The Declaration of Independence commands a special status in American culture. For this reason, it has often been called mythic by Revolutionary historians and scholars of the Declaration alike. Such characterisations tend to be hastily made and pejorative, but the Declaration of Independence takes on a new significance when the characterisation of the Declaration as myth is studied seriously. For Americans, the Declaration serves both a specific and beneficial function which the mere naming of it as myth fails to identify. This identification of the Declaration as myth is one that draws specifically on ideas of the birth of the American nation and the role its authors had in creating that nation. Nowhere is this more obvious than the Declaration's continued use in American political rhetoric today which demonstrates its ever-constant presence as a living document. This understanding of the Declaration has heretofore remained unexplored. By taking the Declaration of Independence seriously as myth, this study looks to both identify the story of the myth of the Declaration and its function in American society by applying to it a theory of myth.

Abstract The Act on Property-Declaration by Public Servants of the Sunshine Laws is the first legislation of a series of Sunshine Laws. In order to maintain an upright political atmosphere and ensure non-corruptive official conducts, an overall planning for the Sunshine Laws is imminent and inevitable. An entry level perspective is taken in this research to examine the opinions of the government employees and school staffs of Penghu County towards the property declaration system in Taiwan. The results are obtained through in-depth interviews and qualitative data analysis by the ATLAS.ti software and derived based on the grounded theory. The awareness, attitude, opinions and suggestions of the interviewees are collected and analyzed according to the aspects of regulation, system and implementation. Since the promulgation of the ¡§Act on Property-Declaration by Public Servants¡¨, one of the first legislations of the Sunshine Laws, it has experienced 15 years of challenges. Despite the likelihood that the enforcement may have achieved the intended political effects, generations of environmental changes have induced diverse problems which are observed in literature reviews and interviews conducted on public servants who have declared their properties. These problems may appear to be non-relevant; however, they impose great difficulty for achieving the vision of righteous and justice. It is expected that these problems will help encourage clean and upright official conducts and uphold a righteous political atmosphere. The existing problems may only be a corner of the iceberg; however, when the situation is extended to the overall system, a similar scenario may occur once a set of comprehensive Sunshine Laws are to be stipulated. As a result, strategies for amending the current or future regulation on the property declaration system should be developed. Based on the above analysis and discussion, the following conclusions are proposed: 1. Regulation aspect: (i) Reinforce a comprehensive property declaration. (ii) Establish a definitive declaration scope and content. (iii) It is imminent and inevitable that a comprehensive set of Sunshine Laws should be stipulated. (iv) Accentuate on the law-obeying attitude. 2. Institution aspect: (i) Reinforce an open and transparent processing procedure. (ii) Set a definitive deadline that all properties should be declared within one month of employment or taking office. (iii) Establish a property declaration system based on ¡§administrative penalty¡¨. (iv) Promote the legislation of ¡§Trust Law¡¨ and ¡§Trust Companies Law¡¨. 3. Implementation aspect: (i) Increase the percentage of sampling. (ii) Maintain the integrity of the ¡§Sunshine Laws¡¨, form an ¡§incorrupt and capable government¡¨. (iii) Ensure the function of examination and inspection. (iv) Reinforce the task of education and promotion.

This study mainly explores the declaration effect of Capital Reduction on stock price. The samples will be those listed companies which have declared the activity of Capital Reduction, and the sample period is from March 1, 2005 to August 31, 2007. We use multiple factors model (market return, stock volume variance, the net buy-and-sell ratio of foreign investment) with ADF, Ljung-Box Q and Ljung-Box Q2 to build our model, and then apply the method of event study to explain the declaration effect of Capital Reduction. As a result, this study exhibits Capital Reduction can not offer abnormal returns during the period of three days before the declaration and three days after.

Univ., Diss.--Paris., 2002.

