1. The aim of this study was to determine the genetic parameters and breeding values for the South African Warmblood horse population. Information collected by the Society from 1989 to 1998 was provided for 2143 horses. This information included bloodline, breeder, owner, gender, birth date, pedigree, and scores from the inspection test. 2. Non-genetic factors that had a significant effect were determined for all inspection test traits. Year of inspection was significant for most traits; gender, breeder, owner, category of age at inspection, year of birth, month of birth, month of inspection and the combined effects of bloodline and register were all significant for various traits. 3. The parameters calculated were the environmental and genetic variance, the environmental and genetic correlations and the heritability. The environmental variance ranged from 0.212 to 1.038, and the genetic variance ranged from 0.014 to 0.137. Environmental correlations ranged from 0.012 to 0.924, and genetic correlations ranged from -0.331 to 0.997. Heritability estimates ranged from 0.009 to 0.374. 4. Best linear unbiased estimates were calculated for the independent variables in the traits for which they were significant. Best linear unbiased predictions were calculated for all animals in the population. Genetic trends were graphically presented for the total scores of the inspection test. Positive genetic trend was indicated. / Dissertation (MSc (Agric) Animal Science)--University of Pretoria, 2001. / Animal and Wildlife Sciences / unrestricted

Thesis title: Aggressive business practices in competition This thesis deals with an analysis of aggressive business practices within competition, focusing on aggressive business practices in relation to other competitors, i.e. B2B relations. The thesis is divided into four chapters with an unnumbered introduction and conclusion. The most crucial part of the thesis can be found in the second and third chapter. The first chapter introduces reader to the issue of unfair competition. In particular, the chapter deals with the analysis of the general clause, as the key provision within the private law framework of unfair competition. Above mentioned is the reason of a brief historical development of this provision being also included in this chapter. Furthermore, the chapter considers the adaptation of unfair competition among the European Union. The second chapter deals with the analysis of the factual phenomena of aggressive business practices, namely denigration (section 2984), unlawful comparative advertising (section 2980) and breach of trade secrets (section 2985), considering the newly adopted directive on the protection of undisclosed know-how and business information (trade secrets). The chapter also incorporates relevant case law. Third chapter deals with aggressive business practices...

The question of how to design efficient environmental policies has become one of the most important questions of our time, but finding the answer it is not easy. Simple models of environmental regulation do not take into account the complexity of real markets. One aspect that is sometimes ignored is the market structure of the regulated industry. This critical review of the literature shows that market structure can both influence and be influenced by environmental regulation and that determining the optimal environmental policy is complicated.

Title: Management of Athletic Competition Objectives: The aim of the thesis is to analyse the management and in part the marketing of the senior league competition lead by the Czech Athletics Federation in the current form. Several improvements on the basis of the acquired knowledge were suggested. Methods: The descriptive analytical method and the SWOT analytical method were used. The former method was used for the analysis of the acquired materials on the management of the athletic league team competition of the Czech Republic. The SWOT analytical method was used for the analysis of the internal and external environment of the league team competition. On the basis of the latter several proposals for improvement were suggested. Results: It was found out that the Czech Athletic Extraleague should be aimed more at the audience. Currently carried out changes help to reach the goal. The improvement of the PR of the league should be gained, a partner for the league should be found and also the audience service related to the match should be improved. It appears that the simplification of the whole system of the league team competition would be of use. Keywords: athletics, management, team competition, competition organization

The primary purpose of this study was to explore the challenges and benefits associated with cultural diversity within groups. The research hypotheses were proposed to test the effects of cultural diversity on group performance and group processes by comparing culturally diverse and culturally homogeneous groups under conditions of intergroup competition and noncompetition. This experiment was conducted using 500 upper-level undergraduates enrolled in the principles of management course for the fall semester.

Title: The analysis of the content of the compulsory routines program in women's artistic gymnastics Aim: The aim of this work is to compare the competition programs of the Czech Republic, the United States of America and the United Kingdom, including the competition program issued and recommended by FIG (International Gymnastics Federation) in women's gymnastics with emphasis of the content and structure of the mandatory competition program. Methods: There were two methods used in this work, namely analysis of the content of selected documents in selected countries, and it is in the United states of America, Great Britain, Czech Republic and the program issued and recommended by International Gymnastics Federation. The following content features of selected documents were determined for content analysis: age and performance structure of the program, permeability of the competition program, integration of the compulsory routines into the competition program and movement content of the compulsory routines. The research set consists of parts of the competition programs, where the decisive selection criteria was the presence of compulsory routines within the competition program, competition program was available on the websites , and in English or Czech language, ale success of the competitors who...

