Chinese rural enterprises (REs) have continued to grow rapidly since the end of the 1970s, and today these enterprises account for half of China’s industrial output, up from nine per cent in 1978. As a market-oriented nonstate sector, the development of the REs has significantly contributed to both China’s impressive post-reform economic growth and its transition away from a centrally planned economy. This thesis focuses on examining the following important, yet poorly understood, issues of the development of Chinese REs: patterns of local government investment decision-making and impact of local government on the capital structure of the REs through its capital investment and its influence on the REs’ access to bank loans and on the extent to which outstanding payments of taxes and other dues to government serve as an informal credit in the total capital of REs. the phenomenon of soft budget constraints in the RE sector; how it is affected by local government ownership of REs, and what the major sources of budget softness are among local government investment, bank loans, informal credits such as inter-firm arrears, and payment of taxes. the nature and characteristics of transaction costs facing REs and how economic and institutional factors such as the level of economic development, degree of marketisation, the role of local government as well as informal institutions may have affected these costs. The empirical studies of this thesis are based on a set of detailed data from a survey of 630 REs which was undertaken in Sichuan and Zhejiang provinces in 1990. The results of these studies show that in many respects of their operation, REs – especially those owned by local governments – tend to follow rules of neither a planned nor a market system, but those of somewhat in between. / Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögsk.

The management of natural resources located on private lands often involves a perceived conflict between the mix of private and public benefit outputs they produce. Governments have tended to respond through legislation to restrict and redirect private decisions about resource management. However, the legislative response faces a lack of information about the costs and benefits of alternative management and policy instruments. A pertinent example of this debate is the management of wetlands on private lands. The goal in this thesis is to advance the design of policy relating to the production of environmental outputs on private lands. This goal is achieved by first estimating the welfare impacts of alternative private land management strategies on the wider community. These estimates are used as inputs into the development of alternative policy instruments that are then evaluated in terms of their potential cost-effectiveness in influencing private management. Two case studies of wetland management on private land in Australia are presented ??? the Upper South East Region of South Australia, and, the Murrumbidgee River Floodplain in New South Wales. The conceptual approach described in the first part of the thesis includes a description of the resource management problem and the strengths and weaknesses of the alternative decision frameworks widely employed in Australia. Identification of the cause and nature of transaction costs in the management process is the focus in this discussion. The welfare impacts of alternative wetland management strategies are investigated through the construction of a bio-economic model for each of the case study areas. The approach integrates biophysical analysis of changing wetland management with the value society places on wetlands. Outputs from this process are used in the development of a range of policy instruments directed towards influencing wetland management. The impact of poorly quantified and uncertain transaction costs on the potential cost-effectiveness of these options is evaluated using threshold policy analysis. The empirical results show that the perception of a conflict between the private and public values generated by resource management is accurate. For example, scenarios changing wetland management in the Upper South East of South Australia on the Murrumbidgee River floodplain in New South Wales were shown to generate net benefits of $5.2m and $5.1m respectively. Hence, changing wetland management could generate increased community welfare. The potential for these findings to be translated into wetland policy is less conclusive. Policies directed towards wetland management (in part or in whole) incur a range of transaction costs and deliver differential wetland protection benefits. Ten ???best bet??? policies are identified, but more information is required to determine conclusively whether a net benefit results to the wider community when transaction costs are included.

