Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Total economic value (TEV)'

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Economics from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics<br>This paper estimates the total economic value for the Portuguese pine and eucalyptus forest ecosystems considering market services (timber and non timber forest products) and non-market services (recreation, landscape, carbon sequestration, watershed protection, protection of soil erosion and biodiversity). According to the results obtained, at least half of the values of the ecosystems in study come from non-market services, and eucalyptus forests are more valuable than pine forests, even after including fire risks. Moreover, the results also suggest a non-optimal management of Portuguese pine forests.

Forests are critically important ecosystems in relation to the multitude of services they provide. Some of these services (e.g. timber and some non-timber forest products, NTFPs) are traded in markets and generate direct income to forest owners/managers, while others (e.g. watershed protection, soil creation, biodiversity conservation) have limited or no access at all to markets. In economic terms these services have a public good nature (externalities) and economists normally referred to them as ‘market failures’. The failure in assigning proper values to forest services may result in the degradation of the ecosystems or the abandon of management activities. The ultimate consequence may be a consistent loose of public values. Within the international forest context, the above-described dynamics clearly characterize forest resources and landscapes in the Mediterranean basin. Such resources stretch over twenty-one countries, covering a total area of about 74 Million hectares (Mha), i.e. 9.5% of the whole land area in the region. Differences between North and South-East Mediterranean countries can be found in terms of forest types and cover, growing stocks, and institutional and socio-economic aspects, including land ownership and forest governance. Forests in the two macro-areas also show different trends: while in the North they are expanding due to the abandon of marginal areas and agriculture practices, in the South-East human pressure in terms of direct consumption of forest goods is still very high. In both cases some risk for depletion and degradation exists, with worsening perspectives in connection to emerging threats represented by climate change and demographic dynamics. A first valuation of the Total Economic Value (TEV) of Mediterranean forests has been performed by Merlo and Croitoru in 2005. Although this study can still be considered as the most complete study trying to evaluate TEV for Mediterranean forests, some new elements came out since it was published. The present study analyses new challenges for non-conventional markets for Mediterranean forest resources. The research includes: (i) an analysis of markets for both wood (industrial timber and energy wood) and non-timber forest products (NTFPs), as well as for a selection of ecosystem services, with focus on Carbon sink capacity and grazing; (ii) an analysis of relevant forest governance tools within the Mediterranean region, including (a) conventional funding opportunities for Mediterranean forest resources at both national and international scale, (b) the implementation of Payment for Environmental Services (PES) mechanisms as new tools for financing and enhancing Mediterranean forests, and (c) the adoption of other voluntary instruments within Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) approaches. Value estimations for selected products and services at regional level brought to a total estimation ranging between €12,508.6 Million (M) and €13,155M. Wood products prevail on other products, representing more than 80% of the total value. Within wood products, timber is the most relevant component, equivalent to about 62% of the total value estimated for selected products/services and about 76% of the total value for wood products only. The total estimated value for grazing is 11% of the total value for provisioning services, i.e. almost twice the estimated value for NTFPs. It shall be noticed, however, that figures for NTFPs are likely to be underestimated because data are available only for some products and ten countries. Indeed, when using alternative estimation methodologies - as tested for pine nuts, pine resin and cork - the estimated value could show a €36.8-572.4M increase, depending on different scenarios. In geographical terms, the economic value of Mediterranean forests is highly concentrated: 65% of this value depends on North-West Mediterranean countries, and nearly 90% of the total value is concentrated in five countries only (France, Spain, Turkey, Italy and Algeria). As for governance issues, conventional funding resources for the Mediterranean region are shifting from international to national public funds. Moreover, there is growing room for private financing tools and initiatives. Among them a relevant role could be played by Payments for Environmental Services (PES) schemes, but their implementations is still limited in the region, with strong concentration in Northern Mediterranean countries. A shift from the conventional funding channels to new voluntary tools is much needed as an answer both to the growing maturity and responsibility of civil society and to the needs for more efficient and effective tools for dealing with natural resources management problems.