The thesis is concerning household indebtedness through credit cards, funding of these credits and how the consumer is affected. The focus is mainly on the current situation in the United States, nevertheless some observations from the former Korean credit card crisis are pointed out. The thesis describes the development of the credit card debt and identifies reasons and consequences of the expansion. The role of the state as setting conditions of the market and solving possible market failure is also mentioned.

This diploma work analytically examines data resources and conditions for the implementation of an electronic identifier for an insured person in the Czech Republic with relation to the Europian Union. It describes the concept of a single electronic identification method and the possibilities for the utilization of different technologies and extreme situations that may arise in connection with the deficiencies of the judicial code, that would clearly work manipulation with the personal data, its security and access to it. Here compared in this work are the merits and disadvantages of the implementation or adversely the non-implementation of the electronic identifier via a cost-benetfit analysis that gives an answer to the economic question about the implementation of the project, and also describes the benefits for each group of beneficiaries.

The thesis deals with the issues of record keeping of the municipal property with regard to their development. The main goal is an identification of obtaining information resources for property passportization from time and financial point of view. The property passportization is defined as multifunctional record keeping and the thesis contains a proposal based on experience (for real estate -- on the basis of real situation in municipalities). The draft of the evidential card is created in Microsoft Excel.

Empirical studies that reviewed e-government status in developing countries found that e-government research scholars preferred to ask, ‘What is happening?’ rather than ‘Why is it happening?’. This showed little use of theory when it came to e-government study. Although high failure rates can happen anywhere, e-government research seemingly forgets to raise the question of why. To fill this gap, actor-network theory (ANT) was employed by this thesis as an analytical lens to investigate the failure case study of the Smart ID Card project, which was expected to revolutionise Thai public services with a single multi-propose ID card. Critical realism was the philosophical standpoint that framed the basic thinking in this study. It was intended to reflect on the e-government failure phenomenon; query its realities, and find a new set of answers. To achieve the aim of this study, both documentary research and in-depth interviews with relevant key persons were conducted, in order to synthesise the casual relationship and failure mechanisms in the Smart ID Card project. Firstly, the lens of ANT observed the causes of failure that originated from the problematization process, which referred to the role of the focal actor, the Cabinet, and less room for other actors (e.g. main public agencies and citizens) to negotiate in forming the actor-network of the Smart ID Card project. This led to unrealistic, unreachable objectives in the actor-network and opened the door to failure right from the beginning. Secondly, the interessement process, which had great importance in locking actors into position, was incomplete. Thus, the focal actor failed to enact standardisation, laws, regulations and a budget through negligence or lack of concern. This resulted in the failure of both human and non-human actors to enter the actor-network. Thirdly, the uncontrolled chaos in the enrolment process weakened endurance of the actor-network in facing its obstacles, for example, the emergence of a counter-network, which aimed to attack the main actor-network, the transformation of a non-human actor (Smart ID Card) that became a Trojan actor, and the instability of the focal actor. These obstacles brought disassociation among actors in the actor-network and led to the final moment, the betrayal. Fourthly, the betrayal resulted from errors in the earlier moments, which caused betrayal everywhere in the actor-network. All relevant human and non-human actors betrayed the actor-network by not working or supporting it properly in attempting to achieve its goals. Finally, the actor-network of the Smart ID Card project collapsed and could not function to reach its objectives. This meant that the Smart ID Card project did not revolutionise Thai public services as planned. This thesis is one of few theory based-works that contribute to the use of ANT modification as a unique vehicle for investigating failure phenomenon, especially in e-government projects in developing countries. The lessons learned from the story of failure in this study provide new solutions that open the door to successful e-government development.

