Esta dissertaÃÃo busca analisar as diferenÃas tecnolÃgicas da produÃÃo agropecuÃria entre os municÃpios situados nas grandes regiÃes brasileiras, com enfoque especial para o Nordeste brasileiro. Como aporte metodolÃgico, utilizou-se o modelo de meta-fronteira tecnolÃgica proposta por Battese, Rao e OâDonnell (2004) e OâDonnell, Rao e Battese (2008), para responder atà que ponto essas diferenÃas regionais influenciam na eficiÃncia da produÃÃo e qual os seus impactos nos municÃpios. A anÃlise foi dividida em dois modelos. No Modelo 1 propÃs-se analisar e identificar as diferenÃas tecnolÃgicas da produÃÃo agropecuÃria entre os municÃpios situados nas grandes regiÃes brasileiras, exceto pela regiÃo Norte, por questÃes metodolÃgicas. Jà o Modelo 2 voltou-se à diferenciaÃÃo tecnolÃgica da produÃÃo agropecuÃria existente no semiÃrido e no nÃo-semiÃrido do Nordeste. A hipÃtese assumida nesta pesquisa à a existÃncia de um processo de heterogeneizaÃÃo tecnolÃgica do meio rural brasileiro e que esta diferenciaÃÃo impacta no nÃvel de eficiÃncia tÃcnica da produÃÃo agropecuÃria nas diferentes regiÃes do Brasil e mesmo dentro de uma mesma regiÃo. Detectou-se que esta hipÃtese se mostrou verdadeira para os dois Modelos. O Modelo 1 indicou que a tecnologia de produÃÃo agropecuÃria praticadas nos municÃpios situados nas regiÃes Sul e Centro-Oeste sÃo mais avanÃadas. Jà em relaÃÃo ao Modelo 2, os resultados indicaram que, quando comparadas as duas regiÃes, o nÃo-semiÃrido possui a maior eficiÃncia tÃcnica mÃdia em referÃncia à meta-fronteira. / This thesis analyzes the technological differences in agricultural production between municipalities located in the great Brazilian regions, with a special attention on the Brazilian Northeast. As methodological support was utilized the meta-frontier model, proposed by Battese, Rao and OâDonnell (2004) and OâDonnell, Rao and Battese (2008) to answer how these regional differences influence the efficiency of production and like this spatial heterogeneity impacts on municipalitiesâ technical efficiency (TE). The analysis was divided into two models. The first one proposes to analyze and identify the technological differences in agricultural production between the municipalities located in the Brazilian regions, except in the North region, for methodological reasons. On the other hand, the second one searches for the technological differentiation of agricultural production in the semi-arid and non-semiarid regions of the Northeast. For present thesis, the hypothesisis is the existence of a process of technological heterogenization of the Brazilian rural production and that this differentiation affects the level of TE of agricultural production between different regions of Brazil and within the same region as well. It was found that this hypothesis proved to be true for both models. The Model 1 revealed that the production technology practiced in the municipalities located in the South and Center-West regions are more advanced. Regarding the Model 2 indicated that the non-semiarid has the highest average TE with reference to the meta-frontier, when compared to the semiarid region.

Deregulation of the airlines in the United States spawned a free-for-all system which led to a variety of agents within the aviation system all seeking to optimize their own piece of the aviation system, and the net result was that the aviation system itself was not optimized in aggregate, frequently resulting in delays. Research on the efficiency of the system has likewise focused on the individual agents, primarily focusing on the municipalities in an economic context, and largely ignoring the consumer. This paper develops the case for a systemic efficiency measurement which incorporates the interests of the airlines and the consumers with those of the airport operating municipalities in three different Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) models: traditional Charnes-Cooper-Rhodes and Banker-Charnes-Cooper models, and a Directional Output Distance Function model, devised and interpreted using quality management principles. These models were combined to allow the resulting efficiencies of the operating configurations of the given airport to predict the efficiency of the associated airport. Based upon regression models, these efficiency measurements can be used as a diagnostic for improving the efficiency of the entire United States airspace, on a systemic basis, at the individual airport configuration level. An example analysis using this diagnostic is derived in the course of the development and description of the diagnostic and two additional case studies are presented.

No description available.

Despite measures on the European level to increase the compatibility between the HE sectors of the member states, the recent literature exposes variations in their efficiencies. To gain insights into these differences we split the efficiency term according to the two management levels each university is confronted with. Utilizing a recent advancement in the method to measure efficiency, we separate short-term (transient) and long-term (persistent) efficiency, while controlling for unobserved institution specific heterogeneity. While the first term reflects the efficiency of the individual universities working within the country, the second term echoes the influence of the country specific overall HE structure. The cross-country comparison displays if the overall efficiency difference between countries is related to individual performance of their universities or their HE structure. This allows more purposeful policy recommendation and expands the literature regarding the efficiency of universities in a fundamental way. Choosing Italy and Germany as two important illustrative examples we can take advantage of a novel dataset including characteristics of institutions in both countries for an exceptional long period of time from 2001 to 2011. We show that the Italian universities exhibit a higher overall efficiency value than their German counterparts. With the individual universities working at the upper bound of efficiency in both countries, the overall inefficiency as well as the gap between the countries is caused by persistent, structural inefficiency. To expedite a true European Area of Higher Education future measures should hence aim at the country specific structure, not solely at affecting the activities of single universities.

