This study aims to investigate how Sweidish large companies' capital structure is affected by business cycles and which factors affect the capital structure. The impact of the capital structure on companies is described through the two central theories trade-off theory and the pecking order theory. The hypotheses were designed based on the theories and previous studies and tested through multiple regression analysis. The study is based on a quantitative approach because the empirical data is based on numbers. The empirical data is taken from Retriever Business based on the study's sample, which was companies with a turnover of over SEK 500 million, more than 250 employees, active before 2006 and all financial companies were excluded. Based on this selection, 1201 companies emerged from which a cluster sample was made. The sample amounted to 383 companies during the period 2006–2011. This study examines four intervals which are before the financial crisis (2006–2007), during the financial crisis (2008–2009), and after the financial crisis (2010–2011) as well as the total period (2006–2011). In the analysis, a dependent variable (leverage) and three independent variables (size, profitability, and tangibility), and a dummy variable (financial crisis) were used. To carry out the study, a univariate analysis, a bivariate analysis, and a regression analysis were used, the results of which showed that the tangibility and the financial crisis had a positive correlation with the leverage of large companies at a 99 percent significance level. Size and profitability had a negative impact on leverage, however, only profitability demonstrated a statistically significant relationship at the 98 percent level. Based on the result, this study can reject H0b, H0c, and H0d and keep H0a. Based on the results, it’s possible to conclude that the pecking order theory and the trade-off theory explain how large companies finance their operation and how the financial crisis impacted their capital structure. Where the capital structure can be explained based on how profitable a company is and what the asset structure looks like. Where profitable companies have a lower level of leverage, while a company with a high asset structure has a higher level of leverage. The results of this study are in line with previous research. Which is that the financial crisis had an impact on the capital structure where the debt ratio increased during the period of the financial crisis (2008–2009) and then returned to lower levels after the financial crisis (2010–2011). / Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur stora bolags kapitalstruktur i Sverige påverkas av konjunkturcykler samt vilka faktorer som påverkar kapitalstrukturen. Genom de två centrala teorierna trade-off och pecking order teorin beskrivs kapitalstrukturens påverkan på företagen. Hypoteserna utformades utifrån teorierna samt tidigare studier och testades genom en multipel regressionsanalys. Studien utgick ifrån en kvantitativ ansats eftersom studien baserades på siffror samt att tidigare studier applicerad en kvantitativ ansats. Empirin hämtades från Retriever Business utifrån studiens urval, vilket var företag med en omsättning över 500 miljoner kr, fler än 250 anställda, aktiva före 2006 samt att alla finansiella bolag uteslöts. Utifrån detta urval framkom det 1201 företag vilket ett slumpmässigt stickprov gjordes ifrån. Stickprovet uppgick till 383 företag under perioden 2006–2011. Studien undersökte fyra tidsintervall före finanskrisen (2006–2007), under finanskrisen (2008–2009) och efter finanskrisen (2010–2011) samt den totala perioden (2006–2011). I analysen användes en beroende variabel (skuldsättningsgrad) samt tre oberoende variabler (storlek, lönsamhet och tillgångsstruktur) samt en dummyvariabel (krisperioden). För att genomföra studien tillämpades en univariat analys, bivariat analys och regressionsanalys, vars resultat visade att tillgångsstruktur och finanskrisen hade ett positivt samband med skuldsättningen hos stora företag på en 99 procentig signifikansnivå. Storlek och lönsamhet hade en negativ påverkan på skuldsättningen, dock var det endast lönsamhet som påvisade ett statistiskt signifikant samband på 98 signifikansnivå. Utifrån resultatet kunde denna studie förkasta H0b, H0c och H0d samt behålla H0a. Studien kunde även dra slutsatserna att pecking-order teorin samt trade-off teorin förklarar hur stora företag finansierar sin verksamhet samt att finanskrisen hade en påverkan på företagens kapitalstruktur. Studien fann att kapitalstrukturen kan förklaras utifrån hur lönsamt ett företag är samt hur tillgångsstrukturen ser ut. Där lönsamma företag innehar en lägre skuldsättning medan ett företag med en hög tillgångsstruktur innehar en högre skuldsättningsgrad. Resultatet som framkommit i denna studie låg i linje med tidigare forskning, vilket är att finanskrisen hade en påverkan på kapitalstrukturen där skuldsättningsgraden ökade under perioden under finanskrisen (2008–2009) för att sedan återgå till lägre nivåer efter finanskrisen (2010–2011).

