Emerging insurance markets, have limited access to financial instruments that they can use to create common hedge(s) to manage foreign exchange risk. This is the first empirical study to focus on the limitations when modelling foreign exchange rate transaction exposure in emerging insurance markets. This work is based on the cash flow methodology proposed by Martin and Mauer (2003, 2005) in reference to banks, and employed by Li et al. (2009) when assessing US insurance companies. Some econometric methodological innovations have been introduced to study the limitations of modelling foreign exchange rate transaction exposure in emerging insurance markets. An extensive literature review is followed by a quantitative investigation, to answer the following research questions. 1) Is the foreign exchange transaction exposure, as measured by a fundamental (economic) method of modelling the interplay of foreign exchange rates with other economic variables, significant, for all Egyptian insurance companies? 2) Is the foreign exchange transaction exposure, as measured by a technical (statistical) way of modelling the interplay of foreign exchange rates with other economic variables, significant for all Egyptian insurance companies? 3) Is the exchange transaction exposure for the Egyptian insurance industry, as a whole, significant? Although the foreign exchange rate transaction exposure for the Egyptian insurance industry, as a whole, is insignificant (question3), the percentage of Egyptian insurers affected by foreign exchange rate transaction exposure in US dollars, estimated at the individual firm level, was found to be 22% (question 1) and 35% (question2) respectively.

The late antique figure of the female monk has been commented upon within the spheres of socio-history, theology, and literary analysis, but no comprehensive study has focused on the contemporary historical and gendered context. This thesis therefore reexamines female transvestite monk hagiographies, revealing that the female protagonists are portrayed as possessing a holy womanhood regardless of having layers of masculinity applied to them. Three layers of masculinity, namely outward, social, and inward, are identified in the characterizations of the female monks. Each masculine layer is scrutinized separately to explore its purpose in the plot structures and to show plausible motivations for the utilization of transvestite figures in religious literature. The use of an intertextual method reveals gendered intertexts, or literary motifs, in the hagiographies which serve as familiar ideological vehicles carrying the intended inspirational, instructional, and theological messages of the writers. Through the removal of these holy women’s masculine layers, this thesis reveals that outward and social masculinity are superficial and heavily relied upon as a means of concealment, but inward masculinity, considered akin to genuine expressions of self in these literary characters, is essentially non-existent. Hagiographers had no intention of transforming their religious protagonists into anything but determined, holy women who are forced to act drastically to sustain ascetic dreams begun while mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters. Masculinities and intertexts located in these Vitae contextualize praise for a holy womanhood within acceptable gendered language, which seems to support a belief in the spiritual potential of women. In comprehending the intertexts’ function in these legends, this thesis highlights the potential for complex irony to develop around the figure of a female transvestite, which supplies religious tales with intrigue and interest, the ability to instruct or chastise mixed audiences, and the potential to portray the reversal inherent in the human drama of salvation.

Thesis (MPhil (Ancient Studies)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / The time between the Middle and New Kingdoms in Ancient Egypt is known as the Second Intermediate Period. It was the time during which Egypt, for the first time in its history, lost autonomy and the inhabitants of Egypt became the vassals of the Hyksos, a name transcribed by Manetho, a historian of the third century BCE as 'shepherd kings', but which actually designated 'princes of foreign lands'. The term 'Hyksos' at first referred to the rulers only, but later became the accepted word to indicate the rulers, the people themselves and everything pertaining to them. The Hyksos were not a homogenous race, but were a conglomerate of peoples from the Near East. For centuries people from the east had been filtering into Egypt. Transhumants and nomads came in search of pasture for their animals and elected to stay. Others were employed by the Egyptian administration as ship-builders and mining engineers or as workers in the copper and turquoise mines in the Sinai. These workers were all settled in the Delta, the hub of mining and shipbuilding activities. Others were slaves who were dispersed all over Egypt as workers in households and on farms. Despite Egypt's best efforts to keep out Asiatics who wanted to enter the country of their own volition, their fortresses on the border between Egypt and Sinai proved ineffective, especially when the Egyptian administration faltered and collapsed during the Seventeenth Dynasty. It is still a point debated by historians whether a strong military force from the East overran Egypt in c.1658 BCE or whether the transition from Egyptian rule to Hyksos rule was a gradual and comparatively peaceful process. There is evidence that the Hyksos were supported by many Egyptians who collaborated with the Hyksos and who even served in the Hyksos administration which lasted from c. 1658 – 1550 BCE. However, the vassal princes in Upper Egypt saw the Hyksos as usurpers and amassed forces to expel the enemy. This they achieved in c. 1550 BCE, after which it was possible to once again unite Upper and Lower Egypt. This thesis probes the rule of the Hyksos and the influence they might have had on Egyptian culture. Part One (chapters 2-7) deals with the Hyksos per se: their origin, their rise to power, their rule, and how they were expelled. Part Two (chapters 8-12) investigates the Hyksos culture and has a close look at their architecture, arts and crafts, burial practices, warfare and weapons, and religion. Part Three (chapter 13) examines the influence the Hyksos might have had on Egyptian culture, with special attention to architecture, burial practices, arts and crafts, warfare and weapons, and religion. Chapter 14 rounds off the thesis and comes to the conclusion that the Hyksos made very little impact on the Egyptian culture in general, but contributed greatly to Egypt's development in warfare and weapons, and also for a period exerted some influence on religious practices, especially in the Delta. Finally, the Hyksos contributed to Egypt's altered world vision by forcing them to shed their complacency, which in turn opened the way to expansionism in countries in the Near East.

