The purpose of the study is to investigate the governance by the Swedish government of the state-owned enterprises in relation to UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights. In the study the Swedish state’s ownership policy is analyzed together with the Swedish national action plan for business and human rights in relation to article 4 in the UN Guiding Principles.The method used in the study is a critical legal reasoning around the text combined with other external perspectives such as the underpinning values and the context. The conclusion of the study is that the Swedish state’s ownership policy should be interpreted in the light of international law, since there are compelling reasons grounded in previous research that article 4 in the UN Guiding Principles is related to the state’s duty to protect and the requirement of due diligence. The study demonstrates that the Swedish government has taken several steps in relation to the state-owned companies, although it is hard to conclude that these are additional in the meaning of article 4. The requirement in the UN Guiding Principles on state-owned enterprises to perform human rights due diligence and supported by international law is not expressed in the State’s ownership policy. Another conclusion is that the requirements and expectations on state-owned enterprises with regard to human rights are integrated with firm expectations on business opportunities. These requirements and expectations could be characterized as instrumental for the overriding objective of the state-owned enterprises: long-term value generation.

Le principe de contradiction, « règle cardinale » de l’instance civile, garantit le droit aux parties à un litige d’être entendues et de pouvoir débattre librement de leur position. La contradiction incarne un idéal de justice auquel on attribue plusieurs avantages, à savoir de contribuer à découvrir la vérité, d’assurer l’autonomie des parties et d’encourager la confiance des justiciables dans les tribunaux. À ces bénéfices s’associent toutefois certains effets néfastes. L’instance civile contradictoire est alourdie par la complexification des débats, des procédures et des preuves, ainsi que par un antagonisme marqué entre les parties. Face à ces enjeux, les deux dernières décennies ont vu la mise en place d’une série de réformes procédurales visant l’amélioration de l’accès à la justice. D’une procédure imprégnée par des valeurs associées au contradictoire, le Code de procédure civile propose un virage vers une culture managériale et coopérative du litige. L’effet de ces réformes a toutefois été mitigé, et on constate chez les praticiens une résistance au changement. L’objectif de la thèse est de démontrer que la symbolique associée au principe de contradiction constitue un obstacle au changement dans l’instance civile québécoise. La thèse illustre comment le principe de contradiction, puisqu’il représente symboliquement un idéal de justice pour les praticiens, suscite chez eux un attachement qui les rend peu disposés au changement. La thèse identifie comment cette résistance se matérialise en repérant les stratégies juridiques utilisées pour s’opposer à certaines mesures. Il est notamment démontré que les visées de proportionnalité du Code de procédure civile sont difficiles à concilier avec le principe de contradiction. Les constats réalisés dans la thèse mènent à certaines critiques et recommandations pour améliorer les outils juridiques qui sont à la disposition des juges. Il sera notamment recommandé de réformer certaines règles en matière de preuve pour assurer leur cohérence avec le Code de procédure civile. / The adversarial principle, a "cardinal rule" of civil procedure, ensures the right of parties in a dispute to be heard and to freely debate their positions. This adversarial culture embodies an ideal of justice attributed with several advantages, such as contributing to the discovery of truth, ensuring the autonomy of parties, and fostering trust in the justice system. However, along with these benefits, come certain adverse effects. Adversarial civil proceedings are burdened by the complexity of procedures and evidence, as well as by antagonism between the parties. In response to these challenges, the past two decades have witnessed the implementation of a series of procedural reforms aimed at improving access to justice. Moving away from a procedure steeped in adversarial culture, the Code of Civil Procedure aims for a shift towards a managerial and cooperative judicial culture. Nevertheless, the impact of these reforms has been disappointing, with practitioners showing resistance to change. The thesis aims to demonstrate that the symbolism associated with to the adversarial principle serves as a barrier to change within the Quebec justice system. It elucidates how the principle, embodying an ideal of justice for practitioners, fosters an attachment that raises resistance to change. The thesis identifies the manifestation of this resistance and analyzes the legal strategies employed to obstruct certain measures. The insights gathered prompt specific criticisms and recommendations aimed at enhancing the legal toolkit at the disposal of judges. Among these recommendations, it will be proposed to reform certain rules of evidence law to align them with the Code of Civil Procedure.

