Thesis (M. A. (Political Science)) -- University of Limpopo, 2015 / This study interrogated the politics of South Africa’s macro-economic policy. It done this by briefly analyzing the RDP and GEAR at length. The purpose was to identify the flaws in its conception and philosophy in order to modify it to make it more people friendly enthused with social democratic ideals. This is because it was hypothesized that if GEAR and the philosophy underpinning it were humane, poverty would have been significantly reduced. Moreover, the objective of this study was to highlight major macro-economic policy trends so as to suggest a macro-economic policy that will respond to the needs of all the people, particularly the poor. The macro-economic policies of the DA, COPE and COSATU were analysed to this end. Moreover, the NGP which replaced GEAR in November 2010 was also analysed, and it was found that they don’t differ ideologically. Both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies were used to collect data. It was found that while GEAR succeeded in stabilizing the economy, it to achieve its employment, social equality and economic growth target. This study then recommended for a macro-economic policy which will intertwine private enterprise government intervention and planning to realize fair competition, maintaining a balance between high growth rate, low inflation and unemployment, together with the nationalization of the means of production. These proposals will yield equality, economic growth and higher job creation.

Den svenska kontorsmarknaden har under senare år drivits mot rekordhöga hyror och lågadirektavkastningskrav. Drivkraften i utvecklingen har varit gynnsamma makroekonomiskaförhållanden med bland annat negativ reporänta. Denna studie syftar till att undersöka ivilken grad utvecklingen av direktavkastningskrav i tre svenska storstäder, Stockholm,Göteborg och Malmö kan förklaras av makroekonomiska förändringar. Intressant är även hurde olika städerna förhåller sig till varandra och utvecklingen i ekonomin. Frågeställningensätts i ett mer generellt sammanhang, där marknads- och fastighetspecifika faktorerutelämnas.Med stöd av empiriska studier och ekonomiska teorier, som bland annat 4Q-modellen,angrips frågeställningen genom ett urval av makrovariabler, bearbetning av data ochgrundläggande statistiska beräkningar. Dem utvalda makrovariabler är: KPI, Reporänta,Statsobligationer 10 år, BNP, Arbetslöshet och OMXS30. Korrelationsberäkningar och linjäraregressionsmodeller är centrala verktyg i det kvantitativa arbetet. De statistiskaberäkningarna utförs både med och utan tidsförskjutningar på direktavkastningskravet motmakrovariabler. På så vis beaktas fastighetsmarknadens tröghet och cykliska natur.Resultatet, som ligger i linje med tidigare studier, visar att valda makroekonomiska variableroftast inte är tillräckliga för att förklara rörelsen i direktavkastningskravet. Inte heller påvisasnågon påtaglig skillnad städerna emellan. Resultatet vittnar om värdet av mängd data ochurvalet av oberoende variabler vid en regressionsanalys. Däremot påvisas ett tydligtsamband mellan utvecklingen av direktavkastningskravet och de utvalda makrovariablerna. / The Swedish office market has over the last couple of years developed into a state of recordbraking prime rents at an all-time high and cap rates at an all-time low. The force ofdevelopment has been the favorable macro-economic conditions. This study aims toexamine to what extent the development of cap rates of offices in Sweden’s three largestcities, Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo can be explained by macro-economic changes. Apoint of interest is how these cities relate to each other and the economy. The issue is put ina generical state where factors specific to the markets get left out.With the support of empirical studies and economic theories, such as the 4Q model, theissue is worked by a selection of macro variables by processing of data and basic statisticalcalculations. The selected macro variables are: CPI, Repo rate, Government bonds 10years, GDP, Unemployment and OMXS30. Correlation calculations and linear regressionmodels are central tools in the quantitative work. The statistical calculations are performedboth with and without time lags on the cap rates for macro variables. In this way, the inertiaand cyclical nature of the property market are considered.The result, which is in line with previous studies, shows that the movement of cap rates overtime often can’t be explained only by macro-economic variables. Furthermore, it shows thatthere is no palpable difference between the cities when it comes to development of caprates. The result shows the importance of the multitude of data and the selection of variableswhen performing a regression analysis. With this said the study does demonstrate aconnection between the development of cap rates and the chosen macro variables.

