Prudent usage of financial leverage by managers can significantly impact business operations and a corporate’s performance. Thus, the determination and the understanding of the influence of financial leverage on the profitability of a corporation are intrinsic and indispensable for not only maximising the value of a firm but also improving its financial performance. This study adopted a quantitative research method, in which the theories were tested by multiple regression analysis in line with the positivism paradigm and deductive measure. Moreover, ontology belongs to the objectivist perspective, in which the authors viewed reality as a mechanism from the outside and focused only on observable and measurable facts. The authors investigated the capital structure and profitability of the 18 largest listed real estate companies in Sweden from 2016 to 2020. Leverage essentially consists of total liability to assets, short-term liability to assets and long-term liability to assets. Profitability is defined as the rate of return on assets (ROA), which represents the company's degree of profitability relative to total assets from an overall business perspective widely used for financial analysts. In order to accomplish the trustworthy study in the regression model, control variables were also introduced that comprised company size, liquidity and solvency. The result of this paper reveals that financial leverage is irrelevant for determining ROA in the real estate industry in Sweden.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze the profitability performance of Islamic banks (IBs) of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region during 2008 global financial crisis. Design/methodology/approach: Bank-specific data are taken from the Bank Scope database and macroeconomic data are collected from International Financial Statistics. Using a panel data series of 30 banks for the period of 2005 to 2011, the study shows the evidence of structural break for the crisis year as well as the factors that impact the profitability of IBs. Findings: The performance of GCC IBs was significantly influenced during the crisis period by capital adequacy, credit risk, financial risk, operational efficiency, liquidity, bank size, gross domestic product, growth rate of money supply, bank sector development and inflation rate. The study also finds that there is a structural change before and after the global financial crisis. Originality/value: This is an original study that shows that the Sharīʿah-compliant banks have performed better during the crisis and are not affected based on their internal performance records; rather, they have been affected indirectly from the macro shock owing to the overall economic crisis.

Gröna obligationer, ett obligationslån där lånet måste knytas till ett hållbart projekt, är ettväxande begrepp i världen. Sverige är ett av de länder i framkant vad gäller användandet avdenna typ av obligationer. Allt fler investerare är måna om att investera i hållbara alternativ,där just gröna obligationer dykt upp som ett möjligt val. Men vilka motivationsfaktorer finnsdet som får företagen att vilja emittera dessa? Denna studie syftar till att besvara frågan om detråder några skillnader i lönsamhet för bolag som har emitterat gröna obligationer gentemot desom inte har.Utifrån författarnas kännedom finns det ingen liknande studie genomförd på den svenskamarknaden för tillfället. En tidigare studie har dock genomförts på den kinesiska marknadenmed ett resultat som påvisar en positiv relation mellan lönsamhet och gröna obligationer tillföljd av bolagets möjlighet att sänka sin kapitalkostnad.Studien genomfördes utifrån data mellan 2019-2021 på den svenska Large Cap marknaden.Både för hela men också specifikt för sektorer där gröna obligationer har tillämpats merfrekvent. Avkastning på totalt kapital (ROA) har använts som lönsamhetsmått medan grönaobligationer utgjorts av en binär variabel där de olika bolagen tilldelats en etta eller nollaberoende på om de haft gröna obligationer under hela det mätta året respektive inte. Studienhar tagit avstamp från trade-off och pecking-order theory som har sina synsätt på hur bolag börhantera sin skuldsättningsgrad och prioritera sina valmöjligheter att ta in ny finansiering.Studien har även använt sig av aktieägarteorin och intressentteorin för att återkoppla tillbolagens bakomliggande motiveringar att fatta de beslut de tar.Resultatet från studien visade inget signifikant samband mellan lönsamhet och grönaobligationer för svenska Large Cap eller för de branscherna som testades enskilt. Denna studiehar trots det bidragit med ny kunskap om hur relationen mellan gröna obligationer ochlönsamhet ser ut på en marknad där det inte testats förut.

