The imposed commission ban to Finnish insurance intermediaries has generated some controversy and the intermediary market has experienced consolidation in the few last years. The thesis examines the relationship between market structure and profitability among Finnish life insurance intermediaries and tests for the applicability of two market power hypotheses. The panel data analysis shows that there is support for the Relative Market Power hypothesis while the Structure-Conduct-Performance hypothesis is not applicable for Finnish life insurance intermediaries. The implication of this research is that competition authorities should be concerned with market structure effects when discussing changes to the regulatory environment which surrounds life insurance intermediaries.

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This study investigates the factors that were important in the failure of 36 banks in 1997-2006. The study uses cross-section time series data from 81 banks and employs limited dependent variable models, a duration model and a dynamic panel data model in the analysis. The major concerns are to examine the determinants of banking failures by explaining the contribution of microeconomic and macroeconomic factors in Turkish banking system, to estimate the likelihood of banking failure and timing of failure, to analyze survival time path of failed and non-failed banks separately and to construct the degree of fragility of overall banking system. Furthermore, the determinants of bank profitability and the effects of bank-specific factors and macroeconomic conditions on bank profitability are analyzed by using dynamic panel data model.

This thesis analyses the effect of sectoral and macroeconomic variables on the profitability of the Turkish commercial banks over the period 2005-2009:3 by using multiple regressions. In this study, profitability of Turkish banking system in the mentioned period is discussed and questions such as why some commercial banks are more profitable than others and to what extent discrepancies in banks&rsquo / profitability are due to variation in endogenous factors under the control of bank management and to what extent external factors impact the profitability performance of these banks are sought to answer. Firstly, the empirical results revealed that sectoral characteristics explain a substantial part of the within country variation in bank interest margins and net profitability. High profitability tends to be associated with banks that hold a relatively high amount of equity capital, and with large non interest income. Other important internal determinants of banks&rsquo / profitability are non-interest expenses and fixed assets which have negative and significant impact. Also, equity capital is the internal determinant of net interest margin. Secondly, it is found that inflation is the macroeconomic determinant of net interest margin and profitability.

We have examined the capital structure of the Swedish dairy farm industry and the driving forces behind this capital structure. This industry has undergone some major changes during modern time. These changes constitutes mainly of the number of farms and technological development. This, in combination with reported low profitability in the industry, has sparked a high media coverage about the survivability of the agricultural industry due to its important social function. The survivability of a business can be seen in its capital structure since that contains long term debt that can force a firm to become bankrupt and also the equity that contain retained earnings that can help a company weathering periods of low profitability.   Research question: How can a change in debt level for firms in the Swedish dairy farm industry be explained by financial investment theory and financial variables?   We formed three objectives in order to answer the research question. The first one was to examine how financial investment theory can explain the change in debt level. The second objective was to analyze relevant financial variables to find additional indicators of influence from investment theory as well as compare our results to previous research. The final objective was to analyze financial variables to substantiate our findings and find further explanations to the capital structure of the industry.   The theories used in order to explain the capital structure are the Pecking order theory and the Static trade-off theory. Both theories are established theories in capital structure research. The Pecking order theory states that different capital financing option follow a strict hierarchy with internal capital as the primary choice, debt financing as secondary and the equity financing option as the least preferable option. The Static trade-off theory states that there is an optimal debt level that companies strive towards. This optimal level depends on the interest tax shield and bankruptcy costs. We performed a quantitative study with a deductive approach to perform this study. The sample comprised of annual financial information from 100 Swedish dairy farms during the period 2000-2013. Criteria was formed in order to sample full-time limited liability companies.   The results show that the Pecking order theory was the most significant determinant for the change in long term debt. The Static tradeoff model showed some incompatibility with our population, reducing its reliability.  The indicator variables size, asset structure and growth was found to be positively related to the debt levels, while the profitability was negatively related to all debt variables. The risk of the firm was only significantly negative for long term debt and leverage ratio.   The Pecking order theory showed to be predominant in the Swedish dairy farm industry. This is substantiated by the indicator variables taken together and by the descriptive statistics. We also found that on average, the industry is suffering from low profitability and struggled to make profitable investments although the profitability differs a lot within the sample.

