This work explores the relationship from 1925 to 1939 between the business and government leaders of Indianapolis and the development of a municipal airport for the city. Beginning in 1925, local leaders worked to provide the city with a public airport. The initiation of three distinct and consecutive airport projects during this period closely tied development of a public airport with the commercial future of Indianapolis. The Chamber of Commerce led the first project, which established a public airport shared with the Indiana National Guard. Soon after this airport opened, the City of Indianapolis, with the cooperation of the Chamber of Commerce, undertook the development of a larger municipal airport in Indianapolis that opened in 1931. Finally, in 1938 the city government cooperated with the Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) to build a national aviation experimental station at the Indianapolis Municipal Airport.

Plus de soixante-quinze ans après la création des Règles et usances uniformes relatives aux crédits documentaires par la Chambre de commerce internationale, pouvons-nous parler d'un véritable succès international de la lettre de crédit commerciale à titre d'instrument de paiement fiable et sécuritaire ? Nonobstant sa triple finalité et l'application formaliste de ses principes d'incessibilité, de stricte conformité et de double autonomie qui ont su, au cours des années, répondre aux besoins résultant de l'évolution du commerce international, il nous semble utopique de parler d'un tel succès. Mais pourquoi ? Confrontées aux réglementations nationales ainsi qu'aux pratiques nationalistes et protectionnistes des états qui ont pourtant adhéré aux Règles et usances relatives aux crédits documentaires, la malléabilité de ces règles semble avoir dénaturé la lettre de crédit commerciale de ses principaux attributs. À cet égard, nous pouvons nous demander si la lettre de crédit commerciale est une facilité de crédit désuète ou incomprise ? La présente thèse est le fruit de maintes réflexions sur les problèmes liés à l'application et l'interprétation de la lettre de crédit commerciale à titre d'instrument international et plus particulièrement sur les lacunes des Règles et usances uniformes relatives aux crédits documentaires. / More than seventy-five years after the creation of the Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits by the International Chamber of Commerce, can we talk about a true international success of the commercial letter of credit as a reliable and secured instrument of payment? Notwithstanding its triple functions and the formalistic application of its principles of non-assignability, of strict compliance and of dual autonomy, which have answered the needs resulting from the evolution of international commerce, it seems unrealistic to talk about such success. But why? Confronted with the national regulations as well as nationalist and protectionist practices of the states which have nevertheless ratified the Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits, the malleability of those rules seems to have been misrepresented of the principal attributes of the commercial letter of credit. ln that respect, we can ask ourselves if the commercial letter of credit is an outdated or misunderstood credit facility? The present thesis is the fruit of many reflections on the problems linked with the application and the interpretation of the commercial letter of credit as an international instrument of payment and more particularly, on the gaps of the Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits.