Against the backdrop of the brain drain-brain gain debate, this thesis explores certain facets of the return migration phenomenon. Drawing on several theories, the decision to return among high skilled migrants is likely to be influenced by the prospect of using their overseas-acquired knowledge to secure a better livelihood back home. While ample consideration is given to motivations to return, the choice of employer and issues adjusting to the work and social surroundings, the main objective of the research is to understand migrants' transfer of overseas-acquired knowledge upon their return to India. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the topic, the scope of the thesis is focused on returnees working in two organizations in New Delhi—Fortis Escorts Hospital and Research Centre (EHIRC) and Tata Consultancy Services' Government Industry Solutions Unit (GISU). Adopting a mixed methods approach, survey data and case interviews are analyzed to address the core research question: “How and in which ways do returnees transfer their newly acquired knowledge, skills and experiences in employing organizations?” A key hypothesis is that returnees' social ties affect the extent and nature of knowledge transfers and thus confer intended benefits and may lead to unintended consequences for their organizations. The analyses pit McPherson's (2001) principle of homophily in social networks against Granovetter's (1973) weak ties hypothesis to grasp the role of returnees in knowledge transfers within EHIRC and GISU. Results drawn from data collected on returnees, non-migrants and transnationals strongly confirm that social ties—strong, intermediate or weak—affect the transfer of knowledge to stakeholders in their organizations. The contribution of this thesis to the existing body of research is to shed light on both the potential and limitations of returnees as a conduit for transferring knowledge, upgrading skills and relaying insights to non-migrants, teams or units in the workplace.

In 1965, amid antagonism between capital-importing and capital-exporting states over investment protection, the World Bank created ICSID. ICSID facilitates the resolution of disputes between foreign investors and states. Since major initiatives to create investment rules have failed within the UN and OECD, ICSID is the only successful attempt to create a multilateral, inter-state organization dedicated to investment. This thesis probes the intellectual, political, and economic forces behind the creation and early development of ICSID. This study combines archival work, oral histories, and interviews with econometric work. On this basis, it illuminates how ICSID's creators-mainly staff in the World Bank's Legal Department-adapted their ideas to suit the charged political context. When disseminating the idea of ICSID to states, they relied on ambiguity, expertise, and incrementalism. These three characteristics constitute an approach to organization building that I term "modest multilateralism" since the World Bank's President praised ICSID as "a modest proposal." By illustrating how this approach operated in ICSID's case, I generate insights that are applicable to other international organizations. ICSID's creation differs from the expectations of institutionalist IR theory in important ways. First, there was little state leadership, and ICSID's founding Convention is devoid of substance-it merely outlines a procedure. In this way, it takes the idea of ambiguity to its extreme. Second, ICSID's founders took steps to shield the organization from the politics of investment protection: they asked states to send legal experts, not elected representatives, and avoided deliberative debate. Third, ICSID's design was explicitly evolutionary. ICSID can operate alongside changing substantive rules-multilateral, bilateral, or domestic. Finally, contrary to previous accounts, in this thesis the ICSID Secretariat emerges as a dynamic agent. The Secretariat actively pursued ratifications and advance consents to investor-state arbitration. The creation of ICSID fostered a community of practice, which subsequently redefined international investment law through treaty making and arbitral practice.

Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2003.

<p>The impact of trade policies on the pursuit of gender equality is often ignored. Recognising the link between trade and gender, this dissertation aims to enhance the capacity of policy-makers to mainstream gender in trade policy and to help identify ways for using trade to respond to women&rsquo / s needs in South Africa. In order to meet this objective, it analyses the impacts that trade liberalisation has had on the economy and on gender in general and in South Africa in particular. In addition, it evaluates the impacts on men and women in order to see if trade has contributed to reducing, accentuating or perpetuating gender inequality in South Africa. Findings have confirmed that Trade liberalisation has had both positive and negative impacts on women and men. But, they have also demonstrated that trade liberalisation has affected women and men differently having negative influences on the pursuit of gender equality. The research has, however, concluded that the impact of trade liberalisation on the pursuit of gender equality is influenced by other key factors. As strategy to mainstream gender in trade policies, the research suggests that policy-makers should analyse the implications for women and men of any trade policy before adopting such policy. This analysis would help him/her to see the possible imbalances of the new policy and implement policies and programmes to eradicate them. Also, it will help him/her to identify possible ways for using trade to empower women. The research is based on the idea that the elimination of the existing inequalities will put women at the same stage with men and will, therefore, contribute to women&rsquo / s empowerment in South Africa.</p>

