Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze and investigate how a company’s brand is strengthened by the sponsorship and in which way. We will also make a comparison between a main sponsor and smaller sponsors.Method: We have used a qualitative method, i.e. interviews. We interviewed a sponsor charge by the three sponsors, we have chosen and a representative from the Pink Ribbon Campaign.Results and Conclusion: A company’s brand is strengthened by the sponsorship depending on what conditions the companies have. This means the strength of cooperation between donors and sponsor takers have. The more a sponsor helps the more space it takes, thus strengthening the brand more. The degree of strength depends on how appropriate the brand is in the A-ERIC model.

This paper focuses on the extent of financial integration achieved in the GulfCooperation Community of nations, comprising of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman,Qatar and Saudi Arabia and UAE. The analysis is not limited to a mere look atopenness to capital flows. Five measures of financial integration are discussed andresorted to for making a comparison of the levels of financial integration achievedby the various members of the GCC region. It is seen that the rankings madeusing different tests of financial integration do not match always. Also, theprogress made towards regional financial integration is sometimes seen to be notcompatible with the level achieved in terms of global financial integration. By andlarge, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia emerge as the most financially integratedcountries in the region, with the banking hub bahrain clearly the most financiallyintegrated to global markets.

The economic mantra of the 1990s, taught by leading economists and institutions alike, was financialopenness and capital account convertibility. The echoes are now dying out after the East Asian crisis andthe popular approach prevailing is to go in for a kind of tempered financial liberalization where the floodports are thrown open only after the domestic economy has been put through the paces of internal financialreforms and judicial prudential regulations.The point being held aloft is that there are benefits, but also costs associated with financial globalization,and that the costs for the individual economy diminish if the ground is well-prepared prior to opening up.Put in other words, financial integration is beneficial, just as trade liberalization is, if the sequencing is right– and then it is not just a question of the sequencing of trade and financial reforms. The inference is thatfinancial integration does not mean merely opening up for capital in- and out-flows. Such a distinctionbetween financial ‘openness’ and ‘integration’ is strongly made in Le (2000). He argues, in the context ofthe crises of the 1990s that unstable capital market developments occur when there is a mismatch betweenfinancial openness and financial integration. A stable equilibrium can be re-attained if this gap is removed,which can be achieved in quite different ways. Thus, Malaysia tackled such a problem of financialimbalance by placing restraints on capital movements so that the degree of financial openness was cutdown towards the level of financial integration. On the other hand, Thailand and Korea took the harderalternative of undertaking reforms and increasing the level of financial integration to remove the imbalance.The foregoing discussion implies that a country may find itself at different positions on an internationalcomparison of the extent of financial liberalization depending on which of these two measures of financialliberalization is used. An estimate of financial openness can be obtained by looking at the growth in directinvestment and financial flows, and the changes in the regulations – and the barriers – associated with theseflows. A measure of financial integration is clearly a more involved one, requiring more information. Thispaper makes an attempt to develop and compare indices of financial openness and integration of some17 emerging or newly industrialized countries.It may be noted that even between countries with avowed intentions of a speedy process of financialliberalization, there are considerable differences in actual achievement in this regards. Verdier1 (1998)makes an enquiry into the characteristics of OECD countries which have embraced financial globalizationmost enthusiastically. Some of his results may seem counter-intuitive, but are rigorously derived, and itmay be of interest to see whether they are applicable to countries outside the OECD group.This study seeks to distinguish the factors determining the DEGREE of financial integration of countries.Variables representing the basic economic structure and chosen development paths, as well ascharacteristics often reflecting political choices or the influence of dominant pressure groups are tried out.Such a choice of a broad spectrum of variables is especially crucial in a study involving Asian countriesamong which inter-country differences reign far more than is the case within the OECD family.The scheme of the study is as follows: The section that follows makes a comparison of the indices offinancial openness and integration, highlighting the fact that the concepts are quite different. This section(II) also includes a brief, but fairly comprehensive survey of earlier work on tests of financial integration.The subsequent section (III) conducts tests for the factors that influence the EXTENT or degree of financialintegration, using a sample of 17 emerging economies, working with data for the 1990s. There is a finalsection which brings together the conclusions and suggestions for further research.