<br>Le foreste costituiscono ecosistemi di fondamentale importanza in virtù della molteplicità di servizi forniti. Alcuni di questi servizi (es. legno e alcuni prodotti forestali non legnosi, PFNL) sono commercializzati sui mercati e determinano opportunità di reddito per i proprietari/gestori, mentre altri servizi (es. protezione dei bacini idrogeografici, protezione del suolo, conservazione della biodiversità, ecc.) non hanno accesso al mercato. Tali servizi hanno carattere di beni pubblici (esternalità) e gli economisti si riferiscono a essi in termini di ‘fallimenti del mercato’. Il fallimento nell’attribuire valori adeguati ai servizi forestali può contribuire al degrado degli ecosistemi o all’abbandono delle attività di gestione attiva degli stessi. Nell’ambito del contesto forestale internazionale, le dinamiche sopradescritte caratterizzano chiaramente le risorse forestali del Bacino Mediterraneo. Tali risorse si estendono su ventuno paesi dell’area, coprendo un’area complessiva di circa 74 milioni di ettari (Mha), pari al 9,5% dell’intera superficie della regione. Esistono differenze significative tra paesi del Nord e del Sud del Mediterraneo con riferimento a tipologie e copertura forestali, massa legnosa e aspetti istituzionali e socio-economici, ivi compresi gli aspetti fondiari e di governance. Nelle due macro-aree, inoltre, le risorse forestali denotano trend differenti: mentre nel Nord le foreste sono in espansione a causa dell’abbandono di aree marginali e pratiche agricole, nel Sud-Est la pressione antropica, sotto forma di consumo diretto di beni forestali, è ancora elevata. In entrambi i casi sussiste un rischio di degrado delle risorse, con prospettive di peggioramento in relazione alle minacce emergenti legate al cambiamento climatico e alle dinamiche demografiche. Una stima del Valore Economico Totale (VET) delle foreste mediterranee è stata realizzata da Merlo e Croitoru (2005). Sebbene tale studio possa ancora essere considerato come il tentativo più completo di stima del VET dei boschi mediterranei, alcuni importanti cambiamenti sono intervenuti dalla data della pubblicazione. Il presente lavoro analizza le nuove sfide per i mercati non convenzionali per i prodotti forestali mediterranei. La tesi include: (i) un’analisi dei mercati per i prodotti legnosi (legname da opera e legna da ardere) e non-legnosi, così come per una selezione di servizi ecosistemici, con focus sul carbonio e i servizi legati al pascolo e alla produzione foraggera; (ii) un’analisi dei principali strumenti di governance delle risorse forestali nella regione mediterranea, ivi compresi (a) le opportunità di finanziamento convenzionale su scala tanto nazionale, quanto internazionale; (b) l’attuazione di meccanismi di Pagamento per Servizi Ecosistemici (PES) quali nuovi strumenti di finanziamento e miglioramento delle risorse forestali mediterranee; (c) l’adozione di altri strumenti volontari nell’ambito degli approcci legati alla Responsabilità Sociale d’Impresa. Le stime relative ai prodotti e servizi selezionati hanno determinato un valore complessivo oscillante tra 12.508 e 13.155 Milioni €. I prodotti legnosi prevalgono su tutti gli altri, determinando oltre l’80% del valore complessivo. Tra tali prodotti, il legname da opera costituisce la componente più rilevante, equivalente a circa il 62% del valore totale stimato e a circa il 76% del valore relativo ai soli prodotti legnosi. Il valore per il servizio di pascolo costituisce circa l’11% del valore totale, risultando quasi doppio rispetto al valore stimato per i PFNL. E’ tuttavia plausibile che tale ultimo valore sia stato sottostimato perché i dati sono disponibili solo per alcuni prodotti e per dieci paesi. Stime alternative effettuate per pinoli, resina e sughero hanno infatti evidenziato come i valori potrebbero subire un incremento di 36.8-572.4 Milioni, € a seconda degli scenari. In termini geografici, il valore delle foreste mediterranee risulta fortemente concentrato: il 65% di tale valore si riferisce a paesi del Mediterraneo Nord-Occidentale, e circa il 90% si concentra in soli 5 paesi (Francia, Spagna, Turchia, Italia e Algeria) Con riferimento agli aspetti di governance, le risorse finanziarie convenzionali per le foreste stanno spostandosi dai fondi internazionali, verso risorse nazionali. In aggiunta a ciò si riscontra uno spazio crescente per strumenti e iniziative di natura privata. Tra questi un ruolo centrale potrebbe essere giocato dai PES, tuttavia l’implementazione di tali schemi risulta ancora limitata nell’area. Uno spostamento dai canali tradizionali di finanziamento, verso nuovi strumenti volontari appare come fondamentale quale risposta alla crescente maturità e responsabilità della società civile e alla montante necessità di strumenti efficaci ed efficienti per la gestione delle risorse naturali.

