Abstract The main focus of this study is the identification of factors influencing the use and effectiveness of information system development methodologies (Le., systems development methodologies) in health information systems. In essence, it can be viewed as exploratory research, utilizing a conceptual research model to investigate the relationships among the hypothesised factors. More specifically, classified as behavioural science, it combines two theoretical models, namely the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology and the Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory. The main aim of behavioural science in information systems is to assist practitioners (Le., social actors) in improving business processes and competitiveness, thus the effective use of information systems. A wider view of behavioural science incorporates other social actors (e.g., end users) and organisational actors (e.g., executives). In health information systems, the effective use of information systems is especially relevant Health information systems are vital in the area of health care, since only by having access to pertinent health information, can the correct decisions relating to diagnostics and curative procedures be made. The use of systems development methodologies in health information systems development is therefore crucial, since they can make the development process more effective, while improving software quality. By empirically evaluating the conceptual research model, utilizing a survey as the main research method and structural equation modelling as the main statistical technique, meaningful results were obtained. Focussing on the factors influencing the individual's behavioural intent, it was found that the compatibility of systems development methodologies to the developer's pre-existing software development style is vital. Furthermore, performance expectancy, self-efficacy, organisational culture, policies, customer influence, voluntariness and facilitating conditions, all directly influenced the use of systems development methodologies, with policies and customer influence playing a significant role, especially in relation to health information systems. No significant direct effects or indirect effects could be established for the factors effort expectancy, personal innovativeness and social influence. It appears that individuals working in the health care software development discipline are more autonomous, less influenced by others. Also, the lack of support for the factor effort expectancy may indicate that systems development methodologies have entered a mature state, with less concern on the effort required for use. Furthermore, with regard to effectiveness and the continued use of information systems methodologies, satisfaction had a significant direct effect, with confirmation having a significant indirect effect. Keywords: behavioural science; conceptual research model; direct effect; exploratory research; Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory; indirect effect; Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology; structural equation modelling; survey; systems development methodologies. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Computer Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

This master’s final thesis is purposive to analyze the doctrine of direct effect of Community law, which is enlarged in the practice of the European Court of Justice. There are discussed the stages of the formation of the current doctrine identifying the concrete premises, which have been determined the enlargement of the principle of direct effect on the various sorts of forms of Community law. The main attention goes to the question of the direct effect of directives verifying the correctness of the position of the European Court of Justice not to recognize the horizontal direct effect of directives.In other hand, it is strived to verify the whole doctrine of direct effect in order to check the ability to use even the principle of supremacy of the Community law discussing the question of the collision between national and Community law.

in English language: The statement of Angela Merkel from November 2014 that she would rather see the UK out of the EU than compromise the free movement in the EU (which as at the date of the submission of this dissertation materialized in potential Brexit) was one of the reasons which encouraged the author to analyse the reach of free movement rules, more specifically the horizontal direct effect of the Treaty freedoms, in this dissertation. The author focuses on the issues stemming mainly from the broader topic of the legitimacy of market integration which the author translated into the concept of separation of the regulatory competences between the EU and the Member States and related separation between the Treaty provisions' addressees, namely the Member States and the private entities. This dissertation focuses on the following research question: To what extent has the CJEU advanced the European market integration through the development of the principle of horizontal direct effect of the Treaty freedoms? The starting point after the establishment of the EEC was that the sole addressees of the Treaty freedoms were the Member States whereas the Treaty rules on competition only applied to private entities. However, as is demonstrated throughout this dissertation, it is nowadays generally accepted...

Both, the European Union legal order and the World Trade Organization law represent important examples of the supranational legal system. This thesis focuses on their mutual relationship, in concrete through the perspective of the EU law. It aims to analyse how the European law approaches the WTO rules and which effects are granted to them. Introductory chapter provides the reader with a wider perspective of the examined topic dealing with relationship of the European law and the public international law in general. It presents the historical development as well as the current status of the relationship. Attention is brought to relevant provisions of the EU law and related case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union. It also outlines a theoretical background of the issue. Chapter Two focuses in a more specific way on the position of WTO norms in the EU legal order. Firstly, it briefly defines the WTO law while reflecting the specifics in regard of the EU. Afterwards, it is examined, which effects are granted to the WTO rules in the European law, particularly through the reasoning of the CJEU. The last chapter puts the results of the analysis into a wider context and sketches the background of the topic at hand. That provides inputs for a final evaluation of the current status and an...