One of the key arguments advanced in support of entry into the EMU byhesitant countries is the expected increase in trade volumes. Previous work onmeasuring the impact of EMU membership on trade has usually captured theeffect using the Gravity Model of trade and dummies representingmembership status. Results obtained vary widely from a 5% trade effect toalmost 200% in the original contribution. This paper adopts a new approachby analyzing the effect on trade due to increased investment flows in the wakeof actual or expected membership. The final impacts on trade thus traced areclose to the estimates on the higher side in the previous studies. Thecoefficients for country and partner GDP product, FDI product andgeographical distance are all highly significant, and FDI inflows are seen tohave a strong impact, with an elasticity of 0.42, on bilateral trade.

The extent of financial integration within the European Union is a debated issue, and there is a presumption that some countries have made relatively less progress on this front. In this paper the countries in the union are ranked in terms of the degree of financial integration using various measures, including comprehensive Euler-type tests. A distinction is made between regional and global integration. It is seen that the core EU nations are integrated within the EU, but loosely globally, while the opposite holds true of the United Kingdom. Smaller, highly advanced economies such as Sweden are integrated well regionally as well as globally.

The relationship between asset prices and consumer price inflation has been inthe limelight again in the last decade. The reason has been the observedlinkages in the early 1990s between housing as well as stock market pricesand consumer prices in Japan and the U.K. Rapid asset price appreciation inthese countries was followed, with a lag, by consumer price inflation. Suchdevelopments have even sparked off debates about the need to replaceconventional consumer price measures with a broader definition whichincludes asset prices. It seems important, therefore, to ascertain whether assetprices influence consumer prices in general, for a broader spectrum ofcountries. We choose a sample including major industrial countries as well asemerging markets, and test for the significance of housing prices and shareprices in predicting inflation. Longer, higher frequency, time series data aswell as cross-section information are used to establish asset price – consumerprice links for the sample as a whole, and for particular individual countries.

Earlier work on the determination of long-run interest rates have not settled the issue ofwhether long run national interest rates respond more to domestic or internationalfactors. This subject has assumed renewed interest in the wake of European economicand financial integration, with attempts to measure the degree of short and long-runfinancial integration. In this study, using a sample of ten industrial nations and emergingmarket nations, a comprehensive analysis is done of the influence of home and globalfactors on long-run bond rates. The key determinants of national long-run bond yieldsturn out to be the national short-run money market rates and the U.S long-run bondrate. The government debt burden also has explanatory powers in the case of the majorcountries in the sample. There is no evidence of complete international financialintegration in the long-run bond markets.

The article discusses income convergence among developing countries and industrialized nations. It argues that incomes per capita within developing countries have not caught up to affluent countries. The impact of the income catch-up process in nations that are part of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) are also analyzed. The article also reports on a research study that concluded that there was no evidence of income convergence among countries in the OECD.

An expected relative PPP model, augmented by elements of a monetary model and byexternal influences, is used to track the path of the Euro-Dollar rate since the inception ofthe European currency. A similar model is also applied to the estimation of the Rupee –Dollar exchange rate. Expected inflation rates, based on a specified formation process,are, indeed, seen to be significant determinants of the Euro exchange rate. While moneysupplies are not significant, interest rate differentials do matter; higher real Euro areainterest rates appreciate the Euro. US government budget deficits appreciate the Dollarwith a lag, presumably due to financing capital inflows, but current account deficits donot have a perceptible influence in the period of the study. Oil price increases and higherinternational reserve holdings in major Asian markets, which may be skewed towards thedollar, also have no discernible impact on the Euro-Dollar rate. For the rupee – dollarrate, interest rate differentials and inflation differentials work well as predictors. Higherinterest rates relative to the global rates appreciate the rupee, i.e., the rupee – dollar ratefalls. Higher expected inflation in India depreciates the rupee. Current account surplusesare seen to appreciate the rupee, but investment inflows function poorly as a predictor. Arandom walk model may work as well as a formal monetary – PPP model in forecastingthe rupee exchange rate.

