This thesis investigates the effects of micro-saving on the performance of microfinance institutions (MFIs) using unbalanced panels that straddle the period 2000-2012. This issue is also examined in a country-specific case study of Vietnam. There are four important findings. First, we found that serving more voluntary savers is costly and curtails depth of microfinance outreach. Second, micro-savings, in terms of the total deposits and the number of deposit accounts per staff member have a positive and significant impact on financial sustainability, cost-efficiency and breadth of outreach of MFIs. Third, a trade-off between financial sustainability and depth of outreach was found for deposit-taking MFIs, compared with MFIs that do not offer micro-savings financial products. Fourth, the findings from the cross-country studies are consistent with the findings from Vietnam. Overall, these findings have important implications for policy makers, microfinance practitioners and researchers.

Seminario de Título Ingeniero Comercial, Mención Economía / Las PyMEs chilenas juegan un importante rol en el desarrollo económico de nuestro país, pero ellas pueden entran en una etapa de estancamiento, sino generan nuevos mecanismos de promoción. Es este trabajo se plantea, la apertura comercial de ellas con el objetivo principal de acceder al importante mercado asiático. Mediante una revisión acerca de la situación actual que presenta este grupo empresarial en nuestro país, se pretende dar señales de los desafíos pendientes que puedan existir con ellas. Luego mediante una revisión bibliográfica de la situación de las PyMEs de otros países, entran en tierra derecha a cómo formular un modelo que permita la salida de nuestras PyMEs a los mercados asiáticos. Posteriormente se analizaría la situación actual de nuestro país en materia de comercio exterior y se analizarían las posibilidades de mercado insatisfechas en el continente asiático, para finalmente proponer un conjunto de medidas acordes, que hagan posible la internacionalización de éste importante grupo de empresas. La competitividad, asociatividad, el acceso a nuevas tecnologías de información y el fortalecimiento y creación de instituciones, darían luces de qué sector de las PyMEs es posible internacionalizar y si ello es realmente viable.

Seminario de título INGENIERO COMERCIAL, Mención Administración / La apertura de Chile al mundo a través de las recientes firmas de distintos tratados de libre comercio, a traído repercusión en los distintas áreas de la economía chilena, una de ellas es la Pequeña y Mediana empresa PyME generadora de alrededor del 80% del empleo nacional. En primera instancia se realiza un diagnostico de la situación actual de la PyME chilena. Entre los problemas detectados los principales son el bajo interés en la implementación de tecnologías de información, baja inversión en innovación, capacitación y gestión de calidad. Por otra parte se detecta que en Chile existen numerosos instrumentos de apoyo financiero, pero existe falta información producto de una promoción poco efectiva y procesos demasiado burocráticos. Basándose en casos de empresas que han tenido una exitosa gestión de internacionalización y países que han realizado efectivas políticas de apoyo al sector de PyMEs se identificaron las características fundamentales que deben poseer las empresas para tener éxito en el mercado asiático estas son: capacitación de RR.HH, calidad, incorporación de TIC, la capacidad para desarrollar mercados y canales de exportación, innovación, diseño de una estrategia de internacionalización y asociatividad.

Cheung Ying Lok. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 46-47). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 2 --- Review on the fast mean-reverting stochastic volatility --- p.5 / Chapter 2.1 --- Estimation of mcan reversion ratc --- p.5 / Chapter 2.2 --- Methodology of pricing European option --- p.6 / Chapter 2.3 --- Capturing European smiles --- p.7 / Chapter 2.4 --- Model settings to GAO --- p.9 / Chapter 3 --- Pricing GAOs in asymptotic expansions --- p.12 / Chapter 3.1 --- Floating strike gcomctric Asian call --- p.16 / Chapter 3.2 --- Fixed strike gcomctric Asian call --- p.19 / Chapter 3.3 --- General gcomctric Asian claims --- p.21 / Chapter 4 --- Accuracy of pricing approximation --- p.24 / Chapter 5 --- Volatility smiles and calibration --- p.38 / Chapter 5.1 --- Capturing Asian smiles --- p.39 / Chapter 5.2 --- Capturing Asian and European smiles together --- p.41 / Chapter 6 --- Conclusion --- p.44 / References --- p.46 / Graphs --- p.48

