Esta pesquisa busca investigar quais os direcionadores-chave da estrutura de capital corporativa na América Latina durante o período de 1996 a 2006. Para tanto, são levantados 28 potenciais determinantes do endividamento organizacional a partir da literatura, sendo os mesmos segmentados em fatores específicos da empresa, do setor e do país. A análise dos dados consiste na estimação de um modelo estático e um dinâmico, os quais controlam qualquer efeito constante no tempo que afete o nível de dívida das empresas. A partir dos resultados, verifica-se que 10 variáveis apresentaram efeito significativo sobre o grau de alavancagem corporativa, sendo as mesmas relativamente bem distribuídas entre os grupos de fatores explicativos. Comparando os sinais dos coeficientes encontrados com os preconizados pela literatura, é constatado que a teoria do tradeoff estático, dos custos de agência e da assimetria de informação e pecking order se complementam ao explicar as estimativas obtidas. Uma comparação entre os determinantes do endividamento corporativo da América Latina e dos Estados Unidos apresenta indícios de que as imperfeições de mercado superiores que as empresas latino-americanas enfrentam são mais relevantes para a tomada de decisão de estrutura de capital. Por fim, verifica-se que os fatores específicos das empresas são os direcionadores-chave do endividamento das organizações latino-americanas. / This study aims to investigate which are the key drivers of corporate capital structure in Latin America during the period from 1996 to 2006. To do so, I select 28 potential determinants of firms' debt ratio based on the literature, which are divided into firm, industry and country-specific factors. The data analysis consists in the estimation of a static and a dynamic model, where both control any effect constant through time that affect the level of firm debt. The results show that 10 variables have a significant effect on the degree of corporate leverage. These variables are relatively well distributed among the groups of explanatory factors. Comparing the signs of the coefficients found with those predicted by the literature, one can observe evidence that the static tradeoff, the agency costs and the asymmetric information and pecking order theories complement each other to explain the estimates obtained. A comparison between the determinants of corporate leverage in Latin America and United States shows vestiges that the superior market imperfections Latin American companies face are more relevant to the capital structure decision making. Lastly, I find that firm-specific factors are the key drivers of the Latin American firms' leverage.

Esta pesquisa busca investigar quais os direcionadores-chave da estrutura de capital corporativa na América Latina durante o período de 1996 a 2006. Para tanto, são levantados 28 potenciais determinantes do endividamento organizacional a partir da literatura, sendo os mesmos segmentados em fatores específicos da empresa, do setor e do país. A análise dos dados consiste na estimação de um modelo estático e um dinâmico, os quais controlam qualquer efeito constante no tempo que afete o nível de dívida das empresas. A partir dos resultados, verifica-se que 10 variáveis apresentaram efeito significativo sobre o grau de alavancagem corporativa, sendo as mesmas relativamente bem distribuídas entre os grupos de fatores explicativos. Comparando os sinais dos coeficientes encontrados com os preconizados pela literatura, é constatado que a teoria do tradeoff estático, dos custos de agência e da assimetria de informação e pecking order se complementam ao explicar as estimativas obtidas. Uma comparação entre os determinantes do endividamento corporativo da América Latina e dos Estados Unidos apresenta indícios de que as imperfeições de mercado superiores que as empresas latino-americanas enfrentam são mais relevantes para a tomada de decisão de estrutura de capital. Por fim, verifica-se que os fatores específicos das empresas são os direcionadores-chave do endividamento das organizações latino-americanas. / This study aims to investigate which are the key drivers of corporate capital structure in Latin America during the period from 1996 to 2006. To do so, I select 28 potential determinants of firms' debt ratio based on the literature, which are divided into firm, industry and country-specific factors. The data analysis consists in the estimation of a static and a dynamic model, where both control any effect constant through time that affect the level of firm debt. The results show that 10 variables have a significant effect on the degree of corporate leverage. These variables are relatively well distributed among the groups of explanatory factors. Comparing the signs of the coefficients found with those predicted by the literature, one can observe evidence that the static tradeoff, the agency costs and the asymmetric information and pecking order theories complement each other to explain the estimates obtained. A comparison between the determinants of corporate leverage in Latin America and United States shows vestiges that the superior market imperfections Latin American companies face are more relevant to the capital structure decision making. Lastly, I find that firm-specific factors are the key drivers of the Latin American firms' leverage.