Organisations play a major and increasingly important role in the lives of us all, especially with the growth of large-scale business and the divorce of ownership from management. The decisions and actions of management in organisations have an increasing impact on individuals, other organisations and the community. The power and influence which many business now exercise should be tempered, therefore, by an attitude of responsibility by management. The importance of the exercise of social responsibility can no longer be based on the assumption that the self-interest of the owner of the property will lead to the public good, or that self-interest and public good can be kept apart and considered to have nothing to do with each other. On the contrary, it requires of the manager that he assume responsibility for the public good, that he subordinate his actions to an ethical standard of conduct, and that he restrain his self-interest and his authority wherever their exercise would infringe upon the common weal and upon the freedom of the individual. South Africa is one of the countries with the fastest growing incidents of HIV/AIDS in the world. More people are living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa than in any other country in the world. Just in the past decade, the life expectancy in South Africa has dropped from 67 to 43 years. The social and economic impact of the disease is hard to overstate. HIV/AIDS affect companies through its impact on costs, on productivity, and on the demand for products. Competitiveness can be directly and adversely affected as companies are obliged to increase worker-related expenses for health benefits or insurance that are utilised more as result of the epidemic. Even without monetary outlays, the economic costs can be substantial. Absenteeism rises both directly, as workers begin to show HIV/AIDS symptoms and require more sick leave, and indirectly, as HIV/AIDS deaths increase and co-workers take leave to attend increasingly frequent funerals. In the medium term, company productivity will be hit, as the death of so many workers means that companies must constantly hire replacements, which raises training costs and lowers the average work experience - and hence productivity - of the labour force. The objective of this study is to determine the social responsibility of the South African mining companies dealing with HIV/AIDS employees and included the following aims: To develop a comprehensive HIV/AIDS intervention strategy to manage HIV/AIDS at the workplace. To guide the employer in implementing the anti-HIV/AIDS programme in the workplace. To support the employer in addressing the HIV/AIDS-related health, living, safety and working conditions of employees. The most important conclusions that could be drawn from this study are: Resistance to change is found even when the goals of change are highly desirable. The change process involves learning something new, as well as discontinuing current attitudes, behaviours, or organisational practices. The recognition of the importance of the social responsibility can be gauged in part by the extent of government action and legislation on such matters as, for example, employment protection, equal opportunities, companies acts, consumer law, product liability, health, and safeguarding the environment. More information is needed on the social, political, and economical costs of HIV/AIDS epidemic. Many managers fear that if information about HIV prevalence, and programmes are made public, their company's image will suffer. The impact of HIV/AIDS on the workforce especially on productivity, absenteeism, health, safety, working conditions and intervention programmes. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Sociology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

<p>The impact of trade policies on the pursuit of gender equality is often ignored. Recognising the link between trade and gender, this dissertation aims to enhance the capacity of policy-makers to mainstream gender in trade policy and to help identify ways for using trade to respond to women&rsquo / s needs in South Africa. In order to meet this objective, it analyses the impacts that trade liberalisation has had on the economy and on gender in general and in South Africa in particular. In addition, it evaluates the impacts on men and women in order to see if trade has contributed to reducing, accentuating or perpetuating gender inequality in South Africa. Findings have confirmed that Trade liberalisation has had both positive and negative impacts on women and men. But, they have also demonstrated that trade liberalisation has affected women and men differently having negative influences on the pursuit of gender equality. The research has, however, concluded that the impact of trade liberalisation on the pursuit of gender equality is influenced by other key factors. As strategy to mainstream gender in trade policies, the research suggests that policy-makers should analyse the implications for women and men of any trade policy before adopting such policy. This analysis would help him/her to see the possible imbalances of the new policy and implement policies and programmes to eradicate them. Also, it will help him/her to identify possible ways for using trade to empower women. The research is based on the idea that the elimination of the existing inequalities will put women at the same stage with men and will, therefore, contribute to women&rsquo / s empowerment in South Africa.</p>

