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The project discusses how evolving technologies used to create digital portfolios can demonstrate student achievement in virtually unlimited ways. Evidence of student growth and achievement can be documented digitally. Such evidence can take the form of text, graphics, photos, sound, video data, and can even include database records of standardized or course-end test scores and grades.

The present trend towards shorter product lives means that manufacturers are faced with less time whereby production costs can be controlled and reduced. As a result many companies are turning towards the use of Systems Engineering and cost management techniques that are intended to reduce product costs during the design phases of the product life. <p>One of the many cost management tools that are presently in use is target costing. An iterative process, target costing attempts to reduce the cost of manufacturing products by using value engineering techniques so that identified target costs can be realized. As a step improvement program, the ability of a company to obtain its target cost in not always certain. Target profits from individual products are grouped together into portfolios and then managed according to company strategic profit plans. <p>This report investigates methods used for identifying the uncertainties that can exist in the target costing process and suggests the potential use efficient portfolio techniques for the management of process oriented or continuous products. The report also suggests a number of follow-on projects that could encompass the use of specific decision support systems for the examination of both target costing uncertainties and portfolio management. / Master of Science

Samtidigt som översvämningsrisken redan är hög på många platser i Sverige, förväntas översvämningar och skyfall förekomma mer frekvent i framtiden. Urbana dagvattensystem klarar idag oftast inte av de extrema förhållanden av översvämningar som förekommer och innebär därmed att den byggda miljön blir hårt utsatt. Behovet av att anpassa den byggda miljön blir tydligare i och med att översvämningar förväntas öka med tiden. Fastighetsägare idag saknar verktyg och strategier för klimatanpassning och då det primära ansvaret för att anpassa fastighetsbestånden i kommunerna läggs på fastighetsägarna själva, finns det ett starkt behov av verktyg och stöd för klimatanpassning hos privata sektorer och större fastighetsägare. Denna uppsats syftar till att identifiera vilka egenskaper byggnader har och i vilka kombinationer dessa gör ett fastighetsbestånd sårbart inför översvämningar. I fallstudien har flera metoder använts för att bedöma risker hos Stångåstadens fastighetsbestånd och identifiera möjliga anpassningsalternativ. En del av fallstudien utgörs av en expertworkshop bestående av forskare på Linköpings Universitet samt anställda på Stångåstaden där en värdering av byggnadernas egenskaper och en diskussion kring åtgärder har genomförts. Uppsatsens resultat visar bland annat att byggnaders sårbarhet förekommer i en kombination av olika egenskaper. I Stångåstadens fastighetsbestånd är byggnadens läge i förhållande till omgivningen samt känslig utrustning i källare en kombination av egenskaper som gör byggnaderna sårbara. Diskussionen innefattar ett åtgärdsförslag för att minska översvämningsrisken i Johannelunds centrum i Linköping, som är ett av Stångåstadens mest sårbara områden. I diskussionen ställs även uppsatsens resultat mot tidigare forskning inom fältet för att tydliggöra likheter och skillnader, samt påvisa vikten av samverkan för klimatanpassning hos fastighetsbolag. En av slutsatserna är att kartläggning på byggnadsnivå fungerar väl för byggnaders exponering och känslighet, men är inte optimal för kartläggning av fastighetsbolagets anpassningsförmåga. / While the flood risk in many places in Sweden is already high, flooding and rainfall are expected to become increasingly common in the future. Urban stormwater systems today are usually unable to cope with the extreme conditions of floods that occur, thus the built environment is severely exposed. The need to adapt the built environment is becoming much clearer as floods are expected to increase over time. Property owners today often lack tools and strategies for climate adaptation and since the primary responsibility for adapting property portfolios in municipalities is placed upon property owners themselves, there is a strong need for climate adaptation and support for private sectors and large property owners. This thesis aims to identify qualities of buildings and in what combination these make a property portfolio vulnerable to floods. In this case study, a number of methods have been used to assess risks of Stångåstadens’ property portfolio and identify possible adaptation options. Part of the case study consists of an expert workshop with researchers at Linköping University and employees at Stångåstaden where an assessment of the qualities of the buildings and a discussion of adaptation measures have been carried out. The thesis’s results show amongst other things that buildings vulnerability are presented by a combination of qualities. In Stångåstadens property portfolio the building’s elevation in relation to surroundings and sensitive equipment in the basement a combination of qualities that contribute to the buildings vulnerability. The discussion involves an action proposal to minimize the flood risk in Johannelunds centrum in Linköping, which is one of Stångåstadens most vulnerable areas. In the discussion the thesis’s result will also be compared with earlier research in the field to clarify similarities and differences, as well as to demonstrate the need of cooperation for climate adaptation amongst property owners. One of the conclusions is that the mapping on building levels are suitable for exposure and sensitivity, but is not optimal for mapping property owners adaptability. / SAMBO: Stöd för Aktörssamverkan och Mångfunktionell anpassning av Bostadsområden

