The thesis deals with comparison of the banking markets of Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and Lithuania in size and rentability of their banks with distribution on banks with domestic owners and the banks in foreign banking group. There is also the comparative analysis in selected indicators of these two units. To the comparison is used the financial analysis. First part of thesis is dealed to the methodics of selection countries, banks, reports, indicators etc. In second part is analysed banking market of each country and the types of banks are compared together on the basis of several indicators. Third part deals with total comparison of two banking units over all countries.

Data warehouse technology has been successfully integrated into the information infrastructure of major organizations as potential solution for eliminating redundancy and providing for comprehensive data integration. Realizing the importance of a data warehouse as the main data repository within an organization, this dissertation addresses different aspects related to the data warehouse architecture and performance issues. Many data warehouse architectures have been presented by industry analysts and research organizations. These architectures vary from the independent and physical business unit centric data marts to the centralised two-tier hub-and-spoke data warehouse. The operational data store is a third tier which was offered later to address the business requirements for inter-day data loading. While the industry-available architectures are all valid, I found them to be suboptimal in efficiency (cost) and effectiveness (productivity). In this dissertation, I am advocating a new architecture (The Hybrid Architecture) which encompasses the industry advocated architecture. The hybrid architecture demands the acquisition, loading and consolidation of enterprise atomic and detailed data into a single integrated enterprise data store (The Enterprise Data Warehouse) where businessunit centric Data Marts and Operational Data Stores (ODS) are built in the same instance of the Enterprise Data Warehouse. For the purpose of highlighting the role of data warehouses for different applications, we describe an effort to develop a data warehouse for a geographical information system (GIS). We further study the importance of data practices, quality and governance for financial institutions by commenting on the RBC Financial Group case. v The development and deployment of the Enterprise Data Warehouse based on the Hybrid Architecture spawned its own issues and challenges. Organic data growth and business requirements to load additional new data significantly will increase the amount of stored data. Consequently, the number of users will increase significantly. Enterprise data warehouse obesity, performance degradation and navigation difficulties are chief amongst the issues and challenges. Association rules mining and social networks have been adopted in this thesis to address the above mentioned issues and challenges. We describe an approach that uses frequent pattern mining and social network techniques to discover different communities within the data warehouse. These communities include sets of tables frequently accessed together, sets of tables retrieved together most of the time and sets of attributes that mostly appear together in the queries. We concentrate on tables in the discussion; however, the model is general enough to discover other communities. We first build a frequent pattern mining model by considering each query as a transaction and the tables as items. Then, we mine closed frequent itemsets of tables; these itemsets include tables that are mostly accessed together and hence should be treated as one unit in storage and retrieval for better overall performance. We utilize social network construction and analysis to find maximum-sized sets of related tables; this is a more robust approach as opposed to a union of overlapping itemsets. We derive the Jaccard distance between the closed itemsets and construct the social network of tables by adding links that represent distance above a given threshold. The constructed network is analyzed to discover communities of tables that are mostly accessed together. The reported test results are promising and demonstrate the applicability and effectiveness of the developed approach.

