A two-phase study was undertaken to investigate the fundamental period of concentrically braced steel frames (CBFs) designed according to Eurocode 8. In the first phase, typical office buildings were studied by conducting two types of designs which are called as iterative and non-iterative. Non-iterative design is composed of obtaining final period by designing the structure with lower bound expression in Eurocode 8 while iterative design is similar to the non-iterative one but an updating of periods was considered in order to converge assumed and final periods. Different overstrength provisions are considered in the study. Lower bound expression in Eurocode 8 results in shorter periods which indicates that this expression can be safely utilized. The lower bound represented by Tremblay (2005) is also admissible except for some cases including shorter periods. In the second phase, a simple expression is derived for estimating the design base acceleration for braced frames proportioned according to Eurocode 8. This method requires inelastic top story drift values which were obtained from structures designed in the first phase using iterative method. These drifts were represented by simple expressions utilizing data fitting techniques. The method gives suitable first order estimate for the design base acceleration.

<p>This paper will analyse critically the main sources, namely UNCAC, the African Union Convention on Prevention and Combating Corruption (AU Convention), the Southern African Development Community Protocol against Corruption (SADC Protocol) and the Council of Europe Criminal Law Convention on Corruption (CoE Convention). Furthermore, the paper will examine the corresponding explanatory notes and try to provide a picture of the most important aspects of the issue. As many countries are obliged to consider the criminalisation of trading in influence, drawing an overview of it may make a substantial contribution to its comprehension. Due to the limited space, the paper is unable to cover all provisions of trading in influence in countries where it exists. Accordingly, the discussion will be restricted to the situation in France, Spain and Belgium. By analysing the position in these countries, the different approaches to criminalisation can be highlighted.</p>

Valstybės civilinės deliktinės atsakomybė už žalą, atsiradusią dėl neteisėto nuteisimo, neteisėto suėmimo kardomosios priemonės taikymo tvarka, neteisėto sulaikymo, neteisėto procesinės prievartos priemonių pritaikymo, neteisėto administracinės nuobaudos - arešto - paskyrimo, atlyginimo sąlygas reglamentuoja CK 6.272 straipsnio 1 dalis. Šios normos pagrindu Lietuvos teismuose pareiškiama nemažai ieškinių, todėl pagrindinė nukentėjusiojo garantija gauti teisingą patirtos žalos atlyginimą, - tinkamas normoje numatytų atsakomybės sąlygų aiškinimas ir taikymas teismų praktikoje. Atlikta pastarųjų metų teismų praktikos analizė atskleidė, kad teismų praktikoje pastebimas neteisėtų veiksmų sampratos plėtimas. CK 6.272 straipsnio 1 dalyje įtvirtintas neteisėtų veiksmų sąrašas nelaikomas baigtiniu. Civilinėje byloje sprendimas dėl veiksmų teisėtumo ar neteisėtumo, nagrinėjant, ar yra pagrindas atlyginti žalą pagal CK 6.272 straipsnio 1 dalį, priimamas nepriklausomai nuo to, ar atitinkamas procesinis veiksmas buvo skundžiamas baudžiamajame ar administraciniame procese. Išteisinamasis teismo nuosprendis nėra pagrindas civilinėje byloje konstatuoti, jog visas baudžiamasis procesas, taip pat konkretūs pareigūnų veiksmai ikiteisminiame tyrime buvo neteisėti. Teismų praktika nacionaliniu lygmeniu sąlygojo, jog esant teisės į teismą per kuo trumpiausią laiką pažeidimui, galimybė reikalauti žalos atlyginimo pagal LR CK 6.272 straipsnį 1 dalį yra laikoma teisinės gynybos priemone... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Provisions of state's liability in the cases of damage resulting either from unlawful conviction, or unlawful arrest, as a measure of suppression, as well as from unlawful detention, or application of unlawful procedural measures of enforcement, or unlawful infliction of administrative penalty - arrest - are contained in Article 6.272 part I of the Civil Code. This provision is the legal basis for many lawsuits that are submitted to Lithuanian courts. Therefore, the proper interpretation of the provisions provided by the law in court practice is the main guarantee for the aggrieved person to receive just compensation for the damage. The analysis of courts' practice of late years reveals that the concept of unlawful actions has been broadened. The list of actions envisaged in Article 6.272 part I of the Civil Code is not finite. The decision of lawfulness or unlawfulness of actions in a civil case while analyzing existence of right to the compensation of damage in accordance with Article 6.272 part I of the Civil Code is taken irrespective of the fact whether the aggrieved person lodged a complaint of particular procedural decision in criminal or administrative proceedings. The decision, by which the person has been acquitted, is not a presumption to declare in a civil case that the whole criminal proceedings, as well as certain actions of officers in pre-trial investigation, were unlawful. Court's practice stipulated that in case of the breach of "reasonable time" requirement... [to full text]

