A arquitetura contemporânea vive hoje uma arriscada fusão com a publicidade e a indústria do entretenimento. Tal convergência exige uma expansão da forma arquitetônica até o limite de sua materialidade. Em busca da renda informacional máxima, característica do universo das marcas mundiais, constatamos uma inversão de seus antigos fundamentos construtivos e produtivos, subvertidos por um jogo de volumes e efeitos para além de qualquer regra ou limitação. Aliado às técnicas digitais de projeto e à reorganização dos canteiros de obra, esse novo fetichismo da forma, análogo à autonomização do poder e da riqueza abstrata no capitalismo contemporâneo, define a nova condição da arquitetura. Estudaremos essa condição tomando como fio condutor projetos dos arquitetos mais consagrados pelo atual sistema de distinção e premiação. No propósito de melhor identificar esta arquitetura da exceção, investigamos nas obras emblemáticas dos últimos vinte anos um conjunto de particularidades e recorrências, que a nosso ver define a economia política da exceção e da regra no mundo atual. Principiamos pela análise do emaranhado de significados que sustentam hoje a forma construída, passando em seguida à esfera da produção das novas modalidades de projeto digital às transformações no canteiro de obras para, ao fim, examinar como ocorrem a circulação (com a proliferação de imagens midiáticas), o consumo (especialmente por meio da indústria do turismo) e a distribuição de riquezas que essa arquitetura favorece. O que se verifica é uma produção sobredeterminada pela busca da renda monopolista derivada das propriedades intrínsecas da forma, em seu novo estágio de concepção e realização. Esperamos, assim, mostrar como a arquitetura de ponta tornou-se uma das manifestações mais expressivas da acumulação flexível e da renda das marcas sob a dominância da lógica das finanças. / Contemporary architecture is dangerously enmeshed with the entertainment industry and the field of advertising. This meshing has pushed architectural form to the limits of materiality. Architecture today searches for maximum informational rent, a process typical of global product branding; through this process, established building and production principles are subverted by a play of volumes and effects beyond any rule or limitation. Relying on digital design technologies and the reorganization of the building site, this new fetishism of form, analogous to the autonomization of power and abstract wealth in contemporary capitalism, defines the new condition of architecture. We study this condition by focusing on the work of those architects who are most successful in the current system of professional recognition and rewards. So as to identify this architecture of exception more precisely, we analyze emblematic works from the last twenty years; in these works we identify a set of particularities and recurrent issues that define the political economy of exception and rule today. We begin by analyzing the tangle of meanings associated with contemporary built form. We then move on to the sphere of production from the new technologies of digital design to transformations in the building site. Finally, we examine three processes as they relate to contemporary architecture: circulation (through the proliferation of images in the media), consumption (in particular through the tourist industry), and distribution of wealth. Our investigation reveals that architectural production, in its new stage of conception and realization, is overdetermined by the search for monopoly rent through intrinsic properties of form. We argue that cutting-edge architecture has become one of the most expressive manifestations of flexible accumulation and brand revenue under the prevailing logic of financial capitalism.

