Abstract  Title: High-Risk Funds vs. Mutual- Index FundsA study of macro -variables influence on different funds choice Level: Final assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business Administration Author: Moses Yokie & Bo Lemar Supervisor: Ogi Chun & Cheick Wagué Date: 2011-05-25 Aim: The purpose with this thesis is to compare two different types of mutual-index fond and a high-risk fund in relation to the macro variables. The purpose also includes an investigation about if an investor will receives a higher return on high-risk fund than on mutual-index fund in a 10 years period.Method: A quantitative method has been use in this study, where the information has been received from Morningstar. Microsoft Excel has been used to process the collected data in order to calculate the expected return and the risk measures. The result is presented in graphs and tables on the empirical capital, in order to analyse and compare it with the theories and the selected macro- variables to see if there will be any correlation. Conclusion: This research shows that there is no possibility that the macro-variable factors can benefit an investment on high-risk fund or on mutual-index fund in the short run.

The purpose of this bachelor-thesis is to investigate the possible effects of lease accounting on the estimation of bankruptcy. This is done by estimating the risk via prediction models based on accounting ratios for a sample of 43 listed firms in Sweden. Estimation is conducted twice for each firm, once base on unadjusted data as it is presented in the annual report of 2012, and one with data adjusted for operational leases (that is data is treated as if all leases present were to have been reported as financial leases). In the next step it is tested weather the predictive ability of the models is affected by this adjustment or not. For this purpose translation of bankruptcy risk into synthetic credit ratings via interest coverage ratios is done.

Background: Investors use companies? credit ratings as a base in their buy and sell decisions. Companies? credit ratings are also used as indicators of safety in the legislation. This means that credit rating agencies have an important role in the society because they communicate the company?s credit rating to investors and other actors in the society.

The purpose of this study is to examine what motivates people to help others at risk to themselves. The focus is on international aid workers, which in their work put themselves in situations of risk. Earlier research shows that international aid work involves risks such as infectious diseases, violence, death threats, assaults, constant insecurity and risk to be traumatized etc. There is not much research done on what motivates to help others in spite of risks, hence we find this an interesting area. We have interviewed six respondents about the content and character of their motivation and factors that are important for the maintenance and development of this motivation.

Suicide is the ultimate outcome of mental illness and is a big and serious problem in society. About 1500 persons commit every year suicide in Sweden and many more engage in suicidal behaviour. This review aims at, from research studies from the 21th century, find out the knowledge of riskfactors regarding the risk for committing suicide among adolescents. The research questions are: What does research say, from a psychobiological perspective, about riskfactors among adolescents regarding the risk for suicidal behaviour? How much does genetic factors have an effect on the risk for suicidal behaviour among adolescents? and : What is the importance of environmental factors such as family connections, friends and school environment concerning suicidal thoughts among adolescents?The method that is used in order to answer these questions is a researchreview including ten research-studies.

Syfte: Syftet med denna undersökning är att jämföra aktiefonders avkastning i  relation till tagen risk för tillväxtmarknaderna Afrika, Ryssland och en mer mogen marknad i detta fall Sverige åren 2008-2011.Metod: Till detta arbete används kvantitativ metod med deduktiv ansats. Information har samlats in i form av sekundärdata såsom fondernas kvartal avkastning från Morningstar.Teori: Standardavvikelse, Sharpekvot och Modigliani-Modigliani måttet används för utvärdering.Slutsats: Studien visar att den Svenska mogna marknadens aktiefonder har högst avkastning och lägst risk. Medan fonder med placering i den mer etablerade tillväxtmarknaden Ryssland har högst risk men varken högst eller lägst avkastning i förhållande till Afrika- och Sverigefonderna. Fonderna som investerar i den nyetablerade tillväxtmarknaden Afrika har låg risk likt Sverigefonderna men även låg avkastning. Samtliga fonder utom en hade negativt värde på Sharpekvot.

Att göra bedömningar av risk för våld hos frihetsberövade personer på fängelser och i olika former av tvångsvård är en viktig del av arbetet med att reducera antalet våldsincidenter, vilket är till nytta både för frihetsberövade personer och för personalens arbetsmiljö. Syftet med denna studie är att göra en kunskapsöversikt över vad forskningen säger om att bedöma risk för våld hos frihetsberövade personer, beskriva aktuell forskning om riskbedömningar, hur strukturerade instrument för riskbedömningar definierar våld, vilka teoretiska utgångspunkter till uppkomst av våld som används och i vilken utsträckning riskbedömningsinstrument tar hänsyn till interaktion mellan personal och frihetsberövade personer.Studien genomförs igenom en litteraturstudie med en innehållsanalys av forskning på området utifrån frågeställningarna i syftet. Sökorden är ?inmate?, ?inpatient?, ?violence?, ?risk?, ?assessment?, ?juvenile? och ?youth?.Reslutatet av studien visar att det finns ett flertal instrument som som forskningen visar har god validitet och även inter-bedömarreliabilitet för att bedöma risk för våld, nämligen Brøset Violence Checklist (BVC), Historical-Clinical-Risk management-20(HCR-20), Dynamic Appraisal of Situational Agression (DASA) och Structured Assessment of Violencerisk in Youth(SAVRY). Utöver detta finns även några bedömningsinstrument som använder enbart statiska variabler för att bedöma risk för våld hos frihetsberövade, även kallade aktuariska modeller.

