There are several advantages of capital markets integration, such as increasing overall market liquidity, improving the scope for diversification and risk sharing. Therefore, the European institutions try to boost capital markets integration among the member states. The aim of this empirical paper is to analyse the level of integration of the main equity markets in the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE): the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria from 2001 until 2010 using an integration score analysis. This methodology was proposed by Akdogan (1996; 1997) and later extended by Barari (2004) and by Birg & Lucey (2006). The paper focuses on the developments of regional and global integration of these countries. Findings from this research can be of interest to investors as well as policy makers because the degree of capital markets integration has important implications for cross-border capital flows, financial management, and for the conduct of monetary policy. The results from this paper suggest that the opportunities for portfolio diversification are diminishing in the CEE countries. The diversification benefits were mainly reduced by the accession to the EU, but they did not completely disappear. The findings showed that the global financial crisis in 2008 brought about a rapid change in integration. Global integration increased during the crises, whereas the regional started to decline after years of rising.

The collapse of the German Army in the East in the Summer of 1944 is analyzed and determined to be the result of the following specific factors: German intelligence failures; German defensive doctrine; loss of German air superiority; Lend-Lease aid to the Soviet Union; German mobile reserves committed in the West; Soviet numerical superiority; and Soviet offensive doctrine and tactics. The collapse of Army Group Center, the destruction of the XIII Army Corps, and the collapse of Army Group South Ukraine in Romania during the Summer of 1944 are examined in detail. The significance of the collapse of the German Army in the East is compared to events occurring on the Anglo-American fronts and the German losses on both theaters of military operations are compared. The Soviet contributions to the defeat of the German Army during the Summer of 1944 are examined and the views of Soviet historiography and American historiography compared.

The collapse of the German Army in the East in the Summer of 1944 is analyzed and determined to be the result of the following specific factors: German intelligence failures; German defensive doctrine; loss of German air superiority; Lend-Lease aid to the Soviet Union; German mobile reserves committed in the West; Soviet numerical superiority; and Soviet offensive doctrine and tactics. The collapse of Army Group Center, the destruction of the XIII Army Corps, and the collapse of Army Group South Ukraine in Romania during the Summer of 1944 are examined in detail. The significance of the collapse of the German Army in the East is compared to events occurring on the Anglo-American fronts and the German losses on both theaters of military operations are compared. The Soviet contributions to the defeat of the German Army during the Summer of 1944 are examined and the views of Soviet historiography and American historiography compared.

The study examines attitudes toward and effectiveness of cause-related marketing initiatives in Poland. As the results indicate, the factors, which lead to the popularity and effectiveness of the cause-related marketing initiatives in the United States and the United Kingdom, lack in the Polish culture. Even though CRM is popular in Poland, it does not influence the purchase decisions. Poles do not have any expectations toward businesses in the area of corporate social responsibility. They believe that the government should take the responsibility for solving social issues, and value only the functional dimensions of the products, because their emotional needs are fully satisfied by their families, friends and religion.