L’objectif de cette recherche est d’évaluer la contribution du principe de non-discrimination à l’identité constitutionnelle de l’Union européenne. Pour ce faire, il est nécessaire de clarifier la notion d’identité dont nous parlons. Dans la première section/partie nous analysons la structure des arrêts pour juger sur la discrimination. La structure de l’arrêt sur la discrimination permet, après une phase initiale d’ajustement dont nous avons signalé, d’identifier quatre phases différentes au sein desquelles la Cour de justice développe son raisonnement. Ces phases sont : 1) introduction de l’affaire devant la Cour de justice de l’Union européenne 2) identification du désavantage 3) comparaison et 4) justification. La deuxième section/partie porte sur l’analyse de la contribution à l’identité constitutionnelle de l’Union européenne par la lutte contre sept motifs spécifiques de discrimination : sexe, nationalité, handicap, âge, religion, orientation sexuelle et race. Le choix des motifs de discrimination (par exemple, entre les beaucoup plus nombreux motifs dans la Charte des droits fondamentaux de l’Union européenne) est lié à un critère normatif : ce sont les motifs de discrimination qui ont fait l’objet de la législation dérivée. D’où il suit un critère supplémentaire, celui quantitatif : la présence d’un acquis législatif stable autorise la Cour de justice à saisir un plus grand nombre des causes, qui font significative l’examen des motifs proposés. L’identification d’une contribution si riche à l’identité constitutionnelle de l’Union européenne peut reconnaître le principe de non-discrimination en tant que principe constitutionnel, qui, inspiré par l’identité constitutionnelle des États membres, peut constituer l’épine dorsale de la future constitution "formelle “européenne. / The definition of the EU as a constitutional legal order is crucial, but still fragmented. For the sake of systematization, it is important to find out a principle to support its development. That is why we made the choice of examining the principle of non discrimination through the analysis of case law, with the object of verifying if this principle is a fundamental part of the EU constitutional identity. In the first part of this work the structure of the discrimination scrutiny in front of the CJEU and of the ECHR is analyzed, enlightening the fact that its structure increasingly recalls that of a constitutional scrutiny. In the second part of this work we will focus on the contribution given by the case law on the fight against different grounds of discrimination to the EU constitutional identity. As there is an increasing number of grounds of discrimination, a choice should be made. That is why the second part of the analysis is devoted into explaining a selection of grounds of discrimination: discrimination on the ground of nationality, age, disability, religion, and sexual orientation. From the analysis of the case law and of secondary legislation is possible to induce that this principle has the potential necessary to support the development of the EU constitutional identity without prevailing on the national constitutional identities. At the same time, the principle could help into shading light in one of the most debated issues of EU law: the tension between the conferred powers and the direct effect of directives. The conclusion of this work is a reflection on how a precise line of case law is crucial into defining the principle of non discrimination as a EU constitutional principle.

Nul n’est censé ignorer la loi… même supranationale. La « censure » des dispositions relatives au contrat « nouvelles embauches » l’a vigoureusement démontré. Des normes supranationales, l’influence n’a jamais été aussi forte : elles couvrent progressivement l’ensemble des compartiments du droit français du travail. Tous les acteurs, publics et privés, doivent porter leur regard au-delà du cadre hexagonal. Un but est affiché : maîtriser la diffusion des normes supranationales, sans laquelle il n’est point d’adhésion de leurs destinataires, et appréhender les transformations du droit français du travail auxquelles elles conduisent. De nouveaux instruments doivent, à cet effet, être forgés. / No one is deemed ignorant of the law… including supranational standards. The “censure” of the provisions relating to the “new hiring” employment contract vigorously demonstrated so. The influence of supranational standards has never been so strong: they progressively cover all of the fields of French Labour Law. All stakeholders, whether public or private, need to look beyond French borders. The stated aim is to control the spread of supranational standards, without which there is no acceptance by its recipients, and apprehend the resulting transformations of French Labour Law. New legal methodologies and instruments need to be implemented in this respect.