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to introduce and test a portfolio view of a firm’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. Drawing from stakeholder theory and the dynamic capabilities literature, the authors introduce CSR portfolio diversity and dynamism as key portfolio characteristics that have differential impacts across short- and long-term performance contexts. Design/methodology/approach: The study draws from the Kinder, Lydenberg and Domini database to examine CSR portfolio diversity and dynamism across seven dimensions of CSR activities. The authors test the direct and indirect relationships between CSR portfolio characteristics and both short- and long-term performance outcomes to assess the opportunities and challenges associated with managing a diverse and dynamic CSR portfolio. Findings: The findings suggest that a diverse portfolio of CSR activities positively impacts long-term performance; however, CSR portfolio diversity yields negative performance outcomes in the short-term. The authors also find that CSR portfolio dynamism moderates the relationship between CSR level and firm performance, such that a dynamic portfolio of CSR positively moderates the relationship between a firm’s CSR level and long-term performance; however, it negatively moderates the relationship between CSR level and short-term performance. Originality/value: This study integrates insights from the literature that examine the independent effects of individual CSR activities and the broader perspective that assesses the aggregated summation of CSR activities in relation to firm performance. By taking a portfolio perspective, the present study provides a unique integration of these two research streams to examine the performance implications of engaging in a diverse and dynamic range of CSR activities.

