In today's knowledge intensive society humans and human capital are at the centre of economic progress. While companies focused on achieving succes in the past by concentrating on technological advances and ensuring that their tangible assets are used to the most productive means, in the last few years there has been an understanding that the human capital of an organisation contributes significantly to the economic success of a firm.

The initial direction of this research was in the application of Quality tools and techniques, within the framework of the EFQM Model for Business Excellence. Three quality improvement projects managed by the author (Cost of Quality, BPR and Benchmarking) sought to identify the key elements of a process improvement methodology. However, the completion of the three case studies led the author to review the whole approach of the research. The review led to the need to develop an understanding of the culture and the environment of an organisation as a precursor to implementing quality improvement. The ability of an organisation to manage the process of continuous improvement or TQM implementation was fundamentally dependent on the culture of an organisation. Organisational culture is the bedrock upon which organisational change is based and an understanding of the culture could help the practitioner focus on key change issues at the outset. The main work in the research then set about attempting to develop and test a model of organisational culture and climate which would help practitioners develop a fuller understanding of organisational culture and internal environment before interventions were carried out. A process for developing an understanding of organisational culture and climate was derived, using information obtained from the culture, quality and climate literature and the review of the case studies. This process included the use of various tools and techniques such as multi-item questionnaire and focus groups. The process used Focus Groups to identify key issues within Lloyds TSB and to help develop a multi-item questionnaire, termed PCOC. The PCOC questionnaire was then tested in four different Areas of Lloyds TSB and the results were analysed and compared to identify similarities and differences across Business Areas. The implications for the implementation of quality improvement were identified and recommendations for managing change were made.

Hedge funds introduce considerable volatility into global financial markets. Given the volume of capital they mobilize, hedge funds are capable of precipitating 'herding'---the underlying dynamic behind the transmission of financial distress and the precursor to systemic crises. Greater regulatory oversight of hedge-fund activities could reduce these excesses without necessarily impinging on the self-correcting mechanism of the free market. Presently, there is no regime or monetary authority in place that would compel states to undertake efforts to enhance existing regulatory structures so as to mitigate the exigency of systemic risk. That coordination has not been achieved exposes both the obstacles facing monetary cooperation for establishing a more robust international financial order and the limitations of liberal theories of international cooperation. It also makes evident the importance of hegemonic participation in the construction of economic regimes in an era of accelerating financial globalization.

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Thesis (M.S.C.I.T.)--Regis University, Denver, Colo., 2008. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on June 10, 2008). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also in a digital version from UMI/Dissertation Abstracts International.

Thesis (LL. M.)--McGill University, 1991. / Abstract in English and French. Includes bibliographical references (leaves ix-xxxii).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgia State University, 2007. / Title from title page. Richard Phillips, committee chair; Larry Wall, Harold Skipper, Robert Klein, Martin Grace, committee member. Electronic text (155 p. : ill. (some col.)) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed Oct. 8, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 104-116).

Service industries have traditionally been viewed as secondary to, and at best supportive of, manufacturing industries. This thesis is designed to challenge this view with regard to a particular group of services, advanced producer services. It contends that this group makes both direct and indirect contributions to economic growth at urban region level by operating in two ways: firstly, by providing intermediate inputs into the production of finished products and secondly, in its own right, selling its services to clients outside of the region. This contradicts the expectations of theoretical models of urban growth such as export base theory which cast services in an entirely dependent role. Analysis of the spatial distribution of advanced producer services reveals a significant degree of regional inequality in their provision which given the contribution they make to growth has potentially serious implications for the economic regeneration of many of Britain's depressed areas.

This dissertation focuses on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ('OECD') transfer pricing methods and its application to Multinational Enterprise ('MNE') groups in the financial sector. This study examines whether the OECD's Base Erosion and Profit Shifting ('BEPS') Action Plan 9 is an appropriate framework for MNE groups in the banking sector or whether it creates further challenges. Additionally, the dissertation scrutinises MNE groups in the financial sector that are involved in the business of global trading of financial instruments. It further explores the functions of a global trading entity, the arm's length principle and the OECD BEPS Action Plan 9. This dissertation concludes that the global trading of financial instruments using the integrated trading model is challenged when the OECD traditional transfer pricing methods are applied. Multinational financial institution groups in the banking sector that are involved in the business of global trading of financial instruments are subject to rigid regulations. Furthermore, the report concludes that these rigid regulations mitigate some of the complications that arise when applying the OECD BEPS Action Plan 9. Taxing authorities need to focus greater attention on the global trading of financial instruments by multinational financial institutions groups. As South Africa's financial institutions expand across borders, the concerns over transfer pricing and BEPS are likely to intensify. It is therefore imperative that the South African revenue authorities prioritise the recruitment of skilled personnel in order to address the complexities posed by the global trading of financial instruments by multinational financial institution groups.