The Japanese banking system provides a distinctive platform for the examination of the long-lasting effect of problem loans on bank performance. Japan is also known for an extended quantitative easing programme of unprecedented scale. Yet the links between risk-taking activities, quantitative easing, and bank competition are largely unexplored. This thesis employs a unique database, which allows us to distinguish between bankrupt and restructured loans. The aim of the thesis is to investigate the impact of these loans on Japanese bank efficiency and productivity growth, as well as their relationship with bank competition and quantitative easing policy. We measure technical efficiency by modifying a translog enhanced hyperbolic distance function with two undesirable outputs, identified as problem loans and problem other earning assets. Further analyses reveal that bankrupt loans affect efficiency in a manner related to the “moral hazard, skimping” hypothesis, with the causality originating from bankrupt loans. In contrast, the relationship between restructured loans and efficiency supports the “bad luck” hypothesis. We also follow the parametric approach to quantify the impact of bankrupt and restructured loans on productivity growth of the Japanese banking system. We further perform convergence cluster analysis to examine convergence in productivity growth between regions, where limited convergence is reported. Additionally, this thesis employs, for the first time, the bank-level Boone indicator to measure bank competition in Japan to examine the underlying linkages between quantitative easing, competition, and risk. Given the scale of problem loans, we measure bank risk-taking based on bankrupt and restructured loans. Our analyses show that enhancing quantitative easing and competition would reduce bankrupt and restructured loans, but it would negatively affect financial stability. In light of the ongoing negative interest rates and quantitative and qualitative easing policy to enhance economic growth in Japan, this thesis would provide insightful implications for policymakers and regulators.

The Connection of concepts cooperative and village be in being since time immemorial and contribute to stability of cultural and social life in the country.

Until very recently the study of Scottish domestic architecture in the late seventeenth century has been treated only in a national context or as an adjunct to the development of domestic architecture in Britain. It has not been subjected to the scrutiny of European architectural historians. For many years Scottish historians have greeted the first classical country houses as evidence of a renaissance culture, while English historians have treated them as a diversion from the mainstream development of British architecture. In reality, the number of classical country houses that were built in Scotland in the aftermath of the Restoration was very limited. This was in complete contrast to the experience in England, where the Restoration encouraged a very significant number of compact classical houses, whose design was inspired by the architectural treatises of Palladio and Scamozzi. In attempting to place Scottish domestic architecture in a broader European context, historians have turned their attention to the pattern books of the sixteenth century French illustrator, Jacques Androuct du Cerceau, whose imaginary 'maisons des champs' bear a strong resemblance to many Scottish country houses of the seventeenth century. Unlike Palladio and Scamozzi, whose treatises drew inspiration from the architecture of the ancient Romans and Greeks, du Cerceau designed houses that were specifically suited to the characteristics of the French nobility. Their external appearance was governed by the silhouette of the roofline and not by the classical orders; their internal arrangement was dictated by the location of the escalier d'honneur rather than the central loggia. In an era governed by strict standards of decorum, it is very significant that the Scottish and French nobilities opted for the same distinctive silhouette, while the English preferred the uniform outline of the classical villa. This distinction suggests that their status was measured in different ways. The Scottish nobility shared similar aspirations to the French, but these were different to the ambitions of the English. By using the Italian interpretation of classicism as a yardstick for the development of Scottish country house architecture, historians have failed to compare like with like. A close analysis of the aspirations and the building works of the members of the Earl of Lauderdale's Treasury Commission between 1667 and 1682, confirms the important role that family lineage played as a measure of status in Scotland. There was a fundamental difference between the houses of the Treasury Commissioners, who were drawn from the ranks of the ancient nobility, and those of the Treasury Executives, whose fortunes had been recently acquired. The Commissioners, who were saddled with their families' lineage, reformed their existing houses, retaining significant elements of the original building; while the Executives, with no lineage to display, built new houses on their recently acquired estates. There was a division within the ranks of the Scottish nobility, as there was in France, between thenoblesse d'epee, whose status was measured by lineage, and the noblesse de robe, whose status was displayed by wealth In Scotland, where the economy was so weak, it was difficult to acquire sufficient wealth to join the ranks of the noblesse de robe. The administration of the king's revenues was jealously guarded by a tight nexus of Treasury Commissioners whose family history prevented them from building in the classical manner. It was only Sir William Bruce, the principal collector of customs, and Sir Thomas Moncreiffe, the chief clerk of the treasury, who amassed sufficient resources to build in an unfettered way. Like Nicolas Fouquet, the surintendant desfinances to Louis XIV, whose splendid chateau of Vaux le Vicomte inspired the envy of the king, William Bruce's ambitious new house of Kinross also led to his derogation. To display excessive wealth in Scotland or France, where family lineage was the principal measure of status, was considered wholly inappropriate. Although lineage proved the strongest deterrent to the advent of the classical country house, there were other factors that encouraged the Scottish nobility to follow the example of the French, rather than the English. Until James VI departed for London in 1603, the informal lifestyle of the Scottish nobility wasvery much closer to that of the French court than it was to the Tudor court in England. This affinity between the Scottish and French courts was reflected in the similarity of their domestic architecture: the Scottish country house not only resembled the chateau in its external appearance, but their internal arrangements and their basic structure were very alike. The traditional circulation and the physical division of Scottish and French country houses had evolved in a wholly different way to those of the English country house. Such longstanding customs were engrained in the national lifestyle and were very difficult to incorporate within the symmetrical plan of the compact villa. There is also evidence that cultural links between Scotland and France were maintained for a longer period than might be expected. Many members of the Scottish nobility continued to complete their education in France. This was not a phenomenon of the late seventeenth century, as it was in England, but a tradition that had existed in Scotland since the sixteenth century. According to English visitors, this system of education created a culture and a lifestyle that was different to their own. They wrote about the stateliness' and 'grandeur' of the Scottish nobility, and reported, as late as the early eighteenth century, that the 'young gentlemen' possessed 'french airs'. It seems that, however strong the inspiration of the English court, it may have been less influential than the traditional links between Scotland and France. To conclude, as many historians have, that the first classical country houses in Scotland provided evidence of a renaissance culture is misconceived. Their true significance lies in their limited number. There were very few people in Scotland, after the Restoration, who possessed the requisite aspirations to adopt the uniformity of classical architecture. Most members of the Scottish nobility shared the same characteristics as their French counterparts. They preferred to display the symbols of history and lineage, rather than wealth, and opted for the pattern books of du Cerceau, rather than Palladio and Scamozzi. To English visitors, the sight of towers and gunloops reflected a retrospective society: to the Scots and the French, they represented an indivisible link between family, place and status. Until Scottish domestic architecture of the seventeenth century is closely studied by French architectural historians, its significance will continue to be misconstrued.

