The investment decision support tool was developed, which can be applied to check the technical feasibility and economic viability of an Organic Rankine Cycle system, and to select the appropriate working fluid, based only on basic information on the waste heat source, i.e. source temperature and mass (heat) flow rate. Two profitability criteria, Net Present Value and Payback Period, were introduced for economic evaluation, while an Organic Rankine Cycle design correlations-based model was developed, and applied for prediction of technical parameters and components' design estimation. Validation performed with the previously published data confirmed model accuracy in spite of its simplicity. The model gave quick answers, and was incorporated successfully into a decision algorithm, which was supported by a set of system component design and cost functions, and could serve as an effective tool for preliminary feasibility evaluation of any proposed Organic Rankine Cycle based waste heat recovery system. An example of model application over the broad range of waste heat source temperatures is presented and the results discussed in order to show its basic capabilities.
Mutual Fund Performance in Slovenia: An Analysis of Mutual Funds with Investment Policies in Europe and the Energy Sector
This paper examines the risk and return performance of mutual funds in Slovenia from 2005 until August 2009. The research is limited to the regional investment policies in Europe and the energy sector. Using monthly returns, we analyzed different risk-adjusted measures such as: the Treynor ratio, the Sortino ratio and the Information ratio. We also studied selections and timing ability using the Treynor-Mazuy model. The risk and return performance of mutual funds in the Slovenian market does not deviate from those in developed markets. We also found out that the selection ability of fund managers is better than market timing and that the findings of this paper are in accordance with other international studies.
To reduce the exposure of the pension fund's members to financial risks, legislation in Slovenia and some other countries promises a so-called minimum guaranteed return and at the same time hinders the portfolio diversification process of pension funds. We intend to demonstrate in this article, on a case study basis and using a combination of empirical data from two Slovenian pension funds and a hypothetical one, that by precisely matching the investments' characteristics to the characteristics of the pension fund's liabilities, some important financial risks can be mitigated, while others can even be hedged entirely. We also intend to demonstrate that with the implementation of a proper policy of risk measurement and management, complemented with stress testing practices, excessive legislative restrictions for investments are no longer necessary. Some restrictions can even hinder portfolio diversification and the risk management process.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.