It is important to control whether dominant companies in particular market sectors follow laws and rules and do not abuse their dominance at the expense of weaker companies. This behaviour is likely to damage current or avoid the entry of new competitors, shrink the competition and set the environment for price changes the consumer is exposed to. The thesis clarifies the theoretical aspect of this issue and tries to apply it on the real case from the railway transport sector in order to describe the procedure of defining relevant market and market share and investigating the abusive behaviour. A questionnaire survey among railway passeners is an integral part of the thesis. JEL Classification D21, D22, K21, L11, L12, L40 Keywords Predatory prices, relevant market, SSNIP test, railway transport, Czech Railways Author's e-mail Iva-Slamova@seznam.cz Supervisor's e-mail vacek@fsv.cuni.cz

abstract: This study is of professional development of secondary teachers seeking an English as Second Language (ESL) endorsement. Participants are secondary teachers of a major urban metropolitan school district with over 70% student population that is identified as speakers of a language other than English (LOTE). The study analyzes teachers' understanding of knowledge, skills and dispositions associated with teaching English Learners (ELs) after these teachers have completed a long term, coherent professional development program designed for urban secondary teachers of one school district. In seeking a determination, the study utilizes two guiding research questions. The first research question addresses what mainstream teachers say about their knowledge, skills and dispositions relative to teaching ELs. The second focuses on a more generalized understanding of what mainstream teachers say is important to understand about EL students. In order to interpret findings, the study utilizes two theoretical frameworks, Knowledge-for-Practice (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1999) and Cultural Relevant Teaching (Villegas & Lucas, 2002b). The primary data instrument is an e-survey, which includes open-ended and Likert questions. Data analysis includes an SPSS analysis for descriptive statistics, measures of internal reliability and Spearman correlation analysis, as well as constant comparison method (Glasser &Straus;, 1967; Straus & Corbin, 1994) of data from responses to open-ended questions. The findings suggest that teacher participants understand that supporting EL students' first Language facilitates connections to prior learning in their first language to school content. Respondents identify that scaffolding, heterogeneous grouping, and allowing of first language use among students are ways that foster learning of English while learning content. In terms of language perspectives on the use of English-only or English plus ELs' first language in classroom teaching, some respondents support English-only instruction for learning English and content while others identify the importance of first language support while learning English and content. Supporting ELs' cultural background is deemed important by respondents as a way of promoting EL student academic success. Respondents also identify supporting ELs' academic success through EL advocacy among fellow teachers as means to educate and guide teachers who are unfamiliar with teaching ELs. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Curriculum and Instruction 2012

