Taiwan is a crowded island with a large population but limited soil resource. The government makes the most effective use of the land by making various integrative developments in order to create the maximum use of social welfare. The idea of land reorganization thus came out. Take the metropolis of Kaohsiung for example, the implementation of land readjustment not only led to economic prosperity, but also created a spillover-effect like the growth of land utilization, construction, population and industries inside and outside the reorganization areas. It also brought enormous benefits to the government, land owners and the whole citizens as well. The fluctuation of real estate market price in Taiwan is easily affected by its economic situation, people's fear of the expectation on the increase of price index, the domestic idle capital flood, and the dramatic rising of the stock market, which lead to the enormous growth of land value, so there should be a long-term balance among economic factors (GDP, interest rate, and exchange rate) and land value. As for the researches of the interrelationship between the analysis of the land value change of real estate and economic factors, most scholars chose cities in northern Taiwan as an example, fewer researches had been made for Kaohsiung City in southern Taiwan. This paper, different from others, analyzes the public tender data of lands in every reorganization area in Kaohsiung City from the past few years. This paper aims at the long-term relationship of cointegration between the public tender data over the years of lands of readjustment area in Kaohsiung City and economic factors. The sample date is a long-term relationship from the year of 1962 to 2004 on such four parameters as Land value, GDP, interest rate, and exchange rate, which are the objects of this study, adopting the unit root test and Johansen¡¦s Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) as studying tools. As this study finds out, the phenomenon of cointegration really exists among these four parameters. The land value has negative correlation with interest rate, and positive correlation with the GDP, and exchange rate.

<p>The globalization of markets is hindering the competitive position of organizations throughout the world. On one hand, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) which have settled in a niche market face an escalating difficulty to defend their market share. On the other hand, increasing fragmentation of value chains throughout the world is turning many SMEs into powerless suppliers (Gammelgaard and Mathiasen, 2007). Consequently, SMEs are obliged to improve their competitiveness, and outsourcing is an effective tool to achieve that. However, its use is still not widespread throughout SMEs (Knowledge Wharton, 2004). In fact, SMEs are perceived to be stimulators of the local economies (Blackford as cited by Odaka and Hawai, 1999, p.58) and to be more attached to their local environment. The weight of emotional responses in decision making of outsourcing might be related to the low occurrence of it amongst SMEs. Hence, the aim of this study is to understand in which way the emotional factors affect the decision making of outsourcing in SMEs.The study follows a qualitative strategy with an explanatory research design. We did not only want to explore the impact of emotional factors, but understand the reasons behind it. Accordingly, we first identified the possible economic and emotional factor through the construction of the theoretical framework. This allowed us to know their individual relevance in the decision making, but unfortunately we could not obtain a coherent picture of their relationship. In order to accomplish these relations, the primary data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Six SMEs with headquarters in Umeå were interviewed and provided us with the necessary data. Consequently, our analysis unveiled the relationship between the factors that affect the decision of outsourcing - managing to fulfill the purpose of our study.Basically, our obtained results led us to the conclusion that the small or medium nature of the enterprise does not condition their emotional behavior. Therefore, we concluded that the fact that the enterprise being an SME does not imply that emotional factors have more weight in the decision making. In fact, we discovered that the emotional factor with the highest degree of influence in decision making of outsourcing in SMEs is the type of corporate culture of the business.The globalization of markets is hindering the competitive position of organizations throughout the world. On one hand, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) which have settled in a niche market face an escalating difficulty to defend their market share. On the other hand, increasing fragmentation of value chains throughout the world is turning many SMEs into powerless suppliers (Gammelgaard and Mathiasen, 2007). Consequently, SMEs are obliged to improve their competitiveness, and outsourcing is an effective tool to achieve that. However, its use is still not widespread throughout SMEs (Knowledge Wharton, 2004). In fact, SMEs are perceived to be stimulators of the local economies (Blackford as cited by Odaka and Hawai, 1999, p.58) and to be more attached to their local environment. The weight of emotional responses in decision making of outsourcing might be related to the low occurrence of it amongst SMEs. Hence, the aim of this study is to understand in which way the emotional factors affect the decision making of outsourcing in SMEs.The study follows a qualitative strategy with an explanatory research design. We did not only want to explore the impact of emotional factors, but understand the reasons behind it. Accordingly, we first identified the possible economic and emotional factor through the construction of the theoretical framework. This allowed us to know their individual relevance in the decision making, but unfortunately we could not obtain a coherent picture of their relationship. In order to accomplish these relations, the primary data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Six SMEs with headquarters in Umeå were interviewed and provided us with the necessary data. Consequently, our analysis unveiled the relationship between the factors that affect the decision of outsourcing - managing to fulfill the purpose of our study.Basically, our obtained results led us to the conclusion that the small or medium nature of the enterprise does not condition their emotional behavior. Therefore, we concluded that the fact that the enterprise being an SME does not imply that emotional factors have more weight in the decision making. In fact, we discovered that the emotional factor with the highest degree of influence in decision making of outsourcing in SMEs is the type of corporate culture of the business.</p>