Esta pesquisa busca investigar quais os direcionadores-chave da estrutura de capital corporativa na América Latina durante o período de 1996 a 2006. Para tanto, são levantados 28 potenciais determinantes do endividamento organizacional a partir da literatura, sendo os mesmos segmentados em fatores específicos da empresa, do setor e do país. A análise dos dados consiste na estimação de um modelo estático e um dinâmico, os quais controlam qualquer efeito constante no tempo que afete o nível de dívida das empresas. A partir dos resultados, verifica-se que 10 variáveis apresentaram efeito significativo sobre o grau de alavancagem corporativa, sendo as mesmas relativamente bem distribuídas entre os grupos de fatores explicativos. Comparando os sinais dos coeficientes encontrados com os preconizados pela literatura, é constatado que a teoria do tradeoff estático, dos custos de agência e da assimetria de informação e pecking order se complementam ao explicar as estimativas obtidas. Uma comparação entre os determinantes do endividamento corporativo da América Latina e dos Estados Unidos apresenta indícios de que as imperfeições de mercado superiores que as empresas latino-americanas enfrentam são mais relevantes para a tomada de decisão de estrutura de capital. Por fim, verifica-se que os fatores específicos das empresas são os direcionadores-chave do endividamento das organizações latino-americanas. / This study aims to investigate which are the key drivers of corporate capital structure in Latin America during the period from 1996 to 2006. To do so, I select 28 potential determinants of firms' debt ratio based on the literature, which are divided into firm, industry and country-specific factors. The data analysis consists in the estimation of a static and a dynamic model, where both control any effect constant through time that affect the level of firm debt. The results show that 10 variables have a significant effect on the degree of corporate leverage. These variables are relatively well distributed among the groups of explanatory factors. Comparing the signs of the coefficients found with those predicted by the literature, one can observe evidence that the static tradeoff, the agency costs and the asymmetric information and pecking order theories complement each other to explain the estimates obtained. A comparison between the determinants of corporate leverage in Latin America and United States shows vestiges that the superior market imperfections Latin American companies face are more relevant to the capital structure decision making. Lastly, I find that firm-specific factors are the key drivers of the Latin American firms' leverage.

Background: NFTs (non-fungible tokens) have raised much attention within last year’s media. Many uses can be addressed by and benefit from the underlying technology that enables NFTs. NFTs have already found applications in various industries and are representing a disruptive technological innovation. Nevertheless, the hype goes along with a lot of resistance. As NFTs gained some traction in the art market, this setting is a good example to demonstrate this controversy. The focus of this study lies on the driving forces behind resistance and acceptance in the context of the NFT Art market.    Purpose: This thesis investigates the perceptions of psychological and functional barriers regarding the innovation of NFT Art resulting in active innovation resistance.    Method: This study meets its purpose by conducting a qualitative, exploratory study using technology-mediated interviews for data collection. Participants included in the study were surrounding the NFT Art market displaying different perspectives, touchpoints and levels of engagement within the market. Interview participants were purposefully selected and contacted through online platforms. The interview followed a semi-structured approach using an interview guide that was inspired by the active innovation theory. The data analysis method related to grounded analysis by following the Gioia approach   Conclusion: Perceived functional barriers identified in relation to NFT Art are complexity-, co-dependence-, and norm barriers while perceived psychological barriers emerged due to information asymmetries, economic risks, and the image barrier. Next to the initially targeted innovation-specific factors, this study showed the impact of situation-specific factors when it comes to the emergence of barriers leading to active innovation resistance. The large impact of individual characteristics influencing the evaluation and interpretation of innovation-specific factors explains the controversial perceptions regarding the NFT Art market. Examples are perceptions about the value of the innovation, surrounding communities or environmental impact. Further, the research also revealed perceived opportunities relating to potential uses NFT Art offers for both artists and buyers. Here, the ideological value attached to the underlying technology contributed to this completion.

The study aimed at investigation the sources of stress that english instructors who work at the English Preparatory Schools of the Middle East Technical University and Ankara University experience and the strategies that they use to cope with stress related to their professions. Two scales which consist of a demographic inventory, two questionnaires and a semi structured interwiew were developed by the researces the first scale is &quot / stress factors and coping strategies questionnaire for english instructors&quot / the result of which was analyzed by SPSS under five headings. This data gathering instrument was implemented on 174 English Instructors working at four univesities in Ankara. Data gathered from 112 English Instructors in Ankara University and METU English Preparatory Schools represented the result of the main study. In analayzing the data, descriptive statistics as frequency, percent, average and standart deviation, and inferential statistics as ANOVA was used. The second scale of the current study is a semi structured interview. This scale was piloted with 6 instructors to check the reliability. Finally,was conducted with 6 instructors from two represent the participants of the main study. The result of the interviews were analyzed through content analysis. The result of the study revealed an inverse correlation between the stress level of english instructors and their effectivness in coping. The most stress causing factors were &quot / student attitudes&quot / and &quot / working overload&quot / while the most employed coping strategies were &quot / in class coping&quot / , &quot / planfulness&quot / , and &quot / self support&quot