[pt] As crises climática e de biodiversidade que afetam o planeta requerem mudanças profundas nos modelos socioeconômicos que têm sido apontados como uma das causas da degradação ambiental recente. Valores e comportamentos adotados pela sociedade moderna são uma das maiores ameaças à integridade dos processos naturais. A interação da humanidade com o meio ambiente é parte de um sistema socioecológico no qual é possível intervir para reverter ou mitigar seus efeitos negativos na natureza. O conceito de pontos de alavancagem propõe a identificação de componentes de um sistema complexo nos quais se pode intervir com grande potencial de mudança nos seus resultados. A conexão das pessoas com a natureza representa um ponto de alavancagem de alto impacto dentro desse sistema, pois tem o potencial de gerar uma nova mentalidade, criar valores e estimular comportamentos favoráveis à causa da sustentabilidade. O contato direto com ambientes naturais preservados, as atividades ao ar livre, a observação da vida selvagem e o conhecimento da história e culturas de determinadas regiões estimulam a conexão das pessoas com o mundo natural, que tem se perdido com o modelo de vida moderno, concentrado em ambientes urbanos e afastado da natureza. A criação de unidades de conservação públicas ou privadas que possam ser acessadas pela população é um importante vetor de conexão das pessoas com a natureza e, portanto, um importante elemento na mudança de valores e comportamentos danosos ao meio ambiente. A partir da apresentação e discussão das bases conceituais da conexão das pessoas com a natureza, este trabalho articula o tema como base para o plano de manejo de uma unidade de conservação privada (RPPN) cujo foco principal é a conexão das pessoas com a natureza, reforçando valores e comportamentos de respeito à vida e ao meio ambiente. / [en] The climate and biodiversity crises affecting the planet require profound changes in socioeconomic models that have been identified as one of the root causes of recent environmental degradation. The values and behaviours adopted by contemporary society stand as a formidable menace to the integrity of natural processes. Human interaction with the environment is a component of a socio ecological system in which it is possible to intervene to reverse or mitigate its negative effects on nature. The concept of leverage points proposes the identification of components of a complex system in which it is possible to intervene with great potential for changing its outcomes. Human-nature connectedness represents a high-impact leverage point within this system, as it has the potential to generate a new mindset, create values and stimulate behaviours favourable to the cause of sustainability. Direct contact with preserved natural environments, outdoor activities, wildlife observation and knowledge of the history and cultures of certain regions stimulate people s connection with the natural world, which has been lost with the modern urban-centric lifestyle. Establishing easily accessible public or private conservation areas plays a crucial role in rekindling this connection between people and nature, consequently serving as a pivotal element in reshaping values and behaviours that harm the environment. This work not only presents but also delves into the foundational concepts underpinning the connection between people and nature. It weaves this theme into the foundation of a management plan for a private reserve (RPPN) that centres around fostering the connection between individuals and the natural world. This endeavour aims to reinforce values and behaviours that revere life and champion nature conservation.

This study applies the Vasicek stochastic interest rate model in order to determine optimal capital structures for listed firms. A Swedish interest rate data set is used to estimate Vasicek model parameter that are reliable and independent of initial start values. These interest rate parameters are then used in a capital structure model which is evaluated through a sensitivity analysis and a firm-specific analysis which is applied to listed Swedish firms. The tax benefits of debt must be balanced against transaction costs and bankruptcy costs when determining optimal leverage ratio and optimal debt maturity. The results imply that firms should primarily focus on the long-term mean parameter of the interest rate process, the volatility of its firm value, the transaction cost of issuing debt and the effective corporate tax rate when choosing a capital structure. The capital structure model is well-founded in previous research and yields results which align with empirical data quite well. The conclusions of this study has implications for corporate finance, as the Vasicek model provides a better understanding of the stochastic nature of interest rates and its influence in determining optimal capital structures. / Denna studie tillämpar Vasiceks stokastiska räntemodell för att bestämma optimala kapitalstrukturer för noterade företag. Vasicekmodellen anpassas till ett Svensk dataset över räntor för att estimera parametrar. Dessa parametrar används sedan i en kapitalstruktursmodell för att analysera modellens känslighet för variationer i parametrar samt för att härleda optimala kapitalstrukturer för en rad Svenska noterade bolag. Skattefördelarna av skuld måste balanseras mot transaktionskostnader av skuldemissioner och konkurskostnader vid bestämning av optimal skuldsättningsgrad och optimal skuldlöptid. Resultaten antyder att företag bör primärt fokusera på det långsiktiga medelvärdet av den stokastiska ränteprocessen, volatiliteten av bolagsvärdet, transaktionskostnaden av skuldemissioner och effektiva bolagsskatten när de väljer en kapitalstruktur. Denna studie har implikationer för finansieringsteori då Vasiceks modell närmare modellerar räntors stokastiska dynamiker och dess påverkan på bestämning av bolags kapitalstrukturer.

