Around the world, countries are moving towards a market economy in order to integrate the global marketplace. Telecommunications are among the industries concerned the most in this trend, as governments are significantly reducing their involvement in this industry through liberalization and/or partial or complete privatization of their national telecommunications corporations. For Burkina Faso it is no different, as ONATEL, the national telecommunications company in Burkina Faso, has been caught in this trend. Since December 1998, the government of Burkina Faso initiated a reform of its telecommunications sector with the overall goal to achieve the liberalization of telecommunications services, and accomplish a mixed ownership of ONATEL. The objective of this study is to review the ongoing privatization of ONATEL based on an analysis of general practices regarding economic reforms applied elsewhere, and then make recommendations for both the government of Burkina Faso and ONATEL, for a successful implementation of the process and the national telecommunication policies. We accomplish this objective through four research questions. The first one correlates privatization and economic development with the aim to see how the divesture of ONATEL can foster the telecommunications development in Burkina Faso. The second one emphasizes the government chosen strategy to privatize ONATEL, allowing for a review of alternative privatization methods and the rationale behind the government’s option. The third research questions deals with ONATEL’s strategies to sustain its development amongst an environment of increased competition. This question facilitates an assessment of the firm’s preparation for competition and allows for the formulation of some recommendations in such regard. The last research question touches on the privatization process of Chunghwa Telecom, the once, state-owned Telecommunications Company in Taiwan. This final aspect of the research helps to extract effective lessons that can be applicable for the government of Burkina Faso and ONATEL, by analyzing and understanding the privatization experience in Chunghwa Telecom’s methods and formulations of business strategies, for their own privatization.

The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and Agenda 21 called for improved environmental information for decision making. In response to this demand for information, State of the Environment (SoE) Reporting has since become the globally accepted means of reporting on environmental issues, and of measuring progress towards sustainable development in the countries which have adopted the principles contained in Agenda 21. However, although a wealth of knowledge has been developed in terms of conducting and preparing SoERs there is still very limited research on the actual effects SoE Reporting has had on decision making. The purpose of this mini-dissertation was to investigate the effectiveness of SoE Reporting within Category A, B and C Municipalities in the Gauteng Province. The research results suggest that notwithstanding the extensive time and resources spent on conducting SoERs, the overall effect has been limited within the selected Gauteng Municipalities. / Thesis (M. Environmental Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and Agenda 21 called for improved environmental information for decision making. In response to this demand for information, State of the Environment (SoE) Reporting has since become the globally accepted means of reporting on environmental issues, and of measuring progress towards sustainable development in the countries which have adopted the principles contained in Agenda 21. However, although a wealth of knowledge has been developed in terms of conducting and preparing SoERs there is still very limited research on the actual effects SoE Reporting has had on decision making. The purpose of this mini-dissertation was to investigate the effectiveness of SoE Reporting within Category A, B and C Municipalities in the Gauteng Province. The research results suggest that notwithstanding the extensive time and resources spent on conducting SoERs, the overall effect has been limited within the selected Gauteng Municipalities. / Thesis (M. Environmental Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Capital budgeting is one of the most crucial organisational tools for executing operational, business and corporate strategy. Manufacturing companies derive their profits from fixed assets that also deteriorate over time. This requires them to invest large amounts of capital to both maintain and expand their asset base. A number of studies both historic and recent produce conflicting results on the relationship between capital budgeting practices and financial performance.This study sets out to identify the current capital budgeting practices in the manufacturing/capital intensive companies operating in the South African environment, and determine the relationship between the financial performance and capital budgeting practices. The implications of the type of capital expenditure (i.e. maintenance and expansionary) are also discussed.The study was completed using primary and secondary data. Primary data consisted of capital budgeting practices data in some of the private and state-owned enterprises that was source using a survey questionnaire. The secondary data was sourced from financial statements on the McGregor BFA® database.The major finding of this research study was that, given the sufficient sub-sector analysis, there is a positive relationship between capital budgeting practices and financial performance. There were no specific individual practices that yielded significantly returns. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