Purpose: This study aims to explore the impact of CSR on financial performance in firms located in the European technology industry. The main purpose aims to explain to what extent CSR activities influence financial performance, whilst to also further explain the influence in depth through investigating which CSR activities contribute to the potential impact. Research questions: 1. To what extent does CSR impact financial performance in the European technology industry? 2. Which CSR activities have the most impact on financial performance in the European technology industry?  3. Why does CSR impact financial performance in the European technology industry?  Method: A cross sectional research design was applied in order to collect quantitative data from 2019. Multiple regressions were used to analyze the data and test three hypotheses drawn based on the stakeholder theory.  Conclusion: CRS impacts financial performance both positively and negatively. Governance activities, in particular management activities, have the greatest positive impact, followed by emission reduction and workforce engagement with equal impacts. Community involvement impacts financial performance negatively, to a similar extent as emission reduction and workforce engagement. The positive influences can be explained by the stakeholder theory, suggesting that firms when meeting stakeholder demands of CSR, will benefit through financial gains, due to the obtained strengthened stakeholder relationships.

I en tid där allt fler företag lämnar emissionsbesked, finns det genom tidigare forskning relativt tydliga tecken på hur aktiemarknaden reagerar. Däremot råder tvetydighet gällande de emitterande företagens prestationer, när det kommer till det operativa resultatet. Dessutom är ämnet tämligen outforskat på den svenska marknaden. Syftet med denna studie är därför att undersöka hur det operativa resultatet för emitterande företag på Nasdaq Stockholm påverkas i samband med nyemission. Dessutom ämnar studien att förklara huruvida faktorerna emissionstyp, onormala investeringar och marknadstiming har en inverkan på prestationen. Detta har undersökts utifrån teorin om informationsasymmetri, agentteorin och teorin om fritt kassaflöde. Från studiens urvalsram på 274 emissioner som genomförts på Nasdaq Stockholm mellan 2015-2020 har ett slumpmässigt stratifierat urval genomförts. Utifrån dessa har 100 nyemissioner undersökts, fördelat på 52 riktade emissioner och 48 företrädesemissioner. Tillsammans med urvalet har även en kontrollportfölj med matchande icke-emitterande företag baserat på sektor och storlek studerats. Det operativa resultatet hänvisar i denna studie till nyckeltalen ROA och EPS, vilka har undersökts två år inför emission och två år efter. Genom Mann Whitney U test har studiens empiri testats statistiskt för att utreda hur prestationen har påverkats. Studiens resultat visar att emitterande företag på Nasdaq Stockholm uppvisar tydliga nedgångar i dess operativa resultat, vilket även är signifikant i jämförelse med kontrollportföljen. Utifrån studiens oberoende variabler, indikerar resultaten att emissionstyp har en inverkan på det operativa resultatet. Vidare genomförs konstaterandet att onormala investeringar delvis har en negativ påverkan medan inget stöd ges för marknadstiming.

Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka om det finns ett samband mellan ESG-betyget och det finansiella resultatet för företag som är noterade på Nasdaq OMX Stockholm, Large Cap. Teoretisk referensram: De valda teorierna för att besvara studiens forskningsfråga är legitimitetsteori, intressentteori, och agentteori. Utöver teorierna baseras den teoretiska referensramen av tidigare forskning (vetenskapliga artiklar). Metod: För att undersöka studiens frågeställning användes kvantitativ metod med deduktiv ansats. Studiens urval är 82 företag listade på Nasdaq OMX Stockholm, Large Cap. Regressionsanalys har använts för att undersöka ifall det finns ett samband mellan ESG-betyg och finansiell prestation, i form av Tobin ́s Q och ROA. Slutsats: Det föreligger ingen signifikant samband mellan ESG-betyg och finansiell prestation, i form av Tobin ́s Q och ROA. / Purpose: The purpose of the study is to examine whether there is a correlation between the ESG rating and the financial performance of companies listed on Nasdaq OMX Stockholm, Large Cap. Theoretical framework: The chosen theories to answer the study's research question are legitimacy theory, stakeholder theory and agent theory. In addition to the theories, the theoretical framework is based on previous research (scientific articles). Method: Quantitative method with deductive approach. The study's sample is 82 companies listed on Nasdaq OMX Stockholm, Large Cap. Regression analysis has been used to examine whether there is a relationship between ESG ratings and financial performance, in terms of Tobin's Q and ROA. Conclusion: There is no significant relationship between ESG ratings and financial performance, in terms of Tobin's Q and ROA.