Data warehouse technology has been successfully integrated into the information infrastructure of major organizations as potential solution for eliminating redundancy and providing for comprehensive data integration. Realizing the importance of a data warehouse as the main data repository within an organization, this dissertation addresses different aspects related to the data warehouse architecture and performance issues. Many data warehouse architectures have been presented by industry analysts and research organizations. These architectures vary from the independent and physical business unit centric data marts to the centralised two-tier hub-and-spoke data warehouse. The operational data store is a third tier which was offered later to address the business requirements for inter-day data loading. While the industry-available architectures are all valid, I found them to be suboptimal in efficiency (cost) and effectiveness (productivity). In this dissertation, I am advocating a new architecture (The Hybrid Architecture) which encompasses the industry advocated architecture. The hybrid architecture demands the acquisition, loading and consolidation of enterprise atomic and detailed data into a single integrated enterprise data store (The Enterprise Data Warehouse) where businessunit centric Data Marts and Operational Data Stores (ODS) are built in the same instance of the Enterprise Data Warehouse. For the purpose of highlighting the role of data warehouses for different applications, we describe an effort to develop a data warehouse for a geographical information system (GIS). We further study the importance of data practices, quality and governance for financial institutions by commenting on the RBC Financial Group case. v The development and deployment of the Enterprise Data Warehouse based on the Hybrid Architecture spawned its own issues and challenges. Organic data growth and business requirements to load additional new data significantly will increase the amount of stored data. Consequently, the number of users will increase significantly. Enterprise data warehouse obesity, performance degradation and navigation difficulties are chief amongst the issues and challenges. Association rules mining and social networks have been adopted in this thesis to address the above mentioned issues and challenges. We describe an approach that uses frequent pattern mining and social network techniques to discover different communities within the data warehouse. These communities include sets of tables frequently accessed together, sets of tables retrieved together most of the time and sets of attributes that mostly appear together in the queries. We concentrate on tables in the discussion; however, the model is general enough to discover other communities. We first build a frequent pattern mining model by considering each query as a transaction and the tables as items. Then, we mine closed frequent itemsets of tables; these itemsets include tables that are mostly accessed together and hence should be treated as one unit in storage and retrieval for better overall performance. We utilize social network construction and analysis to find maximum-sized sets of related tables; this is a more robust approach as opposed to a union of overlapping itemsets. We derive the Jaccard distance between the closed itemsets and construct the social network of tables by adding links that represent distance above a given threshold. The constructed network is analyzed to discover communities of tables that are mostly accessed together. The reported test results are promising and demonstrate the applicability and effectiveness of the developed approach.

La crise financière de 2008 a entraîné des conséquences dramatiques sur l’économie réelle et a mis en péril la stabilité financière mondiale. Elle a également mis en lumière le rôle névralgique des activités menées par les institutions financières et leur groupe. Afin d’assurer la protection des consommateurs, l’efficience des marchés et la stabilité financière, les États et les régulateurs ont depuis intensifié leurs efforts afin de renforcer l’encadrement juridique applicable. Cet exercice est capital dans la mesure où la pérennité de notre système financier est tributaire de la robustesse du cadre juridique qui s’applique aux acteurs participant à cet écosystème. Notre étude s’inscrit dans le continuum de cette démarche en s’intéressant à la régulation des groupes financiers d’assurance au Canada. Plus précisément, notre étude vise à déterminer si le droit canadien assure une régulation efficace des groupes financiers d’assurance en utilisant une approche fondée sur le risque. Nous analysons l’hypothèse selon laquelle le droit canadien n’assure pas un encadrement efficace des groupes financiers d’assurance en ce qu’il adopte une approche microprudentielle limitant les interventions des régulateurs au niveau des entités financières, dont les sociétés d’assurance, et non au niveau du groupe financier. Cette hypothèse découle des évaluations menées par le Fonds monétaire international qui soulèvent une disharmonie entre ce que prévoit le droit canadien et les principes directeurs préconisés par les organismes internationaux, dont l’Association internationale des contrôleurs d’assurance. Dans la partie préliminaire, cette étude présente les différentes composantes de la question de recherche. Cet exercice conceptuel permet de circonscrire la portée de nos travaux et d’inscrire ceux-ci sous le champ d’un positivisme juridique revisité au sein duquel le pouvoir exécutif joue un rôle important dans la création et l’application du droit. Cela permet également de cibler les méthodologies employées dans cette étude, soit l’analyse documentaire, le cadre d’analyse du nouveau management public et celui de la gestion des risques. Dans la partie I, l’analyse du périmètre juridique des groupes financiers est effectuée. Cet exercice répond au besoin de toute démarche d’analyse des politiques publiques de circonscrire adéquatement les activités à réguler. Ainsi, le portrait du secteur financier canadien et international