A hybrid approach to exchange rate dynamics: How do macro variables and order flow affect the Norwegian Krone?

Masteroppgave(MSc) in Master of Science in Business, Finance - Handelshøyskolen BI, 2021This paper investigates the relationship between the EURNOK spot exchange rate, macroeconomic factors, and order flow. We consider an error correction model framework using almost 16 years of data. At a weekly frequency, we establish a link between the EURNOK depreciation rate and changes in the 3–month interest rate di↵erential between Norway and the Euro area, the Brent Crude Oil price, and volatility in the financial market. Our findings confirm that di↵erent end–user order flows are empirically important drivers of movements in the exchange rate and convey additional information. The results are stable across subsamples, and in an out–of–sample fit exercise, we present evidence that the hybrid model outperforms the random walk benchmark

Monetary policy surprises : house prices and household credit in Norway

Masteroppgave(MSc) in Master of Science in Business, Economics - Handelshøyskolen BI, 2017In this master thesis we analyze the effects of monetary policy shocks on economic and financial variables in Norway, where we focus in particular on the responses of house prices and household credit. Our main approach involves combining the traditional structural VAR analysis with high frequency identification of policy shocks. We identify monetary policy shocks using changes in forward rate agreements over a 30-minute window surrounding policy announcements by Norges Bank, which we use as external instruments in the SVAR. The usual recursive identification of the model is rejected based on an analysis of the impulse responses and the issue of simultaneity. We find that a contractionary monetary policy shock has a large and negative impact on house prices in Norway, while the response of credit is modest and positive. We also find evidence supporting that monetary policy operates through a credit channel

The Extreme Right in Spain. Surviving in the Shadow of Franco (1975-2014)

In this master thesis my aim is to investigate the extreme right in Spain after Franco, from 1975 to 2014. I will compare the three largest extreme right movements, FE de las JONS, CEDADE and Fuerza Nueva with the newly created coalition LEM. After almost 40 years of a national catholic dictatorship did Spain transform into a democracy in a couple of years. The importance of Franco s person and the lack of cooperation between the remaining Francoist secured the easy democratic transition. The Falangist tradition of José Antonio Primo de Rivera and Franco s regime have been of massive importance to the post-Franco extreme right in Spain. They claim to represent something new, but they are unable to escape the national catholic traditions of their predecessor

Sustainable Consumption Behavior in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Conceptual Framework

This paper develops a conceptual framework for investigating the adoption patterns, inhibitors, and facilitators ( PIF ) of sustainable consumption in sub-Sahara African ( SSA ) settings. Literature evidence shows paucity of empirical studies on sustainable consumption from SSA , which partly explains lack of suitable conceptual framework to guide research in this area. Also, the existing frameworks, which were developed outside SSA may not be suitable for constructing sustainable consumption behavior in SSA because of its peculiarities. The key signifi cance of this article is the potential of providing future researchers in this area with a framework to guide and manage their studies. As a conceptual article, insight was drawn from a plethora of scholarly articles in the domain of sustainable consumption and related areas. The framework is built on four key constructs—adoption patterns, inhibitors, facilitators ( PIF ), and intention. As a guide for studies from the SSA , the article includes an empirical section, which provides preliminary empirical validation for the proposed PIF conceptual framework based on a pilot test. The result from the pilot study, using structural equation modeling ( SEM ), led to positing the PIF Sustainable Consumption model, thus giving support for the PIF Conceptual Framework, which this article puts forward. In addition, the proposed PIF conceptual framework is capable of providing insight for crafting sustainability-related policies. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Themes and trends in Australian and New Zealand tourism research: A social network analysis of citations in two leading journals (1994-2007)

Assessments and rankings of the contribution and influence of scholars, institutions and journals in tourism are becoming increasingly common. This article extends the existing literature by providing a finer grained understanding of key influences in tourism research. This study presents a bibliometric analysis of the tourism literature by examining papers authored by Australian and New Zealand researchers in Annals of Tourism Research and Tourism Management between 1994 and 2007. A general picture of the field is drawn by examining keywords, the most-cited authors and works, as well as co-citation patterns. The analysis is extended by the use of social network analysis to explore the links between keywords and influential works in the field. The article also addresses the conference theme by identifying emerging themes and influences. Results indicate that tourism research in Australia and New Zealand has been strongly influenced by sociology and anthropology, geography and behavioural psychology. Emerging themes have focused on the health and safety of tourists, risk, wine tourism and segmentation

Synthesis and in vitro evaluation of a novel thienopyrimidine with phototoxicity towards rat glioma F98 cells

Glioblastoma multiforme is one of the most aggressive cancer forms in humans, and has low recovery rates after surgery, ionizing radiation and chemotherapy. Therefore, there is a high interest in the development of new treatment methods, as for instance photodynamic therapy (PDT). It is here presented results of the cytotoxic properties of the novel compound N1-(4-(4-(benzyl(methyl)amino)thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-6-yl)benzyl)-N2,N2-dimethylethane-1,2-diamine (1), which was found ten-fold more active on the rat glioma cell model F98 than the reference drug Temozolomide (TMZ). Further cell survival studies showed a profound increase in F98 cell death on UVA-radiation (330 nm, 0.5 mW/cm2). Photochemical internalization induced delivery of compound 1, but in contrast to the cytostatic drug Bleomycin, a higher cytotoxicity was not observed. Localization studies using fluorescence microscopy revealed that compound 1 readily internalized into the cytosol but did not enter the cell nucleus. The compound was shown to be a relatively weak epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor, which is not likely to explain its cytotoxicity. However, the quantum efficiency for generation of singlet oxygen was 23%, suggesting generation of reactive oxygen species as one possible mechanism. Although more studies are needed to reveal detailed mode of action, compound 1 is a promising photosensitizer candidate for further development in tests of animal models.publishedVersio

