The United States and the European Union operate in the world’s two most powerful systems of competition law and policy, whose enforcement and judicial institutions employ similar concepts and legal language. Nevertheless, the two systems have reached different results across a number of significant antitrust issues. One such issue is the approach taken towards vertical price fixing and, in particular, the practice referred to as resale price maintenance. Resale price maintenance generally includes the predetermination of a fixed or minimum retail price in a vertical distribution agreement.   In European competition law, resale price maintenance is considered a hardcore restriction of competition and is thereby presumed to infringe Article 101(1) TFEU by its object. The presumption is strong and has proved difficult to rebut in practice. In the United States, the US Supreme Court changed its approach towards resale price maintenance in its 2007 landmark decision Leegin. The majority overturned its nearly century old precedent regarding resale price maintenance, concluding that the practice is no longer to be treated as a per se violation of antitrust law but should instead be subject to a rule of reason analysis. The judgment was the last in a series of different cases, all demonstrating a complete reversal in the approach towards both price and non-price vertical restraints. The change of approach in the United States was largely influenced by developments in economic thinking addressing the potential pro-competitive effects of resale price maintenance. Even though the European Union has modernised and renewed its competition rules to be more in line with economic theory, some uncertainties and difficulties seem to remain regarding the scope of the prohibition on anti-competitive agreements and the possible efficiencies resulting from vertical price fixing. These issues have constituted the main focus for this thesis, which aims to examine vertical price fixing and the prohibition on anti-competitive agreements in Article 101(1) TFEU.   The policy view towards resale price maintenance in the European Union has been subject to great discussion and debate, and it has been argued that the approach towards the restriction is too strict. The legal framework for vertical agreements is now up for review and it is of interest to examine the appropriateness of the prohibition on resale price maintenance, especially in the light of two recent judgments. The thesis shows that there might be sufficient arguments for a change of approach towards resale price maintenance also in the European Union.

No description available.

The concept of circular economy has gained a lot of interest among both researchers and practitioners. Moving from the traditional linear “take, make, disposal” resource management approach towards circular economy principles that aim to keep resources in a loop of usage is considered to be a possible way for material-intensive industries to decouple economic growth from environmental constraints. This could enable increased value creation while maintaining a decreased environmental footprint. The transition towards circular economy has stimulated companies across industries to introduce varying types of circular business model innovations. By using the case of clothing resale in the fashion industry, this thesis aims to explore how companies innovate their business models in the context of circular economy. The study uses the Multi-Level Perspective framework to analyze the emerging business model innovations within the clothing resale markets, incumbent fashion retailers’ reactions towards them, and the role of innovating business models in possible future stages of the fashion industry’s transition towards circular economy. The findings show that the main types of business model innovations emerging in the highly growing clothing resale markets are born-circular fashion retailers, online resale platforms, B2B back-end services for clothing resale and clothing as a service. Most incumbent fashion retailers have been actively monitoring the development of the clothing resale market, but only a small part of them have introduced resale-related business models themselves. Some fashion retailers that have taken a more active approach towards clothing resale have followed a business model diversification strategy where the existing business model stays in place and a secondary resale business model is established parallel with the core business model. Although the clothing resale business model innovations can entail some short-term economic and brand benefits especially with specific product types and price segments, the largest benefits are likely to be related to preparing for future changes. Fashion retailers that are currently reacting early to the circular economy transition by diversifying their business model with novel resale business model innovations strengthen their future position if changes in regulatory frameworks, consumer mindsets and technologies further accelerate the importance of circular economy in the industry. / Begreppet cirkulär ekonomi har fått ett stort intresse bland både forskare och utövare. Genom att förflytta ifrån den traditionella linjära resurshanteringsstrategin: "ta, göra, bortskaffa", till principerna för cirkulär ekonomi. Principerna syftar till att istället hålla resurserna i en slinga av användning och anses vara ett möjligt sätt för materialintensiva industrier att koppla från den ekonomiska tillväxten från