Thesis (LLM)--Stellenbosch University, 2015 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT : The Companies Act 71 of 2008 introduces a completely new system for the regulation of distributions by a company to its shareholders. The preferred method for protecting the interests of creditors in distributions is now based on a solvency and liquidity test. Regrettably, the provisions setting out the requirements for distributions on the one hand and the solvency and liquidity test on the other have been poorly drafted. This thesis first explains and then applies an innovative interpretation theory to these provisions with a view to piecing together coherent content. The thesis finds that creative interpretations will not suffice in various places, meaning that substantive revision is required. The thesis concludes with brief amendment proposals and accompanying commentary. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Die Maatskappywet 71 van 2008 bied ‘n radikaal nuwe sisteem vir die regulering van uitkerings van 'n maatskappy aan sy aandeelhouers. Die voorkeur metode om die belange van skuldeisers in uitkerings te beskerm, is nou op ‘n solvensie- en likwiditeittoets gebaseer. Ongelukkig is die wetlike bepalings wat die vereistes vir uitkerings aan die een kant uiteensit, en die solvensie en likwiditeit toets aan die ander kant, swak opgestel. Hierdie tesis verduidelik eerstens die bepalings, en pas dan 'n innoverende interpretasie teorie op hierdie bepalings toe, met die doel om 'n samehangende inhoud daar te stel. Die tesis bevind dat kreatiewe interpretasies op verskeie plekke nie voldoende sal wees nie. Dit beteken dat substantiewe hersiening noodsaaklik is. Ten slotte bied die tesis kortliks wysigings-voorstelle met meegaande kommentaar.

Studien analyserar effekterna av inträdesregleringar på svenska industriers produktivitetstillväxt och om det föreligger någon skillnad i effekten mellan tillverkningsindustrin jämfört med övriga industrier. Variablerna för inträdesregleringar, hämtade från Doing Business av World Bank Group, är kostnaden för att starta upp ett företag samt det inbetalda minimikapitalet som krävs av en entreprenör för att starta upp ett företag. Syftet besvaras ekonometriskt där data från Statistiska centralbyrån och World Bank Group under tidsperioden 2004-2013 struktureras som paneldata. Totalt inkluderar studien data från 154 industrier. Resultatet visar att inträdesregleringar har en positiv effekt på förädlingsvärdestillväxten hos de svenska industrierna. Den positiva effekten av variabeln kostnad på förädlingsvärdestillväxten är större hos tillverkningsindustrin jämfört med hos övrig industri. Däremot finns det ingen signifikant skillnad i effekten av inbetalt minimikapital på förädlingsvärdestillväxten mellan tillverkningsindustrin och övrig industri. Resultatet är i medhåll med public choice teorin samt Bains teori kring inträdesregleringar, där hårdare, mer kostsamma regleringar leder till en ökad produktivitetstillväxt. / This study analyzes the effects of entry regulations on industries’ productivity growth in Sweden, measured as value added growth, and if there exists some differences in the effect between manufacturing industries compared to other industries. Two regulatory variables are used in this study, the cost to start up a business and the paid-in minimum capital required for an entrepreneur to start up a business, both from World Bank Group’s Doing Business. The study is an econometric study of Swedish industries during the time period 2004-2013. Data is structured as a panel data taken from the Statistics Sweden and World Bank Group. The result shows a positive effect of entry regulations on the value added growth in Swedish industries. The positive effect of the cost variable on value added growth is greater in the manufacturing industry compared to other industries. There is no significant difference in the effect of paid-in minimum capital on the value added growth between the manufacturing industry and other industries. The results are consistent with the public choice theory and Bain’s theory of entry regulations, where more strict regulations such as higher entry costs lead to an increase in productivity.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether application forms used in Texas public schools for teachers and administrators were in compliance with federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Texas Human Rights Commission Act (THRCA) regulations regarding preemployment practices. Participating in the study were 740 public school districts in Texas. The study also attempted to determine if these application forms are in violation of EEOC regulations pertaining to pre-employment practices and whether classification based on the districts' size, wealth, student ethnicity and geographical location has a bearing on the degree of compliance with and awareness of EEOC and THRCA regulations. A model employment application form and set of guidelines were developed for school districts to use in securing pre-employment information. Inferential statistics were used through various applicable designs. Three different types of analysis were utilized. These were a Descriptive Analysis, a Goodman- Kruskal Gamma (y) Coefficient—chi-square analysis and a Multiple Regression analysis. The descriptive analysis included the calculation of percentages of the suspect questions appearing on teacher and administrator application forms utilizing the Criteria Used to Determine EEO Compliance and Awareness Among Texas School Districts. The Goodman-Kruskal Gamma (y) Coefficient and the chi-square analysis were employed in order to determine differences in compliance and awareness based on the districts' size, wealth, student ethnicity and geographical location. The GAMTAU. ASC Computer Program was used to test the Gamma values, with a standard z-score. The Multiple Regression analysis was employed to determine to what extent variation in the use of total suspect questions correlated with size, wealth, ethnicity and geographical location. The results of the data analyzed reveal that the size and ethnicity of the school district had a weak but significant correlation with EEO compliance and awareness based on employment application forms for teachers and administrators and that school districts in Texas were not in compliance with EEOC and THRCA regulations regarding application form pre-employment practices.

