Various hazardous chemical substances are used daily as part of manufacturing and processing. Exposure to these hazardous chemical substances (HCSs) can cause adverse health effects in the exposed workers. Occupational exposure limits (OELs) are used to control exposure to these HCSs and thereby protect workers from the adverse effects that exposure may induce. The aim of this study was to compare South African list of OELs as contained in the Hazardous Chemical Substance Regulations (HCSR) to several developed and developing countries based on two aspects: (1) the number of substances that are selected and regulated by the lists of each country (2) and the overall level of the OELs set by the different countries and jurisdictions. Due to the nature and the large amount of data the study is divided into two parts. The first part is a comparison of South African OELs with nine developed countries and jurisdictions along with the Mine Health and Safety Act Regulation 22.9 (MHSR) of South Africa. The second comparison was conducted between South African and the four developing BRICS countries. BRICS is an acronym for: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, all are leading developing countries. Substance selection and coverage was compared by analysing the number of overlapping and uniquely regulated OELs that existed between countries. The over-all level of OELs was determined and quantified by using the statistical method, the geometric means of ratios. These ratios were compared in order to establish how the levels of OELs of the South African HCSR compare with the level of the various other countries. Results indicated that there are large and unsystematic differences between the selection of HCSs that are regulated by different countries and jurisdictions. Individual coverage and selection of HCSs between the various developing and developed countries and jurisdictions in the study was inconsistent and dissimilar. A high number of HCSs are regulated by only one of the various countries included in this study. Among the developed countries 20.8% of substances are uniquely regulated, whereas 46% of HCSs are regulated by only one of the various developing countries. According to the geometric means of ratios Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the only jurisdiction in a developed country that has a higher overall level of OELs when compared to South Africa as for the rest of the developed countries they all yielded a lower overall level of OELs. American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygiene (ACGIH) had the lowest overall level of OELs. When compared with the BRICS countries South Africa had a higher overall level of OELs. The average overall level of OELs differs substantially between the BRICS countries; Russia having the lowest, and Brazil having the highest overall limit when compared relative to South African HCSR. Strong similarities were found between South African HCSR and MHSR indicating national similarity. The South African OELs for HCSs have an overall higher level than the majority of developed and developing countries. Various factors may be responsible for these differences among countries and jurisdictions. These factors include, variations in scientific reasoning, the risk acceptance of the negative impact that various HCSs might induce and the time lags that countries have between updates. Further differences may be explained by the difference in consideration of socio-economical and practical feasibility of an OEL and the predominant industries in a country. / Thesis (MSc (Occupational Hygiene))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

[Abstract]: Over the last few decades microfinance has become an integral part of the economic development of the less developed countries with regional governments, themultilateral donor agencies such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank and other donor organisations investing in the industry to build its capacity andwiden the outreach. Further, the World Bank has highlighted the need to help the poor achieve self-sustainability as much more than just a social issue. In fact, in their view, the long-term financial growth of the Developed countries will be largely determined by the expansion of the Third World as their future client base. Those who are interested in economic development in the less developed countries strongly believe that microfinance will be an effective tool of alleviation of poverty and developing prosperity for the poor. For this reason microfinance is considered as one of the effective way of achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).Central to the success of microfinance is the distribution of capital from the wealthy to the poor in a manner which encourages accountability and responsibility from therecipient, while at the same time allowing donors to see appropriate stewardship of their funds. This is measured through the achievement of financial independence ofthe group being studied. The role of implementing agencies in facilitating this efficient and accountable transfer of capital is seen to be crucial to the ongoing development of microfinance. The interrelation between donors and these agencies requires a high degree of trust and mutual accountability, in many cases built up through years of hard work and experimentation.The policy framework and legislative environment for microfinance is still evolving. For instance some countries are still developing the regulatory environment to monitor the transparency of the industry. Furthermore, there are some growing concerns on the level of efficiency of the delivery of microfinance in making an impact on projects or at least making an impact on alleviation of poverty. In order to contribute to the latter, this study investigates a major microfinance operation in thePhilippines to examine whether it is consistent with the wider international practices, particularly in achieving the MDGs.The study uses a survey tool developed by the donor agency to monitor the quantitative and qualitative aspect of the microfinance operation and benchmark them against similar operations within the Asian region. The results show that, in the majority of cases, the Philippines operation has outperformed their counterparts. However, there is considerable room for improvement to maintain the sustainability of the operation.These experiences of successes and failures need to be recorded and delineated to build on existing achievements and support an environment geared towards substantial growth in the funding of microfinance in the future. It is the intention of this study to highlight these experiences and draw attention to the very real achievements currently being experienced through some effective microfinanceprojects.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2007. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Political Science, 2005. / Title from title screen (viewed July 6, 2007). Includes bibliographical references (p. 333-362). Also issued in paper format.