miljöbegränsningar, där en cirkulär ekonomi kan möjliggöra ökad värdeskapande samtidigt som ett minskat miljöavtryck bibehålls. Övergången till en cirkulär ekonomi har stimulerat företag över en mängd olika branscher att införa olika typer av cirkuläraffärsmodellsutveckling. Genom att studera det nya fenomenet av återförsäljning av kläder inom modebranschen, syftar examensarbetet att undersöka hur företag utvecklar sina affärsmodeller i samband med cirkulär ekonomi. Studien använder ett multi-perspektivramverk för att analysera de nya affärsmodellinnovationerna inom klädåterförsäljningsmarknaderna. Utöver det studeras även de nuvarande modeförsäljares reaktioner gentemot dessa samt rollen som innovativa affärsmodeller kan ha i framtida stadier av modebranschens övergång till cirkulär ekonomi. Resultaten visar att de viktigaste typerna av affärsmodellinnovationer på de signifikant växande marknaderna för återförsäljning av kläder är de `föddes-cirkulära´ modeförsäljarna, återförsäljningsplattformar på nätet, samt B2B-tjänster för återförsäljning av kläder och kläder som en tjänst. De flesta nuvarande modeförsäljare har aktivt övervakat utvecklingen av marknaden för klädåterförsäljning, men bara en liten del av dem har själva infört återförsäljningsrelaterade affärsmodeller. Vissa modeförsäljare som har tagit ett mer aktivt förhållningssätt till återförsäljning av kläder har följt en strategi för diversifiering av affärsmodeller där den befintliga affärsmodellen förblir på plats och en sekundär affärsmodell för återförsäljning upprättas parallellt med den huvudsakliga affärsmodellen. Trots att utveckling av affärsmodellens klädesåterförsäljning kan medföra ekonomiska fördelar och varumärken på kort sikt, särskilt med specifika produkttyper och prissegment. Förutses de största fördelarna troligen vara relaterat till förberedelser för framtida förändringar. Modeaktörer som reagerar tidigt på övergången till cirkulär ekonomi genom att diversifiera den befintliga affärsmodellen med nya innovationer eller kompletterar med en ny affärsmodell, stärker sin framtida position om förändringar i regelverk, konsumentens tankesätt och teknik ytterligare påskyndar vikten av cirkulär ekonomi i branschen.

Cette recherche doctorale vise une meilleure compréhension des facteurs sous-tendant les phénomènes de conservation et de dépossession des biens de consommation, et se focalise plus spécifiquement sur le comportement de dépossession volontaire de vente d’occasion C to C (Consumer to Consumer). L’état de l’art de ce champ d’études, peu développé en comportement du consommateur, met en exergue des manques conceptuels et empiriques que nous investiguons au travers de trois axes de recherche : 1) les comportements du consommateur à l’égard des possessions dont il n’a plus l’utilité ; 2) les mécanismes motivationnels en œuvre dans la dépossession volontaire des biens via la vente d’occasion ; 3) les profils des consommateurs s’improvisant vendeurs, que nous nommons les «consommerçants» (contraction de «consommateur» et «commerçant»). Cinq études qualitatives exploratoires sont réalisées - une netnographie, deux vagues d’entretiens semi-directifs, un focus group, des entretiens d’expert- puis complétées par deux collectes de données quantitatives (N=127 et N=646). Le construit de Motivations à la Vente d’Occasion (MVO) apparait notamment lié au choix du circuit de vente (virtuel ou physique). Les analyses confirmatoires menées au moyen de modèles de premier et second ordre révèlent quatre dimensions du construit : récréationnelle, économique, générative, et critique. A partir de l'élaboration de l'échelle de mesure des MVO présentant des qualités psychométriques satisfaisantes (fiabilité et validité convergente, discriminante et prédictive), et des variables sociodémographiques, psychologiques et comportementales mobilisées, quatre profils de consommerçants sont identifiés. / This doctoral research aims at understanding the underlying factors associated with conservation and dispossession of consumer goods. We particularly focus on voluntary dispossession behavior through C to C (Consumer to Consumer) secondhand resale. The literature on this topic is underdeveloped by consumer behavior researchers. We address these theoretical and empirical gaps along three main research axes: 1) consumer behavior towards possessions of which they have no further use; 2) motivational mechanisms associated with voluntary dispossession through secondhand resale; 3) a typology analysis of consumers who improvise as salesmen (we classify them as “consommerçants”, by means of a French neologism combining the terms “consumer” and “tradesman” ). Five exploratory qualitative studies – a netnography, two series of semi-structured interviews, a focus group, and expert interviews – are carried out, and supplemented by two quantitative data collections (N=127 and N=646). Among other primary results, the Secondhand Selling Motivations construct (SSM) is related to the choice of distribution channel (virtual or physical). Moreover, confirmatory analyses conducted via first and second order measurement models reveals four dimensions defining this construct : recreational, economic, generative, and critical. Through the use of the SSM measurement scale, which demonstrates satisfactory psychometric qualities (reliability, as well as convergent, discriminate and predictive validity), and other demographical, psychological and behavioral variables, we establish four profiles of consommerçants via cluster analysis.

