The EU jurisdictional scheme, known as the “Brussels Regime”, confers competence to national courts to adjudicate over international matters. The main rule in Article 4(1) of the Brussels Ibis Regulation sets out that the defendant should generally be sued in the courts of the Member State where he is domiciled. For certain subject matters, the scheme allows the action to be brought elsewhere. The raison d’être is to provide an adequate counterbalance to the one-sided rule of Article 4(1). Articles 7(1) and (2) enable the claimant to launch the suit, “in matters relating to a contract”, at the court of the Member State where the contractual obligation was to be fulfilled, and, in “matters relating to tort”, in the courts for the place where the harmful event occurred. Whether to invoke Article 7 is entirely the claimant’s choice, but the final decision on its interpretation is vested in the Court. Thereby, the manner in which the Court views the provisions will effectively decide the extent of the claimant’s choice to invoke so-called special jurisdiction. It also means that greater emphasis on special jurisdiction will reduce the importance of the main rule in Article 4. Conversely, if the Court were to interpret Article 7 narrowly, its intended effect within the system would be denied. In both cases, the balance between Articles 4 and 7 has been upset. In the former case, the claimant is favoured because of the increased possibilities to choose the forum for the dispute, while in the latter case, the defendant is favoured because he retains the advantage of litigating in his home turf. The starting point for this essay is this very idea of a purported balance between litigants’ interests in EU cross-border litigation. The thesis analyses whether the Court’s case-law on general vis-à-vis special jurisdiction has transitioned from being generally defendant-friendly to claimant-friendly. It is argued that already from the first judgments rendered on the original Brussels Convention in 1976, increasingly more disputes have been launched at special fora, which has amounted to a claimant-friendly scheme. It is also argued that this development has been at the expense of the defendant. Greater choice for the claimant means in turn that the defendant’s ability to foresee before what courts he may be sued has been largely impaired. The thesis highlights how this imbalance is the result of inherent challenges in the Brussels Regime, particularly in relation to how the relevant connecting factors are designated. It is proposed that the unwanted effects of the Court’s practice as well as the shortcomings of the scheme itself are to be considered in the Commission’s evaluationof the Brussels Ibis Regulation, which is presently in the works.

Recently, South African company law underwent a dramatic overhaul through the introduction of the Companies Act 71 of 2008. Central to company law is the promotion of corporate governance: companies no longer are accountable to their shareholders only but to society at large. Leaders should direct company strategy and operations with a view to achieving the triple bottom-line (economic, social and environmental performance) and, thus, should manage the business in a sustainable manner. An important question in company law today: In whose interest should the company be managed? Corporate governance needs to address the entire span of responsibilities to all stakeholders of the company, such as customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers and the community at large. The Companies Act aims to balance the rights and obligations of shareholders and directors within companies and encourages the efficient and responsible management of companies. The promotion of human rights is central in the application of company law: it is extremely important given the significant role of enterprises within the social and economic life of the nation. The interests of various stakeholder groups in the context of the corporation as a “social institution” should be enhanced and protected. Because corporations are a part of society and the community they are required to be socially responsible and to be more accountable to all stakeholders in the company. Although directors act in the best interests of shareholders, collectively, they must also consider the interests of other stakeholders. Sustainable relationships with all the relevant stakeholders are important. The advancement of social justice is important to corporations in that they should take into account the Constitution, labour and company law legislation in dealing with social justice issues. Employees have become important stakeholders in companies and their needs should be taken into account in a bigger corporate governance and social responsibility framework. Consideration of the role of employees in corporations entails notice that the Constitution grants every person a fundamental right to fair labour practices. Social as well as political change became evident after South Africa's re-entry into the world in the 1990s. Change to socio-economic conditions in a developing country is also evident. These changes have a major influence on South African labour law. Like company law, labour law, to a large extent, is