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La tesi comprende tre saggi sul ruolo della volatilità implicita per le banche. La tesi è organizzata in tre capitoli. Capitolo I - studia il ruolo di skew e spread della volatilità implicita nel determinare i rendimenti delle azioni bancarie. Capitolo II - analizza gli effetti degli skew della volatilità implicita e della realized volatility sulla leva finanziaria delle banche. Capitolo III - si focalizza sul rapporto tra il coefficiente di liquidità delle banche e le misure per il rischio estratte dalla volatilità (skew, spread, realized volatility). / The thesis comprehends three essays on option implied volatility risk measures for banks. The thesis is organized in three chapters. Chapter I - studies the informational content for banks' stock returns in option's implied volatilities skews and spread. Chapter II - analyzes the effect of volatility risk measures (volatility skew and realized volatility) on banks' leverage. Chapter III - studies the relationship between banks' liquidity ratio and volatility risk measures.

Le aziende a controllo familiare sono considerate in molti Paesi la struttura proprietaria dominante, e la ricerca accademica si è progressivamente concentrata negli ultimi decenni sugli aspetti peculiari che differenziano le aziende familiari dalle altre strutture proprietarie. Nonostante questa convergenza, molti studi hanno sviluppato teorie contrastanti, in modo particolare sulla capacità delle aziende familiari di generare performance finanziarie superiori. Di converso, pochi studi hanno concentrato l’attenzione sulle scelte strategiche che posso spiegare il (maggiore o minore) differenziale di performance delle aziende familiari. Partendo dall’assunto che punti di forza e di debolezza possano coesistere nelle aziende familiari, identificare se siano gli uni o gli altri a prevalere è una sfida complessa se non si prendono in considerazione le scelte strategiche effettuate dalle aziende familiari. Partendo da questo gap nella letteratura, il presente lavoro cerca di misurare l’impatto che la proprietà familiare può avere sulle performance aziendali concentrandosi su tre aspetti principali della strategia d’impresa: il livello di conformità strategico alla media di settore (mediante la creazione di un indice che approssima le principali determinanti della business strategy), l’avvio di un processo di internazionalizzazione attraverso investimenti diretti esteri (IDE), e le implicazioni delle strategie di acquisizione. / The family business is widely considered the dominant property structure around the world and the research on this field has increased rapidly in the last decades to understand whether and in which aspects family firms differ from other organizations. Despite this convergence, the actual body of research on family firms is populated by conflicting theories and findings, especially on the relationship with financial performance. On the other hand, few studies focus their attention on which strategic choices may explain the financial differences between family firms and non-family peers. Starting from this research gap, we think that both positive and negative aspects may coexist in family firms, and it would be difficult to identify which predominate without considering how family principals frame strategic decisions. In our thesis, we try to disentangle the effect of family ownership on firm performance focusing on three main aspects of firm strategy: the level of strategic conformity through the creation of a composite index (in which we incorporated six items that can be considered as key determinants of the business strategy), the departure of the internationalization process through foreign direct investments (FDI), and the implications of acquisition strategies.

