<div>We consider the models of sequential games over supply chain networks and production chain networks. In the supply chain model, we show that in particular, for series-parallel networks, there is a unique equilibrium. </div><div>We provide a polynomial time algorithm to compute the equilibrium and study the impact of the network structure to the total trade flow at equilibrium. Our results shed light on the trade-off between competition, production cost, and double marginalization. </div><div><br></div><div>In the production chain model, we investigated sequential decisions and delegation options over three agents, chain, and tree networks. Our main contribution is showing the value of delegation and how to maximumly leverage the middleman's aligned interests with the principal. In particular, we provide a polynomial time algorithm to find the optimal delegation structure and the corresponding necessary contract payments for the principal. Furthermore, we analyzed the trade-off of the delegation and gave a deeper insight into the value of delegation in different conditions. Several questions are left for future research such as what's the optimal delegation structures in general tree and how to build the model that agents can try multiple times until the task is successful. </div>

Née dans un contexte de mondialisation et d’ouverture des économies nationales à la concurrence, l’OHADA a pour principal objectif d’instaurer un climat de confiance propice aux investissements tant nationaux qu’internationaux. Pour atteindre cet objectif, le législateur s’est engagé dans un vaste chantier de modernisation et harmonisation du droit des affaires au sein des États membres. L’un des choix les plus complexes était celui des acteurs et professionnels chargés d’implémenter cette dynamique. Les intermédiaires de commerce ont ainsi été retenus, en lieu et place des auxiliaires de commerce, pour déployer la représentation commerciale au sein des États membres et en dehors des frontières de l’espace de l’OHADA. La présente réflexion, au regard de ce qui précède, a eu pour objectif de rechercher la cohérence entre le statut professionnel des acteurs et le régime juridique de l’activité de représentation commerciale en droit de l’OHADA. Il s’agissait également d’évaluer le degré de pertinence du dispositif juridique mis en place pour encadrer la profession d’intermédiaire de commerce. La diversité qui caractérise cette catégorie professionnelle dans la pratique imposait une démarche globale et prudente pour parvenir à la reconnaissance juridique de la catégorie professionnelle d’intermédiaire de commerce en droit de l’OHADA. Le contrat d’intermédiaire de commerce, bien que simplement annoncé, préconise d’importantes solutions théoriques et pratiques pour y parvenir. Dans ce contexte, la profession d’intermédiaire de commerce en droit de l’OHADA mérite d’être repensée. En effet, le foisonnement des statuts particuliers autour de la notion d’intermédiaire a contribué au renforcement de l’opacité de cette catégorie professionnelle. Il n’est pas toujours aisé de faire la distinction entre mandat, représentation, courtage, commission ou même agence commerciale. Ces notions renvoient à des réalités diverses, chacune se défendant une spécificité que la doctrine et la jurisprudence ont parfois contribué à renforcer. Et c’est pour démêler l’écheveau que nous avons suggéré quelques propositions. / Born within the context of modernisation and of exposing national economies to competition, OHADA has as principal objective to put in place a climate of confidence favourable to national as well as international investments. To attain this objective, the legislator has engaged in a vast domain of modernisation and harmonisation of business law within the member states. One of the most complex choices was that of actors and professionals in charge of putting in place this dynamic. Trade middlemen were thus retained, in the place of auxiliaries of commerce, to carry out commercial representation within the member states and beyond the frontiers of OHADA zone. This reflection, with regard to the preceding, has as objective to search for coherence between the professional status of actors and the legal regime of the activity of commercial representation in OHADA law. It equally had to evaluate the degree of pertinence of the legal device put in place to regulate the profession of business middlemen. The diversity which characterises this professional category in practice imposed a global and prudent step to arrive at the legal recognition of the professional category of trade middlemen in OHADA law. The contract of a business middleman, even as simple as it is, recommends many theoretical and practical solutions to arrive at it.Within this context, the profession of business middleman in OHADA law needs to be rethought. In effect, the abundant special status surrounding the notion of middleman has contributed to reinforce the opacity of this professional category. It is not always easy to make a distinction between a mandate, representation, brokerage, commission or even commercial agency. These notions are actually diverse, each having its specificity that legal literature and case law have contributed to reinforce. And it is to clear up these interlaces that we made some proposals.