The globalization of markets is hindering the competitive position of organizations throughout the world. On one hand, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) which have settled in a niche market face an escalating difficulty to defend their market share. On the other hand, increasing fragmentation of value chains throughout the world is turning many SMEs into powerless suppliers (Gammelgaard and Mathiasen, 2007). Consequently, SMEs are obliged to improve their competitiveness, and outsourcing is an effective tool to achieve that. However, its use is still not widespread throughout SMEs (Knowledge Wharton, 2004). In fact, SMEs are perceived to be stimulators of the local economies (Blackford as cited by Odaka and Hawai, 1999, p.58) and to be more attached to their local environment. The weight of emotional responses in decision making of outsourcing might be related to the low occurrence of it amongst SMEs. Hence, the aim of this study is to understand in which way the emotional factors affect the decision making of outsourcing in SMEs.The study follows a qualitative strategy with an explanatory research design. We did not only want to explore the impact of emotional factors, but understand the reasons behind it. Accordingly, we first identified the possible economic and emotional factor through the construction of the theoretical framework. This allowed us to know their individual relevance in the decision making, but unfortunately we could not obtain a coherent picture of their relationship. In order to accomplish these relations, the primary data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Six SMEs with headquarters in Umeå were interviewed and provided us with the necessary data. Consequently, our analysis unveiled the relationship between the factors that affect the decision of outsourcing - managing to fulfill the purpose of our study.Basically, our obtained results led us to the conclusion that the small or medium nature of the enterprise does not condition their emotional behavior. Therefore, we concluded that the fact that the enterprise being an SME does not imply that emotional factors have more weight in the decision making. In fact, we discovered that the emotional factor with the highest degree of influence in decision making of outsourcing in SMEs is the type of corporate culture of the business.The globalization of markets is hindering the competitive position of organizations throughout the world. On one hand, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) which have settled in a niche market face an escalating difficulty to defend their market share. On the other hand, increasing fragmentation of value chains throughout the world is turning many SMEs into powerless suppliers (Gammelgaard and Mathiasen, 2007). Consequently, SMEs are obliged to improve their competitiveness, and outsourcing is an effective tool to achieve that. However, its use is still not widespread throughout SMEs (Knowledge Wharton, 2004). In fact, SMEs are perceived to be stimulators of the local economies (Blackford as cited by Odaka and Hawai, 1999, p.58) and to be more attached to their local environment. The weight of emotional responses in decision making of outsourcing might be related to the low occurrence of it amongst SMEs. Hence, the aim of this study is to understand in which way the emotional factors affect the decision making of outsourcing in SMEs.The study follows a qualitative strategy with an explanatory research design. We did not only want to explore the impact of emotional factors, but understand the reasons behind it. Accordingly, we first identified the possible economic and emotional factor through the construction of the theoretical framework. This allowed us to know their individual relevance in the decision making, but unfortunately we could not obtain a coherent picture of their relationship. In order to accomplish these relations, the primary data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Six SMEs with headquarters in Umeå were interviewed and provided us with the necessary data. Consequently, our analysis unveiled the relationship between the factors that affect the decision of outsourcing - managing to fulfill the purpose of our study.Basically, our obtained results led us to the conclusion that the small or medium nature of the enterprise does not condition their emotional behavior. Therefore, we concluded that the fact that the enterprise being an SME does not imply that emotional factors have more weight in the decision making. In fact, we discovered that the emotional factor with the highest degree of influence in decision making of outsourcing in SMEs is the type of corporate culture of the business.