This study shows that managers of short-term insurers may improve their financial results if they can identify and manage the factors that are critical to their financial results. The development and application of the concept of critical success factors are therefore used as a basis for this study. The study reviews the functions performed by short-term insurers, focusing on the effect these functions have on their cash flows. Selection and pricing of risk are discussed in detail. The underwriting cycle in South Africa, and several possible causes of the cycle are investigated. Reinsurance, claims handling and rilanagement expenses are important components of the cash flows of short-term insurers and are therefore examined in detail. The optimum risk level at various combinations of underwriting and investment income is empirically tested, using the financial results of several insurers. The study investigates different approaches to the measurement of financial success of insurers, and the return on shareholders' funds is found to provide the fairest and most reliable method. Empirical comparisons are made on the financial results of the insurers that participated in the study to distinguish between those that are financially successful and those that are not. To discover what the industry consider to be their critical financial success factors, a postal survey was done of key decision makers in the South African short-term insurance industry. Respondents identified several success factors, but did not include some success factors discovered during the review of the literature. Respondents apparently experienced difficulty in separating strategic issues from operational ones. The survey revealed that the pricing of risk is problematic for short-term insurers. The importance of the investment function is also underestimated by the industry. The study concludes that the combined systematic risk of the investment and underwriting portfolios is a critical success factor, along with the capital base of the insurer, the ability of the insurer to use the leverage provided by using policyholders' funds as free reserves and the size and direction of an insurer's cash flows. / Business Management / D. Com (Business Management)

Neste trabalho, apresentamos os modelos simétricos parcialmente lineares AR(1), que generalizam os modelos parcialmente lineares para a presença de erros autocorrelacionados seguindo uma estrutura de autocorrelação AR(1) e erros seguindo uma distribuição simétrica ao invés da distribuição normal. Dentre as distribuições simétricas, podemos considerar distribuições com caudas mais pesadas do que a normal, controlando a curtose e ponderando as observações aberrantes no processo de estimação. A estimação dos parâmetros do modelo é realizada por meio do critério de verossimilhança penalizada, que utiliza as funções escore e a matriz de informação de Fisher, sendo todas essas quantidades derivadas neste trabalho. O número efetivo de graus de liberdade e resultados assintóticos também são apresentados, assim como procedimentos de diagnóstico, destacando-se a obtenção da curvatura normal de influência local sob diferentes esquemas de perturbação e análise de resíduos. Uma aplicação com dados reais é apresentada como ilustração. / In this master dissertation, we present the symmetric partially linear models with AR(1) errors that generalize the normal partially linear models to contain autocorrelated errors AR(1) following a symmetric distribution instead of the normal distribution. Among the symmetric distributions, we can consider heavier tails than the normal ones, controlling the kurtosis and down-weighting outlying observations in the estimation process. The parameter estimation is made through the penalized likelihood by using score functions and the expected Fisher information. We derive these functions in this work. The effective degrees of freedom and asymptotic results are also presented as well as the residual analysis, highlighting the normal curvature of local influence under different perturbation schemes. An application with real data is given for illustration.

Neste trabalho, apresentamos os modelos simétricos parcialmente lineares AR(1), que generalizam os modelos parcialmente lineares para a presença de erros autocorrelacionados seguindo uma estrutura de autocorrelação AR(1) e erros seguindo uma distribuição simétrica ao invés da distribuição normal. Dentre as distribuições simétricas, podemos considerar distribuições com caudas mais pesadas do que a normal, controlando a curtose e ponderando as observações aberrantes no processo de estimação. A estimação dos parâmetros do modelo é realizada por meio do critério de verossimilhança penalizada, que utiliza as funções escore e a matriz de informação de Fisher, sendo todas essas quantidades derivadas neste trabalho. O número efetivo de graus de liberdade e resultados assintóticos também são apresentados, assim como procedimentos de diagnóstico, destacando-se a obtenção da curvatura normal de influência local sob diferentes esquemas de perturbação e análise de resíduos. Uma aplicação com dados reais é apresentada como ilustração. / In this master dissertation, we present the symmetric partially linear models with AR(1) errors that generalize the normal partially linear models to contain autocorrelated errors AR(1) following a symmetric distribution instead of the normal distribution. Among the symmetric distributions, we can consider heavier tails than the normal ones, controlling the kurtosis and down-weighting outlying observations in the estimation process. The parameter estimation is made through the penalized likelihood by using score functions and the expected Fisher information. We derive these functions in this work. The effective degrees of freedom and asymptotic results are also presented as well as the residual analysis, highlighting the normal curvature of local influence under different perturbation schemes. An application with real data is given for illustration.