Nine Australian male cross country ski team members (19.8±2.5 years, (X±SD),76.6±6.4kg, 184.8±4.9cm) completed both an incremental maximal exercise test and a 45 minute time trial performance test using a dryland ski striding technique with poles on a treadmill. Testing occurred at 610m in a chamber that was supplied with either an 02 enriched (p02 = 152mmHg) or an N2 enriched (p02 = 132mmHg) gas mixture to simulate sea level (SL) or 1800m (A) conditions respectively. A 48 hour rest interval was provided between tests and the testing conditions were randomised, counterbalanced and double blind. At maximum effort there were significant differences in V02 max (70.2±4.0 v 61.7±2.9 ml.kg-1.min-1), PaO2 (97.2±12.7 v 77.1±11.2 mmHg) and SaO2 (90.6±4.9 v 77.8±3.9%); but not in HR (194.1±8.1 v 191.7±7.4 bpm), VE (133.1±12.8 v 132.6±11.3 L.min-1 STPD) or [La] (14.2±2.3 v 13.7±3.3 mM) at SL v A. There was a decrease of 7.6% in overall time trial performance between the conditions (4005±378 v 3702±301 m, p = 0.08), although performance was significantly lower at A during the latter period of the test, >25 minutes. During the steady state stage of the time trial performance test, (=75% SL VO2 max) there were no significant differences between SL and A in any of VO2 (52.9±5.9 v 52.1±4.9 ml.kg-'.min-' at 15 minutes for SL and A respectively); HR (173.1±12.8 v 176.1+10.1 bpm); or [La] (3.0±1.0 v 4.8±2.2 mM). However, there was a significant reduction in PaO2 between SL (111.2±25.5 mmHg at 15 minutes) and A (72.6±24.3 mmHg at 15 minutes), resulting in a significant reduction in SaO2 (96.6±1.1 v 84.6±6.8% at 15 minutes) between the conditions. At the end of each lap of the variable workload stage of the time trial performance test there were significant reductions in VO2 (65.3±6.9, 64.2±6.3 and 66.4±5.9 v 54.6±5.6, 56.0±4.6 and 57.9±3.2 ml.kg-'.min-1 at 25, 35 and 45 minutes at SL v A); and HR (190.1 ±9.2, 192.4±8.6 and 195.9±7.6 v 181.8±12.4, 186±8.1 and 189.6±9.2 bpm) under A conditions. There were no significant differences in [La] at the end of each lap of the time trial performance test between SL and A, although [La] did increase over time during the test at both SL and A (6.2±2.0, 8.9±2.8 and 10.6±4.1 v 7.6±2.0, 8.4±2.2 and 9.9± 1.8 mM). At the end of each lap of the time trial performance test, there was a significant reduction in PaO2 (120.9±24.4, 108.8±25.9 and 103.0±23.0 v 86.0±31.4, 94.9±22.3 and 71.1±3.2 mmHg); and SaO2 (94.6±2.4, 94.3±2.4 and 92.3±3.4 v 85.9±5.8, 84.3±6.4 and 81.7±6.1%) and both PaO, and SaO2 decreased over time during the test at both SL and A. This study has indicated that as well as the extent of hypoxia induced by altitude, both exercise intensity and duration may impact on the magnitude of the response to sustained exercise at altitude, such as in cross country ski racing.