Desde a última década, o tema aprendizagem organizacional tem recebido atenção de profissionais e pesquisadores. No entanto, a aprendizagem que ocorre nas organizações vai além da de natureza pragmática, que entende a aprendizagem a partir de modelos normativos somente com o intuito de gerar mudanças. Em contraponto a essa linha, existe, na literatura, a busca pela compreensão da aprendizagem como um processo, seja ele técnico ou social. Dentre outras, convém o uso da teoria da estética organizacional para a concepção da aprendizagem que emerge a partir das interações sociais. Esta teoria caracteriza-se por contestar o pensamento positivista-funcionalista e vai obtendo mais espaço, à medida que vem sendo aprofundada e empregada por pesquisadores, a fim de compreenderem os fenômenos organizacionais. Meu objetivo nesse estudo foi identificar e analisar, à luz da teoria da estética organizacional, os processos de aprendizagem, a partir das práticas de trabalho de profissionais que atuam em uma revenda de móveis planejados. Para isso, além de identificar e descrever as práticas de trabalho das funções organizacionais dos sujeitos pesquisados, também foi preciso identificar e analisar as dimensões referentes aos artefatos e à linguagem da cultura organizacional da revenda, assim como identificar e compreender as percepções estéticas dos profissionais atuantes em campo. Para a viabilidade da pesquisa, desenvolvi um estudo etnográfico, realizado entre os meses de fevereiro de 2011 e janeiro de 2012, em uma revenda de móveis planejados, situada em Porto Alegre (RS). De modo complementar, esclareço algumas noções importantes do ramo da arquitetura, principalmente de interiores, e de aspectos do ato de ‘habitar’. Após fazer referência às faculdades perceptivas dos sujeitos pesquisados e como estas permitem a realização dos juízos estéticos, esclareço como a estética organizacional pode ser compreendida como um critério de decisão e conexão. A partir das dinâmicas de relacionamentos e da contínua construção de um ‘espírito do lugar’, discuto como esses aspectos consentem à arquitetura dos processos de aprendizagem na organização pesquisada, ressaltando a ‘reflexividade estética’. / Since last decade, the theme organizational learning has received attention from professionals and researchers. However, the learning that occurs in the organizations goes beyond the one of pragmatic nature, what understands learning from the normative models only with the intention of generating changes. Counterpointing to this line, there is in literature the search for the learning comprehension as a process, being it technical or social. Among others, it is advisable the use of the theory of organizational esthetics for the learning conception that emerges from the social interactions. This theory is characterized for questioning the positive-functionalist thought and is obtaining more space, as it is being deepen and used by researchers, aiming to understand the organizational phenomena. My objective in this study was to identify and analyze the learning processes from the working practices of professionals who act in a planned furniture store by the theory of organizational esthetics. For that, beyond identifying and describing the working practices from the organizational functions of the researched individuals, it was also necessary to identify and analyze the dimensions referring to the artifacts and to the language of the organizational culture of resale, as well as the identification and comprehension of the esthetics perceptions of the professionals who were acting in the area. To the research feasibility I developed an ethnographic study, performed between the months of February 2011 and January 2012 at a planned furniture store, located in Porto Alegre (RS). To complement, I clarify some important notions in the field of architecture, mainly of interiors, and about the aspects of the act of ‘inhabiting’. After making reference to the perceptive faculties of the researched individuals and how they allow the realization of esthetical commonsense, I explain how the organizational esthetics can be understood as a criterion of decision and connection. Beyond that, from the dynamics of relationship and the continuous construction of a ‘spirit of the place’, I discuss how these aspects agree to the architecture of learning processes in the organization researched, highlighting the ‘esthetic reflexivity’.