Information technology (IT) plays an important role in contemporary organisations and this role continues to expand in scope and complexity and affects business operations dramatically. Advances in the IT industry have caused major changes in every industry sector. The banking industry is no exception and it has undergone a dramatic change over the past few decades. With the coming of the information age, IS investments are becoming increasingly important to banks` survival, growth and prosperity. IS managers are under increasing pressure to justify the value and contribution of IS expenditure to the productivity, quality and competitiveness of the organisation. This study aims to propose a model which investigates the success of information systems in the banking industry in order to help bank managers to evaluate the success of their IS, to be able to develop these systems and to improve the performance of bank managers and employees. Given that the ultimate dependent variable for this research is individual impacts, DeLone and McLean (2003) updated IS success model is leveraged and extended in this research. The study proposes a research model which is guided by the decision to select a suitable number of key potential demographic and situational variables, in addition to the adoption of DeLone and McLean (2003) updated model. This model proposes that a variety of factors were found to affect IS success in general, however, from the socio-technical viewpoint, IS success should capture both technological and human elements. Therefore, an effective Banking Information System (BIS) typically requires an appropriate combination of both. As such, Thus, the technological dimensions (i.e. system, service and information quality) and the human dimensions (e.g. user satisfaction, perceived system benefits, user involvement, user training, age, education and system use) can be a good starting point when considering suitable constructs for measuring BIS success. The research methodology of this study involved interviews with BIS practitioners and professionals to shape and refine the research model. Further, questionnaire survey was employed to collect data from bank managers in Egyptian banks. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using Partial Least Square (PLS) was used to test the research model. Three research models were proposed according to age groups and initial results from PLS analysis reported different results in each research model. Findings indicated that system, information and service quality, level of training, age, length of system use, user involvement and top management support were the main predictors (success constructs) of user satisfaction and individual impacts in the three proposed research models. However, the relationships between these constructs varied according to each age group of managers. The study offers important academic and practical contributions. Firstly, as a contribution to research, the study serves to extend the DeLone and McLean (2003) IS success model by introducing some key human and situational dimensions and confirming certain links in that model with the context of banking industry. The contribution to practice is especially relevant for bank CIOs, software designers and developers looking for ways to improve BIS developments by providing them with directions regarding the BIS success dimensions that should be considered to encourage bank managers to adopt and be more satisfied with BIS which in turn influence their job performance.

The major aims of this research are to explore and analyse the different factors affecting the adoption of Electronic Marketing (E-Marketing) by industrial and trading small business enterprises (SBEs); to explore the different forms, implementation levels and tools of E-Marketing used by these SBE and to investigate the relationship between E-Marketing adoption and industrial and trading SBEs marketing performance. It aims to develop a theoretical model that can help to understand and interpret these relationships and seeks to evaluate the potential of E-Marketing for SBEs in developed countries (UK) and developing countries (Egypt). This work builds on previous research in the fields of E-marketing and SBEs and adds to the relatively limited empirical research that has been conducted on E-Marketing in a small business context. This research develops and validates a conceptual model based on systematic and in-depth analysis of the literature in the field as well as the results of two exploratory studies conducted in Egypt and UK. It utilises a post-positivist research philosophy with a triangulation approach, in which quantitative and qualitative data is collected based on survey strategy through questionnaires, focus group and semi-structured interviews to address different levels of the study. Even though triangulation requires a commitment to greater amounts of effort, time and funds, it has the advantage of removing the bias that is often associated with the use of a single technique. This research finds that E-Marketing adoption by SBEs is significantly affected by their perception of E-Marketing relative advantage (usefulness), ease of use, compatibility as well as the SBE internal factors such as owner skills and support, available resources, organisational culture, type of products, international orientation and SBE size. On the other hand, the SBE internal factors have a positive direct impact on Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT) related factors such as perceived ease of use, perceived relative advantage and perceived compatibility. These findings indicate that Internet Marketing and E-Mail Marketing are the most commonly used E-Marketing tools and that E-Marketing adoption has a strong positive impact on current and future marketing performance of SBEs. In terms of contribution to knowledge, this study provides an insight for entrepreneurs, policy makers, practitioners, researchers, and educators by providing a clearer view and deep understanding of the issues related to E-Marketing adoption and practices by small business enterprises as opposed to large companies. It addresses some research gaps in the field, particularly in terms of the impact of E-Marketing on marketing performance. The research model has been tested by a major survey of UK SBEs with a response rate of 32%, and has been robustly tested for reliability and validity. Moreover, the exploratory survey in Egypt indicated that there is another rich seam for investigation in terms of E-Marketing in developing countries. Overall the theory in the field of E-Marketing is still in its infancy stage and is not yet well established. This study can be considered as a step towards theory building in the field of E-marketing and has brought to light a number of concepts for the practice of E-Marketing by SBEs.

