memória do Instituto Nacional de Matemática Pura e Aplicada (CEMIMPA), que seria um espaço para produção e re-elaboração de identidade e memória institucional – seguindo uma tendência que se afirma, no Brasil, desde a década de 1970. Discute-se aqui a trajetória do IMPA, os conceitos sobre memória, acervo e identidade para conseguir demarcar as linhas gerais do CEMIMPA e precisar sua importância para a instituição. A criação de um centro de memória como o que propomos, ajudaria a dar visibilidade à história do IMPA, de seus pesquisadores, suas áreas de atuação para além dos limites do cenário da pesquisa matemática, alcançando um público cada vez mais amplo e diverso. Isto poderia influenciar de forma ainda mais vigorosa a formação de jovens em geral, e em particular, de futuros matemáticos. Também poderá incrementar as pesquisas sobre a história da matemática no Brasil e a trajetória dos pesquisadores que a fizerem e dela fazem parte.

O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar os dados de movimentação de bovinos, gerando informações úteis à vigilância epidemiológica do Estado de Mato Grosso. Analisou-se, para 2007, a distribuição de rebanhos nas propriedades, a movimentação por ecossistema de origem e destino, por finalidade (engorda, abate ou reprodução), e por época do ano. Observou-se que 81,54% do rebanho está concentrados em 20% das propriedades, indicando a existência de poucas propriedades com intensa comercialização para abate, engorda ou reprodução e muitas propriedades com pouca comercialização. Das 72.149 propriedades (de um total de 112.924) que realizaram algum tipo de movimentação, 65.773 movimentaram bovinos. A maioria das movimentações ocorreu internamente em cada ecossistema (Pantanal, Cerrado e Amazônia). O Pantanal recebeu o menor número de bovinos (4,98% dos animais recebidos, incluindo movimentação interna) e o Cerrado foi o que mais recebeu bovinos provenientes dos outros ecossistemas e o que enviou o menor número de bovinos (318.253, 25,79% do total de bovinos enviados a outro ecossistema). Observou-se uma redução do movimento em maio e novembro (vacinação contra febre aftosa), janeiro e fevereiro (férias dos frigoríficos e estação chuvosa) e setembro (manejo de natalidade, ausência da safra do boi gordo e desmama de bezerros). O percentual de movimentação interestadual foi de 2,65% dos animais movimentados, predominando as movimentações intraestaduais. Na análise de 539.526 documentos em 76.277 estabelecimentos calculou-se o grau de comercialização entre os estabelecimentos, para o semigrau interior a média e mediana foram (1 e 3) e para o semigrau exterior(2 e 3) respectivamente. As distâncias médias para movimentação de bovinos provenientes das propriedades da fronteira internacional e daquelas sabidamente positivas para brucelose foram 73,75 e 60,43 km respectivamente. Distâncias médias para movimentos destinados a frigoríficos, propriedades e eventos agropecuários foram inferiores a 116,70 km mostrando movimentação proveniente do próprio Estado. Em redes com características livre de escala supõe-se que a distribuição de grau P(k) pode ser ajustada pela lei de potência, no entanto observou-se que alguns estabelecimentos não seguiram o previsto para redes livre de escala. O ajuste de P(kin) mostrou que estabelecimentos que compraram maior quantidade de bovinos ultrapassaram o esperado pela lei de potência, o que pode estar relacionado ao comportamento de compra por frigoríficos e confinamentos. Para o ajuste de P(kout), a proporção de propriedades que venderam para muitos estabelecimentos (por exemplo, próximo a 100 estabelecimentos) está abaixo do previsto pela lei de potência, como também aquelas que venderam para menos de 10 outros estabelecimentos. As propriedades de subsistência, que movimentam poucos animais, influenciaram os valores de P(kin) e de P(kout) para valores baixos de kin e kout, respectivamente. Observou-se uma correção negativa (r= -0,54) entre o grau médio dos primeiros vizinhos e o grau do estabelecimento mostrando que estabelecimentos com grau elevado (volume elevado de compra e/ou venda) comercializam com estabelecimentos cujo grau é em média baixo (volume baixo de compra e/ou venda) e vice-versa. Essa característica da rede de movimentação de bovinos pode ter implicações no espalhamento de doenças infecciosas nos rebanhos, em função do contato entre grandes e pequenos estabelecimentos. / This study has as objective to analyze the movement data of bovine, generating useful information for epidemiologic surveillance for Mato Grosso State. It was analyzed, for 2007, the herds distribution in the farm holdings, the movement according to origin and destination ecosystem, for purpose (fattens, slaughters or reproduction), and for year\'s time. It was observed that 81.54% of the herd was concentrated on 20% of the farm holdings, indicating the existence of few farm holdings with intense commercialization for slaughters, fattens or reproduction and many farm holdings with little commercialization. Of the 72.149 farm holdings (of a total of 112.924) that accomplished some type of movement, 65.773 moved bovine. Most movements occurred internally in each ecosystem (Pantanal, Cerrado and Amazônico). The Pantanal received the smaller number of bovine (4,98% of the received animals, including internal movement) and the Cerrado received most bovine from of the other ecosystems and sent the smaller number of bovine (318.253, 25.79% of the bovine sent to other ecosystem). It was observed a decrease in movement in May and November (vaccination against Foot and Mouth Disease), January and February (slaughterhouse vacation and rainy station) and September (birth rate handling, absence of cattle for slaughterhouse and weaning calves). The percentage of interstate movement was 2.65% of the animals moved, predominating the movements within the state This factor associated to the difficulty of maintaining updated records in complex territory motivated of the characterization of cattle network making available to the defense\'s service and epidemiological vigilance a tool that makes possible retrospective and prospectively the measures application adapted in specific situations. In the analysis of 539.526 documents in 76.277 establishments it calculated the commercialization degree between establishments. For indegree the average and median were (1 and 3) and for outdegree (2 and 3) respectively. Average distances for bovine movement with origin in the farms holdings of the international border and the farms holdings known positive for brucellosis were 73.75 and 60.43 km respectively. Average distances from farm holdings to slaughter establishments, farms holdings and agricultural events were lower than 116.70 km showing movement originating within the state. In scale-free networks, the degree distribution P(k) it can be fitted by the power law, however some establishments do not follow the foreseen for networks free-scale. The fitting of P(kin) showed that establishments that buy larger quantity of bovine overtake what is expected for power law, what can be related to purchase behavior for slaughter establishments and confinements. For the fitting of P(kout), the proportion of the farms holdings that sell for lots of establishments (for example, near to 100 establishments) is below the expected by the power law, as well as those that sell for less than 10 other establishments. The subsistence farms holdings, that move few animals, influence the values of P(kin) and of P(kout) for low values of kin and kout, respectively. A negative correlation (r= -0.54) was observed between the average degree of nearest neighbors and the degree of establishments, showing that establishments with high degree of purchase and/or sells, commercialize with establishments whose degree is, on average, low (low quantity of purchase and/or sells) and vice versa. This characteristic of the network of bovine movement may have implications in the spread of infectious diseases within the herds, depending on the contact between big and small establishments.

