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This report presents a weighted version of the Byzantine Agreement Problem and its solution under various conditions. In this version, each machine is assigned a weight depending on the application. Instead of assuming that at most $f$ out of $N$ machines fail, the algorithm assumes that the total weight of the machines that fail is at most $\rho < 1/3.$ When each machine has weight $1/N,$ this problem reduces to the standard Byzantine Generals Agreement Problem. By choosing weights appropriately, the weighted Byzantine Agreement Problem can be applied to situations where a subset of processes are more trusted. By using weights, the system can reach consensus in the presence of Byzantine failures, even when more than $N/3$ processes fail, so long as the total weight of the failed processes is less than $1/3.$ Some properties of the Weighted Byzantine Agreement algorithms when the weight vectors are not the same at every process are discussed. Also, a method to update the weights of the processes after execution of the weighted Byzantine Agreement is given. The update method guarantees that the weight of any correct process is never reduced and the weight of any faulty process, suspected by correct processes whose total weight is at least $1/4,$ is reduced to $0$ for future instances. A short discussion of some weight assignment strategies is also given. / text

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We study stochastic stability for a class of agreement dynamics and define two forms of agreement which we call stochastic agreement and stochastic absolute agreement. We identify conditions for a broad class of random, possibly state-dependent agreement processes to achieve stochastic agreement. We take the approach of applying Lyapunov drift criteria to study the behaviour of such processes. We generalize some results in the literature to the noisy and state-dependent case. / Thesis (Master, Mathematics & Statistics) -- Queen's University, 2013-06-28 16:12:15.743

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Architecture, University of the Witwatersrand, In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science In Building. / This research report analyses the effectiveness of the property development agreement as a tool in managing the risks inherent in the property development process, It incorporates an examination of a sample property development agreement and draws concluslon from market research conducted by means of a questionnaire, In Chapter 1 the property development agreement is defined, The necessity for such an aqreement is examined in Chapter 2 by identifying and describing the various stages of the property development process and by establishing the risks Inherent In each stage. Chapter 3 comprises a critical review of a typical existing development agreement. In this chapter a distinction is drawn between the "standard" clauses and those "essential" clauses which are instrumental in the allocation of the risks in property development. The agreement is then evaluated as a risk management tool and the ancillary topics of establishing those parties protected by and tnose left vulnerable by the agreement, the effects of the power and relative positions of strength of the Signatories and the enforcement of the rights arising out of property development agreements are explored. Finally, this chapter looks at some typical shortcomings of development agreements. The methodology behind the market survey is explained in Chapter 4, the responses of the sample of 50 property industry operators are analysed and concluslons are drawn from the answers to the questions posed. Chapter 5 concludes that property development agreements do exist, are necessary and are useful In creating certainty with regard to rights and obligations flowing from the property development process and that they are valuable in ensuring that risks are allocated as the parties intended they should be. This chapter also contains a checklist of items to be aware of when drafting a property development agreement and details some recommendations for possible further studies in this field. / AC2017

Master-Arbeit Univ. St. Gallen, 2009.

Master-Arbeit Univ. St. Gallen, 2009.

Figure valorisée de la distribution, le contrat de franchise reflète une conception moderne du contrat où se conjugue différents caractères. Il est tout à la fois, un contrat de distribution en réseau qui s'intègre dans la catégorie des contrats de réitération, un contrat de financement et un contrat de collaboration. Le contrat de franchise est également une figure décriée de la distribution. Certaines difficultés liées à l'évolution de la législation et à celle de la jurisprudence alimentent les critiques à son encontre. De même, l'existence d'un déséquilibre informationnel et ce, dès l'origine de la relation contractuelle, peut conduire à créer un déséquilibre économique et éventuellement juridique entre les parties. Si la réglementation applicable au contrat de franchise ainsi que l'ensemble des clauses contractuelles contribuent à encadrer les rapports entre les parties au contrat, l'absence de régime juridique propre au contrat de franchise contribue, toutefois, au développement de contentieux en la matière. / As an idea valued by distribution agreements reflect a modern understanding of the contract in which different characteristics are combined. It is at the same, a network distribution agreement, belonging in the category of reiterative agreements, a financing agreement, and a collaboration agreement. Franchise agreements are also an idea that is disparaged by ditribution. There are some challenges un connection whith changes in legislation and case law that feed the critiques against them. Likewise, the existence of an information imbalance at the start of the contractual relationship can lead to an economic, and possibly, a legal imbalance between the parties. While the regulations applicable to contract agreements as well as of the contractual clauses help to frame the relationship between the parties to the agreement, the absence of a legal system specific to franchise agreements contributes to the development of disputes on this topic.

This dissertation investigates syntactic and semantic agreement in Czech, French, Latvian, Persian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian/Croatian, and Turkish. When more than one target agrees with a controller with a mismatch between its form and meaning, different patterns of agreement are attested: uniform syntactic agreement (e.g. these/*this pants are/*is cute), uniform semantic agreement (e.g. this aircraft is fast/ these aircraft are fast), and mixed agreement (e.g. this/*these committee has/have decided in British English). Diverse agreement patterns are shown to arise through an interaction of three components of agreement: different types of agreement controllers, different types of agreement targets, and the Agreement Marking Principle (Wechsler and Hahm to appear). A distinction between CONCORD, INDEX, and semantic agreement features is adopted (Wechsler and Zlatic 2003). Agreement controllers are specified for different phi-features in CONCORD and INDEX. The types of agreement targets differ in whether they are sensitive to the CONCORD or INDEX features of their controllers. The relation between controllers and targets is governed by the Agreement Marking Principle, which states that an agreement target checks for a feature of its controller, but the target defaults to semantics when its controller lacks the feature. For example, the noun committee in British English is specified for singular in CONCORD but lacks number in INDEX, and thus a CONCORD target (e.g. a demonstrative determiner) agrees in singular syntactically, whereas an INDEX target (e.g. a finite verb) defaults to semantics because it fails to find an INDEX number feature specified for the controller. This research focuses on agreement with polite second person plural pronouns across languages. Such pronouns are plural but can refer politely to a single addressee. All languages discussed exhibit syntactic agreement on finite verb targets when the controller is a polite plural pronoun, while other types of target vary across languages in how they agree. This generalization is explained by two factors: pronouns possess INDEX features and finite verbs are necessarily INDEX targets if they are specified for the person feature, which only belongs to INDEX. A Hybrid Pronoun generalization, which encompasses all types of hybrid pronouns, is supported by evidence from Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages. / text

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