Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 167-181). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

In this thesis, I sought to establish whether the mere presence of money differentially affects the perception of competent and autonomous control over life outcomes among people of relatively low and high self-perceived wealth. According to my theoretical perspective regarding the effects of monetary cues, thinking about money should cause people to view themselves in terms of their own relative financial resources. As money is perceived as a resource that enables competent and autonomous control over life outcomes, the presence of money should cause people low in wealth to feel lower in personal control and autonomy and should motivate the preservation or retrieval of a sense of control and autonomy. By contrast, the presence of money should cause the wealthy to feel higher in personal control and autonomy. Three experiments were designed to test hypotheses stemming from this view and to broaden our understanding of how and why money affects cognition and behaviour. In Experiment 1, I tested whether a money prime affected perceived control, autonomy, and need for structure. For people low in self-perceived wealth, money decreased autonomy and control over life outcomes, and increased the need for structure. People high in wealth were not affected by the money prime. In Experiment 2, I examined whether the presence of money had consequences for interactions with others in social environments characterized by low and high structure. In a setting lacking structure, the presence of money caused people of lower socioeconomic status (SES) to prefer less social contact compared to people of higher SES. The interacting effects of money and SES diminished when the environment was structured in nature. In Experiment 3, I tested competing hypotheses regarding whether the presence of money can influence attitudes and beliefs about external sources of control. I found that when people who were lower in wealth were primed with money, versus not, they reported lesser belief in a controlling god. By contrast, when people of higher wealth were primed with money, versus not, they reported greater belief in a controlling god. I discuss my findings vis-à-vis the current perspective and previous money priming research. / Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC); Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)

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The socio-ecological correlates of cross-cultural variation in lactase persistence, sexual dimorphism in stature, and wealth inheritance in Africa were investigated, using phylogenetic comparative methods to control for the non-independence of populations (Galton's problem). Felsenstein's method of comparative analysis using independent contrasts, and Pagel's phylogenetic maximum likelihood model, were used. Genetic and linguistic trees were used as models of the past relationships among populations. Lactase persistence was found to be associated with pastoralism but not with solar intensity or aridity. This is consistent with the hypothesis that high lactose digestion capacity in adults is an adaptation to dairying. This result does not support the hypotheses that low solar radiation at high latitudes and aridity are additional selective pressures for lactase persistence. Cross-cultural variation in stature was associated with women's work. Women are taller, relative to men, in societies where women contribute more to subsistence. In Africa, patrilineal wealth inheritance is associated with pastoralism and polygyny. Patrilineal wealth inheritance is adaptive if inherited wealth benefits sons more than daughters, which is probably the case in both polygynous and pastoralist societies. It is hypothesised that matrilineal inheritance arises from wealth inheritance to daughters. Inheritance to daughters is adaptive if the additional benefits of wealth inheritance to sons do not outweigh the risk of paternity uncertainty of sons' offspring. The transmission, between populations, of those bio-cultural traits in the comparative analyses was also investigated. The association between each trait in a population, and that trait in the population's phylogenetic sister-group and nearest geographical neighbour(s) were compared using regression. The majority of traits were found to be associated with phylogeny. Some traits showed an additional association with geographical neighbours. Vertical transmission, from `mother' to `daughter' populations, appears to be more important than geographical diffusion between neighbouring populations, for the majority of the traits tested here.

