The subject of this thesis is a comprehensive analysis of changes in commodity trade of France and Benelux countries behind the ongoing global economic crisis. The first part refers to theoretical perspectives on international trade and the economic crisis, focusing in particular on the latest opinions the most significant for the countries surveyed. Other parts are comparing these countries in terms of trade balance and commodity and territorial structures. In conclusion, it summarizes the changes in development caused by current economic recession.

The present thesis is concerned with Czech-German relations in Krupka in the 1930s. The theoretical part presents a historical overview of the situation in Czechoslovakia and the Sudetenland. Drawing upon the chronicle of the town of Krupka, it also provides information on the town's history. The empirical part of the thesis deals with Czech-German relations in Krupka. Data was collected through questionnaires and interviews conducted with survivors. The conclusion provides an evaluation of status differences between Czechs and Germans in Krupka in the 1930s.

At the end of 2008, the sector of secondary raw materials, as well as a major part of other sectors of economy, has been hit by a global economical recession. In comparison with usual incidences as sales, employment or payment problems, the recession had here, nevertheless, one specificity -- impact upon environment. The secondary raw materials are used to be employed by the manufacturers to the production of goods provided their price is lower than this of primary commodities. However, in the said period, consumer demand and production decreased, and in this consequence also prices of primary raw materials diminished heavily. Thereby the market of secondary raw materials practically stopped. But it was not possible to stop also their production, because recycling, process of secondary raw materials manufacture, is compulsory in the EU countries. Due to this situation, fears on the collapse of the whole system of waste separation occurred, but also different proposals for solutions of this problem appeared. Although the situation on the market for secondary raw materials in the latest months starts to be stabilized, this problem is always actual and that's why it became also theme of this dissertation. Thus, this diploma paper's objective is to make an attempt to characterize the current situation in the market for secondary raw materials with the exploitation of the institutional analysis and, subsequently, to examine its changes evoked by the introduction of the "anti-crisis" measures. The practical part of these theses is based on the application of the method developed by proprietress of the Nobel Prize for economy for 2009, Elinor Ostrom, and her colleagues at Indiana University, so-called IAD Framework -- Institutional Analysis and Development Framework. This selected research method is relatively unknown in our place and so a quite new and authentic view at this whole matter can be therefore expected.

The question of business cycles is one of the most interesting topics of the economic policy. The period of economic recession influences most of the subjects in the economy. One of these subjects is a firm. In this thesis I discuss the question how economic depression impacts the value of a firm and how firms react to the recession, what are the consequences of their reactions and the results of these consequences at the macroeconomic level. To demonstrate the impact of the crisis I have evaluated the firm ACTIVA with Discounted Cash Flow Entity method in two different time frames, first evaluation was done before the crisis occurred and the second was done during the crisis. I conclude that the crisis causes a slowdown of the growth of the relevant market and therefore also of the revenues of the firm, it causes a fall in the economic results and not least the profit margin. As a result the value of the firm decreases to less than a half of its pre-crisis value. This proves that the view of a firm's value has significantly changed as a result of the crisis. The firm's behaviour has changed as well and whence it follows that the business cycle is a consequence of a changed behaviour of the economic subjects, which operate their behaviour according to the prices.

MRDV / Institute for Rural Development

The thesis explores the influence of economic recession and recovery on strategy of courier, express and parcel service providers and on a change of the service portfolio. It then focuses on the development of the supply chain caused by increasing volume of small consignment. The thesis also analyzes the impact of the economic crisis on employment and turnover of selected service providers.

