This work has as objective to adapt a mathematical model of analysis of investments for use in games of companies. The development of this proposal is an application of financial the determinísticos methods of economic engineering VPL, TIR and Payback, identifying the economic and financial viability of the simulated enterprises and standing out the methodology of the games of companies and the exercise of the process of decision taking, comparing the analysis projected in the beginning of the game with the results accomplished in the end of the game. Its accomplishment was accomplished with the exploitation of data generated for the pupils of disciplines of games of companies of the Program of After-graduation of the Engineering of Production of the Federal University of Saint Maria / Este trabalho tem como objetivo adaptar um modelo matemático de análise de investimentos para uso em jogos de empresas. O desenvolvimento desta proposta é uma aplicação dos métodos determinísticos financeiros da engenharia econômica VPL, TIR e Payback, identificando a viabilidade econômica e financeira dos empreendimentos simulados e ressaltando a metodologia dos jogos de empresas e o exercício do processo de tomada de decisão, comparando a análise projetada no início do jogo com os resultados realizados no final do jogo. A sua realização efetivou-se com o aproveitamento de dados gerados pelos alunos da disciplina de jogos de empresa do Programa de Pós-graduação da Engenharia de Produção- PPGEP da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria-UFSM

[pt] Com o objetivo de contribuir para a criação de um modelo de previsão do lucro das empresas de capital aberto listadas em bolsas de valores, para subseqüente utilização na avaliação de ações para investimentos, explorou-se a relação do nível de atividade econômica do Brasil com o desempenho das empresas. Verificou-se, se o nível de atividade econômica brasileira influencia o desempenho das empresas, tanto globalmente como por setor industrial. As diversas variáveis macroeconômicas com possibilidade de representar o nível de atividade econômica foram exploradas, obtendose PIB como a mais relevante. Modelos variados para previsão dos diversos níveis de desempenho das empresas foram testados. O desempenho das empresas foi averiguado em cinco níveis: Receita Líquida, Lucro Bruto, Lucro Operacional, Lucro Operacional Próprio e Lucro Líquido. Comprovou-se a potencialidade de utilizar esta relação na previsão dos lucros das empresas pela significância estatística dos resultados obtidos. Estudos futuros estão incumbidos de materializar este potencial. / [en] With the goal of contributing to the generation of a corporate earnings predictor model for subsequent utilization in stock investment analysis, this study explores the relationship between the Brazilian economic activity level and performance results for firms registered for trading on stock exchanges. The influence of the Brazilian economic activity level over the corporate performance results was verified globally and for industries. Macroeconomic variables were tested to define which of them was more suitable to represent the country activity economic level. GDP was the most relevant. Diverse models were tested to predict the corporate performance results. Corporate performance results were analyzed in five different levels: Net Sales, Gross Profits, Operating Profits, Own Operating Profits and Net Profits. The potential to utilize this relationship was verified due to the significant statistical results. Future studies have the responsibility to turn into reality this potential.

Market efficiency, based on people acting rationally, has been the dominating finance theory for most of the 20th and 21st Century’s. This classical finance theory is based on assumptions that people are rational, they absorb all available information and maximise utility. This view is outdated; it has been shown that people are in fact irrational and that this could be the cause of anomalies in the market. Behavioural finance takes into account people, and their natural biases. Behavioural finance has integrated classical financial theories and psychological theories to illustrate the way in which irrational people can impact market efficiency. This research looks at the way collective investment scheme manager decision-making can impact market efficiency. Specifically the behavioural biases: overconfidence, over optimism, loss aversion and frame dependence and whether or not collective investment scheme performance is affected by these. This research was carried out using a questionnaire distributed directly to CIS managers and risk-adjusted returns were used in order to allow for comparative results. The results from the questionnaire show evidence that actively managing South African CIS managers do indeed suffer from overconfidence and loss aversion and they do not appear to suffer from frame dependence or over optimism in this research context. There was also evidence showing that managers who suffer from these biases also demonstrated lower investment returns. “The investor’s chief problem, and even his worst enemy, is likely to be himself.” - Benjamin Graham

No abstract supplied / Dissertation (MSc (Mathematics of Finance))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Mathematics and Applied Mathematics / unrestricted

This dissertation investigates why a substantial number of common stocks is held by companies in many countries, especially in Japan. Chapter 1 gives an overview of historical and legal issues regarding corporate shareholding in Japan. Chapter 2 reviews how researchers have, theoretically and empirically, approached corporate shareholding issues. Chapter 3 elaborates on a corporate shareholding model which incorporates a standard principal-agent model with Aoki's managerial risk sharing argument (Aoki, 1988). The model finds that a risk-averse manager of a firm invests in other firms if managerial reward is linked with the value of the firm she manages, and if the operating profits of investing and invested firms are negatively correlated. Corporate stock investment is larger if the invested (and/or investing) company's operating profit is less volatile and/or if the covariance in the operating profits of the companies is more strongly negative. Although a stronger link between corporate performance and managerial reward increases managers' incentive to exert efforts, it also increases the risk that managers must bear. If the risk is too high, managers would leave their companies. Corporate stock investment reduces the risk, and enables shareholders to offer a higher incentive to the managers and to earn a higher (expected) income. Chapter 4 examines three major arguments concerning the rationale behind the practice of corporate shareholding: the competitive-effect, risk-sharing, and control-rights arguments. Predictions drawn from those arguments are tested using panel data of 186 Japanese corporate group firms from 1980 to 1988. The main findings of this study are as follows. (1) The competitive-effect argument is clearly supported by the data. Firms in the same industry do tend to invest more in one another. (2) The evidence in favor of the risksharing argument is weaker — although firms with less risky operating profits tend to attract more investment, the relationship between investment and the covariance in the firms' operating profits is ambiguous. (3) The strongest empirical support is given to the control-rights argument. Indeed, the evidence confirms that a firm is more likely to invest in other firms that hold more of its own shares. Chapter 5 concludes this dissertation. / Arts, Faculty of / Vancouver School of Economics / Graduate