L’observation de l’invocabilité des accords internationaux devant la Cour de justice de l’Union européenne et leConseil d’Etat français permet de constater une convergence des jurisprudences des deux juridictions en la matière.D’une part, les conditions constitutionnelles d’incorporation de la norme conventionnelle sont semblables en raison del’orientation moniste des ordres juridiques français et de l’Union européenne. D’autre part, l’effet direct –c’est-à-direl’aptitude de la norme à produire un droit subjectif – est le principal filtre de l’invocabilité du droit conventionneldevant les juridictions de Paris et de Luxembourg. La dévolution de l’effet direct à une norme conventionnelle procèded’un choix du juge. Et il apparaît que les méthodes d’interprétation employées par le Conseil d’Etat pour opérer cechoix, mêlant téléologie et formalisme, tendent à s’aligner sur celles prônées par la Cour de justice. Dans le cadre ducontrôle de légalité, la subordination de l’invocabilité à l’effet direct est toutefois contestable, dans la mesure où lerequérant n’appelle pas le juge à statuer sur un rapport entre la norme conventionnelle et le particulier, mais sur unrapport entre la norme conventionnelle et la norme interne. La Cour de justice et le Conseil d’Etat ont certes développédes palliatifs au principe du défaut d’invocabilité des règles conventionnelles dépourvues d’effet direct. Ellespermettent par exemple que celles-ci soient employées comme référentiels d’interprétation du droit interne. Maisl’angle mort de l’État de droit que constitue l’impossibilité de contester la violation des règles conventionnellesdépourvues d’effet direct par un acte interne doit être comblé. C’est pourquoi, il apparaît nécessaire de fonder sur laprimauté une forme d’invocabilité, autonome de l’effet direct, qui permettrait d’obtenir la sanction des violationsmanifestes de ces règles. / This thesis analyses the invocability of International Agreements before the European Court of Justice and the French“Conseil d’État”. A convergence of the Case-Law of these Courts exists on this matter. On one hand, the constitutionalconditions for incorporation of Treaty rules are similar, owing to the common monist orientation of EU and FrenchLegal Orders. On the other hand, Direct Effect – ie the ability of a rule to grant substantive Right – is the main filter ofthe invocability of Agreements before the Courts of Paris and Luxembourg. The recognition of Direct Effect isdecided by a judge’s choice. And it appears that the methods of interpretation used by the French “Conseil d’État”,combining exegesis and teleology, are coming close to those advocated by the ECJ. In the Judicial Review, theconnection between invocability and Direct Effect can however be criticized, because the claimant doesn’t call for theapplication of one of his individual Rights, but for the legality control of a norm on the ground of another norm. TheECJ and the French “Conseil d’État” have indeed given some limited effect to the non-directly effective rules ofInternational Agreements, for example by interpreting domestic law in conformity with this kind of Rules. Howeverthe impossibility to contest the violation of these Rules breaches certainly the Rule of Law. Then, it is necessary tocreate a form of invocability based on the primacy, independent of the direct effect filter, allowing domestic Courts tostrike down legislation in cases of clear-cut, manifest breaches of these Rules.

La thèse analyse la nature, la portée et l’effectivité du principe de non-discrimination en raison de l’âge dans le système juridique de l’Union européenne du point de vue théorique ainsi que du point de vue de la protection juridictionnelle que l’Union européenne lui confie. Au niveau conceptuel, on met en évidence que l’âge représente un critère discriminatoire très particulier, se prêtant à être employée aussi de façon légitime en tant que instrument de gestion du marché du travail, et ayant une portée universelle, puisque il s’agit d’un facteur touchant tout le monde. Au niveau applicatif, il faut souligner que – dans la mesure où l’âge n’est pas toujours un facteur de discrimination – la Cour de justice – s’appuyant sur le fait que la directive 2000/78, visant à combattre les discriminations fondées (aussi) sur l’âge, introduit des multiples et larges justifications aux disparité de traitement liées à l’âge – exerce un contrôle assez souple. En même temps, toutefois, suite aux arrêts Mangold et Kücükdeveci, la Cour de justice a étendu les marges de son contrôle du moment où elle a affirmé que le principe de non-discrimination en raison de l’âge fait partie des principes généraux du droit de l’UE, dont le respect doit être assuré aussi dans les litiges entre particuliers. / This thesis focuses on the development of the issue of age discrimination in the EU context and in the Court of Justice leading cases. On the one side, the paper underlines the weaknesses of this specific ground of discrimination due to three main elements: i) the variability and universal impact of the “age factor”; ii) the existence of some provisions (such as art. 6, Council Directive 2000/78/EC) which seem to be unable in ensuring a complete protection in this field; iii) the role of age as an intrinsic criteria of labour market legislation, meaning that, in some circumstances, differences in treatment may be justified under legitimate aims. On the other side, the analysis of recent ECJ case law addresses other reflections concerning, first of all, the horizontal direct effect given to non-discrimination on ground of age as a general principle of EU law; then, the role and the importance of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights and its provisions on age discrimination; furthermore, the necessity to balance the protection of this fundamental right with Member States discretion concerning employment policies.