Le but principal de cette thèse est d’analyser les westerns et films partisans de notre corpus comme des récits mythiques qui véhiculent un mythe national, respectivement américain et yougoslave, et affirment ainsi la société et la nation en question. Le travail est divisé en quatre parties. La première partie étudie l’idéologie nationale et la notion de mythe national ; la deuxième est consacrée à l’analyse des oeuvres d’art en tant que récits mythiques créés autour d’une idéologie nationale, qui sert de « mythomoteur », selon l’expression d’Anthony D. Smith. La troisième partie examine l’axe diachronique du récit mythique et l’évolution de ces oeuvres dans le temps, et la quatrième partie creuse la relation entre l’idéologie véhiculée par les oeuvres et la réussite de la création du mythe national américain et yougoslave. / The principal goal of this thesis is to analyze the works of the corpus as mythical narratives that carry the notion of the national myth and that participate in the creation of the national myth of the society and the nation in question. The work is divided into four sections. The first section inspects the national ideology and the notion of the national myth. The second is dedicated to analyzing the works of our corpus as the mythical narratives. The principal idea is to analyze the works at hand as if they were created around the nationalist ideology (that serves as a mythomoteur, according to the definition proposed by Anthony D. Smith). The third section inspects the diachronical axis of the mythical narrative and the placement of the works on a temporal line (on that diachronical axis), while the fourth section inspects the relation between the ideology carried by the works of the corpus and the success of the creation of the American and Yugoslav national myth.

No description available.

The internationalization strategies of multinational corporations (MNCs) in emerging frontier markets in Africa (EFMA) have become a subject of growing interest due to the region's dynamic economic landscape and untapped potential. This study aims to identify the factors affecting MNCs' market selection and mode of entry into EFMA. Drawing from an extensive literature review, a conceptual framework was developed to guide the analysis. Empirical insights were gathered through case studies and institutional reports of diverse MNCs operating in EFMA. The results show a nuanced interaction between variables that affect MNCs' choices. Market potential emerges as the main factor influencing market choice, driven by a growing customer base and demand for products and services. The choice of market and the means of entrance are both influenced by the availability of resources, particularly raw materials and natural resources. A favorable regulatory environment that ensures transparency, consistency, and adherence to international standards is then shown to play a pivotal role. Results showcased that political stability, cultural adequacy, and social responsibility are crucial in mitigating risks and fostering sustainable relationships within EFMA. Findings also revealed that operational efficiency is significantly impacted by the quality of the infrastructure, which includes telecommunications, energy supply, and transportation. MNCs adopt diverse entry modes, such as joint ventures, acquisitions, and greenfield investments, tailored to specific market contexts. The research underscores the importance of a nuanced approach to navigating EFMA's challenges and opportunities that feed their motives. As a synthesis of academic literature and real-world insights, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted factors that MNCs consider when entering and operating in EFMA markets. The resulting findings provide useful information to practitioners, legislators, and scholars who are trying to understand the complexity of doing business internationally in emerging frontier markets in Africa.

The thesis examines technical efficiency using frontier efficiency estimation techniques from parametric and non-parametric approaches. Five different frontier efficiency estimation techniques are considered which are SFA, DFA, DEA-CCR, DEA-BCC and DEA-RAM. These techniques are then used on an artificially generated panel dataset using a two-input two-output production function framework based on characteristics of German life-insurers. The key contribution of the thesis is firstly, a study that uses simulated panel dataset to estimate frontier efficiency techniques and secondly, a research framework that compares multiple frontier efficiency techniques across parametric and non-parametric approaches in the context of simulated panel data. The findings suggest that, as opposed to previous studies, parametric and non-parametric approaches can both generate comparable technical efficiency scores with simulated data. Moreover, techniques from parametric approaches, i.e. SFA and DFA are consistent with each other whereas the same applies to non-parametric approaches, i.e. DEA models. The research study also discusses some important theoretical and methodological implication of the findings and suggests some ways whereby future research can enable to overcome some of the restrictions associated with current approaches.

Thesis (DPhil (History))--University of Stellenbosch, 1946. / 409 leaves printed on single pages, preliminary pages i- ix and numbered pages 1-445. Includes bibliography. / Digitized at 330 dpi black and white PDF format (OCR), using KODAK i 1220 PLUS scanner. / No abstract available

published_or_final_version / Chinese / Master / Master of Philosophy