The purpose of this thesis is to look into the difficulty of valuing American options, put as well as call, on an asset that pays continuous dividends. The authors are willing to demonstrate how mentioned above securities can be priced using a simple approximation of the Kim integral equations by quadrature formulas. This approach is compared with closed form American Option price formula proposed by Bjerksund-Stenslands in 2002. The results obtained by Bjerksund-Stenslands method are numerically compared by authors to the Kim’s. In Joon Kim’s approximation seems to be more accurate and closer to the chosen “true” value of an American option, however, Bjerksund-Stenslands model is demonstrating a higher speed in calculations.

This paper examines the impact of the building or renovation of a sports arena on net migration and amenity premiums. Swedish municipal data is collected for 289 municipalities over the period 1999 to 2016. The econometric analysis makes use of fixed effects (FE) and feasible generalised linear squares (FGLS) estimation techniques. This study builds on the growing literature of the intangible benefits of sports arenas and is one of the few Swedish studies of its kind. The results show that a sports arena built in year t, realises a 3.458% increase in net migration in year t + 5, for those sports arenas being used by football and ice hockey teams in the highest and second highest leagues.

We derive a technique for scaling the search directions of feasible direction methods when applied to optimization problems over Cartesian product sets. It is proved that when the scaling is included in a convergent feasible direction method, also the new method will be convergent. The scaling technique is applied to the Frank-Wolfe method, the partanized Frank-Wolfe method and a heuristic Frank-Wolfe method. The performance of  these algorithms with and without scaling is evaluated on the stochastic transportation problem. It is found that the scaling technique has the ability to improve the performance of some methods. In particular we observed a huge improvement in the performance of the partanized Frank-Wolfe method, especially when the scaling is used together with an exact line search and when the number of sets in the Cartesian product is large.

Muitos são os dilemas no mundo da educação. Conflitos são próprios do trabalho docente, desestabilizando o ‘Ser’, comprometendo não só a prática do educador, como também a qualidade de vida do sujeito. A Tese objetiva analisar e compreender as relações que, ao movimentar o todo social, agregam a escola como espaço de embate de forças conflitivas, com implicações no 'Ser' professor-educador e nas práticas (de)formadoras dos sujeitos no processo do “educar/educar-se”. Para entender o atual contexto social, político e econômico em que os educadores estão inseridos, a fim de identificar os limites e as possibilidades ineditamente-viáveis deste 'Ser' no caminho da educação libertadora–transformadora, apresentam-se os argumentos e conclusões, frutos da coleta e análise de dados, apreendidos no processo do desenvolvimento de pesquisa qualitativa, centrado na Associação de Educação Católica/RS (AEC-RS) e nos espaços educativos onde o ‘Ser’ professor-educador faz sentido – as escolas. Com o cimento teórico Gramsci e Freire analisa-se, a relação ou correlação de forças que permeiam os agrupamentos sociais, manifestando os interesses de classe. Cada uma delas, representando uma posição determinada, confrontam-se na defesa de interesses específicos dos grupos. A consciência destes agrupamentos e os objetivos dos seus membros estão permeados por fatores políticos, culturais e econômicos que influenciam as visões de mundo defendidas por aqueles que o integram. No espaço da escola, as relações possuem o componente político-pedagógico na medida em que propicia condições de enfrentamento de ideologias. Assim, as brechas possibilitam o embate de contrários e se configuram nichos de resistências para confrontação de ideias que permeiam leituras de mundo. / Many are the dilemmas in the world of education. Conflicts are proper from the teaching work, disestablishing the “Being”, compromising not only the educator practice, but also the individual’s quality of life. The thesis aims to analyze and understand the relations which, by moving the whole social, insert school as a space of shock of conflicting forces, with implications in the educator-professor Being and in the (de) formed practices of individuals in the process of educating/educating yourself. To understand the current social, political and economical context in which the educators are inserted to identify the limits and the possibilities which are unheard and feasible from this “Being”, in the patch of the liberatingtransforming education, we present the arguments and conclusions, fruit of data collecting and analyzing, learned from the developing process of qualitative research, based on “Associação de Educação Católica/RS” (AEC-RS) and in the educational spaces where the professoreducator “Being” makes sense - the school. With the theoretical cement Gramsci and Freire, we analyze the relation or correlation of forces which permeate the social gatherings, expressing the interests of the class. Each one of them representing a determined position confronts in the defense of specific interests from the groups. The consciousness from these gatherings and the objectives of their members are permeated by political, cultural and economical factors which influence the world views defended by those who make part of it. In the school space the relations have the political-pedagogical component, as it propitiates conditions of facing the ideologies. So, the gaps make possible the shock of contraries and configure niches which permeate understanding the world.