This study sought to examine strategic entrepreneurship and issues surrounding this type of activity in a public sector context. The concept of strategic entrepreneurship has received increasing attention in recent years; however, limited studies have focused on strategic entrepreneurship as a distinct construct in public sector context. Consequently, the objective of this study was to address the question of “What is the nature and scope of strategic entrepreneurship in the context of South Africa’s SOEs” through examination of theory and practice. The research question is addressed by first developing a revised framework of strategic entrepreneurship from literature on entrepreneurship, strategy, and public sector context. This revised framework is then examined on activity which is entrepreneurial and strategic within four SOEs operating South Africa as at 2011. Transcripts from a series of interviews, and publicly available documents are analysed thematically. The study identified additional supporting and external factors of strategic entrepreneurship which form a revised conceptual framework of strategic entrepreneurship. The study showed core, supporting, and the external environment elements of strategic entrepreneurship contribute to the increased level of entrepreneurial activity in the public sector context, in particular state-owned enterprises. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(経済学) / 甲第20652号 / 経博第552号 / 新制||経||282(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院経済学研究科経済学専攻 / (主査)教授 黒澤 隆文, 教授 渡辺 純子, 准教授 COLPAN Meziyet Asli / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Economics / Kyoto University / DFAM

This thesis uses the historical relationship between Venezuela and petroleum to identify areas of resource rent waste mismanagement in the Venezuelan oil sector. Low oil prices are also more strongly bringing PDVSA’s mismanagement, corruption, and politicized agenda to light because of the high social cost of these inefficiencies. This thesis also explores industry-level best practices and applies them to the distinct case of PDVSA, with the objective of aiding Venezuela in navigating its way back to solid economic ground. The current economic and humanitarian crises in Venezuela elevate the need for conversations centered on reform options. This analysis concludes that the preferred policy option should be partial privatization because it is the most politically palatable option that also brings the most solvency to PDVSA’s inefficiencies. Partial privatization will allow Venezuela to reinsert itself into international financial markets and will open the country to desperately needed foreign investments. The elimination of market-distorting subsidies, the creation of a sovereign wealth fund, and the development of a regulatory structure that promotes transparency, accountability, and participation will also be critical.

This thesis is focused on fate of Czechoslovak paratroopers who were arrested by Nazi forces after being dropped into the territory of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. In several cases paratroopers turned themselves in to the police authorities voluntarily. The goal of this thesis is the analysis of paratroopers' behavior during the interrogations with focus on the information about the resistance and other paratrooper actions they gave to the Nazis. If the paratrooper was persuaded to collaborate with the Gestapo the thesis analyzes the collaborative activity and its results. Keywords Paratrooper, resistance, agent, collaboration with Gestapo, military training, interrogation, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, Heydrichiade, SOE, Gestapo

