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The economic value of investment in education has typically been measured by its rate of return, frequently estimated by the internal rate of return or the earning function approach. Given the importance of the rate of return estimates for individuals and countries, especially developing countries, in making decision on educational investment, we need to know how these methods compare as empirical researchers have used only one method, mainly due to data constraints. This study presents and compares the rate of return estimates obtained from these two methods using household data-sets that have been typically employed in such studies. The results of the study confirm the previously established stylized facts about the rate of return to education. In addition, the internal rate of return approach exhibits "diminishing returns" to schooling, reflecting ever rising cost of higher increments of schooling, while the earning function approach yields the opposite pattern, reflecting the greater relative increase associated in earnings with additional schooling. Moreover, the rate of return is greater using the internal rate of return approach than the earning function approach. Finally, the internal rate of return approach reveals a more accurate estimate of the earning return to the actual amount invested in schooling, whereas the earning function approach is more thorough in measuring earning differences associated with additional schooling. (Contains 4 tables and 2 figures.)

Return on personal investment is an important factor affecting the decision to invest in education. This article analyzes the personal education costs of no-fee preservice students, estimates and forecasts the return on their personal education investment, and compares the costs and benefits of for-fee preservice students and nonteaching students. It finds that the expected return on personal investment in education is higher for no-fee preservice students than for-fee preservice students, but lower for nonteaching students. This finding has reference value for attracting more outstanding students to choose no-fee teacher education. However, given that the expected return on personal investment in education is lower for preservice teaching students than for nonteaching students, we recommend that the Chinese government consider diverse methods to encourage no-fee teacher education. Reducing the personal cost of education and increasing teacher salaries and subsidies, for example, would increase the expected return on personal investment in education, thereby attracting more outstanding students to the teaching profession.

This study describes a benefit-cost analysis of a comprehensive mentoring program for beginning teachers conducted in a medium-sized California school district. Using actual program cost information and data on student achievement, teacher retention, and mentor evaluations, the authors performed a benefit-cost analysis to determine whether comprehensive mentoring for beginning teachers makes financial sense. The data showed that, contrary to expectations, increases in teacher effectiveness yielded greater savings than the reduction in costs associated with teacher attrition. Overall, the benefit-cost analysis showed that, after 5 years, an investment of $1 produces a positive return to society, the school district, the teachers, and the students, and the state almost recovers its expenses. Implications are drawn for both education and public policy. (Contains 7 tables, 2 figures and 2 footnotes.)

This study examined the economic benefits of higher education in Ethiopia. It utilized a quantitative research approach. The study revealed that the benefit-cost ratio (BCR) for secondary and higher education is 1.97 and 1.84 respectively. This implies that both levels of education provide benefits outweighing their costs. Regarding the private and social rate of return, they were 68% and 23% respectively. These figures reveal that both the private and social benefits are higher than the those found in any previous studies. Lastly, higher education has the highest rate of return for employees of three key sectors-that is, teacher education, agriculture, and health sciences-with an estimated value of 23, 15.3, 16.3 per cent increases to earnings compared to 3.8 for secondary education. In conclusion, the increasing pattern of high private rates of return to higher education shows that a shift of the education cost burden from the social to the private might be accomplished through loan schemes in higher education.