Desde a última década, o tema aprendizagem organizacional tem recebido atenção de profissionais e pesquisadores. No entanto, a aprendizagem que ocorre nas organizações vai além da de natureza pragmática, que entende a aprendizagem a partir de modelos normativos somente com o intuito de gerar mudanças. Em contraponto a essa linha, existe, na literatura, a busca pela compreensão da aprendizagem como um processo, seja ele técnico ou social. Dentre outras, convém o uso da teoria da estética organizacional para a concepção da aprendizagem que emerge a partir das interações sociais. Esta teoria caracteriza-se por contestar o pensamento positivista-funcionalista e vai obtendo mais espaço, à medida que vem sendo aprofundada e empregada por pesquisadores, a fim de compreenderem os fenômenos organizacionais. Meu objetivo nesse estudo foi identificar e analisar, à luz da teoria da estética organizacional, os processos de aprendizagem, a partir das práticas de trabalho de profissionais que atuam em uma revenda de móveis planejados. Para isso, além de identificar e descrever as práticas de trabalho das funções organizacionais dos sujeitos pesquisados, também foi preciso identificar e analisar as dimensões referentes aos artefatos e à linguagem da cultura organizacional da revenda, assim como identificar e compreender as percepções estéticas dos profissionais atuantes em campo. Para a viabilidade da pesquisa, desenvolvi um estudo etnográfico, realizado entre os meses de fevereiro de 2011 e janeiro de 2012, em uma revenda de móveis planejados, situada em Porto Alegre (RS). De modo complementar, esclareço algumas noções importantes do ramo da arquitetura, principalmente de interiores, e de aspectos do ato de ‘habitar’. Após fazer referência às faculdades perceptivas dos sujeitos pesquisados e como estas permitem a realização dos juízos estéticos, esclareço como a estética organizacional pode ser compreendida como um critério de decisão e conexão. A partir das dinâmicas de relacionamentos e da contínua construção de um ‘espírito do lugar’, discuto como esses aspectos consentem à arquitetura dos processos de aprendizagem na organização pesquisada, ressaltando a ‘reflexividade estética’. / Since last decade, the theme organizational learning has received attention from professionals and researchers. However, the learning that occurs in the organizations goes beyond the one of pragmatic nature, what understands learning from the normative models only with the intention of generating changes. Counterpointing to this line, there is in literature the search for the learning comprehension as a process, being it technical or social. Among others, it is advisable the use of the theory of organizational esthetics for the learning conception that emerges from the social interactions. This theory is characterized for questioning the positive-functionalist thought and is obtaining more space, as it is being deepen and used by researchers, aiming to understand the organizational phenomena. My objective in this study was to identify and analyze the learning processes from the working practices of professionals who act in a planned furniture store by the theory of organizational esthetics. For that, beyond identifying and describing the working practices from the organizational functions of the researched individuals, it was also necessary to identify and analyze the dimensions referring to the artifacts and to the language of the organizational culture of resale, as well as the identification and comprehension of the esthetics perceptions of the professionals who were acting in the area. To the research feasibility I developed an ethnographic study, performed between the months of February 2011 and January 2012 at a planned furniture store, located in Porto Alegre (RS). To complement, I clarify some important notions in the field of architecture, mainly of interiors, and about the aspects of the act of ‘inhabiting’. After making reference to the perceptive faculties of the researched individuals and how they allow the realization of esthetical commonsense, I explain how the organizational esthetics can be understood as a criterion of decision and connection. Beyond that, from the dynamics of relationship and the continuous construction of a ‘spirit of the place’, I discuss how these aspects agree to the architecture of learning processes in the organization researched, highlighting the ‘esthetic reflexivity’.