Les films à base de Si, C et N présentent des propriétés mécaniques, optiques et électroniques intéressantes qui en font des matériaux prometteurs, notamment pour des applications optoélectroniques. L'objectif de ce travail est de mettre au point le procédé de dépôt chimique en phase vapeur assisté par plasma micro-onde permettant l'élaboration, à partir d'hexaméthyldisilazane (HMDSN), de films minces de SiCN dont l'indice de réfraction et le gap peuvent être modulés en modifiant des paramètres expérimentaux. Un mélange à base de N2/Ar/HMDSN permet le dépôt de films durs, adhérents et transparents. Ceux-ci sont de type SiNx:H avec une faible teneur en carbone (< 20%). L'influence de différents paramètres expérimentaux sur les couches minces élaborées dans ce mélange a été évaluée. Une augmentation de la température du porte substrat entraîne une réduction de l'épaisseur déposée, une diminution de la densité de groupements NH ainsi qu'une meilleure réticulation des films. Ceux-ci tendent alors vers un nitrure de silicium stoechiométrique et les indices des films augmentent de 1.6 à 1.8. L'ajout de CH4 dans le mélange plasmagène ne modifie pas de façon très importante la composition des films mais change fortement leur structure. Un mélange N2/CH4/Ar/HMDSN avec 6 % de CH4 permet ainsi d'obtenir des films denses et une rugosité réduite. L'incorporation de C n'est cependant que peu améliorée et les caractéristiques optiques restent voisines de celles de Si3N4. L'utilisation d'un mélange H2/Ar/HMDSN à la place du mélange N2/Ar/HMDSN aboutit à des films de type SiCx:H avec une teneur en N inférieure à 15 %. Les films ont alors un indice plus élevé (2.15) et un gap modéré (3.5 eV). L'ajout d'une petite quantité de N2 (< 5 %) dans le mélange change radicalement la composition du film. Le taux de C baisse fortement alors que celui de N augmente dans les mêmes proportions. Les films sont alors de type SiNx:H avec un indice de l'ordre de 1.95 et un gap de 4.5 eV. L'indice et le gap peuvent alors être liés au taux de liaisons Si-C dans le film. Ce changement abrupt est probablement dû à deux effets combinés. D'une part, le carbone en phase gazeuse réagit avec l'azote pour former des espèces stables (CN, HCN) qui participent peu à la croissance. D'autre part, Si se lie préférentiellement avec N pour former des films de type SiNx:H. Une modulation des constantes optiques des films de SiCN via le taux de C peut ainsi être réalisée par l'ajout de très faibles quantités de N2 dans le mélange gazeux H2/Ar/HMDSN.

The Arabidopsis thaliana glycosyltransferase UGT72B1 is one of many enzymes which catalyze the reaction oflinking a glucose moiety from UDP-glucose to an acceptor molecule, in this case a chloroaniline or a chlorophenol. This is part of a detoxification system of the plant cell, similar to that in humans where a glucuronosyltransferases are enabling drug metabolism. It would be of interest to investigate the activity of the human enzyme towards different pharmaceuticals and determine the effect the linkage of glucose has to properties of the compounds. However, the human enzymes are membrane proteins and thus difficult to purify and crystallize. Here, an attempt was made to instead change the substrate specificity of UGT72B1 from UDPglucose to UDP-glucuronic acid. Combination of the four point mutations G18S, P139R, W367S and AG387ED were introduced in UGT72B1. However, no UDP-glucuronic acid activity was obtained. Single mutants W367S and AG387ED retained similar activity as of the wildtype while P139R had highly reduced activity and G18S was not expressed at all. All other combinations of mutations resulted in even less activity. Four chimeric proteins were also constructed. They were combinations of the UGT72B1 and the human enzyme UGT2B4. These were all soluble proteins but no activity could be determined. / Glykosyltransferaset UGT72B1 från Arabidopsis thaliana är ett av många enzymer som katalyserar reaktionen där en glukosenhet från UDP-glukos länkas till en acceptormolekyl, i det här fallet en kloranilin eller en klorfenol. Det är en del av ett detoxifieringssytem i växtcellen, som liknar det i människan, där ett glukuronosyltransferas möjliggör nedbrytning av bl.a. läkemedel. Det vore intressant att kunna undersöka de humana enzymernas aktivitet mot olika läkemedel och även fastställa effekten glukoslänkningen har på dessa substansers egenskaper. De humana enzymerna är dock membranprotein och är därför svåra att rena fram och att kristallisera. Här har istället ett försök gjorts för att ändra substratspecificiteten hos UGT72B1 från UDP-glukos till UDP-glukuronsyra. Kombinationer av de fyra punktmutationerna G18S, P139R, W367S och AG387ED introducerades i UGT72B1. Ingen aktivitet med UDP-glukuronsyra erhölls dock. Enkelmutanterna W367S och AG387ED bibehöll liknande aktivitet som vildtypen, medan P139R hade starkt reducerad aktivitet och G18S uttrycktes inte alls. Alla andra kombinationer av mutationer resulterade i ännu lägre aktivitet. Fyra chimeriska proteiner konstruerades också. De skapades genom kombination av UGT72B1 och det humana enzymet UGT2B4. Dessa var alla lösliga proteiner men ingen av dem uppvisade någon aktivitet.