The South African higher education sector is currently facing many challenges. Factors such as a decrease in government funding, mergers and student unrest compel higher education institutions to apply effective strategies for funding and recruitment of quality students. Higher education institutions are forced to focus on restructuring and repositioning themselves, build a strong brand, communicate their image and to sustain their position in order to ensure a competitive advantage. In order to be locally relevant and globally competitive, higher education institutions need to become more marketing-oriented. In a restricted financial environment, higher education institutions will have to assess and reassess marketing strategies aimed at attracting quality first year students. A proper assessment of the importance of the choice factors students consider when selecting a higher education institution as well as the usefulness of the information sources they consider, will enable institutions to allocate funds, time and resources more efficiently and effectively. A quantitative study with a self-administrated questionnaire was used to allow students to complete the questionnaire during class lectures. Non-probability convenience sampling was used and a sample of 1241 students responded from six higher education institutions: the University of Pretoria, Tshwane University of Technology, University of Johannesburg, University of the Free State, University of Kwa–Zulu Natal and the North-West University. The sample consisted of 64 percent females and 36 percent male students. The ethnic orientation distribution was as follows: 46 percent Caucasian, 41 percent Black African, 9 percent Indian, 3 percent Coloured and 1 percent students of other ethnic groups. The main goal of this study was to investigate the relevant importance of the choice factors, as well as the usefulness of the information sources, that first year Economic and Management Sciences students at selected higher education institutions in South Africa considered when they decided to enrol at a specific higher education institution. The findings indicated that some choice factors were more important to students than others, as well as the fact that students from different gender groups, ethnic groups, language groups and institutions differed in the importance they attached to the choice factors. The top ten choice factors respondents regarded as important in the selection of a higher education institution are: quality of teaching, employment prospects (possible job opportunities), campus safety and security, academic facilities (libraries and laboratories), international links (study and job opportunities), language policy, image of higher education institution, flexible study mode (evening classes and use of computers), academic reputation (prestige), and a wide choice of subjects/courses. The findings also revealed that information sources directly from a higher education institution, such as open days and campus visits, university publications and websites are the most useful to students, while information from mass media such as radio, television, magazines and newspaper advertisements are not as useful. The findings give marketing educators an indication of the importance of choice factors considered by prospective students in selecting a higher education institution, and enable higher education institutions to use their limited funds more efficiently to attract quality students, create a unique position and gain a competitive advantage. Based on the usefulness of information sources and the importance of choice factors considered, student focused marketing communication can be developed. This should aid students to make more informed decisions about the higher education institution they wish to attend. The study also add to existing theory in the fields of services marketing, higher education marketing and consumer behaviour, especially the field of outlet selection, as the institution can be viewed as the outlet for buying education. Information obtained from this study also contributes to the available research and literature on this topic and could be used by other researchers as a basis for future research. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Marketing Management / PhD / Unrestricted

Emerging research on real earnings management [REM] has expressed the concern that firms deviating from normal business practices may endure a negative impact on future cash flows and performance. This dissertation (in three essays) investigates the phenomenon of real earnings management in its association with: 1) enterprise resource planning systems [ERPs]; 2) audit report lags [ARLs]; and 3) future firm performance. In the first investigation I hypothesize that the increased monitoring associated with the implementation of an ERP will result in a decline in REM. In the second investigation I hypothesize that higher levels of REM will evoke greater auditor scrutiny and be associated with longer ARLs. In the third investigation I hypothesize that managerial actions that would ordinarily be classified as REM: reductions in discretionary expenditures or overproduction, are not REM but indicative of enhanced efficiencies when found in concert with prior period restructurings or expected future sales growth respectively. In each of the three investigations, my hypotheses are confirmed.