Varje företag behöver ta ställning till val av kapitalstruktur där olika finansieringsmöjligheter finns att tillgå. Det förekommer flertalet faktorer som kan påverka företagets skuldsättningsgrad vilket kan skilja sig åt mellan olika länder. Valet av kapitalstruktur har sedan länge varit ett omdebatterat ämne där resultaten förändras över tid och är beroende av vald metod samt urval. Denna studie kommer att studera de företagsekonomiska faktorerna lönsamhet, tillväxt, företagsstorlek och tillgångsstruktur vilka är de mest frekvent använda variablerna för att studera förhållandet till ett företags belåningsgrad. Kapitalstruktur kan förklaras utifrån flera teorier som delvis motsäger varandra vilket leder till att vi kommer utgå från teorin av Modigliani och Miller, pecking order-teorin, trade-off teorin samt agentteorin för att förklara variablernas effekt på skuldsättningsgraden. Föreliggande studie kommer att studera företag i Finland, Danmark, Norge och Sverige. Tvärsnittsstudier har utförts mellan länder för att undersöka vilka faktorer som påverkar skuldsättningsgraden. Den amerikanska marknaden är väl studerad samt länder runt om i Europa och utvecklingsländer. Tidigare empiri hävdar att trots att det är vanligt att samma slags faktorer påverkar skuldsättningsgraden så korrelerar dessa olika starkt vilket leder till att varje land bör ses som en enskild enhet. Såväl företagsspecifika- som landsfaktorer kan komma att påverka kapitalstrukturen eftersom olika förutsättningar råder i skilda länder. Vi har funnit tidigare studier som väljer att studera de nordiska länderna i ett kluster på grund av deras kulturella likheter eller rättssystem. Vi ställer därför följande frågeställning: Med avseende på ett företags kapitalstruktur; påverkar de fyra företagsspecifika faktorerna den långfristiga skuldsättningsgraden på samma sätt i länderna Danmark, Finland, Norge och Sverige eller existerar det en landseffekt? Utifrån sekundärdata som har inhämtats från Worldscope har en kvantitativ metod tillämpats för att besvara ställda hypoteser. Det empiriska materialet har sedan analyserats med en multipel regression där utförlig regressionsdiagnostik har tillämpats. Resultatet visade att Norge skiljer sig åt från de andra länderna på flera punkter. Korrelationsgraden är heller inte uniform mellan Finland, Danmark och Sverige trots att själva sambandet med skuldsättningsgraden är likartat. Mellan lönsamhet och skuldsättningsgrad finner vi ett positivt samband i Finland, Danmark och Sverige medan det är negativt i Norge. Gällande tillväxt finner vi ett negativt förhållande i Danmark och Finland men ett positivt förhållande i Norge och Sverige. Företagsstorlek påvisar ett positivt samband till skuldsättningsgrad i samtliga länder förutom Norge. Slutligen finner vi ett positivt samband med tillgångsstruktur gällande alla länder.

Objective: The objective for this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of Psychodynamic Therapy Scale (PTS), including inter-rater reliability, internal consistency and predictive validity. Method: 20 video-taped sessions from 16 different therapists were evaluated by two independent raters using the PTS. The therapy conducted was Life-Stress Interview which is a single-session treatment that stems from psychodynamic theory. Inter-rater reliability was calculated using Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). Internal consistency was measured using Cronbach's α. Predictive validity was calculated using a linear regression model on the change between baseline and six week follow-up on two outcome measures (DERS-16 & PHQ-15). Results: The ICC for the complete 12-item scale was .77, suggesting a good inter-rater reliability for the PTS. The internal consistency was α = .82 for the entire scale, indicating a good internal consistency. The regression analysis did not show any significant regression on either outcome measure, despite DERS-16 coming close. Discussion: The results indicate that the PTS has a good overall inter-rater reliability and internal consistency. However, further research is needed to determine if these findings still holds true when evaluating more traditional psychodynamic therapy methods and with a higher degree of independence between the raters. Furthermore, future studies could explore if there are potential alterations that can be made to improve the scale.