Gegenstand der Untersuchung ist die Umsetzung der europäischen, gleichstellungspolitischen Strategie Gender Mainstreaming (GM) in der Ministerialverwaltung des neuen EU-Mitgliedslands Estland. GM hat die Umsetzung der Gleichstellung von Männern und Frauen zum Ziel und wird als eine Querschnittsaufgabe mit Instrumenten der Verwaltungsmodernisierung (Folgenabschätzung, Wissensmanagement, u.a.) umgesetzt. Wie diese Strategie in der Ministerialverwaltung als ausführendes Organ der Regierung aufgenommen, übersetzt und umgesetzt wird in einem Land, das viele Jahrzehnte dem kommunistischen Gleichheitspostulat unterworfen war und als Staatsneugründung seine nationale Verwaltung erst aufbauen musste, wird in der Arbeit beschrieben und analysiert. Die Dissertation ist in vier Teile gegliedert: in Teil I wird in den Untersuchungsgegenstand und die Methode der Arbeit eingeführt. Teil II beschreibt die gesellschaftlich-politischen und administrativen Rahmenbedingungen im Fallbeispiel Estland. Teil III widmet sich dem Untersuchungsgegenstand „Umsetzung von GM in der estnischen Ministerialverwaltung“. Der IV. Teil beschließt die Arbeit mit der Analyse der Zusammenhänge zwischen den Rahmenbedingungen und der Umsetzung. Teil I beginnt mit der Darstellung des Forschungskonzepts, das sich aus Elementen der Verwaltungswissenschaft und der Forschung zu staatlichen Strukturen für Gleichstellungspolitik, einem Zweig der politikwissenschaftlichen Geschlechterforschung, zusammensetzt. Damit wird für die Untersuchung von GM erstmals systematisch die Verwaltungswissenschaft herangezogen. Die Arbeit wird methodisch und theoretisch als explorativ-explanative Single Case Studie verortet, die sich an neo-institutionalistischen Ansätzen orientiert. Teil II der Arbeit führt in das Fallbeispiel Estland ein: Es werden drei identifizierte Interpretationsmuster dargestellt anhand derer in Estland die Vergangenheit als besetzte Nation und die Gegenwart als demokratischer Staat (re )konstruiert werden und die das estnische, kollektive Selbstverständnis prägen. Anschließend werden die gesellschaftlichen und administrativen Rahmenbedingungen und Einflussfaktoren beschrieben, die für die Umsetzung von Querschnittsreformen in der öffentlichen Verwaltung und für die Umsetzung von Gleichstellungspolitik von Bedeutung sind. Die Forschungsergebnisse in Teil II zeigen über die empirischen Befunde hinaus, dass Estland nicht immer eindeutig in klassische politikwissenschaftliche Kategorien einzuordnen ist. Sowohl die Transitionssituation des Landes als auch die an westlichen Demokratien ausgerichteten Untersuchungskriterien sind für diesen Befund ursächlich. Teil III der Arbeit widmet sich dem Untersuchungsgegenstand GM. Nach grundlegenden Informationen zu dieser Verwaltungsmodernisierungsstrategie folgt die Darstellung der Umsetzung in der estnischen Ministerialverwaltung. In Teil IV der Dissertation werden die in Teil II beschriebenen Variablen auf die Umsetzung von GM (Teil III) bezogen. Die Analyse erfolgt anhand von Kriterien, die sich aus der Auswertung internationaler GM-Implementierungserfahrungen ergeben. Die Untersuchung zeigt, dass das post-kommunistisch geprägte, gesellschaftliche Klima besondere Legitimitätsprobleme für eine an Gleichheit orientierte staatliche Politik schafft. Dies kann die schwache zivilgesellschaftliche gleichstellungspolitische Lobby nur sehr begrenzt beeinflussen. Die strukturellen Bedingungen der estnischen Ministerialverwaltung mit ihrer geringen Koordinationsfähigkeit und politischen Steuerbarkeit machen eine effektive Umsetzung von Querschnittsreformen allgemein schwierig. Als produktiv für die Umsetzung hat sich der hohe Grad der fachlichen Professionalität und Politikversiertheit der kleinen, gleichstellungspolitischen Elite in der Ministerialverwaltung herauskristallisiert. Über Kooperationen mit internationalen Akteuren und estnischen zivilgesellschaftlichen Kräften sowie einzelnen interessierten Personen in der Verwaltung treibt sie die Umsetzung von GM voran. Sie nutzte die EU-Beitrittsverhandlungen um politischen Handlungsdruck für die Verwaltungsmodernisierung durch GM aufzubauen. Nachdem dieser seit dem Beitritt nicht aufrecht erhalten werden kann, zeichnet sich eine neue Umsetzungsstrategie ab. Es wird zukünftig nicht mehr vor allem an den normativen und kognitiven Strukturen in der Verwaltung, also den Einstellungen und Fachkompetenzen des Verwaltungspersonals zu gleichstellungsorientierter Arbeit, angesetzt. Vielmehr sollen neue, gleichstellungsrelevante Wissensbestände durch Expertinnen und Experten und exponierte Persönlichkeiten in die Gesellschaft und die Verwaltung transportiert und damit grundlegende gesellschaftlich-normative Voraussetzungen für die Rezeptivität von GM verbessert werden. / The object of research is the implementation of the European equal opportunities policy ‘gender mainstreaming’ (GM), in the ministerial administration of the new European Union member state Estonia. GM is a transversal task that employs the instruments of administration modernisation (impact assessment, knowledge management and others), its aim is equal opportunities for men and women at all levels. This paper describes and analyses how GM strategy is received, interpreted and implemented by the ministerial administration, as executive body of government, in a country that has had to rebuild its national administration following years of subjugation to the communist egality postulate. The dissertation is divided into four parts. Part I introduces the research object and methodology. Part II describes the socio-political and administrative framework of the case example Estonia. Part III is devoted to the research object ‘Implementation of GM in the Estonian ministerial administration’. Part IV concludes the paper with an analysis of the correlations between the socio-political parameters and the implementation. Part I begins with the presentation of the research concept that comprises elements from Public Administration and research on state structures for equal opportunities policy, a field of gender studies in political science. This means that for the first time the science of public administration is being systematically applied to GM research. The research employs explorative/explanative single case study methods and theory in accordance with neo-institutionalism approaches. Part II introduces the case study Estonia describing three identified interpretation models on the basis of which Estonia is (re)-constructing its past as an occupied nation and the present day as a democratic state, and which characterise Estonian national identity. Finally, an account is given of the social and administrative parameters and the influencing factors significant for the implementation of both transversal reforms in public administration and equal opportunities policies. Research results in part II go beyond the empirical findings and show that Estonia cannot always be conclusively classified within standard political science categories. This is due both to the country’s transitional situation as well as to research criteria that are tailored to Western democracies. Part III is devoted to the research object GM. Key information on this modernisation strategy is followed by a report on its implementation in the Estonian ministerial administration. In part IV of the dissertation the variables described in part II are related to the implementation of GM (part III). This analysis is carried out on the basis of criteria resultant from the evaluation of international experience of GM implementation. The research shows that the social climate of the post-communist era generates specific legitimacy problems for a national policy based on equality, upon which the powerless equal opportunities lobby in civil society has only limited influence. The structural conditions in the Estonian ministerial administration, with their limited coordinating ability and political governance, render effective implementation of transversal reforms generally quite difficult. It has emerged that the small equal opportunities 'elite' in the ministerial administration with their high degree of professionalism and political experience is /the /crucial factor for the GM implementation process. Through cooperation with international players and powers within Estonian civil society, as well as interested individuals in the public administration, they are able to keep implementation of GM going. They used EU-membership negotiations to build political pressure to modernise the public administration with GM. Following EU-membership this could not be sustained and a new implementation strategy is now beginning to emerge. In future, efforts will no longer be concentrated mainly on the normative and cognitive structures in the administration, meaning the attitudes and professional competences of the administrative staff with regard to equal opportunities. Instead, the intention is to transport new corpuses of knowledge relevant to equal opportunities into society as a whole, and public administration in particular, by experts and persons in exposed positions. In this way the elite expects fundamental socio-normative preconditions for receptivity of GM to be influenced for the better.