This thesis deals with the development of the bankruptcy laws in the Czech lands. Thesis discusses the post-revolutionary period, in which centrally planned economy in the Czech Republic returned to market economy. It is discussing critique, shortcomings and amendments of bankruptcy law formed in 1991 by law on the Bankruptcy and Arrangements. The complete change of imperfect legislation followed in a form of Czech Insolvency Act. It addressed critique from the professional community and international institutions led by European Central Bank. Thesis approaches and clarifies issues surrounding new Insolvency Act. It brought a remediation solutions for bankruptcy, especially restructuring, that was lacking in Czech legislation until then. The concrete case of enterprise restructuring of company CP Praha, s.r.o. is discussed in practical part. It evaluates the procedure, satisfaction of creditors and overall assessment of the whole process.

This diploma thesis is divided into three parts. The first chapter deals with theoretical aspects of transformation and its objectives. Furthermore, characteristics of the previous system, a centrally planed economy, and its specifics in comparison with a market economy are explained; positives and negatives of the starting situation are described, through different theoretical approaches of transformation. In the second chapter, the reader can find explanation of the transformation process and concrete changes such as privatization, company restructuring, privatization of banking sector, liberalization and the topic of entrepreneurial environment and restructuring. The end of this chapter focuses on reforms, namely fiscal reform, retirement reform and public health reform. The third chapter is aimed to review the results of the transformation process. The analysis was done first by means of macroeconomic indicators, second, using transformation results published by EBRD, in comparison with other countries.

La chute du mur de Berlin, fin 1989, marque l'ouverture au capitalisme et à l'économie de marché pour de nombreux pays d'Europe centrale et orientale. A l'enthousiasme succède la remise en cause de l'approche néoclassique des réformes. Le bilan de la privatisation est beaucoup moins satisfaisant que prévu ; les entreprises privatisées à l'Est ne se comportent pas comme des entreprises privées.Notre thèse s'intéresse aux comportements des acteurs économiques et plus particulièrement aux modalités et aux déterminants du changement comportemental, en vue de leur adaptation à une économie dite de marché, avec pour cas d'étude, les unités vinicoles roumaines.Nous proposons un modèle de la restructuration comportementale postsocialiste, qui intègre : (1) l'approche en termes de "restructuration comportementale", qui permet de dépasser la variable "propriété privée" comme seul déterminant des transformations microéconomiques ; (2) la théorie évolutionniste qui appréhende les comportements selon une approche dynamique ; (3) la grille "structures-comportements-performances" qui propose une classification des déterminants comportementaux et de leur interrelations et (4) les facteurs hérités du passé.Le modèle qualitatif résultant met en évidence une grande variété de trajectoires coexistantes, y compris celles des minifundia orientées vers l'autoconsommation, souvent négligées par les études sectorielles bien qu'occupant 70 % des surfaces viticoles. Notre modèle offre une explication de l'expansion post-1990 des hybrides, comme conséquence du développement de la trajectoire des minifundistes. Sa coexistence avec la trajectoire "minifundia Vitis vinifera" est déterminée par les facteurs hérités du passé. Conformément à la littérature, les modalités de gouvernance et le capital sont confirmés comme des déterminants discriminants de la nature des trajectoires des unités commerciales, avec un accent sur l'origine du capital.Outre l'intérêt du modèle pour une lecture des changements comportementaux en économie postsocialiste, mais aussi plus généralement en contexte de transformation systémique, notre travail invite à la prise en compte des logiques d'autoconsommation, aux côtés des logiques commerciales, lors de l'élaboration et de la mise en œuvre des politiques sectorielles. / The 1989 Berlin Wall fall opened the way to capitalism and market economy to many countries from East and Central Europe. The enthusiasm is followed by the questioning of the neoclassical approach to reform. The results of privatization are indeed much less satisfactory than expected; privatized enterprises in the East do not behave like private enterprises.Our thesis focuses on the economic agents' behaviour, and more especially on the ways and determinants of their behavioural change, to adapt to a so-called market economy, with the case study of the Romanian wine units.We propose a model of post-socialist behavioural restructuring, which includes:(1) an approach in terms of "behavioural restructuring," which goes beyond the "private property" as sole determinant of microeconomic transformations ; (2) the evolutionary theory that sees the behaviour as a dynamics ; (3) the "structure-conduct-performance" framework which proposes a classification of behavioural determinants and their interrelations ; (4) factors inherited from the past.The resulting qualitative model shows a variety of coexisting pathways, including those of self consumption oriented minifundia, often ignored by sector studies although they deal with 70% of the vineyard area.Our model provides an explanation of the post-1990 expansion of hybrids, as a result of development of the minifundia trajectory. Its coexistence with the "minifundia Vitis vinifera" path is determined by factors inherited from the past.According to literature, the governance structures and capital are confirmed as sound determinants of the commercial units' trajectories, with an emphasis on the origin of capital.Besides the interest of the model for an understanding of behavioral changes in post-socialist economy, but also more generally in the context of systemic transformations, our work calls for taking into account the subsistence units, along with commercial ones in the formulation and implementation of sector policies.

