Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death and injury among teenagers. The crash risk is highest for young male drivers with young male passengers. The goal of this study is to find out why young males are at such high risk. One possible explanation could be the Sexual Selection Theory (Darwin, 1871), which emphasizes the competitive nature of young males that may determine their behaviour for future benefits. I tested if there was competition between males that made them take more risks while driving in the simulator. Various driving performance variables (speed, car following distance, standard deviation of the lateral position, hazard response times, number of vehicles passed) and individual differences variables (risky driving, risk perception, sensation seeking, competitiveness) were measured. Results provided little support for the effect of interpersonal competition and an opportunity for discussion arose. / AUTO21, Ontario Innovation Trust (OIT), Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI).

Thesis (PhD) - Swinburne University of Technology, 2008. / A dissertation presented for fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Swinburne University of Technology - 2008. Typescript. Bibliography: p. 349-377.

This dissertation examines the course-enrollment behavior of first-year students at a public Midwestern university. Using the student choice construct, modern college choice theory, and the constructs of habitus, human capital, financial capital, social capital, cultural capital, along with background variables such as gender and locus of control, a course selection theory is proposed to explain students' voluntarily enrollment in a seminar designed to assist with the academic and social transitions to college. The literature review shows numerous studies have been done examining the impacts these courses may have on first-year students' academic performance, retention, and graduation rates. In many of these studies, however, subsets of students were targeted for enrollment and participation in the seminars was not voluntary. In others, students self-select into the first-year transition seminars, raising questions about whether or not their subsequent success is attributable to their participation in these courses. Prior to this study, few, if any, studies have examined enrollment in these first-year seminars as the dependent variable and attempted to explain how various factors impact whether or not students voluntarily choose to enroll. This quantitative research looked at 7,561 first-year students enrolling in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 and, using logistic regression, attempted to explain whether or not students chose to enroll in a transition seminar. Data was gathered from institutional offices (Admissions, Registrar, and Student Financial Aid) and through an Entering Student Survey completed by 99% of each entering cohort. Of the 52 independent variables included in the model, 17 were significant in one or more steps (or blocks) of the model. This study found that students more advantaged in their individual or family college-going resources (e.g., higher ACT-Composite scores or a higher self-evaluation of their ability to appreciate fine arts, music, and literature) are less likely to enroll in the college transition seminar than students that could be described as more disadvantaged in terms of their college-going resources (i.e., an external locus of control, receiving a Pell Grant, and less access to various forms of capital). There is also evidence that students with past experiences where they may have learned the value of community or teamwork through in- and out-of-class experiences may see the first-year transition seminar as a way to begin creating these same types of connections or communities on the college campus. The dissertation concludes with a consideration of implications for future research, theory development, and institutional policy and practice.