Depuis 1999, le Centre de recherches archéologiques de l'Université libre de Bruxelles a entrepris l'étude de la tombe thébaine numéro 29 à Cheikh Abd el-Gourna, construite pour le vizir et maire de la ville Aménémopé sous le règne d'Amenhotep II (vers 1425-1401 av. J.-C.). La fouille du monument, sous la direction du Professeur Roland Tefnin, a été menée suivant deux axes de recherches. Le premier, dans une perspective synchronique, visait à étudier les aménagements et le fonctionnement d'origine de la tombe, sous la 18e dynastie. Le second, dans une perspective diachronique, visait à reconstituer l'histoire du monument et de ses occupations successives jusqu'à l'intervention de la mission. La thèse porte sur les résultats de cette seconde approche, et plus particulièrement sur l'analyse des occupations de l'antiquité tardive et post-antiques. Celles-ci se distinguent par une affectation de l'espace différente de sa fonction d'origine : la tombe n'est plus utilisée comme lieu de sépulture et de culte funéraire mais comme habitation. La fouille a ainsi livré les vestiges d'une installation érémitique datée des VIIe et VIIIe siècles de notre ère, associés à un matériel archéologique et épigraphique particulièrement abondant, ainsi que les ruines d'une maison villageoise construite durant la seconde moitié du XIXe siècle.

SMEs are often described as slow adopters of technology. However, adopting e-commerce is one of many strategies taken by travel agents to re-intermediate themselves in the global travel market against the threat of disintermediation. Exploratory studies have revealed that Egyptian travel agents are laggards when it comes to technology adoption, although they perceive e-commerce as a beneficial tool that can increase their chances of survival. As many as 59.2% of Egyptian travel agents were found not to have websites (Egyptian Travel Agents Association, 2008), this study investigates the factors affecting e-commerce adoption by travel agents. Past literature has shown that there are three main factors affecting the adoption of e-commerce by SMEs. Environmental pressures push SMEs to adopt in order to bolster their survival chances. The benefits of adoption are critical factors considered by managers when making the adoption decision. Finally, there are barriers to e-commerce adoption. By modifying the technology acceptance model, this research conceptualizes the causal relationships amongst these three types of factors. The benefits and barriers to e-commerce adoption are found to mediate the relationship between environmental pressures and e-commerce adoption. This study employs mixed methods starting with a quantitative survey and following it up with qualitative interviews. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 411 adopter and non-adopter e-commerce travel agents. Later, 22 interviews were conducted with the managers of travel agents. Structural equation modelling produced findings reveal that environmental pressures significantly affect the perceived benefits of and barriers to adoption, in addition to having an indirect effect on adoption behaviour. This study contributes to theory as it responds to the claim that the factors affecting e-commerce adoption have not been well documented in the travel sector (Hung et al., 2011, Thomas et al., 2011), especially in the context of developing countries (Thulani et al., 2010). The findings reveal that the modified technology acceptance model successfully interprets e-commerce adoption. The study compares other adoption models with the research model and provides statistical criteria for this comparison. Its contribution to practice is twofold, affecting the managers of travel agencies and policy makers. Recognizing the factors affecting adoption would enable managers to devise strategies and prepare better agendas for expanding their businesses, while at the same time identifying any defects and training needs that present barriers. Meanwhile, recognizing the barriers to adoption could encourage government bodies and policy makers to implement appropriate measures, such as introducing protective and financial legislation to encourage SMEs to adopt technology, or to formulate national policies and initiatives aimed specifically at supporting the adoption of e-commerce by SMEs.