This paper analyzes the roles played by the three dominant credit rating agencies - Standard& Poor´s, Moody´s and Fitch Ratings in contributing to - and aggravating - the subprimecrisis. Criticisms levelled against these agencies, the facilitating role played by the regulatingagencies, the insider stories from these agencies that conflict with the vigorous defence putup by the leadership of these agencies in trying to clear the good names of their firms, are allput under the microscope. Finally, reforms and changes are suggested in the functioning andregulation of these much-harangued credit agencies.

In this paper, an attempt is made to evaluate the prospects of the Euro challengingthe current dominant position of the dollar as the world’s leading currency. Thisis done by identifying the factors which lie behind central bank decisions to holdreserves of major currencies. Thus, the determinants of central bank reserveholdings are analyzed for pre-Euro and post-Euro periods. It is expected thatdevelopments in major Asian countries will possess greater clout in determiningcurrency relationships in the future. So, the relative world shares of trade andincome of Asia, along with other real economic as well as financial variables andoil market developments are used in the estimation process. Different simulationsare undertaken to trace possible future scenarios for the euro and the dollar. Thesimulations indicate that a rise in emerging Asian market share of world outputwill work towards preserving dollar dominance.

It may seem now as if prophesies for a displacement of the dollar from its position ofpre-eminence in the global economy were premature. However, the last word is not saidyet on the rise of the euro In this paper, a fresh look is taken at the prospects for theeuro emerging as the main vehicle and reserve currency in the world, looking inparticular at the role of European financial markets and developments in the emergingmarkets of Asia. Output growth in the euro area and in the United States will have adecisive impact as well. The paper highlights the role of some key factors, not reallytaken up in related discussions thus far, which can influence the long-run globalinfluence of the euro area economy relative to the U.S. Alternate energy source usescenarios and continued trade and financial integration in the euro area as well as inAsia are pointed out as having crucial impacts on the global role of the euro in thefuture.

Some well-known two-sector models of industrial countries exhibit acrowding out effect or relationship between the main sectors of theeconomy. This is true of the Small Open Economy, traded-non-tradedgood model without nominal wage rigidity, and for the model of the DutchDisease. In contrast, important models of semi-industrialized countries, oreven emerging markets, such as the Bose Model, portray a complimentaryrelation between the various sectors. This paper discusses a possiblesynthesis between these differing model specifications, and tests theapplicability of these models for a large sample of industrial countries,emerging markets and developing economies by analyzing the interlinkagesin their sector growth patterns.

I den skriftliga rapporten ska utvärderarna inledningsvis ge en bakgrund till visionsdokumentets roll och betydelse för den regionala kulturpolitiken samt sätta dokumentet i relation till likartade dokument i ett nationellt perspektiv. Utvärderarna ska även i ett avslutande kapitel eller avsnitt ge rekommendationer och riktlinjer inför Kulturnämndens fortsatta arbete med en ny regional kulturvision.

• Har Kulturvisionen inspirerat till ett större engagemang för kultur blandmedborgarna?
• Har Kulturvisionens mål uppnåtts och/eller har målvärdena i ökad grad realiserats ikulturlivet?
• Har Kulturvisionens tankesätt, värderingar, policyprinciper och mål slagit igenom - blivit bekanta och omfattade hos beslutsfattare/handläggare/utförare/brukare/medborgare
• Har Kulturvisionen kommit till användning i policyprocessen?
• Har Kulturvisionen bidragit till att utveckla policyområdet?

The literature in the field of innovation lacks clear definitions of how to classify different types of innovations and how they are operationalized and measured. This can create problems when innovation policies are developed.

Recent responses to the Swedish paradox (Granberg and Jacobsson, 2006; McKelvey et al. 2007) – where investments in knowledge and R&D not in a corresponding manner contributes to innovations and economic growth – states that measurement problems may be the answer to the existence of this paradox. Innovations are often measured by number of patents, patent citations and R&D expenditures.

In this paper we primarily focus on the number of patent applications as proxy for innovation to provide better information for decision making and research.