O marco inicial da proposta de estudo é o Protocolo de Defesa da Concorrência no Mercosul Protocolo de Fortaleza, de 17/12/1996, que apesar de ter sido ratificado por alguns Estados-Parte do Mercosul, e no Brasil tendo sido ratificado por meio do Decreto nº 3.602, de 18/9/2000, pouquíssimo avanço foi identificado em muitos anos de vigência, seja por divergências políticas, seja por dificuldades de implantação, e ainda, por questões de conjuntura, em função de crises econômicas mundiais. A busca por formas de equilíbrio nas relações econômicas ao redor do globo, e seus impactos regionais na América Latina, é constante nos fóruns e organizações internacionais, inclusive envolvendo a repressão ao abuso do poder econômico e a defesa da concorrência, considerando esta um elemento importante para o desenvolvimento dos países da região. O estudo verificou a importância para análises que envolvem temas concorrenciais, por ser efetivamente a sua base e o ponto de partida, a questão da delimitação do mercado relevante. A pesquisa tratou de verificar a centralidade do tema na análise antitruste e a relevância do debate do direito da concorrência para a integração regional, focando especificamente o Mercosul e sua forma de regulação. A integração regional é um processo importante em face das desigualdades mundiais, e pode contribuir para uma melhor eficiência de negociações multilaterais em escala mundial, tornando, assim, útil e necessário o controle internacional do comércio, de forma a buscar o equilíbrio nas relações econômicas com o auxílio da defesa da concorrência. A relevância do tema é destacada pela transposição de fronteiras pelas atividades empresariais, levando também ao transbordamento dos limites de atuação dos órgãos nacionais competentes. Isto coloca a análise antitruste em interessante perspectiva, pois no âmbito nacional, a legislação e a atuação dos agentes está restrita às fronteiras dos países, mas na esfera de atuação do bloco econômico regional, a aplicação desta base normativa em função da extraterritorialidade pode e é muitas vezes questionada, no caso de ausência de regulação específica e/ou norma que autorize a cooperação internacional, advinda de uma instituição supranacional, não obstante a hipótese de reconhecimento e aplicação das normas editadas pelo Mercosul como sendo de Direito Comunitário. Assim, pretende-se demonstrar a importância do tema da regulação em matéria antitruste, focando a questão da definição do mercado relevante, especialmente em um bloco econômico regional como o Mercosul. / The initial mark of the proposed study here is Protocolo de Defesa da Concorrência no Mercosul Protocolo de Fortaleza (\"Competitor\'s Defense Protocol in Mercosul-Protocol of Fortaleza), as of Dec 17th, 1996, that despite being ratified by some States in Mercosul, and being validated in Brazil through Decret number 3.602 as of Sep 18th, 2000, very small advance has been identified in many years, for political reasons or difficulties in implementation, or also, for combination of factors of global economic crisis reasons. The search for a balance in economic relations around the Globe, and its regional impacts in Latin America, is common in foruns and international organizations, inclusively with repression to economic power abuse and the defense of the competition, considering this, an important element for the development of the region. In our study, we verify the importance for analysis involving competitors, because it is a starting point, the question of the relevant market limits. The search has verified how central this theme is in the anti-trust analysis and relevance of the debate about rights in competition for regional integration, focusing on Mercosul and its form of regulation. The regional integration is an important process in face of the global economic differences, and may contribute to a better efficiency of multilateral negotiation in global scale, becoming useful and necessary the international business control, in order to balance economic relations with competitors support. The relevance of the theme is revealed through frontiers transposition and business activities, leading to trespassing limits of international regulators. This statement puts the antitrust analysis in perspective, since national wide, the legislation and the agents reaction is restricted to the frontiers of the country, but on the sphere of the regional economic group, this legislation outside the territory may be and it is indeed usually, questioned, in case of the lack of specific regulation or norm, authorizing international cooperation from supra national institution, not disconsidering the hypothesis of recognition and application of norms edited by Mercosul as Common Law. This way, we intend to demonstrate the importance of the regulation theme in the anti trust scenario, focusing the question of a relevant market definition, specially in a regional economic group such as Mercosul.

