The aim of the diplom thesis is to evaluate systems of different heat sources from economical, environmental and user aspect for modern low-energy construction and classic house from 80 of the 20century.

In this research, using the statistic catch data of northwest pacific saury from the Overseas Fisheries Development Council of The Republic of China between 2004 to 2007 to conduct an resource assessment on pacific saury. First of all, calculate and compare the equilibrium level of open access fishery and the net present value maximization fishery. And then, using the northwest pacific saury statistic catch data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of The United Nations between 2005 to 2007 for the simulation analysis of resource of pacific saury, and the results simulated with the two fishing grounds of the equilibrium value for comparison. The results showed that the problem of depletion of the resource does not exist. The final, assumption that the value of parameters are changing in the range of reasonable in order to understand the impact of the changing in the fishery resource of the stock and effort. Collate and analyze the results, and expect that the results can be a management reference for the management of the northwest pacific saury fisheries.

A unique business opportunity has been presented to me. I have been invited to create a small business that would initially offer mechanical design services to two main customer segments: automotive and biomedical device companies. My main responsibility is to help frame the small business and act as an investor partner. I will act as a silent partner once the day to day operations begin. My main focus of this paper is to provide practical information to answer many specific questions about starting this small business. A Net Present Value (NPV) and Profitability Index (PI) analysis will help me determine whether the required initial investment capital will be a good investment for all the parties involved. The legal aspect of managing people in a small business with less than 15 employees will be also reviewed. The conclusions from the Human Capital Framework and the main components of a business plan will be used in the future development of an operating procedure. A business structure will be selected as part of this analysis. Finally, the business values and strategic goals that are most important to all participating parties will be mentioned. / text

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Since European settlement the Aspen Parkland has been subject to agricultural intensification. This research assessed the agronomic, ecologic and economic impact of native Parkland conversion into tame pasture, by building on a study initiated in 1980 investigating the short-term agronomic responses within three landscape-level treatments: an intensive Clear & Break (C&B), a Spray & Burn (S&B) and a burnt Native Check (NC). Historical information was supplemented with recently collected data (2005-2006). Production remained high within the NC relative to the others after 25 years, in part due to contributions from browse in areas with increasing woody species. Plant species composition also demonstrated considerable convergence (i.e. overlap) between native and tame grasslands, and although not different in soil organic matter, microfaunal activity differed marginally. Net present value (NPV) economic analysis indicated the NC and S&B provided greater aggregate returns over the study period, and has implications for aspen management in the future. / Rangeland and Wildlife Resources