Purpose: Apply selection theory to the subject of money laundering. The aim of the study is to examine why auditors report few money laundering reports to the finacial intelligence. Method: Qualitative interviews for data collection. Frame of reference: Selection Theory formulated by the National Council for Crime Prevention, audit-expectationgap and the money laundering act. Results and conclusions: Money laundering reports from auditors to the financial intelligence police have been few, both presently and in the past. There are many causes for the few reports, a short conclusion reads as follows: Laundering is difficult and time-consuming to examine. Auditors do not consider it a part of their duties. They have a high threshold for reporting suspected money laundering, higher than the money-laundering act prescribes. It is fairly safe for auditors to avoid reporting without consequences for themselves. Some auditors fear the customer can claim a compensation charge if they send in an erroneous report. Through the study the author understood that auditors tend to be more loyal towards their employers than towards law enforcement authorities. The author finds it likely, that, to a large extent, auditors are happy to discontinue their mandate, when they find irregularities, rather than to report to the law enforcement authorities (FIU or Swedish Economic Crime Authority).    Some shelf-corporation company auditors could probably prevent money laundering to a greater extent than they do today. Some shelf corporation divestments carried out are probably sold to persons who intend to commit tax offences, false accounting and fraud. The coordinator at the Financial Intelligence (FIU) police unit stated that unfortunately shelf-corporation auditors do not obey the money laundering act. / Syfte: Tillämpa selektionsteori inom ämnet penningtvätt. Huvudutgångspunkten är att undersöka varför revisorer avger få penningtvättsrapporter till Finanspolisen. Metod: Kvalitativa intervjuer (13 stycken) för insamling av data.  Referensram: Brottsförebyggande rådets selektionsteori, revisions-förväntningsgap samt penningtvättslagen. Resultat och slutsatser: Revisorer gör i dagsläget, och har även historiskt, gjort få penningtvättsrapporter till Finanspolisen. Många orsaker ligger till grund för rapporteringsgraden, nedan följer en kort sammanfattning. Penningtvätt är svårt och tidsödande att granska. Revisorer anser att det inte ingår i deras arbetsuppgift. Revisorer har en hög rapporteringströskel för misstänkt penningtvätt, högre än penningtvättslagen föreskriver. Det är tämligen riskfritt för revisorer att undvika rapportering, vissa revisorer upplever dessutom att risken för att kunden yrkar skadestånd vid en felaktig anmälan är stor. Författaren har genom studien förstått att revisorer är mer lojala mot sina uppdragsgivare än gentemot rättsvårdande myndigheter. Författaren finner troligt att revisorer i större utsträckning nöjer sig med att avsluta sitt uppdrag genom revisorsavsägelse då dessa finner oegentligheter än att anmäla till myndigheter (Finanspolisen eller Ekobrottsmyndigheten).        Vissa lagerbolagsföretags revisorer kan sannolikt stävja penningtvätt i betydligt större utsträckning än de gör idag. En del lagerbolagsförsäljningar som genomförs, säljs troligen till personer som ämnar genomföra skattebrott, bokföringsbrott och bedrägerier. Tyvärr upplever samordnare på FIPO att lagerbolagsrevisorer inte följer penningtvättslagen.

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar se as companhias seguradoras no Brasil otimizaram a alocação de seus ativos no período de 2001 a 2007. Dessa forma, baseando-se na carteira de investimentos dessas companhias e na teoria clássica de seleção de carteiras, formulada por Markowitz (1952), é possível avaliar a eficiência da alocação de todos os ativos. Assim, o trabalho buscou ilustrar a aplicação de um método de avaliação de ativos, bastante semelhante ao proposto por Leal, Silva e Ribeiro (2001) .Onde através da simulação de fronteiras eficientes, busca considerar a existência dos erros de estimação presentes nos retornos e covariâncias utilizados na teoria de Markowitz (1952). Os resultados obtidos mostraram que, segundo o método utilizado, a maioria dessas instituições alocou seus ativos de forma eficiente durante o período estudado. / The main purpose of this work was to evaluate if the insurance companies in Brazil are optimizing their asset allocation for the period of 2001 to 2007. So, based on the investment portfolios of these companies and on Markowitz (1952) Portfolio Selection Theory, it is possible to evaluate the investments in all the asset area. In this way, this work illustrated the application of an asset evaluation model, very similar to the one proposed by Leal, Silva and Ribeiro (2001), that, by simulating efficient frontiers, tries to consider the existence of estimation errors on the returns and covariances used as inputs on Markowitz (1952) Portfolio Selection Theory. The results have shown that, according to the applied methodology, the majority of these institutions allocated their assets efficiently during the studied period.

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar se as companhias seguradoras no Brasil otimizaram a alocação de seus ativos no período de 2001 a 2007. Dessa forma, baseando-se na carteira de investimentos dessas companhias e na teoria clássica de seleção de carteiras, formulada por Markowitz (1952), é possível avaliar a eficiência da alocação de todos os ativos. Assim, o trabalho buscou ilustrar a aplicação de um método de avaliação de ativos, bastante semelhante ao proposto por Leal, Silva e Ribeiro (2001) .Onde através da simulação de fronteiras eficientes, busca considerar a existência dos erros de estimação presentes nos retornos e covariâncias utilizados na teoria de Markowitz (1952). Os resultados obtidos mostraram que, segundo o método utilizado, a maioria dessas instituições alocou seus ativos de forma eficiente durante o período estudado. / The main purpose of this work was to evaluate if the insurance companies in Brazil are optimizing their asset allocation for the period of 2001 to 2007. So, based on the investment portfolios of these companies and on Markowitz (1952) Portfolio Selection Theory, it is possible to evaluate the investments in all the asset area. In this way, this work illustrated the application of an asset evaluation model, very similar to the one proposed by Leal, Silva and Ribeiro (2001), that, by simulating efficient frontiers, tries to consider the existence of estimation errors on the returns and covariances used as inputs on Markowitz (1952) Portfolio Selection Theory. The results have shown that, according to the applied methodology, the majority of these institutions allocated their assets efficiently during the studied period.