L'expression du gène Igf2, qui est soumis à l'empreinte génomique parentale chez les mammifères, est hautement régulée au cours du développement embryonnaire et de la période périnatale grâce à divers mécanismes transcriptionnels et post-transcriptionnels. Ces mécanismes mettent à contribution de longs ARN non codants produits au sein même du locus, dont le plus connu est l'ARN H19. En utilisant une approche de complémentation génétique par un transgène H19 dans myoblastes H19 KO de souris, nous démontrons l'existence de plusieurs nouveaux promoteurs d'Igf2. L'un de ces promoteurs, qui est conservé chez l'homme, peut être activé par un ARN ectopique antisens d'H19 (lncARN 91H) en dépit d'une méthylation complète de la région de contrôle empreinte située en cis sur le même allèle. Nous montrons également que les lncARN 91H présentent une certaine spécificité tissulaire et que leur transcription peut être initiée à partir des séquences conservées CS4, CS5 et CS9 situées en aval du gène H19. Quant à l'ARN H19, qui est l'ARN non codant majeur du locus, il semble pouvoir réguler ses transcrits antisens dans les myoblastes H19 KO complémentés par le transgène H19, mais surtout il participe activement à la régulation post-transcriptionnelle du gène Igf2 chez la souris. Nous observons en effet qu'il favorise la coupure endoribonucléolytique de l'ARN Igf2 par un mécanisme qui reste à découvrir. Enfin, nous mettons en évidence l'existence d'un l'arrêt de l'élongation de la transcription du gène d'Igf2, pour lequel nous proposons un modèle de régulation faisant intervenir un autre long ARN non codant du locus: le lncARN PIHit. Au-delà des mécanismes qui restent à explorer, nos résultats renforcent l'idée que la structure tridimensionnelle de la chromatine participe à la régulation de l'expression des gènes chez les mammifères. / In mammals, the expression of the Igf2 gene, which is subject to parental genomic imprinting, is tightly regulated during embryonic development and the perinatal period through several transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms. These mechanisms are involving long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) produced within the locus; among them the best known is probably the H19 RNA. Using a genetic complementation assay consisting in transfections of an H19 transgene into H19 KO myoblasts, we discovered several novel Igf2 promoters in the mouse. One of these promoters, that is conserved in the human, can be activated by ectopic H19 antisens RNAs (91H lncRNAs) despite a complete methylation of the Imprinting-Control Region located in cis on the same allele. We also show that the 91H lncRNAs possess some tissue-specific features and that their transcription can be initiated from the CS4, CS5 and CS9 conserved sequences located downstream of the H19 gene. On the other hand, the H19 RNA, that is the major lncRNA of the locus, appears to regulate its antisense transcripts in H19 KO myoblasts complemented with the H19 transgene, but its major function seems to be in regulating post-transcriptionally the Igf2 gene expression. Indeed, we have observed that it favours the endoribonucleolytic cleavage of the Igf2 messenger RNAs through a mechanism that remains to be elucidated. Finally, we reveal the existence of a premature transcriptional elongation stop of the Igf2 gene, for which we propose a regulation model involving another lncRNA of the locus: the PIHit lncRNA. Beyond the mechanisms that remain to be explored, our results strengthen the idea that, in mammals, the three-dimensional organization of the chromatin is involved in regulating gene expression.