Submitted by Cristiane Oliveira (cristiane.oliveira@fgv.br) on 2011-06-03T15:35:44Z No. of bitstreams: 1 66080100257.pdf: 200849 bytes, checksum: ae84097637204a6b31a102a876915f87 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Vera Lúcia Mourão(vera.mourao@fgv.br) on 2011-06-03T16:51:59Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 66080100257.pdf: 200849 bytes, checksum: ae84097637204a6b31a102a876915f87 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Vera Lúcia Mourão(vera.mourao@fgv.br) on 2011-06-03T17:02:51Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 66080100257.pdf: 200849 bytes, checksum: ae84097637204a6b31a102a876915f87 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2011-06-03T17:08:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 66080100257.pdf: 200849 bytes, checksum: ae84097637204a6b31a102a876915f87 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-01-27 / We develop partial adjustment and duration models to test the relevance of country idiosyncrasies in determining the capital structure of publicly-traded Brazilian, Chilean and Mexican firms. Our data panel, ranging from the 4th quarter of 1996 to the 2nd quarter of 2010, consists of 4403 firm-quarter observations pertaining to 139 firms. Our findings suggest that capital structure dynamics vary by country and that local idiosyncrasies are key determinants of firms’ leverage levels. Additionally, trade off behavior cannot be clearly detected among Brazilian, Chilean and Mexican firms, suggesting that alternative theories steer the financing decision processes of Latin American managers. / Desenvolvemos modelos de ajuste parcial e de duration para testar a relevância de fatores específicos de países na determinação da estrutura de capital de empresas listadas nas bolsas de valores brasileira, chilena e mexicana. Utilizamos dados em painel, em um período que se estende do quarto trimestre de 1996 ao segundo trimestre de 2010, abrangendo 4403 observações relacionadas a 139 empresas diferentes. Os resultados obtidos sugerem que a dinâmica da estrutura de capital varia por país e que idiossincrasias locais são determinantes-chave dos níveis de alavancagem das empresas. Não detectamos comportamento explicado pela Teoria de Trade Off entre as empresas brasileiras, chilenas e mexicanas, o que indica que teorias alternativas possam comandar os processos de decisão de financiamento dos gestores latino americanos.