本論文探討有效的全面品質管理（Total quality management, TQM）對公司股價和獲利能力財務績效的影響，透過獲得台灣國家品質獎來當作一個有效成功實施TQM的確認，來進行獲獎公司於得獎前後跟其他公司績效的比較。 本論文將評估得獎公司得獎前後與不同的參照公司和比較公司群做3年的引入TQM計畫和成功完成TQM計畫後4年的財務績效比較。雖然這方面的研究在國外已經有不少探討，在研究統計方法上有不斷的改進，但基於本研究由於樣本數過少的狀況，所以對研究統計方法做特別的選擇與考量。在長期實施TQM計劃的結果當中，得獎公司只有在報名台灣國家品質獎前的實施階段有明顯的正向股價異常報酬和營運異常報酬，而完成TQM落實後的階段並沒有顯著的正向異常報酬，其結果有別於國外對美國國家品獎研究結果，在結論方面也將提出相關可能的原因與探討。 / This thesis discussed how the efficient total quality management (TQM) influenced company stock price and operation performance. Taiwan National Quality Award winners were selected representing the companies that implement TQM successfully. Their performance before and after winning the awards were compared with others equivalent companies. The paper tested the company performances for two periods in which the first one is undertaking the TQM program for three years before winning the awards as the implementation period and the second one includes four years after winning the awards as post-implementation period. The performance of award winning companies at two periods were compared with control firms and comparison groups. Although many relevant researches were found and the statistical methods were developed and improved, this study selected few unique methods because of insufficient samples. The results showed that award winning companies have significantly positive performance in stock price and operating index only at the first period, and no significant effects at the second period were found. The results are different from the studies regarding Malcolm Baldridge Award, and probable causes and issues are discussed.

Raman optical activity (ROA) is a powerful probe of the structure and behaviour of biomolecules in aqueous solution for a number of important problems in molecular biology. Although ROA is a very sensitive technique for studying biological samples, it is a very weak effect and the conditions of high concentration and long data collection time required limit its application for a wide range of biological samples. These limitations could possibly be overcome using the principle of surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The combination of ROA with SERS in the form of surface enhanced ROA (SEROA) could be a solution for widening the application of ROA. In the last few years, the generation of reliable SEROA spectra of biomolecules has been problematic due to non-homogenous colloidal systems forming and low signal-to-noise ratios which complicated detection of the true SEROA signal from the analyte. L- and D-enantiomers give full or partially mirror image chiroptical spectra, this property of enantiomers can be employed to prove the chiroptical activity of the SEROA technique. In this thesis we employed a hydrophilic polycarbopol polymer as stabilising media which has led to the first report of mirror image SEROA bands for enantiomeric structures. This new technique of incorporating the hydrogel polymer as a means to stabilise the colloidal system has proven to be reliable in obtaining high quality SEROA spectra of D- and L-enantiomers of ribose and tryptophan. In an extension of the hydrogel-stabilised SEROA work, we also demonstrate that single nanoparticle plasmonic substrate such as silver silica nanotags can enhance the weak ROA effect. These dye tagged silica coated silver nanoparticles have enabled a chiral response to be transmitted from a chiral analyte to the plasmon resonance of an achiral metallic nanostructure. The measurement of mirror image SERROA bands for the two enantiomers of each of ribose and tryptophan was confirmed for this system. The generation of SEROA for both systems was achieved and confirmed SEROA as a new sensitive tool for analysis of biomolecular structure. In a related project, Raman and ROA spectra were measured for adenosine and seven of its derivative ribonucleotides. Both of these spectroscopic techniques are shown to be sensitive to the site and degree of phosphorylation, with a considerable number of marker bands being identified for these ribonucleotides. Moreover, the SERS studies of these ribonucleotides were also performed. The obtained SERS spectra were shown similar features that confirm these analytes interact with the surface in a similar manner, hence limiting the structural sensitivity of this method towards phosphate position. Short dipeptides such as diketopiperazine (DKP) have been investigated during the last decades as both natural and synthetic DKPs have a wide variety of biological activities. Raman and ROA spectra of linear and cyclic dialanine and diserine were measured to charecterize their solution structures. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out by a collaborator to assist in making vibrational band assignments. Considerable differences were observed between the ROA bands for the cyclic and linear forms of both dialanine and diserine that reflect large differences in the vibrational modes of the polypeptide backbone upon cyclicization. In this study, the ROA spectra of cyclic dialanine and diserine have been reported for the first time which demonstrated that ROA spectroscopy when utilised in combination with computational modelling clearly provides a potential tool for characterization of cyclic peptides.