This dissertation examines the factors influencing a state’s decision to adopt a local government investment pool (LGIP), the institutional arrangements used in managing them, and the effect of the institutional types on LGIP performance. The dissertation extends the policy adoption theory with insights from investment theory to demonstrate that management credibility influences the likelihood of a state’s LGIP adoption. The study finds that the quality of financial management, the quality of professional leadership, proximate state neighbors who have previously adopted an LGIP, and economic factors determine a state’s proclivity to policy adoption. The dissertation also describes the institutional arrangements used in managing LGIPs and develops typologies based on their institutional arrangements. The dissertation compares LGIPs depending on the risk aversion of their institutional arrangements. The research extends the risk-return tradeoff in investment theory to LGIP institutional arrangements. The empirical findings show that LGIP institutional arrangement that has greater risk report higher performance. The dissertation also finds that competition in the LGIP market due to multiple vendors, and periods of economic recession account for higher performance because of higher risk-taking behaviors associated with them. This dissertation promotes public funds investment laws that emphasize prudent management of government finances and guides managers of the public purse on the types of institutional choices that optimize returns with minimal risk.

本研究探討過度自信經理人於經濟衰退階段時之併購行為。本研究蒐集S&P1500大企業於1993年至2016年的資料，對過度自信經理人於景氣衰退階段的併購機率、宣告效果、長期股價表現進行分析。因為過度自信經理人低估景氣衰退所造成的高度不確定性，同時高估本身能夠透過併購所創造的公司價值，我們預期過度自信經理人相較非過度自信經理人更容易在景氣衰退的階段進行併購。然而實證結果過顯示過度自信經理人的併購機率於2008年金融海嘯後大幅下降，減少併購的幅度顯著高於非過度自信經理人。此結果和過去文獻一致，說明在財務資源不足的情況下，過度自信經理人會比非過度自信經理人更不願意投資。因為過度自信經理人高估自家公司權益價值，認為資本市場低估其權益價值，就算面對能為公司創造價值的投資案時也不願意向外發行股票籌資，因而導致他們在經氣衰退時較非過度自信經理人投資更保守。 / The study examines the behaviors of overconfident CEOs during recessions using firms included in S&P 1500 Index from 1993 to 2016. We propose that overconfident CEOs would undertake more M&As than non-overconfident CEOs during recessions for their biased beliefs lead them to underestimating the risk they would incur in recessions and overestimating the synergy they can create through M&As. However, we found that, during and after the 2008 Recessions, overconfident CEOs reduce significantly more in undertaking M&As than non-overconfident CEOs. The results are consistent with past literatures and suggest that decrease in financial resources caused by recession lead overconfident CEOs, who overestimate the value of their own equity and are unwilling to issue new equity, to reducing more in undertaking M&As than non-overconfident CEOs after and during recession.

Devalued homes and weakened economic conditions of 2008 led to lost property tax revenues, more vacant and abandoned properties, and destabilized neighborhoods. The first Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP1) was a federal intervention designed to mitigate the damage of the recession, but there is scant evidence of program effectiveness. A phenomenological study, using a method outlined by Moustakas, answered questions on the benefits and barriers of NSP1 as perceived by stakeholders in a Mid-Atlantic city. Stakeholders included nonprofit housing advocates, residents, business partners, and government officials. Theories of collaborative governance and community stakeholders were used to guide the investigation of NSP1 processes and stakeholders' perceptions. Ten stakeholders responded to 9 compound interview questions derived from the research question and 4 subquestions in semi-structured interviews. Responses were transcribed, verified for accuracy, and then coded and analyzed for recurring themes. Five prominent themes emerged: (1) challenges with NSP1 guidelines, (2) importance of partner capacity, (3) positive results in targeted neighborhoods, (4) city's approach to community development, and (5) sustaining positive results. Findings were that NSP1's benefits for residents outweighed procedural barriers and NSP1's short duration still yielded positive results in neighborhoods. This study has policy and social change implications for all stakeholders involved. Recommendations include continuous city involvement to stabilize neighborhoods during future recessions and better entrepreneurial strategies to integrate private and non-profit stakeholders in all phases of collaborative governance.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / A historical analysis of the philanthropic response to the Great Depression by community foundations; the thesis uses the individual story of the Indianapolis Foundation as a case study to provide detailed examples of how community foundations modified their grant-making behavior in response to the Great Depression’s economic effects.