codified. Like company law, no precise definition of labour law exists. From the various definitions, labour law covers both the individual and collective labour law and various role-players are involved. These role-players include trade unions, employers/companies, employees, and the state. The various relationships between these parties, ultimately, are what guides a certain outcome if there is a power play between them. In 1995 the South African labour market was transformed by the introduction of the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995. The LRA remains the primary piece of labour legislation that governs labour law in South Africa. The notion of industrial democracy and the transformation of the workplace are central issues in South African labour law. The constitutional change that have taken place in South Africa, by which the protection of human rights and the democratisation of the workplace are advanced contributed to these developments. Before the enactment of the LRA, employee participation and voice were much-debated topics, locally and internationally. In considering employee participation, it is essential to take due cognisance of both the labour and company law principles that are pertinent: the need for workers to have a voice in the workplace and for employers to manage their corporations. Employee participation and voice should be evident at different levels: from informationsharing to consultation to joint decision-making. Corporations should enhance systems and processes that facilitate employee participation and voice in decisions that affect employees. The primary research question under investigation is: What role should (and could) employees play in corporate decision-making in South Africa? The main inquiry of the thesis, therefore, is to explore the issue of granting a voice to employees in companies, in particular, the role of employees in the decision-making processes of companies. The thesis explores various options, including supervisory co-determination as well as social co-determination, in order to find solutions that will facilitate the achievement of employee participation and voice in companies in South Africa. / LLD, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Recently, South African company law underwent a dramatic overhaul through the introduction of the Companies Act 71 of 2008. Central to company law is the promotion of corporate governance: companies no longer are accountable to their shareholders only but to society at large. Leaders should direct company strategy and operations with a view to achieving the triple bottom-line (economic, social and environmental performance) and, thus, should manage the business in a sustainable manner. An important question in company law today: In whose interest should the company be managed? Corporate governance needs to address the entire span of responsibilities to all stakeholders of the company, such as customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers and the community at large. The Companies Act aims to balance the rights and obligations of shareholders and directors within companies and encourages the efficient and responsible management of companies. The promotion of human rights is central in the application of company law: it is extremely important given the significant role of enterprises within the social and economic life of the nation. The interests of various stakeholder groups in the context of the corporation as a “social institution” should be enhanced and protected. Because corporations are a part of society and the community they are required to be socially responsible and to be more accountable to all stakeholders in the company. Although directors act in the best interests of shareholders, collectively, they must also consider the interests of other stakeholders. Sustainable relationships with all the relevant stakeholders are important. The advancement of social justice is important to corporations in that they should take into account the Constitution, labour and company law legislation in dealing with social justice issues. Employees have become important stakeholders in companies and their needs should be taken into account in a bigger corporate governance and social responsibility framework. Consideration of the role of employees in corporations entails notice that the Constitution grants every person a fundamental right to fair labour practices. Social as well as political change became evident after South Africa's re-entry into the world in the 1990s. Change to socio-economic conditions in a developing country is also evident. These changes have a major influence on South African labour law. Like company law, labour law, to a large extent, is codified. Like company law, no precise definition of labour law exists. From the various definitions, labour law covers both the individual and collective labour law and various role-players are involved. These role-players include trade unions, employers/companies, employees, and the state. The various relationships between these parties, ultimately, are what guides a certain outcome if there is a power play between them. In 1995 the South African labour market was transformed by the introduction of