The study consists of two empirical parts. One focusing on data covering the Swedish security industry and data on patents applications. The other part is a qualitative study where managers are interviewed about innovativeness within their company. This allows us to find innovations that are not showing in the patent data.

Our study showed that major innovations were often introduced from other industries – implemented by large dominating companies – and they were seldom patented. Our quantitative data indicates a lower level of innovation that arguably could be assumed to be the case judging from our qualitative data which includes a number of unpatented innovations. Notwithstanding considerable measurement problems, it seems that the Swedish security industry is characterised by high growth in terms of number of firms but a relatively modest amount of patented innovations. Major innovations have rather come from other industries, or have not been patented and therefore they are not captured in statistics when using patent as a proxy for innovation. This study provides empirics from the Swedish security industry that indicates these claims.

With this paper we want to provide a basis for discussion about the use of patent statistics as an indicator of innovation. We also suggest that the usage of patents as a proxy for innovations need to be further discussed and elaborated.

This book introduces the reader to the ‘world of finance’, more exactly to one core activity: investment banking. Analysing the practices of four expert groups – traders, analysts, brokers and bankers – it reveals how their contrasting perspectives on shares are put to use and the consequences this has for investment banks, corporations, investors and the stock markets.

This book has been inspired by a desire to illustrate issues that have been overshadowed by the dynamics of the new economy and global enterprise. The shortcomings of nation states on the global arena have increased the need for an institutional framework for the world economy. The different chapters illustrate the range of the issues that need to be addressed in the new debate on globalisation.

Purpose – This article aims to consider the usefulness of network theory in examining the marketing of high-technology products and services.

Design/methodology/approach – High-tech companies are analysed in light of a network approach to marketing.

Findings – The research finds that building marketing relationships can improve the viability of high-tech companies.

Originality/value – The article contributes to the development of theory that can enhance the marketing of high-technology products and services.

The East German transition to Market Economy became a selection process for former DDR companies. Most companies did not survive the transition to the market economy. However, some have survived and are able to compete in the market economy after the transition. Studying these companies renders evidence of what is approved by customers in the competitive markets in the global economy. The research into the survival of East German companies provides and insight into companies facing competition in a market economy, and suggests how market forces influences the functioning of enterprises. Six hypotheses have been developed to account for essential reasons why some East German companies have survived, and why and how they are capable of marketing products and services in the competitive market economy.  The transition to market economy has had many consequences to East German companies. The productivity of the former DDR was substantially lower than that of the West. At the time of the reunification, the companies of Eastern Germany were not competitive, due to high production cost. West German wage levels and working conditions, and the West German institutional model called Model Germany, was transferred to Eastern Germany at the time of reunification (Wiesenthal 2003).

Skuldsättningsgraden ökar värdet på ett företags aktier genom skatteskölden, samtidigt som den ökar sannolikheten för finansiella problem och dess kostnader. För att uppnå en optimal kapitalstruktur måste skatteskölden balanseras mot de potentiella kostnaderna för finansiella problem. Det finns ingen matematiskt formel som förklarar hur denna optimering bör ske, det finns dock fyra viktiga faktorer som ledningen på ett företag bör ta hänsyn till när de bestämmer skuldsättningsgraden –företagets lönsamhet, storlek, tillgångsstruktur och affärsrisk.

Syftet med denna studie är att testa vilka oberoende variabler som påverkar skuldsättningsgraden hos de största svenska börsnoterade företagen och genom detta kunna dra slutsatser om huruvida de tillämpar en optimal kapitalstruktur enligt Trade off teorin.

Korrelation-samt den multipla regressionsanalysen visar att det inte finns något samband mellan skuldsättningsgraden och de oberoende variablerna. Vi kan därmed dra slutsatsen att företagen i populationen inte har en optimal kapitalstruktur.

Rapporten belyser den omvandling som pågår i vård- och omsorgs-branschen samt visar exempel på nytänkande och innovationer som uppstått i de företag som levererar tjänster på vård och omsorgsområdet till följd av konkurrensutsättningen.