Syfte: Att undersöka svenska renodlade Internetbanker - “PPI-banker”, och utefter deras strategi studera deras lönsamhet samt om de utgör risker för den finansiella stabiliteten. Teori:  Tidigare forskning kring PPI-banker har påvisat varierande resultat och fokus har skiftat från PPI-bankernas prestation till deras påverkan på den finansiella stabiliteten. Det teoretiska perspektivet vidgas med traditionella teorier kring bankers strategier och risker. Riskerna som behandlas är främst likviditetsrisk samt risker för stabiliteten i det finansiella systemet. Metod:  Studien har genom blandad strategi, med kvantitativ metod för datainsamling och en kvalitativ analys studerat svenska PPI-banker. PPI-bankerna har jämförts mellan varandra men även som grupp mot de fyra svenska storbankerna för att studera strategi och prestation på marknaden. Med hjälp av teori gällande strategier, traditionell bankteori och tidigare forskning inom PPI-banker har en jämförande studie med en tvärsnittsdesign genomförts. Empiri:  Resultatet visade att de svenska PPI-bankerna var lönsammare än de svenska storbankerna mellan år 2007 och 2014 men att PPI-bankerna uppvisade stora skillnader sinsemellan sett till deras strategier. Slutsats: PPI-bankerna tar kapital från storbankerna, men det beror inte på att de erbjuder en mer förmånlig ränta än storbankerna. De investerar inte i riskfyllda investeringar då vissa av PPI-bankerna i stället bedriver företagsfinansiering genom bland annat leasing och factoring. Det konstaterades även att PPI-strategin inte ansågs lämplig för de svenska Internetbankerna. / In recent years Pure Play Internet-banking as a strategy has become increasingly competitive towards traditional benchmark banks. At the same time a Swedish bank released a report where they were concerned about the traditional benchmark banks in Sweden losing capital on the deposits market. The problem is that PPI-banks with their strategy - lower costs and favorable interest rates - can grow rapidly on the deposits market. This results in liquidity surpluses which have to be invested to cover the increased capital cost from increased deposits. At first, this essay aims to study if PPI-strategy leads to better performance than traditional banks with physical branches, seen to ROE and ROA. This essay will also study if the Pure Play Internet-banks (PPI-banks) in Sweden are increasing their market shares on the deposits market and if their favorable interest rates are the cause. At last, this essay will discuss what risks the PPI-banks can pose to the Sweden’s financial stability. The results shows that PPI-banks in Sweden did increase their market shares on the deposit market between 2007 and 2013, but it was not because of their favorable interest rates as proposed by researchers within the field (DeYoung 2005; Arnold & Van Ewijk 2011). Further they performed better than benchmark banks, seen to ROE and ROA, but there were some differences in the strategies between the banks. This study concludes that PPI-banks in Sweden did not perform better because of the PPI-strategy but because of their different strategies and investing activities.

Cette thèse a pour objet de répondre à la question suivante : un choix de service public est-il compatible avec un choix d’ordre financier, car faisant intervenir des critères financiers, parmi lesquels celui de rentabilité financière ? Elle se situe dans un contexte de profondes mutations du secteur public. Prenant comme cadre théorique le New Public Management, constatant une appropriation par le droit administratif des notions d’intérêt financier et de rentabilité, cette recherche exploratoire se poursuit par des entretiens auprès d’élus et d’administratifs de 26 communes. Elle montre un poids des critères financiers proche de celui des critères de service public et un net intérêt porté à un outil de calcul de rentabilité financière, répondant là positivement à la question. Elle démontre également que les administratifs jouent un véritable rôle d’experts financiers. Enfin elle laisse entrevoir qu’élus et administratifs pourraient exercer un micro-pouvoir sur les spécialistes français du management public et les personnalités politiques, adhérant plutôt à l’idée d’incompatibilité d’un choix de service public et de la notion de rentabilité financière. / This thesis has for object to answer the following question : is a choice of public utility compatible with a choice of financial order, because bringing in financial criteria, among which that of financial profitability ? It takes place in a context of deep changes of the public sector. Taking as theoretical frame the New Public Management, noticing an appropriation by the administrative law of the notions of financial interest and profitability, this exploratory research goes on by interviews with elected representatives and administration staff of 26 municipalities. It shows a weight of the financial criteria close to that of the criteria of public utility and a clear interest for a tool of financial profitability calculation, answering positively the question. It also demonstrates that the administration staff play a real role of financial experts. Finally it lets glimpse that elected representatives and administration staff could exercise a micro-power on the French specialists of public management and the political personalities, subscribing rather to the idea of incompatibility of a choice of public utility and the notion of financial profitability.