This thesis attempts a re-interpretation of late nineteenth-century agricultural depression, specifically in England, by complementing economic histories to suggest a hitherto neglected cultural component equally defined Victorian comprehension of both the phenomenon's geographic distribution and symbolic form. Adopting recent theoretical shifts in historical geography that validate the use of literary evidence in combination with economic data sources, the thesis claims depression was constructed from an accretion of mythologised layers of meaning deposited unconsciously or otherwise. These symbolic forms influenced spatial outcomes both in material and imaginary realms, and the nature of debate at varying levels from fanning debates to intellectual discourses. The thesis examines three distinct examples of the accumulation and distribution of depression symbolism and how each signification was acted upon by different discursive communities. Firstly, attention will be directed towards farming behaviour and the consumption of depression myth. Critically the thesis suggests within farming, depression emerged as a state of mind that inhibited the production of indigenous solutions, thus further propagating depression. Secondly, the thesis moves on to examine how the- technicalities of agrarian debate were seized by wider national debates, thus further codifying the depression with numerous social anxieties such as fin de siecle fears, national destabilisation and racial degeneration. Interestingly, icons of failure conferred upon depression within this higher level of discursive interaction are returned to the parochial level, further influencing farming behaviour. An additional implication suggests the geography of depression is heavily skewed towards a perceived threat to an invented homeland at a time of emergent national identities. Finally, the thesis considers an agrarian-led response to farm failure, the introduction of small holdings and the philosophy of la petite culture, as a potential solution. The theoretical basis of land reform campaigns envisaged a major overhaul of the failed rural order of patrician sponsored agriculture, yet were influenced by the accumulated mythology of depression. Thus farm failure as conceived within imaginary geographies proved as persuasive in interpreting depression as physical expressions of distress in real space.

This study examines the effect of corporate liquidity and investor protection on the relation between financial distress and equity returns using a European sample over the 2002-2016 period. The results show that returns are hump-shaped and decreasing for increasing default risk. This can be rationalized by corporate liquidity indicating that higher cash holdings decrease liquidity risk. Moreover, firms in countries with high investor protection exhibit a more severe decrease of returns when default risk increases relative to firms in countries with low investor protection. This is because of the legal system that allows investors to renegotiate upon distress and to more accurately price equities.