Linking sustainability, ecology and economics, this dissertation explored the decision making process for incorporating biophilic urbanism. Biophilic urbanism refers to the use of natural elements, or biophilic elements, as functional design features in urban landscapes to address climate change issues in rapidly growing economies. Informed by five global case studies, this dissertation introduced a novel term, ‘biophilic services’ to describe various characteristics that link the impact of biophilic elements to value. A model is also presented outlining underlying decision making logic for incorporating biophilic urbanism. These findings have immediate and practical implications for integrating biophilic urbanism into the fabric of the built environment.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-07-29T16:21:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Priscila Angelo.pdf: 689356 bytes, checksum: 98e4f0d862d60afa187be8140280332a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-03-25<br>Economic valuation through willingness to pay method has the assumption that tourists personal features, preferences and opinions concerning to the environment affect their willingness to pay by conservation of the area visited. The aim of this study were estimate the non-use value of Araguaia River through willingness to pay method and obtain its total economic-ecologic value, testing the hypothesis that tourist willingness to pay is influenced by personal features, preferences and opinions. From two hundred and one tourists interviewed the majority were married men, with mean age of 35 years (s.d. = +10), high instruction degree and monthly income of R$1.500,00 (s.d. = +424,26). The environmental service valuated was Araguaia River´s scenic beauty to which majority of tourists do not have substitutes (51%) despite the use of mainly the river, the beach and fishes. However tourists are not aware of existence, function and localization of Araguaia River floodplain (72%) despite majority recognize about Fishban (63%) influenced by recreational fishing activity (r = 0,98) and comprehension of fishes use as resource (r = 0,98). The note attributed to environment by interviewed (p = 0,02) determined that majority (79%) pay US$4.3/month (R$10,00/month) to hypothetic foundation for Araguaia River existence (54%) and for future generations pleasure (22%). However the interviewed expressed protest bids mainly for economic reasons (35%) and due to conservation programs disbelieve (25%). The non-use value estimated was US$27,2 millions/year (R$62.9 millions/year) and the total economic-ecologic value was US$7,5 billions/year (R$17.3 billions/year). The theoretical present value at a discounting rate of 5.4%/year to the next five years was US$9,6 millions (R$22.2 millions) and represent the loss in economic-ecologic benefits associated to the risk of variation in economy and in the quality of resource available due to inadequate use. Therefore the integrity of Araguaia River has high economic value associated to non use value and negative environmental impacts from its degradation could generate economic loss which could be reflected in the total ecological economic value as well as in the importance attributed by the users.<br>A valoração econômica através do método da disposição a pagar parte do pressuposto de que as informações pessoais dos turistas, suas preferências e opiniões sobre o ambiente afetam a sua disposição a pagar (DAP) pela conservação da área visitada. Assim, os objetivos deste capítulo foram estimar o valor de não-uso do Rio Araguaia na região de Aruanã, através do método da Disposição a Pagar, e obter o valor econômicoecológico total deste ecossistema, testando a hipótese de que informações pessoais, preferências e opiniões dos turistas afetam a sua DAP. Foram entrevistados 201 turistas na maioria homens casados, com idade média de 35 anos (dp = +10), alto grau de instrução e renda mensal de R$1.500,00 (dp = +424,26). O serviço ambiental valorado foi a beleza cênica do Rio Araguaia e não há substitutos a esse serviço ambiental para a maioria (51%) que usa principalmente o rio, as praias e os peixes. Entretanto, os turistas desconhecem a existência, função ou localização da planície inundável do Rio Araguaia (72%) embora a maioria saiba o que é defeso (63%) influenciada pelo fato de pescarem (r = 0,98) e compreenderem que usam os peixes como recurso (r = 0,98). A nota atribuída ao ambiente pelos entrevistados (p = 0,02) determina que a maioria (79%) se disponha a pagar R$10,00/mês à uma fundação hipotética para que o Rio Araguaia continuasse existindo (54%) e para que as futuras gerações pudessem conhecê-lo (22%). Entretanto, os entrevistados expressaram zeros de protesto principalmente por motivos econômicos (35%) e porque não acreditam nos programas de conservação (25%). Apesar disso, o valor de não-uso estimado é de R$ R$62.9 milhões/ano (US$27,2 milhões/ano) e o valor econômico-ecológico total é de R$17.3 bilhões/ano (US$7,5 bilhões/ano). O valor presente teórico à uma taxa de desconto de 5,4% ao ano projetado para cinco anos foi de R$22.2 milhões (US$9,6 milhões) e representa a perda em benefícios econômico-ecológicos associada aos riscos de variação na economia e na qualidade dos recursos disponíveis advindos do uso inadequado. Portanto, a integridade do Rio Araguaia gera um contingente econômico alto associado ao valor de não-uso e impactos ambientas negativos advindos de seu mau uso podem gerar perdas econômicas que no curto prazo se refletirão no valor econômico-ecológico deste ecossistema bem como na importância atribuída pelos visitantes.