本論文包含兩篇獨立但主旨相關的文章， 目的均在探討融資契約與廠商投資的關聯，以分析融資契約的實質效果。第一篇文章「股價資訊外部性與新投資之採行」研究權益證券(股票)集訊、揭訊功能的實質效益，我們由股價資訊公開所產生的外部效果，分析股價資訊效率性與廠商投資效率之間的關聯。在1.眾多異質廠商，2.投資具實質選擇權(real options)特性的假設下，內生化廠商與股市交易者的資訊取得決策，發現1. 均衡時廠商的投資與資訊取得決策取決於廠商技術水準與股價效率性之高低：高股價效率性時，無廠商取得新資訊，皆根據股價判斷投資，低股價效率性時，僅較低技術廠商根據股價資訊投資。2. 股價有額外的資訊揭露效果：由於廠商僅能獲得新資訊的部份效益，且廠商利用資訊有機會成本，將投資證券化可提高新資訊被揭露的可能性，使得資訊可被充份利用，提昇投資效率。3. 股價資訊可提增投資效率，增加廠商期望報酬，但當體系平均技術水準落後，新資訊的實質效益低落時，股價資訊公開的外部淨效益亦趨薄弱，故經濟發展初期，股市資訊公開的外部效益相對不重要。 第二篇文章「抵押品、財務槓桿與廠商投資」研究借貸契約中，抵押品舒緩借貸限制的作用，及其可能產生的實質效果。我們採用Williamson(1986,1987)的狀態確認成本模型(costly state verification model)，在該訊息不對稱模型，廠商向外融資面臨借貸限制，僅較高自有資金廠商可獲融資。當借貸市場資金相當寬鬆，資金供給恆大於資金需求，資金成本(無風險利率)為一由模型外因素所決定的外生參數時，抵押融資不影響資金成本，此時抵押品具有舒緩借貸限制的作用，體系財務槓桿提高，期望查帳成本下降，投資的期望淨產出增加。若資金相對緊俏，無風險利率須由借貸市場均衡所內生決定時，長期而言，財務槓桿僅受體系資金寬鬆程度的影響，短期間抵押融資雖能提高財務槓桿，但隨槓桿之提高，資金需求增加，無風險利率上揚，在新的均衡，較低自有資金廠商投資的期望報酬下降，借貸利率上漲，反而增加其應負債務，資產狀況惡化，此即本文所欲突顯之抵押融資的潛在成本。 第一章 緒論 3 第一節 研究動機 3 第二節 研究內容與架構 5 第二章 文獻回顧 7 第一節 融資契約的功能 7 第二節 金融結構與實質經濟活動 13 第三節 股價資訊與廠商投資 18 第四節 抵押品與廠商投資 22 第三章 股價資訊外部性與新投資之採行 27 第一節 前言 27 第二節 基本模型 29 第三節 期中股市均衡與股價效率性 35 第四節 股價資訊外部效益 41 第五節 小結 46 附 錄 47 第四章 抵押品、財務槓桿與廠商投資 53 第一節 前言 53 第二節 基本模型 55 第三節 抵押融資模型-資金寬鬆時的抵押品效果 62 第四節 抵押融資模型-資金緊俏時的抵押品效果 66 第五節 小結 70 第五章 結論 72 第一節 研究限制 72 第二節 未來研究方向 77 參考文獻 79 / This dissertation collects two separate but related papers, both study the channel through which financing contracts can affect firms' investment decisions and the corresponding real effects. The first paper " Informational Externality of Stock Prices and Firms' New Investment Decisions" analyzes what real benefits the information acquisition and signaling function of stocks can produce. From the viewpoint of informational externality, stock prices may disclose some valuable information beneficial to firms' investment decisions. Under the assumptions of " heterogeneous technology" and "new investment as a real option", this paper finds 1. Firms' investment and information acquisition decisions are determined both by their own technology level and stock prices efficiency. With high price efficiency, no firms acquire information directly, all make investment decisions based on stock prices. With low price efficiency, most firms acquire information directly, only few low-tech firms make decisions according to stock prices. 2. Stock prices have additional signaling effect. Firms can ony get half benefits of new information, besides they have opportunity costs in using information. As a result, stock prices can enhance the possibility of information disclosure, improving investment efficiency. 3. When the economy is underdeveloped and the real benefit of new information is small, the net benefit produced by informational externality will be tiny. The stock prices externality effect is thus comparatively unimportant at the beginning stage of economy. The second paper " Collateral, Financial Leverage and Firms' Investment"analyzes the constraints-smoothing function of collateral and its real effects. By adopting Williamson's costly state verification model(1986,1987), I find that with this specific asymmetric information structure, there are financing constraints in capital markets, only firms whose own capital inputs are higher above some level can get borrowed capital. The question is " Can offering collateral smooth this kind of financing constraints?" In markets with abundant capital where capital supply always exceeds demand, capital cost(riskless interest rate)will be an exdogenously-determined parameter which won't be affected by collateral financing. In this scenario, collateral can smooth financing constraints, increase financial leverage and improve the net expected return of investment. On the contrary, if capital is not so abnudant that the capital cost should be determined endogenously by capital market equilibrium, then in the long run this economy's financial leverage depends only on the relative abundance of capital. Though collateral financing can increase financial leverage in the short run, as capital demand increases, capital cost will also increase. This will offset the initial smoothing effect of collateral. After full adjustment of capital cost, at the new equilibrium the financial leverage remains unchanged. However, the expected return of firms with lower own capital inputs become smaller, and their borrowing rates become higher which mean they have heavier debt burden and less net worth at the new equilibrium.