the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995. The LRA remains the primary piece of labour legislation that governs labour law in South Africa. The notion of industrial democracy and the transformation of the workplace are central issues in South African labour law. The constitutional change that have taken place in South Africa, by which the protection of human rights and the democratisation of the workplace are advanced contributed to these developments. Before the enactment of the LRA, employee participation and voice were much-debated topics, locally and internationally. In considering employee participation, it is essential to take due cognisance of both the labour and company law principles that are pertinent: the need for workers to have a voice in the workplace and for employers to manage their corporations. Employee participation and voice should be evident at different levels: from informationsharing to consultation to joint decision-making. Corporations should enhance systems and processes that facilitate employee participation and voice in decisions that affect employees. The primary research question under investigation is: What role should (and could) employees play in corporate decision-making in South Africa? The main inquiry of the thesis, therefore, is to explore the issue of granting a voice to employees in companies, in particular, the role of employees in the decision-making processes of companies. The thesis explores various options, including supervisory co-determination as well as social co-determination, in order to find solutions that will facilitate the achievement of employee participation and voice in companies in South Africa. / LLD, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Grandparents fail to communicate sexual matters to the youth. It is their duty to initiate this communication. The escalating numbers of sexually transmitted infections among the youth require grandparents as carers to talk openly. The main purpose of the study was to support grandparents in their communication about sexual matters to the youth. In-depth phenomenological focus group interviews were conducted. Data analysis revealed three themes: grandparents' experience of communication, emotional experience, and the experience of political and social influence. The study developed guidelines for grandparents. The limitations of the study involve the research sample, which was not truly representative of the whole population of East London. The study recommends that all stakeholders be involved in supporting grandparents in their communicating sexual matters to the youth. The researcher recommends further research to describe youth perceptions of communicating sexual matters to grandparents / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

Summary in Afrikaans and English / Hierdie verhandeling omvat 'n beskrywing van die ontstaan en ontwikkeling van die onderwysersvereniging wat vanaf 1893 onder meer as die Vereeniging vir Onderwijzers en Onderwijzeressen in de Z.A.R. (VVOOZA), die Vereeniging van Onderwijzers en Onderwijzeressen in Zuid-Afrika (VVOOZA) vanaf 1903 en sedert 1923 as die Transvaalse Onderwysersvereniging (TO) bekend gestaan het. Die klem val op uitsprake van TO-voorsitters en aktiwiteite wat deur die TO van stapel gestuur is ter bevordering van die professionaliteit en professionele status van onderwysers en onderwyseresse. Die verhandeling sluit ook 'n ontleding van en kritiese besinning oor die kenmerke van professionaliteit in. In die verband word gefokus op die verhouding van die TO met enkele onderwysbelanghebbendes, die bevordering van die professionele beeId van onderwysers/onderwysersesse en die beginsels wat die TO tydens salarisonderhandelinge gehandhaaf het. 'n Belangrike gevolgtrekking waartoe gekom word, is dat die TO vir meer as 100 jaar nie net professionaliteit in onderwysverband bevorder het nie, maar dat sy uitsprake en aktiwiteite op sigself getuig van 'n professionele ingesteldheid. / This thesis comprises an account of the origin and development of the teachers' association known from 1893 as the Vereeniging vir Onderwijzers en Onderwijzeressen in de Z.A.R. (VVOOZA), as the Vereeniging van Onderwijzers en Onderwijzeressen in Zuid-Afrika (VVOOZA) from 1903, and since 1923 as the Transvaalse Onderwysersvereniging (TO). The accent is on pronouncements of TO chairpersons and activities initiated by the TO to promote professional qualities among teachers and to secure professional status for them. The thesis also includes an analysis and critical consideration of the criteria of professionalism, with special reference to the relationship between the TO and roleplayers with an interest in education, the promotion of the professional image of teachers, and the principles upheld by the TO in salary negotiations. An important conclusion drawn is that for more than 100 years of its existence, the TO not only promoted professional qualities in the educational context, but epitomises professionalism in its pronouncements and activities. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Historiese Opvoedkunde)