Créée en 1719 pour lancer une nouvelle représentation de la sphère « commerciale » au sein de la généralité, la Chambre de commerce de La Rochelle, point central d’une organisation institutionnelle complexe, participe activement à la vie politique et économique du royaume. Malgré la rivalité organique qui la fragilise, cette neuvième chambre parvient finalement à se présenter comme l’interlocuteur privilégié du négociant et son plus fervent défenseur. En tant qu’intermédiaire entre les rouages du pouvoir et les maisons de commerce, elle devient le pilier du négoce de la généralité et aussi sa mémoire, en collectant une abondante correspondance et de nombreux écrits touchant au commerce. Inscrite dans une logique de participation mais aussi de contestation, sa défense des intérêts locaux au sein du vaste intérêt national trouve tout particulièrement à s’exprimer dans les relations commerciales avec l’Europe du Nord. Certes, les préoccupations essentielles du commerce sont ailleurs, dans la mesure où ce circuit maritime ne saurait rivaliser en importance avec le trafic colonial et la traite négrière. Pour autant, les négociants rochelais n’entendent pas se résigner à la situation de fait qui prévaut dans la route du Nord : des denrées coloniales et des marchandises françaises fort convoitées par l’espace septentrional, mais transportées presque exclusivement sous pavillon étranger. Connus pour être de « grands disputeurs et faiseurs de mémoires », les Rochelais ne manquent pas d’analyser au fond les causes de la crise du commerce direct entre le Nord de l’Europe et le royaume. Ils dénoncent non seulement la mainmise quasi hégémonique des Anglais et des Hollandais sur cette voie d’échanges, mais également les mesures adoptées par les bureaux de Versailles qu’ils jugent trop timides. Cette réalité, expliquée jusqu’alors par des considérations d’ordre économique, politique et culturel, se colore de tout autres teintes si l’on prend en considération la norme juridique. Analysée à plusieurs niveaux et dans plusieurs dimensions, cette dernière révèle une inégalité de traitement manifeste entre négociants français et étrangers. Ententes diplomatiques, traités internationaux, législation douanière, cadre institutionnel, toutes les composantes de la règle de droit jouent un rôle important dans le fonctionnement de ce circuit maritime. Toutefois, la corrélation entre la règle de droit et le commerce du Nord ne saurait être appréhendée par la seule étude des échanges avec le port de La Rochelle. Le regard doit se porter également vers les modèles institutionnels et douaniers septentrionaux. Or ces derniers confirment que la spécificité de la norme juridique dans certains États du Nord constitue un élément déterminant de cette carte maritime. Et au-delà de ce constat, l’analyse attentive de l’un des plus anciens monuments du droit maritime médiéval, par ailleurs à l’origine de la ligue hanséatique, conduit à une singulière découverte : ce texte, connu sous le nom de « Lois de Visby » laisse transparaître, dans le berceau même de l’Europe du Nord, une très nette influence romaine. / Created in 1719 to launch a new representation of the "trade” sphere within the general population, the La Rochelle Chamber of Commerce, the central point of a complex institutional organization, participates actively in the political and economic life of the kingdom. In spite of the organic rivalry which weakens it, this ninth Chamber succeeds finally in becoming the privileged representative of the trader and its most fervent supporter. As the middleman between the wheels of power and the trading companies, it becomes not only the mainstay of popular trade, but also its recorder, by collecting numerous items of correspondence and papers relating to trade. In a policy of both participation and dispute, its defense of local interests within the vast national interest is especially to be found in business relations with Northern Europe. Admittedly, the main trade concerns are elsewhere, as this maritime circuit could never compete in importance with colonial traffic and the slave trade. For all that, the Rochelais traders do not intend to give up - which is shown in the route to the North: colonial commodities and French products, strongly desired by the North, but transported almost exclusively under a foreign flag. Famous for being "big debaters and memory makers", the Rochelais do not fail to analyze the root causes of the direct business crisis between Northern Europe and the kingdom. They denounce not only the almost hegemonic control that both the English and the Dutch have over these trade routes, but also the measures adopted by the Versailles offices which they consider too timid. This reality, explained until then, by economic, political and cultural considerations, looks completely different if we consider the legal rule. Analyzed on several levels and in several dimensions, the latter reveals an obvious disparity of treatment between French and foreign traders. Diplomatic agreements, international treaties, customs legislation, institutional framework, all the components of legal rule, play an important role in the functioning of this maritime circuit. However, the correlation between legal rule and trade with the North could not be explained merely by the observance of trade exchanges with the port of La Rochelle. The northern institutional and customs models must also be examined. And yet these models confirm that the specificity of legal rule in some Northern States constitutes a determining element of this maritime chart. Furthermore, the careful analysis of one of the oldest monuments of medieval maritime law, at the origin of the Hanseatic league, leads to a singular discovery: this text, known by the name of "Lois de Visby" shows clearly, in the cradle of Northern Europe, a very clear Roman influence.