Using panel data analysis, this paper considers the impact of governance provisions on firm’sR&amp;D investment decisions. The current paper also contributes to the literature on corporategovernance and innovation by introducing an interaction dimension which captures theinfluence that internationalization of U.S. firms may have on R&amp;D investment decisions. Basedon a sample of 627 U.S. firms for the years 2008-2016 this paper’s results suggest thatgovernance provisions do not nurture or impede R&amp;D investments, and therefore the resultscasts doubt on the existence of a relationship between governance provisions and R&amp;Dintensity. The current paper’s findings also suggest that proposed effects of internationalizationdo not modify the relationship between entrenchment and R&amp;D for U.S. firms.

Purpose - the purpose of this thesis is to investigate earnings management in an emerging economy without market force. We use discretionary loan loss provisions (DLLP) to proxy earnings management, which constitute a material portion of the total accruals in the banking industry. We examine this abnormal behavior in the financial statements prepared under US GAAP and IFRS. Specifically, we try to find the differences in managerial opportunistic behavior that might exist in the two accounting regimes. We also examine the micro economy and regulatory factors that might influence the earnings behavior in the banks. Design/method/approach - This empirical investigation uses an unbalanced panel data of five commercial banks in Liberia for a period of six years, 2010 to 2012 before and 2013 to 2016 after IFRS adoption. The data generated from the audited financial statements of the commercial banks were analyzed with two sample t test and multiple linear regression. We also run robustness check with same statistical procedures to validate the results. Findings - the empirical results show a statistically insignificant difference in earnings management after the adoption of IFRS, which means the introduction of IFRS did not have significant effect on earnings management practices in the banks. Additionally, we found no significant relationship between Liberia GDP growth and DLLP. Finally, we discovered a positive insignificant relationship between the capital adequacy ratio and DLLP as predicted. Originality/value - the result of this thesis advances the understanding of earnings management under US GAAP and IFRS in an emerging economy. As most of the existing literature conducted on earnings management are mainly focused on developed economy with capital market and data from non-financial institutions. This thesis fills a gap in the existing literature by studying managerial discretion in an unusual environment. The results of our findings inform regulators, investors, auditors and standards setters considering IFRS adoption.