The return to R&D investment and activities has been the object of a vast literature, both from a theoretical and empirical perspective. The aim of this overview is to present a selection of contributions to underscore the main shared findings and highlight open issues, while also providing a preliminary analysis of the returns to R&D investment in large research infrastructures (RIs) in Europe. First, a common methodological framework is distilled from the macro-literature, examining the return to R&D in aggregate terms. Then, the evaluation in the context of specific projects, mainly in large RIs, is examined, followed by the explicit consideration of externalities and spillover effects of research activities. A novel empirical analysis of European RIs is also presented, based on a novel data set, to highlight trends and suggest new avenues for the evaluation of the rate of return to investments in research infrastructures, using both a cost effectiveness ratio and a bibliometric citation count as metrics to evaluate the return to R&D investment in these facilities. Directions for future research are sketched in the concluding section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following a literature review, this paper examines the economic rationale for choosing nursing training through analyzing the private rate of return to nursing schools in River State, Nigeria. Findings reveal a 146 percent private rate of return ascribable to negative opportunity costs and booster effects on expected income. (21 references) (MLH)

According to the statistics of 2020, 150,000 tons of almonds are produced in Turkey. When the production amount of total almond production is examined according to the provinces, Mersin ranks first with 22,929 tons, Adıyaman ranks second with 15,470 tons, while Muğla takes third place with 9,955 tons of almond production. It is understood that there has been a great increase in almond production areas in the province of Adıyaman in recent years, and considering the data for 2020, Turkey has the largest almond production area with 72,350 decares of almond production area. This situation will be reflected in the production amount soon. In this study, it is aimed to reveal the almond production potential of the city by determining the almond production costs and profitability in Adıyaman, which is on the way to becoming the almond city of Turkey. For this purpose cost and profitability analyzes of almond orchard investments in the study area were made. As a result of these analyzes, it has been seen that the benefit/cost ratio of the garden facilities in the region is 1.70. In addition, it was concluded that the internal rate of return was 28.74%, well above the cost of capital (13.50%). As a result of net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), and cost-benefit analysis (CBA), it has been revealed that almond production is very profitable for the producers of the region and these investments will make positive contributions to the regional economy. It is considered that carrying out activities that increase the efficiency and profitability of almond production in the region (promotion, brandization, information, agricultural support) may contribute to the sustainability of production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internal rate of return (IRR) is often used by managers and practitioners for investment decisions. Unfortunately, it has serious flaws: (1) multiple real-valued IRRs may arise; (2) complex-valued IRRs may arise; (3) the IRR is, in general, incompatible with the net present value (NPV) in accept/reject decisions; (4) the IRR ranking is, in general, different from the NPV ranking; (5) the IRR criterion is not applicable with variable costs of capital. The efforts of economists and management scientists in providing a reliable project rate of return have generated over the decades an immense bulk of contributions aiming to solve these shortcomings. This article offers a complete solution to this long-standing unresolved issue by changing the usual perspective: the IRR equation is dismissed and the evaluator is allowed to describe the project as an investment or a borrowing at his discretion. This permits showing that any arithmetic mean of the one-period return rates implicit in a project reliably informs about a project's profitability and correctly ranks competing projects. With such a measure, which we call average internal rate of return, complex-valued numbers disappear and all the above-mentioned problems are wiped out. The economic meaning is compelling: it is the project return rate implicitly determined by the market. The traditional IRR notion may be found as a particular case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article assesses the economic value of the investment in the doctor of philosophy (Ph. D.) degree in economics. To derive the internal rate of return to the Ph. D. in economics, conventional cost-benefit methodology is used. A five-way classification was utilized to determine the variations in the conditions surrounding graduate work in economics. These classification are: by type of employment, method of financing, length of schooling, salary and earnings as measures of income and private and social cost-and-benefit perspectives.