<p>During several years influencing opinions has been working for a renewal of the Estate agents act. One of the matters that the Commission of Inquiry is handling is the question whether estate agents will be permitted to offer support services to their customers. In the light of the current investigation it has been my objective with this memorandum to describe the complexity about support services and also to what use these services could be for the consumers as well as to the estate agency branch. During my work with this memorandum I have identified two main theories. While one of the theories is emphasising customer orientation, the other theory is stating that there is a disadvantage with scattered services and that the service company should focus on its core business. When the theories were brought together with the empirics it became my opinion that estate agents should use these services to position themselves towards competitors. Above all it’s my opinion that for smaller estate agents support services can be of decisive importance for the future survival.</p> / <p>Under många år har opinionsbildare såsom Mäklarsamfundet arbetat för en förnyelse av Fastighetsmäklarlagen. Den 31 december 2007 skall utredningsarbetet kring den nya Fastighetsmäklarlagen vara klart och en av de frågor som utredningsgruppen avhandlar är huruvida fastighetsmäklare skall få förmedla kringtjänster till sina kunder eller ej. Mot bakgrund till det utredningsarbete som för närvarande förs kring den nya Fastighetsmäklarlagen har det varit mitt syfte med denna promemoria att beskriva komplexiteten om kringtjänsternas vara eller icke vara, och med vilken nytta tjänsten kan bidra med till konsumenterna och fastighetsmäklarbranschen. Jag har under mitt arbete stött på teorimotsättningar då den ena teorin förespråkar att det är kunden som är i fokus och bestämmer, menar den andra teorin att det är ej bra att ha en alltför spridd tjänst då tjänsteföretaget skall fokusera på kärntjänsten. När dessa teorier har sammanvävts med empirin anser jag att fastighetsmäklarföretagen kan använda sig av kringtjänsterna för att positionera sig gentemot sina konkurrenter och framförallt för mindre fastighetsbyråer kan det vara avgörande för hur de skall överleva i framtiden.</p>

During several years influencing opinions has been working for a renewal of the Estate agents act. One of the matters that the Commission of Inquiry is handling is the question whether estate agents will be permitted to offer support services to their customers. In the light of the current investigation it has been my objective with this memorandum to describe the complexity about support services and also to what use these services could be for the consumers as well as to the estate agency branch. During my work with this memorandum I have identified two main theories. While one of the theories is emphasising customer orientation, the other theory is stating that there is a disadvantage with scattered services and that the service company should focus on its core business. When the theories were brought together with the empirics it became my opinion that estate agents should use these services to position themselves towards competitors. Above all it’s my opinion that for smaller estate agents support services can be of decisive importance for the future survival. / Under många år har opinionsbildare såsom Mäklarsamfundet arbetat för en förnyelse av Fastighetsmäklarlagen. Den 31 december 2007 skall utredningsarbetet kring den nya Fastighetsmäklarlagen vara klart och en av de frågor som utredningsgruppen avhandlar är huruvida fastighetsmäklare skall få förmedla kringtjänster till sina kunder eller ej. Mot bakgrund till det utredningsarbete som för närvarande förs kring den nya Fastighetsmäklarlagen har det varit mitt syfte med denna promemoria att beskriva komplexiteten om kringtjänsternas vara eller icke vara, och med vilken nytta tjänsten kan bidra med till konsumenterna och fastighetsmäklarbranschen. Jag har under mitt arbete stött på teorimotsättningar då den ena teorin förespråkar att det är kunden som är i fokus och bestämmer, menar den andra teorin att det är ej bra att ha en alltför spridd tjänst då tjänsteföretaget skall fokusera på kärntjänsten. När dessa teorier har sammanvävts med empirin anser jag att fastighetsmäklarföretagen kan använda sig av kringtjänsterna för att positionera sig gentemot sina konkurrenter och framförallt för mindre fastighetsbyråer kan det vara avgörande för hur de skall överleva i framtiden.