This survey deals with some theoretical aspects of economic development as well as its methodology of measurement concerning the prevailing model, and also some alternative approaches combined with a deductive and qualitative analysis centered on the data colleted in the field of applied economy, in order to discover the meaning of the phenomenon rather than to raise quantitative data or to demonstrate their frequencies. On the other side, the analysis comprises, in itis general aspects, the main aprrroaches of the social and economic development, including the environmental context and its determing factors. Over and obove that, it breaks down into the post-theoretical environmentalism. The research identifies the main citeria and feasible devices to measure the social, economic and environmental develoment. As a result, the analysis concludes that the insustainability of development has been stimulated by the search of meaningful apports concerned with the social and environmental extent of development, in spite of the lack of consensus referring to the concept of development and ists best methodology to measure it. / Este trabalho analisa aspectos teóricos do desenvolvimento, bem como de sua mensuração, tanto no que se refere ao modelo dominante como também às abordagens alternativas. Enquadra-se no âmbito de economia aplicada, com caráter dedutivo e abordagem qualitativa, tendo em vista o que se busca é mais compreender o significado de um fenômeno do que levantar dados quantitativos para processar freqüências. Descreve, em seus aspectos gerais, as principais abordagens de desenvolvimento socioeconômico. Discute os determinantes da inserção do desenvolvimento no contexto do ambientalismo. Caracteriza o desdobramento teórico pós-ambientalismo. Identifica os principais critérios adotados para a mensuração do desenvolvimento socioeconômico e ambiental. Constata que o desenvolvimento por se constituir em um processo multifacetado não se induz apenas pelo crescimento econômico, por mais importante que seja, mas se constrói subordinando a economia à perspectiva do ser e não do ter, além de dar prioridade à luta contra as exclusões sociais e à degradação ambiental. Conclui que a insustentabilidade do modelo dominante de desenvolvimento tem estimulado a busca de aportes que considerem também como relevantes as dimensões social e ambiental do desenvolvimento, embora não existe consenso sobre o conceito de desenvolvimento nem sobre a melhor maneira para mensurá-lo.

Muitos são os dilemas no mundo da educação. Conflitos são próprios do trabalho docente, desestabilizando o ‘Ser’, comprometendo não só a prática do educador, como também a qualidade de vida do sujeito. A Tese objetiva analisar e compreender as relações que, ao movimentar o todo social, agregam a escola como espaço de embate de forças conflitivas, com implicações no 'Ser' professor-educador e nas práticas (de)formadoras dos sujeitos no processo do “educar/educar-se”. Para entender o atual contexto social, político e econômico em que os educadores estão inseridos, a fim de identificar os limites e as possibilidades ineditamente-viáveis deste 'Ser' no caminho da educação libertadora–transformadora, apresentam-se os argumentos e conclusões, frutos da coleta e análise de dados, apreendidos no processo do desenvolvimento de pesquisa qualitativa, centrado na Associação de Educação Católica/RS (AEC-RS) e nos espaços educativos onde o ‘Ser’ professor-educador faz sentido – as escolas. Com o cimento teórico Gramsci e Freire analisa-se, a relação ou correlação de forças que permeiam os agrupamentos sociais, manifestando os interesses de classe. Cada uma delas, representando uma posição determinada, confrontam-se na defesa de interesses específicos dos grupos. A consciência destes agrupamentos e os objetivos dos seus membros estão permeados por fatores políticos, culturais e econômicos que influenciam as visões de mundo defendidas por aqueles que o integram. No espaço da escola, as relações possuem o componente político-pedagógico na medida em que propicia condições de enfrentamento de ideologias. Assim, as brechas possibilitam o embate de contrários e se configuram nichos de resistências para confrontação de ideias que permeiam leituras de mundo. / Many are the dilemmas in the world of education. Conflicts are proper from the teaching work, disestablishing the “Being”, compromising not only the educator practice, but also the individual’s quality of life. The thesis aims to analyze and understand the relations which, by moving the whole social, insert school as a space of shock of conflicting forces, with implications in the educator-professor Being and in the (de) formed practices of individuals in the process of educating/educating yourself. To understand the current social, political and economical context in which the educators are inserted to identify the limits and the possibilities which are unheard and feasible from this “Being”, in the patch of the liberatingtransforming education, we present the arguments and conclusions, fruit of data collecting and analyzing, learned from the developing process of qualitative research, based on “Associação de Educação Católica/RS” (AEC-RS) and in the educational spaces where the professoreducator “Being” makes sense - the school. With the theoretical cement Gramsci and Freire, we analyze the relation or correlation of forces which permeate the social gatherings, expressing the interests of the class. Each one of them representing a determined position confronts in the defense of specific interests from the groups. The consciousness from these gatherings and the objectives of their members are permeated by political, cultural and economical factors which influence the world views defended by those who make part of it. In the school space the relations have the political-pedagogical component, as it propitiates conditions of facing the ideologies. So, the gaps make possible the shock of contraries and configure niches which permeate understanding the world.