Orientador: Antonio Carlos Moretti / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Matemática, Estatística e Computação Científica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-20T22:02:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Gratz_LiviaBastos_M.pdf: 1931012 bytes, checksum: 88af4d5b57969faa790a1885c6dacc31 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Resumo: Para a existência de um sistema financeiro sólido e estável é essencial que as instituições financeiras gerenciem bem os seus riscos. A partir da publicação dos Acordos de Basileia, as autoridades supervisoras passaram a exigir a alocação de um capital regulamentar proporcional aos riscos incorridos por cada instituição. O capital regulamentar busca garantir a existência de recursos suficientes para a absorção de perdas inesperadas e seu cálculo considera os riscos de crédito, mercado e operacional. Para o gerenciamento do risco de mercado, as instituições utilizam modelos internos baseados em VaR - Value at Risk. Porém, algumas das parcelas do modelo padronizado adotado para o cálculo do capital regulamentar baseiam-se na metodologia Maturity Ladder. O primeiro modelo é mais sensível ao risco e varia conforme a volatilidade dos ativos. O segundo é menos sensível ao risco e baseia-se nos conceitos de Duration. O objetivo desse trabalho é a redefinição dos parâmetros utilizados no método Maturity Ladder de forma a aproximá-lo aos modelos baseados em VaR. Para a minimização das diferenças entre as metodologias foi utilizado um modelo de otimização baseado em Algoritmo Genético. Os resultados encontrados sugerem que os dois métodos não são totalmente comparáveis e a existência de casos extremos independentemente da escolha dos parâmetros / Abstract: For the existence of a solid and stable financial system is essential that the financial institutions manage their risks. Since the publication of the Basel Accords, supervisory authorities started demanding the allocation of a regulatory capital proportional to the risks incurred by each institution. The regulatory capital aims to ensure the existence of sufficient resources to absorb unexpected losses resulting from credit, market and operational risks. Institutions use internal models based on VaR - Value at Risk to manage the market risk. However, for some risk factors, the standardized model adopted for regulatory capital measurement is based on the Maturity Ladder methodology. The first model is risk-sensitive and varies according to asset volatility. The second is less sensitive to risk and is based on the Duration theories. The objective of this work is the redefinition of the parameters used in the Maturity Ladder methodology in order to bring their outcomes closer to the models based on VaR. To minimize the differences among the methodologies were used an optimization model based on Genetic Algorithm. The results suggest that the two methods are not completely comparable and the existence of extreme cases regardless of the parameters choice / Mestrado / Matematica Aplicada / Mestra em Matemática Aplicada

In recent years, concern about food safety linked to health issues has seen a rise in private food safety standards in addition to the regulations set by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO). These have presented challenges to producers and exporters of agricultural food products especially the producers of fresh fruits and vegetables. In spite of the food safety-linked challenges from the demand side, the vast range of business-environment forces pose equally formidable challenges that negatively impact on the exporting industries’ ability to maintain or improve their market shares and their ability to compete in world markets. The objective of this study was therefore to establish the competitiveness of the South African citrus industry in the international markets within this prevailing scenario. Due to the diversity of the definitions of competitiveness as a concept, this study formulated the following working definition: “the ability to create, deliver and maintain value and constant market share through strategic management of the industrial environment or competitiveness drivers”. This was based on the understanding that the international market shares of an industry are a function of forces in the business environment which range from intra-industry, external and national as well as the international elements. The unit of analysis were the citrus producers engaged in export of their products and the study made use of 151 responses by producers. The study adopted a five-step approach to the analysis of the performance of the South African citrus industry in the global markets, starting with the analysis of the Constant Market Share (CMS) of the South African citrus industry in various world markets, establishing the impact of the business environmental factors upon competitiveness, establishing the costs of compliance with private food safety standards, determining the non-price benefits of compliance with the standards, as well as highlighting the strategies for enhancing long-term competitiveness of the industry in the international markets. South Africa is one of the top three countries dominating the citrus fruit export market. Since its entry into the citrus fruit exports market in the 1900s, the industry has sustained its activity in the international market. The Constant Market Share Analysis shows that, amidst the challenges on the international market side, and the changes in the business environment, over much of which the industry has limited control and influence, the industry has