L'influence européenne, notamment politique et juridique, la globalisation des échanges de médicaments de même que les conséquences de la globalisation - des crises sanitaires, économiques, financières - affectent les modalités d'organisation et d'exercice de la pharmacie d'officine française, italienne et anglaise. La convergence étant généralement présentée comme figurant au titre des conséquences possibles de l'européanisation et de la globalisation, les régimes français, italien et anglais de distribution de médicament à l'officine évoluent-ils vers une forme de « modèle juridique » commun, dépassant leur opposition historique ? En réalité, non seulement l'on assiste à l'émergence de modèles juridiques d'organisation et d'exercice de la pharmacie qui ne sont pas porteurs d'une unité susceptible de réduire de manière significative les différences entre les législations nationales, mais encore, cette unité n'est pas opportune. En effet, le maintien de spécificités nationales ainsi que l'adaptation des réglementations aux contextes nationaux apparaissent comme des éléments garants de l'efficacité des régimes nationaux de distribution officinale des médicaments. Pour autant, l'efficacité des réglementations ne se résume pas à la garantie des spécificités nationales de l'encadrement du secteur, comme l'illustrent les obstacles à la réparation des dommages imputables aux médicaments et à la protection du monopole pharmaceutique. Si certains apparaissent justement liés aux caractéristiques nationales, d'autres concernent de manière spécifique la lutte contre les ventes illégales de médicaments / European influence, especially political and legal, the globalisation of drug trade as well as the consequences of the globalisation of health, economic and financial crises impact the organisation and practice of French, Italian and English retail pharmacy. Convergence is generally presented as one of the possible consequences of europeanisation and globalisation. In effect, are the legal regimes of drug distribution in retail pharmacies in France, Italy and England evolving towards a common « legal model », beyond their historical opposition ? In reality, not only are we witnessing the emergence of organisational and operational retail pharmacy legal models that do not carry a unicity that would enable significantly reducing differences between national legislations, but this unicity would not be timely. Indeed, the preservation of national specificities, as well as the adaptation of regulations to national contexts appear as key guarantors of the efficacy of retail pharmacy drug distribution national legal regimes. However, the efficacy of regulations cannot be summarised to guaranteeing the sector’s national specificities, as illustrated by the obstacles to compensation for damages attributable to medicines and to the protection of the pharmaceutical monopoly. While some of these obstacles appear precisely linked to national characteristics, others relate specifically to the war against illegal drug sales

A partir de revisão do histórico da regulação do segmento de distribuição de energia elétrica no Brasil, da revisão de conceitos de Teoria da Regulação, Distribuição de Energia Elétrica, Estrutura Tarifária, Regulação de Monopólios Naturais, Qualidade do Serviço Prestado, e Sustentabilidade Econômico-Financeira, assim como definições de Direito Administrativo, Teoria Geral de Concessões de Serviços Públicos e política de preço aplicada a monopólios naturais, aprende-se que o regime tarifário chamado de serviço pelo preço (price cap) foi adotado a partir da edição da Lei de Concessões, sendo abandonado o regime do custo do serviço (rate of return), praticado desde a década de 1950. Contudo, a distinção entre os dois regimes de regulação tarifária fica prejudicada devido às práticas do regulador, fato que ocorre não apenas no Brasil. Conforme estabelecem os contratos de concessão, as tarifas deveriam ser preservadas pela equação de equilíbrio inicial \'RPI +/- X\', sendo previstas revisões tarifárias periódicas, observadas as alterações na estrutura de custos e de mercado, os níveis de tarifas observados em empresas similares no contexto nacional e internacional, e estímulos ao ganho de eficiência e à modicidade tarifária. Passadas duas décadas da implantação do price cap, observa-se que o regulador incorporou práticas do rate of return, criando instrumentos de reposicionamento das tarifas de acordo com critérios e trajetórias de custos operacionais eficientes e componentes discricionários de cálculo do ganho de produtividade, dotando o processo de reajuste e revisão das tarifas de excessiva complexidade. Assim, buscando-se maior simplicidade e clareza nos processos tarifários, de modo a incentivar de forma