有關政府採購研究，現行大部分關注在法律層面、制度層面。本研究擬從政策變遷與宏觀角度切入，就發包中心設置過程因果關係，發現決策者信念、政策中間人、聯盟運作等對政策影響。本文擬透過Sabatier & Jenkins-Smith 所建構政策倡議聯盟架構（Policy Advocacy Coalition Framework，[PACF ]），從不同面相研究觀察，以宏觀之政策面，研究分析市府發包中心重新設置之動態過程。 本研究採文獻分析法、深入訪談及焦點團體訪談法，分析探討1995至2015年臺北市政府聯合採購發包中心設置之政策變遷過程。藉由分析架構內外在系統的影響因素，探討執政輪替與決策者的信念是否為影響政策變遷主要因素。經研究發現：第一，市府倡議聯盟間（發包中心與洽辦單位、集中採購與分散採購）透過政策導向的學習，跨越聯盟達成共識。第二，避免陳水扁時代採購案件延宕，改以折衷版集中採購。第三，柯文哲市長主張集中採購，設置發包中心政策是其競選政策白皮書。第四，市府發包中心設置政策變遷主因，決策者信念與執政輪替。 / With regard to government procurement research, most of them focus on the legal and institutional aspects. This study intends to proceed from the perspective of policy changes and macroeconomics. It will investigate the cause-and-effect relationship of the setup process of the contract issuing center, and discover the impact of decision makers' beliefs, policy middlemen, and alliance operations on the policy. Using the policy advocacy coalition framework (PACF) constructed by Sabatier & Jenkins-Smith , we observe and analyze the dynamic process of the resetting of the city's outsourcing centers. This study used document analysis, in-depth interviews, and focus group interviews to analyze and explore the process of policy changes at the Joint Purchasing and Contracting Center of the Taipei City Government from 1995 to 2015. By analyzing the influencing factors of the internal and external systems of the architecture, it is discussed whether the alternation of governance rotation and decision makers' beliefs are the main factors affecting policy changes. The study found that: First, the city’s initiative among the alliances (contracting centers and contact agencies, centralized procurement and decentralized procurement) through policy-oriented learning, reached consensus across the alliance. Second, to avoid delays in Chen Shui-bian’s era of procurement cases , it used eclectic centralized procurement. Thirdly, Mayor Ko Wen-je advocated centralized procurement and set up a contract center policy as a white paper on his election policy. Fourth, the main reasons for the policy changes in the city's outsourcing centers are decision makers' beliefs and governance rotation.

Text in English / The aim of this research is to assess the impact social capital has had on Somali businesses. It argues against the perception that Somali business expertise is derived solely from the principles of economics. It argues that social capital plays a pivotal role in shaping the Somali spirit of entrepreneurship. The role of social capital in the creation of Somali human and financial capital is examined. This thesis, being a qualitative study, used semi-structured, unstructured interviews and direct observation as data collection methods. / Sociology / M.A. (Sociology)

My paper examines how American authors of the South Asian Diaspora (Indian-American or South Asian American) can be read 1) as simply American and 2) without regard to ethnicity. I develop this argument using American authors Jhumpa Lahiri, a first generation American of Bengali-Indian descent, and Bharati Mukherjee, an American of Bengali-Indian origin. I borrow from Deepika Bahri's materialist aesthetics in postcolonialism (in turn borrowed from members of the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory) and include theoretical insights from Rey Chow, Graham Huggan, and R. Radhakrishnan regarding multiculturalism, identity politics, and diaspora studies. Huggan and Radhakrishnan's insights are especially useful because their work deals with the South Asian diaspora, in England and the United States, respectively. After setting up a theoretical framework, I critique reviews and essays that privilege hyphenated, "Indian," or "South Asian" identity, and the resultant reading paradigm that fixes these authors into an ethnic minority category. I then trace aesthetic and thematic content of short stories from both Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies and Mukherjee's The Middleman and Other Stories to demonstrate how these stories resist this ethno-cultural pigeonholing. My analysis exposes how ethnic and multicultural identity politics supplant aesthetic criticism and transform ethno-cultural identity into an aesthetic object, even if done as a celebration of hybridity or liminality as a putatively liberating space (hyphenated identity as embodying that space). Though my purpose is not to undermine the meaningful artwork and criticism instantiated in or about the "in-between" spaces of American culture, I demonstrate that an over-emphasis on ethnicity and culture (culture "other" than the majority culture in the U.S.) in fact stifles the opening of the American literary canon. Ethnicity and culture become ways of limiting the hermeneutics available to literary criticism because they become the only ways of reading, instead of one lens through which American literature is read.