The paper's objective is to analyze the work of the Revolutionary Union Organization (ROH) in the Czechoslovak economy of the 1980s. The basic thesis of the paper is the assumption that ROH bodies preferred the interests of the representatives of the Czechoslovak Communist Party to those of workers. The relationship is analyzed on the basis of the employment legislation of the time and the impact of the union organization in its drafting. The paper also examines the contribution of the union organization in the course of the revolutionary changes in Czechoslovak society in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The analysis is based on a critique of sources from that era and a comparison of the role of the ROH in the 1980s and the role of the unions during Prague Spring. On the basis of the objectives set for this paper, the conclusion is that the ROH did have an impact on the work lives of working people, but its leadership lacked funds and, above all, the willingness to effectively protect the interests of working people. Hence, until December 1989, the ROH remained an organization serving, above all, the interests of the Communist Party.

Diploma thesis focuses on mapping of restructuring procedure for manufacturing companies in the Czech republic. It consists of initial analysis of current firm's situation, listing of all possibilities how to deal with company's decline reflecting czech insolvency law and case studies of applied crisis management principles and methods. As a result, you recognize the most important milestones of company's rescue including the general concept of restructuring services in manufacturing companies.

Restructuring as one of the ways of solving insolvency is a method, that is supposed to allow preservation of the operation of the debtor`s company. Part of the restructurings however later converts into bankruptcy orders. The objective of this thesis is an identification of the key factors that lead to a successful fulfilment of the restructuring plan and also factors that might lead to their conversion into bankruptcy orders. The first part of this thesis is dedicated to insolvency and methods of its resolution among others according to the act no. 182/2006 Coll. on Insolvency and Methods of its resolution (Insolvency Act). The second part is dedicated to the selected factors and their possible influence on successful or unsuccessful completion of the restructuring. The conclusion includes a summary of important findings concerning whether and if so, what kind of connection is there between the selected factors and their influence on the successful completion of restructurings.

This dissertation deals with the non-performing loans of companies that are resolved within insolvency proceedings, with a focus on reorganization. The work compares insolvency systems of various developed markets with those of emerging/transition economies. The practical part is oriented toward domestic insolvency issues in the Czech market based on a survey structured as a questionnaire that was responded to by top insolvency professionals, bankers and lawyers. The survey was followed-up and complemented by structured interviews with selected respondents. The work also entails practical observations arising from the author´s recent working experience with debt-recovery both in the Czech market and abroad. The dissertation seeks answers regarding whether reorganization provides banking creditors with added-value and the transferability of western approaches to reorganization in the context of the environment of transition economies. A clear answer to this complex question is not found and based on his research the author remains skeptical as to the frequent and often over optimistic opinions provided in support of the general benefit of reorganizations.

This diploma thesis is focused on measures, which have been adopted in Iceland due to the crisis. The first part of the thesis follows up causes and a course of the Icelandic banking crisis in order to understand the situation which the Icelandic authorities had to respond. Subsequently there are outlined measures which are adopted and in the last part these measures are evaluated. Emphasis is placed on analysing the measures of capital controls, banking sector restructuring and fiscal consolidation. All measures have achieved their objectives and have had significant impact on current recovery. Therefore at the end of the thesis is discussed the possibility of these measures applicability in other countries.