Titel: “Könsfördelningen i styrelser och dess samband med utdelningsnivån i börsnoterade företag, En kvantitativ studie utförd på svenska börsnoterade företag” Nivå: C-uppsats i företagsekonomi Författare: Mathias Ehrlin och Elvira Estmyr Handledare: Peter Lindberg Datum: 2017 - September Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka om utdelningsnivån har något samband med andelen kvinnor i börsnoterade företags styrelser och om utdelningsnivån visar samband med andra faktorer däribland företagsspecifika- och styrelsespecifika variabler. Inom tidigare forskning är det flertalet företagsspecifika faktorer som visat sig ha ett samband med utdelningsnivån. Däremot finns det mindre forskning för styrelsespecifika faktorer varpå vår studies unika bidrag är att undersöka Sverige som är en av de länder med högst andel kvinnor i börsnoterade företags styrelser. Metod: Studien tillämpar kvantitativ metod med deduktiv ansats. Data från år 2014 samlas in i huvudsak via källorna Thomson Reuters Datastream/Eikon, Retriever databas och böckerna “Styrelser och revisorer, i Sveriges börsföretag”. Vid statistiska testerna och analysen delas datan upp. Dels utförs bivariat analys och regressionsanalys för samtliga företag och dels endast de företag som genomfört utdelning. Standard multipel regression tillämpas. Slutligen förkastar/bekräftar vi hypoteser utifrån de signifikanta resultat vi får. Resultat & slutsats: Studien visar ett positivt samband mellan lönsamhet och utdelningsnivå vid analys för samtliga företag. Detta resultat är väl i linje med tidigare forskning. Övriga variabler når inte signifikans vilket kan bero på populationens storlek och observationsperioden som denna studie behandlar. Inget samband kan bekräftas eller förkastas för andel kvinnor i styrelser och dess samband med utdelningsnivå, därmed kan inte syftet för studien besvaras.Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Studien leder till ökad nyfikenhet för fortsatt forskning på området och att då analysera fler variabler och i större skala. Exempelvis fler styrelsespecifika variabler kan undersökas såsom styrelsens storlek och kön på styrelseordförande för att se om ett samband existerar mellan dessa och utdelningsnivån. Intressant hade även varit att vidga studien till att undersöka samband som dessa faktorer har på utdelningspolicy och andra tänkbara aspekter.Uppsatsens Bidrag: Bidraget uppsatsen medför är främst ett bidrag till att framtida forskning bör vara av större skala då detta förhoppningsvis ger fler signifikanta resultat. Utöver detta bidrar studien med en förståelse för hur stor skillnad en förändring av lönsamheten gör på utdelningsnivån. Detta anser vi ger ökad förståelse för ämnet till framtida forskning men även för privata investerare och företag. Nyckelord: Utdelningsnivå, företag, andel kvinnor, styrelse, Sverige, börsnoterade företag, styrelsespecifika faktorer, företagsspecifika faktorer, styrelsens sammansättning. / Title: "Gender distribution in boards and it’s relation to dividend level in listed companies, A quantitative study conducted in Swedish publicly listed companies" Level: Final assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business Administration Authors: Mathias Ehrlin and Elvira Estmyr Supervisor: Peter Lindberg Date: 2017 - September Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate if there’s a relation between the level of dividends and the proportion of women in listed companies’ boards and if the level of dividends is related to other factors including firm specific- and board specific variables. In previous research, the majority of firm-specific factors have been found to be related to the dividend level. On the other hand, there is less research for board-specific factors, our unique contribution is to investigate Sweden, which is one of the countries with the highest level of gender distribution in the boards of listed companies. Method: The study applies quantitative method with deductive approach. Data from 2014 is collected mainly through the sources Thomson Reuters Datastream/Eikon, Retriever database and the books "“Styrelser och revisorer, i Sveriges börsföretag”". At the statistical tests and analysis, the data was split up. Bivariate analysis and regression analysis is carried out on all companies in our study and also these tests are executed on only those companies that have made a dividend payout for the period. Standard multiple regression is applied. Finally, we reject or confirm hypotheses based on the significant results we receive. Result & Conclusions: The study shows a positive correlation between profitability and dividend level when analyzing all companies in our study. This result is well in line with previous research. Other variables do not reach significance, which may depend on the size of the population and the observation period that this study takes into account. No relationship can be confirmed or rejected for the proportion of women in boards and the dividend level. The aim of this study is therefore left unanswered.Suggestions for future research: The study leads to increased curiosity for continued research in the field and to analyze more variables and on a larger scale. For example, more board-specific variables can be investigated such as the size and gender of the Board of Directors to see if there is a relationship between these and the dividend level. It would also be interesting to have broadened the study to investigate the impact these factors have on dividend policy and other possible aspects. Contribution of the thesis: The contribution the thesis entails primarily is that it provides more intel to the fact that future research should be of a larger scale, as this would then hopefully give more significant results. In addition, the study provides an understanding of how a change in profitability impacts the dividend level. In our opinion, we provide greater understanding of the subject for future research but also for private investors and companies. Keywords: Dividend, Dividend level, Company, Proportion of Women, Board, Board of directors, Sweden, Listed companies, Board-specific factors, Firm-specific factors, Board composition.

In Sweden, 23% of young women and girls between 16-24 reports to have been abused at least one time by a current- or ex-partner. Youth intimate partner violence is a critical issue with great negative impact on both individuals and society if not prevented early. Women and girls are recognized as essential actors in the 2030 Agenda, and strengthening the rights women and girls is an important step for achieving gender equality. The Foundation 1000 Möjligheter is a youth centre working to address the issue of youth intimate partner violence through support of young victims of abuse as well as to acknowledge young perpetrators of violent acts. The aim of this thesis was to examine the Foundation 1000 Möjligheter and their project UngaRelationer.se and how their work affects the knowledge gap of youth intimate partner violence in Sweden. Another aim was to investigate the consequences of youth intimate partner violence on sustainable development. This was studied through five qualitative semi-structured interviews; two with the Foundation 1000 Möjligheter, two with volunteers of UngaRelationer.se, and one with an employee of the Swedish Gender Equality Agency. The results were analysed through a literature review of the field of violence against women, feminist social movements and the gender and development theory. This study discovered that the lack of knowledge of youth intimate partner violence among youth, parents and other adults’ in proximity to youth is a hindrance to further initiatives to ending the violence. The Foundation 1000 Möjligheter addresses the knowledge gap on youth intimate partner violence through educating youths and adults on factors and perspective that are essential to understand and recognize violence and abuse. The efforts of the women’s movement to raise the issue and push for policy change is fundamental in the case of both adult and youth intimate partner violence and further mobilization is needed. The health effects as consequences of youth intimate partner violence risk to exclude young women and girls from higher education, meaningful interactions and influential positions in society. As women and girls are important actors of change, these consequences pose a threat to sustainable development.