Desde a última década, o tema aprendizagem organizacional tem recebido atenção de profissionais e pesquisadores. No entanto, a aprendizagem que ocorre nas organizações vai além da de natureza pragmática, que entende a aprendizagem a partir de modelos normativos somente com o intuito de gerar mudanças. Em contraponto a essa linha, existe, na literatura, a busca pela compreensão da aprendizagem como um processo, seja ele técnico ou social. Dentre outras, convém o uso da teoria da estética organizacional para a concepção da aprendizagem que emerge a partir das interações sociais. Esta teoria caracteriza-se por contestar o pensamento positivista-funcionalista e vai obtendo mais espaço, à medida que vem sendo aprofundada e empregada por pesquisadores, a fim de compreenderem os fenômenos organizacionais. Meu objetivo nesse estudo foi identificar e analisar, à luz da teoria da estética organizacional, os processos de aprendizagem, a partir das práticas de trabalho de profissionais que atuam em uma revenda de móveis planejados. Para isso, além de identificar e descrever as práticas de trabalho das funções organizacionais dos sujeitos pesquisados, também foi preciso identificar e analisar as dimensões referentes aos artefatos e à linguagem da cultura organizacional da revenda, assim como identificar e compreender as percepções estéticas dos profissionais atuantes em campo. Para a viabilidade da pesquisa, desenvolvi um estudo etnográfico, realizado entre os meses de fevereiro de 2011 e janeiro de 2012, em uma revenda de móveis planejados, situada em Porto Alegre (RS). De modo complementar, esclareço algumas noções importantes do ramo da arquitetura, principalmente de interiores, e de aspectos do ato de ‘habitar’. Após fazer referência às faculdades perceptivas dos sujeitos pesquisados e como estas permitem a realização dos juízos estéticos, esclareço como a estética organizacional pode ser compreendida como um critério de decisão e conexão. A partir das dinâmicas de relacionamentos e da contínua construção de um ‘espírito do lugar’, discuto como esses aspectos consentem à arquitetura dos processos de aprendizagem na organização pesquisada, ressaltando a ‘reflexividade estética’. / Since last decade, the theme organizational learning has received attention from professionals and researchers. However, the learning that occurs in the organizations goes beyond the one of pragmatic nature, what understands learning from the normative models only with the intention of generating changes. Counterpointing to this line, there is in literature the search for the learning comprehension as a process, being it technical or social. Among others, it is advisable the use of the theory of organizational esthetics for the learning conception that emerges from the social interactions. This theory is characterized for questioning the positive-functionalist thought and is obtaining more space, as it is being deepen and used by researchers, aiming to understand the organizational phenomena. My objective in this study was to identify and analyze the learning processes from the working practices of professionals who act in a planned furniture store by the theory of organizational esthetics. For that, beyond identifying and describing the working practices from the organizational functions of the researched individuals, it was also necessary to identify and analyze the dimensions referring to the artifacts and to the language of the organizational culture of resale, as well as the identification and comprehension of the esthetics perceptions of the professionals who were acting in the area. To the research feasibility I developed an ethnographic study, performed between the months of February 2011 and January 2012 at a planned furniture store, located in Porto Alegre (RS). To complement, I clarify some important notions in the field of architecture, mainly of interiors, and about the aspects of the act of ‘inhabiting’. After making reference to the perceptive faculties of the researched individuals and how they allow the realization of esthetical commonsense, I explain how the organizational esthetics can be understood as a criterion of decision and connection. Beyond that, from the dynamics of relationship and the continuous construction of a ‘spirit of the place’, I discuss how these aspects agree to the architecture of learning processes in the organization researched, highlighting the ‘esthetic reflexivity’.