mais adequada o investimento na melhoria da qualidade do serviço e na sustentabilidade da concessão, o presente trabalho propõe aperfeiçoamentos na metodologia tarifária com base em parâmetros de eficiência em relação à qualidade do serviço prestado, discutido no âmbito do Mecanismo de Incentivo à Melhoria da Qualidade (MIQ) por meio do componente \'Q\' do Fator X, e de eficiência em relação à gestão econômico-financeira (sustentabilidade), aferida por parâmetros utilizados amplamente no setor financeiro, tratados como elementos de uma política de incentivos para assegurar a trajetória de sustentabilidade da concessão. A partir do princípio contratual de que os processos tarifários consideram como receita da distribuidora a soma de uma parcela não gerenciável (VPA) e de parcela gerenciável (VPB), a busca por maior simplicidade e clareza diz respeito ao estrito cumprimento dos critérios contratuais, com retorno à prática da regulação de serviço pelo preço, como estabelecido pela Lei de Concessões. A aplicação dos aperfeiçoamentos propostos é realizada mediante estudos de caso de duas distribuidoras de energia elétrica em situações de qualidade e sustentabilidade distintas. O resultado ilustra que a qualidade e sustentabilidade do serviço podem ser parâmetros importantes para introdução de uma metodologia menos complexa e mais objetiva para reajuste e revisão das tarifas de fornecimento no Brasil. / The Tariff Regulation for public service distribution of electrical energy, called \"price cap\" was adopted in Brazil from the publication of Law 8.095/1995 (the Law of Concessions), therefore abandoning the \"return rate\" remuneration system practiced since the late 1950s. However, the distinction between price cap and return rate regulation was negatively affected due to practices of the regulatory agency (National Electric Energy Agency - ANEEL), which occurs not only in Brazil. As established in concession contracts, the tariffs should be preserved by the equation of initial balance \'RPI +/- X\', forecasting tariff reviews periodically by observing changes in the structure of the licensee\'s costs and market share, the levels of rates observed in similar businesses in the national and international context, as well as stimulating efficiency gains and controlling tariffs. After two decades of implementation of the system of price cap in Brazil, and after four cycles of periodic review of tariffs, it is observed that the regulator has incorporated practices of rate of return throughout the process, creating instruments of repositioning of tariffs in accordance with criteria of operational costs considered efficient and discretionary components of calculating the productivity gains (X Factor), giving the process of readjustment and revision of rates of excessive complexity. In search of greater simplicity and clarity in the tariff process in order to encourage more adequately the investment in improving the quality of service and sustainability, this Thesis presents proposals for the improvement of tariff methodology based on parameters efficiency in terms of quality of service, objectively measured by global indicators of continuity and efficiency in relation to the economic and financial management (sustainability), measured by parameters used widely in the financial sector. The improvement of the efficiency of quality is discussed under the Incentive to Quality Improvement Mechanism (MIQ) of the Brazilian tariff regulation through the \'Q\' component of Factor X. The improvements on the extent of economic and financial sustainability are treated as elements of an incentive policy to ensure a path of sustainability of the concession, given that the Brazilian regulator has not adopted explicit mechanisms of sustainability, except those specifically defined in the process of renewal of distribution concessions, pursuant to Presidential Decree n. 8.461/2015. From the contractual principle that tariff processes consider the distribution company Requested Revenue as the sum of an unmanageable portion (VPA) and manageable portion (VPB), the search for greater simplicity and clarity with respect the strict compliance with the contract criteria, returning to the practice of price cap regulation, as established by the Concessions Law. The implementation of improvements for the proposed tariff mechanisms is carried out through case studies relating to two electricity distribution companies in different quality and sustainability situations. The result of the study shows that the quality and sustainability of the service in the electricity distribution segment can be important parameters for introducing a less complex and more objective methodology for adjustment and review of electricity tariffs in Brazil.