According to September 2011 information from the U.S. Census Bureau, the construction industry in the United States is valued at nearly eight hundred billion dollars annually. A 2004 collaborative study by Construction Industry Institute and Lean Construction Institute suggests that as much as fifty seven percent of time, effort, and material investment in construction projects do not add value to the final product. When compared with twenty six percent wastes in the manufacturing industry, it becomes obvious that the construction industry has a problem. Construction projects that come in over budget and behind schedule have become the rule rather than the exception, leading to contentious business relationships and costly litigation. This study will strive to identify and analyze the primary sources of these problems. Research and industry experience point to a lack of communication and cooperation among the various entities required to complete a construction project as the leading causes of waste in the industry. Further analysis suggests that traditional forms of construction contracts encourage adversarial and non-cooperative behavior between parties. Additionally, poor communication between various contributors opens the door for additional wasted cost. Fortunately, the development of tools such as Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) and Building Information Modeling (BIM) present new options to construction professionals that are proving to help address some of the challenges the industry faces today. IPD as a project delivery method creates a culture of collaboration and teamwork, where a culture of risk avoidance and conflict once stood, while BIM provides a platform for better communication among parties. When used together, these tools can reduce or eliminate many of the major sources of waste within the industry. This thesis will provide descriptions, analysis, and case studies that demonstrate the use of these tools and the potential they have to make a positive impact on the construction industry. / text

Substansrabatt för investmentbolag har sedan länge diskuterats inom företagsvärlden och forskningsvärlden. Substansrabattens bakomliggande faktorer är väldokumenterade och omdiskuterade men forskare är inte eniga om exakt vilka faktorer det är som driver investmentbolagets substansrabatt. En av de faktorer som visat sig ha en effekt på substansrabatten för investmentbolag är onoterat innehav och det är onoterat innehav som ligger till grund för vår uppsatts. Syftet med studien är att analyser sambandet mellan svenska investmentbolags substansrabatt och dess onoterade innehav genom att studera ekonomiska egenskaper för de onoterade bolagen som ingår i respektive investmentbolags innehav. Studien baserades på kvartalsvisa observationer för svenska investmentbolags nivå av substansrabatt, andel onoterat innehav, diversifiering av onoterat innehav och värdedrivande parametrar i respektive investmentbolags onoterade innehav. För att besvara studiens frågeställning använde vi oss av Pearson`s korrelationstest och linjära regressioner. Resultatet av studien påvisade att det finns ett positivt samband mellan investmentbolagens substansrabatt och andelen tillväxtbolag i det onoterade innehavet och att det finns ett negativt samband mellan lönsamhet i det onoterade innehavet och investmentbolagets substansrabatt. / The discount to NAV has been a debatable topic in the corporate world and the scientific field for a long period of time. Even though the underlying factors associated with the discount to NAV has been well documented and widely discussed, scientist remains divided on the topic. A factor that has been determined to have an effect on the discount to NAV is unquoted holdings which also is the starting point for this thesis. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the relationship between Swedish investment companies discount to NAV and the companies’ unquoted holdings by studying key performance indicators regarding the companies ‘unquoted holdings. The thesis was based on quarterly observations of the discount to NAV, the quota of unquoted holdings, level of diversification and financial key figures. To answer the hypothesis of the thesis we used Pearson`s test of correlation and linear regression. The thesis result indicates that there is a positive relationship between the discount to NAV and the quota of unquoted growth companies. The results also showed a negative relationship between profitability in unquoted holdings and the discount to NAV.

Uppsatsens syfte avser att beskriva hur ACB Laminat, ur ledningens perspektiv, arbetar med lönsamhetsstyrning. Vidare ska eventuella brister i detta tillvägagångssätt belysas och analyseras, för att förslag till tänkbara åtgärder ska presenteras för företaget. För att nå uppsatsens syfte har en fallstudiebaserad kvalitativ studie använts. En tydlig avgränsning av vad som ingår i undersökningen och vad som ligger utanför finns då uppsatsen enbart avsåg att undersöka ledningens syn på hur företaget arbetar med lönsamhetsstyrning. En kvalitativ ansats har använts för att genom en djupgående intervju belysa en helhet och med hjälp av mina egna tolkningar finna en förståelse i det undersökta. En beskrivning på hur företaget, enligt ledningen arbetar med lönsamhetsstyrning har presenteras. Vidare har undersökningen resulterat i att brister i företagets arbetssätt funnits och förslag till hur de kan avhjälpas har presenterats. De rekommendationer som gjorts är att ACB Laminat AB måste lägga tid och resurser på att utforma ett för företaget lämpligt belöningssystem. För att skapa största möjliga gensvar bland företagets anställda rekommenderas antingen ett lönebaserat belöningssystem eller ett bonussystem baserat på produktionsresultat. Vidare anser jag att företaget ska analysera i vilka delar av management nivån bristerna finns för att sedan utföra de typer av åtgärder som krävs för att avhjälpa problemet.