Mobilkommunikationsbranschen växer, flera företag lanserar nya mobiler, och antalet mobilåterförsäljare ökar. Konkurrensen inom branschen för mobilåterförsäljare är tuff, där servicen hamnar i fokus. Servicen som mobilåterförsäljare erbjuder gör så att säljarna hamnar i fokus, där de agerar som företagets ansikten utåt. Att hitta duktiga säljare blir därför en viktig del för mobilåterförsäljarna. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka vilka egenskaper och kärnkompetenser som en rekryterare bör efterfråga hos en säljare, som arbetar inom mobilåterförsäljning i butik, samt även undersöka vilka rekryteringsmetoder som är lämpliga att använda i samband med rekryteringsprocessen. Studien strävar efter att bidra till att nya företag inom försäljningsbranschen ökar sin chans till att kunna etablera sig, genom at trekrytera rätt säljare. Sex kvalitativa intervjuer har genomförts med totalt nio respondenter, för att samla in empiri som både har sammanställts och analyserats med stöd av en teoretisk referensram bestående av bland annat relevant tidigare forskning. Egenskaper och kärnkompetenser som bör efterfrågas vid rekrytering, är framförallt kommunikationsförmågan, men även motivation och lojalitet. Företag behöver vara tydliga i sitt behov, framförallt bland företag med begränsade ekonomiska resurser. Under rekryteringsprocessen spelar kommunikation mellan rekryterare och kandidat en viktig roll, därför bör rekryteraren genomföra rekryteringsmetoder där hen får möjlighet till att observera kandidatens kommunikationsförmåga. Både kommunikation och utbildning spelar en viktig roll i rekryteringsprocessen. / The mobile communications industry is growing, several companies are launching new mobiles, and the number of mobile resellers is increasing. The competition in the mobile reseller industry is tough, where service is in focus. In the service that mobile resellers offer their customers, the sellers are in the spotlight, the frontface of the company. Finding good sellers is therefore an important part for mobile resellers. The purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristics and core competencies that a recruiter needs from a sales person who works in mobile resale at the store, as well as investigate which recruitment methods are suitable for use in connection with recruitment. The study strives to help new companies in the sales industry increase their chances of being established by recruiting the right sellers. Through six qualitative interviews with in total nine respondants, I have collected empirical evidence that has been compiled and analyzed on the basis of a theoretical reference framework, which includes relevant previous research. Qualifications and core competencies to be sought when recruiting are mainly communication skills, but also motivation and loyalty. Companies need to be clear in their needs, especially among companies with limited financial resources. During the recruitment process, communication between recruiters and candidates plays an important role, and the recruiter should implement recruitment methods in which the recruiter will be able to observe the candidate's communication skills. Both communication and education play an important role in a recruitment process.

No description available.

The goal of this thesis was to show the basic issues of copyright in the area of works of art with pointing out a special treatment, which is paid to these works on the basis of specific characteristics resulting from the nature of a work of art. The main specifics are immediate connection of works with its material expression. The introduction of thesis outlines the concept of copyright and its sources. It deals with main principles of copyright and an author as a person.This chapter also includes a part devoted to the subject of copyright, which is author's work, and a part devoted to characteristic features of a work of art. The following chapter is devoted to the rights of the author, which arise by creating of a work of art and subsequently during the use of the work. It contains a division of rights to the personality and property ones in which it devotes to the right to use the work of art and mainly to the right to remuneration during resale of it. The Copyright Act provides to use a work of art without authorization granted by an author and these issues are dealt with mainly in the chapter of constructive use of the works of art. The License Agreement providing the right to use a work is the basic institute in law enforcement. A properly drafted licence contract prevents possible disputes...