The uppermost goal of this diploma thesis is aimed at identification and evaluation of the current trends in one of the largest segments of financial markets. Special attention has been devoted to the regulatory changes, which have not been completely implemented in all major jurisdictions so far. The introductory part deals with the nowadays situation and explanation of post-crisis measures leading to a higher level of transparency and system stability. The following chapters analyze the key elements contributing to specific trends whereby those findings are based on research studies published by the world leading universities and central banks. The author also observes alternative functional concepts in the market and potential impacts affecting real transactions. The final portion has been dedicated to analysis of practical implications in terms of increased costs related to the trades and possible prospective outlook of the OTC derivatives market. The whole text is accompanied by authors personal reflections and comparison between the most important trading regions in respect to the value of underlying assets.

Univ., Diss., 1999--Bonn, 1999.

Qatar is a small country in the Middle East which has used its oil wealth to invest in the country's infrastructure and education. The technology for Internet voting now exists or can be developed, but are the people of Qatar willing to take part in Internet voting for national elections?. This research identifies the willingness of government and citizens to introduce and participate in Internet voting (I-voting) in Qatar and the barriers that may be encountered when doing so. A secure I voting model for the Qatar government is then proposed that address issues of I-voting which might arise due to the introduction of such new technology. Recommendations are made for the Qatar government to assist in the introduction of I-voting. The research identifies the feasibility of I-voting and the government s readiness and willingness to introduce it. Multiple factors are examined: the voting experience, educational development, telecommunication development, the large number of Internet users, Qatar law which does not bar the use of I-voting and Qatar culture which supports I-voting introduction. It is shown that there is a willingness amongst both the people and the government to introduce I-voting, and there is appropriate accessibility, availability of IT infrastructure, availability of Internet law to protect online consumers and the existence of the e government project. However, many Qataris have concerns of security, privacy, usability, transparency and other issues that would need to be addressed before any voting system could be considered to be a quality system in the eyes of the voters. Also, the need to consider the security threat associated on client-side machines is identified where a lack of user awareness on information security is an important factor. The proposed model attempts to satisfy voting principles, introducing a secure platform for I-voting using best practices and solutions such as the smart card, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and digital certificates. The model was reviewed by a number of experts on Information Technology, and the Qatari culture and law who found that the system would, generally, satisfy voting principles, but pointed out the need to consider the scalability of the model, the possible cyber-attacks and the risks associated with voters computers. which could be reduced by enhancing user awareness on security and using secure operating systems or Internet browsers. From these findings, a set of recommendations were proposed to encourage the government to introduce I-voting which consider different aspects of I-voting, including the digital divide, e-literacy, I voting infrastructure, legal aspects, transparency, security and privacy. These recommendations were also reviewed by experts who found them to be both valuable and effective. Since literature on Internet voting in Qatar is sparse, empirical and non-empirical studies were carried out in a variety of surveys, interviews and experiments. The research successfully achieved its aim and objectives and is now being considered by the Qatari Government.

Background: Liquidity and the management of liquidity are of great importance for companies. Cash management is not a new term, but the need for it has increased recently, for one thing because of the internationalisation and growing harmonisation between the countries in Europe. Netting is a cash management technique, where receivables and liabilities are netted. This technique can be used to release capital and increase the company’s cash flow by reducing the number of transactions in the internal payment system. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to study and describe the idea of netting, and to examine how netting can be used as a cash management tool. Method: The study is based on literature as well as personal interviews with co- workers at the case company. Result: Netting leads to a reduction in internal payments and hence a reduction of the transaction volume. Some conditions must however be fulfilled in order to make the implementation of this technique profitable. Among other things, the company’s internal transactions must be of considerable proportions.