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[pt] Esta dissertação apresenta o desenvolvimento de um sistema híbrido, baseado em Algoritmos Genéticos (AG) e Redes Neurais (RN), no processo de seleção de ações, na determinação do percentual a investir em cada ativo também denominado peso do ativo na carteira e gerenciamento de carteiras de investimento. O objetivo do trabalho é avaliar o desempenho de Algoritmos Genéticos e Redes neurais para a montagem e gerenciamento de carteiras de investimento. A construção e gerenciamento de carteiras de investimento é um problema de múltiplos objetivos (retorno e risco) onde deseja-se escolher um conjunto de ações de empresas com perspectivas de lucro para formar a carteira de investimento. Esta escolha é difícil devido ao grande número de possibilidades e parâmetros a serem considerados, como: retorno, risco, correlação, volatilidade, entre outros; razão pela que é considerado como problema do tipo NP-completo. O trabalho de pesquisa foi desenvolvido em 5 etapas principais: um estudo sobre a área de carteiras de investimento; um estudo sobre os modelos com técnicas de inteligência computacional empregados nesta área; a definição de um modelo híbrido Genético-Neural para a seleção e gerenciamento da carteira para o caso estacionário; a definição de um modelo híbrido Genético- Neural para a seleção e gerencia de carteira para o caso variante no tempo; e o estudo de casos. O estudo sobre a área de carteiras de investimento envolveu toda a teoria necessária para a construção e gerenciamento de carteiras de investimento. O estudo sobre as técnicas de inteligência computacional, define-se os conceitos principais de Algoritmos Genéticos e Redes Neurais empregados nesta dissertação. A modelagem híbrida Genético-Neural para o caso clássico ou estacionário, constituiu fundamentalmente mo emprego de um Algoritmo Genético para selecionar os ativos da carteira a partir de um subconjunto de ativos noticiados na Bolsa de Valores de São Paulo - Brasil (BOVESPA). Uma Rede Neural auxilia na gerência da carteira, fazendo previsões dos retornos dos ativos para o próximo período de avaliação da carteira. Na seleção de ativos, dois algoritmos genéticos são modelados: o primeiro procura escolher 12 dentre 137 ativos negociados na BOVESPA, que apresentem maior expectativa de retorno, com menor risco e que apresentem baixa correlação com os demais ativos; e o segundo procura escolher os ativos empregando o modelo de Makowitz e o critério de Fronteira eficiente. A previsão de retornos da as ações é uma estratégia que visa melhorar o desempenho de carteiras de investimento que, tipicamente, consideram apenas o retorno médio do ativo. Diferentes modelos de redes neurais foram testados, como: Backpropagation, Redes Neurais Bayesianas, Sistema Neuro-Fuzzy Hierárquico e Redes Neurais com Filtros de Kalman; os melhores resultados de previsão foram obtidos com redes neurais com Filtros de Kalman. Para o caso estacionário foram usadas como entradas da rede neural os retornos semanais, tanto do ativo como do índice do mercado, empregando-se o método de janela deslizante para a previsão um passo a frente. A modelagem híbrida Genético-Neural para o caso variante no tempo, constituiu no emprego de 3 modelos: um AG para fazer a escolha dos ativos da carteira; o modelo GARCH para fazer as previsões da volatilidade dos ativos e o cálculo do risco de cada um deles dado pelo VAR (medida de risco que tenta quantificar a perda máxima que uma carteira (ou ativo) pode ter em um horizonte de tempo e com um intervalo de confiança); e uma RN para fazer as previsões dos retornos dos ativos para o próximo período de avaliação de carteira. Na montagem da carteira, empregou-se o Critério de Fronteira eficiente para a seleção dos ativos, também dentre os 137 negociados na BOVESPA. A previsão da volatilidade das ações é uma forma de indicar quanto pode variar o preço da ação, medida útil para determinar o risco de um ativo representado pelo VAR. / [en] This dissertation presents the development of a hybrid system, based in Algorithms Genetics (AG) and Neural Networks (RN), for the selection of stocks, for the determination of the percentage to invest in each asset called weight of the stocks on the portfolio and investmet portfolio management. The objective multiples (return and risk) where desired to choose a set of actions of compaines with profit perspectives to form the investment portfolio. This choice difficult must to the great number of possiblities and parameters be considered, as: return, risk, correlation volatility, among others; reason by which it is considered as problem NP-Complete. The research work was developed in 5 main stages: a study on the investment portfolio area; a study on the models that use techniques of computacinal intelligence in this area; the dffinition of a hybrid model Genetic-Neural for the selection and manages of portfolio for the variant case in the time; and the study of cases. The study of the investment portfolio area it involved all the necessary theory for the construction and investment portfolio management. The study the techniques of computacional intelligence it defines the main concepts of Genetic Algorithms and Neural Networks used in this dissertation. The hybrid modeling Genetic-Neural for the classic or stationary case, consisted basically in the use of a Genetic Algorithm to select the stocks of the portfolio from a subgroup of assets negotiated in the Stock exchange of São Paulo - Brazil (BOVESPA). A Neural Network assists in the management of the portfolio, making forecasts of the returns of the assets for the next period to evaluation of the portfolio. In the asset seletion, two genetic algorithm are shaped: the first selects 12 amongst 137 assets negotiated in the São Paulo Stock Exchange, that present greater return expectation, with lesser risk and that they present low correlation with the others assets; and the second selects the assets using the model of Markowitz and the Criterion of Efficient Frontier. The forecast of returns of the stocks is a strategy that it aims at to improve the investment portfolio performance, typically, they consider only the average return of the asset. Diferent models of neural networks had been tested as: Neural Back Propagation, Networks Bayesianas, Hierarchic Neuro-Fuzzy System and Neural Networks with Filters of Kalman. The best ones resulted of forecast had been gotten with the neural network the weekly returns, as Filters of Kalman. For the stationary case they had been used as entred of the neural network the weekly returns, as much of the asset as of the index of the market, using itself the method of sliding window to make the forecast a step the front. The hybrid modeling Genetic-Neural for the variant case in the time, consisted of the use of 3 models: a AG to make the choice of the assets of the portfolio; model GARCH to make the forecasts of the volatility of the assets and the calculation of the risk of each asset is given by the VAR (measured of risk that tries to quantify the maximum loss that portfolio (or asset) can have in a horizon of time and with a confidence interval); e a RN to make the forecasts of the returns of the assets for the next period to evaluation of the portfolio. In the construction of the portfolio, the Criterion of Efficient Frontier for the selection of the assets was used, also amongst the 137 negotiated in the São Paulo Stock Exchange. The forecast of the volatility of the assets is a form to indicate how much it can vary the price of the assets, measured useful to determine the risk of an asset represented for the VAR. For this case job model GARCH to make this forecast. For the forecast of the returns os the assets they had been used as inputs of the Neural Networks Back Propagation the 10 last weekly returns of the assets and the volatily of the asset, using itself also the method of sliding win