The management of natural resources located on private lands often involves a perceived conflict between the mix of private and public benefit outputs they produce. Governments have tended to respond through legislation to restrict and redirect private decisions about resource management. However, the legislative response faces a lack of information about the costs and benefits of alternative management and policy instruments. A pertinent example of this debate is the management of wetlands on private lands. The goal in this thesis is to advance the design of policy relating to the production of environmental outputs on private lands. This goal is achieved by first estimating the welfare impacts of alternative private land management strategies on the wider community. These estimates are used as inputs into the development of alternative policy instruments that are then evaluated in terms of their potential cost-effectiveness in influencing private management. Two case studies of wetland management on private land in Australia are presented ??? the Upper South East Region of South Australia, and, the Murrumbidgee River Floodplain in New South Wales. The conceptual approach described in the first part of the thesis includes a description of the resource management problem and the strengths and weaknesses of the alternative decision frameworks widely employed in Australia. Identification of the cause and nature of transaction costs in the management process is the focus in this discussion. The welfare impacts of alternative wetland management strategies are investigated through the construction of a bio-economic model for each of the case study areas. The approach integrates biophysical analysis of changing wetland management with the value society places on wetlands. Outputs from this process are used in the development of a range of policy instruments directed towards influencing wetland management. The impact of poorly quantified and uncertain transaction costs on the potential cost-effectiveness of these options is evaluated using threshold policy analysis. The empirical results show that the perception of a conflict between the private and public values generated by resource management is accurate. For example, scenarios changing wetland management in the Upper South East of South Australia on the Murrumbidgee River floodplain in New South Wales were shown to generate net benefits of $5.2m and $5.1m respectively. Hence, changing wetland management could generate increased community welfare. The potential for these findings to be translated into wetland policy is less conclusive. Policies directed towards wetland management (in part or in whole) incur a range of transaction costs and deliver differential wetland protection benefits. Ten ???best bet??? policies are identified, but more information is required to determine conclusively whether a net benefit results to the wider community when transaction costs are included.

The management of natural resources located on private lands often involves a perceived conflict between the mix of private and public benefit outputs they produce. Governments have tended to respond through legislation to restrict and redirect private decisions about resource management. However, the legislative response faces a lack of information about the costs and benefits of alternative management and policy instruments. A pertinent example of this debate is the management of wetlands on private lands. The goal in this thesis is to advance the design of policy relating to the production of environmental outputs on private lands. This goal is achieved by first estimating the welfare impacts of alternative private land management strategies on the wider community. These estimates are used as inputs into the development of alternative policy instruments that are then evaluated in terms of their potential cost-effectiveness in influencing private management. Two case studies of wetland management on private land in Australia are presented ??? the Upper South East Region of South Australia, and, the Murrumbidgee River Floodplain in New South Wales. The conceptual approach described in the first part of the thesis includes a description of the resource management problem and the strengths and weaknesses of the alternative decision frameworks widely employed in Australia. Identification of the cause and nature of transaction costs in the management process is the focus in this discussion. The welfare impacts of alternative wetland management strategies are investigated through the construction of a bio-economic model for each of the case study areas. The approach integrates biophysical analysis of changing wetland management with the value society places on wetlands. Outputs from this process are used in the development of a range of policy instruments directed towards influencing wetland management. The impact of poorly quantified and uncertain transaction costs on the potential cost-effectiveness of these options is evaluated using threshold policy analysis. The empirical results show that the perception of a conflict between the private and public values generated by resource management is accurate. For example, scenarios changing wetland management in the Upper South East of South Australia on the Murrumbidgee River floodplain in New South Wales were shown to generate net benefits of $5.2m and $5.1m respectively. Hence, changing wetland management could generate increased community welfare. The potential for these findings to be translated into wetland policy is less conclusive. Policies directed towards wetland management (in part or in whole) incur a range of transaction costs and deliver differential wetland protection benefits. Ten ???best bet??? policies are identified, but more information is required to determine conclusively whether a net benefit results to the wider community when transaction costs are included.

Mémoire (M.Eng.)-- Université du Québec ;a Chicoutimi, 1993. / Résumé disponible sur Internet. CaQCU Document électronique également accessible en format PDF. CaQCU

The Temporary Work Agencies (TWA) industry experienced continuous growth throughout the 90s, and now represents around 15% of temporary hiring in Spain. More interestingly, are markable regional disparity in this sector exists across Spanish provinces. By developing a simple theoretical model and using panel data methodology, this article examines the Spanish caseand suggests that the costs of recruiting, training and screening could explain a large part of the regional disparity. This result is supported by the empirical fact that the TWA firms have greater success in markets with low unemployment rates, where the average duration of unemploymen tis longer, and in provinces with higher concentrations of urban population, respectively. / El sector de las Empresas de Trabajo Temporal (ETT) experimentó un fuerte crecimiento en la década de 1990, hasta estabilizarse en torno al 15% de la contratación temporal en España. Aún más significativa es la fuerte disparidad regional en el recurso a las ETT que existe entre las provincias españolas. A partir de un sencillo modelo teórico, y con metodología de datos de panel, este artículo sugiere que los costes de reclutamiento, entrenamiento y selección podrían explicar gran parte de dicha disparidad. Esta conclusión, estaría fundada en la evidencia empírica de que la cuota de mercado de las ETT es mayor en mercados con bajas tasas de desempleo, donde la duración media del paro es mayor y en aquellas provincias con más concentración de población urbana, respectivamente.