In this qualitative study the researcher investigates how school choir competitions in South Africa contribute to creating platforms for social cohesion. The study examines the experiences of conductors and adjudicators in two main South African school choir competitions, namely the ATKV-Applous and ABC Motsepe (previously known as SASCE). This study was inspired by the contribution of the rising choral music platform in post-apartheid South Africa to national regeneration from tensions created by past disparities and how choral music contributes to social cohesion in society. Phenomenology is used to investigate the experiences of conductors and adjudicators and whether participation in choral competitions contributed to advancing social cohesion in a transforming South Africa. Data were collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews, the review of documents and the analysis of journal notes taken during the study. The Transformative Learning Theory (TLT) was applied as framework to contextualise deliberate reflection involving increased social knowledge and openness among respondents. In this study, choir conductors and adjudicators reflected on their experiences in choir competitions and how cohesion could be achieved through choir competitions. From the study the researcher concluded that competitive platforms such as choir competitions provide an opportunity for role players to test their strength as individuals and as part of a team. The study found that, regardless of many challenges hindering social cohesion, choral music competitions offer an environment for bringing people closer and establishing harmonious collaboration. Learning from others, sharing and reciprocating experiences lead to new partnerships that promote social cohesion. However, the conditions set out in the rules and policy requirements of the competitions could inhibit social cohesion by exclusion and conditions that may hinder interest. Although many studies focus on the value of choral activities and its contribution to social cohesion, this study fills the gap of exploring the role of choir competitions in fostering social cohesion. Recommendations include the need to foster an awareness of the role of school choir activities, which includes the selection of music, in encouraging nation-building. Furthermore, school choir competition policy should include clearer guidelines on social cohesion. It is recommended that training opportunities for conductors and adjudicators should be expanded and implemented to include musical development, but also focus on fostering a sensitivity to the complexity of cultural diversity and the power of choral activities to enhance nation-building and social cohesion in South Africa. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / pt2021 / Humanities Education / PhD / Unrestricted

Liberal theory and practice of competition law Abstract The presented thesis focuses on the matter of competition law from the point of view of selected schools of economic thought. The goal of the thesis is to provide a comprehensive insight into the content and nature of legal norms in the field of competition law and offer a comparison of views of specific traditions of economic theory on the selected bodies of legislation in force. The wider objective of the thesis is to explore the application possibilities of the findings of various economic theories to legal phenomena, with the thesis exploring both the anglo-american branch of economic analysis of law and heterodox approaches, that originate from the continental economic theory and jurisprudence. To this end, the thesis picks three distinct schools of economic thought, that are commonly labeled as liberal, these being the Austrian, Chicago and Freiburg school of economics, each having different methodology, theoretical and analytical conclusions and prescriptive suggestions. Bodies of legislation in force selected for the purposes of this thesis are competition law statutes of the Czech Republic, the Federal Republic of Germany and the EU. The Structure of the thesis applies the "from general to specific" method of explanation, i.e. introductory...

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A sizeable literature documents patterns of competition between local governments in metropolitan regions, while also exploring variation in such local government financial attributes as efficiency, budget size, fiscal disparity, and service equity, which are frequently bound together under the concept of fiscal health. However, the concept of fiscal health is broader and more sophisticated than any one fiscal measure, and empirical studies tend to focus only on multi-purpose governments. This study brings these concepts together to investigate how interlocal competition affects the fiscal health of different government types. This study answers three questions: What is a measure of fiscal health applicable to different government types? How does competition among cities and towns affect local fiscal health? How does the proliferation of special districts affect the fiscal health of local governments? This study measures the concept of fiscal health using factor analysis and examines the effects of competition among different government types on the fiscal health of both municipalities and special districts. Utilizing a pooled cross-sectional time-series approach and data from the U.S. Census Bureau for metropolitan statistical areas for every five years between 1972 and 2012,the study finds that competition among municipalities has adverse influences on the fiscal health of both municipalities and special districts, whereas interlocal competition among special districts results in improved fiscal health for special districts without a significant effect on the fiscal health of municipalities.