Daily aerosol samples (PM) were collected at a rural station, which is 5 km away from the Turkish-Bulgarian border between April 2006 and March 2008. Aerosol samples were analyzed for elements by ICPMS, ions by IC and black carbon by aethalometer to provide a multi-species aerosol data set, which can represent aerosol population for Northwestern Turkey and Eastern Europe. Average concentration of SO42-, NO3- and NH4+ was 5.8, 2.9 and 2.0 &mu / g m-3, respectively, while total aerosol mass was 66 &mu / g m-3. Seasonal variation of crustal species had maxima in summer, while most of the anthropogenic species had maxima in winter. Rainfall was found as the only local meteorological parameter affecting aerosols concentrations. The dominant sectors of air masses arriving the Northwestern Turkey were northeast in summer and west-northwest in winter. Air masses were classified into five clusters regarding their wind speed and direction. Most species indicated significant differences between clusters. The influence of forest fires in Ukraine and Russian Federation was identified by cluster analysis using soluble K as tracer. Source apportionment of PM was carried out by EPA PMF model and five sources were resolved. Crustal emissions were found to be the major contributor to PM (41%). The second largest source was distant anthropogenic sources with a contribution of 26%. Traffic was also a remarkable source with 16% contribution. Sea salt and stationary combustion sources accounted for 9% and 8% of PM, respectively. Potential source regions of resolved sources were determined by potential source contribution function (PSCF).