The diploma thesis focuses on the analysis of a company MAFRA, a.s. The aim of the paper is to assess the ability of MAFRA a.s. company to increase company value and the ability to sustain the growth in the future. MAFRA a.s. company was valuated using free cash flow to the firm metod .Value of the company is estimated as of 31/12/2008. The value estimated is 2 996 851 677 CZK.

Background: Sustainability is a commonly discussed topic that continues to grow and has become more important in investment decisions. The opinions regarding the relationship between sustainability and financial performance are divided, and research in the field indicates different results. ESG has gained greater focus because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and widespread claims that companies and funds with higher ESG score would have greater resilience have emerged. Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to investigate and analyse a possible relationship between ESG score and financial performance for Swedish listed companies during the Covid-19 pandemic. The sub-purpose of the study is to investigate whether sector divisions affect the ESG's significance for financial performance. Method: In this study, a quantitative method with a deductive approach was used. The data material was obtained from Refinitiv Eikon and comprised data from 306 companies. The examined period of the study refers to the year 2020. The statistical models applied were univariate analysis, bivariate analysis, and multiple regression analysis.  Conclusion: The results indicate a negative relationship between ESG and financial performance during the Covid-19 pandemic. There is a spread regarding financial performance between the sectors, but it is not possible to draw concrete conclusions about the sectors' impact. This study contributes to the literature in the field of sustainability and financial performance by analyzing empirical data during the Covid-19 pandemic. / Bakgrund: Hållbarhet är ett aktuellt ämne som fortsätter att växa och får allt mer betydelse vid investeringsbeslut. Det råder delade meningar kring sambandet mellan hållbarhet och finansiell prestation och forskning inom ämnet visar på olika resultat. ESG har fått större fokus till följd av covid-19-pandemin, och utbredda påståenden om att bolag och fonder med högre ESG-betyg skulle ha större motståndskraft har växt fram. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka och analysera eventuella samband mellan ESG-betyg och finansiell prestation för svenska noterade bolag under covid-19-pandemin. Studiens delsyfte är att undersöka om sektorindelning påverkar ESG:s betydelse för finansiell prestation. Metod: I denna studie användes en kvantitativ metod med en deduktiv ansats. Datamaterialet inhämtades från Refinitiv Eikon och omfattade data från 306 bolag. Studiens undersökningsperiod avser år 2020. De statistiska modellerna som tillämpats är univariat analys, bivariat analys och multipel regressionsanalys. Slutsats: Studiens resultat tyder på ett negativt samband mellan ESG och finansiell prestation under covid-19-pandemin. Det förekommer spridning avseende finansiell prestation mellan sektorerna, men det går däremot inte att dra konkreta slutsatser kring sektorernas påverkan. Denna studie bidrar till litteraturen inom området för hållbarhet och finansiell prestation genom analys av empiriska data under covid-19-pandemin.