maintained its competitive advantage in several markets. The CMS shows that South Africa’s lemons are competitive in America. Despite a negative trend, the South African grapefruit has been competitive in France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. Oranges have been competitive in the Greece, Italy, Portugal, UK, Asian and Northern Europe markets. Competitiveness in these markets has been due to the inherent competitiveness of the industry. Competitiveness in such markets as the Middle East has been attributed to the relatively rapid growth of these markets. The South African citrus industry has similarly undergone many major processes of transformation. The business environmental factors influencing its performance have ranged reform to the challenges beyond the country’s borders. These factors directly and indirectly affect the performance of the industry in the export market. They have influenced the flow of fruits into different international destinations. Of major concern are the food safety and private standards. Challenges in traditional markets as well as opportunities presented by demand from newly emerging citrus consuming nations have seen a diversification in the marketing of the South African citrus. The intensity of competition in the global market is reflected by the fluctuations in the market shares in different markets as well as the increase and fluctuations of fruit rejection rates in some lucrative markets such as America. A combination of challenging national environmental forces and stringent demand conditions negatively impact on revenues especially from markets characterised by price competitiveness. This study identified cost of production, foreign market support systems, adaptability, worker skills, challenges of management in an international environment and government policies such as labour and trade policies as some of the most influential obstacles to competitiveness. Some of the most competiveness-enhancing factors were market availability, market size, market information, market growth and the availability of research institutions. However, compliance with private standards still poses a challenge to the exporters. The different performance levels of the industry in various markets prove the dissimilarity of the demand conditions in the global market. These are supported by the negative influence associated with the foreign market support regimes as well as the challenges associated with compliance with private food safety standards. While market availability, market growth, market information and size were identified as enhancing competitiveness, the fluctuations and inconsistencies in the competitiveness of the industry in different foreign markets require more than finding markets. Resource allocation by both the government and the industry may need to take into account the off-setting of the national challenges and support of farmers faced with distorted and unfair international playing fields. Otherwise, market availability is not a challenge for the industry save meeting the specifications therewith as well as price competitiveness which is unattainable for the South African citrus producers faced with high production costs. For the purposes of further study, it is recommended that account should be taken of all the products marketed by the industry (including processed products such as fruit juices) in order to have a whole picture of the competitiveness of the industry in the international market. This study also proffers a new theoretical framework for the analysis of the business environment for the citrus industry and other agro-businesses. This framework takes into account the indispensability of the food safety standards and measures as well as the diversity of the global consumer and the non-negotiability of food trade for the sustenance of the growing population.

L’unschooling (ou la « non-scolarisation ») est une option éducative marginale, mais en constante évolution au Canada et ailleurs dans le monde. Au vu du développement de ce mouvement en éducation, des enjeux concernant le suivi des apprentissages réalisés par les enfants unschoolers prennent de l’importance. La rareté des écrits portant spécifiquement sur le suivi des apprentissages informels et les risques associés à une absence de suivi, particulièrement auprès des enfants plus vulnérables, nous amènent à poser cette question générale de recherche: Quel suivi de l’apprentissage en famille serait souhaitable dans un contexte d’unschooling, en prenant en compte le point de vue des parents unschoolers et le droit de l’enfant à l’éducation ? Pour répondre à cette question, 25 parents unschoolers répartis en quatre groupes, ont réfléchi au type de suivi qu’ils jugent le mieux adapté à leur réalité éducative. L’analyse thématique du contenu de leurs échanges a fait ressortir une proposition globale de suivi constituée de trois approches différentes : 1- l’approche « aucune interaction », visant le respect de l’autonomie des familles; 2- l’approche « offre de soutien », visant la réponse aux besoins exprimés par les familles; et 3- l’approche « appréciation de l’expérience éducative » pouvant viser le dépistage de l’expérience éducative ou l’accompagnement des familles. Cette proposition de suivi a ensuite été analysée à l’aide d’un cadre conceptuel relatif au droit de l’enfant à l’éducation, composé de cinq conditions du respect de ce droit et de leurs indicateurs. Cette analyse a permis d’évaluer le potentiel de chacune des trois approches à protéger le droit à l’éducation des enfants évoluant dans un cadre éducatif de type unschooling. La troisième