I denna uppsats undersöks viktiga framgångsfaktorer vid internationell expansion på tillväxtmarknaderna i centrala Östeuropa. Expansionsprocesserna hos Cramo och Volvo Lastvagnar jämförs med utgångspunkt i ett teoretiskt ramverk där Uppsala-modellen står i centrum, kompletterad med grundläggande teoretiska förutsättningar avseende egna etableringar respektive företagsförvärv samt avseende tillväxtmarknader. Studien inriktar sig på huvud-kontorens perspektiv, och det empiriska underlaget består av intervjuer med de huvudansvariga cheferna inom Cramo och Volvo Lastvagnar. De viktiga framgångsfaktorer som analysen resulterar i är: Tidig etablering har inneburit klara fördelar för båda företagen. För ett uthyrningsföretag inom byggbranschen som Cramo har det varit viktigt att växa klustervis. För ett produktionsföretag inom transportbranschen som Volvo Lastvagnar har det varit viktigt att äga både försäljningskanaler och eftermarknadskanaler. Kontakter är generellt sett viktiga inom ett land. Varumärket och att synas är viktigt. Eget engagemang i och aktivt internaliserande av kunskap från det relevanta nätverket är nödvändigt.

This dissertation analyses governance in the process of the formation of new regional alliances and spaces in Europe, by studying the case of the Central European Region - Centrope, which is both a region and a political project at the border area of Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. This research aims at illuminating the historically founded relationship between emerging territories and new socioeconomic institutionalisations through unveiling the mode of governance in Centrope. It uncovers the progress and dilemmas of the institutionalization of a new region and regional alliances. The focus is on socio-spatial transformations, bringing in conceptual clarifications to unravel, among other issues, the ways in which actor's alliances are formed and mobilized to defend and promote particular interests grounded within already established, emerging, or potential state spaces. It thus sheds light on the mode of governance and regional development being fostered by the EU in new trans-border regions, as well as on the challenges involved in implementing new spaces in the EU under the absolute rule of a specific notion of competitiveness. This enabled sketching some alternative policy recommendations. (author's abstract)

The main aim of this thesis is to analyze EU-Western Balkans relations with regard to the prospective EU membership of the Western Balkans, and to make an analysis of the EU&rsquo / s Western Balkans enlargement strategy and the scope of membership conditionality imposed on the Western Balkans from post Dayton period (1995) to present (2006). This thesis examines how the EU membership conditionality worked in the Western Balkans&rsquo / preparatory stages for pre-accession, and to what extent it is different from the CEE enlargement process. Lastly, considering the discussions on rediscovered absorption capacity and the commitment of EU for further eastward enlargements after the CEE enlargement of 2004, it is looked into whether there has been a shift in EU&rsquo / s Western Balkans strategy. This thesis argues that the dominant factor determining the dynamics of the EU-Western Balkans relations are preferences, priorities and internal dynamics of the EU. The comparison between the CEE&rsquo / s and Western Balkans&rsquo / EU integration process reveals that EU tailored a long term and flexible enlargement strategy with increasing conditionality within SAP framework for the Western Balkans. Hence as long as the EU does not feel a sense of urgency straining the stability and EU integration of the region, a motivation for presenting an immediate enlargement platform will not emerge. In this sense, after the CEE enlargement, EU rediscovered its absorption capacity as a main membership condition and further differentiated the regional countries in terms of their own merits in fulfilling EU&rsquo / s conditionality and standards.

&lsquo / The reconstruction of Europe&rsquo / is a subject covering a quite long period that has seen various outstanding historical events changing the geography and power distribution in Europe, and in the politics of international relations within a general framework. This study underlines the impact of geopolitical setting in the post-WW II and the post-Cold War periods to understand the acts of actors and related outcomes in the reconstruction of Europe. By the comparison of reconstructive acts and ingredients of the foreign policy strategies in both periods, this study attempts to reach the conclusion that &lsquo / the geographical position&rsquo / and the &lsquo / capability to implement&rsquo / defines states&rsquo / foreign policy structuring. The policy choice and instruments of the US in the post-WW II period for the reconstruction of Europe and the policy choice and instruments of West European countries for the reconstruction of Central and Eastern Europe, via the EU and enlargement strategy, in the post- Cold War period has been the focal point of this study to support the argument mentioned above.