O Sistema Agroindustrial do Leite (SAG) foi alvo de mudanças institucionais importantes nos últimos anos. Dentre essas mudanças podemos ressaltar a IN51 em 2002 e que mais tarde foi substituída pela IN 62 no ano de 2012. O objetivo da normativa foi de criar parâmetros técnicos de produção, identidade e qualidade do leite tipo A, de regular tecnicamente a identidade e qualidade do leite cru refrigerado, pasteurizado e regular tecnicamente a coleta de leite cru refrigerado e seu transporte a granel. Esse estudo pretende discutir: Quais os impactos das mudanças institucionais nas relações entre produtores rurais e laticínios no SAG do leite no Brasil? Foram utilizados como referênciais três correntes teóricas que se integram entre si. A primeira abordagem, a Nova Economia Institucional (NEI), na vertente macro, analisa o papel das instituições sobre o desempenho econômico tendo como precursor o laureado Nobel Douglass North. Para North (1990), a instituições são as regras do jogo de uma sociedade, enquanto os jogadores são as organizações. As instituições definem os incentivos aos agentes econômicos estabelecendo as condições em que as atividades empresariais possam florescer. Ou seja, as instituições importam para definir o ambiente de negócios. A segunda abordagem, a Organização Industrial (OI) fornece instrumentos para analisar os determinantes da estrutura de mercado, tais como ganhos de escala e escopo ou outros condicionantes de criação de barreiras à entrada. A terceira, a Economia dos Custos de Transação (ECT), permite analisar as escolhas estratégicas a partir dos condicionantes institucionais e de mercado, assim como fornece suporte para responder a questão de pesquisa, qual seja: entender a lógica econômica das mudanças nas estruturas de governança decorrentes das novas regulamentações que afetam o SAG do leite. Com base nas abordagens teóricas foram desenvolvidas duas preposição concorrentes, sobre o impacto na relação entre produtores e processadores. A primeira sob a ótica da ECT propôs que a regulamentação leva à queda da especificidade dos ativos (temporal e locacional) e, portanto relações mais tênues entre os produtores rurais e laticínios deveriam emergir. A segunda propôs o oposto, que a IN leva ao aumento do mercado relevante e, sob a ótica da OI, cresce a necessidade de estratégias dos laticínios de relações mais próximas com o produtor (fidelização). Nas regiões produtoras de leite estudadas (Ponte Nova-Minas Gerais e Castro - Paraná) constatou-se aumento de estratégias de fidelização, com contratos formais de pagamento por qualidade e assistência técnica. / The Milk Agribusiness System (MAS) has been subject of important institutional changes in the past few years. Among these changes, we highlight the IN51 as of 2002, that was later replaced by IN 62 as of 2012. The objective of these change was that of creating normative technical parameters for the production, identity and quality of the A type milk, of technically regulating the identity and quality of refrigerated pasteurized and raw milk, and that of technically regulating the collection of refrigerated raw milk and its transportation in bulk. This study aims to discuss: What are the impacts of institutional changes in the relationship between dairy farmers and dairy regulators in the MAS in Brazil? We have used as benchmark three theoretical approaches that integrate together. The first approach, the New Institutional Economics (NIE), in its macro view, examines the role of institutions on economic performance, having as a precursor the Nobel laureate Douglass North. According to North (1990), institutions are the rules of a society, while the players are the organizations. Institutions define the incentives given to economic agents, by establishing the conditions in which business activities can flourish. This means that institutions matter to define the business environment. The second approach, the Industrial Organization (IO), provides tools to analyze the determinants of market structure, such as economies of scale and scope or other constraints; to create entry barriers. The third, Transaction Cost Economics (TCE) allows for the analysis of strategic choices out of the institutional and market constraints, as well as provides support to answer the research question, which is: understanding the economic logic of the governance shifts arising from the new regulations affecting the MAS. Based on these theoretical approaches, two competing hypotheses about the impact on the relationship between producers and processors have been developed. The first, in the perspective of TCE, proposed that regulation leads to lower asset specificity (temporal and locational) and therefore, more tenuous relations between farmers and dairy producers should emerge. The second proposed the opposite, that IO leads to an increase in the relevant market and, from the perspective of IO, a growth in the need for forthcoming strategies between processors and producers (loyalty relationship). In the milk-producing regions studied (Ponte Nova Minas Gerais and Castro - Paraná) we have found and increase in loyalty strategies, with formal contracts of payment in exchange for quality and service.

