Due to the rapid changes that governs the Swedish financial sector such as financial deregulations and technological innovations, it is imperative to examine the extent to which the Swedish Financial institutions had performed amid these changes. For this to be accomplish, the work investigates what are the determinants of performance for Swedish Financial Monetary Institutions? Assumptions were derived from theoretical and empirical literatures to investigate the authenticity of this research question using seven explanatory variables. Two models were specified using Returns on Asset (ROA) and Return on Equity (ROE) as the main performance indicators and for the sake of reliability and validity, three different estimators such as Ordinary Least Square (OLS), Generalized Least Square (GLS) and Feasible Generalized Least Square (FGLS) were employed. The Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) was also used to verify which specification explains performance better while performing robustness check of parameter estimates was done by correcting for standard errors. Based on the findings, ROA specification proves to have the lowest Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and Standard errors compared to ROE specification. Under ROA, two variables; the profit margins and the Interest coverage ratio proves to be statistically significant while under ROE just the interest coverage ratio (ICR) for all the estimators proves significant. The result also shows that the FGLS is the most efficient estimator, then follows the GLS and the last OLS. when corrected for SE robust, the gearing ratio which measures the capital structure becomes significant under ROA and its estimate become positive under ROE robust. Conclusions were drawn that, within the period of study three variables (ICR, profit margins and gearing) shows significant and four variables were insignificant. The overall findings show that the institutions strive to their best to maximize returns but these returns were just normal to cover their costs of operation. Much should be done as per the ASC theory to avoid liquidity and credit risks problems. Again, estimated values of ICR and profit margins shows that a considerable amount of efforts with sound financial policies are required to increase performance by one percentage point. Areas of further research could be how the individual stochastic factors such as the Dupont model, repo rates, inflation, GDP etc. can influence performance.

Understanding of how to manage relationships with customers has become an important topic for both academic and practitioners in recent years. The effectiveness of business can be greatly improved by identifying the drivers of the most profitable customers and using them to target the right customers. In this study we identify exchange characteristics such as amount of money spent per purchase, customer relationship duration with firm, ratio of cross-buying and demographic characteristics such as age and gender as important drivers of the most profitable customers. The results of the study have important implications for academicians in understanding what drives the most profitable customers in noncotractual settings as well as practitioners to help design more effective marketing strategies. Moreover, the results of knowledge discovery about customers by different data mining techniques also contribute to help researchers identifying feasibility of these methods. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

New liquidity rules introduced under the Basel III framework define the Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) that requires banks to possess an adequate long-term liquidity. The NSFR will enter into force on January 1, 2018 and banks are concerned that this regulation will lower their profitability. In this thesis the Basel III liquidity rules are analysed. The research seeks to define characteristics and triggers of the NSFR, using a sample of 500 EU banks. We find that smaller banks (by asset size) are more likely to fulfil the NSFR requirements, so are the banks with higher non-interest share of income and lower capital ratio, among other characteristics. Further, the NSFR's impact on the banks' performance is assessed. It is found that a higher NSFR negatively impacts the return on average equity, although it does not seem to translate into lower returns on average assets nor net interest margin. JEL Classification E58, G21, G28, G32 Keywords NSFR, Basel III, liquidity, banks, EU, profitability, capital rules, regulation Author's e-mail 45724231@fsv.cuni.cz Supervisor's e-mail boril.sopov@gmail.com