The objective of the thesis is to determine the market value of the company VAFO PRAHA Ltd. as of 1. 1. 2012. VAFO PRAHA manufactures and sells pet food, in the Czech republic and all over the world. The thesis is divided into following parts: strategic and financial analysis, generators of value, financial plan and business valuation. The valuation is based on the EVA Entity method and as a support an EBITDA multiple was used. The final value spread is determined by the alternative scenarios of the EVA Entity method.

Energy is central to economic development. It has been established that there is a clear correlation between energy consumption and living standards. Nigeria is a country of very industrious and enterprising people. However, due to non availability of adequate energy in the country, especially in the remote, off grid locations, the entrepreneurial inclination of the average Nigerian living in these locations has been largely stunted. Over the years, successive governments in the country, in realisation of the pivotal role of energy in national development, have explored various options to improve energy supply and availability, but the situation has not experienced any remarkable improvement. This has forced many businesses and households to resort to self provision through generators, often at exorbitant costs. This research work addresses the challenge of energy in remote, off grid locations by appraising the techno economic potential of renewable energy, using Obudu Ranch as a case study. This ranch is the foremost tourism resort in Nigeria, and has played host to a number of international events over the years. Presently, electricity is being generated through the use of diesel powered generating sets. The adjoining communities are currently without electricity, although a few of the residents have acquired generators for self provision, mostly for their domestic use. Aside the high cost associated with this, the discharge of noxious contaminants into the atmosphere is undesirable. The research entailed a working collaboration with some notable Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) that have done extensive ground work in the area for access to some secondary data, as well as a number of corporate and governmental agencies that are relevant to the study. Further, the ranch was visited to establish hands-on, the existing renewable energy sources. A trade-off of these sources was carried out with reference to a number of relevant evaluation parameters to identify the most suited option for addressing the energy challenge. A comparative analysis of this selected source was then made to establish its techno economic potential against the existing source of power generation- diesel powered generating sets, which currently costs R1.5 million annually in running expenses. The findings from this research have established that a Renewable Energy source (mini hydro) is a more cost effective option than the diesel powered gen set, providing a 43% reduction in cost of energy generation, and a 42% reduction in the life cycle cost over the five year of analysis, compared to the status quo. In addition, it is also more environmentally friendly. Conclusively, the findings and recommendations of this research effort, if well implemented, will be beneficial to the ranch, the adjoining communities and other relevant stakeholders.<br>Thesis (M.Ing. (Development and Management Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Mestrado em Economia<br>A beleza da paisagem não deve mais ser sujeita a uma avaliação subjectiva. Uma abordagem objetiva da beleza da paisagem, para mensurar seus benefícios económicos no bem-estar do ser humano, deve ser adoptada nas políticas públicas e nos processos de tomada de decisão. No campo Económico, a beleza da paisagem é um conceito pouco desenvolvido, deixado para elaboração adicional em todas as discussões. Este estudo vai mais longe no estudo e começa enquadrando o campo económico em relação à beleza da paisagem e à definição de paisagem, a fim de melhor entender e avaliar a beleza de uma paisagem. Este estudo analisa a valoração económica da beleza da paisagem de Lagoa de Óbidos através da aplicação da abordagem direta do Método de Avaliação Contingente (MAC). Para construirmos o MAC, elaboramos um questionário que possibilitou não apenas encontrar a disposição dos consumidores de pagar, mas também atingir o Valor Económico Total da beleza da paisagem.<br>Landscape beauty should no longer be subjected to a subjective valuation. An objective approach of the landscape beauty, for measuring its economic benefits in human well-being should be adopted in public policies and decision-making processes. In the Economic field, landscape beauty is an undeveloped concept, left for further elaboration in every discussion. The chosen valuation framework goes further in the analysis and starts by framing the economic field regarding the landscape beauty and the definition of landscape in order to better understand and evaluate the beauty of a landscape. This study analyses the economic valuation of the beauty of Lagoa de Óbidos' landscape through the application of the direct approach of Contingent Valuation Method (CVM). To support the CVM, we have designed a questionnaire that made it possible not only to find the consumers? willingness to pay but also to achieve the Total Economic Value of landscape beauty.<br>info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

This diploma work assess the financial health of the company in the years 2002–2006 on the basis of selected methods of the financial analysis. It includes proposals of possible solutions of identified problems which should result in the improvement of financial situation of the firm in the following years.