Bakgrund: Det finns idag ett stort utbud av banker på den svenska marknaden och den allmänna diskussionen påvisar att intresset för att välja en hållbar bank ökar från samhället. I dagsläget har merparten av bankerna i det svenska samhället implementerat sin egen hållbarhetspolicy, med egna riktlinjer och kravställningar de skall följa, samt en beskrivning om vilka principer de sägs stå bakom. I och med att begreppet hållbarhet inte är reglerat i lagstiftningen leder detta till att begreppet tolkas på olika sätt och kan innebära svårigheter för kunder, eftersom det kan finnas skillnader i hållbara bankers inriktning när det gäller investeringar och utlåningar. Därmed kan det ifrågasättas om kunden är medveten om vad den investerar i. Med utgångspunkt utifrån detta finns det ett intresse att analysera och belysa hur de olika aktörerna på banksektorn själva definierar begreppet för att sedan komma fram till en mer konkret förklaring av vad som menas med begreppet för att underlätta för kunderna. Syfte: Uppsatsen syftar till att analysera och belysa hur den svenska banksektorn tolkar och implementerar hållbarhetsaspekten i dess verksamhet och hur den rådande mångtydiga definitionen av begreppet hållbarhet påverkar sektorn och dess aktörer. Metod: För att besvara studiens syfte har ett kvalitativt tillvägagångssätt använts. Efter att ha studerat relevant litteratur samt analyserat hur den svenska banksektorns hållbarhetsarbete så har en egenkonstruerad analysmodell utvecklats. Denna analysmodell ligger till grund för referensramen, utformandet av intervjumallen samt analys av den insamlade datan. Sammanlagt har nio semistrukturerade intervjuer genomförts med banker, externa oberoendegranskningsparter och kunder. Slutsats: En hållbar bank är en bank som aktivt arbetar för att minimera dess negativa påverkan på människa, samhälle och miljö, såväl som aktivt tar till vara på de möjligheter de har för att främja hållbar utveckling. Bristen på transparens och tydlighet i kombination med en banksekretess ger utrymme för opportunistiskt beteende hos bankerna. Lemonsproblematiken råder inte för banker generellt i dagsläget men det finns tendenser inom mindre verksamhetsgrenar såsom fondförvaltning. Slutligen är dagens regelverk och övervakning inte tillräckliga för att reducera informationsasymmetrier och opportunistiskt beteende. Externa oberoende granskningsaktörer synar opportunistiskt beteende men kanäven ge upphov till opportunistiskt beteende i form av vitmålning. / Background: Today, there is a wide range of banks on the Swedish market and the general discussion shows that interest in choosing a sustainable bank is increasing from the society. At the moment, most of the Swedish banks have implemented their own policies, guidelines and requirements regarding sustainability, which they are following, as well as a description of the international principles they are said to stand behind. As the concept of sustainability is not regulated in the legislation, this means that the term is interpreted in different ways and may cause difficulties for the customers, as there may be differences in the focus of sustainable banks in terms of financing and investing. Therefore, it can be questioned if the customer is aware of what they invest in. Based on this, it is found interesting to analyse and enlighten how the different actors, in the banking sector, define the term sustainability, in order to clarify and explain what the definition of sustainability means, within the banking sector, to facilitate for the customers. Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to analyse and illustrate how the Swedish banking sector interprets and implements the sustainability aspect in their organisation and how the current ambiguous definition of sustainability affects the sector and its agents. Method: In order to answer the purpose of the study, a qualitative approach has been used. A unique analysis model has been developed. This after studying relevant literature and analysing how the Swedish banking sector works regarding sustainability. This analysis model forms the basis for the theory, the design of the interview template and the analysis of the collected data. In total, nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with banks, external independent auditors and customers. Conclusion: A sustainable bank is a bank that actively works to minimize its negative impact on humans, society and environment, as well as actively embracing the opportunities they have for promoting sustainable development. The lack of transparency and clarity in combination with bank secrecy creates a space for opportunistic behaviour from the banks. The Markets for “Lemons” do not exist at the moment in the banking sector, as a whole, but there are tendencies in specific operation groups, such as fund management. Today's regulatory and monitoring is not enough to reduce information asymmetries and opportunistic behaviour. External independent auditors bring opportunistic behaviour to the surface but can also cause opportunistic behaviour in terms of whitewashing.