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe and explain the relation of changes in capital requirements on the profitability of Swedish banks. Method: A mixed model approach is used. The quantitative approach is con-ducted through the collection and analysis of statistics from Swe-dish banks and financial institutions. The qualitative research ap-proach is used to obtain further insights into the Swedish banking system and how banks are managing capital requirements. This is conducted through interviews with respondents from a large bank, a niche bank, and the Riksbank. Analysis: The analysis is made on yearly data from 1999 to 2015. Return on equity and net interest margin are individually used as dependent variables. The independent variables are various capital ratios which are defined by the Basel framework. The results from the quantitative analysis are in line with the findings from the qualita-tive interviews. Conclusion: On one hand, capital requirement ratios seem to have a negative and statistically significant correlation with the Return on Equity for both large banks and niche banks. On the other hand, capital re-quirement ratios seem to have a positive and statistically significant correlation with the Net Interest Margin for niche banks.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Brian Briggeman / “Skyscrapers of the plains” is a term which refers to the country elevators spread throughout Kansas and the Midwest, along with the elevators are farmer cooperatives. Farmer cooperatives have been around for more than a century to serve the area farmers as a place to store and market their grain and to purchase their farm inputs. The objective of this research is to identify key profitability drivers of farmer cooperatives of different sizes throughout time. This will be done by using a unique data set gathered from the CoBank’s RiskAnalysis database and examining it with the DuPont model. The project breaks down the data by size, large vs. small, and location. If a cooperative has done more than 100 million dollars in sales in 2010, it was classified as large for the entire time period, all other cooperatives were small. Location was either Kansas or Midwest. In this model, operating profit margin or earns, asset turnover ratio or turns, debt-to-equity ratio or leverage, and spread are examined. Also examined are Return on Assets, the operating performance, and Return on Equity, the financial performance, of the cooperative. Board of Directors and cooperative managers will be able to take this information and hopefully make decisions which make their respective cooperatives more profitable. With the information provided, cooperative managers and Board of Directors will be able to financially compare themselves versus other cooperatives of similar size whether they are in Kansas or in other Midwestern states.

Frågeställning: Vilken är den procentuella förändringen av goodwill och lönsamhet sedan införandet av IFRS 3 i de båda branscherna? Finns det ett samband mellan andelen goodwill och lönsamhet i de båda branscherna? Ökar eller minskar lönsamheten av goodwillnedskrivningar? Syfte: Syftet med vår studie är att med hjälp av analyser undersöka sambanden mellan goodwill och företagens lönsamhet samt få en ökad insikt i hur goodwillen och dess nedskrivning hanteras i de valda branscherna. Detta anser vi intressant då IFRS 3 har i syfte att ge internationella riktlinjer hur goodwillen ska redovisas, men på grund av subjektiva bedömningar uppstår skillnader som påverkar företagens lönsamhet. Studiens utfall kan vara av intresse för intressenter inom branscherna. Metod: Studien är genomförd med en kvantitativ metod. En statistisk analys genomförts där vi testat signifikanta samband mellan variabler. Materialet till detta är sammanställt från nio företags årsredovisningar, under en tio års period. Resultatet studerades genom sammanställningar i diagram och med regressionsanalyser. Slutsats: Studien visade att i byggnationsbranschen har räntabiliteten minskat samtidigt som goodwillen har ökat. I telekommunikationsbranschen har räntabiliteten ökat samtidigt som goodwillen minskat. Detta sedan införandet av IFRS 3. Studien visade att det finns ett samband mellan lönsamhet och goodwill i de studerade branscherna. Inget signifikant värde uppnås på nedskrivningarnas påverkan på lönsamheten vilket gör att vi inte kan uttala oss om det finns ett samband mellan dessa. / Research questions:  What is the percentage change in goodwill and profitability since the introduction of IFRS 3 in the two sectors? Is there a relationship between the proportion of goodwill and profitability in both sectors? Increases or decreases the profitability of the goodwill impairment?  Purpose: The purpose of our study is that with help of analyzes examining the relationship between goodwill and business profitability and gain a greater understanding of how the goodwill and its impairment are being handled in the selected sectors. We consider this interesting since IFRS 3 has the purpose of providing international guidelines how goodwill should be reported, but because of subjective assessments arises differences that affect corporate profitability. The study's results may be of interest to stakeholders in the sectors. Method: This study was conducted by a quantitative method. A statistical analysis has been carried out where we test the significant relationships between different variables. The material for this essay is compiled from nine companies’ annual reports, between 2005 and 2014. The results were studied by summaries of graphs and regression analysis. Conclusion: The study shows that in the construction industry has the profitability fallen while the share of goodwill has increased. The telecommunications industry has increased the return on equity while the share of goodwill has decreased. The study showed that there is a correlation between profitability and goodwill in the industries studied. No significant value was achieved in impairments impact on profitability, which means that we can not express an opinion whether there is a connection between them.