Non Governmental Organizations have a mission to improve the conditions of the whole or a part of the local societies in the place where they are active. “Network for children’s rights” is a Greek NGO that mostly aims to fight for and ensure the appliance of children’s rights as these have been embodied in national and European Union legislation and international treaties. Its employees are working hard to fulfill their everyday tasks and serve the children members. The scope of this study is to seek for major obstacles in order to achieve feasible interventions within NGOs with the use of Participatory Design. PD methodology is considered a fruitful one to engage the employees and other stakeholders who are affected by a problematic situation into the following processes: 1) to co-research the situation inside the working, social, financial and legal context, 2) to express their feelings, opinions, ideas on how the situation can be improved according to their needs, 3) to co-design and evaluate the solution. To fulfill the scope, a PD study in the NCR was conducted. The outcome of the study as well as its whole process were evaluated. Two major obstacles were found. The first and most significant one has been the very small percentage of representation of the stakeholders of the NGO who participated in the study. The second one has been the lack of collaborative language games to ensure mutual understanding among participants. A researcher should pay extra attention to overcome these obstacles and future studies may provide with new tools that confront them.

Muitos são os dilemas no mundo da educação. Conflitos são próprios do trabalho docente, desestabilizando o ‘Ser’, comprometendo não só a prática do educador, como também a qualidade de vida do sujeito. A Tese objetiva analisar e compreender as relações que, ao movimentar o todo social, agregam a escola como espaço de embate de forças conflitivas, com implicações no 'Ser' professor-educador e nas práticas (de)formadoras dos sujeitos no processo do “educar/educar-se”. Para entender o atual contexto social, político e econômico em que os educadores estão inseridos, a fim de identificar os limites e as possibilidades ineditamente-viáveis deste 'Ser' no caminho da educação libertadora–transformadora, apresentam-se os argumentos e conclusões, frutos da coleta e análise de dados, apreendidos no processo do desenvolvimento de pesquisa qualitativa, centrado na Associação de Educação Católica/RS (AEC-RS) e nos espaços educativos onde o ‘Ser’ professor-educador faz sentido – as escolas. Com o cimento teórico Gramsci e Freire analisa-se, a relação ou correlação de forças que permeiam os agrupamentos sociais, manifestando os interesses de classe. Cada uma delas, representando uma posição determinada, confrontam-se na defesa de interesses específicos dos grupos. A consciência destes agrupamentos e os objetivos dos seus membros estão permeados por fatores políticos, culturais e econômicos que influenciam as visões de mundo defendidas por aqueles que o integram. No espaço da escola, as relações possuem o componente político-pedagógico na medida em que propicia condições de enfrentamento de ideologias. Assim, as brechas possibilitam o embate de contrários e se configuram nichos de resistências para confrontação de ideias que permeiam leituras de mundo. / Many are the dilemmas in the world of education. Conflicts are proper from the teaching work, disestablishing the “Being”, compromising not only the educator practice, but also the individual’s quality of life. The thesis aims to analyze and understand the relations which, by moving the whole social, insert school as a space of shock of conflicting forces, with implications in the educator-professor Being and in the (de) formed practices of individuals in the process of educating/educating yourself. To understand the current social, political and economical context in which the educators are inserted to identify the limits and the possibilities which are unheard and feasible from this “Being”, in the patch of the liberatingtransforming education, we present the arguments and conclusions, fruit of data collecting and analyzing, learned from the developing process of qualitative research, based on “Associação de Educação Católica/RS” (AEC-RS) and in the educational spaces where the professoreducator “Being” makes sense - the school. With the theoretical cement Gramsci and Freire, we analyze the relation or correlation of forces which permeate the social gatherings, expressing the interests of the class. Each one of them representing a determined position confronts in the defense of specific interests from the groups. The consciousness from these gatherings and the objectives of their members are permeated by political, cultural and economical factors which influence the world views defended by those who make part of it. In the school space the relations have the political-pedagogical component, as it propitiates conditions of facing the ideologies. So, the gaps make possible the shock of contraries and configure niches which permeate understanding the world.