In recent decades, the night lights data of the Earth’s surface derived from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program’s Operational Linescan System (DMSP/OLS) have been used to detect the human settlements and human activities, because the DMSP/OLS data is able to supply the information about the urban areas  and non-urban areas on the Earth which means it is more suitable for urban studies than usual satellite imagery data.   The urban development is closed linked to the human society development. Therefore, studies of urban development will help people to understand how the urban changed and predict the urban change. The aim of this study was to detect Beijing’s urban development from 1992 to 2012, and find the contributions to the urban sprawl from socio-economic factors. Based on this objective, the main dataset used in this thesis was night lights images derived from the DMSP/OLS which was detected from  1992 to 2012. Due to the lacking of on-board calibration on OLS, and the over-glow of the lights resources, the information about the night lights cannot be extracted directly. Before any process, the night lights images should be calibrated. There is a method to calibrate the night light images which is called intercalibration. It is a second order regression model based method to find the related digital number values. Therefore, intercalibration was employed, and the threshold values were determined to extract urban areas in this study. Threshold value is useful for diffusing the over-glow effect, and finding the urban areas from the DMSP/OLS data. The methods to determine the threshold value in this thesis are empirical threshold method, sudden jump detection method, statistic data comparison method and k-mean clustering method. In addition, 13 socio-economic factors which included gross domestic product, urban population, permanent population, total energy consumption and so on were used to build the regression model. The contributions from these factors to the sum of the Beijing’s lights were found based on modeling.   The results of this thesis are positive. The intercalibration was successful and all the DMSP/OLS data used in this study were calibrated. And then, the appropriate threshold values to extract the urban areas were figured out. The achieved urban areas were compared to the satellite images and the result showed that the urban areas were useful. During the time certain factors used in this study, such as mobile phone users, possession of civil vehicles, GDP, three positively highest contributed to urban development were close to 23%, 8% and 9%, respectively.

<p><strong>Problem: </strong>A Polish company produces heaters wants to enter the Swedish market. The decision maker needs information about the Swedish market both the general information about Sweden and specific information about the Swedish heater market. And some specific questions are asked by the firm in order to get a deeper view of the present heater market in Sweden.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Purpose</strong>: If Swedish market ‘right’ (a farsighted choice)? Suppose the answer is ‘yes’, then how to enter and operate on the Swedish market within the environmental context of Sweden and the present Swedish heater market? Then suppose the answer is ‘no’, should the Polish firm leave or fix the problems?</p><p> </p><p>To achieve the goal, information of environmental context (ecological, sociocultural, technological, economic, political/legal and competitive) about Sweden should be collected. And according to the firm’s specific questions, answers should be collected by means of exploratory research. Suggestions about entering steps and future operation are to be fulfilled.  </p><p> </p><p><strong>Method</strong>: Qualitative Research</p><p> </p><p><strong>Results</strong>: In all, this thesis provides information to evaluate the chances and challenges, and proves Sweden is a ‘right’ choice -- the firm can win market share (reasons will be stated in following chapters) despite of the competition from present competitors.  Further applications of entering and operating on the Swedish heater market are available.</p><p> </p><p>General information about Sweden combined with detailed information of the present heater market were collected, analyzed and discussed. The presentation of the information helps evaluate the attractiveness of the Swedish market. Further study applies procedures of entering Sweden and operation after entering, which will be of vital importance for competing on the Swedish heater market when the decision maker determines to choose Sweden.</p>

Problem: A Polish company produces heaters wants to enter the Swedish market. The decision maker needs information about the Swedish market both the general information about Sweden and specific information about the Swedish heater market. And some specific questions are asked by the firm in order to get a deeper view of the present heater market in Sweden.   Purpose: If Swedish market ‘right’ (a farsighted choice)? Suppose the answer is ‘yes’, then how to enter and operate on the Swedish market within the environmental context of Sweden and the present Swedish heater market? Then suppose the answer is ‘no’, should the Polish firm leave or fix the problems?   To achieve the goal, information of environmental context (ecological, sociocultural, technological, economic, political/legal and competitive) about Sweden should be collected. And according to the firm’s specific questions, answers should be collected by means of exploratory research. Suggestions about entering steps and future operation are to be fulfilled.     Method: Qualitative Research   Results: In all, this thesis provides information to evaluate the chances and challenges, and proves Sweden is a ‘right’ choice -- the firm can win market share (reasons will be stated in following chapters) despite of the competition from present competitors.  Further applications of entering and operating on the Swedish heater market are available.   General information about Sweden combined with detailed information of the present heater market were collected, analyzed and discussed. The presentation of the information helps evaluate the attractiveness of the Swedish market. Further study applies procedures of entering Sweden and operation after entering, which will be of vital importance for competing on the Swedish heater market when the decision maker determines to choose Sweden.