This thesis is focused on the financial analysis of Pivovary Staropramen Company. The work is divided into theoretical and practical. The theoretical section explains the general scope of financial analysis, sources of information for financial analysis, users of financial analysis and most importantly, the methods of financial analysis. The practical part is devoted to the application of financial analysis by Pivovary Staropramen Company. Conclusion is drawn about the financial health of the company with some suggestions for improvement.

The aim of this diploma thesis is to suggest the best locality in the CEE region for a prospective investment in wind farms for an undisclosed Czech company. This goal is to be achieved by comparison of generic projects that have the same technical specification, capital expenditures and operating expenses. These projects are investigated from different perspectives including wind conditions, financing terms, technology constraints and mainly the legal aspects of each respective country -- namely the regulatory environment for wind power-offtake either feed-in tariff or green certificate support schemes. The NPV of FCF and IRR (MIRR) are to be used for evaluation of these projects. Sensitivity analysis for key drivers will complement prior assumptions.

Managing cash flow and cash conversion cycle is a crucial component of the overall financial management within businesses, particularly small businesses. A business is required to maintain a balance between its liquidity and profitability while conducting its day-to-day operations. Monitoring of cash as an indicator of financial health is important in the view of its crucial role within businesses. This requires a business to run an effective working capital management efficiently and profitably. Hence, efficient working capital management includes decisions on how much to invest in customers, inventory and accounts receivable, and the extent of credit to accept from suppliers. The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of working capital management on the profitability of small retail business with the Emfuleni Local Municipality. Three variables were used as a measure of working capital management, namely the number of days inventory on hand, number of days accounts payable, number of days account receivable. The return on assets was used to measure profitability. The study adopted the quantitative research approach using a structured questionnaire. A non-probability purposive sampling method was followed, where a total of 222 questionnaires were analysed. Spearman’s correlation analysis was conducted to examine the linear relationship between working capital management and the rate of return on assets. The results indicated that the period it takes the business to collect money from its customers impacts on the period it takes to pay the suppliers. A weak correlation was also reported between the number of days accounts are payable and the cash conversion cycle. Strong correlations also exist between day’s accounts receivable and the cash conversion cycle and days inventory on hand with the cash conversion cycle. Regression analysis results show that days account receivables have made the largest impact on return on assets. Small businesses may have to decrease the cash conversion cycle in order to help maintain value within the business. The number of days for accounts receivable should be reduced to a reasonable period (shorter than the creditor’s payment period). Small businesses may consider shortening the number of days inventory is held within the business, as this also will decrease the cost of obsolete stock.

[pt] A Lei Sarbanes-Oxley aprovada em 30 de julho de 2002 foi criada primordialmente para intensificar a governança corporativa das organizações e restabelecer a confiança do mercado abalada pelos escândalos corporativos da Enron e WorldCom. A Lei se aplica as companhias que têm ações listadas nas bolsas de valores americanas. Muito tem se discutido sobre os custos e benefícios advindos da entrada em vigor desta lei que trouxe mudanças significativas às organizações. A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo final apresentar o resultado da avaliação sobre o impacto da Lei Sarbanes-Oxley em empresas brasileiras identificando até que ponto esta nova regra está criando ou destruindo valor aos investidores. / [en] Sarbanes-Oxley Act passed on July 30, 2002 was created mainly to strengthen corporate governance and restore financial market confidence in response to corporate scandals involving Enron and World Com. The Act applies to companies listed on American stock exchanges. There has been a lot of discussion about the costs and benefits arising from the coming into force of the Act which caused expressive changes in the organizations. The ultimate aim of the present study is to present the results of the evaluation of Sarbanes-Oxley Act impacts upon Brazilian companies, identifying to which extent the new regulation is creating or destroying value for investors.