A arquitetura contemporânea vive hoje uma arriscada fusão com a publicidade e a indústria do entretenimento. Tal convergência exige uma expansão da forma arquitetônica até o limite de sua materialidade. Em busca da renda informacional máxima, característica do universo das marcas mundiais, constatamos uma inversão de seus antigos fundamentos construtivos e produtivos, subvertidos por um jogo de volumes e efeitos para além de qualquer regra ou limitação. Aliado às técnicas digitais de projeto e à reorganização dos canteiros de obra, esse novo fetichismo da forma, análogo à autonomização do poder e da riqueza abstrata no capitalismo contemporâneo, define a nova condição da arquitetura. Estudaremos essa condição tomando como fio condutor projetos dos arquitetos mais consagrados pelo atual sistema de distinção e premiação. No propósito de melhor identificar esta arquitetura da exceção, investigamos nas obras emblemáticas dos últimos vinte anos um conjunto de particularidades e recorrências, que a nosso ver define a economia política da exceção e da regra no mundo atual. Principiamos pela análise do emaranhado de significados que sustentam hoje a forma construída, passando em seguida à esfera da produção das novas modalidades de projeto digital às transformações no canteiro de obras para, ao fim, examinar como ocorrem a circulação (com a proliferação de imagens midiáticas), o consumo (especialmente por meio da indústria do turismo) e a distribuição de riquezas que essa arquitetura favorece. O que se verifica é uma produção sobredeterminada pela busca da renda monopolista derivada das propriedades intrínsecas da forma, em seu novo estágio de concepção e realização. Esperamos, assim, mostrar como a arquitetura de ponta tornou-se uma das manifestações mais expressivas da acumulação flexível e da renda das marcas sob a dominância da lógica das finanças. / Contemporary architecture is dangerously enmeshed with the entertainment industry and the field of advertising. This meshing has pushed architectural form to the limits of materiality. Architecture today searches for maximum informational rent, a process typical of global product branding; through this process, established building and production principles are subverted by a play of volumes and effects beyond any rule or limitation. Relying on digital design technologies and the reorganization of the building site, this new fetishism of form, analogous to the autonomization of power and abstract wealth in contemporary capitalism, defines the new condition of architecture. We study this condition by focusing on the work of those architects who are most successful in the current system of professional recognition and rewards. So as to identify this architecture of exception more precisely, we analyze emblematic works from the last twenty years; in these works we identify a set of particularities and recurrent issues that define the political economy of exception and rule today. We begin by analyzing the tangle of meanings associated with contemporary built form. We then move on to the sphere of production from the new technologies of digital design to transformations in the building site. Finally, we examine three processes as they relate to contemporary architecture: circulation (through the proliferation of images in the media), consumption (in particular through the tourist industry), and distribution of wealth. Our investigation reveals that architectural production, in its new stage of conception and realization, is overdetermined by the search for monopoly rent through intrinsic properties of form. We argue that cutting-edge architecture has become one of the most expressive manifestations of flexible accumulation and brand revenue under the prevailing logic of financial capitalism.

This thesis evaluates transparency in the context of water utilities’ regulation by comparing legal frameworks in three jurisdictions: Victoria (Australia), England (United Kingdom) and Jakarta (Indonesia). Each of these jurisdictions is selected because of their particular ownership and regulatory model. The thesis analyses whether specific ownership or regulatory models will have implications for transparency. The terms “transparency” and “water utilities’ regulation” are first defined and form the thesis’ analytical framework. This is then applied against the three jurisdictions compared. By evaluating each of the three jurisdictions, the thesis expects to provide explanation on how transparency is enabled or inhibited by the legal frameworks. The thesis recommends a solution by comparing the three jurisdictions and generating “lessons learned”.

在消費意識與消費型態的歷史更迭中,馬克思所架構的批判情境,已經有所轉變,尤其在後現代社會中,資本主義的宰制性更出現了不同於以往的情形,因此本篇論文期望藉著對消費領域的探討,了解消費主義在早期及現代資本主義中所扮演的角色,並剖析消費社會的壟斷機制之運作邏輯,是否產生質變與量變.在論文的安排上,首先介紹消費主義的各種理論觀點,再討論資本主義的壟斷本質,分別以馬克思主義,法蘭克福學派和後現代主義,來釐清資本主義的壟斷機制;另外進入符號消費的後現代社會,探討人們在虛構的享樂世界中,追求想像式的歡愉, 發覺當現代社會進入後工業階段,馬克思所痛訴的資產階級對生產領域的壟斷, 未曾消失,資產階級對人們的控制,反而橫跨在生產和消費兩大領域.