est brossé afin de présenter les autorités d’encadrement et les organismes internationaux participant à la création et au déploiement de la régulation financière. À cela s’ajoute une présentation des fondements de la régulation financière, des groupes financiers d’assurance ou encore, des risques induits par ces regroupements d’entreprises. L’analyse descriptive de cette partie contribue au projet positiviste visant à assurer l’accès à la connaissance des règles juridiques applicables tout en posant les connaissances nécessaires à l’évaluation menée à la partie II. Ensuite, prenant appui sur les deux parties précédentes, la seconde partie de la thèse conduit à l’analyse critique de la régulation des groupes financiers d’assurance au Canada. Pour ce faire, une grille d’analyse en cinq étapes inspirée des enseignements du Public Policy Analysis est élaborée. À cette fin, une étude de cas est effectuée afin de cibler les groupes financiers d’assurance d’envergure au Canada ainsi que les risques pouvant potentiellement être induits par eux. Face à ces risques, les meilleures pratiques devant être adoptées par les Étatsafin de réguler les groupes financiers d’assurance sont mises au jour. Cette présentation permet d’analyser le cadre juridique canadien s’appliquant aux groupes financiers d’assurance et de comparer celui-ci avec l’encadrement présent dans certaines juridictions ciblées, soit les États Unis, la France et l’Union européenne. Ces étapes préalables mènent à l’évaluation du degré d’efficacité de l’encadrement juridique canadien. À terme, l’analyse permet de confirmer en partie l’hypothèse et d’affirmer que le cadre juridique canadien est d’une efficacité et d’une efficience limitées. Ce constat découle notamment de sa portée relative à l’égard des groupes financiers d’assurance et d’autres vulnérabilités qui ont été relevées. Cette étude se conclut par la proposition de 19 recommandations visant à améliorer l’efficacité et l’efficience de l’encadrement juridique canadien s’appliquant aux groupes financiers d’assurance. / The 2008 financial crisis had dramatic consequences for the real economy and jeopardized global financial stability. It also highlighted the key role of the activities carried out by financial institutions and their group. To ensure consumer protection, market efficiency and financial stability, the states and the regulators have since intensified their efforts to strengthen the applicable legal framework. This exercise is crucial for the sustainability of our financial system, which depends on the robustness of the legal framework that applies to the participants of this ecosystem. Our study is part of the continuum of this approach as it focuses on the regulation of financial insurance groups in Canada. More specifically, our study aims to determine whether Canadian law provides effective regulation of financial insurance groups by using a risk-based approach. We hypothesize that Canadian law does not provide an effective framework for financial insurance groups. It adopts a micro-prudential approach limiting the interventions of the regulators at the level of the financial entities, including insurance companies, and not at the level of the financial group. This hypothesis stems from the International Monetary Fund assessments, which point out a disharmony between Canadian law and the international core principles recommended by international organizations, like the International Association of Insurance Supervisors. In the preliminary part, this study presents the different components of the research question. This conceptual exercise circumscribes the scope of our work within a revisited legal positivism in which the executive power plays an important role in the creation and application of law. It also introduces the methodologies used in this study, namely the documentary analysis, the analytical framework of new public management and that of risk management. Part I presents the analysis of the legal scope of financial groups. It defines the activities to be regulated which is an essential exercise for public policy analysis. Thus, it introduces the Canadian and international financial sector to identify the supervisory authorities and international organizations involved in the creation and deployment of financial regulation. In addition, there is a presentation of the foundations of financial regulation, of the financial iv insurance groups as well as the risks induced by these groups. This descriptive analysis contributes to the positivist project which aims to ensure that the knowledge of the applicable legal rules is accessible. It also lays down the necessary foundations for the evaluation carried out in Part II. Building on the two previous parts, the second part of the thesis conducts a critical analysis of the regulation of financial insurance groups in Canada. It develops a five-step analysis grid inspired by the lessons of Public Policy Analysis. Following this, it introduces a case study that targets the major insurance financial groups in Canada as well as the risks they could potentially induce. Then we present the best practices regarding the regulation of financial insurance groups that states should adopt to mitigate these risks. This forms the basis to analyze the Canadian legal framework that applies to financial insurance groups and to compare it with the framework of other targeted jurisdictions, namely the United States, France and the European Union. These preliminary steps lead to the evaluation of the degree of effectiveness of the Canadian legal framework. As a result, the analysis partially confirms the hypothesis that the effectiveness and efficiency of the Canadian legal framework is limited. This finding stems in particular from the limited scope of the legal framework regarding financial insurance groups, as well as from other vulnerabilities that have been identified. This study concludes with the proposal of 19 recommendations aimed at improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the Canadian legal framework applicable to financial insurance groups.