Organisations play a major and increasingly important role in the lives of us all, especially with the growth of large-scale business and the divorce of ownership from management. The decisions and actions of management in organisations have an increasing impact on individuals, other organisations and the community. The power and influence which many business now exercise should be tempered, therefore, by an attitude of responsibility by management. The importance of the exercise of social responsibility can no longer be based on the assumption that the self-interest of the owner of the property will lead to the public good, or that self-interest and public good can be kept apart and considered to have nothing to do with each other. On the contrary, it requires of the manager that he assume responsibility for the public good, that he subordinate his actions to an ethical standard of conduct, and that he restrain his self-interest and his authority wherever their exercise would infringe upon the common weal and upon the freedom of the individual. South Africa is one of the countries with the fastest growing incidents of HIV/AIDS in the world. More people are living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa than in any other country in the world. Just in the past decade, the life expectancy in South Africa has dropped from 67 to 43 years. The social and economic impact of the disease is hard to overstate. HIV/AIDS affect companies through its impact on costs, on productivity, and on the demand for products. Competitiveness can be directly and adversely affected as companies are obliged to increase worker-related expenses for health benefits or insurance that are utilised more as result of the epidemic. Even without monetary outlays, the economic costs can be substantial. Absenteeism rises both directly, as workers begin to show HIV/AIDS symptoms and require more sick leave, and indirectly, as HIV/AIDS deaths increase and co-workers take leave to attend increasingly frequent funerals. In the medium term, company productivity will be hit, as the death of so many workers means that companies must constantly hire replacements, which raises training costs and lowers the average work experience - and hence productivity - of the labour force. The objective of this study is to determine the social responsibility of the South African mining companies dealing with HIV/AIDS employees and included the following aims: To develop a comprehensive HIV/AIDS intervention strategy to manage HIV/AIDS at the workplace. To guide the employer in implementing the anti-HIV/AIDS programme in the workplace. To support the employer in addressing the HIV/AIDS-related health, living, safety and working conditions of employees. The most important conclusions that could be drawn from this study are: Resistance to change is found even when the goals of change are highly desirable. The change process involves learning something new, as well as discontinuing current attitudes, behaviours, or organisational practices. The recognition of the importance of the social responsibility can be gauged in part by the extent of government action and legislation on such matters as, for example, employment protection, equal opportunities, companies acts, consumer law, product liability, health, and safeguarding the environment. More information is needed on the social, political, and economical costs of HIV/AIDS epidemic. Many managers fear that if information about HIV prevalence, and programmes are made public, their company's image will suffer. The impact of HIV/AIDS on the workforce especially on productivity, absenteeism, health, safety, working conditions and intervention programmes. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Sociology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Magister Legum - LLM / The impact of trade policies on the pursuit of gender equality is often ignored. Recognising the link between trade and gender, this dissertation aims to enhance the capacity of policy-makers to mainstream gender in trade policy and to help identify ways for using trade to respond to women's needs in South Africa. In order to meet this objective, it analyses the impacts that trade liberalisation has had on the economy and on gender in general and in South Africa in particular. In addition, it evaluates the impacts on men and women in order to see if trade has contributed to reducing, accentuating or perpetuating gender inequality in South Africa. Findings have confirmed that Trade liberalisation has had both positive and negative impacts on women and men. But, they have also demonstrated that trade liberalisation has affected women and men differently having negative influences on the pursuit of gender equality. The research has, however, concluded that the impact of trade liberalisation on the pursuit of gender equality is influenced by other key factors. As strategy to mainstream gender in trade policies, the research suggests that policy-makers should analyse the implications for women and men of any trade policy before adopting such policy. This analysis would help him/her to see the possible imbalances of the new policy and implement policies and programmes to eradicate them. Also, it will help him/her to identify possible ways for using trade to empower women. The research is based on the idea that the elimination of the existing inequalities will put women at the same stage with men and will, therefore, contribute to women's empowerment in South Africa. / South Africa