Kommunikasjonsplan for FoU-programmet «Naturfare, infrastruktur, flom og skred»

NIFS-programmet har vært en felles satsing mellom Jernbaneverket, Norges vassdrags- og energi­direktorat og Statens vegvesen. Etatene har store felles utfordringer, og et godt samarbeid er kostnadseffektivt og kompetanseoppbyggende for organisasjonene. Programmet er gjennomført i perioden 2012–2015, med sluttseminar i april 2016. NIFS har hatt som mål å utvikle kunnskap og gode, effektive og fremtidsrettede løsninger for å håndtere ulike naturfarer og bidra til økt samfunnssikkerhet. Gjennom FoU-programmet er det utredet og doku­mentert ulike problemstillinger knyttet til flom og skred. Resultatene har verdi for utøvelse av etatenes samfunnsoppdrag. Implementering av resultat og konkrete anbefalinger tilligger de respektive etatene.Etatene har i fellesskap laget en kommunikasjonsstrategi for FoUprogrammet. Den belyser mål og visjoner, utfordringer, identifiserer målgrupper og definerer kommunikasjonsansvar. Det pekes på prioriterte kommunikasjonskanaler både internt og eksternt, gis eksempler på relevante aktiviteter. Til slutt gir en del erfaringer med bruk av både strategisk og taktisk kommunikasjonsarbeid fra programme

Green consumer segmentation: managerial and environmental implications from the perspective of business strategies and practices

With the new millennium, environmental concern entered a new phase, with stricter governmental regulations and incentives. Currently, within environmental issues, there is a broader challenge to commitment with economic and social goals. This is motivating companies and organizations to participate in transformation processes with the aim of minimizing the negative impacts of their activities. Within this context, new business philosophies, emerged empowering organizations to consider sustainability issues that have come to be viewed as an innovative and differentiating factor, providing competitive advantages (Fraj-Andres, MartinezSalinas, & Matute-Vallejo. Journal of Business Ethics, 88,263-286, 2009; Leipziger. The corporate responsibility code book. Greenleaf Publishing Limited, 2016; Leipziger. The corporate responsibility code book. Greenleaf Publishing Limited, 2016). Therefore, organizations have begun incorporating these concerns in their processes, adopting green management policies, and including green marketing strategies in order to remain competitive (Straughan & Roberts. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 16(6), 558-575, 1999; Rivera-Camino. European Journal of Marketing, 41, 1328-1358, 2007). From the marketing perspective, the importance of understanding green consumer behaviour in order to develop better segmentation and targeting strategies is highlighted. Green consumers are changing significantly. Consumers, although with some reluctance, are moving to greener products. The Mintel organization reported that the number of consumers buying green has tripled in recent years. Furthermore, it found that the number of consumers that never bought green products have decreased. These results show that widespread environmental awareness had an important role in purchasing behaviour, with more consumers considering the environmental impact of their buying decisions and looking for a greener alternative to their conventional purchasing options. The existing literature suggests that previous research regarding the green consumer profile has different perspectives. The first group of researchers attempted to characterize green consumer profile using sociodemographic variables such as age, gender, education, income and occupation. In tum, the second group of researchers used psychographic variables instead of sociodemographic ones (Mainieri, Barnett, Valdero, Unipan, & Oskamp. Journal of Social Psychology, 137(2), 189-204, 1997). This chapter aims to better explore the importance of green consumer segmentation and its implications from a management point of view. More specifically, the aim is to analyze which variables better characterize green consumers (sociodemographic and psychographic). At the end, a theoretical framework is proposed to enable and support organizations to better understand green consumer profile. It also enables managers and marketers to target and develop better marketing strategies for these segments.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Revisiting Family Leisure Research and Critical Reflections on the Future of Family-Centered Scholarship

In this special issue of Leisure Sciences, we examine the progress made and challenges ahead in research on leisure and families—20 years revisited. We consider what advancements have been made in family leisure research and potential new directions that family-centered scholars can look towards. We also consider the dominance of particular theoretical perspectives and methodological designs, and the limitations and consequences of such perspectives, to understand the complexities, diversity, and richness of the lived family experience. Emphasis is placed on the need for scholarship that explores diverse constructions of family and to provide a call to action for family-centered scholars to engage with broader global social issues

A conceptual model for driving green purchase among indian consumers

Marketing is considered as responsible for increasing consumerism and overuse of limited resources. An endeavour to promote sustainable consumption is the need of the hour and an answer to growing concerns towards it is required. Marketing can be used as a tool to promote sustainability and increase responsible consumption. Many products which have energy saving potential can be successfully promoted through marketing activities. Increasingly, consumers are becoming aware about the issue and through constant marketing efforts green products and sustainable consumption can be taken to a high level. Contextual factors like value for money, features and selling point communication can play a crucial role in increasing the purchase of green products. Several studies are being conducted in this area but there is still a need for more research particularly in India. This paper will be a contribution to the existing area of knowledge and will focus on discovering the role which marketing can play in promoting sustainability among consumers in India. The factors which are responsible for sustainable consumption are explored and a conceptual model has been suggested which may help marketers in promoting green products and provide a platform for further research