Lo studio si inserisce nel dibattito sul potere delle multinazionali e il rispetto dei diritti umani fondamentali e approfondisce i concetti di responsabilità sociale delle imprese (CSR) e della loro "accountability", inquadrando l'analisi nel contesto più ampio degli investimenti esteri diretti (FDI), con i relativi aspetti economici, tecnologici e sociali, nonché ambientali e politici. Si analizzano le norme internazionali in tema di rispetto dei diritti umani da parte delle aziende, ed i meccanismi legali per rendere le società "accountable", soprattutto in caso di complicità aziendali negli abusi perpetrati dagli Stati, anche attraverso la giurisprudenza dei tribunali penali internazionali e dei tribunali statunitensi. Viene data attenzione al settore della sicurezza, i.e. "Private Military and Security Companies" (PMSCs, interessato da notevole crescita negli ultimi decenni. Le PMSCs, impiegate da parte dei governi che esternalizzano una funzione tipicamente dello stato e da imprese e ONG attive in contesti difficili, hanno operato senza adeguato controllo. Le loro attività sollevano questioni su potenziali abusi dei diritti umani commessi dai propri dipendenti oltre che su violazioni dei diritti del lavoro subite dagli stessi. Le azioni ONU per portare le PMSCs fuori dalla 'zona legale grigia' in cui hanno operato vengono trattate insieme alle iniziative di autoregolamentazione. / The study, given the debate about the increasing power of corporations and the attempts to ensure their respect of fundamental human rights, deepens the concepts of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate accountability, framing the analysis within the broader discourse of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), with its economic, technological and social aspects as well as environmental and political issues. International standards in the area of corporations’ human rights obligations are analyzed in addition to legal mechanisms to hold corporations accountable, particularly for corporate complicity in human rights abuses by States, through the jurisprudence of international criminal tribunals and U.S. Courts. Special attention is given to the security sector, i.e. Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs), interested in the last decades by a steady growth. PMSCs, increasingly contracted by governments willing to outsource a typical state function and by companies and NGOs active in difficult contexts, have been operating without proper supervision and accountability. PMSCs activities raise issues concerning potential human rights violations committed by their employees and labour rights abuses their employees might suffer themselves. UN actions aimed at bringing PMSCs out of the legal ‘grey zone’ where they have been operating are tackled alongside with self-regulatory initiatives.

Les mécanismes de soft law ont joué un rôle central dans le développement de la notion actuelle de la responsabilité des entreprises transnationales en droits de l’homme telle qu’elle est définie dans les Principes directeurs relatifs aux entreprises et aux droits de l’homme, une initiative approuvé par le Conseil des droits de l’homme des Nations unies en juin 2011. La responsabilité des entreprises de respecter les droits de l’homme, telle qu’elle a été conçue par le Représentant spécial, repose sur les attentes de la société plutôt que sur une obligation juridique. Cela signifie que les entreprises « devraient éviter de porter atteinte aux droits de l’homme d’autrui et remédier aux incidences négatives sur les droits de l’homme dans lesquelles elles ont une part ». Les limites de cette approche sont importantes à moyen et à long terme. Même si l’approche pragmatique adopté par le Représentant spécial a permis de surmonter le débat au sein de la communauté internationale autour du Projet de normes sur la responsabilité en matière de droits de l’homme des sociétés transnationales et autres entreprises, elle a aussi éloigné la possibilité d’élaborer un instrument international imposant aux entreprises transnationales des obligations contraignantes en droits de l’homme. Construire la notion de la responsabilité des entreprises transnationales en matière de droits de l’homme uniquement sur les attentes de la société semble insuffisant et dangereux face aux victimes des abus de ces acteurs économiques. La responsabilité de respecter les droits de l’homme, telle que définie aujourd’hui, renforce l’acceptation d’un système international où les entreprises transnationales sont encouragées mais pas obligées à respecter les droits de l’homme, une solution qui laisse les victimes des abus dépourvues de toute action en justice et de réparation. L’objet de cette thèse est de présenter de manière succincte l’évolution de la problématique complexe de la responsabilité des entreprises