The aim of this thesis is to find out the impact of foreign direct investment on the economic level of Olomouc Region. The impact is examined on the basis of the development of selected economic indicators. The first part of this thesis deals with the theoretical definition of selected economic indicators. These indicators include the traditional macroeconomic indicators and also those which describe the standard of living in Olomouc Region. Next the thesis describes the systematization of foreign direct investment and their theoretical definition. The second part of this thesis describes the examined region. Then an analysis of selected economic indicators and foreign direct investment is performed. The final chapter specifies the impact of foreign direct investment on the economic level of Olomouc Region.

As empresas são constantemente avaliadas, no que tange a resultados financeiros e econômicos, bem como as suas estratégias. As demonstrações financeiras são relatórios importantes na avaliação do desempenho da evolução patrimonial das organizações, fornecendo uma visão global da organização. Este estudo tem como objetivo identificar a relação entre Grau de Investimento, definido pelo rating do método de Guth, com o das certificadoras Standard & Poor's, Moody's e Fitch Ratings, com base nos dados das empresas listadas no IBRX 50. O grau de investimento de uma empresa concede um selo de “bom pagador”, esta avaliação ocorre de forma quantitativa e qualitativa, permitindo uma visão ampla dos negócios da organização. Para analisar a aderência do método que utiliza apenas indicadores financeiros e o divulgado pelas principais certificadoras será realizada uma pesquisa pelo método quantitativo-descritivo, utilizando as empresas listadas no IBRX50. A pesquisa é classificada como aplicada, com abordagem quantitativa, sendo apurado o grau de investimento pelo método de Guth através das demonstrações contábeis das empresas listadas no IBRX50, no ano de 2016, comparando com o divulgado pelas agencias certificadoras. Quanto ao objetivo é descritiva, utilizando procedimentos documentais, baseada em relatórios contábeis financeiros para calcular o grau de investimentos e os pareceres divulgados pelas certificadoras para comparar o rating divulgado como o apurado a partir dos seguintes indicadores financeiros: liquidez, rentabilidade, lucratividade, , solvência, endividamento e giro do ativo. Como resultados verificou-se a existência de diferenças entre o rating divulgado pelas agências, empresas que não possuem classificação divulgada pelas três certificadoras concomitantemente. A lista do IBRX50 contempla empresas que não foram avaliadas pelas certificadoras. / Companies are constantly evaluated in terms of financial and economic results as well as their strategies. The financial statements are important reports in assessing the performance of the organization's equity evolution, providing a global view of the organization. This study has as general objective to identify the relation between Investment Grade, defined by the rating of Guth’s Method, with the certifiers Standard & Poor's, Moody's and Fitch Ratings, based on the data of the companies listed in the IBRX 50. The degree of investment of a company grants it a "good payer" seal, this evaluation occurs quantitatively and qualitatively, allowing a broad view of the organization's business. In order to analyze the adherence of the method that uses only financial indicators and that disclosed by the main certifiers, a research based on a quantitative-descriptive method will be done, using the companies listed in the IBRX50, in 2016. The objective is descriptive, using documentary procedures, based on financial accounting reports to calculate the degree of investments and the opinions published by the certifiers to compare the rating disclosed as calculated from the financial indicators: Liquidity indebtedness, Immediate liquidity, Profitability of the asset, Profitability, Current liquidity, Dry liquidity, Solvency, Indebtedness of Liquid Equity, Return on Liquid Equity and Asset turnover. As results it was verified that there are differences between the ratings disclosed by the three agencies. The IBRX50 list includes companies that have not been evaluated by the certifiers. / Companies are constantly evaluated in terms of financial and economic results as well as their strategies. The financial statements are important reports in assessing the performance of the organization's equity evolution, providing a global view of the organization. This study has as general objective to identify the relation between Investment Grade, defined by the rating of Guth’s Method, with the certifiers Standard & Poor's, Moody's and Fitch Ratings, based on the data of the companies listed in the IBRX 50. The degree of investment of a company grants it a "good payer" seal, this evaluation occurs quantitatively and qualitatively, allowing a broad view of the organization's business. In order to analyze the adherence of the method that uses only financial indicators and that disclosed by the main certifiers, a research based on a quantitative-descriptive method will be done, using the companies listed in the IBRX50, in 2016. The objective is descriptive, using documentary procedures, based on financial accounting reports to calculate the degree of investments and the opinions published by the certifiers to compare the rating disclosed as calculated from the financial indicators: Liquidity indebtedness, Immediate liquidity, Profitability of the asset, Profitability, Current liquidity, Dry liquidity, Solvency, Indebtedness of Liquid Equity, Return on Liquid Equity and Asset turnover. As results it was verified that there are differences between the ratings disclosed by the three agencies. The IBRX50 list includes companies that have not been evaluated by the certifiers.