This thesis is a contribution to feminist laboratory studies and a critical engagement with the natural sciences, or more precisely research on the biochemical workings and deadly relations of Alzheimer’s disease emanating from a year of field work in a Drosophila fly lab. The natural sciences have been a point of fascination within the field of gender studies for decades. Such sciences produce knowledge on what gets to count as nature and natural, healthy or sick, normal or not, and they have done it with great societal authority and impact throughout European modernity. However, feminist technoscience scholars argue that science and knowledge is socially produced, and political too. Concepts such as nature, animal, human, body, sex, and life itself are not simply given natural realities but phenomena processed through the naturecultures of the laboratory. Situated within such theoretical and methodological approaches, this thesis wonders how scientific facts about Alzheimer’s disease are made in the lab today. What kinds of realities, bodies and ethico-political concerns are enacted? Who gets to live and who gets to die in everyday laboratory practices? Theoretically, the thesis is grounded, particularly, within Karen Barad’s agential realism and posthumanist performativity, and as such it accounts for human and nonhuman entanglements through which AD is performed in the lab in relational ways. In other words, the thesis explores how AD is enacted in the bodies of transgenic fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster), as these flies embody the disease, live and die with it. Last but not least, the thesis explores the materialities of death, dying, embodiment and biological waste in a biochemistry lab as constitutive parts of the produced knowledge about AD. / Denna avhandling utgör ett bidrag till feministiska laboratoriestudier och är en kritisk analys av naturvetenskaperna. Närmare bestämt är det en feministisk studie av forskning om Alzheimers sjukdom, dess biokemiska verkningar och dödliga relationer utifrån ett års fältarbete som labbtekniker i ett fluglabb. Naturvetenskaperna har under decennier fascinerat genusforskare. Dessa discipliner formar kunskapen om vad som räknas som natur och naturligt, hälsa och sjukdom, normalt eller inte, och de har gjort så med stor samhällelig auktoritet genom Europeisk modernitet. Forskare inom feministiska teknovetenskapliga studier har länge hävdat att vetenskap också är social praktik med politiska implikationer. Begrepp som natur, djur, mänskligt eller kropp, kön och livet självt kan inte tas för givna utan formas också i laboratoriets naturkultur. Med utgångspunkt i sådana feministiska teknovetenskaplig teoribildningar och metodologiska utgångspunkter bearbetar denna avhandling frågor om hur vetenskapliga fakta om Alzheimers sjukdom skapas i laboratoriet idag. Vilka kroppar, verkligheter och etisk-politiska förhållningssätt aktualiseras? Vem får leva och vem får dö i vardagliga laboratoriepraktiker? Teoretiskt bygger avhandlingen framför allt på Karen Barads agentiella realism när den diskuterar sammanvävningen mellan mänskligt och icke-mänskligt, samt det som kallas posthumanistisk performativitet, i relation till Alzheimers sjukdom som den förkroppsligas i transgena fruktflugor (Drosophila melanogaster) i laboratoriet. I särskilt fokus står relationerna som skapas inom den biokemiska forskningen kring död, biologiskt avfall och kroppslighet.

La coopération internationale par l’échange de renseignements fiscaux, question classique si bien que marginale, s’est renouvelé dans l’acuité pour devenir l’une des matières les plus sensibles du droit fiscal international contemporain. Malgré tous les efforts politiques et juridiques déployés ces dernières années, et leurs véritables avancées sur le plan de la technique juridique et de l’efficience administrative, il y a raisons de craindre qu’elle rencontre encore des différents limites pour fonctionner efficacement au niveau planétaire. Cette thèse s’occupe d’identifier l’existence d’un régime juridique général des échanges de renseignements fiscaux, assez homogène en matière de contenu et d’application, en contemplation des principaux modèles normatifs non communautaires disponibles à l’actualité, y compris ceux automatiques. Ensuite, la thèse examine la portée de ce régime général, afin d’encadrer les limites à l’échange de renseignements fiscaux et de proposer solutions juridiques pour les dépasser. / International co-operation through the exchange of tax information, a classical but marginal issue, has been renewed to become one of the most sensitive subjects of international tax law. Despite all the political and legal efforts made in recent years, and despite the fact that these efforts are real advances in legal technology and administrative efficiency, there are reasons to believe that international tax co-operation still faces different limitations to operate in a worldwide level. This thesis aims to identify the existence of a general legal regime for the exchange of tax information, fairly homogenous in terms of content and application, in view of the main non-EU normative models available nowadays, including those of automatic exchange. Afterwards, the thesis examines the scope of this general regime in order to frame limits to the exchange of tax information and to propose legal solutions to overcome them.