This study examined experiences of teachers in ex-Model C secondary schools in Port Elizabeth with specific reference to the strategies adopted, challenges and rewards of teaching in diverse classrooms. It is located in the realm of diversity pedagogy and multi-cultural education and contextualized against the socio-political and colourful historical climate of education in South Africa. This study was conducted by using the qualitative research approach against the backdrop of the phenomenological design according to the interpretivist paradigm. Data were elicited through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 16 teachers from 4 ex-Model C English medium secondary schools (formerly White schools) who had experiences of teaching both pre-1994, when schools were mono-ethnic, and post-1994 when the schools were multi-ethnic. The interviews were transcribed and the rich thick data were analysed and categorized into themes and sub-themes by adopting a constant comparative method. The findings of the study indicate that teachers failed to embrace diversity to its fullest, although they did not mind teaching diverse learners. Furthermore, it is evident that they have not made concerted efforts to implement culturally responsive teaching strategies to cater for diversity in their classes as the approaches tend to be cosmetic and superficial. The findings indicate that teachers are stuck in the quagmire of business as usual-, colour-blind-, assimilationist, contributionist approaches that militate against culturally responsive pedagogy. It is recommended that teachers be empowered with skills in diversity education by various stakeholders such as School Governing Bodies, the Department of Basic Education and teacher unions so that they are better equipped to implement strategies in their classes that cater to the needs of a diverse learner population.

The role of attention and perceptual resources were studied in a one-back task and a letter-search task, both using the same stimuli. In the letter task, pictures were used as task-irrelevant and distracting emotional stimuli. The emotional processing of the pictures was measured through the Late Positive Potential (LPP), an event-related potential (ERP) recorded with EEG. LPP activity was significantly greater to emotional than neutral stimuli during the one-back task; this shows that emotional stimuli were processed during an easy task (low load). However, LPP activity dropped for all stimuli during the difficult perceptual task (high load). Selective processes of attention are discussed, in relation to Load Theory and the ability to ignore task-irrelevant, but emotionally significant, stimuli.

Smyslem práce bylo popsat a kriticky zhodnotit právní úpravu dominantního postavení a s ním úzce spojené vymezení relevantního trhu v prostředí České republiky, Evropské unie a kolébky moderního antitrustového zákonodárství Spojených států amerických. Důraz byl kladen na komparativní analýzu systémů, zejména co se týče vymezení klíčových pojmů a celkového přístupu. Nastíněn byl historický vývoj soutěžního práva se zaměřením na dominantní postavení, jehož určení může mít pro soutěžitele nepříjemné následky a nutnost větší opatrnosti. Následně byly podrobněji představeny úpravy ve vymezených systémech s ohledem na zásadní otázky stanovení dominantního postavení na trhu současně s podrobným představením vymezování relevantního trhu, kde se následně dominance určuje, přes průběžné objasňování a diskutování dalších pojmů v právních předpisech využívaných. Značný prostor byl věnován problematice substituovatelnosti výrobků a služeb, který představoval základní úskalí při vymezování relevantního trhu. Při výkladu bylo pracováno zejména s právními předpisy, klíčovými rozhodnutími soudních orgánů, doplňkovými výkladovými materiály a odbornou literaturou. Práce také částečně hodnotí účelnost a funkčnost úpravy. V praktické části práce byly rozebrány dva vzorové případy Úřadu pro ochranu hospodářské soutěže,...