Ng Hoi Lam. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 138-149). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Abstract --- p.ix / Acknowledgments --- p.xi / List of Abbreviations，Tables and Figures --- p.xii / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction: Summit in Sino-American relations --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Magic Figure --- p.1 / Chapter - --- 30th Anniversary of Rapprochement between the US and China / Chapter 1.2 --- Puzzle --- p.3 / Chapter - --- The Central question / Chapter 1.3 --- Layout --- p.6 / Chapter 1.4 --- Argument --- p.6 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Literature Review: Linking the internal politics to decision-making process of foreign policy Rational model VS Power model in High politics --- p.8 / Chapter 2.1 --- What is a Summit? --- p.8 / Chapter 2.2 --- Who is/ are the person(s) in-charge of foreign policy making process? --- p.11 / Chapter 2.3 --- Foreign Policy decision making model(s) / Chapter - --- Rationality model VS Power model --- p.16 / Chapter 2.4 --- Linking internal and external politics / Chapter - --- Two-level game instead of realism --- p.21 / Chapter 2.5 --- Value of summitry --- p.25 / Chapter - --- A photo-taking arena / Chapter - --- Symbolism or substance? / Chapter 2.6 --- Summitry in APEC --- p.32 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Methodology & Theoretical Framework: Summitry for settling legitimacy dilemma by two-level game --- p.34 / Chapter 3.1 --- Focusing the subject --- p.34 / Chapter 3.2 --- Research Method and Data --- p.38 / Chapter 3.3 --- Nature of Sino-American relations --- p.39 / Chapter 3.4 --- Summitry under two-level game --- p.47 / Chapter 3.5 --- Pattern in APEC summits --- p.53 / Chapter 3.6 --- "Modeling in 3 'I's´ؤInternational, internal and individual" --- p.55 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- A Year of Presidential Elections: The case of 1996 --- p.61 / Chapter 4.1 --- Manila APEC --- p.61 / Chapter 4.2 --- Jiang's Taiwan Policy / Chapter - --- How did the 'Eight Points' work under internal politics --- p.62 / Behind the Third Strait Crisis / Repeating the same old tune / Chapter 4.3 --- Full embracement after APEC --- p.75 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- After Honeymoon Years: The case of 1999 --- p.78 / Chapter 5.1 --- Auckland APEC --- p.78 / Conflicts after the honeymoon: Old bottle with new wine / Chapter 5.2 --- Three Crises --- p.84 / A huge mistake´ؤupon mismatched timing / Missile on the Embassy / """Special State-to-State relationship""" / Chapter 5.3 --- """2As"" meetings´ؤplatform for saving face" --- p.90 / Chapter 5.4 --- Re-opening dialogue on WTO deals --- p.93 / Diplomat dead but diplomacy alive / Chapter Chapter 6 --- Starting a new Emperor: The case of 2001 --- p.99 / Chapter 6.1 --- Shanghai APEC --- p.99 / New doctrine: A potential enemy or ally? / Chapter 6.2 --- Conflicts again --- p.101 / Fool's Day joke / The art of apology´ؤnegotiation involved / "Taiwan and Tibet´ؤ“internal affairs""" / Chapter 6.3 --- Warming in relation --- p.109 / Ardent summer / "Death of asylum, birth of hamlet" / Green House in Winter / Chapter Chapter 7 --- Conclusion´ؤJiang's 'Core' Consideration --- p.118 / Chapter 7.1 --- Era unlike Mao and Deng --- p.118 / Chapter 7.2 --- Lesson for Policy makers --- p.120 / Chapter 7.3 --- Contributions/ Implications --- p.122 / Chapter 7.4 --- Limitation --- p.123 / Appendix I Chronology --- p.125 / Append ix II Pew Research Center of People and the Press --- p.136 / Bibliography --- p.137

