Forecasting stock market returns is an interesting topic since more and more Swedes enter and invest in this market. Theory implies, however, that such exercises should be impossible. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the possibility to forecast future stock returns by looking at macroeconomic variables? history. The study is limited to the Swedish market as it is based on the OMXS30-index which represents the 30 most exchanged stocks on Stockholms¬börsen, the Swedish stock exchange.

The use of marketing research panels are a more and more frequently used source of information for studies within many different branches. The purpose of this report is to investigate the demographic composition of panels and compare it with the population of Sweden, a possible change in behaviour of respondents, and if the source of recruitment is the cause of possible differences in study results. The study was commissioned by Norstats Linkoping office. Sources for the data material include Norstat?s recruitment process and their two main panels with different recruitment sources.

The purpose of this study is to investigate a loyalty card and its relation to accompanying promotional benefits, and their linkages to grocery retail service loyalty. Also, the aim sets out to find relationships between demographic variables and proneness towards the promotional benefits, the loyalty card, and loyalty. A quantitative approach has been assumed and empirical data has been collected through the use of questionnaires. The data has been analyzed through descriptive statistics, correlations, and regression analysis. An operationalization used to measure satisfaction of the loyalty card and attitudinal loyalty is also presented.

This bachelor thesis addresses the problem of appeals against house building in Gothenburg. The thesis investigates whether there is a statistically significant relationship between demographic factors and the occurrence of approved, appealed and revoked permits for new construction of residential buildings in the ten districts of Gothenburg. This is done with a correlation analysis. The report also investigates whether there is a statistically significant regression in the same demographic factors and how these individually affect the average processing time for appeals in the districts. This study is done with a multiple regression analysis.

Under det gångna århundradet ökade den förväntade livslängden avsevärt såväl i Sverige som i övriga världen. 1900-talets förbättrade livslängd drevs inledningsvis av en minskad barnadödlighet medan de senare årtiondena kännetecknades av minskad dödlighet i höga åldrar.En åldrande befolkning innebär ökade krav på sjukvård, äldreomsorg och inte minst pensionssystem. Pålitliga prognoser för vår framtida livslängd behövs för att beräkna de resurser som nämnda verksamheter kommer att ta i anspråk och utgör förutsättningen för en rättvis prissättning av försäkringsprodukter med levnadsrisk.Lee-Carter-modellen är en av vår tids tongivande modeller för mortalitetsprognostisering. Modellen används här för att göra livslängdsprognoser utifrån svenska mortalitetsdata; prognoserna jämförs sedan med observerade utfall.Mot bakgrund av resultatet diskuteras levnadsrisk med fokus på pensioner.Inte oväntat presterar prognoserna ingen felfri bild av verkligheten och prognosfelet varierar i storlek mellan skattningarna; att använda dem som underlag för pensionsberäkningar hade i förlängningen varit ohållbart. Exemplet illustrerar på samma gång vår osäkerhet inför framtidens livslängdsutveckling och svårigheten i att prognostisera den..

To effectively manage a forest resource for both economic and other values good planning is required. The problem is complex since you want to know which forest to cut and when. Often a hierarchical planning structure is applied, including strategic (long-term), tactical, (medium-term) and operational level. Today SCA Forest is one of few forestry companies in the northern Sweden with an integrated forest wood supply and industry. The goals of the company are to supply their own industries with wood and to manage the resources of the forest through a long-term perspective with satisfactory profitability.

We have by Statistics Sweden (SCB) been given the task of using different dynamic regression models in order to forecast service price index for sea transport. The aim is to see whether these models provide better forecasts than those previously used. This essay aim to identify, estimate and evaluate the selected prediction models. Through our data material we were given access to 28 sightings of sea transport index during the period of 2004 q1 to 2010 q4. We have chosen to evaluate three different transfer function models, one ARIMA model and one naive forecasting model. The input variables we decided to test in our transfer function models were the price of petroleum products, the port activity in Swedish ports and the lending rate of Swedish Central bank. The results of our study suggest that transfer function models generally provide better models than the ARIMA model and the naive forecast model.

