<p>A survey of farmers was conducted to determine the extent of cost-share and non-costshare BMP implementation and to evaluate the impact of socio-economic variables of the adoption of BMPs in Virginia's Chesapeake Bay drainage basin. Farmers in 67 counties in Virginia were randomly selected using VirGIS land use data and GRASS 4.1. All of the counties included in the study had at least 90 percent of their total land in the Chesapeake Bay drainage basin. Surveys were mailed to approximately 5,850 farm operators and 1,377 responses were returned, with approximately 1,099 estimated to farm in the Chesapeake Bay basin.</p> <p> A concern for pollution in the Chesapeake Bay was evident by farmers throughout the Bay basin, as 80 percent of the respondents indicated being concerned about water pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. However, only 33 percent believed that their farm contributed to water quality problems. The most often indicated perceived causes of pollution were runoff from urban or paved areas, industrial waste or factory discharge, sewer systems, and litter or garbage.</p> / Master of Science

Whether mergers and acquisitions create or destroy shareholder value for acquiring companies has been widely researched and remains fairly inconclusive. The purpose of this research was to study the short term and long term impacts of large acquisitions on the share price performance of acquiring companies using the event study methodology.From a population of 11 062 acquisitions made by JSE listed companies between 1999 and 2008, 39 acquisitions met the relevant criteria of non-occurrence of confounding events and the availability of information. The Cumulative Abnormal Returns of acquiring companies over a short term period surrounding the announcement date and the longer term post-announcement date period were tested to observe whether they were significantly different to zero.Whilst statistically significant Cumulative Abnormal Returns were observed over the short term 3-day event window [-1;+1], no statistically significant Cumulative Abnormal Returns were observed around the remaining five event windows. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

This study examines the market reactions to share repurchase announcements made by companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange from 2003 to 2012. We use an event study methodology and the Capital Asset Pricing Model to determine if there is an announcement effect when a share repurchase announcement is made. Our analysis show that consistent with signalling theory and the announcement effect, share repurchase announcements are associated with positive abnormal returns. The average abnormal return and cumulative average abnormal return noted was 0.46% and 3.81% respectively for the event period (t -20, t +20). There was an observable trend of declining share prices before the share repurchase announcement however the decline in the shares prices was not significant. We found some evidence of market timing ability in 2005 and 2010 however as a collective, we found no significant difference in timing a share repurchase announcement. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Title: Relationship between physical activities and memory in older adults Objectives: Estimating the effect of physical activity on memory in seniors older than 60 years. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. The data for the elaboration of the diploma thesis were obtained from the pan-European project Survey of Health Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). In this study, all probands were divided according to gender and further into three groups according to their level of education using the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED - 97). In the data analysis, means and standard deviations were calculated for continuous variables and percentages were calculated for categorical variables. Non-parametric statistical methods were used to test the hypotheses. For more than three categories, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used, followed by post-hoc analysis. The Mann-Whitney U test with Bonferoni correction was used for post-hoc analysis. Testing of memory functions was performed using a ten-word memorization test with immediate and delayed recall. Results: Data from of 47,169 probands older than 60 years were used in the study. A total of 26,034 women and 21,135 men participated. The investigation demonstrated a positive effect of physical and sports activities on the memory...

and keywords Acquisition of the right of ownership to a share in a limited liability company from a non-entitled person The subject of this thesis is the analysis of the institute of the acquisition of the right of ownership from a non-entitled person in relation to a share in a limited liability company. The thesis analyzes the various aspects of the acquisition from a non-entitled person in relation to the share in a limited liability company on the basis of a share purchase agreement. With regard to the forms of shares in a limited liability company, which in addition to a business share may also be represented by a common certificate, the institute of acquisition from a non-entitled person is analyzed in relation to both forms of shares. The work is based on the identification following by analysis of the main questions, which lead first to find out whether the provisions on acquisition of share from a non-entitled person can be applied. Conclusions will then be applied to each acquisition method according to the relevant provisions on acquisition from a non-entitled person. The thesis is divided into five chapters. The first chapter is devoted to the legal regulation of the transfer of a share in a limited liability company and provides a basic insight into the regulation of a transfer of a...