This study is an analysis of the relationship between domestic savings and three economic indicators in the Republic of Korea during the 1950s through 1980s. While domestic saving is affected by many economic phenomena, the analysis is confined to national income, exports, and inflation. The study is divided into five chapters. These are entitled (1) Introduction, (2) Domestic Savings, (3) Income and Domestic Savings, (4) Exports and Domestic Savings, (5) Inflation and Domestic Savings. In chapter I, Korea and the Korean economy are introduced, and the scope of the study is stated. Chapter II reviews the related realm of domestic savings: definition, kinds, and determinants of domestic savings. Chapter III presents the relationship between different incomes and domestic savings, and shows non-labor income contributes more powerfully to the formation of domestic savings than labor income. Chapter IV contains effects of exports, and hypothesis testing. The effect of exports suggests that export expansion affects domestic savings positively via an increase in gross national product. Chapter V deals with the correlation between inflation and domestic savings, and its testing. The correlation between inflation and domestic savings is not generally clear except for some specific cases.

The diploma thesis deals with the analysis of economic indicators of Technos a.s., using statistical methods and the evaluation of the current financial situation. The work contains a theoretical and practical part. The theoretical part describes selected economic indicators, regression analysis, time series and correlation analysis. In the practical part, the analysis of selected economic indicators will be carried out and then statistical methods will be used to determine the prediction for the next year and to reveal the dependence between the individual indicators. The last part of the thesis deals with proposals that will improve the financial situation of the company.

Demand forecasting plays an important role for every business and gives companies an opportunity to prepare for coming shifts in the market. The empirical findings of this study aim to support construction equipment manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers in apprehending the equipment market in more depth and foreseeing market demand to be able to adjust their business strategies and production capacities, allocate resources more efficiently, optimize the level of output and stock and, as a result, reduce associated costs, increase profitability and competitiveness. It is demonstrated that demand for construction equipment is heavily influenced by changes in economic conditions and country-specific economic indicators can serve as reliable input parameters to anticipate fluctuations in the construction equipment market. The Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) forecasting technique has been successfully employed to predict sales of construction equipment four quarters ahead in selected countries (Germany, The United Kingdom, France, Italy, Norway, Russia, Turkey and Saudi Arabia) with country related economic indicators used as an input.

No description available.

Thesis (MComm (Economics)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / The goal of this thesis is twofold: it aims, firstly, at a description of cycles in South African financial variables and, secondly, at the evaluation of the relationship between cycles in financial variables and the South African business cycle. The study is based on the original business cycle framework of Arthur Burns and Wesley Mitchell, but incorporates recent contributions by Australian economists Don Harding and Adrian Pagan, as well as the work of the Economic Cycle Research Institute in New York. Part I of the thesis is concerned with the characteristics of cycles in financial variables within the South African context. The first chapter presents a taxonomy of the concepts of classical, deviation and growth rate cycles in order to establish a simple reference framework for cycle concepts. At this point the concept of a ‘turning point cycle’ is introduced, with particular focus on the non-parametric method of turning point identification, following Harding and Pagan’s recent translation of the original work of Burns and Mitchell into a modern version with a sound statistical basis. With the turning points identified the dissertation proceeds to an exposition of descriptive measures of expansion and contraction phases. The second chapter entails an empirical report on descriptive results for amplitude and duration characteristics of cycle phases in the different financial variables, with separate reports for classical cycles and growth rate cycles. Chapter two concludes with a series of tables in which the behaviour of cycle phases are compared for different financial variables. Part II considers financial variables as potential leading indicators of the business cycle in South Africa. Chapter 3 introduces the concept ‘leading indicator’ to this end and distinguishes the original concept from modern, econometric versions. The chapter then introduces a framework for evaluating potential leading indicators, which emphasises two requirements: firstly, broad co-movement between cycles in the proposed leading indicator and the business cycle and, secondly, stability in the number of months between turning points in cycles of the proposed indicator and business cycle turning points. The capacity of potential indicators to meet these criteria is measured via the concordance statistic and the ‘lead profile’ respectively. Chapter four provides the statistical basis for the concordance statistic, after which the empirical results (presented separately for classical and growth rate cycles) are presented. The fifth chapter presents the statistical test for the stability of the interval by which cyclical turning points in the potential indicator lead turning points in the business cycle. Empirical results are presented in both tabular form (the ‘lead profile’) and graphical form (the ‘lead profile chart’). As far as can be determined, this analysis represents the first application of the ‘lead profile’ evaluation to financial variables. Chapter six concludes by presenting a summary of the results and a brief comparison with findings from an econometric study of leading indicators for South Africa.