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar se as companhias seguradoras no Brasil otimizaram a alocação de seus ativos no período de 2001 a 2007. Dessa forma, baseando-se na carteira de investimentos dessas companhias e na teoria clássica de seleção de carteiras, formulada por Markowitz (1952), é possível avaliar a eficiência da alocação de todos os ativos. Assim, o trabalho buscou ilustrar a aplicação de um método de avaliação de ativos, bastante semelhante ao proposto por Leal, Silva e Ribeiro (2001) .Onde através da simulação de fronteiras eficientes, busca considerar a existência dos erros de estimação presentes nos retornos e covariâncias utilizados na teoria de Markowitz (1952). Os resultados obtidos mostraram que, segundo o método utilizado, a maioria dessas instituições alocou seus ativos de forma eficiente durante o período estudado. / The main purpose of this work was to evaluate if the insurance companies in Brazil are optimizing their asset allocation for the period of 2001 to 2007. So, based on the investment portfolios of these companies and on Markowitz (1952) Portfolio Selection Theory, it is possible to evaluate the investments in all the asset area. In this way, this work illustrated the application of an asset evaluation model, very similar to the one proposed by Leal, Silva and Ribeiro (2001), that, by simulating efficient frontiers, tries to consider the existence of estimation errors on the returns and covariances used as inputs on Markowitz (1952) Portfolio Selection Theory. The results have shown that, according to the applied methodology, the majority of these institutions allocated their assets efficiently during the studied period.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka och jämföra hur svenska hållbara aktiefonder och svenska traditionella aktiefonder har presterat inom premiepensionssystemet under perioden 2015-2019. Detta görs eftersom att intresset för hållbara investeringar har ökat markant både hos privatpersoner och företag de senaste åren. Premiepensionssystemet väljs eftersom att varje privatperson som arbetar och betalar skatt i Sverige får en del av sin inkomst placerad i detta system, och sedan 2018/2019 läggs det otroligt mycket fokus på ökad transparens och medvetenhet hos Pensionsmyndigheten på fondplaceringar och att de kan erbjuda hållbara investeringar eftersom efterfrågan ökar. Författaren kan heller inte identifiera någon liknande studie som gjorts angående premiepension efter det att fondtorget gjorts om. Studien innehåller ett urval på totalt 5 hållbara fonder och 24 traditionella fonder. Studien har inriktat sig på den svenska marknaden, det vill säga fonder som placerar i svenska företag och som återfinns på den svenska marknaden samt uteslutande aktiefonder. Historisk data har insamlats från Pensionsmyndigheten och Morningstar för att sedan ligga till grund för beräkningar med hjälp av olika ekonomiska modeller och prestationsmått som Sharpekvot, Jensen’s alfa och Treynors kvot. Dessa mått mäter den riskjusterade avkastningen. Författaren väljer också att titta på faktisk avkastning, nettoavkastning för att se vad som presterat bäst för en privatperson som investerare. Därutöver görs statistiska beräkningar av statistiska mått i form av t-test för att beräkna p-värde och således kunna se om det finns någon statistisk signifikans för att antingen kunna acceptera eller förkasta en formulerad nollhypotes. Studiens resultat visar ingen större skillnad i prestation mellan hållbara och traditionella fonder, om än en marginell fördel för de traditionella i faktisk nettoavkastning. Studien erhåller heller ingen statistisk signifikans på 5-procentsnivån vilket indikerar på att vi inte kan förkasta nollhypotesen. / The purpose of the study is to investigate and compare how Swedish sustainable equity funds and Swedish traditional equity funds have performed within the premium pension system during the period 2015-2019. This is because the interest in sustainable investments has increased markedly among both individuals and companies in recent years. The premium pension system is chosen because every private person who works and pays tax in Sweden gets part of their income placed in this system, and since 2018/2019 there is an incredible amount of focus on increased transparency and awareness at the Swedish Pensions Agency on fund investments and that they can offer sustainable investments as demand increases. The author can also not identify any similar study that has been done regarding premium pensions after the fund market has been redesigned. The study contains a selection of a total of 5 sustainable funds and 24 traditional funds. The study has focused on the Swedish market, i.e. funds that invest in Swedish companies and that are found on the Swedish market, as well as exclusively equity funds. Historical data has been collected from the Swedish Pensions Agency and Morningstar to then form the basis for calculations using various economic models and performance measures such as Sharpe quota, Jensen's alpha and Treynor's quota and these measures measure the risk-adjusted return. The author also chooses to look at actual returns, net returns to see what has performed best for an individual as an investor. In addition, statistical calculations are made of statistical measures in the form of a t-test to calculate the p-value and thus be able to see if there is any statistical significance for either being able to accept or reject a formulated null hypothesis. The results of the t-statistics show that there is not significant differences in performance between sustainable and traditional funds, although a marginal advantage over the traditional ones in actual net returns. The study also receives no statistical significance at the 5% level, which indicates that we cannot reject the null hypothesis.