Worldwide degradation and conversion of tropical forests affects many species and their provided ecosystem services. Among them are birds, responsible for pollination, seed dispersal, pest control and scavenging. This study, conducted in southwest Ethiopia, compares species composition and bird functional diversity between forest and homegardens close to and far from forest, both in terms of species numbers and bird abundances. Point counts and mist netting were used to obtain data. While the former method detected more species, abundance data from the latter revealed patterns not observed by just comparing species numbers. I found that species diversity was lower in forest compared to gardens and that the species composition of both communities was significantly distinct. Whereas forest had more forest specialists, gardens held more forest visitors and species of open country. Close and far gardens did not differ in any aspect, except that abundances of forest generalist birds were somewhat higher close to forest. Regarding bird feeding guilds, I found that granivores and nectarivores were more numerous in gardens, while frugivores were more common in forest. Carnivores and omnivores showed no effect. Insectivore proportions were the same for forest and farmland, but their numbers (including those of all sub-guilds) were higher in gardens. The Ethiopian forest avifauna is poor in comparison with other Afromontane regions, lacking several, mostly insectivorous genera. This could be the result of an extinction after which its geographic isolation made recolonization difficult, especially for dispersal-limited understory species. Nonetheless, and despite their impoverished state, the results suggest that forest remnants are important for forest-dependent species, being a stronghold for forest specialists and supporting higher numbers of forest generalists in nearby gardens. However, future forest regrowth might be at stake with ongoing agricultural encroachment, because gardens hold fewer frugivores, especially forest specialists, which might affect seed dispersal. / Många arter påverkas negativt av avskogning och annan mänsklig påverkan på tropiska skogar, vilket också kan få konsekvenser för de ekosystemtjänster dessa arter levererar. En viktig artgrupp i detta avseende är fåglar, som kan ha betydelse för pollination, fröspridning, naturlig skadedjurskontroll och som asätare. Denna studie, utförd i sydvästra Etiopien, jämför artsammansättning och funktionell diversitet hos fåglar i skogar och trädgårdar både nära och långt ifrån skogen. Både antal arter och antal individer har undersökts. Data materialet bygger både på observationer från punktinventering och fåglar fångade med slöjnät. Med den första metoden noterade jag fler arter, medan abundansvärden från den andra metoden gjorde att jag såg mönster som inte syntes vid endast jämförelser av artrikedom. Jag fann att artrikedomen var lägre i skogen i jämförelse med trädgårdarna, men att artsammansättningen var signifikant skiljd däremellan. Skogarna hade fler skogsspecialister medan trädgårdarna hade fler arter från öppna marker och tillfälliga skogsbesökande arter. Trädgårdar som låg nära eller långt ifrån skogen skiljde sig inte på något sätt utom att individtätheten av skogsgeneralister var något högre i trädgårdar nära skogen. När det gäller uppdelningen av fåglarna utifrån vad de äter så fann jag att fröätande och nektarätande arter var vanligare i trädgårdar medan fruktätande arter var vanligare i skogen. Rovfåglar och allätare uppvisade inget tydligt mönster. Proportionen insektsätande fåglelarter var samma i skogen och trädgårdarna, men det absoluta antalet arter (inklusive alla olika underkategorier) var högre i trädgårdarna. Den etiopiska skogsfågelfaunan är artfattig i förhållande till andra bergstrakter i Afrika och saknar flera släkten av framförallt insektsätande fåglar. Detta skulle kunna bero på ett tidigare utdöende varefter en senare återkolonisering varit svår på grund av den geografiska isoleringen, speciellt för insektsätande fåglar som huvudsakligen finns i undervegetationen. Trots den relativa artfattigdomen så visar resultatet från min studie hursomhelst på att skogarna är viktiga för skogsberoende fåglar. Den största betydelsen har de för skogsspecialister där, men även genom en positiv effekt på abundansen av skogsgeneralister i närliggande trädgårdar. Dock kan framtida återväxt av skogar bli problematisk på grund av en pågående omvandling av skogar till trädgårdar, eftersom trädgårdar hyser färre fruktätande fåglar, vilket kan påverka fröspridning över landskapet. / Examining mismatches between management and the supply of ecosystem services in Ethiopian agroecosystems across scales in space and time