published_or_final_version / China Area Studies / Master / Master of Arts

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Science, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. 30 October 2014. / The reporting of non-financial data has steadily increased over the past three decades and there is evidence that including social and environmental indicators in the annual report is correlated with improved environmental performance of listed companies. The annual reports of a selection of 82 JSE-listed companies, including the full JSE Top 40, were analysed for mentions of the natural environment for the reporting periods of 2010 and 2012. The introduction of the King III principles by the JSE occurred between these two periods, providing an opportunity to assess the impacts that this move had on annual reporting. Attention was paid to mentions in the leadership reviews by the Chairmen and the CEOs, presence of empirical environmental data, environmental KPIs and the manner in which these data were presented and discussed in the report. In addition, a survey asking qualitative details of company reporting policy was conducted among the staff members responsible for environmental reporting of these companies. The standard and sophistication of environmental reporting varied widely across the sample, with Top 40 companies generally reporting better than non-Top 40 companies. Primary industries were more likely to provide empirical data than service industries and only agricultural industries appeared concerned with the manner in which changes in the natural environment could affect their business. There remains a wide variation in the type and detail of environmental reporting across the sample with very little evidence that the data, as reported, play a meaningful role in the decisions of either management or investors.

As mudanças na eficiência relativa de setores produtivos ao longo do tempo direcionam a reorganização de atividades econômicas entre países desenvolvidos e emergentes. Essas mudanças resultam de dois movimentos complementares. Primeiro, o desenvolvimento setorial autônomo, decorrente da combinação de acumulação de capital físico e humano, eficiência transacional e curva de aprendizagem. O segundo movimento refere-se a choques exógenos, produzidos por inovações tecnológicas ou por intervenções autônomas do setor público. Tais intervenções, que alteram de forma planejada a dinâmica das trajetórias setoriais, são denominadas de política industrial. Por sua importância para o crescimento e desenvolvimento econômico, constituem o objeto de análise deste trabalho. A análise de investimentos em infraestrutura como instrumento de política industrial é desenvolvida em três etapas. Na primeira etapa propomos a estruturação de um modelo de organização epistemológica em política industrial a partir das relações instrumentoobjetivo. Com base na sistematização das principais linhas de pesquisa, utilizamos este modelo para estabelecer a vinculação normativa entre investimentos em infraestrutura e instrumentos de política industrial. Em complemento, o modelo permite posicionar a metodologia de pesquisa por meio da combinação entre modelos teóricos positivos e testes econométricos. Na segunda etapa desenvolvemos o vínculo teórico, fundamentado em um arcabouço hipotético-dedutivo, para estabelecer as condições nas quais investimentos em infraestrutura influenciam as trajetórias de crescimento e de comércio exterior de diferentes setores. Este arcabouço combina duas categorias de modelos. Seguindo a metodologia de Aschauer (1989), utilizamos variações de modelos de crescimento de Solow (1956), considerando investimentos em infraestrutura tanto como acúmulo de capital quanto como choque tecnológico, para avaliar seus impactos sobre dinâmicas setoriais. Combinamos esses modelos com os de Frankel e Romer (1999) para avaliar esses investimentos sob a ótica teórica do comércio internacional, desta forma criando o vínculo entre investimentos em infraestrutura e competitividade setorial. A terceira etapa estabelece o vínculo empírico entre investimentos em infraestrutura e objetivos da política industrial, testando as predições teóricas por meio de diferentes especificações de modelos de dados em painel aplicados a uma amostra de 85 países no período de 1960 a 2005. No plano do crescimento econômico, a produção per capita em diferentes setores é regredida em relação a investimentos em infraestrutura, mediante o uso de variáveis de controle tradicionais. No plano do comércio internacional, a variável dependente é a participação setorial na balança comercial; no plano tecnológico, a variável dependente é a produtividade do trabalho; e no plano social, a variável dependente é a equidade na distribuição de renda. Os testes empíricos indicam que investimentos em infraestrutura produzem um impacto positivo e estatisticamente relevante no crescimento de longo prazo do produto interno per capita, especialmente em economias em desenvolvimento. Avaliando setorialmente os resultados, esses investimentos geram aceleração expressiva e robusta no setor de serviços e menor aceleração no setor industrial. No setor agrícola, investimentos em infraestrutura auxiliam na sustentação do padrão histórico de crescimento. No plano tecnológico, investimentos em infraestrutura apresentaram efeitos expressivos sobre a produtividade marginal do trabalho na indústria, efeitos menores sobre a produtividade marginal do trabalho no setor