Thesis (M.A.)--Youngstown State University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-88). Also available via the World Wide Web in PDF format.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1967. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Uppsatsen fokuserar på energideklaration i samband med överlåtelse, och vad den innebär för konsumenten, fastighetsmäklaren och förmedlingsprocessen, av småhus. Därför har två fastighetsmäklare samt representant från Boverket intervjuats, för att ge sin åsikt om ämnet. En representant för energiexperterna skulle även ge sin syn på ämnet, men försvann under tider för intervjuerna. Från och med 1 januari, 2009 är det krav på att alla byggnader, som tillhör en fastighet vilken säljs, skall energideklareras. Detta krav framförs i Lagen om energideklaration för byggnader, som i sin tur grundar sig i ett EG-direktiv från 2002. Under arbetet har även sakkunniga tillfrågats i syfte att ge ett klarare besked i vissa frågor. I samband med energideklarationen är det vanligt att byggnaden behöver besiktigas utav ackrediterad besiktningsman. Energibesiktningen och energideklarationen innebär en mindre, avdragsgill kostnad för fastighetsägare. Efter utförd energideklaration skickas resultatet, i ett elektroniskt formulär, in till Boverket för registrering. I resultatet finns referenstal samt åtgärdsförslag för att kunna jämföra olika byggnader mot varandra inför ett fastighetsköp respektive att som fastighetsägare förbättra sin energiförbrukning och sänka tillhörande kostnader. De kostnader som utförandet av åtgärdsförslagen innebär kan komma att resultera i prutningsförsök. Därför är det viktigt att fastighetsmäklaren informerar sina kunder dels om kravet på energideklarationens utförande, men också dess syfte för att köpare ska förstå att energideklarationen inte är till för felsökning i fastigheten. Fastighetsmäklarens skyldigheter sträcker sig också till att uppföra klausuler som bekräftar det parterna kommer överens om i samband med överlåtelsen, till exempel vem som ska ansvara och betala för energideklarationen eller eventuellt en besiktningsklausul. Den sistnämnde är komplicerad att komponera och fastighetsmäklaren riskerar att bli varnad av Fastighetsmäklarnämnden om dess betydelse blir tvetydig. Då fastighetsmäklaren bör verka för att energideklarationen är gjord i god tid före försäljningen bör förekomsten av sådana klausuler minimeras. Energideklarationen innebär idag för alla inblandade parter ytterligare ett steg i förmedlingsprocessen, samt risker för diskussioner och prutningar. Dess syfte, att främja effektiv energianvändning och en god inomhusmiljö i byggnader, berättigar dock dess existens. / This paper is focusing on declaration of energy in relation to conveyance of real property and what it means to the consumer, real estate agent and the mediating process. Therefore has two real estate agents and a representative of Boverket been interviewed, to give there opinion of the matter. A representative for the energy experts was also to give his opinion, but he disappeared during the interviewing phase. From January 1, 2009 there is a demand that all buildings, which belongs to a real estate that is sold, are to be energy declared. This demand is presented in the law of declaration of energy in buildings, which is based on an EC-directive from 2002. Legal advisers have been asked to give a clearer answer to some matters during the working process. In connection to the declaration of energy it is common that an energy inspection is required, which is performed by an energy expert. The energy inspection and declaration of energy involves a small fee, which is tax-deductible, for the real estate owner. When the declaration of energy has been accomplished the result is sent to Boverket on an electronic form for registration. From the result referential numbers and in proposals for measures can be read, to make it possible for buyers to compare different buildings and for home owners to improve the energy performance of the home and to lower the enclosing costs. The costs that the performance of the propositions for measures would mean can lead to attempts of bargaining. Therefore it is important that real estate agent informs his clients both of the demand for declaration of energy but also that the purpose of it is not to find faults in the property. The obligations of the real estate agent also extends to making clauses which confirms what the parties has agreed in connection to the conveyance of real property. For example who is responsible of and paying for the declaration of energy or possible an inspection clause. The last one is complicated to produce and the real estate agent risks getting warned, if its meaning is ambiguous, by real estate committee. But as the real estate agents is to work for that the declaration of energy is performed in plenty of time before the sale the occurrence of these kind of clauses should be minimized. Today the declaration of energy means one more step fore all parties involved in the mediating process and risks of discussions and bargaining. Its purpose however, to promote an efficient use of energy and a good indoor environment, authorizes its existence.

The requirement to make a climate declaration in connection with the construction of a new building came on 1 January 2022, which means that the client is obliged to declare a climate footprint. At present, there are no limit values or guidelines on how large a climate impact and building may have, but in the future this will be introduced. The purpose of today's requirements for documentation is an increased knowledge of the climate issue and that the construction industry should work more sustainably. Climate declaration is a completely new part of the construction process and currently there are a number of different tools for producing a climate declaration. However, there is a lot to investigate regarding to which functions and tools are most effective for the future climate declaration.  Sweco has started to develop the tool C3, which calculates the climate impact of building components in a 3D model, as well as comparing different materials in carbon dioxide emissions and cost to facilitate calculation based on climate impact. It would be beneficial if the climate impact-based calculation in C3 could be combined with climate declarations to make work more efficient, and this issue has formed the basis for the report.  This thesis examines how three existing tools currently work and then evaluates this in relation to future climate declaration tools. The study aims to determine which functions are desirable to implement in a future climate declaration tool, such as C3.  The test execution, which was based on a BIM model, together with a literature study and interviews, has resulted in the required functions in a climate declaration tool being: a clear interface with high user-friendliness, smart and automated functions and integration of digital tools. The results show that these functions together will contribute to more efficient and precise climate declaration work. The survey has also shown that a prerequisite for climate declarations to work in the industry is that the legal requirement that exists today is developed and, above all, clarified.