This thesis presents three essays, with the first two focusing on the insider role of M&A advisors and the effectiveness of insider trading rule, while the third essay looks into the effects of product market competition on corporate cash holdings. The main hypothesis of the first and second essay is that the advisory banks that are privy to non-public deal information might have high motivation to exploit this privileged information by taking a position in a takeover target ahead of a deal and realise an excess return upon deal announcement. This motivation for and act of “insider trading” might be attenuated by the insider trading rules Rule10b5-1 and Rule10b5-2, which were released in 2000.The first essay examines the presence of acquiror advisors’ holdings in targets and their trading strategy on such holdings before deal announcement. Using an aggregate level of stake-holding in the target firm by a financial conglomerate/brands with which the advisor to the acquiror is affiliated, we find that advisory brands start to take and accumulate holdings in targets at least seven quarters before deal announcement through to announcement quarter. The stake-holding is significantly larger than that of a non-advisory brand group that is defined. We argue that these results imply the direct link between advisory holdings, advisor identity and the strong intentions of trading on private deal information. However, this tendency is markedly attenuated in the post-rule period after 2000. This change in advisory brand trading strategy on target stocks ahead of a deal with the passage of rules suggests a positive deterrence effect of the insider trading rule. In the second essay, we investigate the profitability of this trading strategy by advisory brands to acquirors taking stake in targets ahead of a deal. Results suggest that both the level and the build-up (increase) of an advisory stake between the last two quarters immediately preceding deal announcement are positively related to the target return. These results are consistent with the view that advisory brands trade on their privileged deal information by taking and increasing holdings in targets ahead of deals to profit from the increase in target share price. In our sub-period analysis, results suggest that all the coefficients become much smaller and insignificant for the post-rule period after 2000. This again indicates a strongly positive deterrent effect of regulation, which further confirms the conclusion of the first essay. The third essay is related to both the static and dynamic effect of product market competition on firm cash holdings. We find that the intensity of product market competition measured by product similarity from Hoberg and Phillips (2010, 2011) has a significant positive effect on firm cash holdings, after controlling for other measures including the Industry Herfindahl Index and industry fluidity. This suggests that firms in a more competitive industry reserve more cash as their war chest or preemptive tool against competitors. Further, Vector Autoregression (VAR) and analyses of shock show that when there is a sudden increase in product similarity/competition level (shock), firms use cash to fight off competition, leading to a decrease in cash holdings.

Land reorganisation proceedings for re-regulation of the ownership-rights structure in rural areas are summarized under the term “reorganisation of land holdings” in Saxony. These have their legal basis in the Land Consolidation Act (FlurbG) or in section 8 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act (LwAnpG). Furthermore, land regulation can be conducted under the Building Code (BauGB). The goal is to develop capable, versatility structured agriculture and forestry, and to secure and improve rural areas as an attractive location for working, living, and recreation. Land management and land regulation serve “land development” and are thus in the area of tension of many different user interests.

I examine mutual fund performance using three different perspectives. I begin with Mutual Fund Holdings Batting Average, in which I analyze mutual fund performance through the creation of a new variable using funds’ stock holdings information. My results show that this new variable, Holdings Batting Average, is related to the future performance of managers. My next chapter, Quarterly Mutual Fund Holdings Information and Window Dressing examines two different approaches of using holdings information. I recommend that fund holdings reported at the beginning of the quarter are more related to actual mutual fund performance than holdings disclosed at the end of the quarter. In my last chapter, Morningstar’s Upside and Downside Capture Ratios¸ I test these two ratios that are being reported by Morningstar. I find that these measures do not predict outperformance, but appear to be related to future fund flows.

Literature regarding the Supreme Court's holdings in Establishment Clause cases suggests the Court's jurisprudence has been inconsistent. Because the Court had both upheld and invalidated challenged governmental actions that relate to religious practices or institutions, a broad overview of the Court's holdings in Establishment Clause cases seems to support that notion. But where does the inconsistency lie: in the tests and criteria used by court members or in the holdings themselves? This thesis suggests that when comparing categories and subsets of the Court's holdings in Establishment Clause cases to one another, the jurisprudence is in fact consistent. This thesis demonstrates where the consistency can be identified and measured in the Court's jurisprudence by analyzing the holdings. The thesis employs three models, Strict-Separationism, Non-Preferentialism, and Accommodationism, to create standardized categories of Supreme Court's holdings, as independent as possible of the reasoning, criteria, or tests applied to the case by the Court members. I grouped the cases included in this study into one or more categories based on which model(s) the Court's actual holding matched. Then I compared cases within each category of holdings to one another across variables (such as actual holding and case types) to measure consistency between the cases. I conclude with an examination of the measured consistency and explanation of identified patterns in the Supreme Court's Establishment Clause holdings. The data indicated that the Court's actual holdings matched the same projected holdings consistently when compared to cases with similar variables. / Master of Arts