<p>Background: Liquidity and the management of liquidity are of great importance for companies. Cash management is not a new term, but the need for it has increased recently, for one thing because of the internationalisation and growing harmonisation between the countries in Europe. Netting is a cash management technique, where receivables and liabilities are netted. This technique can be used to release capital and increase the company’s cash flow by reducing the number of transactions in the internal payment system. </p><p>Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to study and describe the idea of netting, and to examine how netting can be used as a cash management tool. </p><p>Method: The study is based on literature as well as personal interviews with co- workers at the case company. </p><p>Result: Netting leads to a reduction in internal payments and hence a reduction of the transaction volume. Some conditions must however be fulfilled in order to make the implementation of this technique profitable. Among other things, the company’s internal transactions must be of considerable proportions.</p>

In Cambodia, over 80% of the population is engaged in agricultural production, mostly in rice cultivation. The country, however, faces a lot of problems of rice crop damage. In Cambodia, rodents are considered to be one of the most important pests of rice, with the potential to cause severe damage during periodic plague events. As is seen in other developing countries, physical methods of rodent control are probably the most commonly used approaches. In general, the choice of methods varies with the availability of resources, season, the participation of farmers, the condition of the rice field, weather conditions, experience with the success of the techniques, likely level of rodent attack and other considerations. However, effective rodent control methods suiting farmers’ needs and applicable to the agricultural production environment in Cambodia are yet to be assessed. The aim of this research was to examine the socio-economic factors impacting on the implementation of several rodent control methods in comparison to the Trap-Barrier System (TBS) in order to improve rodent pest control in Cambodia. The research employed a constructivist approach in which the researcher played a role as a participant observer, to study the social setting and realities as constructed by the participants in the study sites. Rodent management was studied as a complex phenomenon, occurring within the milieu of family, village and commune life in rural Cambodia. The study looks into the beliefs and behaviours of the farming community and examines how Cambodian traditions affect the implementation of rodent management techniques and the management of rodents as a community activity. Participatory techniques were employed to gather information concerning the farmers’ assessments of the effectiveness of various rodent management options practiced in Samrong Commune. The level of adoption and adaptation of TBS in the commune was observed over a period of several years. This study is the first detailed study of farmer perceptions of alternative rodent control methods in Cambodia, especially the TBS. The study was based on long term trials involving a TBS application on a commune scale and investigations after the removal of all subsidies for purchase of materials. It was apparent that TBS use declined and eventually become limited to a few individuals who had worked closely with the project. The study also demonstrates how BBNs and Netica software can be applied as participatory tools to develop and explore the decision making structure of farmers. These tools can also be used as extension tools and can contribute to better decision making by communities. The study also shows how an understanding of traditional aspects of public goods management by communities can contribute to the design of effective contemporary solutions to problems involving the community and public goods management. In this sense its significance goes well beyond the specific context of rodent control, pest management and rice production and takes on wider significance in the field of community development generally. The study applied a mixed qualitative and quantitative approach to data collection and analysis, involving interviews, surveys, modelling, workshops, field notes, observations and document review. Five rodent control methods (TBS, rodenticide, electric fencing, netting and hunting) were found to be the most common rodent control methods used in the study sites. Some common factors were found to influence the effectiveness of these methods. Farmer participation was found to be the most widely influential factor affecting the rodent management techniques. Netting method was considered the most effective method of rodent control by farmers, as well as the method that had the best benefit-cost ratio. This technique was only found to be applicable in the wet season. In general, the effectiveness of TBS and its benefit-cost ratio was ranked fourth of the five methods, because it required high farmer participation, monitoring and maintenance as well as high material expense. Improvement of TBS can be made when it can be clearly demonstrated to farmers that TBS is an applicable method, being safe and able to catch more rats. To suit the farmers’ requirements for an effective rodent control method, TBS must be able to deal with migrating rats, situations of high rat abundance and the planting problems associated with an irregular rain regime. To achieve these conditions, some intervention policies are required in terms of research and extension support.