Bakgrund: Den automatiserade rådgivningen är ett nytt fenomen på den svenska marknaden som innebär att kunderna ställs inför nya utmaningar när det kommer till investeringsrådgivning. Det har i tidigare forskning inte undersökts hur förtroendet ser ut angående robotrådgivning ur ett kundperspektiv vilket bidrar till ett intresse hos författarna att täcka denna kunskapslucka. Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka förutsättningarna för automatiserad kundrådgivning att brett slå igenom, detta genom att analysera potentiella kunders förtroende för tjänst och leverantör samt hur kunder ser på potentiella transaktionskostnadshinder. Det senare genom att undersöka hur kunden uppfattar den tillgängliga informationen, behovet av finansiell kunskap, psykologiska fällor samt kundens syn på eventuellt svekfullt beteende. Genomförande: Studiens genomförande bygger på en kvalitativ metod med åtta intervjuer med privatpersoner och en med en produktägare. Respondenternas förtroende samt åsikter har undersökts genom att sätta upp ett hypotetiskt scenario med den automatiserade rådgivningen. Det har sedan jämförts hur väl robotrådgivningen hanterar de problem som kan uppstå vid investeringsrådgivning jämfört med den traditionella rådgivningen för att på så sätt förenkla respondenternas möjlighet att ge så utvecklade och nyanserade svar som möjligt. Slutsats: Studien visar att det generella förtroendet för den automatiserade rådgivningen kan anses likvärdigt med det som finns för den traditionella rådgivningen, dock har robotrådgivningen en stor brist i de informationsasymmetrier som råder mellan kunden och roboten. På grund av den asymmetriska informationen kan kunden ha svårt att avgöra kvaliteten på robotrådgivningen och kan leda till att denne avstår från att använda sig av en sparrobot. / Background: The automated advisory is a new phenomenon at the Swedish market which means that the customers is faced with new challenges when it comes to investment advisory. It has in previous research not been investigated how the confidence is regarding the robo advisory through a customer-perspective which contributes to an interest from the author’s side to cover this knowledge gap. Aim: The aim with this essay is to investigate the conditions for the automated customer advisory to penetrate the market widely, this by analyze potential customers confidence for the service and supplier together with how the customers looks at potential transaction cost barriers. The later by investigating how the customer perceives the available information, the need for financial literacy, psychological traps together with the customers view on deceitful behavior. Completion: The completion of the study is based on a qualitative approach with eight private individuals and one product owner. The respondent’s confidence and opinions have been investigated by setting up a hypothetical scenario regarding the automated advisory. It has later on been compared how well the robo advisory can handle the problems that may occur during investment advisory compared to the traditional advisory to simplify the respondents opportunity to give as developed and nuanced answers as possible. Conclusion: The study shows that the general confidence for the automated advisory can be considered equivalent with what exists for the traditional advisory, but the automated advisory have a great shortage in the asymmetrical information which prevails between the customer and the robot. Because of the asymmetric information the customer may have difficulties to determine the quality of the robo advisory, which can lead to the customer refraining to use a robo-advisor.

