Manufacturing performance measures the extent to which the manufacturing plant has built capabilities like low cost, high quality, delivery, and flexibility. The importance of identifying drivers of these capabilities has been underscored by many scholars although limited evidence exists so far regarding this issue. The available evidence is also primarily based on data obtained from manufacturing firms operating in developed and emerging economies and not from firms in developing economies. This study, therefore, bridges this gap by exploring key internal and external drivers of manufacturing performance taking evidence from the manufacturing sector of a developing economy - Ethiopia. A quant-emphasis mixed method approach was used along with cross-sectional survey design to gather data and answer the research questions in the study. The unit of analysis is the manufacturing plant, and hence primary data was collected using multidimensional questionnaires at plant level from 197 medium and large scale firms from Addis Ababa and its periphery. Secondary data was obtained from census reports, the country’s Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP), and report on the performance of the Ethiopian economy, which were analyzed qualitatively and the implications to manufacturing performance drawn in the study. A series of scale checks and analyses were made to test unidimensionality, reliability, and validity of measures and then structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze hypothesized relationships. The main finding is that environmental dynamism significantly influences competitive priorities and firm’s strategic orientation, which in turn significantly influence manufacturing decisions. Structural and infrastructural manufacturing decisions eventually significantly influence manufacturing performance when firms place increased emphasis on quality or delivery. The competitive priorities also significantly influence external learning capability of the manufacturing plant, although the influence of strategic orientation on this variable was not significant even at the 0.1 level except in the delivery priority model. Both the competitive priorities and strategic orientation, however, play little role in guiding leadership practices of manufacturing managers. The study further indicates that government support directly influences manufacturing performance, though it does not significantly influence external learning capability. Based on the findings, it is suggested that manufacturing firms should give due attention to what is going on in their external environment and accordingly align their competitive priorities, strategic orientation, and investments in structural and infrastructural resources to enhance plant performance. They should exhaustively utilize the supports provided by government as well. / Business Management / DBL

美國與歐盟在航空產業的補貼爭議已有數十年之久，雙方互相指控對方補貼其國內民用航空器製造業，此一爭議雖經雙方談判協商，但終究談判破裂而進入世界貿易組織（WTO）爭端解決機構，成為WTO歷史上涉案金額最大的一次貿易糾紛案。雖然美國與歐盟就航空器補貼爭議相互於WTO下提出訴訟，總計成立了四個爭端案件，在如此複雜的情況下，目前僅歐盟航空補貼案（DS316）已進入至言詞辯論程序，其他爭議案均未進入實質審理程序，尚無資料可得分析，因此僅就DS316一案而為討論。 / 在該案中，美方指控歐盟以開發補助、基礎設施、研發技術補助等措施為空中巴士進行補貼，提升空中巴士之市場競爭力，對美國波音公司產生不良影響。上述措施是否違反WTO規定，著實進一步分析探討之必要，因此本文將介紹補貼及民用航空器的相關規定，由SCM協定下之補貼構成要件－政府財務補助、利益及特定性之要件，判斷歐盟是否構成補貼，而其中尚須檢驗美國與歐盟首次書狀中論點之合理性、考量過去小組類似判斷之見解與顧及1992年美歐航空器的雙邊協定，最後嘗試預測未來小組判斷中，對補貼之構成與否及其法律效果之意見。 / Subsidy dispute of aviation between the US and EU has been lasting over the past decades. Both sides accused each other of subsidizing domestic civil aircraft industry. In spite of having made efforts to solve the trade clash through negotiations, they eventually took the subsidy dispute before Dispute Settlement Body of the World Trade Organization（WTO） after the negotiations had failed. In the biggest case ever to come before WTO, US and EU separately filed legal complaints against each other at the WTO, which set up four dispute cases. However, except the oral arguments were held in the European Communities-Measures Affecting Trade in Large Civil Aircraft（DS316）, the three other cases have not yet entered into substantial procedures. Therefore, this thesis intends to focus on the DS316 due to no related data available to analyze the rest of the cases. / In DS316, the US argued that EU subsidized Airbus by way of such measures as Launch Aid, Infrastructure & Regional Aid and Research & Technology to improve Airbus’s competitiveness in the aviation market and put its US rival Boeing at disadvantage. Given that whether the EU subsides are against the trade rules of the WTO needs further studies, this thesis would like to interpret related rules which regulate subsidy and civil aircraft industry. It would also like to decide if the EU involved in subsidizing by examining the constitutive requirements of subsidy under the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures（SCM agreement）including financial contribution, benefit and specificity. This thesis will review the rationality of arguments in the first written submissions both by the US and EU, and then deliberate the opinions of similar decisions from the WTO panel in the past as well as take into account the Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Government of the United States of America concerning the Application of the GATT Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft on Trade in Large Civil Aircraft in 1992. Finally, this article tries to forecast the opinions about what is regarded as subsidy and the related legal effects in future decisions by the WTO panel.