Vulnerable consumers are likely to fall victim to negative marketplace outcomes due to the secondary effects of marketing practices. In particular, credit card targeting directed towards young people elicits ethical criticisms because of the perceived vulnerability of the target segment, the targeting efforts that are deemed more predatory than informative, and the stigmatising protectionist policies that limit the youths’ financial freedom. Vulnerable consumers are often overlooked in marketing considerations, leaving it to the public policy to intervene. This thesis aims to show that vulnerability is a marketing problem as much as it is a public policy issue, by highlighting the social effects of unethical marketing directed towards vulnerable consumers. The study depicts how young people, supposedly representing the most educated segment of the population, come to experience vulnerability due to credit card misuse and indebtedness. In addition, the study introduces a new concept and measure of susceptibility to credit card misuse and indebtedness (SCCMI) to investigate the extent to which youths are influenced by credit card temptations, which affect their likelihood to experience negative credit card outcomes. This study examines youth vulnerability and susceptibility to credit card misuse and indebtedness in a cross-country context, as the issue of vulnerability and power imbalance is arguably more pressing in the international market. The sampling involves young (18-25 years) credit card users in Singapore, Malaysia and the UK. These countries represent different degrees of credit card issuance and consumer protection regulations, which affect the youths’ credit card attitude and behaviour. The first study utilises qualitative methodology to examine youth vulnerability to credit card misuse. Baker et al.’s (2005) situational framework of actual consumer vulnerability helps to identify relevant themes pertained to the youths’ experience of credit card misuse and indebtedness. The qualitative study also serves as an exploratory phase to the subsequent quantitative study. The qualitative results enhance the conceptualisation and measurement scale development of SCCMI measure. The study then tested the validity, reliability and parsimony of the SCCMI measure and its proposed antecedent and consequent factors across the Malaysian, Singaporean and UK country samples. Vulnerability and susceptibility assessments in this study yield theoretical, methodological and practical implications. Vulnerability analysis draws upon the internal characteristics and external conditions that both facilitate and impede such vulnerability. Meanwhile, assessment of susceptibility provides an analytical tool to foresee and pre-empt future vulnerability. This study offers methodological contributions in its use of mixed methods, as a qualitative inquiry aids in understanding vulnerability while quantitative inquiry focuses on foreseeing potential vulnerability. A cross-country study analysis is valuable as it sheds light on the differences and similarities of consumer vulnerability and susceptibility across developing and developed countries. The study inform marketers that there are negative social consequences arising from unethical targeting practices, which leads to distrust and scepticism over credit card marketing directed towards youths. However, the youths’ experience of vulnerability also varies across individuals, which indicate that protectionist policies that shield the entire youth population from credit card exposure are not always necessary. Both credit card marketers and policy makers have the capacities to redress and pre-empt vulnerability without sacrificing the youths’ financial welfare and rights to harness the benefits that credit cards have to offer.

This thesis is focused on the issue of registers of public administration with a focus on identification of persons. The analysis is compared to the current state of the system registers with the future government of the state, after the introduction of information system of basic registers of 1 July 2012. The theoretical part deals with the history of public registers, important milestones, development and a description of the system and relevant legislation of the Czech Republic. In the practical part of the analysis is done comparison of both conditions in selected life situations. In this part is included description of the functioning of the internal processes of the newly introduced information system of basic registers, his logic, infrastructure and interconnectedness of the elements.

The goal of this Master's thesis is to describe the services in the electronic tolling system in the Czech republic with a focus on services of financial intermediaries and customer services center, with which come users in contact most frequently. In the capture "Electronic tolling system" are on the base of the analyzed literature presented the technological approaches to construct the electronic tolling systems, a legislative framework for them and the characterization of the Czech tolling system. The section devoted to the services of financial intermediaries describes the institutional framework of their operations, selected products of them and considerate about possible form of their products in term of the European tolling service. The capture dedicated to customer services center describe its position within the system, its organizational structure and on the base of users requirements frequency describes the most common questions of them. On the end of the capture considerate about possible forms of its functions in terms of European interoperable tolling system. The conclusion summarizes the information from all the captures and its assessing the meets of individual objectives

La vérification de la résistance aux attaques des implémentations embarquées des vérifieurs de code intermédiaire Java Card est une tâche complexe. Les méthodes actuelles n'étant pas suffisamment efficaces, seule la génération de tests manuelle est possible. Pour automatiser ce processus, nous proposons une méthode appelée VTG (Vulnerability Test Generation, génération de tests de vulnérabilité). En se basant sur une représentation formelle des comportements fonctionnels du système sous test, un ensemble de tests d'intrusions est généré. Cette méthode s'inspire des techniques de mutation et de test à base de modèle. Dans un premier temps, le modèle est muté selon des règles que nous avons définies afin de représenter les potentielles attaques. Les tests sont ensuite extraits à partir des modèles mutants. Deux modèles Event-B ont été proposés. Le premier représente les contraintes structurelles des fichiers d'application Java Card. Le VTG permet en quelques secondes de générer des centaines de tests abstraits. Le second modèle est composé de 66 événements permettant de représenter 61 instructions Java Card. La mutation est effectuée en quelques secondes. L'extraction des tests permet de générer 223 tests en 45 min. Chaque test permet de vérifier une précondition ou une combinaison de préconditions d'une instruction. Cette méthode nous a permis de tester différents mécanismes d'implémentations de vérifieur de code intermédiaire Java Card. Bien que développée pour notre cas d'étude, la méthode proposée est générique et a été appliquée à d'autres cas d'études.