The main aims of the work presented in this dissertation are 1) the elicitation of locallyheld values for the marine and coastal ecosystem services in south-eastern Tasmania and 2) the development of the methods used to address certain technical issues present in the methods. This dissertation employs a diverse range of methods to elicit values held for marine and coastal ecosystem services in the Derwent estuary and Storm Bay in Tasmania, Australia. The range of methods used also allows the demonstration of preference heterogeneity (and the areas in which there is overlap) that can occur when different methods are used. In the context of environmental decision-making, it is advantageous to obtain information regarding the values held, the effect of elicitation methods on these values, and value heterogeneity, to ensure that common resources such as ecosystem services are managed by taking into consideration a wider, richer range of preferences. Three methods were used to uncover the benefits provided by the Derwent estuary to the inhabitants of south-eastern Tasmania. These methods investigated both individual/selfregarding and community/shared values, and they include an online participatory mapping exercise (participatory geographic information systems - PGIS), an online discrete choice experiment survey, and a deliberative monetary valuation workshop exercise utilising a discrete choice experiment survey as a valuation tool. The main information collected through the participatory mapping experiment was the ranking by local inhabitants of a set of marine and coastal ecosystem services as well as their perceptions of the location, presence, and quality of these services. The ranking of ecosystem services in this experiment provided information regarding the relative value of each service, both in relation to the other services and the built infrastructure present at the marine and coastal sites. The marine and coastal recreational activities engaged in by participants and theirperceptions of conflicts, overall environmental quality, and other issues were investigated. The methodological advance made in this application of PGIS was that participants were asked to recall and map the activities they carried out at marine and coastal sites and during the mapping process questioned about their perception of the presence and quality of ecosystem services at the sites they used for recreation. This local knowledge in conjunction with expert input from CSIRO and IMAS0F scientists formed the basis of the design and framing of a choice experiment, ensuring that the framing and content were relevant to the area. The locally relevant choice experiment was used in both the online choice experiment survey and deliberative monetary valuation workshop to allow for comparisons to be made between the choice experiment treatments. The main output of the choice experiment survey were monetary values for the marine and coastal ecosystem services identified as important in the participatory mapping study. The marine and coastal ecosystem services valued in the choice experiment were: ‘Water quality’, ‘Seafloor health’, ‘Coastal and marine litter’, and ‘Safety of marine food (for consumption)’. The online treatment of the discrete choice experiment was used to explore traditional monetary values held for the marine and coastal environment using a method that is well established in the literature. The results showed a significant positive willingness to pay for an improvement of the ecosystem services identified as most important by participants in the mapping survey. The service whose levels of improvement were most highly valued was ‘Seafloor health’, followed by ‘Coastal and marine litter’. The levels of improvement of ‘Water quality’ and ‘Safety of marine food’ were valued significantly lower. A series of deliberative monetary valuation workshops investigated both self regarding/ individual and shared/social values and preferences for ecosystem services in the estuary. The deliberative workshops utilised a method that was intended to address certain shortcomings or limitations of traditional choice experiments such as an imperfect understanding of the complex choice experiment attributes and the focus on self-regarding/individual values (shared/social values are not captured). These workshops began with participants completing the choice experiment individually as in the online treatment of the choice experiment. Following this, participants engaged in a deliberative phase involving the group completing the choice experiment, all participants discussing the choices being made and arriving at a consensus. In order to