Byggbranschen står för ungefär en femtedel av växthusgasutsläppen i Sverige. Lagstiftning för obligatorisk klimatdeklaration med syftet att minska en byggnads klimatpåverkan trädde i kraft i januari 2022. En Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) är en tredjepartsgranskad miljödeklaration baserad på en Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) och i enlighet med Product Category Rules (PCR). Så kallade programoperatörer är företag vilka utfärdar både PCR:er och EPD:er. En EPD beskriver en produkts resursanvändning, relaterade utsläpp av miljöpåverkande ämnen samt avfallsgenerering och infrastruktur är en parameter som påverkar dessa kategorier. Infrastruktur motsvarar bland annat de maskiner, anläggningar och transporter som är nödvändiga för framställningen av en produkt och skillnader i hur infrastruktur modelleras i en EPD är huvudfrågeställningen i det här arbetet. Hur detta modelleras är svårt att uppskatta på ett konsekvent och rimligt sätt och programoperatörers förhållningssätt till detta påverkar bedömningen av en byggprodukts miljöpåverkan. EPD:er bör vara tillförlitliga och jämförbara med varandra, men det är inte säkert att programoperatörer har använt sig av samma kriterier för miljödeklarationerna. Det undersöktes vilka LCA-databaser (vilka bidrar med indata) som programoperatörernas system baseras på samt hur infrastruktur hanteras. Vidare vilka databaser som tillåts, vilken kvalitet som krävs av data i dessa samt skillnader i miljöpåverkan i EPD:er, vilket uttrycks som indikatorer för exempelvis klimatpåverkan av växthusgaser och försurning. Huvudsyftet med arbetet har varit att ge en bild av programoperatörers uppfattning om infrastrukturens påverkan på en EPD för att kunna bidra till och nyansera diskussionen kring detsamma. Dessutom introduceras metodiken för LCA och EPD för att öka förståelsen i ämnet. För att samla underlag för att besvara frågeställningarna kontaktades programoperatörer i första hand. Frågor gick ut i två omgångar till samtliga medlemmar av Eco Platform. Publicerade artiklar med exempelvis sökorden ’EPD’ och ’infrastructure’ har tjänat som underlag till enkätundersökningen. Standarder såsom EN 15804 och styrdokument från programoperatörer har studerats för att verifiera svaren av undersökningen. Slutligen studerades fem EPD:er för Portland-cement utgivna av programoperatörerna som var med i enkätundersökningen. De två mest frekvent använda databaserna GaBi och ecoinvent används av de flesta LCA-utövare enskilt eller parallellt med varandra. Andra LCA-databaser är även oftast godkända för användning. Infrastruktur är en parameter som i samtliga fall räknas med, eller tillåts räknas med, i det fall det finns uppgifter om detta för en specifik byggprodukt. Kravet på datakvalitet med avseende på ålder är antingen fem (tillverkarens data) eller tio år (generiska data). I de fall uppgifter för infrastruktur saknas i den använda databasen kan den inte kompletteras av programoperatörerna och det är dessutom svårt eller inte möjligt för dem att kontrollera att generiska data stämmer. Samtidigt tycker en majoritet att infrastruktur bör inkluderas vid framtagandet av EPD:er och det finns stor tillit till LCA-databaserna. Infrastruktur har en tydlig påverkan på en produkts miljöpåverkan och särskilt på indikatorn utarmning av icke-fossila resurser. Infrastruktur kan också vara en av faktorerna till varför de studerade EPD:erna uppvisade så skild miljöpåverkan. Skulle programoperatörer antingen enas kring hur de regler vilka ligger till grund för en EPD tolkas eller besluta sig för att inte inkludera faktorn infrastruktur skulle avvikande miljöpåverkan i EPD:er till följd av infrastruktur kunna undvikas. / As the building industry in Sweden accounts for about one fifth of greenhouse gas emissions and there is new legislation in place mandating the climate declaration of buildings, Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are increasingly important. Based on a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Product Specific Rules (PRC), these climate declarations are audited and published by so called program operators. These may differ in how they allow infrastructure (the necessary machines, and facilities etc. to produce a product) to be interpreted and handled as a parameter forming the basis of an EPD. What has been investigated is what LCA-databases program operators use, and how infrastructure is treated in the process of developing an EPD, further questions being: do they include it, and do they feel comfortable with the data they are provided with. All European program operators were contacted to collect the answers through a questionnaire based on a literature search with keywords such as ‘EPD’ and ‘infrastructure’. Standards such as EN 15804 and program operator documents served to confirm the answers. GaBi and Ecoinvent are the two main databases used and infrastructure is necessarily treated as is since there is generally no way for program operators to verify the data themselves. There is a great degree of trust in data provided to program operators and as infrastructure is effortless to include, it is included whenever possible and permissible. Infrastructure influences a product’s environmental footprint significantly. Program operators need to interpret associated standards uniformly in developing EPDs or decide to entirely exclude the factor of infrastructure. Otherwise EPDs would be rendered incomparable.

How do municipalities and county councils work with gender mainstreaming? What tools are used and which are the conditions and obstacles in the working process? Gender mainstreaming has been an official strategy in Sweden since 1994. In all policy decisions at all levels, a gender perspective shall be integrated. This will ultimately have an impact on the citizen level. The essay shows that despite the fact that the strategy has been official for 21 years, it is not used everywhere. I examine how the county council and municipalities in the county of Västmanland are working with gender mainstreaming. In Västerås, there is much work going on, on the basis of the strategy. While in other municipalities, no work at all can be found. Within the framework of gender mainstreaming, the municipalities and the county council are using a set of tools. There is talk about several conditions and obstacles in the work with gender mainstreaming, where knowledge is a recurring element. This makes the study particularly interesting when we get an insight of how much the work within gender mainstreaming can be separated for each municipality.