金融機構所經營之業務涵蓋種類繁多、型式各異並各有其相關之法令，而金融機構透過直接或間接投資方式，一般而言將構成金融集團間之關係人及其交易，本論文之目的在於分析各種金融集團關係人交易相關法令之缺漏，並進而提出建議。 本文首先從現行金融機構經營及投資規範及金融機構關係人交易法律規範，歸納整理出相關法規機制，並探討現行該等關係人及交易之法律規範之「過」與「不足」之處。 此外，本文也參考美國法及跨國性金融監理機構之相關規範，藉此與我國相關規範比較，以作為我國相關立法之參考方向。 接著，本文再以金融機構關係人之實際相關案例，深入分析本國實務上常見之問題，以探討實務上對關係人的認定標準，並釐清現行金融監理對關係人間非常規交易之管理缺漏。 最後本文以上述之分析結果，提出對現行金融機構關係人相關法規之建議，以提供未來修法之參考。 / Due to deregulation and globalization in banking system, financial institutions are increasingly burring traditional differences between banking, insurance, and other institutions. As results, intra-group transactions cause more concern about the conflicts of interests. From a legal point of view, different legal relationships will confer different rights and impose different duties on financial parties. Therefore, it is sensible to analyze the legal nature of the relationships of different participants and their roles in financial institutions’ related party transactions. This study presents an analysis of regulations of related party transactions within Financial Conglomerates, and proposes reforms to deal with conflicts of interest: Firstly, discusses the regulations about the business scope of financial holding company, bank, securities and insurance company. Then further analyzes the regulations of related party transactions within each above financial parties. Secondly, depicts the American regulatory scheme and the frames guidelines and principles of international financial supervisory institutions. The former focuses on the background of banking regulations and the latest issue about The Dodd-Frank Act. The later includes the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS), the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS), the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) and the Joint Forum on Financial Conglomerates. A comparative analysis of regulations of the above and Taiwan was made. Thirdly, further analyzes the controversial issues of intra-group transactions based on several judicial cases, and then discusses the operational deficiencies of financial institutions and flaws of law and regulations. Finally, summarizes the said issues and propositions about related party transactions of financial institutions.