This thesis investigates the phenomenon of corporate governance in the Egyptian banking sector (EBS); it aims to understand the nature of corporate governance in this context and identify the factors shaping it. Especially that these aspects had been ignored by the literature. Through grounded theory methodology, an empirical study of the nature of corporate governance in the EBS is undertaken, it identifies the factors affecting corporate governance in the EBS, the interests corporate governance is serving and as such outline the model of corporate governance prevailing in the EBS. Grounded theory methodology is illustrated by the thesis in the following ways. First, through an application of the comparative method in the open coding stage based on semi-structured interviews conducted with bank directors and executives, government officials, auditors and central bank officials, open coding developed categories and identified their properties and dimensions. Indeed, the interviews were informed by the survey of banks’ corporate governance (BCG) practices. Second, through axial coding open categories were subsumed into broader categories, and the relationships among these categories were established by means of the paradigm model. This has led to building the Bank Action Choice Matrix and the Paradigm Model of Evolving BCG in the EBS. Axial coding provided the basis of the substantive theory. Third, selective coding based on a second round of semi-structured interviews had identified the core category, verified its relationships with other sub-categories and eventually presented the substantive theory of BCG. The substantive theory was further explored in terms of the New Institutional Sociological Theory (NIST), leading to more formal substantive theory that consider corporate governance a social process affected by non-economic factors such as culture, politics, legal framework and human factors. It identified that BCG is in the process of institutionalization in the EBS. This process is geared toward the regulative pillar of institutions and the use of coercive power by the regulator, with banks adopting corporate governance seeking legitimacy. It also concluded that BCG is a political process, with powerful actors pushing to serve their interests; as such BCG is about power. Finally, it explained the heterogeneity of banks’ strategic responses to BCG institution, as some banks comply while others disguise their non-compliance, affected by internal organizational characteristics that hinder compliance and make some banks more susceptible to external obstacles. This thesis extended the use of grounded theory to explore the phenomenon of corporate governance in an unexplored context, identified the prevailing BCG model in the EBS and explained the substantive theory of BCG in terms of NIST as such offered a non-traditional perspective for corporate governance theorizing. It contributes to better understanding of NIST by accounting for institutionalization as a process and explaining the heterogeneity of organizational strategic responses. Finally, this thesis is the first attempt to combine corporate governance, grounded theory and NIST offering policy-makers useful views for BCG reform.

This study investigates women’s possibilities to actively participate in societal change in Egypt. It aims at enhancing the understanding of structural conditions for women’s agency and how these enables and/or restrains women’s participation in the aspiration for societal change as well as their aspiration to live a ‘full life’. Egypt was chosen as a field for studying women’s understanding of their opportunities of participation and empowerment before and during the revolution. The informants in the study are all consciously working for awareness and equality in society. Formal education in Egypt is criticized and the country suffers from a high illiteracy rate, making informal education an important way to attain knowledge that can assist women in their quest for societal change. The acknowledgment of participation as a human right is one of the issues women are fighting for in Egypt today. A specific interest in this study is what motivates some women to oppose social, cultural and political structures despite the often high personal cost, and how informal (educational) channels are being used in the quest for societal change. The theoretical construction in which the analysis is carried out is based on frictions between societal structures and agency, using the Capability Approach (Sen, 1999) which aims at understanding what agency women have in societal change. The concept of functionings is used to indicate what someone is able to do and be. By analyzing women’s valued functionings, their conditions and thus their sense of empowerment and their experienced opportunity costs emerge. Central to the analytically framed societal structures and how agency can be perceived within each structure are the social conversion factors, the norms that allow or hinder action. To frame the complexity of women’s conditions for active agency and the outcome of their actions, I use a theoretical framework that will comprise both goals and processes. Sen’s (1999) ideas on social choice along with Archer’s (1995) theory on social change, using her model of structural elaboration / reproduction, have proved useful when investigating women’s valued functionings and attained social changes. The results of the study show that when formal education is not adequate, knowledge is obtained outside the formal educational institutions. This is done through both non-formal and informal learning. However, to get access to informal learning, a number of valued functions have to be gained. These functionings are thus both conditions for change and an end in themselves. I try to show that the costs involved in transgressing the prevailing norms are high, but lack of hope, agency and empowerment are also experienced as a high cost for those who have, in fact, imagined another better life and are in opposition to the inhibitory societal structures. This is, however, a part of what motivates some women to continue to be involved in societal change in order to achieve a life they have reason to value.

The target of this assignment is to answer the question why Egypt has not succeeded to become a democracy when Israel has. The method of this assignment has been a comparable study where Larry Diamond’s internal and external factors have been used to compare why Egypt has not become a democracy when Israel has. The result shows that Egypt is not democratic because of several reasons, such as a big and influential military, unfair civil society, national insecurity, non-democratic leaders, wars and an unsuccessful consolidation of the democratic influences, especially after the Arabic spring in the early 21st century. Israel, on the other hand, is a democracy due to its successful democratic institutions, a functional civil society and with democratic influences from the western world such as the EU and USA. Israel’s “ethnic” democracy is not perfect though and have hinders such as discrimination and a limited democratic leadership but compared to Egypt, the country has become a stable democracy, in a region that is mostly surrounded by undemocratic regimes.