Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1966. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliography.

The aim of the present study is to provide a rigorous static and comparative statics analysis of a two-factor, two-commodity model of an open economy, which is characterized by a distortion in the factor market. The presence of the distortion causes an inefficient allocation of factors of production and a divergence between the private and social rates of transformation. By employing a construction of the production possibility curve in a box diagram it can be shown that as the distortion increases, this curve will turn convex to the origin. Thus, the usual trade geometry will not suffice in determining either the direction of substitution in production or the direction of change in social utility, which results from an opening of the economy to trade. A geometrical analysis is not rigorous enough and only an algebraic model with specified production and utility functions will be adequate in analyzing the directions of variations in endogenous economic variables for given changes in exogenous variables. Such a model has therefore been employed and it has been solved for changes in both the distortion parameter and the commodity price ratio. The results of the model show that the variation in the private rate of transformation is more important than that in the social rate of transformation. Hence, the actual curvature of the production possibility curve in this case does not indicate the direction of substitution in production resulting from a given change in the commodity price ratio. It will be proven that the definition of factor intensities in production is of importance. The distortion in the factor market makes it possible to satisfy a given factor intensity condition defined in terms of input ratios while the corresponding condition defined in terms of elasticities in the production functions is either satisfied or violated. From the analysis it emerges that the existence of a distortion will lead to modifications of the familiar propositions concerning free trade. Thus, it is found that the effects on social utility from an opening of trade will depend on the correspondence vis-a-vis non-correspondence between the two definitions of factor intensities. In the analysis of the effects of a change in the distortion parameter, it is found that under certain conditions an exogenous increase in this parameter will lead to increased social utility. Although this study comments on and suggests some revisions of existing theory, it is considered to be an exercise in the pure theory of international trade and is entirely theoretical in that an empirical justification for the assumptions employed will not be attempted. / Arts, Faculty of / Vancouver School of Economics / Graduate

Banks and financial institutions in Hong Kong are increasingly finding themselves facing rapid increases in turbulence and complexity, leading to greater uncertainty and increased competition. Customers are also becoming more demanding. Apart from the traditional type of banking services, customers today require more personalized products and services, and access to such services at any time, and at any place. Although there is no panacea for banks to stay competitive, Internet Banking is one of the advanced information technologies they can employ to achieve a high level of customer services. Internet Banking is an emerging technology that permits conduct of banking transactions through the Internet. From the banks’ point of view, it requires the lowest transaction cost among various channels, just one percent of branch-based banking. It also can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of corporate business processes through elimination of paper work. One of the many benefits of Internet Banking is that customers can use bank services 24 hours a day from anywhere in the world. This study investigates university students' adoption/continual usage behaviour within the context of Hong Kong Internet Banking services. A research framework based on the extension of Technology Acceptance Model and Social Cognitive Theory was developed to identify factors that would influence the adoption/continual usage of Internet Banking. The framework includes subjective norm, image, result demonstrability, perceived risk, computer self-efficacy, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and intention constructs. A diverse sample of undergraduate and postgraduate students of seven universities in Hong Kong was used to test the models. Structural Equation Modeling was used to examine the entire pattern of intercorrelations among the eight proposed constructs and to test related propositions empirically. The results reveal that both subjective norm and computer self-efficacy play significant roles in influencing the intention to adopt Internet Banking indirectly. Perceived usefulness has significant positive effect on intention to adopt, this result supports the extension of the Technology Acceptance Model. Perceived ease of use has significant indirect effect on intention to adopt/continual usage through perceived usefulness, while its direct effect on intention to adopt is not significant in this empirical study. Theoretical contributions and practical implications of the findings are discussed and suggestions for future research are presented.

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references. / International capital flows have been an important subject of discussion in the finance and development literature as well as among policymakers. Discussion on international capital flows is inspired by the associated potential benefits which, in turn, have motivated a number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa and other regions to liberalise cross-border capital flows and to encourage greater inflows of foreign capital in recent times. The result of these efforts has been the recent surge in capital flows and changes in its composition towards more short-term flows...In this thesis the major determinants of the volume and maturity of foreign capital flows in selected sub-Saharan African countries are investigated. The impact of the volume and type of international capital flows on the volatility of investment, output and consumption growth in the selected countries are also examined. The studies involved dynamic panel and time series regression analyses of data obtained from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The results of the research work are presented as six stand-alone essays.