conduct the ‘group choice experiment’, participants individually ascribed weightings to each attribute (ecosystem services) of the good valued prior to deliberation. These weightings were aggregated and used to develop a heuristic to make choices across choice tasks. The workshop groups discussed choices from the point of view of the community and were asked to select options which would benefit most people. When the group was dissatisfied with the choice outcome, the group weightings were altered until the choice made best represented the needs, preferences, and values of the community, future generations, and non-human users of the environment. The willingness to pay (WTP) estimates from the individual completion of the choice experiment (before and after the group discussion) were compared to the deliberative WTP estimates. A significant difference was found showing that the two elicitation methods drew upon different value sets (self-regarding values for the individual completion and shared/social values for the deliberative treatment, as described by Kenter et al. (2015)). The workshop groups placed emphasis on keeping the cost of improvements down. They stated that although they were individually happy to pay more than the choices selected by the group, they felt uncomfortable with the experiment leading to a policy recommendation that may require sections of the community to pay more than they could afford. Through deliberation, the ecosystem service ‘Seafloor health’ weighting increased, while the weight on other ecosystem services decreased. Qualitative investigation during the group discussions revealed that this was due to a better understanding of and more familiarity with the attribute, as well as increased comprehension of the independence of the attributes in the choice experiment (e.g. that reducing levels of coastal and marine litter would not result in an improvement for all other attributes). The choice experiment was completed individually pre- and post-deliberation and the choices actually made were compared to the choices inferred from participants’ individual weightings. The deliberative phase led to post-deliberation individual choices that were more accurate based on the preferences inferred from participants’ individual weightings. Additionally, 29% of participants who changed their responses from the business-as-usual alternative selected an alternative aligned with the values expressed through their individual weightings. These results show that individual (online and pre- and post-deliberative) and deliberative choice experiments result in a different set of values being accessed by the respondent. Depending on the ecosystem services being managed, the valuation method should be carefully selected to elicit self-regarding or shared/social values. Additionally, the pre- and postdeliberative experiment results show that deliberation may help participants make choices that are more consistent with their internal heuristics. Deliberation can also result in WTP estimates from a smaller sample that are more consistent with those obtained from a much larger sample, resulting in the ability to accomplish the valuation at a lower cost. The WTP estimates produced by the different treatments were compared. It was found that the pre- and post-deliberation individual WTP estimates were statistically more different tothe deliberative group WTP estimates than to the online individual WTP estimates. This strengthened the conclusion that the pre- and post-deliberation treatments saw participants drawing upon a different set of values and preferences (individual values) in their responses. The postdeliberative WTP estimates were statistically less different to the online WTP estimates than the pre-deliberative WTP estimates. This led to the conclusion that the deliberative process enabled a better representation of individual preferences in the post-deliberative treatment. The information from the three methods and the comparison of the WTP results from the treatments of the choice experiment are intended to provide local, relevant, and high-quality information to support the environmental decision-making in south-eastern Tasmanian marine and coastal ecosystems, as well as adding to the national set of value estimates. This dissertation provides a novel demonstration of the way multiple techniques across various disciplines can feed into and complement one another. The innovations developed aim to address technical issues with the methods and increase the calibre of information that goes on to support decision-makers in the sustainable management of these rare and treasured natural areas.