Under capitalist mode of production urban processes gain specific features and meanings. Fundamental is the relationship between processes of capital accumulation and the production of built environment. In this context, the capital switching theory claims that as profit levels are lowered, the probability that higher levels of capital tending to enter the property sector increases. In the first stage of a two-staged research, a macro-analysis on construction activities in Turkey limited to post-1980 period indicates that there no counter-cyclical relationship prevails between productive sectors of the economy and construction activities. It is observed that the state intervention and its supportive policies regarding the production of built environment are the dominant determinants in the Turkish case. Based on these findings, a second focus was on the relationships between the state and capital engaged in the production of urban built environment. Various forms of state intervention, mostly as examples of deregulation and liberalization of planning controls and urban development legislation are identified at this stage. The major findings lead to the conclusion that urban processes are open to the profit-oriented and speculative efforts of political actors as well as the economic actors. Hence the necessity of development of counter-strategies and policies as parts of planning and urban development system verified.

This dissertation consists of three essays. In the first essay, econometric models are used to measure price risk in a study for major grains (wheat, rice, corn, and soybeans) in China. Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (GARCH) models and Multiplicative Heteroskedasticity (M Het) models are applied to estimate time-varying price variance, and then covariances are estimated by a simple two-step process assuming constant conditional correlations. An aggregate price risk index is constructed from these variances and covariances using an economic index number approach. In theory, this approach is superior to the more common approach of estimating a univariate GARCH model for an aggregate price index. This easay compares the two approaches to measuring aggregate price risk and finds low correlations. Thus there is substantial difference between the two approaches in practice as well as in theory. The previous essay measures aggregate price risk but does not explain price risk. The second essay attempts to investigate potential factors that contribute to aggregate price risk of major grain products (rice, wheat, corn and soybeans) on monthly base in China from mid 1980s to recent year from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. The superlative price risk indexes are explained by a set of key variables that characterize China’s economy, agricultural market and trade as well as biological system of major grain in China. These variables account for much of the variation in the aggregate price risk index. Moreover empirical results favor use of the superlative index of aggregate risk rather than standard measures of aggregate risk. The third essay is an extension of previous two essays by explaining price risk at disaggregate level. Price variances and covariances are modeled using both Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Seemly Unrelated Regression (SUR) techniques. Results are broadly consistent with the previous essays.

This thesis aims at analyzing the strategic spatial planning, which has received widespread acceptance both in developed and developing countries. Turkey is one of the countries that has been trying to adopt this new tendency. Recently, Provincial Development Planning has been introduced into the Turkish planning system as a stratgeic planning attempt. This thesis evaluates the Sanliurfa Provincial Development Planning case with respect to a set of criteria / underlines the role of continent factors (specific actors in the process and their roles) in the satisfaction of these criteria / and highlights the role of place-specific factors (quality of social capital, level of economic development) in the planning process. The strategic planning is not merely concerned with the plannng process / but also with implementation and monitoring stages. Therefore, the thesis stresses that these three integral stages --planning, implementation, monitoring-- should be eqaully considered with agents, roles and resources so that the plans can be implemented.

Title: Motivating factors influencing consumers’ Brand preferences for mobile phones: University of Gavle students Level: Final assignment for Master degree in Business Administration (MBA) Authors: Chinedu Ekemba and Emurla Emin Ali Supervisor: Professor Ehsanul Huda Chowdhury Examiner: Professor Maria Fregidou-Malama Date: 2017- June Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the motivating factors that influence University Gavle students to prefer a particular Mobile phone brand. Method: A qualitative study is carried out based on primary data; the primary data was collected through semi-structured interview with twenty of University of Gavle Students by the use of face to face interview. Result &amp; Conclusion: The study finds out that, the role of word of mouth as extrinsic factors serves as the highest motivating factor, while prestige serves as intrinsic factors of motivation. Thus, word of mouth and quality are the highest motivating factors that influence University of Gavle students to prefer a particular mobile phone brand. This finding of this research will help mobile phone marketers and managers to develop strategy on how to capture Swedish consumers to prefer their companies brand products. Suggestion for future research: Future research could be done by considering different or more widely target groups instead of students of University of Gavle. Different perspectives can be combined in future research thus, further research can be conducted by more broadly with a variety of age groups and in a wider area. Also, further research could include comparison between mobile phone brand types and may consider different type of products. This will give understanding of the different segments in mobile phone market, and to determine if these different segments can cause any variety and change of motivating factors. Additionally, further research could be conducted in the long time period, thus can be explored in detail benefiting from the longitudinal study and could be include observations to understand long-term variables on mobile phone market and effects of motivating factors. Hence, this could bring more effective conceptualization of influencing factors of smartphone buying consumers and helps to achieve a more in-depth research. More so, the same study can be conducted with a combination of different Universities in Sweden. And also, same research can be carried out using quantitative research method for future research. Contribution of the Study: This study contributes with knowledge on which motivating factors influence customers brand preferences, and how these factors affect their purchase decision.