Return on personal investment is an important factor affecting the decision to invest in education. This article analyzes the personal education costs of no-fee preservice students, estimates and forecasts the return on their personal education investment, and compares the costs and benefits of for-fee preservice students and nonteaching students. It finds that the expected return on personal investment in education is higher for no-fee preservice students than for-fee preservice students, but lower for nonteaching students. This finding has reference value for attracting more outstanding students to choose no-fee teacher education. However, given that the expected return on personal investment in education is lower for preservice teaching students than for nonteaching students, we recommend that the Chinese government consider diverse methods to encourage no-fee teacher education. Reducing the personal cost of education and increasing teacher salaries and subsidies, for example, would increase the expected return on personal investment in education, thereby attracting more outstanding students to the teaching profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The objective of this systematic literature review was to report the results and complications of recent remnant preservation techniques in posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) reconstruction. Methods: A systematic review was conducted based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Two independent reviewers searched the PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases using the terms "posterior cruciate ligament" or "PCL" and "remnant preserving." The outcome measures extracted from the studies were the Lysholm score, the International Knee Documentation Committee's (IKDC) subjective and objective scores, Tegner scores, Orthopädische Arbeitsgruppe Knie (OAK) rate of return to sports, and rate of complications. Data were also extracted from studies that used stress radiographs to perform a quantitative assessment of the preoperative and postoperative anteroposterior stability. Results: The systematic review included 13 studies. The patient cohort of consisted of 643 participants (544 [84.6%] men and 99 [15.4%] women) with a mean age of 32.9 ± 4.0 years. The mean postoperative follow-up was 34.5 ± 10.9 months (range: 24–96 months), while the mean time from injury to surgery was 14.4 ± 9.9 months (range: 0–240 months). All studies reported clinically significant improvement at final follow-up, as evident from the measured subjective and objective IKDC scores, Lysholm score, Tegner score, and OAK rate. Only three studies reported return to sports activity, with a mean percentage of 90.8% (99/109). All studies showed a significant improvement in posterior translation, from 11.5 ± 1.2 mm to 3.3 ± 1.1 mm, using radiography (side-to-side difference). This systematic review revealed 13 (2.0%) failures and 33 (5.1%) minor complications: 10 (1.6%) cases of stiffness, 21 (4.9%) screws removal, 1 (0.2%) injury of the peroneal nerve, and 1 (0.2%) fibular fracture. Conclusions: With the currently available data, all studies included in the review on posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with remnant preservation demonstrated satisfactory outcomes at mid-term follow-up (> 24 months), despite varying surgical techniques and graft types, and intervals from injury to surgery. For clinical relevance, standard PCL reconstruction is a highly effective operation in terms of improvement in functional status, knee stability, quality of life, and cost effectiveness. The remnant preservation technique requires more comprehensive diagnostic assessments of the PCL remnant patterns and more complicated surgical procedures. Given the absence so far of high quality studies with long-term follow-up, the remnant-preserving techniques should be recommended only by experienced knee arthroscopic surgeons. Level of evidence: Level IV. Study registration: reviewregistry1376—www.researchregistry.com. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is very useful when appraising engineering projects and examining their long-term financial and social sustainability. However, the inherent uncertainty in the estimation of completion time, final costs, and the realization of benefits often act as an impediment to its application. Since the emergence of fuzzy set theory, there have been significant developments in uncertainty modelling in project evaluation and investment analysis, primarily in the area of formulating a fuzzy version of CBA. In this context, in studying the key indicators of CBA, whereas fuzzy net present value (fNPV) has been investigated quite extensively, there are significant issues in the calculation of fuzzy internal rate of return (fIRR) that have not been addressed. Hence, this paper presents a new conceptual model for studying and calculating fNPV and fIRR. Three-dimensional fNPV and fIRR graphs are introduced as a means of visualizing uncertainty. A new approach is presented for the precise calculation of fIRR. To facilitate practical application, a computerization process is also presented. Additionally, the proposed methodology is exemplified in a sample motorway project whereby its advantages over traditional stochastic uncertainty modelling techniques such as Monte Carlo analysis are discussed. Overall, it is concluded that the new approach is very promising for modelling uncertainty during project evaluation for both project managers and project stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2011 reports of Zebra Chip in major potato growing regions of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington resulted in calendar-based psyllid management programs. With the goal of improving the sustainability and profitability of potato production systems, researchers developed disease risk maps to support informed decision-making regarding timing and necessity of psyllid targeted spray applications. The benefits of investment in the decision support system are estimated using a cost benefit analysis. Benefits are estimated to span 16 years and are measured by reduced psyllid control costs. The estimated net present value of benefits from the decision support system will depend on adoption and use of the disease risk maps. Using a scenario that assumes a maximum adoption rate of 46%, the estimated net present value of the tool is $5.2 million, the benefit cost ratio is 1.63, and the internal rate of return is 8%. Assuming a scenario with a maximum adoption rate of 78%, the estimated net present value of the tool is $8.6 million, the benefit cost ratio is 2.69, and the internal rate of return is 14%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the technoeconomic feasibility of bioenergy production from sawdust under four different case scenarios is simulated and compared. These scenarios include: (1) heat and electricity generation from raw sawdust; (2) pellet production from sawdust; (3) and (4) integrated biorefinery approach for the simultaneous manufacturing of multiple products (steam-exploded and torrefied pellets) and co-products (furfural, hydroxy methyl furfural (HMF), acetic acid), along with heat and electricity generation. Economic assessments such as cost analysis, payback time (PBT), net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR) were determined for these scenarios. The results showed that the approach of producing torrefied pellets, furfural, and acetic acid, along with co-generated heat and electricity, in terms of multiproducts and profitability (NPV (at 7%): USD 38.29 M) was preferable over other alternatives. In terms of simplified technology and other economic indices (PBT: 2.49 year, IRR: 51.33%, and return on investment (ROI): 40.1%), the scenario for producing pellets from wood sawdust was more promising than others. If plant capacity was not a limiting factor, the optimal size for the combined heat and power (CHP) plant was between 250–300 kt for the main product. Additionally, untreated and treated pellet plants equipped with CHP had an optimal size of 150–200 kt of wood pellets per year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Practicing the unsustainable system of farming contributes in no small way to soil deterioration which in turn affects agricultural productivity. Even though one of the important requirements for embracing any agrarian practice is the financial viability of the process, it is believed that the differences in the benefits obtained from both conventional farming and conservation agriculture are not well articulated. While general inference can be made, it is also important to make a thorough evaluation of the benefits that can be derived from conservation agriculture and conventional agriculture. Methods: The study was conducted in Okhahlamba Local Municipality, which is situated in-between Lesotho, Free State Province, Alfred Duma and the Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality. Secondary data were retrieved from the Mahlathini Organics dataset collected from three different seasons, such as 2012/2013 to 2014/2015 and 2016/2017 seasons. The farmers under study practiced conservation agriculture (0.8 ha) and conventional agriculture (0.8 ha). Result: Using gross margin in addition to indicators like benefit-cost ratio, internal rate of returns and net present value, this research identified that the advantages of using the conservation system of farming are enormous when matched with conventional agriculture. Consequently, this research suggests the advancement and encouragement of conservation agriculture as it provides more incentives in the long run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to evaluate calves fattening projects funded by the Egyptian Agricultural Bank with different production capacities in the sample of the field study, which is a Farms (upper - middle - small) and the average number of heads in each capacity was (20 - 14 - 6) head. and the internal rate of return for investment in this activity was about 33.2%, 29%, 25% for the three production capacities respectively and this rate is higher than The price of borrowing from the bank, and the benefit to cost ratio for these production capacities was about 1.20, 1.19 and 1.1.12 pounds for each production capacity, respectively, and the net present wealth of cash flows during the life of the project was about 478, 332, 27 thousand L.E. respectively, and the capital turnover reached about 3.01, 3.51 and 3.99 years per production capacity respectively. A sensitivity analysis was carried out based on the previous criteria for the three production capacities of calves fattening. And the derivation of the - critical - marginal levels of some of the important variables affecting the investment efficiency of these production capacities, the subject of the study, and one of the most important recommendations of the study was to increase subsidized financing with different production capacities through a pre-defined plan that includes front and back links to each project, in complete economic circles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a techno-economic assessment of a 100 kWp solar rooftop photovoltaic (PV) system at five hospitals in central southern Thailand. The system encompasses 100 kWp PV panels, 100 kW grid-tied inverters and balance of system (BOS) under the grid code of the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA). The latest PV technology of bifacial mono-crystalline solar panels, inverters and BOS were simulated along with the Meteonorm 7.3 database using the PVsyst simulation toolkit with different tilt angles, orientations, solar radiations and ambient temperature. The technical aspects of solar rooftop PV power generation systems include the annual energy output and the performance ratio (PR) under IEC standard. Further, an economic analysis of the model was examined using a cost benefit analysis (CBA) and various assumptions. Four main financial criteria, i.e., benefit cost ratio (BCR), net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), and payback period (PBP) were evaluated under three different scenarios: (1) self-consumption scheme, (2) feed-in tariff (FiT) scheme, and (3) private power purchase agreement (PPA) scheme. Finally, the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) was also calculated. The results reveal that the Takua Thung hospital is characterized by the maximum average global horizontal irradiation (GHI) and the maximum annual produced energy of 199 kWh/m2 and 164.8 MWh/year, respectively. The PR calculated for all hospital sites is above 85%. The outcomes of the financial analysis show that the optimum scenarios are PPA and FiT schemes. The LCOE analysed in this study indicates that the Takua Thung hospital site has the lowest LCOE at 2.47 THB/kWh (0.07 USD/kWh). This research confirms the potential for hospitals and stakeholders in central southern Thailand for investments in solar rooftop PV systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes a renewable energy (RE) support scheme recently introduced in Russia and compares it to the most frequently applied policy measures, feed-in tariff (FiT) and feed-in premium (FiP) schemes. In particular, we present an analytical formulation of the problem set-up and study optimal investment timing and capacity choice employing a real options approach. In addition, we conduct detailed sensitivity analyses to highlight how different policies shape investment behavior. The contributions of this paper include modeling the Russian RE support mechanism in a dynamic programming framework that allows us to show that such a RE support design offers a strong case for transferring market risks away from the investor and has potential for a unique combination of effectiveness and cost efficiency. • Russian renewable energy support and other common schemes are comparatively studied. • Optimal investment timing and capacity choice are derived using a real options approach. • Russian design is as effective as feed-in tariffs in securing investment risks. • Russian design potentially burdens taxpayers least. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Is solar energy an economically competitive option for Floridian consumers? By 2028, Florida Power and Light (FPL), the leading electricity provider for the State of Florida, projects to source nearly 15% of its electricity supply from solar power. As an Investor-Owned Utility serving the electricity needs of approximately half of Floridians, policy changes to its energy portfolio greatly impact consumers through base rate increases to subsidize the technological transition. The present study investigates the potential profitability of FPL's solar projects by conducting a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) and a sensitivity analysis to determine how varying generation parameters impacts profits. This research simulates 110,880 CBA scenarios with only 2.4% of scenarios showing profit while holding base rates constant. Among scenarios with a time-period of 30 years, this study finds approximately 19.5% are profitable. However, this study shows that FPL's solar projects are profitable, but likely not within the regulatory rate of return. Simulations in this study show less than 1% of scenarios are profitable. This research suggests that consumer base rate increases are likely to enable FPL to achieve its allowable rate of return for its future solar projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A case study was conducted on 44 residential homes using both traditional house wrap and ZIP System systems to measure the overall airtightness and compare estimated energy usages. The labor, material, and overhead and profit (O&P) costs were analyzed and used to determine the optimal choice for long-term benefits in terms of cost and performance. The impact of insulation installation is considered a key factor in improving the strategy of reducing energy consumption. Improved installation practices can affect the airtightness of common wall assemblies to reduce the building energy performance gaps and provide insight on how to allocate resources better. A framework was developed to analyze operational costs and building energy performance to address how installation quality is a factor in the return of investment in building construction for heating and cooling systems within the thermal envelope. With this methodology, aggressive energy performance goals will be met while balancing the tradeoff between installation techniques and building systems efficiency based on the introduced probabilistic investment return (PIR) metric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objective: The study aim was to review the economic evaluation literature of commercially available and effective nonsurgical weight‐loss interventions to investigate whether there is evidence to support claims of cost‐effectiveness (i.e., good value for money) or cost savings (i.e., a positive return on investment). Methods: Relevant databases were systematically reviewed to identify economic evaluations of commercially available weight‐loss products and services shown to result in clinically significant weight loss. Five weight‐loss medications (orlistat, liraglutide, naltrexone‐bupropion, semaglutide, and phentermine‐topiramate), two meal replacement programs (Jenny Craig, Optifast), and one behavioral intervention (Weight Watchers [WW]) that met inclusion criteria were identified. After screening, 32 relevant comparisons of cost‐effectiveness or cost savings across 20 studies were identified. Results: Ten of twenty pharmaceutical comparisons showed evidence of cost‐effectiveness based on established thresholds. Four of twelve nonpharmaceutical comparisons provided evidence of cost‐effectiveness, and five made claims of cost savings. However, methodological concerns cast doubt on the robustness of these claims. Conclusions: Evidence of cost‐effectiveness for commercially available, evidence‐based, nonsurgical weight‐loss interventions is mixed. There is no evidence for cost‐saving weight‐loss medications and only weak evidence for behavioral and weight‐loss interventions. Results provide a call to action to generate more robust evidence of the economic value proposition for these interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a state-wide teen pregnancy dropout prevention program using cost-benefit analysis. Data analyzed from five high schools covering a decade compared three student populations: teens from the general population, teens who were enrolled in the fully online program, and teens who selected out of the full program but made use of daycare services. Graduation outcomes and the cost per student for administering each version of the program were examined. Results revealed that students in the full program (over the 10 years) experienced a graduation rate of 1.6% with a negative rate of return of $-8,989,736; whereas, student continuing their face-to-face courses (but making use of daycare services) experienced a graduation rate of 64.5% and rate of return of $293,370. These findings demonstrate the utility of employing a cost-benefit analysis, encouraging school districts to collect more data regarding educational outcomes of pregnant and parenting teenagers to guide the efficient allocation of resources. This methodology could be adopted to inform future policy decisions aimed at increasing high school graduation rates while judiciously evaluating the investment for those interventions.