Intention: The purpose of this thesis is to see if an active investment decision in the Swedish Premium Pension System would result in a higher return than a non-active investment decision. A non-active investment decision is equivalent to leaving the money in AP7 Premium Savings Fund.Method: This thesis is a statistical analysis and has a descriptive character in which the calculations are based on secondary data, thus the thesis has a quantitative character. Furthermore three active portfolios in different risk categories have been chosen. These portfolios are compared with the AP7 Premium Savings Fund?s returns.

This paper describes a study examining four different GARCH models AR(1)-GARCH(1,1), AR(1)-EGARCH(1,1), AR(1)-APGARCH(1,1) and AR(1)-GJR-GARCH(1,1), and their ability to predict future volatility and thereby providing more reliable estimates for Value-at-Risk. The study is based on daily observations for the return of the OMX Stockholm 30 Index, during the time period 31st December 1996 to 29th December 2006. The coefficients for these GARCH models have been estimated using a five-year rolling estimation window, with one-year lags, for five different in-sample-periods. These five in-sample-periods, and the coefficients given by them, have been used to generate five out-of-sample predictions for the volatility in each year. Using these volatility predictions, the daily Value-at-Risk has been calculated for confidence intervals of 90 percent, 95 percent, and 99 percent, respectively, during the time period between 1st January 2001 and 29th December 2006.

Vårt syfte är att ta reda på mer om vad som påverkar fonders avkastning och om detta skiljer sig åt i ekonomisk uppgångs- respektive nedgångsperiod. För att uppfylla vårt syfte har vi använt oss av regressionsanalyser med avkastning som beroendevariabel och variablerna: standardavvikelse, beta, storlek, TKA och omsättningshastighet som förklarande variabler. Vi har använt portföljvalsteori med dess ingående variabler avkastning och risk. Även begrepp som CAPM och beta gås igenom. Detta följs av det aktuella forskningsläget inom ämnet.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the perception of value and risk in CSR as well as analyzing how financial institutions influence responsible behavior in business in order to create sustainable economic growth.Methodology: The study has a qualitative research method used by an abductive process. Data has been collected through semi-structured interviews with respondents from three venture capital companies and three banks. The sample of respondents was done through a convenience sample with respect to access and expertise in the research area.Conclusion: The most important meanings of the research results have shown that CSR holds an intrinsic value concerning contributing value as its conceptual meaning in terms of sustainable development. CSR can also be regarded as a dimension of risk management to reduce the risk of negative externalities on corporate activities. Investors and financiers contribute to sustainable companies through active ownership and improvements in the CSR dimensions.

Syftet med studien är att beskriva och försöka förstå hur en eventuell förändring av identitet/självuppfattning hos personer med hörselskada, som har haft det talade språket som förstaspråk men i vuxen ålder kommer i kontakt med teckenspråket och interagerar med dövkulturen. De karaktäristiska kategorierna som används för att skapa en spridning i närmandet av en beskrivning och förståelse kring mötet med dövkulturen är, kön, ålder och cochlea implantat. Detta för att motsvara den spridning som råder inom den heterogena gruppen hörselskadade. Frågeställningarna som används är: Har kön, ålder och cochlea implantat betydelse för en eventuell förändring kring hur personer med hörselskada samspelar före, under och efter mötet med dövkulturen? och Hur har dessa eventuella förändringar påverkat individens sätt att betrakta sig själv?Resultatet visar att informanterna beskriver hur deras identitet och självuppfattning har förändrats i en positiv riktning under och efter mötet med dövkulturen. Innan mötet med dövkulturen har informanterna betraktat sig som hörande och mötet med dövkulturen har medfört en insikt av hörselskadans konsekvenser.

Surveys show that consumers tend to avoid traditional marketing channels, leading the practitioners to use earned media channels through public relations (PR). This has also led to the use of covert PR. To understand the use of this communications method, the purpose of this thesis is to study campaigns, which have gained transmission in social media, by investigating how practitioners of three different campaigns motivate the choice to use covert PR.The study is based on a hermeneutic methodology and has an abductive approach. It is carried out by semi-structured elite interviews with six contributors of three different campaigns, using covert PR. The primary data consists of the empery of the interviews, while the secondary data consists of a theoretical framework of excellence in public relations, the PR practice and viral messages.The result of the study indicates the point of view that covert PR has given the campaigns a wider reach.

Background: 2009 it has occurred a crisis in some of the member states of the European Union: Spain, Portugal, Italy, Ireland and Greece. Despite, some major banks in the world had begun to recover from the financial crisis that occurred from 2007 until 2009, there were still banks who found it difficult to survive. Greece is one of the countries that suffered from the financial crisis. The high budget deficit and the unsustainable debt are underlying the crisis.Banks as financial intermediaries have important function in a nation?s economy.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine whether hedge funds generate higher risk-adjusted returns than traditional managed funds in Sweden.Methodology: This study was based on quantitative data about the funds historical returns. The funds historical returns were taken from the database Morningstar and the risk-free rate from the Swedish central bank. Random samples of 36 funds have been divided into three portfolios in the form of a hedge fund portfolio, stock portfolio and mix fund portfolio.Result & Conclusion: The study concluded that the stock portfolio has shown the highest average yield for the study period where all portfolios below market index. Hedge fund portfolio has achieved the highest risk-adjusted return calculated by the portfolios Sharpe Ratio. Of all hedge strategies, arbitrage had the highest average return and risk-adjusted returns..