Nowadays, due to the increasing competition level, companies must find ways to differentiate. Service development can be a differentiating factor when compared to low-cost competitors. It may provide ways to identify and address specific customer needs by delivering innovative business solutions by regular support and direct contact, which can ultimately be translated into a source of competitive advantage. This business project emerges from the need of the company to improve its competitive position. Following a market analysis, it was concluded that the way to do it was to focus on a specialized range of services centred on industrial systems automation, offering a standardized portfolio of automation products as the basis for customized solutions. To this end, the company has created a questionnaire that allows it to get an overview of the customers' plants’ procedures and identify their equipment’s failures and needs. The goal of this business project consists on developing a model that, through the results analysis of the questionnaire, generates recommendations based on the company’s products, which will allow the company to solve the previously identified failures and add value to its customers. The philosophy used in creating the recommendations is the Total Productive Maintenance. Moreover, the model has been tested by a real customer to verify its feasibility. In the future, the expected outcome is to link these recommendations to potential services that will enable the company to offer not only products but a solution containing the product and all activities necessary for its best working performance.<br>Atualmente, devido ao crescente nível concorrencial, as empresas necessitam de identificar formas para se diferenciar. O desenvolvimento de serviços pode ser um fator diferenciador no relacionamento entre empresa e cliente comparativamente com os concorrentes de baixo custo. Através dos serviços, é possível identificar e atender às necessidades específicas dos clientes, oferecendo soluções comerciais inovadoras através de suporte regular e contacto direto, o que se pode traduzir numa fonte de vantagem competitiva. Este projeto surge da necessidade da empresa melhorar a sua posição competitiva. Após análise do mercado, concluiu-se que a estratégia para o fazer seria através do foco numa gama especializada de serviços focados na automação de sistemas industriais, oferecendo um portfólio padronizado de produtos na área da automação como base para a oferta de soluções personalizadas. Para isso, a empresa criou um questionário que permite obter uma visão geral dos procedimentos nas fábricas dos clientes, e detetar as suas falhas e necessidades. O objetivo deste projeto passa por desenvolver um modelo que, através dos resultados do questionário, tem a capacidade de gerar recomendações, baseadas nos produtos da empresa, que permitam solucionar as falhas previamente identificadas, gerando valor aos seus clientes. A filosofia utilizada na criação das recomendações é a "Total Productive Maintenance". O modelo foi testado por um cliente real para verificar a sua viabilidade. No futuro, a intenção será vincular as recomendações a potenciais serviços que permitirão à empresa oferecer não apenas produtos, mas uma solução constituída pelo produto e todos as atividades necessárias à sua melhor funcionalidade.

Dissertação de Mestrado, Ciências Económicas e Empresariais, 7 de fevereiro de 2020, Universidade dos Açores. Faculdade de Economia e Gestão.<br>O presente estudo utiliza informação proveniente de uma amostra de visitantes de parques florestais públicos em São Miguel - Pinhal da Paz, Chã da Macela e Viveiro do Nordeste - para caracterizar a procura por recreio em florestas públicas. As visitas aos parques florestais públicos são uma componente significativa do recreio florestal, atraindo mais de 18% de residentes locais, com uma média de quatro visitas por ano. O típico visitante é mulher, com 38 anos de idade, tem educação de nível secundário e um rendimento abaixo da média regional. Os entrevistados participam em atividades físicas, passeios e corridas durante o outono e primavera. Mais de 83% dos visitantes estão completamente satisfeitos com a experiência de visita e a qualidade dos parques florestais públicos. O valor de uma visita diária é de 13,66 euros e o valor económico total é de 1,5 milhões de euros. Esta é uma valorização conservadora para o número de visitantes e para o valor por visita. Usando valores monetários de recreio estimados neste estudo e valores obtidos na literatura, uma simulação feita ao valor total da floresta micaelense revelou um total de 40,6 milhões de euros. Contudo, o valor económico total não é a descoberta mais relevante, mas sim a contribuição dos valores de não uso como o sequestro de carbono e a biodiversidade, os quais representam 92% do total. Independentemente da sensibilidade do valor económico total a suposições e valores particulares, o resultado é suficientemente importante para realçar os benefícios gerados e a relevância dos valores de não uso.<br>ABSTRACT: The present study uses data from a survey of visitors of public forest parks in São Miguel - Pinhal da Paz, Chã da Macela and Viveiro do Nordeste - to characterize recreation demand in public forests. Visits to public forest parks are a major component of forest recreation attracting more than 18% of local residents with an average of four visits per year. The typical visitant is female, 38 years of age, has secondary education and income bellow regional average. Those interviewed engage in physical activities, walking and running, as well as picnics as opportunity to meet friends and family during the summer. The profile of this summer visitors changes to a harder engagement in running and walking activities during autumn and spring. More than 83% of visitors are fully satisfied with their visiting experience and the quality of public forest parks. The value of a daily visit is 13.66 euros and the total economic value is 1.5 million euros. This is a conservative assessment for both visitor numbers and the value per visit. Using the recreation monetary values estimated in this study and values transferred from the literature a simulation of the total value of São Miguel forest revealed a total value of 40.6 million euros. However, it is not the total economic value the most relevant finding, but the contribution of non-use values such as carbon sequestration and biodiversity that represent 92% of TEV. Regardless of the sensitivity of TEV to assumptions and particular values, the result is important enough to highlight the benefits generated and the importance of non-use values.