Le Traité de Marrakech stipule que le commerce et le développement économique devraient être orientés de manière à permettre l’utilisation optimale des ressources mondiales, conformément à l’objectif de développement durable. Combiné aux dispositions du Protocole de Kyoto et du Traité de Copenhague, les gouvernements poursuivent de politiques nationales favorisant les producteurs nationaux au détriment des étrangers. Cette mémoire propose une analyse des règles de l’OMC, dans le but de déterminer les mesures disciplinaires possibles contre le Canada à l'égard de ses mécanismes de support de l’énergie renouvelable. Une analyse des règles énoncées dans le GATT, l’Accord sur les subventions et les mesures compensatoires et divers accords multilatéraux conclus dans le cadre de l’OMC permet de déterminer si elles pourraient s’appliquer aux mécanismes de support de l’énergie renouvelable. Une analyse des programmes du Québec et de l’Ontario permet une prise de position quant à leur conformité aux règles commerciales de l’OMC. / The Marrakesh Agreement’s preamble states that trade and economic development should be conducted to allow for the optimal use of the world’s resources in accordance with the objective of sustainable development. This, combined with the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol and Copenhagen Accord, allows governments to pursue their domestic policies in such a way as to unfairly favor domestic producers over foreign ones. This thesis provides a review of WTO law to assess the potential for disciplinary measures against Canada with regard to renewable energy support mechanisms. An analysis of the rules outlined in the GATT, the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures and various other WTO multilateral agreements allows us to determine whether such rules can apply to renewable energy support mechanisms. Furthermore, an analysis of the programs in support of renewable energy production available in Québec and Ontario sheds light on such mechanisms’ compliance with WTO trade rules.

In this thesis, experiments were conducted in the laboratory and the field to determine whether the provision of floral resources to hoverflies could enhance the biological control of aphids. The overall aim was to clarify hoverfly behaviour and ecology in an agroecosystem in order to understand the potential of these insects for biocontrol under a conservation biological control (CBC) regime. A preliminary experiment in New Zealand compared the effect of different coloured water-traps on catches of the hoverflies Melanostoma fasciatum (Macquart) and Melangyna novaezelandiae (Macquart). Significantly more individuals were caught in completely yellow traps than in traps with green outer walls and yellow inner walls or in completely green traps. This suggested that if a measure of hoverfly numbers relating to a particular distance along a transect is required, consideration should be given to the ability of hoverflies to detect yellow traps from a distance. The use of traps that are green outside would more accurately reflect the local abundance of hoverflies, as the insect would be likely to see the yellow stimulus only when above or close to the trap. Also, the addition of rose water significantly increased the number of M. fasciatum caught. From a suite of flowering plants chosen for their ability in other studies to increase hoverfly visit frequencies, laboratory experiments were conducted in France to determine the plant’s effectiveness at enhancing Episyrphus balteatus (De Geer) ‘fitness’, and to evaluate whether adult feeding on flowers was related to performance. Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia Bentham cv. Balo), followed by buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench cv. Katowase) and coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) gave the optimal reproductive potential of female E. balteatus. There was no correlation between pollen and nectar consumption, and there was no discernible positive correlation between the quantity of pollen ingested and the resulting female performance. Phacelia and buckwheat were then studied as resource subsidies in the field in New Zealand. The effect of incorporating phacelia or buckwheat in the margins of 5 m x 5 m broccoli plots was tested for hoverfly activity and floral ‘preferences’. Hoverflies which had fed on phacelia and buckwheat pollen were found up to 17.5 m from the floral strips and females of M. fasciatum and M. novaezelandiae consumed more phacelia pollen than that of buckwheat in the field. These results support the choice of phacelia as an ideal floral resource subsidy in crops for enhanced biological control by these New Zealand species. The need for studying hoverfly movement in a large-scale field experiment was apparent from the field studies, so the next experiment was carried out in a field 450 × 270 m and flies were marked via their ingestion of the pollen of phacelia. The focus was on the proportion of flies having consumed the pollen. Although large quantities of pollen were found in some hoverfly guts, most did not contain phacelia pollen and very few were captured at 50 m from phacelia, compared with numbers at the border of the floral strip. A possible explanation was that hoverflies feed on a large variety of pollen species, reducing the relative attraction of phacelia flowers. Another possibility was that hoverflies dispersed from the phacelia away from the crop. Also, pollen digestion rates are likely to be a factor. Finally, a series of experiments was conducted in the field and laboratory to study hoverfly efficacy through oviposition and larval behaviour. In field experiments, female M. fasciatum and M. novaezelandiae laid more eggs where buckwheat patches were larger; however higher oviposition rates did not lead to improved aphid population suppression. In greenhouse experiments, larvae of E. balteatus could initiate a decline in aphid numbers at the predator: prey ratio 1: 8.3, however this control did not persist. Experiments in the laboratory showed that hoverfly larvae became more active and left the system while aphid numbers declined or numbers of larvae increased. This behaviour was caused by two factors: hunger and avoidance of conspecific larvae. Further experiments showed that the avoidance of conspecifics was caused by mutual interference rather than cannibalism. The results of this work highlight the importance of hoverfly dispersal ability. Given the observations of foraging behaviour of females and mutual interference observed between larvae, and the lack of success in CBC by hoverflies in experiments at the crop scale, it is essential to assess the impact of insect predators and parasitoids at a landscape scale.