Plus de soixante-quinze ans après la création des Règles et usances uniformes relatives aux crédits documentaires par la Chambre de commerce internationale, pouvons-nous parler d'un véritable succès international de la lettre de crédit commerciale à titre d'instrument de paiement fiable et sécuritaire ? Nonobstant sa triple finalité et l'application formaliste de ses principes d'incessibilité, de stricte conformité et de double autonomie qui ont su, au cours des années, répondre aux besoins résultant de l'évolution du commerce international, il nous semble utopique de parler d'un tel succès. Mais pourquoi ? Confrontées aux réglementations nationales ainsi qu'aux pratiques nationalistes et protectionnistes des états qui ont pourtant adhéré aux Règles et usances relatives aux crédits documentaires, la malléabilité de ces règles semble avoir dénaturé la lettre de crédit commerciale de ses principaux attributs. À cet égard, nous pouvons nous demander si la lettre de crédit commerciale est une facilité de crédit désuète ou incomprise ? La présente thèse est le fruit de maintes réflexions sur les problèmes liés à l'application et l'interprétation de la lettre de crédit commerciale à titre d'instrument international et plus particulièrement sur les lacunes des Règles et usances uniformes relatives aux crédits documentaires. / More than seventy-five years after the creation of the Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits by the International Chamber of Commerce, can we talk about a true international success of the commercial letter of credit as a reliable and secured instrument of payment? Notwithstanding its triple functions and the formalistic application of its principles of non-assignability, of strict compliance and of dual autonomy, which have answered the needs resulting from the evolution of international commerce, it seems unrealistic to talk about such success. But why? Confronted with the national regulations as well as nationalist and protectionist practices of the states which have nevertheless ratified the Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits, the malleability of those rules seems to have been misrepresented of the principal attributes of the commercial letter of credit. ln that respect, we can ask ourselves if the commercial letter of credit is an outdated or misunderstood credit facility? The present thesis is the fruit of many reflections on the problems linked with the application and the interpretation of the commercial letter of credit as an international instrument of payment and more particularly, on the gaps of the Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits.

This thesis firstly attempts to provide a theoretical basis for how the complex cases related to corporate misbehaviour in relation to human rights respect should be handled. Secondly, it attempts to critically examine how well the Swedish National Contact Point (SNCP) functionsin relation to its goals through the usage of elite interviews. Thirdly and finally it also explores the interest of concerned stakeholders in finding other non-judicial conflictmanagement mechanisms for cases within the CSR – human rights nexus at other mediation institutions such as the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC) and/or the InternationalChamber of Commerce (ICC). The thesis argues that it is possible and advisable to apply Dworkin’s idea of hard cases to the conflictual cases appearing within CSR-human rights nexus in Sweden. It directs criticism towards the usage of opaque social pressure currently applied when hard cases within the CSR-human rights nexus are to be solved. It argues that usage of such pressure both makes it hard to follow up on decisions made and makes it questionable whether victims of human rights abuses related to corporate conduct are provided with effective access to remedy. It suggests that Dworkin’s general principles of equal respect and concern is a least common denominator for the demands placed on conflict management mechanisms within the CSRhuman rights nexus by both relevant soft law instruments and respondents in the elite interviews carried out for the thesis. As a result of the interview survey the thesis draws the conclusion that the SNCP to a major extent seems to have failed in the fulfilment of its goals and the expectations placed upon it as stipulated by the OECD 2000 guidelines. What is more the SNCP seems little equipped to meet the requirements of the 2011 version of the OECD guidelines and the UN Guiding Principles unless some sincere and large scale efforts are made by the Swedish government and other concerned parties in the SNC’s regeneration. The thesis found the interest among concerned stakeholders for alternative conflict management mechanisms at the SCC and the ICC to be generally low. Respondents generally thought that the challenges for such private institutions to procure the confidence of both sides in a conflict would be too difficult for them to overcome.

Influence of non-state transnational actors on decision-making of sovereign states is one of the most important topics in the international relations discipline. Some academic approaches consider this influence as quite important. Others perceive it as only secondary. Economic actors are a specific case because they on one hand bring know-how, employment and economic growth. On the other hand, they decrease sovereignty of the host states. This thesis tries to uncover influence of the two strongest non-state transnational economic actors in the Czech Republic - German and Japanese Chambers of Commerce. The topic of lobbying of these actors in the case of lack of labor force in the Czech Republic was chosen because of its good empirics. The text also aims to test assumptions according to which bargaining power of such actors is influenced by geographical distance between the host state and home country of the transnational actor. This thesis also wants to address the general topic of influence of the transnational actors on states in the international relations, based on the findings of this case study.

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the role of the transnational actor at the national level in particular case of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic. The study is divided into two main parts. The first, theoretical part focuses on three theoretical strands. The first chapter focuses on the development of theoretical perceptions of non-state actors in international relations since the 1970s. The goal of the first chapter is to examine concept of interdependence, global governance, the new transnationalism and transnational private governance. The second chapter focuses on multinational corporations. The analysis emphasizes the dynamics of research and development of transnational corporations and their relationship with the nation state. The goal of the third theoretical chapter is to explore the process of interest representation within the nation state. Attention is drawn to obstacles and conditions that transnational actor needs to overcome in order to successfully penetrate the process of interest representation and pursue its goals within the state. The second part of the thesis investigates activities of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic that were carried out in an effort to amend the Public Procurement Act from 2010 to 2012. The hypotheses...