This research consists of a broad study in three parts of the social and environmental reporting practices of organisations operating in or sourcing products from a developing country, in this case Bangladesh. The first part of this study explores the social and environmental disclosure practices of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), the body responsible for organising the activities of 4,200 entities involved in the export of garments from Bangladesh. By way of interview, this part documents the opinions of numerous senior executives from the BGMEA with regard to any changes in the degree of social and environmental pressures since 1985. Utilising a complementary theoretical perspective that includes legitimacy theory, stakeholder theory and institutional theory this part then performs an analysis of the BGMEA's annual reports (1987-2005), to explore the link between the perceived pressures and changes entailed therein and th e social and environmental disclosure practices of the BGMEA across the period of analysis. The results show that the disclosure practices of BGMEA appear to be directly driven by the changing expectations of multinational buying companies- the group deemed to be the most powerful stakeholder group. This section is the first known study to interview managers from a large organisation in a developing country about shifting stakeholder expectations and then to link these changing expectations to annual report disclosures across an extended period of analysis. The findings then directly lead to the second major part of this thesis which investigates the social and environmental disclosure practices of two major multinational buying companies: Nike and H&M. Adopting a joint consideration of legitimacy theory and media agenda setting theory, this second part investigates the linkage between negative media attention and positive corporate social and environmental disclosures over a 19 year period. The results supp ort the view that for those industry-related social and environmental issues that attract the greatest amount of negative media attention, these companies react by providing positive social and environmental disclosures. The results were particularly significant in relation to labour practices in developing countries-the issue that attracts the greatest amount of negative media attention for the companies in question. While the second part demonstrates that the media influences particular disclosure practices, the third part of the thesis shows what drives the media. Based on the speculation provided in the second part, the third part tests the proposition that the media is an important ally of NGOs in their quest to influence change in corporate accountabilities. Through the use of interviews, the results of this part of the study provide evidence to support previously untested perspectives about NGOs' utilisation of the media. The results reveal that NGOs use the media because the media is responsible for creating real changes in the operations and disclosure policies of organisations sourcing products from Bangladesh. The various pressures impacting the activities of organisations operating in or sourcing products from developing countries constitutes a fascinating area of investigation, and it is hoped that this study will motivate further research in this area.

<p>During our study trip to Tanzania we discovered one of the great issues for farmers to be need of running water. So we asked ourselves: How can water from Lake Victoria be transported to the small scale farmer’s household and farm in the most optimized way? During the stay in North West of Tanzania we made field trips to the rural areas in Mara Region in order to understand the farmers who are the potential users. We performed semi structured interviews and observations during the whole field study. We also came to the conclusion that wind is a good source of power which can be used to pump water. The wind comes in from Lake Victoria in the same direction everyday. So therefore we decided to construct a water pumping wind power station for small scale farmers.</p>