A emergência climática aliada às consequências dos processos globais de urbanização do passado recente está na origem de uma série de desafios sociais, ambientais e económicos, em particular nas cidades. Os corredores verdes urbanos, reconhecidos como uma solução de base natural, são infraestruturas verdes que através dos serviços de ecossistema que fornecem, contribuem para atenuar algumas destas problemáticas. Frequentemente não lhes é conferida a devida importância por parte da sociedade em geral, pois o seu valor em termos monetários não é conhecido. Esta tese de mestrado incide sobre um dos corredores verdes da cidade de Lisboa e tem como principais objetivos: determinar o Valor Económico Total do Corredor Verde de Monsanto, calculando a partir do mesmo o retorno do investimento desta infraestrutura verde; e ainda averiguar se este corredor desempenha um papel relevante ao nível da adaptação e mitigação às alterações climáticas por parte da cidade de Lisboa. Foram recolhidos dados relativos ao Corredor Verde de Monsanto, tendo sido realizado o tratamento de alguns deles em ArcGis. Posteriormente, foi calculado o valor monetário associado ao corredor através da ferramenta “Green Infrastructure Valuation Toolkit”. Os resultados obtidos apontam para um retorno do investimento de 38,3M€, tendo-se verificado que os serviços de ecossistema que mais contribuem para o Valor Económico Total apurado – 46,7M€ - são de cariz cultural. Os serviços de regulação apresentaram um valor monetário menos significativo – 27,4K€ - o que sugere um fraco contributo do mesmo para a adaptação e mitigação às alterações climáticas por parte da cidade de Lisboa.<br>The climate emergency combined with the consequences of global urbanization processes of the recent past has originated multiple social, environmental and economic challenges, particularly in cities. Urban green corridors, recognized as a Nature-Based Solution, are green infrastructures that, through the ecosystem services they provide, contribute to alleviate some of these problems. Frequently, society in general do not recognize their importance because their value in monetary terms is unknown. This master's thesis focuses on one of Lisbon’s Green Corridors and intends to: determine the Total Economic Value of Monsanto’s Green Corridor, which is used to calculate the return on investment of this green infrastructure; and to investigate if this green corridor plays a relevant role in terms of adaptation and mitigation to climate change by the city of Lisbon. Data related to Monsanto’s Green Corridor was collected and processed, in some cases through ArcGis. It was then used the tool “Green Infrastructure Valuation Toolkit” to calculate the monetary value of the green corridor. The results obtained suggests a return on investment of about 38.3M€, and that the cultural ecosystem services are the ones that contribute the most to the Total Economic Value calculated – 46.7M€. The monetary value determined in this investigation for the regulatory ecosystem services provided by Monsanto’s Green Corridor was not significant – 27,4K€ - which suggests its weak contribution to the adaptation and mitigation of climate change by the city of Lisbon.

This study uses aspects of time series methodology to model and forecast major taxes such as Personal Income Tax (PIT), Corporate Income Tax (CIT), Value Added Tax (VAT) and Total Tax Revenue(TTAXR) in the South African Revenue Service (SARS). The monthly data used for modeling tax revenues of the major taxes was drawn from January 1995 to March 2010 (in sample data) for PIT, VAT and TTAXR. Due to higher volatility and emerging negative values, the CIT monthly data was converted to quarterly data from the rst quarter of 1995 to the rst quarter of 2010. The competing ARIMA/SARIMA and Holt-Winters models were derived, and the resulting model of this study was used to forecast PIT, CIT, VAT and TTAXR for SARS fiscal years 2010/11, 2011/12 and 2012/13. The results show that both the SARIMA and Holt-Winters models perform well in modeling and forecasting PIT and VAT, however the Holt-Winters model outperformed the SARIMA model in modeling and forecasting the more volatile CIT and TTAXR. It is recommended that these methods are used in forecasting future payments, as they are precise about forecasting tax revenues, with minimal errors and fewer model revisions being necessary.<br>Statistics<br>M.Sc. (Statistics)