Magister Economicae - MEcon / This study is an evaluation of development strategies that have been followed in South Africa. Lebowa is used as a case study for an assessment of the present strategy. The basic question is whether or not it is economically, politically and socially effective to follow the "homeland" development strategy. This approach places "homeland" states within confined political borders. Development policies are also confined to these borders. An alternative is to follow a broader regional development strategy, that spans across both political and economic borders. This may provide a more feasible approach to development. The present regional pattern of development, which focuses mainly on industrial decentralization, is discussed. The evaluation of the present strategy explores various other alternatives which may provide for a more effective regional development policy. In this context an assessment of 'backward regions/homelands' is provided. The central problem addressed is the country or 'homeland' versus regional orientation. To understand the problem, the core-periphery view on South Africa's regional growth pattern, is utilized. The PWV, Durban/ Pinetown and the Cape metropole areas may be taken as "core", where most of the economic activity takes place. One can also distinguish between the "inner-periphery", which is close to the core, and the "outer-periphery", further away from the core and which includes the Black Homelands. This core-periphery approach provides an understanding of the polarisation effect, which results in the "homelands" becoming poorer, whilst the urban areas grow richer. The main criticism of the of the modernisation or diffusionist approach is that the "trickle-down" or spread-effect from the core to the other regions does not really take place. Thus, regional aspirations are not satisfied. The South African Government's attempts to counter some of the forces of concentration have been questionable. Within the context of the diffusionist paradigm, trickle-down effects have not occurred because of the super-imposition of a political ideology onto this approach. Rather these areas are the result of polarization (re-inforced by political consideration) brought about by the concept of separate development. It is clear that South Africa's approach to regional development is in a process of change. This is mainly due to the failure of the "homelands" strategy. Since the mid 1970's it has become increasingly clear that the "homelands" could not really become economically independent (and internationally recognised), and development strategy concentrating on each that the uneconomic and inefficient."homeland" would be uneconomists critical of this unified economy. planners and politicians. approach have suggested that the whole South African economy should be planned as one economy, even if the homelands still maintain political independence. The nine development region mapping of South Africa, Regions A - J, came about as a result of attempting to address South Africa as a more unified economy. Up to now, the proposed role of the regions have not been clearly stated

In this thesis different situations are considered in which the preliminary test estimator is applied and the performance of the preliminary test estimator under different proposed loss functions, namely the reflected normal , linear exponential (LINEX) and bounded LINEX (BLINEX) loss functions is evaluated. In order to motivate the use of the BLINEX loss function rather than the reflected normal loss or the LINEX loss function, the risk for the preliminary test estimator and its component estimators derived under BLINEX loss is compared to the risk of the preliminary test estimator and its components estimators derived under both reflected normal loss and LINEX loss analytically (in some sections) and computationally. It is shown that both the risk under reflected normal loss and the risk under LINEX loss is higher than the risk under BLINEX loss. The key focus point under consideration is the estimation of the regression coefficients of a multiple regression model under two conditions, namely the presence of multicollinearity and linear restrictions imposed on the regression coefficients. In order to address the multicollinearity problem, the regression coefficients were adjusted by making use of Hoerl and Kennard’s (1970) approach in ridge regression. Furthermore, in situations where under- or overestimation exist, symmetric loss functions will not give optimal results and it was necessary to consider asymmetric loss functions. In the economic application, it was shown that a loss function which is both asymmetric and bounded to ensure a maximum upper bound for the loss, is the most appropriate function to use. In order to evaluate the effect that different ridge parameters have on the estimation, the risk values were calculated for all three ridge regression estimators under different conditions, namely an increase in variance, an increase in the level of multicollinearity, an increase in the number of parameters to be estimated in the regression model and an increase in the sample size. These results were compared to each other and summarised for all the proposed estimators and proposed loss functions. The comparison of the three proposed ridge regression estimators under all the proposed loss functions was also summarised for an increase in the sample size and an increase in variance. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lk2014 / Statistics / PhD / Unrestricted