approche, soit l’appréciation de l’expérience éducative, apparaît à la fois acceptable du point de vue des parents unschoolers et du point de vue du droit de l’enfant à l’éducation. Selon la proposition des parents, elle peut s’effectuer au moyen de l’appréciation d’un portfolio, d’une discussion informelle ou de la visite du domicile, permettant d’apprécier l’expérience éducative de l’enfant par la voie de l’environnement éducatif qui lui est offert ou de son parcours éducatif. / Unschooling is an uncommon but continually evolving educational option in Canada and around the world. Given the development of this movement in education, issues concerning the monitoring of learning by unschooled children are gaining importance. The scarcity of published studies specifically related to the monitoring of informal learning and the risks associated with a lack of follow-up, particularly among the most vulnerable children, lead us to ask this general research question: What follow-up of family-based learning would be desirable in a context of unschooling, respecting the point of view of unschoolers parents and the right of the child to an education? To answer this question, 25 unschooled parents were divided into four groups and reflected on the type of follow-up they consider best suited to their educational reality. By choosing a qualitative methodological approach and using a thematic analysis, the data drawn from these exchanges enabled us to build a follow-up proposal consisting of three approaches: "no interaction", "support offered" and "appreciation of the educational experience ". This follow-up proposal was then analyzed using a conceptual framework of the child's right to education composed of five conditions of respect for the child's right to education, inspired by the United Nations (1999a, 1999b). This analysis assessed the potential of each of the three approaches to protecting the right to an education for all children in an unschooling educational setting. The third approach, "appreciation of the educational experience", appears to be an approach that is both acceptable from the point of view of unschooling parents and from the point of view of the child's right to education.

The increasing level of fraud, the collapse of banks, and the loss of confidence in the Nigerian banking industry have been attributed to poor corporate governance. The problem of this study was effective implementation of corporate governance in Nigeria where multiple regulations are in place. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to understand how corporate governance is implemented in the Nigerian banking industry in the face of a multiplicity of regulations. The research question investigated how Nigerian bank managers implement corporate governance regulations in the face of a multiplicity of regulations. The conceptual framework was grounded in stewardship theory. Data collection included document analysis and face-to-face semistructured interviews to gain an understanding of how to implement corporate governance based on the perception of 15 purposefully selected senior managers and directors of the host bank. Data were analyzed using Yin's 5-Stage data analysis approach. Findings revealed that the involvement of senior bank managers and the adoption of global best practices, training, education, and awareness creation are the prerequisites for effective implementation of corporate governance. Findings may be used to reduce corporate failure, improve compliance, and restore confidence in the banking industry through enhancing the understanding of practitioners, investors, and policymakers on how to implement corporate governance in a highly regulated banking environment and contribute to positive social change.

The demand for sustainability on this earth is more prominent than ever. The global climate crisis affects everyone, and the movie industry's massive annual emissions are certain. However, the movie industry has not yet been investigated in-depth nor held accountable for its environmental impact. In the literature, environmental regulations of powerful institutions, such as the European Union, have been influential for sustainable change. Hence, this thesis will examine the interface of project-based organizations, environmental regulations, and sustainable practices through an exploratory approach. Precisely, this thesis aims to examine the influence of environmental regulations on project-based industries, using the example of the European movie industry with a focus on Germany and Italy. The research questions focus on the aspects of pressures and impacting factors along the supply chains of moviemaking. Lastly, it is also examined how stakeholders are affected by EU regulations. Data is gathered through a qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews, and analyzed through the theoretical frame of institutional and stakeholder theory. The results of this study reveal that there is currently no specific impact of EU regulations on sustainable practices in the movie industry. Also, currently, no EU laws affect the defined stakeholders in the film business. Instead, it could be found that national legislation and infrastructure, private sector engagement, and organizations' self-commitment are impacting the industry to become more sustainable. Moreover, the movie industry's structural factor as project-based affects cooperation, communication, and laws for sustainability. This thesis serves as a groundwork for further research and practical implementations for sustainable filmmaking.

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