transnationales du secteur énergétique en matière de droit international des droits de l’homme et de droit international humanitaire depuis son origine jusqu’à nos jours, ainsi que de comprendre les principales limites de l’approche actuelle à la question, afin d’envisager des potentielles solutions. / Soft law mechanisms have played a central role in developing the current notion of the responsibility of transnational corporations in human rights as defined in the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, an initiative approved by the United Nations Human Rights Council in June 2011. Corporate responsibility to respect human rights, as defined by the Special Representative, is based on social expectations rather than on legal obligations. It means that companies should “avoid prejudice to the rights of others and to address adverse impacts on human rights in which they are involved”. The limitations of this approach are important in medium and long term. Although the pragmatic approach adopted by the Special Representative has closed the international community debate on the Draft Norms on the responsibility for human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, it also ends the chances of developing an international instrument requiring binding obligations in human rights for transnational corporations. Setting the notion of the responsibility of transnational corporations in human rights exclusively on social expectations seems unsatisfactory and dangerous towards victims of violations committed by these economic actors. Responsibility to respect human rights as defined today reinforces the acceptance of a system where transnational corporations are encouraged but are not compelled to respect human rights, a solution that leaves victims of abuse devoid of any legal action and redress. The purpose of this PhD thesis is to present briefly the evolution of the responsibility of transnational corporations in the energy sector in human rights and international humanitarian law from its origins to our days, as well as to understand the main limitations of the current concept in order to explore potential solutions.

Cette thèse s'inscrit dans le cadre de la recherche sur la fusion nucléaire par confinement inertiel, et vise notamment à contribuer à la validation du schéma d'allumage rapide. Elle consiste en une étude expérimentale des différents processus impliqués dans la propagation d'un faisceau d'électrons relativistes, produit par une impulsion laser ultra-intense (10^{19} W.cm-2), au sein de la matière dense qu'elle soit solide ou comprimée. Dans ce travail de recherche nous présentons les résultats de trois expériences réalisées sur des installations laser distinctes afin de générer des faisceaux d'électrons dans diverses conditions et d'étudier leur propagation dans différents états de la matière, du solide froid au plasma dense et tiède.La première expérience a été réalisée à très haut contraste temporel sur l'installation laser UHI100 du CEA de Saclay. L'étude du dépôt d'énergie par le faisceau d'électrons dans l'aluminium solide a mis en évidence un important chauffage à faible profondeur, où les effets collectifs sont prédominants, générant ainsi un gradient important de température entre les faces avant (300eV) et arrière (20eV) sur 20µm d'épaisseur. Une modélisation numérique de l'expérience montre que ce gradient induit la formation d'une onde de choc débouchant en face arrière, donnant alors lieu à une augmentation de l'émission thermique. La chronométrie expérimentale du débouché du choc permet de valider le modèle de transport collectif des électrons.Deux autres expériences ont porté sur l'étude de la propagation de faisceaux d'électrons rapides au sein de cibles comprimées. Lors de la première expérience sur LULI2000 (LULI), la géométrie de compression plane a permis de dissocier de manière précise les pertes d'énergie liées aux effets résistifs de celles liées aux effets collisionnels. En comparant nos résultats expérimentaux à des simulations, nous avons mis en évidence l'augmentation significative des pertes d'énergie du faisceau d'électrons avec la compression et le chauffage de la cible à des température proches de la température de Fermi, et ce, pour les deux mécanismes. La seconde expérience, réalisée en géométrie cylindrique sur Vulcan (RAL), a permis de mettre en évidence un phénomène de guidage du faisceau d'électrons rapides sous l'effet d'un intense champ magnétique, auto-généré en présence d'importants gradients radiaux de résistivité. Par ailleurs, dans les conditions de température et de densité atteintes, l'augmentation des pertes d'énergie collisionnelles avec la densité s'avère être compensée par une diminution des pertes résistives du fait du passage de la conductivité du milieu dans le régime des hautes températures