O debate em torno dos mercados desponta como um tema suis generis na atual fase de desenvolvimento capitalista. A desmistificação da sua abordagem, a partir do olhar neoclássico da economia, vem abrindo espaço para agendas de pesquisa que trazem um olhar mais complexo e menos rígido sobre a realidade socioeconômica das instituições e dos atores, frente ao ponto de vista dos pressupostos e dos cálculos marginalistas. Nessa perspectiva, se inserem a teoria da Nova Economia Institucional e, mais especificamente, a da Economia dos Custos de Transação, enquanto ferramentas de análise profícuas para debater e entender os processos de formação, cooperação e competição dos mercados. No entanto, a fim de avançar na heterodoxia das interpretações, à luz da teoria dos Custos de Transação, é que inserimos a variável da confiança como elemento importante, além de flexibilizar os pressupostos da Racionalidade Limitada e do Oportunismo. Partimos de uma interpretação dos seus fenômenos enquanto variáveis passíveis de serem capturadas e discutidas em um modelo calcado na construção de índices, tendo como ferramenta metodológica a escala de diferencial semântico. Essa perspectiva, de análise institucionalista, foi aplicada para a interpretação da evolução dos mercados de lácteos no Brasil e em vários países, como, por exemplo, no caso do Oeste catarinense, onde a sua abordagem se deu sob as dimensões políticas, tecnológicas e organizacionais. Sobre as investigações empíricas, escolhemos o caso ASCOOPER, no qual as cooperativas de leite vêm mostrando uma organização ímpar de articulação em rede, além de autonomia nos processos de decisão, bem como nas formas de inserção nos mercados, sendo estas diversas e complexas. Percebemos o quanto o comportamento dos atores, as relações de poder e as formas de inserção nos mercados se relacionam com os Custos de Transação, vindo a impactar nos preços pagos e nas estruturas de mercado dessa cadeia produtiva, dentro do universo empírico investigado. Ainda nesse sentido, captamos uma série de correlações entre as variáveis socioeconômicas e os índices criados, os quais demonstraram, principalmente, que o tempo de associação e a concorrência pela matériaprima influenciam de forma significativa nos Custos de Transação. No centro desse debate, abordamos as transações a partir dos contratos, o que nos possibilitou perceber como são as relações nesses mercados, tanto a montante quanto a jusante dessas cooperativas, o que veio a nos dar informações importantes para uma análise mais ampla sobre as suas estruturas de governanças. Concluímos que os Custos de Transação importam, que os contratos e as estruturas de governança, apesar de limitadas sob alguns aspectos dentro do debate do cooperativismo, também são importantes ferramentas de análise das transações. Um olhar mais heterodoxo e institucionalista sobre os mercados contribuiu com a abordagem sobre as novas formas de organização, relações econômicas, consumo e territorialidade, além de se apresentar como uma abordagem inovadora para os estudos sobre o Desenvolvimento Rural. Por fim, chegamos à conclusão de que, por um lado, os mercados de lácteos estão se especializando, se concentrando em alguns elos e se diversificando em outros. Entretanto, por outro lado, demonstram certa margem de manobra às cooperativas a partir de suas regras locais, mas com forte influência de um ambiente externo de competição e volatilidade financeira, vindo a demandar novas formas de organização, produção, consumo e inserção nos mercados. / The debate around the markets emerges as a suis generis theme in the current stage of capitalist development. The demystification of its approach from the neoclassical look on economics has opened space for research agendas that bring a more complex and less rigid look on the socioeconomic reality of the institutions and actors facing the point of view of the marginalist assumptions and calculations. In this perspective, it is encompassed the New Institutional Economics theory and, more specifically, the Transaction Costs Economics theory, as useful analysis tools to discuss and understand the processes of formation, cooperation and competition in the markets. However, in order to advance in the heterodoxy of interpretations, in the light of the Transaction Costs theory, we entered the trust variable as an important element in addition to flexibilizing the assumptions of Bounded Rationality and Opportunism. We start with an interpretation of its phenomena as variables that can be captured and discussed in a model underpinned by the construction of indexes, having as a methodological tool the semantic differential scale. This perspective of institutionalist analysis was