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of shade netting on growth, oil yield and compound composition of fever tea (Lippia javaica). The treatments were nine shade nets of different light intensities (100% bird net, 40% green, 10, 12 and 18% white and 30, 40, 55 and 70% black). The layout used was a completely randomized design. The parameters measured were shoot width, fresh shoot mass, the number of plants flowered, plant height and photosynthetically active radiation. Shade netting did not have any effect on the shoot width of L. javanica. Eighteen percent white net was best suited to produce fresh shoot mass, whereas 55% black net, 40% black net and 10% white net produced lower fresh shoot mass. More plants that flowered were obtained under 70% black net than those grown under 30% black net. The number of plants that flowered increased from 22 to 35 with an increase in shading density. The height of plants was not affected by shade netting at 49 DAT. However, at 59 and 67 DAT, the height of the plants was greater under low light intensities (40, 55, and 70% black nets) than that of high light intensity (30% black). Twelve percent white net had the greatest plant height at 102 DAT. Shade netting significantly affected the adsorption and utilization of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) above, across and below the plants at 102 DAT. Hundred percent bird net had the greatest amount of light intercepted above, across and below the plants. The amount of light intercepted above, below and across the plants was lower for lower shading intensity (30% black) than that of higher shading intensities (40%, 55% and 70% black). To determine shade-netting effect on oil yield and compound composition, fresh leaves (± 200g) of L. javanica were sampled from each shade net for essential oil extraction by hydrodistillation. The oil yield ranged from 0.29% to 0.41%. The oil had a clear to yellowish brown colour. No significant differences were detected for oil yield amongst the shade nets. The chemical compound analysis was carried out by GC/MS. The chemical compounds identified in the essential oil were <font face="symbol">a</font>-pinene, sebinen, myrcene, 1.8 myrcene, ipsenone, ipsedienone, <font face="symbol">b</font>-caryophyllen and germacrene-D. L. javanica plants grown under 10% white net, resulted in significantly higher myrcene content (15.7%) as compared to plants grown in other shade nets. Shade netting did not have any effect on the composition of á-pinene, sebinene, 1.8 myrcene, ipsenone, ipsedienone, <font face="symbol">b</font>-caryophyllen and germacrene-D. For commercial usage of myrcene, white net (10%) would be best suited for L. javanica production. To obtain information about indigenous knowledge of L. javanica, a survey was carried out among street traders, traditional healers, hawkers and farmers in Gauteng. The age group was between 20 and 73. The majority of respondents, who were self employed, were traditional healers followed by farmers. Most (98%) of the respondents indicated that they collected L. javanica from the veld by cutting the plant, whereas other respondents uprooted the whole plant when harvesting. Amongst the different uses of L. javanica mentioned, treatment of colds and coughs through steaming was stated by most (47%) of the respondents. Most (88%) of the respondents felt that it was important to conserve the plant for future generations and also to prevent the plant from becoming extinct. Traditional healers knew the uses and other important aspects of L. javanica than the farmers. / Dissertation (M Inst Agrar (Agronomy))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Plant Production and Soil Science / unrestricted

Diplomová práce mapuje vliv kurzového rizika na finanční řízení mezinárodních firem. Predstavuje metody a nástroje mezinárodního finančního řízení a řízení treasury. Dále popisuje instrumenty, které společnosti používají k zabezpečení proti kurzovému riziku. Na praktickém příkladu velké mezinárodní korporace práce ukázuje procedury a prostředky řízení tohoto rizika.

This thesis deals with selected aspects of financial management of transnational corporations and describes the impact of foreign exchange risk on these companies. The theoretic part of this thesis explains terms like cash pooling, netting and concerns the issue of transfer prices. Furthermore the principles of foreign exchange risk, transaction, economic and translation exposure are defined with focus on financial derivatives that serve as instruments for managing and hedging the risk. The practical part depicts the case study, in which the theoretical knowledge has been applied to a chosen international company.