de Spitzer. / The framework of this PhD thesis is the validation of the fast ignition scheme for the nuclear fusion by inertial confinement. It consists in the experimental study of the various processes involved in fast electron beams propagation, produced by intense laser pulses (10^{19} W.cm-2), through dense matter either solid or compressed. In this work we present the results of three experiments carried out on different laser facilities in order to generate fast electron beams in various conditions and study their propagation in different states of matter, from the cold solid to the warm and dense plasma.The first experiment was performed with a high intensity contrast on the UHI100 laser facility (CEA Saclay). The study of fast electron energy deposition inside thin aluminium targets highlights a strong target heating at shallow depths, where the collectivs effects are predominant, thus producing a steep temperature profile between front (300eV) and rear (20eV) sides over 20µm thickness. A numerical simulation of the experiment shows that this temperature gradient induces the formation of a shock wave, breaking through the rear side of the target and thus leading to increase the thermal emission. The experimental chronometry of the shock breakthrough allowed validating the model of the collective transport of electrons.Two other experiments were dedicated to the study of fast electron beam propagation inside compressed targets. In the first experiment on the LULI2000 laser facility, the plane compression geometry allowed to precisely dissociate the energy losses due to resistive effects from those due to the collisional ones. By comparing our experimental results with simulations, we observed a significative increase of the fast electron beam energy losses with the compression and the target heating to temperatures close to the Fermi temperature. The second experiment, performed in a cylindrical geometry, demonstrated a fast electron beam guiding phenomenon due to self-generated magnetic fields in presence of sharp radial resistivity gradients. Furthermore, in the temperature and density conditions achieved here, the increase of collisional energy losses with density is compensated by the decreasing resistive energy losses due to the transition of the conductivity into the high-temperatures Spitzer regime.

La thèse propose l’utilisation d’une pince active instrumentée en force pour automatiser l’assemblage des MOEMS 3D hybrides. Chacun des doigts de la pince instrumentée est composé d’un actionneur piézo-électrique et d’un capteur de force piézorésistif intégré. Le capteur de force intégré présente des performances innovantes par rapport aux capteurs existants dans l’ état de l’art. Cette pince offre la possibilité de mesurer les forces de serrage appliquées par la pince pour saisir un micro composant et d’estimer les forces de contact entre le micro composant et le substrat de micro-assemblage.Un modèle dynamique et non linéaire est développé pour la pince instrumentée. Une commande hybride force/position est utilisée pour automatiser le micro-assemblage. Dans cette commande, certains axes sont commandés en position et les autres sont commandés en force. Pour les axes commandés en force, une nouvelle commande fondée sur une commande en impédance avec suivi de référence est proposée selon un principe de commande non linéaire par mode glissant avec estimation des paramétres en lignes. En utilisant le schéma de commande hybride force/position proposé, une automatisation de toutes les tâches de micro-assemblage est réalisée avec succès, notamment sur un composant flexible à guider dans un rail. / This work proposes the use of an active microgripper with sensorized end-effectors for the automationof the microassembly of 3D hybrid MOEMS. Each of the two fingers of the microgripper is composedof a piezoelectric actuator with an integrated piezoresistive force sensor. The integrated force sensorpresents innovative performances compared to the existing force sensors in literature. The forcesensors provide the ability to measure the gripping forces applied by the microgripper to grasp a microcomponentand estimated the contact forces between the microcomponent and the substrate ofmicroassembly. A dynamic nonlinear model of the microgripper is developed. A hybrid force/positioncontrol is used for the automation of the microassembly. In the hybrid force/position control formulation,some axes are controlled in position and others are controlled in force. For the force controlledaxes, a new nonlinear force control scheme based on force tracking sliding mode impedance controlis proposed with parameter estimation. Using the proposed hybrid force/position control scheme, fullautomation of the microassembly is performed, notably for the guiding of a flexible component in arail.

