Some economic benefits of a synchronous earth observatory satellite

An analysis was made of the economic benefits which might be derived from reduced forecasting errors made possible by data obtained from a synchronous satellite system which can collect earth observation and meteorological data continuously and on demand. User costs directly associated with achieving benefits are included. In the analysis, benefits were evaluated which might be obtained as a result of improved thunderstorm forecasting, frost warning, and grain harvest forecasting capabilities. The anticipated system capabilities were used to arrive at realistic estimates of system performance on which to base the benefit analysis. Emphasis was placed on the benefits which result from system forecasting accuracies. Benefits from improved thunderstorm forecasts are indicated for the construction, air transportation, and agricultural industries. The effects of improved frost warning capability on the citrus crop are determined. The benefits from improved grain forecasting capability are evaluated in terms of both U.S. benefits resulting from domestic grain distribution and U.S. benefits from international grain distribution

Cities, the social economy and inclusive growth: a practice review

The social economy constitutes a range of organisations that have a core social mission, different levels of participative and democratic control by members, and use financial surpluses or profits primarily to achieve their social missions. This research examined the actual and potential roles of the social economy in bringing about inclusive growth that generates more and better jobs in UK cities, particularly for people who are either in or at risk of poverty

The impact of fiscal support on earnings management : evidence from equity offerings in China

It is well documented in existing literature that firms manipulate earnings before IPOs (initial public offerings) and SEOs (seasoned equity offerings). This study contributes to prior research by being the first to examine whether fiscal support from local governments has impact on the earnings management behavior of Chinese listed firms. Using data from firms that conduct IPOs and SEOs from 1997 to 2006, I find that firms are less likely to manipulate earnings prior to the offerings if they enjoy more income tax savings attributed to the preferential tax favor or more financial subsidy from the local governments. The findings of the study have important policy implications. Noticeably, the new Enterprise Income Tax Law effective from 1 January, 2008 abrogates the original tax system that allows various preferential tax rates for firms of different properties and stipulates a 25% enterprise income tax rate for all firms in China. Given the abolishment of the preferential tax favor, local governments lose a potent avenue of lending fiscal support to the listed firms. To this end, based on the findings in this study, I expect that the opportunistic earnings management by listed firms will probably be aggravated after the new income tax law is duly enforced

A study to define meteorological uses and performance requirements for the Synchronous Earth Observatory Satellite

The potential meteorological uses of the Synchronous Earth Observatory Satellite (SEOS) were studied for detecting and predicting hazards to life, property, or the quality of the environment. Mesoscale meteorological phenonmena, and the observations requirements for SEOS are discussed along with the sensor parameters

Väikeste ja keskmise suurusega eraettevõtete valitsemine ja tulemuslikkus

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsiooneEttevõtete valitsemine käsitleb ettevõtte omanike, nõukogu ja juhatuse vahelisi suhteid: rollide, võimu ja vastutusalade jaotust. Vastav rolli- ja võimujaotus mõjutab ettevõtte tipptasemel tehtavaid otsuseid ning seeläbi tulemuslikkust. Varasemad ettevõtete valitsemise uuringud on keskendunud peamiselt suurtele börsiettevõtetele. Väikese ja keskmise suurusega eraettevõtete kontekst pole saanud piisavalt tähelepanu, kuigi enamus ettevõtteid globaalselt on just väikesed eraettevõtted ning suurte börsiettevõtete kohta tehtud järeldused ei ole nende puhul tihti asjakohased. Doktoritöö keskendub just väikeste eraettevõtete valitsemisele. Doktoritöö tugineb kolmel empiirilisel uurimusel. Esimene uurimus esitleb praktilist ettevõtte valitsemise mudelit, mida kasutavad professionaalsed eraettevõtete omanikud (erakapitalifondi näitel). Uurimus näitab, milliseid probleeme ja kuidas selle valitsemise mudeliga lahendatakse. Teine uurimus analüüsib seoseid erinevate ettevõtte juhatuse karakteristikute ja ettevõtte finantstulemuslikkuse vahel ning kolmas uurimus keskendub seostele juhatuse koosseisus tehtavate muudatuste ning ettevõttes toimuvate strateegiliste muutuste vahel. Doktoritöö annab panuse nii teoreetilisse kirjandusse kui ka praktikutele: väikeste eraettevõtete omanikele, nõukogu ja juhatuse liikmetele. Üldistatult öeldes analüüsib doktoritöö väikeste ja keskmise suurusega eraettevõtete tulemuslikkuse tõstmise võimalusi tõhusama ettevõtte valitsemise abil. Näiteks, kuidas saavad panustada omanikud isegi juhul, kui nad ei osale ettevõtte igapäevases juhtimises, või kuidas rakendada nõukogu ettevõtte tulemuslikkuse tõstmisse laiemalt kui pelgalt seaduses ettenähtud kontrollorgani rollis.Corporate governance deals with allocation of roles, responsibilities and authority among firms’ owners, supervisory and management boards. Such division of power and roles at the top of the firm influences the key decisions and consequently the performance of the firm. While corporate governance of large public firms has been researched extensively, the study of corporate governance of private small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) is relatively fragmented, despite the fact that majority of firms globally are private SMEs and the findings from the large public firm context are often not applicable for them. This thesis, however, focuses specifically on the latter context. The thesis is based on three original empirical articles. The first article presents a specific design for corporate governance used by professional private SME owners (a private equity fund). The study discusses which problems and how are addressed with that corporate governance design. The second article analyses links between various management board characteristics and the financial performance of private SMEs while the third article discusses links between changes in the management board and subsequent strategic changes of firms. The thesis concludes with several contributions to theory as well as practical implications for private SME owners, supervisory and management boards. On general level, the thesis discusses opportunities for enhancing private SME performance by improving corporate governance designs. For example, how could owners contribute to the firm performance, even if they are not participating in the daily management of the firm, or how to engage the supervisory board in performance improvement in their various roles beyond the control function required by the law.https://www.ester.ee/record=b542627

Earth resources applications of the Synchronous Earth Observatory Satellite (SEOS)

The results are presented of a four month study to define earth resource applications which are uniquely suited to data collection by a geosynchronous satellite. While such a satellite could also perform many of the functions of ERTS, or its low orbiting successors, those applications were considered in those situations where requirements for timely observation limit the capability of ERTS or EOS. Thus, the application presented could be used to justify a SEOS