In this article, author argues on the rate of return pricing as a useful approach when value-based pricing. Topics discussed include information on the use health technology assessment incorporating economic evaluation as a basis for recommending the reimbursement or use of new technologies; role of value-based pricing in decision-making; and the new technologies accounting for additional spending on health and health related gain.

The importance of knowledge management as a competitive advantage is evident to everyone, and it is considered one of the critical factors of successful organizations. The capitalist view of knowledge management has led to the measurement of the return on investment resulting from it, and the return on investment has been recognized as a financial indicator for measuring knowledge management. What are the main components of knowledge management? Have components the same coefficients? The impact of the components is different and has different values. In order to achieve this importance, the present study was conducted to develop a return on investment model in knowledge management. This Practical research is mixed method, and in the form of exploratory schema in three stages, qualitative (using grounded theory and the use of interview tools), quantitative (using a descriptive method, a survey using questionnaire tool), quantitative (using a descriptive method, a survey using questionnaire tool) has been done. Each method is analyzed using, respectively, MAX QDA and SPSS software. The findings of the first stage of the study include identifying the benefit and costs of knowledge management. Then, the components validity is obtained, and then in the third stage, a coefficient is assigned to each of them. Identifying costs and benefit Components is a first stage achievement. Experts measured the validity of each component to identify components accurately. Furthermore, finally, in the third stage, each of these components was assigned a coefficient. The development of a new formula, taking into account each of these coefficients, is considered research innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to determine the location of the custom workshop business using the criteria of NPV, IRR, PBP, PI and B/C. This research method uses a field research model with the right procedure to use the net present value method, internal rate of return, payback period, profitability index and benefit cost ratio to determine the custome workshop business. The results of the criteria obtained are that NPV>0, IRR is 29.4%, PBP is 2.75 years, PI is 1.1.48 and B/C is 1.1. This level of achievement uses the world every day, there must be activities in the custome workshop to achieve the criteria. The criterion that becomes the dominant factor is the occurrence of an increase in the profitability index. This is a criterion that states there is an increase in the benefits of the specified investment value. What causes an increase in benefits is that assets and production facilities can experience functions that are more suitable for the way they are used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of the general objectives of environmental and climate policy implies significant involvement of low-carbon transport. High-speed rail (HSR) transport is particularly interesting, which is, unfortunately, usually not profitable for the owner of this infrastructure. Redirecting passenger and freight traffic from the road to rail improves the economic performance of the HSR, while improving the performance of the environmental protection system by reducing the amount of fossil fuel used by the transport sector and greenhouse gas emissions. The aforementioned economic and ecological benefits usually precede investments in the modernization of the existing railway infrastructure. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the share of environmental benefits in comparison with other benefits on the example of the project of reconstruction and modernization of the railway in Serbia using cost-benefit analysis. The financial analysis of the reconstruction and modernization project for the Novi Sad – Subotica – the border with Hungary railway line has not shown a satisfactory level of financial internal rate of return (FIRR), and the final decision on the implementation of the project can be made after carrying out a socio-economic analysis. The socio-economic analysis of the project pointed to the significant contribution of the project to the overall socio-economic well-being of the country and/or region. In the structure of the overall socio-economic benefits from the realization of the project, the savings due to reduced pollution of the environment is predominant, especially in freight traffic. This indicates a high ecological contribution of this and similar projects to the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study sought to estimate the genetic gains and associated monetary value contributed by the TGCD programme of the Agricultural Research Council (ARC). The Just-Pope production function and cost benefit analysis (benefit cost ratio – BCR, and modified internal rate of return – MIRR) were employed to analyze the administrative programme costs and industry yield data for the ARC's cultivars. The results revealed an average annual yield gain of 0.21 t/ha for the period from 1965 to 2014, and a BCR of 4.85. An MIRR of 18% was also revealed. This means that for every rand invested in the programme, R4.85 is realized and the high MIRR further confirms the worthiness of these investments. Thus, these results are useful as evidence for the missing information on the effectiveness and efficiency of public funds expended in table grapes research and as motivation for increased funding, as well as for participation by other industry stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, hydropower is one of the most important energy sources, but its development often entails