Bibliography: leaves 441-459 / The shepherd metaphor is a prominent and significant one in the Old Testament. However, it has shifted from an agrarian context, of shepherd and sheep in the literal sense, to a socio-political context, of rulers and people in the political sense: a king is a shepherd to the people. A careful review of the given metaphor raises the question whether the metaphor should be the basis of the pastoral and leadership models that are derived from the image of the shepherd, and whether such models can be enriched by the analysis of the said metaphor as applied to the implementation of the shepherding responsibility described in the Old Testament. This research aims to examine various pastoral and leadership models and their use of the shepherd metaphor in the light of the significance of the said metaphor in the Old Testament. It utilises rhetorical criticism in consultation with metaphorical theory to examine the given metaphor used in the models of pastoral and leadership roles and their relationship with the shepherd metaphor in the New Testament. The objective is threefold: (1) exploring the use of the shepherd metaphor in the Old Testament; (2) examining the use of the shepherd metaphor in pastoral and leadership models, which could include pointing out that some of these models rely heavily on their understanding of New Testament uses of this metaphor; and (3) comparing the Old Testament and pastoral/leadership models’ uses of the shepherd metaphor and drawing conclusions based on this comparison. To achieve that end, the discussion also includes the ancient Near Eastern literature and deuterocanonical texts. The thesis shows that a careful analysis of the uses of the shepherd metaphor in the Old Testament could enrich the literature on Christian leadership as well as pastoral models that use this metaphor as their point of departure. / Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies / D. Phil. (Old Testament)

The gas leak disaster in Bhopal, India, in 1984 illustrates a situation of catastrophe and mass torts resulting in loss of life and health as well as environmental degradation. The Indian company Union Carbide India Limited, who owned and operated the chemical plant that caused the disaster, did not have sufficient assets to compensate the victims in contrast to its financially well-equipped US parent company Union Carbide Corporation. The courts never reached a decision regarding parent company liability for the subsidiary’s debts arising from tort claims against the subsidiary. However, where the subsidiary cannot satisfy its tort creditors, as in the Bhopal case, questions regarding parent company liability become highly relevant in relation to both foreign and domestic subsidiaries. Therefore, parent company liability for subsidiaries’ torts is discussed in this thesis with reference to Swedish and UK company law and with a focus on the tort creditors’ situation and the business and human rights debate. From limited liability for shareholders and each company being a separate legal entity follows that a parent company is not liable for its subsidiaries’ debts in neither Swedish nor UK company law. These concepts serve the important function of facilitating risk-taking and entrepreneurial activities. However, they also contribute to the problem of uncompensated tort victims arising where a subsidiary is involved in liability- producing activities but lacks assets to compensate the tort victims. Where limited liability and each company being a separate legal entity leads to particularly inappropriate results, the doctrine of piercing the corporate veil in both Sweden and the UK allows the court to disregard the separate legal personalities and hold the parent company liable for its subsidiary’s acts or omissions. The doctrine is characterised by uncertainty and is seemingly only available under exceptional circumstances. The doctrine does little to mitigate the problems for subsidiaries’ tort creditors at large. The business and human rights debate calls for access to judicial remedies for victims of businesses’ human rights violations. As some human rights violations can form the basis of a tort claim, it is relevant to discuss parent company liability according to company law in relation to human rights violations. The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights emphasise the need to ensure that corporate law does not prevent access to judicial remedies. However, the company law regulation of liability in company groups seems in practice to function as an obstacle for access to judicial remedies for human rights victims, particularly when also considering the inadequate legal regimes in some host states and the hurdles of jurisdiction and applicable law in multinational company groups. It is concluded in this thesis that the company law regulation of liability in company groups is seemingly not equipped to meet the challenges arising with the development of company groups, the global reach of the private business sector, the risks of mass torts and the influence of the business sector on human rights.