O pressuposto desta pesquisa é de que a divulgação de informações ambientais, no âmbito das provisões e passivos contingentes, reagiu aos avanços na normatização contábil. A normatização contábil genérica sobre evidenciação de obrigações incertas era restrita, em meados de 1976, à Lei no 6.404, e assim permaneceu ao longo de pelo menos uma década e meia, quando começou a ser desenvolvida. Ao longo dos anos foram criados padrões obrigatórios de divulgação, com critérios de julgamento mais detalhados para a classificação da obrigação incerta em provável, possível ou remota. Embora ainda apresente algum grau de subjetividade, o desenvolvimento destes critérios pode ter contribuído para a diminuição da assimetria informacional: a empresa passou a contar com um conjunto de orientações mais claras e, portanto, com melhores condições de averiguar e divulgar suas obrigações incertas. Esse avanço contribuiu para que as obrigações ambientais passassem a ter maior exposição, principalmente no âmbito das empresas potencialmente poluidoras, como as do setor de energia elétrica, que utilizam recursos naturais e modificam o meio ambiente. Neste contexto, o objetivo deste estudo foi analisar as evidências de passivo ambiental divulgadas pelas empresas do setor de energia elétrica, de 1997 a 2014. Para tanto, foi desenvolvido um estudo qualitativo, descritivo e longitudinal, por meio da análise de conteúdo de 941 notas explicativas, de uma população de 64 empresas do setor de energia elétrica, de acordo com listagem na BM&FBovespa, em maio de 2015. A amostra foi constituída de 26 empresas, que divulgaram o total de 468 notas explicativas no site da CVM, de 1997 a 2014. Ao longo destes 18 anos, 14 empresas da amostra (53,85%) evidenciaram passivos ambientais ao menos uma vez e 12 instituições (46,15%) não o fizeram e, do total de 468 notas explicativas, 100 (21,37%) evidenciaram passivo ambiental. O número de evidências de passivos ambientais era pequeno em meados de 1997, mas ascendeu, com um aumento mais consistente a partir de 2006, ano que coincide com a aprovação da Norma e Procedimento de Contabilidade 22 - Provisões, Passivos, Contingências Passivas e Contingências Ativas, emitida pelo IBRACON. Adicionalmente, a materialidade quantitativa estava na média de 0,61% para provisões ambientais e 0,89% para os passivos contingentes ambientais, desconsiderando-se os outliers. A dimensão das notas explicativas, em termos de quantidade de palavras, foi crescente e diversificada. Em conclusão, a evidenciação contábil pode, em adição à evidenciação voluntária, ser um meio plausível para a divulgação de questões ambientais e redução da assimetria informacional, principalmente quando a normatização contábil se faz mais clara e detalhada. / The assumption of this research is that the dissemination of environmental informations, under the provisions and contingent liabilities, reacted to developments in accounting standard setting. The general accounting regulation on disclosure of uncertain obligations was restricted to the Law no 6.404 in mid-1976, and remained so for over at least a decade and a half, when it began to be developed. Over the years mandatory disclosure standards were created, with more detailed judgment criteria for the classification of an uncertain obligation as probable, possible or remote. Although still carrying some degree of subjectivity, the development of these criteria may have contributed to the reduction of the information asymmetry: the company has now a set of clearer guidelines and, consequently, it is in a better condition to assess and disclose its uncertain obligations. A greater exposure ofthe environmental obligations was brought about by these advancements, especially in the context of potentially polluting companies, such as the electricity sector, which use natural resources and impact the environment. In this context, the aim of this study was to analyse the evidences of provisions and environmental contingent liabilities, diclosed by the eletricity sector, from 1997 to 2014. For this purpose, we developed a qualitative, descriptive and longitudinal study, using the content analysis of 941 notes, of a population of 64 companies in the electricity sector, according to listing on the BM&FBovespa, on May 2015. The sample is composed of 26 companies, which provided their financial statements on the CVM website from 1997 to 2014, and reported the total of 468 notes. Over the 18 years period analyzed, 14 of these companies (53.85%) showed at least one environmental liability and 12 (46.15%) did not, and, from the 468 notes, 100 (21,37%) reported environmental liability. The number of environmental liabilities evidences was small in mid-1997, but it rose progressively, with a more consistent increase from 2006, the year that coincides with the adoption of Accounting Standard and Procedure 22 - Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Asset, issued by IBRACON. In addition, the quantitative materiality averaged 0.61% in the case of the environmental provisions and 0.89% for environmental contingent liabilities, disregarding the outliers. The notes extent, in terms of the number of words, showed growth and diversity. As a result, the accounting disclosure may be, in addition to the voluntary disclosure, a plausible way to divulge environmental issues and reduce information asymmetry, especially when the accounting standard-setting becomes clearer and more detailed.