This paper weights the relative advantages of multiple factors that lead to the success of professional sports stadiums in major markets, though a discussion of the arguments for and against public subsidies towards these projects. Using a logit statistical model, the paper determines that the two factors determining the highest likelihood of venue success include multiple tenants and access to mass transit. The analysis demonstrates that public subsidies towards stadiums don’t generate sufficient economic returns, and that successful stadiums can be created without using taxpayer funds.

Le Traité de Marrakech stipule que le commerce et le développement économique devraient être orientés de manière à permettre l’utilisation optimale des ressources mondiales, conformément à l’objectif de développement durable. Combiné aux dispositions du Protocole de Kyoto et du Traité de Copenhague, les gouvernements poursuivent de politiques nationales favorisant les producteurs nationaux au détriment des étrangers. Cette mémoire propose une analyse des règles de l’OMC, dans le but de déterminer les mesures disciplinaires possibles contre le Canada à l'égard de ses mécanismes de support de l’énergie renouvelable. Une analyse des règles énoncées dans le GATT, l’Accord sur les subventions et les mesures compensatoires et divers accords multilatéraux conclus dans le cadre de l’OMC permet de déterminer si elles pourraient s’appliquer aux mécanismes de support de l’énergie renouvelable. Une analyse des programmes du Québec et de l’Ontario permet une prise de position quant à leur conformité aux règles commerciales de l’OMC. / The Marrakesh Agreement’s preamble states that trade and economic development should be conducted to allow for the optimal use of the world’s resources in accordance with the objective of sustainable development. This, combined with the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol and Copenhagen Accord, allows governments to pursue their domestic policies in such a way as to unfairly favor domestic producers over foreign ones. This thesis provides a review of WTO law to assess the potential for disciplinary measures against Canada with regard to renewable energy support mechanisms. An analysis of the rules outlined in the GATT, the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures and various other WTO multilateral agreements allows us to determine whether such rules can apply to renewable energy support mechanisms. Furthermore, an analysis of the programs in support of renewable energy production available in Québec and Ontario sheds light on such mechanisms’ compliance with WTO trade rules.

I evaluate four possible approaches the United States may take to address China's practice of undervaluing the renminbi: 1) a challenge under Article XV of the GATT and the associated IMF provisions; 2) countervailing duties; 3) antidumping measures; and 4) safeguard measures. I conclude that the first three approaches are unlikely to succeed; there are a number of legal and political obstacles to the pursuit of these remedies. While the current WTO safeguards regime is likely insufficient, a new safeguards regime can--and should--be developed. I review and critique Dani Rodrik's proposal for a new safeguards regime and set out my own basic blueprint for a significantly expanded safeguards regime, emphasizing that flexibility in the realm of international trade law would help to secure overall stability in international trade itself. In order to be effective shock absorbers, safeguards must become far more flexible.

I evaluate four possible approaches the United States may take to address China's practice of undervaluing the renminbi: 1) a challenge under Article XV of the GATT and the associated IMF provisions; 2) countervailing duties; 3) antidumping measures; and 4) safeguard measures. I conclude that the first three approaches are unlikely to succeed; there are a number of legal and political obstacles to the pursuit of these remedies. While the current WTO safeguards regime is likely insufficient, a new safeguards regime can--and should--be developed. I review and critique Dani Rodrik's proposal for a new safeguards regime and set out my own basic blueprint for a significantly expanded safeguards regime, emphasizing that flexibility in the realm of international trade law would help to secure overall stability in international trade itself. In order to be effective shock absorbers, safeguards must become far more flexible.