La libéralisation du transport aérien et maritime a entrainé, à l'instar des autres secteurs, la transformation des infrastructures respectives afin que la libre concurrence soit assurée. Or, à côté des autres conséquences entrainées sur l'exploitation des infrastructures, l'évolution majeure a été le déploiement d'une concurrence entre elles. Malgré les missions particulières de satisfaction de l'intérêt général qui peuvent peser sur les infrastructures de transport et même si chaque infrastructure prise isolément détient un pouvoir de marché considérable, les infrastructures aéroportuaires ou portuaires sont susceptibles de subir une pression concurrentielle. En effet, les caractéristiques de monopole naturel des aéroports et des ports ont été relativisées sous l'effet de la mobilité dans l'économie de transport. Tant les aéroports que les ports deviennent souvent des maillons dans les stratégies concurrentielles des transporteurs, qui constituent leurs interlocuteurs puissants. Le droit a réagi à ce phénomène économique avec le démantèlement des monopoles étatiques, par leur privatisation ou décentralisation, et la restructuration des infrastructures. Par conséquent, il a entrainé une concurrence entre les opérateurs qui ont émergé, qui s'exerce pour et dans le «marché des infrastructures». Il s'agit certainement d'un marché «hétéro-déterminé», c'est à-dire hautement dépendant de la concurrence des transporteurs. D'une part, la délimitation du marché pertinent prend en compte le marché du transport, d'autre part, les formes que peut revêtir la concurrence entre infrastructures ou leur coopération éventuelle sont dictées par les stratégies des transporteurs. / The liberalization of air and maritime transport has resulted in the transformation of the respective infrastructures, in order to facilitate competition between transport operators. However, the most remarkable change has been the development of competition between them. In spite of the particular tasks of general interest assigned to the infrastructures of transport and although each infrastructure taken separately holds a considerable market power, airports and ports are susceptible to competitive pressure. Indeed, the natural monopoly characteristics have been relativized due to the mobility in the economy of transport. Both airports and ports often become simple links in the competitive strategies of carriers, which constitute their powerful counterparts. The law responded to this economic phenomenon, by dismantling state monopolies, proceeding to their privatization or decentralization. Therefore, this tendency has led to a competition between emerged operators, for and within the "market of infrastructures". This market is certainly "hetero-determined", which means that it is highly dependent of the competition in the market of transport. Thus, the definition of the relevant market takes into account the market of transport. Besides, the possible forms of competition or cooperation between infrastructures are determined by the carrier strategies.

abstract: This study investigates Black male students' perceptions of their teachers' curricular expectations in mathematics classrooms. Curriculum in this study refers to what knowledge students are expected to learn, and the manner in which they are expected to learn it. The topic of this dissertation is in response to persisting and prevailing achievement disparities experienced by secondary Black male students in mathematics. These disparities exist at the school, district, state, and national level. Utilizing an action research methodology, multiple cycles of data collection led to the final iteration of the study, collecting strictly qualitative data and drawing from critical race methodology to address the three research questions. The three research questions of this study seek to address how Black male students perceive their mathematics teachers’ curricular expectations, what practices they have found to be effective in meeting their teachers’ higher curricular expectations, and to determine how they view the reform practices as part of the intervention. Research questions were answered using one-on-one and focus group interviews, classroom observations, and student journals. An intervention was developed and delivered as part of the action research, which was an attempt at curriculum reform influenced by culturally relevant pedagogy, warm demander pedagogy, and youth participatory action research. Findings from the qualitative methods, led to four assertions. The first assertion states, despite achievement disparities, Black male students care very much about their academic success. Second, a primary factor hindering Black male students’ academic success, as communicated by participants, is what they are learning and how they are learning it. Speaking to teachers’ expectations, participants believe their teachers want them to succeed and think highly of them. Additionally, participants preferred interactive, enthusiastic, and caring teachers, even if those teachers are academically demanding. Finally, participants found learning mathematics addressing a problem that affects them, while incorporating components that address their invisibility in the curriculum, increased relevance, interest, and academic self-awareness. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2020

America's school-age population is experiencing a demographic shift. In 1972, students of color represented 22% of the school-age population; in 2005, minority students accounted for 33% of public school enrollment (Statistics, 2007 Villegas, 2002). This study sought to explore how these changing demographics affected University Town Community Schools, the district's interventions, and teachers' perceptions to those interventions. This study also explored teachers' feelings of efficacy when teaching minority students. Using a qualitative study among third-, fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade elementary school teachers, a random sample of 9 teachers from schools comprising a minority population of at least 40% were interviewed. Data analysis involved the use of themes that emerged from the interview data, observations, and quotations from participants. The findings indicated that the district acted on a school-by-school basis, with no specific actions to target any one racial group. Meanwhile, teachers were inconsistent when discussing race, behavior, and learning. Teachers felt comfortable assigning behaviors based on race and culture, but were hesitant to assign learning strengths and weaknesses based on race or culture.