This study examined the effects of switching from an incentive pay system solely based on productivity to a scorecard-based incentive pay system. Performance of staff and senior accountants was analyzed across three departments for a two-year baseline and a three-year intervention period. Results showed that percent of charge hour goal remained high during the study. Once the scorecard-based incentive system was implemented, performance on the other line items increased or remained at or above goal levels. Incentive payouts were generally higher under the second incentive plan than under the first for top performers. Possible explanations for data trends, weaknesses of the measures within the scorecard, measure/line item alternatives and implications for future research are also discussed.

This dissertation presents the findings of a generic model aimed at providing secure communication with remote computers via the Internet, based on smart cards. The results and findings are analysed and presented in great detail, in particular the behaviour and performance of smart cards when used to provide the cryptographic functionality. Two implemented models are presented. The first model uses SSL to secure the communication channel over the Internet while using smart cards for user authentication and storage of cryptographic keys. The second model presents the SSH for channel security and smart cards for user authentication, key storage and actual encryption and decryption of data. The model presented is modular and generic by nature, meaning that it can easily be modified to accept the newer protocol by simply including the protocols in a library and with a minor or no modification to both server and client application software. For example, any new algorithm for encryption, key exchange, signature, or message digest, can be easily accommodated into the system, which proves that the model is generic and can easily be integrated into newer technologies. Similarly, smart cards are used for cryptography. Two options are presented: first the smart cards only store the algorithm keys and user authentication, and secondly, smart cards are used for storing the algorithm keys, user authentication, and actual data encryption or decryption, as the requirement may dictate. This is very useful, for example, if data to be transferred is limited to a few bytes, then actual data encryption and decryption is performed using smart cards. On the other hand, if a great deal of data is to be transferred, then only authentication and key storage are performed with smart cards. The model currently uses 3DES with smart card encryption and decryption, because this is faster and consumes fewer resources when compared to RSA. Once again, the model design is flexible to accommodate new algorithms such as AES or IDEA. Important aspects of the dissertation are the study and analysis of the security attacks on smart card use. Several smart card attack scenarios are presented in CHAPTER 3, and their possible prevention is also discussed in detail. AFRIKAANS : Hierdie verhandeling bied die bevindinge van 'n generiese model wat daarop gemik is om veilige kommunikasie te voorsien met 'n afstandsrekenaar via die Internet en op slimkaarte gebaseer. Die resultate en bevindings word ontleed en breedvoerig aangebied, veral die gedrag en werkverrigting van slimkaarte wanneer hulle gebruik word om die kriptografiese funksionaliteit te voorsien. Daar word twee geïmplementeerde modelle aangebied. Die eerste model gebruik SSL om die kommunikasiekanaal oor die Internet te beveilig terwyl slimkaarte vir gebruikerbekragtiging en stoor van kriptografiese sleutels gebruik word. Die tweede model bied die SSH vir kanaalsekuriteit en slimkaarte vir gebruikergeldigheidvasstelling, sleutelstoor en werklike kodering en dekodering van data. Die model wat aangebied word, is modulêr en generies van aard, wat beteken dat dit maklik gewysig kan word om die jongste protokolle te aanvaar deur bloot die protokolle by 'n programbiblioteek met geringe of geen wysiging van beide die bediener- en kliënttoepassingsagteware in te sluit. Byvoorbeeld, enige nuwe algoritme vir kodering, sleuteluitruiling, handtekening of boodskapbondeling kan maklik in die stelsel gehuisves word, wat bewys dat die model generies is en maklik in jonger tegnologieë geïntegreer kan word. Slimkaarte word op soortgelyke wyse vir kriptografie gebruik. Daar word twee keuses aangebied: eerstens stoor die slimkaarte slegs die algoritmesleutels en gebruikergeldigheidvasstelling en tweedens word slimkaarte gebruik om die algoritmesleutels, gebruikergeldigheidvasstelling en werklike datakodering en –dekodering te stoor na gelang van wat vereis word. Dit is baie nuttig, byvoorbeeld, wanneer data wat oorgedra moet word, tot 'n paar grepe beperk is, word die eintlike datakodering en – dekodering uitgevoer deur slimkaarte te gebruik. Andersyds, indien 'n groot hoeveelheid data oorgedra moet word, word slegs geldigheidvasstelling en stoor met slimkaarte uitgevoer. Die model gebruik tans 3DES met slimkaartkodering en –dekodering omdat dit vinniger is en minder hulpbronne gebruik vergeleke met RSA. Die modelontwerp is weer eens buigsaam om nuwe algoritmes soos AES of IDEA te huisves. Nog 'n belangrike aspek van die verhandeling is om die sekuriteitaanvalle op slimkaartgebruik te ondersoek en te ontleed. Verskeie slimkaartaanvalscenario's word in Hoofstuk 3 aangebied en die moontlike voorkoming daarvan word ook breedvoerig bespreek. / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering / unrestricted