Since the brain is an important prerequisite for human language there is a great interest to gain more knowledge about healthy brain activity during language mediated communication. This study examines variations in high level language ability relating to demographic factors like gender and age and relates language ability to neural activity.Eighteen individuals in ages between 22 and 64 were included and divided into groups in relation to gender and age. The material used to assess language ability was derived from Testbatteri för Bedömning av Subtila Språkstörningar (Laakso, Brunnegård, Hartelius & Ahlsén, 2000), Swedish Lexical Decision Test (Almkvist, Adveen, Henning & Tallberg, 2007) and a reading test (Högskoleprovet). The results were correlated with measured brain activity using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and language paradigms. ANOVA was applied to discover possible demographic variances in language ability as well as in brain activity.The results showed no significant differences in language ability.

We travel more to day than we have ever done before and there is an abundance of destinations to choose from. All -destinations have vantages and disadvantages and the things that are favourable for one traveller can be the opposite for another. So the questions are, why do we have different opinions about the same destination and what is it that makes us choose one destination before another?The purpose with this thesis is to investigate if the demographic factor age has an influence on the Swedish traveller?s opinion about winter destinations. The thesis also investigates if there is a link between the traveller?s demography and their opinion of a destination.

The purpose of this study is to examine whether personality traits, self-esteem, performance-based self-esteem and demographic data relate to, and can explain the variation in psychological ill-health among students at Lund University. A questionnaire was distributed to students attending the Psychology program, Bio-technology program, Theologian program and Law program. There were 247 respondents to the questionnaire, mainly attending their second or third semester. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Rosenberg's Self- Esteem scale, Hallstens scale measuring performance-based self-esteem, questions relating to demographic data and a short version of the personality inventory scale Big Five were included in the questionnaire. Positive correlations were found between psychological ill-health and the variables neuroticism and performance-based self-esteem.

Time Perspective is related to mental and physical health. This study examines the relationship between Time Perspective and perceived stress where Time Perspective was expected to predict the level of perceived stress. Past-negative, Future-negative, Future-positive and present-fatalistic were expected to be positively associated with perceived stress while Past-positive and present-hedonistic were expected to be negatively associated. Measures from the self-assessment forms S-ZTPI, PSQ-recent and CES-D from 445 participants (242 women, 203 men) between 60-90 years were used to examine the hypothesis of the study. Two hierarchical multiple regression analysis confirmed that Time Perspective is associated with perceived stress and in part 2 explains it's variance, one when adjusting for demographic data (.R = .37) and the 2 other when adjusting for demographic data and depressive symptoms (.R = .13).

This study investigated relationships between high level language functions and phonological working memory in adults by correlating results oftests in a test battery used for investigating subtle language disorders and digit span task results. Results of two digit span tasks were analyzed in relation to demographic factors. 103 subjects without neurological disease, 20 ? 79 years old, participated. Significant correlations were found between the digit span tasks and most of the tests.

Suicide research has a long tradition within sociology. Parallel to the Durkheimian tradition, seeking the causes of suicide in societal factors, a more cultural understanding of suicide has been emphasized. Attitudes to suicide have been stressed as important for the understanding of suicide mortality levels in different societies. For Russia, where suicide mortality levels are among the highest in the world, an understanding of this kind might be of particular importance.Based on a survey study from Moscow 2004, attitudes to suicide were studied in relation to social, economic and demographic factors as well as to attitudes to other morally disputable behaviors. Suicide attitudes in different age and sex groups in the sample were further compared to suicide mortality levels in the corresponding groups in the population.

Background: An evaluation of analysts´ forecasting ability is interesting since their estimates constitute an important part in stock valuation and investment decisions. The recent years´ development in the stock market has lead to criticism of analysts? deficient forecasts. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate analysts´ forecasting ability concerning companies quoted at Stockholmsbörsen between 1987 and 2002. We also intend to discuss possible explanations for analysts? behavior in case of deficient accuracy.

The purpose of this masters thesis is to evaluate bookmobile service as a decentralised library service. I have made a qualitative interview survey, with seven Swedish municipalities participating, all providing bookmobile service in their rural parts. The purpose with the interviews is to examine their bookmobile service. I have also studied articles on bookmobile service, and decentralisation through small library units in library journals, to get an insight into how the work with decentralised library service is done in Swedish municipalities. In this thesis answer is sought to the following questions: - Which decentralised library services are suitable for inhabitants and institutions in sparsely populated areas, considering factors such as number of inhabitants, proportion of old people and children, demographic changes, economy, possibilities to cooperate with other municipalities? - What is the current bookmobile service situation in Sweden, taking seven municipalities in the region of Småland as a starting point? My conclusions are that each municipality must decide which decentralised library services that best suites their needs.