applied to the interpretation of the evolution of dairy markets in Brazil and in several countries, such as in the case of Western Santa Catarina, where its approach was under the political, technological and organizational dimensions. On the empirical research, we chose the ASCOOPER case, in which the milk cooperatives have shown a unique organization of networking articulation, besides autonomy in decision-making, as well as in the ways of entering the markets, which are diverse and complex. We have noticed how the actors’ behavior, power relations and the ways of entering the markets are related to the Transaction Costs, coming to impact on prices paid and the market structures of this productive chain, within the empirical universe researched. Also in this sense, we capture a series of correlations between socioeconomic variables and indexes created, which showed mainly that the association's time and competition for raw materials significantly influence the Transaction Costs. In the center of this debate, we discuss the transactions starting with the contracts which enabled us to understand how the relationships in these markets, both upstream and downstream of these cooperatives, which came to give us important information for a broader analysis on their governances structures. We conclude that Transaction Costs matter, that the contracts and governance structures, although limited in some aspects within the cooperativism debate are also important tools for analyzing transactions. A more heterodox and institutionalist look on the markets contributed to the approach on the new forms of organization, economic relations, consumption and territoriality, besides presenting itself as an innovative approach for the studies on Rural Development. Finally, we come to the conclusion that on the one hand, the milk markets are specializing themselves focusing on a few links and diversifying into others. However, on the other hand, they show some room for maneuver to cooperatives from their local rules, but with strong influence of an external environment of competition and financial volatility coming to demand new forms of organization, production, consumption and market integration.

p. 1 - 99 / Submitted by Santiago Fabio (fabio.ssantiago@hotmail.com) on 2013-01-24T17:44:29Z No. of bitstreams: 1 444444.pdf: 240663 bytes, checksum: 7b1878a05805c7dffaf88fe8a4174b8f (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-01-24T17:44:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 444444.pdf: 240663 bytes, checksum: 7b1878a05805c7dffaf88fe8a4174b8f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Com as mudanças ocorridas no mercado econômico do Brasil e do Mundo, as empresas buscaram novas estratégias de gestão que garantissem a sua continuidade no mercado de forma competitiva. A terceirização surgiu como alternativa concreta ao atingimento dos intentos organizacionais. Ao descentralizar as atividades, os processos de terceirização procuraram obter redução dos custos, focalização na atividade fim e aumento de produtividade. Se inicialmente apenas as atividades de apoio foram terceirizadas, com o tempo esta prática foi se expandindo para diversas outras áreas, inclusive ligadas à atividade-fim da empresa, tal como a manutenção. Utilizando como instrumental teórico aspectos ligados a terceirização, as teorias de Economia dos Custos de Transação, isomorfismo organizacional e modismo gerencial, este trabalho analisa a terceirização das atividades de manutenção e os modelos de contratos existentes. Por se tratar de um estudo de caso, foi avaliado o processo de terceirização da Caraíba Metais, onde diversas atividades são terceirizadas, mas, em 2004, foi iniciado um processo de reintegração vertical de algumas destas atividades, o que apresenta um indício de insatisfação com a prática da terceirização nesta empresa. Como complementação, foi analisado, também, como ocorreu a implantação deste recuo da terceirização das atividades de manutenção, e comparado este processo com o utilizado na implantação da terceirização. O estudo da reintegração das atividades de manutenção industrial foi iniciado com a apresentação do papel da manutenção no processo produtivo e do impacto desta atividade nos custos de transação. O estudo empírico permitiu que se concluísse que o insucesso do processo de terceirização decorreu da falta de planejamento, da busca apenas pela redução imediata de custo, do alto custo da transação e da estrutura inadequada de contrato adotada pela empresa. O resultado obtido indica também que no recuo da terceirização, a busca por um retorno em curto prazo, pode estar induzindo a empresa a alguns erros semelhantes aos cometidos anteriormente. / Salvador