The current global changes and regulations in sustainability have a direct impact on suppliers to the automotive industry. Therefore, it is crucial for suppliers to the automotive industry to proactively monitor developments to avoid risking their competitiveness. This involves an increased focus on documentation and compliance with sustainability policies and certifications. Company X is a family-owned company located in Gnosjö, operating for nearly 80 years and supplying products to the automotive industry, among other sectors. The company specializes in industrial work and focuses on machining (turning and milling). To remain competitive and, above all, relevant for at least another 80 years, they strive for continuous development to meet customer demands. The guiding philosophy is to operate within the ”Global Automotive Sustainability Guiding Principles”, which clarify the automotive industry ́s expectations regarding sustainability efforts from their suppliers. In late 2022, Drive Sustainability, responsible for creating and maintaining the Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ), raised the requirements from SAQ 4.0 to SAQ 5.0. The consequence of not being approved before June 2023 is the inability to initiate new business as a supplier to Scania. The thesis was conducted at Company X with the aim of investigating what is required for Business X to upgrade from SAQ 4.0 to SAQ 5.0. This involved identifying any gaps in the company’s environmental and quality management systems in relation to the SAQ portal. The project also aimed to examine whether the current quality and environmental management system needs adjustment to better reflect data in the SAQ portal. The main task of the author was to explore possible solutions to help Company X and other SMEs implement the SAQ process in a resource-efficient manner. To achieve the study ́s purpose, an analysis of the documentation in the company ́s environmental and quality management systems in relation to the SAQ portal was conducted. This analysis was used to identify the resources required to meet the requirements in the SAQ. Based on the formulated research questions, gaps in the company ́s environmental and quality management systems were identified concerning the SAQ portal. Additionally, proposals and arguments were provided for adjustments to the current management system. The result of the thesis was that Company X acted on the suggestions and was approved in SAQ 5.0 with a fulfillment rate of 81%, compared to the previous score 79% in SAQ 4.0. The model presented in the analysis of the SAQ scoring system can also be utilized by other SMEs to implement the SAQ process in a resource-efficient manner.

La présente étude a pour objectif de vérifier si le Canada respecte les prescriptions internationales en matière de droits de l’homme et d’entreprises vis-à-vis de l’encadrement qu’il exerce sur les sociétés minières canadiennes évoluant à l’étranger. En 2011, le Conseil des droits de l’homme de l’ONU a adopté des «Principes directeurs» afin de mettre en oeuvre le cadre de référence « Protéger, Respecter, Réparer » du Représentant spécial chargé de la question des droits de l’homme et des sociétés transnationales et autres entreprises. Selon ce cadre de référence, les États ont des obligations de protection et de réparation alors que les entreprises ont seulement la responsabilité de respecter les droits humains. Après six années de travail, le Représentant spécial John Ruggie, a fait le choix de formuler dans ses «Principes directeurs» des directives non contraignantes à l’égard des États et des entreprises afin de les aider à remplir leurs obligations et responsabilités vis-à-vis des droits de l’homme. Selon, l’ONU, cet instrument de portée universelle est le plus élaboré en la matière, si bien qu’il est recommandé aux entreprises et plus particulièrement aux États de s’y conformer lors de l’élaboration de leurs politiques respectives en matière d'activité économique et de droits humains. Il convient donc de vérifier d’une part si l’encadrement exercé par l’appareil législatif et gouvernemental vis-à-vis des sociétés minières canadiennes évoluant à l’étranger est conforme au principe directeur «Protéger». D’autres part, il convient de vérifier si les recours judiciaires et extrajudiciaires disponibles au Canada remplissent les exigences du principe directeur «Réparer». Cette double analyse permettra de conclure que le Canada respecte dans les grandes lignes ces «Principes directeurs» mais qu’il pourrait faire bien plus notamment en terme d’accès à des réparations effectives pour les victimes étrangères de minières canadiennes. / This study propose to assess whether Canada meets the international requirements of business and human rights in relation to the supervision it has on Canadian mining companies operating abroad. In 2011, the Human rights Council adopted the Special Representative’s Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in order to implement the United Nations “Protect, Respect and Remedy” Framework. According to this framework, States have obligations to protect and remedy while companies only have responsibilities to respect human rights. After six years of work, the Special Representative on Business and Human rights, John Ruggie, has chosen to give in its Guiding Principles non- binding recommendations in order to help States and businesses to encounter their obligations and responsibilities towards human rights. According to the UN, this universal instrument is the most developed in the field. Thus, it is strongly recommended that companies and especially States, comply those «guiding principles» when they elaborate their respective policies on economic activity and human rights. It is therefore necessary to check first if the supervision exercised by the legislature and the government on Canadian mining companies operating abroad succeeds to comply with the "Protect" principles. On the other hand, it must be checked whether the judicial and extrajudicial remedies available in Canada meet the requirements of the «Remedy" principles. This dual analysis will led to conclude that Canada meets broadly the "Guiding Principles" but could do much more, especially in terms of access to effective remedies for foreign victims of Canadian mining companies.