Grandparents fail to communicate sexual matters to the youth. It is their duty to initiate this communication. The escalating numbers of sexually transmitted infections among the youth require grandparents as carers to talk openly. The main purpose of the study was to support grandparents in their communication about sexual matters to the youth. In-depth phenomenological focus group interviews were conducted. Data analysis revealed three themes: grandparents' experience of communication, emotional experience, and the experience of political and social influence. The study developed guidelines for grandparents. The limitations of the study involve the research sample, which was not truly representative of the whole population of East London. The study recommends that all stakeholders be involved in supporting grandparents in their communicating sexual matters to the youth. The researcher recommends further research to describe youth perceptions of communicating sexual matters to grandparents / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

Summary in Afrikaans and English / Hierdie verhandeling omvat 'n beskrywing van die ontstaan en ontwikkeling van die onderwysersvereniging wat vanaf 1893 onder meer as die Vereeniging vir Onderwijzers en Onderwijzeressen in de Z.A.R. (VVOOZA), die Vereeniging van Onderwijzers en Onderwijzeressen in Zuid-Afrika (VVOOZA) vanaf 1903 en sedert 1923 as die Transvaalse Onderwysersvereniging (TO) bekend gestaan het. Die klem val op uitsprake van TO-voorsitters en aktiwiteite wat deur die TO van stapel gestuur is ter bevordering van die professionaliteit en professionele status van onderwysers en onderwyseresse. Die verhandeling sluit ook 'n ontleding van en kritiese besinning oor die kenmerke van professionaliteit in. In die verband word gefokus op die verhouding van die TO met enkele onderwysbelanghebbendes, die bevordering van die professionele beeId van onderwysers/onderwysersesse en die beginsels wat die TO tydens salarisonderhandelinge gehandhaaf het. 'n Belangrike gevolgtrekking waartoe gekom word, is dat die TO vir meer as 100 jaar nie net professionaliteit in onderwysverband bevorder het nie, maar dat sy uitsprake en aktiwiteite op sigself getuig van 'n professionele ingesteldheid. / This thesis comprises an account of the origin and development of the teachers' association known from 1893 as the Vereeniging vir Onderwijzers en Onderwijzeressen in de Z.A.R. (VVOOZA), as the Vereeniging van Onderwijzers en Onderwijzeressen in Zuid-Afrika (VVOOZA) from 1903, and since 1923 as the Transvaalse Onderwysersvereniging (TO). The accent is on pronouncements of TO chairpersons and activities initiated by the TO to promote professional qualities among teachers and to secure professional status for them. The thesis also includes an analysis and critical consideration of the criteria of professionalism, with special reference to the relationship between the TO and roleplayers with an interest in education, the promotion of the professional image of teachers, and the principles upheld by the TO in salary negotiations. An important conclusion drawn is that for more than 100 years of its existence, the TO not only promoted professional qualities in the educational context, but epitomises professionalism in its pronouncements and activities. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Historiese Opvoedkunde)

Tax authorities are increasingly relying on mutual cooperation with their foreign peers to enforce more effectively their internal tax laws. After the banking scandals of 2008 and the subsequent global financial crisis, the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for TaxPurposes has proposed the exchange of information upon request as the fiscal transparency standard. However, some measures adopted by the European Union, previous initiatives from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and, above all, the introduction of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (Fatca) by the United States in 2010 have promoted the need to adopt the automatic exchange of information as the new fiscal transparency standard. Automatic exchange of information allows home countries to verify whether their taxpayers have correctly included foreign income, allowing tax authorities to have early warning of possible noncompliance cases. In February 2014, the OECD published its proposal for a new global model of automatic exchange of financial account information. The new global model contains the necessary legal instruments and due diligence and reporting procedures, mainly for financial institutions. / Las autoridades tributarias dependen cada vez más de la cooperación con sus contrapartes extranjeras para administrar más eficazmente sus leyes tributarias nacionales. Luego de los escándalos bancarios de 2008y la crisis financiera global posterior, el Foro Global sobre Transparencia e Intercambio de Información Tributaria ha impulsado el intercambio de información a requerimiento como el estándar internacional en materia de transparencia fiscal. Sin embargo, algunas medidas adoptadas por la UniónEuropea, iniciativas previas de la Organización para la Cooperación y Desarrollo Económicos (OCDE) y, sobre todo, la introducción en 2010 del«Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act» (Fatca) de los Estados Unidos han promovido la necesidad de adoptar el intercambio automático de informacióncomo nuevo estándar de transparencia fiscal internacional. El intercambio automático de información le permite a las jurisdicciones de la residencia verificar si sus contribuyentes han incluido correctamente las rentas obtenidas en el exterior, permitiéndole a las autoridades tributarias contar con alertas tempranas de posibles casos de incumplimiento. En febrero de 2014, la OCDE publicó su propuesta para un nuevo modelo global de intercambio automático de información aplicable a las cuentas mantenidas en entidades financieras. El nuevo modelo global contiene los instrumentos legales necesarios y los procedimientos de debida diligencia y reporte principalmente para las instituciones financieras.