Graduation date: 2003

Conventional wisdom suggests that ‘nations without states’ are seeking to preserve cultural and linguistic homogeneity within their homeland by advocating for independence or political autonomy. Accordingly, large-scale immigration has typically been seen as a threat to national minorities because newcomers tend to integrate into the culture of the majority group. In addition, even if immigrants learn the minority’s language, they are unlikely to sympathize with the nationalist movement or vote for nationalist parties. This dissertation seeks to explain why Basque nationalism, despite its historical grounding in racism and exclusivity, developed a group-based multicultural approach in response to foreign immigration. To account for this unexpected outcome, I develop two interrelated causal arguments that integrate the role of ideas and the imperative of nation building for nationalist elites. Nations are forged by a rich legacy of memories and nationalist history requires both an act of collective remembering and collective amnesia. The ideas that stem from the memories of repression constrained the choices of Basque nationalists, preventing the rise of ideas of racial purity and exclusion in favour of multiculturalism and openness. A second argument that I advance is that changing contexts are motivating nationalist elites to find new policy areas with which to distinguish the values of the majority and minority nation. The emergence of a stricter immigration framework in Spain and a backlash against multiculturalism in Europe provided Basque nationalists with an opportunity to link open citizenship and multiculturalism to the distinctiveness of the Basque nation. I apply the arguments developed through an in-depth study of the Basque case to the nationalist movements in Scotland, Quebec, and Flanders and conclude that diversity is an effective, but risky, new value that minority nationalists are employing to further their case for independence.

Title: According to Swedish Citizens – Sweden has the Safest and Best food in the world – Really? Level: Thesis for Master’s Degree in Business Administration Authors: Benny Berggren and Mai Nasser Fouda Supervisor: Jonas Kågström, Ph.D. Date: May 20, 2013 Aim: The aim of this thesis is to fill the research gap on whether there are differences in how Swedish consumers remember publicized scandals in regards to the Country of Origin (COO), focusing on age, gender and time. Furthermore, this paper will also aim to look at how different scandals have affected the consumers trust based on whether foreign food scandals have a higher impact. Methodology: Since this thesis tested different relationships a deductive approach was taken with a conclusive research design. Quantitative data was collected via a VAS-scale questionnaire to 187 individuals via random sampling at train stations which had a response rate of 75,9%. By using SPSS, the primary data was analyzed via a Correlation and Factor analysis in accordance with scientific articles from within the fields of Purchasing Decision theory, the COO and Consumer Memory. A semi-open telephone interview with an expert from within the food industry was conducted as additional explanations to the findings were needed. Result &amp; Conclusions: It was found that Swedish consumers remembered scandals differently depending on origin, and were according to themselves more affected by the foreign scandals. Gender did not have a preference depending on the COO of the product and consumer memory while age did. It was also found that trusting food was the essential theme throughout the empirical findings where the Swedish consumers valued cues such as food quality and food safety. This played a significant role on impacting the consumer’s long-term memory. Three different types of trust was found and divided by their characteristics; High-level-involvement products, the COO of the product or the company which the scandal was involved with, and finally, the size, positioning and equity of the brand involved. Business implications: Media can be seen as a key source of spreading negative publicity regarding scandals. It is therefore extra important for companies to act immediately, especially if they have any of the three characteristics of trust since it influences the consumer’s long-term memory in a negative way. These three characteristics combined could have strong more negative impact on the companies, where there is a risk of losing potential &amp; current business partners, decreased brand equity &amp; image and risk of facing legal aspects. This can be very costly both financially and time-wise which ultimately could lead to a negative turnover. Research Implications: future research is suggested to study why the results in this thesis differ from the other scientific findings when it comes to gender. Also suggested is that studies should be conducted similar to this, but based on specific types of food products since this thesis only studied food in general. Furthermore, studies comparing the effect of the consumer memory in regards to food scandals based on different companies are also suggested. Key words: Country of Origin, Scandals, Memory, Trust, Purchasing behavior.

Syftet med uppsatsen är att genom en fallstudie av företaget Boomerang utreda hur ett varumärkeskoncept med en stark koppling till företagets ursprungsland påverkar beslutsfattandet kopplat till företagets internationalisering. Med avstamp i det teoretiska ramverket där det beskrivs hur country of origin som en del av ett varumärkeskoncept kan påverka ett företags internationalisering genomfördes intervjuer med Boomerangs VD och med företagets marknadschef. Resultatet av intervjuerna visade att det är av vikt att ett företag utvärderar om country of origin är en framgångsrik del av varumärkeskonceptet då det avgör hur varumärket uppfattas på en internationell marknad. Det visar sig även vara viktigt för Boomerang att noggrant utvärdera eventuella partners vid internationaliseringen via triader då företagets varumärkeskoncept behöver kommuniceras på ett enhetligt sätt på samtliga marknader och för att undvika risken att bilden av Boomerang blir splittrad och otydlig.