Various equity investment styles have been developed and documented extensively in recent history – these styles have, in certain cases, outperformed the broader market. Muller and Ward (2013) have done extensive research into the efficiency of various equity styles on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), and made a meaningful contribution to the topic in the South Africa arena by using a sophisticated style engine and good quality data to prove the effectiveness of certain styles in outperforming the JSE All Share Index. This research builds on Muller and Ward’s methodology by combining the style-based investment approach with the concept of portfolio insurance, using synthetic replication of a put option over the style-based portfolio to provide protection. We found that the application of synthetic portfolio insurance is effective in lessening the effect of market downturns, and that optimising the desired level and time period of protection can lead to outperformance of the unprotected style-based portfolio as the implied cost of the synthetic option is negated by the avoidance of large downturns in the market. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / zkgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted

Thesis (Ph. D. Commerce (Accounting)) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / The purpose of this study was to determine the factors which spur corporate green investment practices amongst firms listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). The data were sourced from companies’ annual sustainability reports over a period of five years (2010 to 2014) and were subjected to content analysis. This quantitative study adopted a multiple case research approach as it examined all 100 South African CDP companies listed on the JSE. Data analysis was conducted using Chi-Square tests, together with Phi and Cramer’s V tests. The findings indicate that legislation influences the corporate green investment practices of JSE listed firms as do corporate image, profitability and environmental consciousness. Legislation, corporate image, profitability and environmental consciousness showed a significant relationship with the green investment practices of JSE listed firms. Furthermore, the number of JSE listed firms which supported each of these variables as a factor which promoted firm green investment practices steadily increased during the period 2010 to 2014. This study makes a modest contribution to knowledge by suggesting a framework to understand corporate green investment practice in JSE listed firms based on the study’s findings and a review of the literature. Arising from this framework, suggestions are made for further research to scrutinise how a combination of the four determinants of firm green investment practice could influence corporate eco-efficiency, firms’ engagement in green operations and markets, corporate environmental compliance and the incorporation of environmental performance measures in corporate performance measurement systems. KEY CONCEPTS: Environmental legislation; Corporate image; Profitability; Environmental consciousness; Green investment practices;Environmental legislation JSE listed firms.

Cieľom práce je zanalyzovať aktuálny výrobný proces dráh pre hydraulické motory a navrhnúť jeho optimalizáciu. Na základe analýzy výrobného procesu a prieskumu dostupných možností automatizácie sú vytvorené viaceré návrhy automatizovanej výrobnej bunky. Práca sa zaoberá technicko-ekonomickou analýzou projektu a porovnáva viaceré možnosti automatizácie výroby.

Historic market volatility has made risk management decisions by firms in the agricultural supply chain more challenging. Market risk measurement methods, such as Value-at-Risk, were developed in the financial industry to objectively measure, and thus better comprehend, market risk's effect on positions. This thesis gives a thorough background of the issues involved with risk measurement. Different scenarios were then used to demonstrate how the risk measurement method can be applied to the agricultural processing margin. In this thesis, the flour milling margin was used to demonstrate how a firm can incorporate sophisticated risk analytics into its risk management decision making process. Multiple scenarios were developed to account for different situations faced by flour millers. Ocean freight, exchange rate risk, futures price risk, basis risk and flour price risk are all included to provide examples of how market risk measurement can be beneficial to industry participants.

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 68-71). / Surveys of firms outside the property sector indicate the growth in the use of DCF methods such as the NPV and IRR methods to evaluate projects as compared to the use of such naïve methods as Payback and the Accounting rate of return. The growing convergence of theory and practice is indicated by the growing use of the NPV method. The objective of this study is to determine the capital budgeting methods used to evaluate real estate development projects and to compare the results of a survey with the results of other studies. Further, recent developments in capital budgeting theory, indicate that the investment valuation tools such as the Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (lRR), Payback Period (PP), and theAccounting Rate of Return (ARR) may fail to recognize flexibilities in real estate development projects. As a consequence, the discounted cash flow methods (DCF) may systematically undervalue strategic or large-scale real estate development projects. Two methods are introduced as an alternative to address the weaknesses of the DCF methods. Decision Tree Analysis (DTA) employs an approach to analyse flexibilities by creating a chain of possible options and allows alternative courses of action for management to adapt their initial strategies in order to capitalise on new opportunities or to minimise losses. Real Option Analysis (ROA) introduces the theory of valuing financial derivates, in particular call options, and allows the staging of the development. These instruments further introduce a risk management aspect, as call options have a limited down side and an unlimited upside. Each approach has advantages and shortcomings and should only be used in appropriate circumstances. DTA is suited for the analysis of the project specific risks. ROA on the other hand, is a superior tool when dealing with uncertainty. The thesis finds that that over 90% of all respondents are using a combination of NPV and IRR methods most often to evaluate development opportunities. Interestingly, 85% of all respondents are also using the payback period. Other methods used are the profitability index, residual value, free cash flow, economic value, and return on equity. Developers have adopted DCF methods such as NPV and IRR as the primary methods to evaluate projects rather than naïve methods such as Payback and ARR, although these latter methods remain in use. The use of decision tree analysis and real option analysis is very limited.