The study was designed to identify and get a better understanding of the determinants of Smallholder farmers' participation in cattle markets in the Ngaka Modiri Molema District of North West Province, A hundred and nine smallholder cattle farmers were randomly selected using the simple random sample method. The list of smallholder cattle farmers was obtained from the North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (Ngaka Modiri Molema District). Data was collected through the use of structured questionnaire that consisted of demographic characteristics market-related constraints encountered by smallholder cattle farmers, availability of infrastructure, access to market information, cattle production, cattle nutrition, cattle health, cattle husbandry, and reasons far keeping cattle and markets participated in by smallholder cattle farmers. The data was coded, captured and analysed using the statistical package for social science (SPSS) for frequencies, percentage and profit regression analysis. The results of the study show that the majority of the respondents in this research were male (72%): married (68%); Christians (74%); not formally educated 45°o; and having less than 10 years in farming (61%). The results highlighted that majority of the smallholder cattle farmers used informal markets to market their cattle (83%); mainly used auctions (58%) as a formal marketing channel and were mostly familiar with informal (62%) marketing channels. The farmers received higher prices (65%) from the cattle markets they regularly use and were nearer. The majority of smallholder farmers (55%) do not participate in the most rewarding channels. Majority of the smallholder cattle farmers were affected by, lack of support from government (96%); limited market information (95%); financial constraints (79%); (distance to mainstream markets (60%); and bureaucracy (62%). The results of probit regression model show that out of 15 independent variables considered, the coefficients for 5 variables' were statistical/v significant, These were the number of heifers (Z= 2, 742: P<P0. 05), smallholder cattle farmers keeping of farm records (Z=2. 611: P<0. 05), the number of years in farming (Z=2,45] P<0.01), level of education Z=-1. 745,' P<0.01) and smallholder farmers slaughtering of cattle and selling as carcass (Z- 1,899: P<0, 01). / Thesis (M.Sc.(Agric Economics) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2013

The aim of this paper is to understand the roles knowledge and network play in the internationalization process of a small company in an emerging Kenyan market. The research is based on a qualitative approach using an embedded case study design where primary data was collected from Hydro Standard AB, Swedish Trade Council and two water companies in Kenya; Mombasa and Mavoko water companies. Semi-structured and in-depth interviews were used in the project. Findings from the study show that the internationalization process of Hydro Standard AB was successful and mainly driven by building of networks. The study also found out that tacit knowledge is crucial for a firm to develop itself in the Kenyan market which is very informal. Through tacit knowledge, a firm is able to gain knowledge and handle challenges concerning business culture and other unwritten rules found in the market. Further, building relationships with politicians or local branch managers can enhance a firm's performance.

I både den Europeiska unionen och i Sverige som enskilt land finns nu för tiden en utvecklad konkurrensrätt, som har till syfte att främja den fria konkurrensen, som i sin tur anses främja marknadsekonomin. En företeelse som hotar den fria konkurrensen är när företag som tillhör samma marknad går ihop i avtal om prissättningar eller uppdelning av marknaden. Denna företeelse förekommer även i mindre formella former, i så kallade samordnade förfaranden, där det inte finns några egentliga avtal som grund för samordningen, utan företagen agerar i samförstånd utan att ett avtal kan visas som styrker orsakssambandet mellan agerandet och samförståndet. Samordnade förfaranden förekommer på alla olika typer av marknader och svårigheten att skilja på ett förfarande i samförstånd och ett naturligt parallellt uppträdande mellan företag är stor. Ett parallellt uppträdande är när företag agerar självständigt men ändock följer varandra i prissättningen av liknande produkter, som en följd av en naturlig konkurrens, och är en del av en välfungerande marknad. Gränsen mellan parallellt uppträdande och ett samordnat förfarande kan vara svår att urskilja. Svårigheten blir större på så kallade oligopolmarknader, där det är få aktörer som styr över en stor andel av marknaden, varför ett parallellt uppträdande ter sig mer naturligt och förekommer i en annan utsträckning än på andra marknader. I denna uppsats kommer problematiken med bevisningen av samordnade förfaranden att framställas och även svårigheten att bedöma gränsen mellan samordnat förfarande och parallellt uppträdande som uppkommer när en marknad är ett oligopol.

The dissertation consists of two essays on insurance markets and regulation. The first essay studies the timing of state-level tort reform enactments between 1971 and 2005. Using discrete time hazard models, we find the level of litigation activity---as measured by incurred liability insurance losses, the number of lawyers, and tort cases commenced---to be the most important and robust determinant of tort reform adoption. Political-institutional factors and regional effects---such as Republican control of the state government, single party control of the legislature and governorship, and a (relatively) conservative political ideology among a state’s Democrats---are also associated with quicker reform adoption. In the second essay, we identify the effect of public guarantees on market discipline by exploiting the rich variation in U.S. state guarantees of property-liability insurer obligations. We find government guarantees significantly reduce the sensitivity of premium growth to changes in financial strength ratings, and that this reduced sensitivity applies to both price and volume changes. The effects are concentrated among insurers rated A- or lower by A.M. Best, the leading financial strength rating agency in the insurance industry. For downgraded insurers, we find that premium growth in business not covered by state guarantees falls in relation to growth in its covered business, with the estimate of the difference being as high as 15% for A- rated insurers and 10% for insurers rated below A-.

This thesis deals with two different topics, both related to modelling time-varying variances in high frequency financial time series. The first topic concerns the estimation of unobserved component models with autoregressive conditional heteroscedastic (ARCH) effects. The second topic concerns the quasi-maximum likelihood estimation of stochastic variance processes. These are an alternative to ARCH processes for modelling conditionally heteroscedastic time series. The motivation of the work is based on the increasing interest in the financial area in modelling volatility. In financial markets, many decisions are based on the volatility of a specific stock or index, which is closely related to the variance. Therefore, it is important to develop good statistical models able to describe time-varying variances. 2

This dissertation studies how to characterize strategic behaviors in electricity markets from a transmission-constrained residual demand perspective. This dissertation generalizes the residual demand concept, widely used by economists in general markets, to electricity markets, which are constrained by transmission networks. The transmission-constrained residual demand is characterized by a sensitivity analysis of the optimal power flow program, which is the electricity market clearing engine. Methods are proposed to optimize a generator or generation firm's profit utilizing the residual demand sensitivity information, which has several advantages over existing methods. The transmission-constrained residual demand concept and the methods are helpful for market participants to develop bidding strategies and for market monitors to analyze market power in electricity markets. / text

Successive markets constitute a natural framework to study the value chain. This chain is built through the technological linkage between markets where inputs and the corresponding outputs are produced. If goods pass through a chain of imperfectly competitive markets, in excess of the value markups are also added, at each step, to the costs. This thesis firstly proposes a unified framework to analyze competition in successive oligopolies. Analyzing and developing such a general framework forms a basis for the analysis of entry of new firms and of collusive agreements in the same market, like horizontal mergers, or through different markets, like vertical integration. The results bring new insights on equilibrium outcomes of both collusive agreements and entry of new firms.

<p>This report has been produced as a result of a Thesis assignment conducted at Ericsson. Itspurpose is to give an overview of the Mobile Advertising industry. In this report an overviewof mobile advertising is presented and thru which channels advertising could be used. Thenthree mobile advertising campaigns are shown and described with background, strategy andresults.</p><p>The different global markets, the different actors in the value chain and how the onlinebehavior has changed are analyzed. The problem area in this report is about profitability andefficiency of the solutions within mobile advertising and the inertia of mobile advertising andthis is discussed in the conclusion.</p> / QC 20100708

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