中游廠商面臨產業結構屬於獨寡占的上游廠商，兩者之間由於中游的經濟規模小於上游形成不對稱組織交易，再者中游廠商與上游存在依賴關係，前者需要後者提供原物料或技術服務以滿足下游顧客需求。本研究利用策略行銷成本架構(4C analysis)，並針對國內各大產業之中介廠商為研究對象，包含電機機械通路產業、半導體設計製造業以及旅遊資訊服務業等產業進行深度訪談。此獨寡占上游─中游─下游情境中，分別解釋產業鏈中的從屬關係。 首先是權力處於相對弱勢的中游廠商與上游的交易關係：中游廠商看似被上游供應商套牢陷入的狀況，但除了存在專屬陷入成本外，影響該交易關係尚存在外顯單位效益成本以及道德危機成本。接著，中游廠商為了與上游持續交易的目的下，採取的策略成本選擇為降低外顯單位效益成本，以及提高上游廠商對於中游的專屬陷入成本以達到與上游持續交易的目的，另一方面，順應此不利環境下，中游廠商滿足下游需求的做法有降低外顯單位效益成本、資訊搜尋成本、道德危機成本以及提高專屬陷入成本的方式。最後一部分為中游為減少對上游廠商的依賴，對於上游或下游投資抵銷性資產，使中游廠商提高本身的議價能力，對於上游廠商的依賴程度獲得減緩。 / In comparison to monopoly or oligopoly up-stream suppliers, mid-stream firms has smaller scale in terms of revenue, the transaction between the two can be described as asymmetric interorganizational relationship. Besides, the mid-stream firms depend on its supplier for key material or services, in order to fulfill the demand of their down-stream customers. This study focus on the monopoly/oligopoly upstream supplier to mid-stream firms to down-stream customer chain, interviewing mid-stream firms in different industries including dealer in electrical machinery industry, semi-conductor industry and tour agent and delve into the relationships between these characters by 4C analysis structure. First of all, the study took a closer look at the relationship between the mid-stream firms and their suppliers; the formers have an inferior bargaining power position and seemed being locked up by the latters, as known as cost of asset-specificity. But we also found that over cost per utility and cost of moral hazard would also be considered by the mid-stream firms. The mid-streams took some actions in order to assure the continuous cooperation with the suppliers, and under this circumspect they will also make efforts to save down-stream customers. We found that the 4C analysis can explain the strategies taken by those mid-stream firms. Finally, the mid-streams would like to reduce the control of the up-streams, so they would put resources in establishing offsetting investments to accumulate their bargaining power to the suppliers, to mitigate the dependence.

Presentation of the study. Analysed issues. Relevance of the topic. The Legal regulation of gambling differs across Europe and the world. Some jurisdictions have liberal gambling regulation where operators are free to engage in the betting and gaming business, other jurisdictions enjoy a gambling monopoly. Those countries which have state gambling monopolies participate in gambling through state-owned enterprises or through private concession-based operators. The Scandinavian countries also have long standing gambling monopolies and all gambling revenues are returned back into society to finance state budgets or public projects. Having followed the consequent Nordic tradition during the interwar period, after the restoration of independence Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia (with certain exceptions) chose a completely different gaming regulatory approach. These jurisdictions chose a fairly liberal and also unique gambling regulation. The Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian gambling regulators acknowledge that these countries can not be classified within any gambling legal regulatory system. Certain conceptual problems that are endemic in gaming legal regulation in Lithuania and Baltics were observed by the author while working as a legal practitioner. Since then, through becoming more and more involved in gambling legal regulation and through the observation of foreign law, the author began to think about what might constitute ideal gambling regulation guidelines, and began... [to full text] / Tyrimo pristatymas. Analizuojama problema. Temos ir darbo aktualumas. Azartinių lošimų teisinis reguliavimas Europos bei pasaulio valstybėse skiriasi. Vienose iš jų azartiniai lošimai reguliuojami liberaliai – azartinių lošimų organizavimo verslu leidžiama verstis beveik kiekvienam, kitose valstybėse gyvuoja azartinių lošimų monopolis. Valstybės monopolizavusios lošimus juos organizuoja per valstybines įmones ar per privačius koncesijos pagrindu veikiančius operatorius. Skandinavijos valstybėse nuo seno gyvuoja azartinių lošimų monopoliai, o visos iš azartinių lošimų uždirbtos pajamos yra