After facing the economic recession, the South–African and global business sectors started revaluating their human capital and the positions they represent within an organisation. Each individual now had to prove that they contributed towards the organisation’s bottom line, as each and every cent had to be counted and accounted for. Some functions within organisations could easily prove their contribution towards the bottom line by providing production or sales outputs. The public relations practitioners and the corporate communication efforts they offered, however, faced a bleak future, as their contribution towards the tangible assets was very rarely recognised (Kim, 2000:276). The financial services sector however, in which an advisor’s contribution towards the organisational bottom line is easily quantified, started to acknowledge the need for this sector to improve upon its ‘softer’ intangible assets such as client communication and client relationships. The sector believes that communication establishes relationships, and sound client relationships is the only way to sell financial products and services, as people seldom entrust their life earnings or financial dreams to strangers (Christiansen & DeVaney, 1998:7). Public relations practitioners know how to use communication optimally in the quest for building client relationships, and financial services need those skills in order to sell their products and contribute towards the bottom line. These two functions could thus work together towards the achievement of their goals - public relations to prove their bottom line contribution, and the financial services sector towards improving client relationships. These statements led to the general Research Question of this study: “What is the nature of the relationship between (i) corporate communication efforts, (ii) client communication satisfaction and (iii) client relationship satisfaction, and these concepts’ relationship to (iv) client economic contribution, within a financial services organisation?” This Research Question is answered from the systems theory as meta–theory with the support of the strategic communication, excellence and relationship management theories, and Futurum Financial Group (FFG) services as the financial services organisation for this study. A qualitative and quantitative research approach was followed to establish the constructs, and the relationships between the constructs. The Financial Advisors and public relations practitioner in FFG have a good understanding of the need for strategic communication efforts, and a relationship between their efforts and the client communication satisfaction and client relationship satisfaction could therefore be indicated. A further relationship between the client communication satisfaction and client relationship satisfaction and the client economic contribution was also established. Recommendations to improve the situation within FFG included a better focus on database administration, corporate communication consistency, Financial Advisor diligence, and providing clients with more frequent updates regarding their financial situation. The greatest strengths were client–advisor trust and corporate communication professionalism. This study thus contributes to the argument that communication efforts add tangibly, by means of client economic contribution, to the organisation’s bottom line, within the financial services industry. The study furthermore provides some recommendations for the financial services industry to improve their communication skills in order to build client relationships. / Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

After facing the economic recession, the South–African and global business sectors started revaluating their human capital and the positions they represent within an organisation. Each individual now had to prove that they contributed towards the organisation’s bottom line, as each and every cent had to be counted and accounted for. Some functions within organisations could easily prove their contribution towards the bottom line by providing production or sales outputs. The public relations practitioners and the corporate communication efforts they offered, however, faced a bleak future, as their contribution towards the tangible assets was very rarely recognised (Kim, 2000:276). The financial services sector however, in which an advisor’s contribution towards the organisational bottom line is easily quantified, started to acknowledge the need for this sector to improve upon its ‘softer’ intangible assets such as client communication and client relationships. The sector believes that communication establishes relationships, and sound client relationships is the only way to sell financial products and services, as people seldom entrust their life earnings or financial dreams to strangers (Christiansen & DeVaney, 1998:7). Public relations practitioners know how to use communication optimally in the quest for building client relationships, and financial services need those skills in order to sell their products and contribute towards the bottom line. These two functions could thus work together towards the achievement of their goals - public relations to prove their bottom line contribution, and the financial services sector towards improving client relationships. These statements led to the general Research Question of this study: “What is the nature of the relationship between (i) corporate communication efforts, (ii) client communication satisfaction and (iii) client relationship satisfaction, and these concepts’ relationship to (iv) client economic contribution, within a financial services organisation?” This Research Question is answered from the systems theory as meta–theory with the support of the strategic communication, excellence and relationship management theories, and Futurum Financial Group (FFG) services as the financial services organisation for this study. A qualitative and quantitative research approach was followed to establish the constructs, and the relationships between the constructs. The Financial Advisors and public relations practitioner in FFG have a good understanding of the need for strategic communication efforts, and a relationship between their efforts and the client communication satisfaction and client relationship satisfaction could therefore be indicated. A further relationship between the client communication satisfaction and client relationship satisfaction and the client economic contribution was also established. Recommendations to improve the situation within FFG included a better focus on database administration, corporate communication consistency, Financial Advisor diligence, and providing clients with more frequent updates regarding their financial situation. The greatest strengths were client–advisor trust and corporate communication professionalism. This study thus contributes to the argument that communication efforts add tangibly, by means of client economic contribution, to the organisation’s bottom line, within the financial services industry. The study furthermore provides some recommendations for the financial services industry to improve their communication skills in order to build client relationships. / Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.