Thesis (M.A.T.) -- School for International Training, 2006 / Advisor -- Paul Levasseur

Thesis (M.A.T.) -- School for International Training, 2006. / Advisor -- Paul Levasseur Includes bibliographical references (leaves 60).

Problematization: Financial departments have during the recent years developed due to environmental changes, and so has the controller profession. Controllers are working hard in the shadow of the CFO, together with an unclear definition over their tasks. By shedding light on the controller can their value-creation for the organization be defined. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to examine developments of the controller profession from a Swedish organizational context. Furthermore, this thesis aims to investigate if there is an expansion of the controller professions role, within organizations, that affecting their ability to create value. Methodology: The research has been conducted with a qualitative approach. In this study was 8 interviews performed with controllers in Swedish organizations. This research further examines the controller profession from a general context, in other words, without no specific industry orientation. Findings /conclusions: The findings of this study argue for that there still exist an indistinct definition over the controller profession, thus developments within their role can be confirmed. The traditional view of controllers’ work should therefore be prolonged. Controllers are still just as accountable for financial assignment, the role has however, developed to become involved in most of parts organizations’ businesses and adapted an advisory role. The advancements have made the controller role to a central position with great ability to create value within an organization, yet, to what extend depends on various factors and aspects.

Previous research has underlined the importance of the connection between the increase of globalization and the increase of terrorism. Furthermore, previous research has made a distinction between direct and indirect effects and the impact the latter has on firms in an international context. However, the research conducted on the subject is implicit thus this thesis has emphasized on the inconclusive parts to explicitly display the relationship. The purpose of this study is to see the implications of terrorism in relation to international business regarding internationalization and risk management resulting in a guideline for Swedish firms entering less developed countries. To acquire a deeper understanding, various parts relevant to the subject was included and analyzed. A qualitative research method was used in order to obtain in-depth insights of great value on how terrorism affects international business and how Swedish firms adapts to it. By doing so and connecting the findings to theory, we were able to see patterns which led to our conclusion. The results made from this study highlighted the importance of preparedness for firms entering less developed countries, including terrorism as a factor to consider while assessing risks. Furthermore, it also showed that Swedish firms prospecting less developed countries are formatting entering strategies suitable for that market with this in mind, as well as de-internationalization if struck by terroristic events.

Background: Companies from developed economies have pursued various outward foreign direct investment strategies for as long as there has been trade. Research on the topic has been covering most available aspects of the phenomenon. In recent decades, however, firms from emerging economies have started to find their way to the international market, and the traditional theories of internationalization have appeared to be not as comprehensive as they were thought to be.   Purpose: This thesis will explore the internationalization of Chinese firms into Sweden. It will more specifically look at the internationalization, as well as the differences and the connection with Chinese parent companies.   Method: By using a qualitative method and an abductive approach, the empirical data for this thesis was collected and interpreted. In this multiple case study, semi-structured interviews were performed with three managers at two Chinese companies in Sweden.   Conclusion: Chinese internationalization into Sweden is influenced by both push factors, such as government subsidies, and pull factors, such as market knowledge and technology. However, the observed Chinese firms in Sweden have different connection with their parent companies but the level of involvement is equally limited. The findings in this paper suggests that this is linked to the ownership structure and the mode of entry.

Recentemente, importantes questionamentos emergiram na literatura sobre repasse cambial. Mais especificamente, foi dada crescente atenção à hipótese de Taylor (2000) de que o pass-through se reduziu em diversos países como conseqüência do ambiente de inflação mais baixa. Esta dissertação investiga o tema através da aplicação de painéis dinâmicos para um conjunto de economias desenvolvidas. Deste modo, são estimados modelos de efeito fixo e Arellano-Bond em janelas fixas (rolling windows), que apontam para uma redução substancial na transmissão do câmbio para a inflação. A análise de potenciais determinantes macroeconômicos dessa queda indica que o ambiente inflacionário foi o principal elemento por trás do fato, sobretudo nos anos oitenta e noventa, em que o processo de desinflação foi mais intenso. Por outro lado, os anos dois mil apresentam um coeficiente de pass-through bastante baixo e estável, visto que o cenário de inflação baixa já estava consolidado para o conjunto de economias analisadas. / Recently, economists have become more interested in studying exchange rate pass-through. More specifically, increasing attention has been given to Taylors (2000) hypothesis that the passthrough has declined in several countries as a result of a lower inflation environment. This dissertation examines this issue through the application of dynamic panels for a number of developed economies. Panel data models are estimated here using fixed effects and Arellano- Bond estimators in rolling windows. The results point to a substantial reduction in the transmission of exchange rate to inflation. The analysis of potential macroeconomic determinants of this decline indicates that the inflationary environment was the main factor behind this fact, mainly in the eighties and nineties when the disinflation process was more intense worldwide. On the other hand, in the first decade of this century the pass-through coefficient was fairly low and stable, perhaps because the scenario of low inflation was already a longstanding reality to the economies analyzed in the present study.