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Allen M. Featherstone / Johnsonville Sausage is a privately held company based in Sheboygan Falls, WI. The company has a growing cooked sausage business and is evaluating options to expand capacity. Investing in either of two existing facilities or outsourcing production to a co-manufacturer is being considered in this make versus buy analysis. Intense competition in the category and uncertain raw material markets are considerations in the evaluation. Data used for the analyses were obtained from Johnsonville sources. Assumptions for the “make” analyses were based on existing data where applicable such as labor and utilities, and in other cases assumptions were made based on company knowledge of the process. Johnsonville engineers worked closely with equipment vendors to develop the building and equipment investment plan. Data for the “buy” alternative were received from a prequalified co-packer with advanced manufacturing technology. A Net Present Value (NPV) model is developed for each alternative and used to determine financial viability of each. The models consider varying investment requirements, freight rates and cost of goods for each alternative. Sensitivity analyses are performed to address key variables such as raw material prices and sales volume. The paper concludes that investment in Sheboygan is a viable option; however, the investment poses risk if raw material prices rise and or volume declines from expected projections. Therefore, the recommendation is to outsource production and initiate the Sheboygan project when the co-packed volume reaches 15 million pounds.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Allen M. Featherstone / Best Maid is a middle-sized regionally orientated company, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is currently owned and operated by the fourth generation of the Dalton family. The company specializes in the production of pickles and condiment products and currently holds the title of #1 retail brand of pickles in the state of Texas. In addition to the Best Maid label, products are also produced under the Del-Dixie label. The objective of this thesis is to analyze a potential capital project: a bucket line replacement. The analysis will be completed by using net present value to determine the cost and benefits of the project. The focus of the project will be the food service bucket line. The current line was designed and installed over 20 years ago. Currently, this line and supporting resources require a staff of 17 employees to operate. The process is looking to be improved through advances in technology including vibratory conveyors, more complex PLC programming, and increased accuracy of scaling equipment. Implementing these advancements has the potential to reduce the employee labor cost as well as decrease over-scaling. The goal of this project is to inform the Best Maid owners of the investment costs, labor savings, benefits, and the financial viability of the proposed capital investment. Best Maid has consistently grown at a high single digit to low double digit rate each year. Businesses must continually identify and react to the needs of tomorrow, today. Formal processes within the business will be established to evaluate and prioritize future potential projects. The conclusion of the analysis resulted in a positive NPV of about $567 thousand and a favorable IRR. The recommendation is to adopt the new technology.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Allen M. Featherstone / The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the impact the installation of an automated packaging system would have on the predominately manual bulk packaging work centers at Wixon Inc., a privately held, integrated food and beverage developer, manufacturer, and processor. The objective of this thesis is to determine if converting to an automated system would minimize costs and increase line speeds. The owners desire a 3-year payback on the investment. In addition to the financial and economical aspects of automating the equipment, there are potential food safety and personnel safety improvements that would be brought to the firm by changing equipment. The firm’s owners want to be proactive and minimize any impact a reduction in the labor pool might see cause from the exit of workers from the Baby Boomer generation. Methods used to determine the objectives of this thesis include a comparative time study of bag filling rates, an analysis of incremental cost savings, net present value (NPV) analysis and return on investment (ROI). Data were collected from studies conducted by the engineering consulting firm of Middough Incorporated, from Wixon Inc. accounting records and, interviews of key Wixon employees. The report provided by Middough determined that the new system would be able to replace three work centers in the Bulk Packaging department based on bag fill rates and flexibility in bag sizes. This reduces the employee cost per bag. The incremental costs were analyzed using accounting records for past history. Floor space, labor costs and other integral costs were compared to determine what costsavings there may be. Cost savings were treated as cash flow. The NPV and ROI for the project used this cash flow to determine if an investment in automation is a wise one. The conclusion based on the analysis made was that, based on NPV the investment would be profitable. However, the 3-year payback of $1.5 million would not be possible under current assumptions. The automation would reduce the number of needed employees enough to absorb any reduction in the labor pool while providing increased food and employee safety.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Jason S. Bergtold / Location optimization of a new dairy processing plant is crucial given the significant capital investment of $350 million required to build the plant. Couple this with notable differences in milk and transportation costs due to location, an examination of historical Net Present Value (NPV) of Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) adjusted by a discount rate of 3% is warranted to help determine the most optimal location for a new dairy processing plant investment. This thesis is an examination of historical EBITDA NPV for three locations: Dumas, TX, Sioux Falls, SD, and Lansing, MI in an effort to predict the optimal location of a future dairy processing plant. These locations were chosen due to each having the necessary milk supply that would both encourage milk production and support increases in dairy processing. Prices dairy processors receive for cheese can fluctuate but are not tied to the location in which the cheese is produced. Transportation costs of the cheese are determined by the distance to the processing plant from Plymouth, WI, which is where most further cheese processing takes place. Therefore, this thesis includes a sensitivity analysis for the Lansing, MI location to determine a breakeven milk cost and cheddar cheese price. The NPV was positive for the Dumas, TX location at $100 million as compared to (-$820) million and (-$247) million at the Sioux Falls, SD and Lansing, MI locations, respectively. The results indicate an emerging EBITDA NPV trend favoring the Lansing, MI location as indicated by this location having the best performance in the last two years (2016-2017) of $104 million compared to a negative performance at both of the other locations. The previous 8 years performance would favor the Dumas, TX location, however more weight was given to the past 2 years performance as an indicator for future economic returns. As a result, this thesis concludes the Lansing, MI location as the most favorable location for a new dairy processing investment.

Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) forms an important part of asset management practices and provides an informed decision support. The holistic nature of LCCA includes life cycle assessment (LCA) as an important component alongside economic life cycle cost analysis. The drinking water industry is right now lacking a reliable cost data structure which will ensure that all the utilities capture the same set of cost data. Also, models and tools currently available in the academia and industry are purely deterministic in nature and do not cater to uncertainty in the data. This study provides a framework for a holistic life cycle cost analysis tool which will help drinking water utilities to prioritize the activities and optimize the cost spending of the utility. The methodology includes the development of a cost data structure, a life cycle cost analysis and a life cycle assessment model in the form of an excel spreadsheet. The LCCA model has the capability to compare different pipe materials, installation, condition assessment, rehabilitation and replacement technologies. Whereas, LCA model can compare different pipe materials based on greenhouse gas emissions calculations. The final step of the methodology includes piloting the model with data from utility A. The analysis has been shown in the form of three case studies - comparison of two pipe materials, two pipe installation technologies and two pipe rehabilitation technologies. The case studies provide results in the form of comparison of total life cycle costs for different alternatives and hence a better alternative can be chosen. / Master of Science