Disinheritance and Forced Heir Protection - abstract Disinheritance is a significant instrument in inheritance law, protecting the testator's autonomy to dispose of their own property. It allows the testator to deprive their descendants of the right to a forced share in the estate, breaking the centuries-old tradition of intergeneration solidarity. The antithesis to disinheritance is the protection of a testator's descendant, i.e. the forced heir, who, under common circumstances, has the right to be provided for by the testator in their mortis causa actions. However, the legislation concerning these matters is often unclear, inconsistent, and imprecise. The aim of this thesis is to point out these problems and explain them to the reader, offer a comprehensive view on the historical development of both disinheritance and forced heir protection, and describe the current substantive and procedural provisions. The first chapter which defines the basic terminology is followed by a chapter on the historical development of disinheritance and forced heir protection in ancient Rome, the Middle Ages but especially in the Austrian Civil Code (ABGB) and the Czechoslovak Civil Codes of 1950 and 1964. The succeeding chapters are focused on the general rules of disinheritance and forced heir protection, primarily the...

Title: The influence of alcohol on memory in the elderly Objectives: To estimate association between alcohol consumption and memory in the elderly above 60 years of age. Methods: The master's thesis is a cross-sectional study. All data were acquired from the Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) project. For the purpose of this research, the participants were divided into four categories according to the highest acquired level of their education. For data analysis, Kruskal-Wallis Test and Mann-Whitney U test with Bonferoni's correction for post - hoc analysis were employed. The testing of participants involved immediate and delayed recall of 10 words. Results: In this research, a total of 36 534 participants were used. Out of this, 20 389 were females and 16 145 were males. In most categories, there were statistically significant differences in both tests, surprisingly preferring alcohol consumption (p<0.001). In males, who had problems with alcohol abuse during their life, the results of both tests were significantly worse (p<0.001). Conclusions: Results indicate statistically significant association between memory and alcohol consumption. Keywords: memory, cognitive functions, alcohol consumption, elderly, SHARE

This thesis analyzes the current transport situation of Arlanda Airport and the two main cities that Arlanda is located between, Stockholm and Uppsala. The purpose of the thesis is to study the efficiency of the different transport alternatives and also to relate it with their current market shares. Besides, in order to do a deeper analysis of Arlanda Airport connectivity some of the busiest airports transport links have been analyzed in terms of availability of different transport alternatives, distance to the city centers and market shares. Because of the high number of cars that currently go to Arlanda, there is a need to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide. To this end, a prediction of the demand in ten years has been carried out to see what improvements have to be done to make Arlanda a more environmentally friendly airport. The methodology used in order to forecast the demand has been based on a survey conducted at a single point to regular users of the public transportation system. The improvement of the connectivity of Arlanda Airport via public transport alternatives will not only affect the distribution of the current market shares, but also represents a key strategy for pursuing Arlanda’s leadership in achieving environmental goals.

This thesis examines the role of grandchildren's existence in the retirement timing decision- making process of grandparents. Previous literature has focused mostly on other aspects of retirement and potential causes that can affect its timing. Using the Two-Stage least squares estimation on the SHARE dataset, representing 17 European countries and Israel, we estimate the desired effect with respect to various data limitations (age groups, gender, child existence). Residential proximity is used as the instrument for estimation. Having at least one grandchild yields a statistically significant result that increases on average the likelihood of retirement by 19% when compared to a non-grandparent while holding other factors constant. As a secondary outcome, the estimated effect of an additional child on retirement likelihood is negative. JEL Classification C36, C51, J26 Keywords grandchild, retirement, Instrumental variable, SHARE, IV, wide-ranging data, 2SLS Title The impact of grandchildren on retirement timing: evidence from SHARE data