世界貿易組織協定之整體架構，其內容涵蓋了關稅暨貿易總協定、修正1947年關稅暨貿易總協定的瞭解書，以及規範貨品貿易、服務貿易，與智慧財產權的多邊貿易協定等。世界貿易組織協定中的附件1B，即是為規範服務貿易所訂之服務貿易總協定（General Agreement on Trade in Services，以下簡稱GATS）。由於服務貿易相關議題的起步與發展相形較晚，因此各國就世界貿易組織協定達成協議時，GATS中許多議題仍不成熟也缺乏共識，難以有具體之處理與規範。但是為了能在日後繼續處理這些未完成的議題，因此，乃在GATS條文中分別規定相關文字，要求會員在WTO成立生效後應繼續這些議題的討論與處理。 GATS中這些要求留待日後處理的內建（built-in）議題，分別規定在第6條第4項（國內規章）、第10條第1項（緊急防衛措施）、第13條第2項（政府採購）、第15條第1項（補貼）、以及第19條（特定承諾之談判）。其中，關於特定承諾談判的要求是屬於漸進式自由化的議題，其餘四項議題則是關於GATS規則之議題。由於GATS各項內建議題均頗為複雜與困難，對GATS整體架構都有一定程度之影響，其發展具有相當之重要性，從而本文期望能針對GATS規則制定的議題進行整理與分析，並在相關資料評估的基礎之上，提供若干之建議以供參考。惟鑑於時間與篇幅的考量，本文將限縮著重在緊急防衛、政府採購以及補貼等三項內建議題的討論上。 由於發展程度與個別國家的考量有所差異，已開發國家以及開發中國家對於此等議題的主張不盡相同，本文嘗試就此三項議題依序以第二章、第三章、第四章分別加以探討，透過整理、瞭解此三項談判的基本發展、重要爭議與相關之討論意見，就此三項談判的相關資料、重要爭議或討論意見予以扼要分析與適當論述，同時在目前的談判進度下，本文嘗試從開發中國家與已開發國家之不同立場為討論之出發點，並以前者立場作為我國之談判基調，並視我國實際情況作出調整，進而提出對此三項議題之評估與分析，以瞭解個別議題目前討論的進展，以及相關主張可能產生之影響。 最後，本文在前述各章的評估與分析的基礎之上，在第五章分別就此三項議題提出本文之建議，期望能提供相關研究人員以及有關當局作為參考。 / This thesis focuses on the three ongoing issues of the GATS built–in agenda - the negotiations on emergency safeguard measures, government procurement, and subsidies. These three issues were too complicated to be dealt with properly in the Uruguay Round, so the issues left were regulated in Articles X, XIII and XV of GATS, which mandates members to resolve the issues in the future. Because each country’s developments and considerations are widely different from one another, developed and developing countries did not achieve consensus on these issues. This thesis attempts to introduce and analyze the different discussions and opinions on these three issues. Besides the introductory Chapter, the thesis consists of another four parts. Chapter 2 first introduces and clarifies controversial issues on emergency safeguard measures, and then analyzes the three main proposals about ESM (emergency safeguard mechanism) and estimates the most recent status of the issue. Chapter 3 deals with government procurement under the GATS. After reviewing the history of the negotiation, attention is paid to the proposal from the European Community (hereafter “the EC”). Because the proposal involved with a fierce debate over market access, the EC proposal on a framework for rules for government procurement of services could not be accepted by most developing countries. Therefore, the issue has made little progress in the past years. Chapter 3 concludes with some commentaries on the issue. Chapter 4 turns attention to subsidies in services. Article XV of GATS mandates members to enter into negotiations with a view to develop multilateral disciplines which would avoid the distortive effects that subsidies in services may have on trade in services. The negotiation on subsidies in services, however, involves many important issues, such as the necessity to regulate subsidies in services, the definition of subsidies in services, elements of rules, etc. Although members made efforts to address these questions, nothing concrete has been achieved. The last chapter consists of conclusions and recommendations.

Dissertação (mestrado) - Departamento de Economia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 1989. Bibliografia: p. 137-140. / This dissertation analyses the implicit give away of public funds that resulted from the partial indexation of BNDE'S loans to private domestic enterprises, during the second half of the seventies. The analysis of 13.350 long term financing contracts allowed the estimation of the values that were transfered and its distribution amongest beneficiaries. / A tese analisa a doação implícita de recursos públicos, que resultou da concessão de financiamentos pelo Sistema BNDES ao setor privado nacional, com cláusula de correção monetária parcial, na segunda metade da década de setenta. A partir da análise de cerca de 13.350 contratos de empréstimos de longo prazo, estima-se o valor das transferências patrimoniais envolvidas e, examina-se sua distribuição entre os beneficiários.