In order for the proceeds of unlawful activities to be completely dislodged from the criminals’ hands, the latter should be effectively deterred from allowing their assets to be used to execute or facilitate the commission of offences. When properly exacted, in the interests of justice and within the existing constitutional framework, the legal process known as asset forfeiture should ensure that crime never pays. Asset forfeiture refers to both criminal forfeiture, which is conviction based following the United Kingdom asset forfeiture regime and civil forfeiture, which is non-conviction based following the United States of America one.2 Chapter 5 provisions of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act3 (hereafter POCA) provides for court, Basdeo M – Search, Seizure and Asset Forfeiture in the South African Criminal Justice System: Drawing a Balance between Public Utility and Constitutional Rights (2013) LLD, University of South Africa in Chapter 5 where a comprehensive comparative study of SA POCA and United States of America’s asset forfeiture and origin is undertaken. 3 Act 121 of applications for a restraint, confiscation and realisation for the recovery of proceeds of unlawful activities. The restraint is invoked when a suspect is to be charged or has been charged or prosecuted, there are reasonable grounds to believe that a conviction may follow and that a confiscation order may be made. Chapter 6 provisions of POCA provide for court applications for preservation and forfeiture order targeting both the proceeds of unlawful activities and removal from public circulation of instruments or assets used in the commission of offences where the guilt of the wrongdoer is not relevant. POCA has a Schedule with 34 items setting out examples of offences in relation to which civil forfeiture may be invoked. When the State discharges this noble professed task in the name of public safety, security and crime combating, legal challenges arise. This is more so within a constitutional democratic context where both individual and property rights are enshrined and protected. This study deals with some of these challenges. To the mind of a legal researcher, the law of asset forfeiture is, in this process, moulded and developed. South Africa (a developing country), Canada and New Zealand (developed countries in the north and southern hemispheres) have constitutional democracies. They also have asset forfeiture regimes, which attracted the attention of the researcher. The question is: can the developing country learn some best practices from the developed countries in this particular field? It would be interesting to establish this and the level of development of this field in the three countries under study. South Africa, with no federal government, has nine Provinces, single asset forfeiture legislation5 (combining both criminal forfeiture i.e. restraint, confiscation and realisation applications and civil forfeiture i.e. preservation and forfeiture applications), and a criminal statute6 applicable to all such Provinces. It also has, like Canada and New Zealand, pockets of asset forfeiture provisions embedded in various statutes. There is only one asset forfeiture office under the umbrella of the National Prosecuting Authority.7 It has branches8 in the Provinces, invoking the provisions of POCA, since 1999. It is not part of the police department. The researcher joined the South African Port Elizabeth branch in March 2003, Bloemfontein, Kimberly and Mmabatho branches from 2010 to 2011, July 2012 onwards in the Port Elizabeth and has practical experience in this regard. The Prevention of Organised Crime Act 121 of 1998. The Namibian POCA 29 of 2004 is almost a replica of the South African POCA except that the former makes express recognition of the victims of the underlying victims. The Criminal Procedure Act, 51 of 1977 (as amended). The Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) with its Head Office situated in Pretoria under the umbrella of the National Prosecution Authority, which Raylene Keightley in Young S Civil Forfeiture of Criminal Property Legal Measures for Targeting the Proceeds of Crime (2009) Cheltenham Edward Elgar Publishing, Inc.: Northampton, MA at 94 calls a specialist implementation agency. In Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban, Bloemfontein, Kimberley, Mmabatho, Mpumalanga and Limpopo. It comprises of eleven Provinces to which the Criminal Code of Canada, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act 1996 and a host of other statutes apply. Eight of the eleven Provinces have their own and distinct primary stand-alone asset forfeiture statutes introducing civil forfeiture10 as more fully explained in Chapter 2 of this study.

The dissertation deals with some areas of the work contract (the scope of the work, the price of the work and the payment terms and the execution of the work). The dissertation consists of two unevenly large parts. The general part briefly introduces the concept of commitment and contract, describes in general the contract for a work including a brief historical and foreign excursion and generalizes the national legislation of contract for a work according to the Civil Code, focusing on its character, form, typical features and essentials. The last subchapter differentiates the contract for a work from some similar contractual types. A special part of this dissertation is divided into four chapters. The first chapter approximates the concepts of "mandatory" and "non-mandatory" provisions as the types of legal nature of a legal rule. The next chapter deals with contract for a work focused on construction work and examines the legal nature of the special provisions. The following and most extensive chapter consists of three subchapters (price for a work, the scope of a work and the performance of a work and payment terms) and deals in detail with both the legal regulation of the part and the legal nature of provisions, as well as the reflection of the parties' interests in the area of the contract...