de serviços, não indicando efeitos sobre a produtividade marginal do setor agrícola. Dentre os segmentos que compõem o setor de infraestrutura, verificamos que as telecomunicações atuam mais fortemente como instrumento indutor de crescimento econômico, indicando que esse segmento representa um instrumento de política industrial. Não foram encontradas evidências de que os segmentos de rodovias e geração de energia elétrica exerçam o mesmo papel do setor de telecomunicações. No plano do comércio internacional, os investimentos em infraestrutura não se mostraram relevantes na identificação de tendências de longo prazo. No plano social, investimentos em infraestrutura apresentaram efeitos relevantes na redução das desigualdades de renda. A composição das três etapas normativa, teórica e empírica, sugere que investimentos em infraestrutura podem produzir resultados relevantes de acordo com os objetivos propostos pela política econômica, materializando-se em importante instrumento a ser considerado no âmbito da administração pública. / The changes in the relative efficiency of economic sectors are drivers of the redistribution of economic activities between developing and developed countries. These changes are the result of two complementary factors. The first factor is the autonomous development of industry efficiency as a result of physical and human capital accumulation, transactional efficiency and learning curve. The second factor accounts for exogenous impacts produced by disruptive technologies and, mainly, by public sector interventions. Those interventions are, in a broad sense, denominated industrial policy and constitute the focus of the research. Such interventions, that change in a planned manner the dynamics of the sectors, are called industrial policy. For their importance for growth and economic development, they constitute the focus of this work. The analysis of investments in infrastructure as a tool of industrial policy is developed in three stages. In the first stage we structure an epistemological model of organization in industrial policy from the instrument-objectives relationships. Based on the systematization of the main fields of research, we use this model to establish the normative link between investments in infrastructure and industrial policy instruments. In addition, the model allows positioning the research methodology through the combination of positive models and generalizable empirical tests. In the second stage we develop the theoretical link, based on a hypothetical-deductive framework in order to establish the conditions under which investments in infrastructure affect the growth and foreign trade trajectories in different sectors. This framework combines two categories of models. Following the methodology of Aschauer (1989), we use variations of models of growth of Solow (1956), considering investments in infrastructure as much as accumulation of capital and technological shocks to assess its impacts on sectors dynamics. Further, we combine this effort with models by Frankel and Romer (1999) to evaluate these investments from the perspective of international trade theory, thus creating the link between investments in infrastructure and sector competitiveness. The third stage provides the empirical link between investments in infrastructure and industrial policy objectives, testing the theoretical predictions by using different specifications of data panel models applied to a sample of 85 countries covering period from 1960 to 2005. In terms of economic growth, the per capita production in different sectors is regressed against investments in infrastructure, using traditional control variables. In terms of international trade, the dependent variable used in the model is the participation of each sector in trade balance of a country. On the technological framework, the dependent variable is labor productivity and finally, the social objectives are tested using the fairness in the income distribution as the dependent variable. The empirical tests suggest that the infrastructure projects have a positive and statistically significant impact on long-term growth of GDP per capita, what is especially relevant for developing economies. Evaluating the results for different sectors, these investments generate significant and robust acceleration in the services sector and smaller acceleration in the industrial sector. In agriculture, investments in infrastructure help support the historical growth pattern. Considering technology, investment in infrastructure had significant effects on the marginal productivity of labor in industry, weaker effects on the labor marginal productivity in the service sector and indicated no effects on the labor marginal productivity of the agricultural sector. Among the components of the infrastructure sector, telecommunications act more strongly as an inducer of economic growth, indicating that this is an instrument of industrial policy. In terms of international trade, investments in infrastructure were not relevant to identify long run trends. In the social framework, investment in infrastructure had relevant effects in reducing income inequalities. The composition of the three stages - normative, theoretical and empirical, suggests that investments in infrastructure can produce relevant results, according to the objectives proposed by the economic policy. Investments in infrastructure can also be materialized in an important public policy instrument.