According to the Government of Sweden, limited companies are the most advantageous form of company. A limited company must by Swedish law have a start-up capital that is not allowed to be taken out of the company. In 2010, the limit for share capital in private limited companies was lowered from SEK 100 000 to SEK 50 000. In 2019 the Government presented the memorandum Ds 2019:6, which discusses the proposal to reduce the share capital further to SEK 25 000. This proposal passed and took effect on January 1, 2020.  The purpose of this study is to examine the stakeholders' attitudes to the share capital in private limited companies being reduced from SEK 50 000 to SEK 25 000. This involves identifying the risks and consequences of the change in share capital for stakeholders and for the company based on consultation responses. The study examines whether the proposal regarding reduced share capital can be affected by the power of individual stakeholders. An abductive research approach has been used in the study because the purpose is to create increased understanding, which is done through interpretation to create meaning in collected data based on theory. The study analyzes documents to examine stakeholders' attitudes to the proposal. This with the help of collected consultation responses collected by the Ministry of Justice. A total survey is carried out where 32 consultation responses are compiled and analyzed. A qualitative content analysis is therefore used in the study to make interpretations and find patterns in the stakeholders' attitudes. The results of the study show that the majority of stakeholders have a negative attitude to the proposal of a reduced share capital. The combined effects and consequences that the stakeholders believe may come from the change in the law are predominantly negative. The stakeholders' negative attitude to the proposal is because they believe that there may be an increase in financial crime in limited companies. The positive attitudes that the stakeholders present regarding the proposal contributing to increased entrepreneurship are in contrast to the fact that a lack of competence can increase in step with an increased number of limited companies. Stakeholders show a negative attitude because they believe that it leads to more cases where liability according to Swedish ABL and liability breakthroughs occurs. Based on these conclusions, the stakeholders consider that regardless of their attitude towards the proposal, they are considered to have no significant impact on the proposal of a reduced share capital. / Enligt Sveriges riksdag är aktiebolag den mest fördelaktiga bolagsformen. Ett aktiebolag måste enligt svensk lag ha ett startkapital som inte får lov att tas ut ur bolaget. År 2010 sänktes gränsen för aktiekapitalet i privata aktiebolag från 100 000 kronor till 50 000 kronor. Regeringen presenterade vidare promemorian Ds 2019:6 som diskuterar förslaget om att sänka aktiekapitalet ytterligare till 25 000 kronor. Detta lagförslag gick igenom och trädde i kraft 1 januari 2020.  Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka intressenternas attityder till att aktiekapitalet i privata aktiebolag sänks från 50 000 kronor till 25 000 kronor. Syftet med studien är även att kartlägga de risker och konsekvenser som förändringen av aktiekapitalet innebär för intressenter och för företaget utifrån remissvar. I studien undersöks även om förslaget gällande sänkt aktiekapital kan påverkas av enskilda intressenters makt. En abduktiv forskningsansats tillämpas i studien eftersom syftet är att skapa ökad förståelse vilket görs genom tolkning för att skapa mening i insamlade data med grund i teori. Avsikten med studien är att analysera dokument för att undersöka intressenternas attityder till lagförslaget. Detta görs med hjälp av insamlade remissvar som Justitiedepartementet samlat in. En totalundersökning utförs där 32 stycken remissvar sammanställs och analyseras. En kvalitativ innehållsanalys används därför i studien för att göra tolkningar och finna mönster i intressenternas attityder. Resultatet av genomförd undersökning visar att majoriteten av intressenterna har en negativ attityd till lagförslaget om ett sänkt aktiekapital. De sammanställda effekterna och konsekvenserna som intressenterna anser kan komma från lagförändringen är övervägande negativa. Intressenternas negativa attityd till förslaget är ett resultat av att de anser att det kan ske en ökning av ekonomisk brottslighet i aktiebolag. De positiva attityder som intressenterna presenterar angående att lagförslaget bidrar till ökat företagande, ställer sig i kontrast till att bristande kompetens kan öka i takt med ökade antal aktiebolag. Intressenterna visar negativ attityd eftersom de anser att det leder till fler fall där ansvar enligt ABL och ansvarsgenombrott förekommer. Utifrån dessa slutsatser anser intressenterna att oberoende deras attityd så har de inte någon väsentlig påverkan gällande lagförslaget om sänkt aktiekapital.