This dissertation examines the political origins of Loyalism in New York City between 1768 and 1778. Anchored by an analysis of political mobilization, this dissertation is structured into two parts. Part I has two chapters. Using a variety of private and public sources, the first chapter analyses how 9,338 mostly white male Loyalists in New York City and the counties of Kings, Queens, Suffolk and Westchester were mobilized. Chapter 1 argues that elites and British forces played a fundamental role in the broad-based mobilization of Loyalists in the province of New York. It also recognises that colonists signed Loyalist documents for many different reasons. The second chapter of Part I is a large-scale prosopographical analysis of the 9,338 identified Loyalists. This analysis was based on a diverse range of sources. This analysis shows that a majority of the province’s Loyalist population were artisans aged between 22 and 56 years of age. Part II of this dissertation examines political mobilization in New York City between 1768 and 1775. In three chapters, Part II illustrates how elite and non-elite white male New Yorkers coalesced into two distinct groups. Chapter 3 concentrates on the emergence of the DeLanceys as a political force in New York, Chapter 4 on their mobilization and coalescence into ‘the Friends to Liberty and Trade’, or ‘the Club’, and Chapter 5 examines the political origins of what became Loyalism by studying the social networks of three members of ‘the Club’. By incorporating an interdisciplinary methodology, Part II illustrates that members of ‘the Club’ developed ties with one another that transcended their political origins. It argues that the partisanship of New York City led members of ‘the Club’ to adopt inward-looking characteristics that affected who they interacted with on an everyday basis. A large proportion of ‘the Club’’s members became Loyalists in the American Revolution. This dissertation argues that it was the partisanship that they developed during the late 1760s and early 1770s that defined their allegiance.

The main objective was to investigate the possibility of export promotion for Czech companies, namely Kovohutě Příbram nástupnická, a. s., Products Division. To evaluate the use of the possibilities of export promotion from the perspective of the selected company and propose measures to improve the opportunities.As a secondary objective was determined using the potential to promote exports in selected sectors and appreciation of the use of export promotion. The final output of this work was a recommendation for the company in promoting exports. Because the company does not have a good opinion on a range of support services exports, this recommendation has been prepared only for those services with which the company has a positive experience.

Bank demand guarantees have become an established part of international trade. Demand guarantees, standby letters of credit and commercial letters of credit are all treated as autonomous contracts whose operation will not be interfered with by courts on grounds immaterial to the guarantee or credit itself. The idea in the documentary credit transaction/demand guarantee transaction is that if the documents (where applicable) presented are in line with the terms of the credit/guarantee the bank has to pay, and if the documents do not correspond to the requirements, the bank must not pay. However, over the years a limited number of exceptions to the autonomy principle of demand guarantees and letters of credit have come to be acknowledged and accepted in practice. In certain circumstances, the autonomy of demand guarantees and letters of credit may be ignored by the bank and regard may be had to the terms and conditions of the underlying contract. The main exceptions concern fraud and illegality in the underlying contract. In this thesis a great deal of consideration has been given to fraud and illegality as possible grounds on which payment under demand guarantees and letters of credit have been attacked (and sometimes even prevented) in the English, American and South African courts. It will be shown that the prospect of success depends on the law applicable to the demand guarantee and letter of credit, and the approach a court in a specific jurisdiction takes. At present, South Africa has limited literature on demand guarantees, and the case law regarding the grounds upon which payment under a demand guarantee might be prevented is scarce and often non-existent. In South Africa one finds guidance by looking at similar South African case law dealing with commercial and standby letters of credit and applying these similar principles to demand guarantees. The courts, furthermore, find guidance by looking at how other jurisdictions, in particular the English courts, deal with these issues. Therefore, how the South African courts currently deal/should be dealing/probably will be dealing with the unfair and fraudulent calling of demand guarantees/letters of credit is discussed in this thesis. / Jurisprudence / LL.D