As we face increasingly complex problems of both a social and environmental nature, innovative and multifaceted solutions are required to create a sustainable future. Despite Sweden's leading position in terms of financial solutions to environmental issues, Sweden is behind most OECD economies in the development of a financial infrastructure for private investment for social and socio-economic projects. In our essay, we examine what the conditions are for social investments in Sweden. The purpose of our study is to investigate and analyze incentives, challenges, and opportunities for social investments in the Swedish capital market. In our approach, we investigated the institutional conditions for the implementation of social investments in a Swedish context, and the various areas of responsibility associated with social investments. In addition, we have analyzed how transaction costs and the organizational structure affect social investments in Sweden. It is also those four relationships that formed the basis of the study's analysis model, which have been used to analyze the empirical material. A qualitative method has been used to answer the purpose of the study. A total of ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives from the Swedish financial industry and the public sector. The study shows that the demand for increased measurability and a more data-driven approach, as well as the possibility of a more well-diversified portfolio, constitute incentives to invest socially sustainable. The challenges identified essentially deal with risk management, control, and organizational structure. The fundamental possibility of social investment, in the form of social outcome contracts, is its potential to generate a win-win-win situation, where all parties benefit from the outcome. In addition, we also found opportunities linked to the organizational structure and control, as these could facilitate future implementation in a Swedish context. It is proposed that the development of the limited company form would serve as inspiration for a more organic development and adaptation to the Swedish market.

The selection of science fiction was researched to determine how science fiction should be evaluated and selected in the context of the public library. The first sub-problem to be researched concerned the cultural, societal and literary origins of this genre, after which its distinct phases of development were studied as well as the characteristic essence of science fiction which would affect its selection per se, specifically whether conventional literary criteria are suitable for the evaluation of items of science fiction during selection. The next sub-problem focused on, was whether theory can explain the process of fiction selection, The succeeding sub-problem was to empirically Study current practice in science fiction selection. Survey research was conducted amongst selected major urban/regional public library services in the USA. Final research results indicated that science fiction is a sophisticated, multi-textured genre which differs significantly from fellow popular genres, Science fiction is viewed by some critics as being on the cusp of post-modernism, a significant body of work in contemporary literature, and a supreme expression of late capitalism. Research further showed that no satisfactory evaluative criteria exist. It was also established that theory of fiction selection is not always capable of explaining or guiding the process of fiction selection. There is no model for the selection of science fiction. Finn guiding principles for science fiction selection could be formulated by the aid of this study. The study concluded with a specially-designed model for the selection of science fiction (including a scorecard with specially-compiled criteria for evaluating items), as well as a suggested core collection. A structured approach should be followed by the science fiction selector. The guiding principles and core collection which were formulated in this study, the set of special criteria as well as the model, together demonstrate that the selection of science fiction can be structured, controlled and guided within established parameters. / Information Science / D. Lit. et Phil. (Information Science)