sugrąžinamos atgal į visuomenę finansuojant valstybės biudžetą ar visuomeninius projektus. Tarpukariu sekusios Skandinaviškąją tradiciją, atkūrusios nepriklausomybę Lietuva, Latvija bei Estija (su tam tikra išimtimi) pasirinko visiškai kitokį azartinių lošimų teisinio reguliavimo būdą. Čia azartiniai lošimai reguliuojami gana liberaliai, tačiau kartu ir unikaliai. Tiek Lietuvos, tiek Latvijos bei Estijos azartinių lošimų reguliatoriai pripažįsta, jog šių šalių azartinių lošimų reguliavimo beveik neįmanoma priskirti prie jokios sistemos. Koncepcines problemas azartinių lošimų teisiniame reguliavime autorius pastebėjo dirbdamas teisininko praktiko darbą. Nuo to laiko vis labiau gilindamasis į azartinių lošimų teisinį reguliavimą, užsienio šalių praktiką autorius pradėjo mąstyti apie idealaus teisinio reguliavimo gaires, paskatindamas ir Mykolo Romerio universiteto studentus magistrantus... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

Ce mémoire analyse la notion de fonctionnalité. D'origine jurisprudentielle, ce concept tend à maintenir la dichotomie traditionnelle entre le régime des marques de commerce et celui des brevets. À la lecture des jugements rendus en la matière, le maintien d'une telle dichotomie empêcherait notamment de prolonger indûment un monopole échu sous le régime des brevets par l'enregistrement d'une marque de commerce. Cette étude tente de mieux cerner le concept de fonctionnalité et, plus précisément, de justifier son existence. Pour ce faire, une étude approfondie des régimes des marques de commerce et des brevets, nous permet de comprendre que chacun de ces corps de règles répond à une logique différente. Les fonctions des marques de commerce et des brevets sont en effet distinctes et aucun chevauchement ne semble être permis. Cette situation est d'ailleurs propre à ces régimes spécifiques. Un examen de l'étendue de la notion de fonctionnalité nous permet de constater que d'autres droits de propriété intellectuelle peuvent coexister. À titre d'exemple, nous croyons qu'une intersection est possible entre les régimes des dessins industriels et des marques de commerce. À l'issue de ces recherches, nous constatons que la notion de fonctionnalité est un principe jurisprudentiel bien établi en droit canadien visant à empêcher tout renouvellement à perpétuité d'un brevet par le biais du droit des marques de commerce. L'existence de ce principe nous semble être justifiée en matière de marques de commerce et de brevets. Cette conclusion pourrait toutefois différer dans le cadre d'autres droits de propriété intellectuelle, les fonctions de ces autres régimes semblant permettre des chevauchements. / This memory analyzes the notion of functionality. Of case law origin, this concept tends to maintain the traditional dichotomy between trademarks and patents regimes. In light of judgments rendered on that matter, the preservation of such dichotomy would notably prevent from illegally prolonging a monopoly fallen under the regime of patents by the registration of a trademark. This study tries to understand the concept of functionality and, more specifically, to justify its existence. In order to reach this goal, a detailed study of the regimes of trademarks and patents lead us to conclude that each of these bodies of rules answers to a different logic. Indeed, the functions of trademarks and patents are different and no overlapping seems to be allowed. This situation is particular to these two specific regimes. An examination of the area of the notion of functionality leads us to notice that other rights of intellectual property can coexist. For example, we believe that an intersection is possible between the regimes of industrial designs and trademarks. As a conclusion, we notice that the notion of functionality is a well established principle in Canada which tends to prevent any perpetual renewal of a patent under the trademarks regime. We believe that the existence of this concept is justified under trademarks and patents laws. However, this conclusion could differ within the framework of the other intellectual property rights, since these other rights' functions seem to allow an intersection between them.

No description available.