Robo-advising is an emerging trend in markets around the world. The term has come to refer almost exclusively to automated advisory services for financial investments or wealth management. Currently, in the South African market, financial services firms offer their own robo-advising platforms that only provide automated advice about their own products. This paper investigates the possibility of a roboadvising platform existing outside of these financial institutions. The paper reviews the preconditions that make robo-advising possible. Namely, risk profiling, portfolio allocation, availability of ETFs and accessible online trading platforms. The research shows that independent robo-advisers are possible in South Africa and a minimum viable implementation is presented.

Bibliography: leaves 181-200. / In line with global trends in the economy, the service industry is making an increasingly important contribution to South Africa's economy. In order to stay competitive in both the international and national economies, service organisations in South Africa face numerous challenges that have resulted from a country living through 40 years of Apartheid. A key challenge is the lack of skilled labour at both managerial and worker levels in organisations compounded by the need to manage a highly diverse workforce with different needs and expectations. Frontline employees form an integral part of the service offering of any service organisation and they carry the responsibility of projecting the image of the organisation and of creating a satisfying service experience for the customer. Service organisations can gain competitive advantage through the effective mobilisation of these employees through high quality human resource management practices. This study aims to investigate the link between human resource management (HRM) practices in service organisations in South Africa and the service-orientated behaviour of frontline employees and the role played by organisational commitment in this relationship. Seven HRM practices were investigated, namely selection, training and human resource development, pay and rewards, performance appraisal and management support. The study focused on three service industries in South Africa, namely hospitality, retail and car rental. The four South African organisations that participated in the research are currently regarded as market leaders in each of their industries.

Includes abstract. / Includes references. / Research has examined various factors that may inhibit the career progress of females but, as far as the researcher has been able to ascertain, STTUC has not been sufficiently investigated as a factor that may hamper such progress. This study suggests such a focus because the work setting constantly places individuals in positions where they are obliged to present their abilities and/or achievements. In order to address the evident gap in existing research, this study investigated the STTUC framework within the organisational context in Botswana, Africa. The main aim of this study was to investigate the antecedents of STTUC and to explore gender differences in the STTUC experiences of black employees in Botswana. The antecedents explored included individual characteristics (specifically, collectivistic cultural orientation, traditional gender role orientation, affiliative needs, interpersonal sensitivity and competitiveness), family-work variables (specifically, instrumental support from the spouse/partner and family-work conflict), and organisational variables (focusing specifically on masculine values within the organisational culture).

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references. / This empirical study investigates the extent to which Ugandan fish and flower exporters are creating value and increasing their profitability through innovation activity and whether or not they are improving their ability to manage innovation projects effectively. It applied a mixed-methodological approach using a survey questionnaire and semistructured in-depth interviews administered on production, quality control, marketing and financial managers. It used primary and secondary data to develop financial models to estimate operating profits from different combinations of product, process and marketing innovations at industry and company levels. Empirical evidence shows that the lines of business that are associated with the highest profitability in one period change over time, thus confirming the need for and potential benefits to be gained from innovation.

Bibliography: leaves 304-346. / The purpose of this study was to evaluate the implications of tax competition with specific reference to commodity and capital income taxation. From a theoretical perspective, tax competition can be explained as a process that involves various measures or strategies that governments can take on the same but also different levels to adjust their tax bases and/or rates (tax systems), in order to attract mobile factors of production from other regions. The alternative of tax coordination and harmonisation to tax competition, as applied in developed regions, and partial pursuit in some developing regions was also analysed.

Includes bibliographical references. / Waste management generally in South Africa is poorly defined and practised, and the inadequate management of health care waste (HCW) has been recognised by the South African government as a significant environmental and public health risk. The literature revealed that an integrated health care waste information system (IHCWIS) serves as an important intervention to address the issue of poor health care waste management (HCWM). The overall key research question which this research asked was: "How does an IHCWIS develop and become institutionalised among health care waste generators?" The aim of the research was to gather empirical data to understand how the development and institutionalisation of an IHCWIS contributes to effective HCWM.