La lumière influence fortement la physiologie et le comportement en exerçant des effets non-visuels de deux types : i) indirects, via la resynchronisation de l’horloge centrale qui est située dans les noyaux suprachiasmatiques (NSC), ii) directs, indépendants du processus circadien, via des mécanismes encore mal compris. Nos travaux chez la souris ont montré que l’influence directe de la lumière constitue un mécanisme majeur de régulation du sommeil, de l’éveil et de l’humeur, au même titre que le processus circadien. Ces effets sont majoritairement médiés par la mélanopsine, un photopigment exprimé dans la rétine, et relayés au niveau cérébral par différentes structures comme les NSCs et le VLPO. Ainsi, le rôle des NSCs ne doit pas être interprété qu’au travers de leur fonction d’horloge. Ensuite, dans une perspective de recherche translationnelle de l’animal à l’homme, nous avons validé Arvicanthis ansorgei, comme modèle d’étude du sommeil afin de pouvoir interpréter nos résultats chez un rongeur diurne. Enfin, de nombreuses données suggérant que les effets directs de la lumière modulent l’activité du système dopaminergique, nous avons évalué l’intérêt de la luminothérapie dans des pathologies dopaminergiques (maladie de Parkinson, syndrome des jambes sans repos, troubles de l’humeur). Ces avancées ouvrent de nombreuses perspectives pour une meilleure utilisation de la lumière dans notre société ainsi qu’en pathologie. / Light influences physiology and behavior through both types of non-image-forming effects: i) indirect, synchronizing the circadian master clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), ii) direct effects, independent from the circadian process though mechanisms poorly understood. Our studies in mice demonstrate that the direct influence of light constitutes a key mechanism of regulation for sleep, alertness and mood and is as important as the circadian process. The direct effects of light are mainly mediated through melanopsin, a retinal photopigment that projects to the different structures of the brain such as the SCN and the VLPO. The SCN, beyond their role as circadian clock are also a relay system for the direct effects of light. Further, we validated Arvicanthis ansorgei as a diurnal model for the study of sleep regulatory mechanisms. This is an important step in the translational approach from animal research to applications in humans. Various data suggest that the direct effects of light interact with the dopaminergic system. In the last part of this thesis, we evaluated the indication of bright light therapy in dopaminergic pathologies (Parkinson disease, restless legs syndrome, mood disorders). These advances open up new perspectives for possible applications of light therapy and may help improving societal lightening conditions.

Développées par la Cour de Justice, les invocabilités des directives européennes définissent les conditions permettant aux personnes juridiques de se prévaloir d'une directive dans leurs rapports juridiques. La Cour de Justice a réussi à introduire ces invocabilités dans les ordres juridiques nationaux, notamment en Italie et en France, en s'appuyant, d'une part, sur des éléments déjà existants dans les ordres juridiques des États membres, tels que la technique de l'interprétation conforme et le principe de la responsabilité de la puissance publique, en les faisant évoluer dans le sens européen. D'autre part, la Cour a aussi créé des outils nouveaux et, finalement, révolutionnaires, tels que les invocabilités de substitution et d'exclusion de la norme nationale incompatible avec une directive européenne. La mise en oeuvre de ces invocabilités a eu des répercussions importantes sur le rôle des juridictions nationales, qui ont vu l'ensemble de leurs missions s'étendre. La sphère juridique des particuliers a également été influencée, de façon imprévisible et, parfois, préjudiciable. / Developed by the European Court of Justice, the invocability of EU directives defines the conditions allowing legal subjects to exercise the rights conferred by a directive in their legal relationships. The ECJ has managed to introduce different types of invocability into the member States national legal orders, and notably in Italy and France, by, on the one hand using some pre-existing elements of the national legal orders, such as consistent interpretation and the principle of State liability, and making them evolve in a European way. And, on the other hand the ECJ has also created new and, finally, revolutionary tools, such as invocability of substitution and invocability of exclusion of the national law incompatible with a EU directive. The implementation of these different types of invocability has had a deep impact on the role of national courts, who have seen their mandate extended. The legal sphere of legal subjects had also been influenced, in unpredictable and sometimes detrimental ways.