population displacement. Traditional economics cannot fundamentally resolve disputes over relocation compensation. In the present study, we use the game theory to model the relationship between stakeholders. The main issue is the distribution of benefits between hydropower developers and the affected population. To distribute benefits more fairly and rationally, we model the benefits and costs for the developers and the affected people over the full life cycle of the project, consider the affected people as project investors, adjust benefit distribution based on the internal rate of return, and assess the rationality of the resulting plan. Under this benefit-sharing model, hydropower developers and affected people can share benefits and risks, effectively eliminate conflicts, and ensure project success. The model provides guidance for the formulation of compensation for affected people, and a new paradigm for the study of benefit-sharing mechanisms for hydropower development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, with the continuous development of Chinese agricultural industrialization and rural urbanization, the traditional household biogas has been gradually replaced by more efficient medium and large-scale biogas system. Medium and large-scale biogas system can provide biogas as stable and clean cooking energy for rural residents depending on centralized utilization of agricultural organic wastes. It has a good impact on the indoor and outdoor environment in rural areas, and is in line with the requirements of the transformation of China’s rural energy structure. Further, it is a new trend for the development of rural energy in China. In this paper, the cost-benefit analysis method is used to quantify the economic and environmental benefits of these medium and large-scale biogas systems investigated by the author. Then, according to the internal rate of return (IRR) of each original system, these original systems is divided into three levels: the first level system-the better economic benefit (the IRR is greater than the discount rate 0.08), the second level system-the general economic benefit (the IRR is less than the discount rate 0.08, but more than 0), the tertiary level system-poor economic benefits (the IRR is less than 0). After considering the scale, benefits, conditions and the necessity of optimization of different levels of systems, the optimization measures are formulated to meet the needs of reality in different levels. The results show that: 1) The environmental benefit of the original system before optimization is generally good. Among them, carbon emission reduction is the most significant. In order of project scale from large to small (Baishuzhuang community, Nanan community, Tianma community, Shangzhai village, Shiyang village, Lianwang village, Yuepu village, Yezhao village, Xiaoguoyuan village), carbon emission reduction can reach 269 427.94, 230 788.18, 237 299.61, 231 344.26, 103 604.36, 81 050.29, 79 047.68, 90 434.88, 36 584.20 kg per year, respectively. 2) There are great differences in economic benefits before optimization, and the internal rates of return are as follows:-7%, -3%, -3%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 7%, 14%, 12%, which shows that the larger the scale is, the more uneconomical it is. 3) With the discount rate of 0.08 and the 0 as the stratified points, the original system is divided into three levels to optimize according to the internal rates of return of each system. 4) In the first-level system, the economic benefits of the two projects (Yezhao village and Xiaoguoyuan village) are already good. After optimization, the economic benefits decreased by 1.50% and 1.51%, respectively, but the carbon emission reduction increased by 112.88% and 134.43%, respectively. The overall optimization results are remarkable. 5) In the four projects (Shangzhai village, Shiyang village, Lianwang village, Yuepu village) of the second-level system, because the internal rate of return is more than 8%, the economic benefits are upgraded from general to good. In addition, the environmental benefit increased by 88.16%, 100.02%, 103.22%, 109.09%, respectively. The optimization effect is also remarkable. 6) In the third-level system (Baishuzhuang community, Nanan community, Tianma community), the internal rate of return of most projects becomes positive after optimization, and the economic benefits are upgraded from no to general, while the environmental benefit increases by 116.36%, 123.92% and 101.19%, respectively. The overall optimization results are good. 7) The main measure of optimization is to cut down the operating cost, but the reality is more complicated, so the local conditions should be adapted to local conditions, and the optimization measures should be chosen flexibly. 8) Those large-scale systems need to actively refer to the national biogas project construction plan and strictly control the cost when building it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alveolar ridge preservation is routinely indicated in clinical practice with the purpose of attenuating postextraction ridge atrophy. Over the past two decades numerous clinical studies and reviews on this topic have populated the literature. In recent years the focus has primarily been on analyzing efficacy outcomes pertaining to postextraction dimensional changes, whereas other relevant facets of alveolar ridge preservation therapy have remained unexplored. With this premise, we carried out a comprehensive evidence‐based assessment of the complications associated with different modalities of alveolar ridge preservation and modeled the cost‐effectiveness of different therapeutic modalities as a function of changes in ridge width and height. We conclude that, among allogeneic and xenogeneic bone graft materials, increased expenditure does not translate into increased effectiveness of alveolar ridge preservation therapy. On the other hand, a significant association between expenditure on a barrier membrane and reduced horizontal and vertical ridge resorption was observed, though only to a certain degree, beyond which the return on investment was significantly diminished. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite of being rich in fossil fuels, the Middle East is currently the main energy consumer and is projected to have the highest growth in energy demand in the world. Due to its great potential in the Middle East, solar energy can play an important role in the plans of energy decision-makers in the region. According to the studies done so far, no study has been done to show the potential benefit of using home-scale solar systems in the Middle East. Therefore, in this work for the first time, the potential of solar electricity production in the capitals of Middle Eastern countries has been studied using HOMER V2.81 software. The investigations are technical, economic, energy, and environmental, and the studied solar system is connected to the national electricity grid. The results showed that in Nicosia, due to the sale of electricity to the grid, the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) is equal to -0.759 $, which is the lowest price for produced electricity and leads to a return on investment time of 5.69 years for this system. The solar fraction for the Nicosia station is 92%, which prevents the emission of more than 8 tons of CO2 pollutants during the year. The highest value of LCOE with the amount of $0.25 is related to Sana'a, whose investment return time, solar fraction, and annual CO2 emission prevention amount are 14.1 years, 53%, and 1162 kg, respectively. Ranking analysis was done on the results of 5 outputs of the HOMER software as well as 3 other influential parameters using 4 multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) methods. TOPSIS, GRA, WSM, and AHP methods were used, and the final ranking of each station was considered the average of the 4 methods. According to the results, Cyprus and Kuwait stations were the best and worst, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2006 there have been significant changes in the labour market for university graduates, most notably the Global Financial Crisis of 2007 and the subsequent downturn in gross domestic product growth, and a huge expansion in university places. This article presents estimates of the monetary returns in Australia associated with the completion of bachelor degrees in 2016 for a range of fields of study and compares them to the estimates for 2006. The results show that for the median person, there are still good monetary incentives to complete these degrees and the private rate of return compares favourably with the long-term real bond rate. However, the article also concludes that the return to an individual investing in bachelor education had mostly declined in the period 2006-2016. There is, again, considerable variation between disciplines and for some, completion of a bachelor degree does not yield positive returns. The key factors determining the monetary rate of return are the discipline of the degree and the graduates' subsequent labour force status. Graduates in full-time employment in most disciplines avoided being among those with low (or negative) rates of return. In addition, there is some evidence of skills mismatch and over skilling among the lowest paid university graduates.

In 2010–2011, University of Colorado (CU) librarians implemented a multi-campus pilot study to measure the institutional value of library resources used by faculty in their research. The study incorporated quantitative methods including return on investment (ROI), cost benefit analysis (CBA), and citation analysis of journal articles published by faculty; and qualitative methodologies such as in-person interviews with faculty. The study resulted in a CU ROI model that can be used to measure faculty perceptions of value and the economic benefits of electronic journal collections for faculty research in terms of ROI. The CU ROI methodology provides outcomes beyond a single ROI number and led to unexpected benefits for informing collection development decisions and strategies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Provides IRORs (internal rates of return) to investment in higher education by race and sex, using data from the 1985 wave of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Black males obtain a rate of return somewhat below other subgroups. Females tend to have a larger return to an investment in education than their male counterparts. (63 references) (MLH)

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This research was conducted to analyze the impact of construction costs and traffic volume as the main parameters to the feasibility of an investment project with a case study on part of the road of the Sumatran toll road network, located on the Island of Sumatera, which is one of the largest islands in Indonesia. Financial analysis uses indicators of Net Present Value (NPV), Internal rate of return (IRR) and Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR). Investment costs are based on current actual conditions, while revenue is derived from the realization of traffic volume crossing the toll roads. The results of the analysis show that due to the high increase in investment costs accompanied by a decrease in income due to the large difference in traffic volume projections, the project that was originally feasible change to financially not feasible. Therefore, further efforts possible are needed to make the investment feasible. The results show that the required increasing toll tariffs is 1.996 times higher than the initial one, while the extension of the concession does not show any improvement in financial feasibility. Therefore, a proposal is needed so that the tariff is according to the ability and ability of road users while maximizing the potential for non-tariff income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]