A pro-poor market-based approach has increasingly been adopted by INGOs as a livelihoods rebuilding strategy following destructive armed-conflicts. However, there remains a gap in knowledge of the feasibility of such an approach in post-conflict contexts. This research seeks to address this gap. It questions whether pro-poor and donor-led market-based approaches work within post-conflict environments and, if so, under what conditions? The results are from an analysis of case study-based data collected from twenty-one microenterprise groups from three diverse counties of Liberia, six years after the armed conflict. The research reveals that local context in post-conflict environments play an important role in the extent to which a market-based approach might achieve its underlying objectives of broad-based, sustainability and growth enterprises. On one hand, the losses and changes in the entitlement systems of the poor restrict their ability to both operate and to potentially sustain market-based livelihoods promoted through donor-led initiatives beyond the period of direct support. On the other, the extent to which conflict affects local market-systems also shapes outcomes of a post-conflict market-based approach. Shortcomings within the private and government sectors hinder application of market-based principles by increasing the role of the INGO to more than a facilitating role, thus further compromising sustainability of microenterprises. Positively, results suggest that, in spite of low income gains, a market based approach holds potential to empower direct beneficiaries through skills gains, improve their self-esteem and contribute towards peacebuilding within local communities. To further advance this field of research, future donor-led programme design and implementation needs to balance the post-conflict reconstruction urgency with context-specificity, not only that related to the target groups, but also the extent to which the wider and immediate market environment are able to support a market-based approach. Hurried actions risk exclusion of the most vulnerable groups in society through both direct and indirect factors arising from conflict. Yet, a broad-based economic development is essential in a post-conflict environment to reduce both underdevelopment and the risk to return to war.

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This thesis analyses inflation dynamics in eight Asian countries. The second chapter analyses inflation persistence and exchange rate pass through (ERPT). The findings on inflation persistence show that for most countries this declines after the Asian financial crisis. The findings for ERPT are more mixed and vary by country. The role of Inflation Targeting Framework (ITF) on inflation persistence and ERPT is also examined. The estimation results suggest it is too early to generalize that ITF exerts a consistently discernible influence on inflation dynamics across this group of Asian ITF countries. The third and fourth chapters focus on the impact that world oil and world food price shocks have on domestic prices. On average, the pass-through of the world oil price is higher than for world food prices. Another finding is that the domestic food supply capacity of a country succeeds in dampening the effect of world food price shocks. The fifth chapter employs disaggregated data on prices to examine inflation dynamics in Indonesia. The main finding is that price behaviour exhibits heterogeneity. Disaggregated prices are more flexible in response to sector specific shocks and are more sluggish in response to macroeconomic shocks. In response to deposit rate shocks, the price puzzle becomes weaker after the full implementation of ITF.

Seminario para optar al mtítulo de Ingeniero Comercial, Mención Administración / Durante las últimas tres décadas Chile ha sido pionero al suscribir numerosos acuerdos comerciales con 22 naciones en el mundo que le han permitido impulsar una exitosa estrategia de crecimiento basado en exportaciones. A pesar del alto impacto sobre los niveles de crecimiento del PIB, el 52% de las exportaciones están compuestas por cobre, el cual tiene una alta variabilidad, y el 70% tienen por destino China, Estados Unidos, Europa, Japón y el Mercosur. A partir de esto determinamos la importancia de impulsar una estrategia de diversificación de exportaciones tanto en destinos como en productos, por lo que detectamos oportunidades para el rubro agroalimentario en el subconjunto de naciones ASEAN, compuesto por 10 naciones que representan el 8% de la población mundial y poseen altas tasas de crecimiento demográfico y económico. Luego, la investigación consistirá en detectar y cuantificar las oportunidades comerciales existentes en este bloque de naciones, dirigido principalmente a productores y exportadores de fruta, productos del mar, vino embotellado y alimentos en general que tengan interés en diversificar los mercados a los cuales exportan sus productos. La elección del bloque de naciones ASEAN como destino y fuente de oportunidades bilaterales para Chile surge amparado en la complementariedad de las balanzas comerciales de ambas naciones, la alta concentración poblacional y bajos promedios etarios propios de las naciones de destino, la implementación de recientes tratados de libre comercio con Tailandia y Vietnam, y la positiva evolución de indicadores macroeconómicos como el consumo y la inversión que crecen de la mano de la clase media. Para detectar las oportunidades comerciales, se utilizaran métodos cualitativos y cuantitativos que incorporen marcos teóricos de probada utilidad en el mundo comercial como análisis de distancias culturales, administrativas, geográficas y económicas; análisis de los factores relevantes en cada país diferenciados en políticos, económicos, sociales y tecnológicos con el objeto de manejar el riesgo; y análisis FODA de fortalezas, oportunidades, debilidades y amenazas que enfrentan las industrias chilenas en cada uno de los mercados de destino. A partir de lo anterior se plantean objetivos para cada uno de los mercados de destino, estrategias a ser implementadas y recomendaciones específicas de producto, precio, canal y promoción.