Co-chairs: Dr. Donna Baumbach Dr. Gail West Background: Electronic portfolios are increasingly used to make critical decisions about teacher candidates and program accreditation. Adoption rates for portfolios are at nearly 90% for schools, colleges, and departments of education (Salzman, Denner, & Harris, 2002). Over 50% of institutions who rated themselves or were nominated by others as exemplary users of electronic portfolios use web-based database-driven electronic portfolio systems (Strudler & Wetzel, 2005b; Wetzel & Strudler, 2005b). There is a paucity of theory-driven, systematic, rigorous research on electronic portfolios and a need for in-depth, context-aware research on such initiatives. Purpose: To explicate the differential impact of different portfolios systems on preservice teachers. The overarching research question was, "What are the preservice teachers' experiences using tools to create an electronic portfolio?" Setting: The Teachers College at a large university and the Education Department at a small liberal arts college. Participants: Six preservice teachers at each institution served as key participants. Informal interviews with numerous other participants provided additional data. Research Design: Qualitative multi-site case study informed by Engeström's Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) (Engeström, 1987). Data Collection and Analysis: Document analysis, focus group interviews, individual interviews, thinkaloud work sessions, and lab and classroom observations provided data. Qualitative data analysis was informed by Creswell's "data analysis spiral" and Engeström's CHAT. Findings: Visits at both institutions presented several of the key ideas in the CHAT framework including the networked nature of activity, the portfolio as a boundary activity, contradictions within the portfolio activity, and changes to the portfolio activity system. Additional themes included transition, creativity, reflection, and resources.

In this thesis, we study how sovereign credit default swaps are able to measure systemic risk as well as how they can be used to construct optimal portfolios to minimize risk. We define the clustering coefficient as a proxy for systemic risk and design an optimization problem with the goal of minimizing the mean absolute deviation of the clustering coefficient on a group of nine European countries. Additionally, we define a metric we call the diversity score that measures the diversification of any given portfolio. We solve this problem for a baseline set of parameters, then spend the remainder of the thesis modifying these parameters to investigate how the optimal solution and diversity score are impacted.

Three education reform themes concerning the preparation. of teachers for the 21st Century converge in this study: teacher accountability to professional certification standards, authentic assessment, and the use of advanced technologies. The question of how to use technology effectively in the assessment of teacher candidates to demonstrate achievement of course objectives based on state certification standards led to the development of the electronic portfolio project in a small university teacher credential program. The process of preparing an electronic portfolio using computer and multimedia technology was examined from the perspective of twelve teacher candidates enrolled in a multiple subject reading methods classes. This research was a multiple case study in which qualitative data was obtained through open-ended interviews with the teacher candidates, the course professor, and the computer lab technician, as well as through analysis of the electronic portfolio product. Whether the electronic portfolio could be considered an effective tool for documenting teacher candidate performance and the achievement of course objectives was the primary question investigated in this study. Themes and patterns that emerged from interviews, portfolio reflections, and field records kept by the researcher were examined through Ethnograph, a qualitative data software analysis program, in order to gather information concerning the teacher candidate's experience of collecting and preserving digital artifacts to be used as evidence of demonstrating competencies. The teacher candidate's perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses, as well as the software and hardware problems encountered during the electronic portfolio process, were explored. Written reflections within the electronic portfolio framework were examined to gain insight into the student's process of self-reflection and self-assessment. A computer literacy questionnaire was administered prior to the study in order to determine previous experience with and attitude toward technology. The researcher's process of creating templates in hypertext markup language (HTML) and Hyperstudio, a multimedia authoring software program, provided further insight into the design and implementation of the electronic portfolio project.