Au stade de leur entrée en vigueur, la valeur des actes juridiques est essentiellement formelle. Cette force n'est cependant pas immuable. Divers mécanismes sont susceptibles de conférer aux actes juridiques une nouvelle valeur fonction de leur caractère (ou nature). Ce caractère repose sur une distribution des compétences matérielles entre les organes habilités à édicter des actes juridiques de portée générale. Ainsi, la prise en compte du critère matériel amène à reconsidérer la valeur des actes juridiques et de leurs dispositions. Le reclassement étudie les modalités par lesquelles les actes juridiques acquièrent une force autre que celle dont ils étaient initialement pourvus.De façon générale, la transmutation de l'acte juridique est due à une incompétence positive signalée, parfois rectifiée, mais non censurée par le juge : la délégalisation, le reclassement des « neutrons organiques », le reclassement des actes nationaux empiétant sur les compétences des institutions d'outre-mer, etc. Certains mécanismes de reclassement sont institués – la ratification des ordonnances –, d'autres sont incidents – les renvois organiques –. Les conséquences du reclassement constituent l'essentiel de l'étude. La valeur juridique détermine le régime applicable à chaque acte. Mais les instrumenta peuvent n'être que partiellement reclassés. Dans ce cas, chaque disposition est pourvue d'une force juridique propre. Après le reclassement de l'acte, l'autorité d'édiction perd sa compétence de modification et d'abrogation. Le régime contentieux de l'acte reclassé est remanié. L'étude du reclassement éclaire la distinction entre la valeur des sources formalisées et la valeur des normes juridiques, c'est-à-dire, de leurs significations prescriptives. / The instrumenta takes effect with legal force that is not immutable. Various mechanisms may give new strength to these legal acts and their provisions. These new strengths are then altered according to its distribution among the establishments empowered to enact legal measures of general application. This force is often determined by a distribution of material powers between the bodies empowered to pass legal acts of general application. This sharing is accomplished by various texts such as the Constitution or organic legislation. If the value of the acts are essentially formal at the stage of their entry into force, taking into account the material criterion this would lead to the reconsideration of their strength. Their reclassification is the process of studying the ways in which the legal acts acquire another force than they were originally filled.Generally, the transmutation of the legal act is not invalid due to incompetence, but simply corrected by the judge: the delegalisation and reclassification of neutral organic acts; the reclassification of national acts encroaching on the powers of the institutions of overseas, etc. Some reclassification mechanisms are instituted - the ratification of orders - and others are incidents - organic references - the consequences of the reclassification constitute the bulk of the study. The value determines the legal regime applicable to each act. But the Instrumenta may be only partially reclassified. In this case, each provision is provided with its own legal force. After reclassification, the enactment of authority loses its modification of skills and repeal the act (or its provisions). Sue to the act being reclassified, the litigation regime is overhauled. These theoretical implications are nonetheless not always observed in practice. The study of the reclassification and litigation that is generated confirms the distinction between the value of formal sources and the value of legal norms, in other words, their prescriptive meanings.

Magister Legum - LLM / This paper will analyse critically the main sources, namely UNCAC, the African Union Convention on Prevention and Combating Corruption (AU Convention), the Southern African Development Community Protocol against Corruption (SADC Protocol) and the Council of Europe Criminal Law Convention on Corruption (CoE Convention). Furthermore, the paper will examine the corresponding explanatory notes and try to provide a picture of the most important aspects of the issue. As many countries are obliged to consider the criminalisation of trading in influence, drawing an overview of it may make a substantial contribution to its comprehension. Due to the limited space, the paper is unable to cover all provisions of trading in influence in countries where it exists. Accordingly, the discussion will be restricted to the situation in France, Spain and Belgium. By analysing the position in these countries, the different approaches to criminalisation can be highlighted. / South Africa