The aim of this thesis has been to investigate the relationship between state and private pensions and personal savings. A theoretical framework has been developed to facilitate the a priori determination of the relationship and an empirical investigation then undertaken using data for the U.K. in the postwar period. These two aspects of the thesis will firstly be summarised. Initially, the standard life cycle model of individual accumulation is extended to include a flat rate pension scheme. The introduction of the scheme will have an impact on savings determined by a savings replacement effect, where pension saving is substituted for alternative forms personal saving, and an induced retirement effect, where savings is increased to finance a longer retirement period. The net effect on savings will depend on the rate of return to pension contributions, and therefore lifetime income, implied by the combination of the two effects. As membership of state pension schemes is usually compulsory there exists the possibility that the implied rate of return can be above or below the market rate, indeed it may even be negative, with the result that lifetime income may be higher or lower than prior to the introduction of the pension scheme. The impact on savings cannot therefore be determined at a theoretical level. Increasing pension contributions and benefits always lead to a reduction in work period and, under the usual assumptions, aggregate savings. These changes also induce early retirement. Having analysed the state pension case the model is further modified to include private pension schemes, in particular a terminal salary scheme, membership of which is assumed to be compulsory, and a money purchase scheme, the joining of which is a voluntary decision. Again, for the reasons outlined above, the effect on personal savings of introducing the private schemes cannot be determined a priori. It is still possible though to say something about the effect of changes in pension contributions and benefits. When considering the increasing of pension contributions and state pension benefits, the outcomes are as in the state pension case alone. If attention is confined to increasing private pension benefit functions by constant absolute amounts then early retirement and a reduction in work period savings are the unambiguous outcomes. In the case of the money purchase scheme early retirement also implies a larger private pension fund. The empirical estimation of the relationship has been attempted through the inclusion of pension wealth variables in the aggregate life cycle consumption function. Two definitions of pension wealth were used. Gross pension wealth has been defined as the discounted present value of future pension receipts weighted by survival probabilities whilst net pension wealth is gross pension wealth less the discounted present value of future pension contributions weighted by survival probabilities (termed liabilities). Unfortunately these definitions could only be used with state pensions - data was not available to evaluate these types of wealth variable in the case of private pensions. Over the period 1949-73 gross state pension wealth appears to have no impact on consumption, and therefore savings, whilst net pension wealth depresses consumption. The growth of the market value of the assets of superannuation- funds was used as a proxy for the growth of private pension wealth. This data was available for the period 1958-73. Whilst private pension wealth was found to be insignificant in the regressions in these same equations gross state pension wealth becomes significant and positive. If net pension wealth is substituted for the gross alternative its coefficient remains negative but its significance falls. Over both periods there was found to be no evidence of an induced retirement effect. Various estimates of the effect of the existence of pension schemes and changes in pension contributions and benefits were made on the basis of a range of estimated coefficients. As one would expect these estimates varied widely given the different signs of the coefficients on gross and net state pension wealth. There are four aspects of the work that, at the end of the day, give cause for concern. The two relating to the theoretical work are probably less serious than the two relating to the empirical work. In the development of the theoretical analysis the individuals work/leisure decision was given only passing consideration. Indeed it was only shown that if the individual moved continuously from the work to the retirement period then leisure considerations would be irrelevant. Nevertheless recognition was accorded to the possibility that if this move is discontinuous, which is highly likely to be the case, not only might the optimal retirement date be different to that derived in the basic model but also the earlier comparative statics results might no longer apply. In a recent paper Ulph (58) has begun to consider this problem in a model incorporating a terminal salary based private pension scheme. Employing an iso-elastic utility function in consumption and leisure he shows that certain assumptions relating to the parameters of the utility function imply that not all the comparative statics results of earlier chapters necessarily go through. Thus leisure considerations are not irrelevant to the analysis of pensions. The results also imply that analyses of the individuals life cycle problem which do not include pensions, and where the individual retires when the marginal utility of consumption falls below the marginal utility derived from spending all ones time in leisure, might be substantially changed when leisure considerations are taken into account. An obvious, extension of pension theory would then be to integrate it into a model of the above type, such as that of Blinder (13). Another important feature of the pension decision,, which again has only been covered rather briefly, is uncertainty about the length of lifetime. It has been shown that if it is assumed that there exists a perfect insurance market then the problem reduces to an analysis under certainty, the insurance asset obviating any problem arising from a probabilistic date of death. Ulph and Hemming (59) have since dropped this last assumption and shown how the results of this thesis are affected. Although this turns out to be to an extent: that gives little cause for concern, the new model does produce the results within a framework that is more realistic. The above paper also has important implications for another aspect of pension analysis. When lifetime is uncertain the purchase of a pension asset or annuity provides insurance and the individual should therefore be prepared to purchase it even if its return were less than actuarially fair. Now in evaluating the value of anticipated state pension wealth the average market rate of interest has been used to discount the expected value of future returns. This is an approximation of the actuarially fair rate of interest. But under uncertainty this is not the appropriate rate of discount - what ought to be used is the lowest rate of return at which the individual is just willing to purchase the annuity. In fact Ulph and Hemming show that whilst the individual is holding non-pension assets the appropriate rate of discount is the rate on those assets. Once the individual has run down his stock of these assets the appropriate rate of discount will be the subjective rate of discount incorporating a risk factor. Thus if the individual is holding the alternative asset the appropriate rate of discount is less than the actuarially fair rate, (see (3.6.4)). Pension wealth will therefore be underestimated. When none of the alternative assets are held the value of pension wealth can be under- or over-estimated depending on the relative magnitudes of the rates of interest and the subjective rate of discount.

Luke 8:1-3 is the only explicit indicator in scripture that Jesus receives financial provision during his ministry. Interestingly, the donors are wealthy women. From a social historical perspective who are these women who travel with Jesus and the Twelve? Is it possible for women in first century Palestine to have finances at their disposal? What is the significance of Luke recording that women provide for Jesus out of their own means and how does this square with Luke's understanding of discipleship as a call to leave everything? The thesis at hand explores the answers to these questions using a social historical and narrative critical approach in an attempt to recognize the implications and significance of the pericope for the women in 8:2-3, Jesus and his ministry,and Luke and his audience. In summary, it finds that the actions of the women as traveling companions of a rabbi and financial providers, but not patrons, reflect a radical departure from the religious, social, and political norms of early first century society. They play a significant role both historically and within the narrative as committed disciples who remain with Jesus throughout his ministry from Galilee to Jerusalem and as witnesses to the crucifixion, entombment, and resurrection.

分析從瑞士、新加坡、香港等國的財富管理發展經驗一路走來，財富管理業務是人與人關係緊密的業務；是承諾與信任的長期關係；是政府具有先見之明全力支援的具體結果；也是業者戮力以赴兢兢業業的開花結果。根據凱捷顧問公司 (Capgemini) 與美林全球財富管理 (Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management)《2011年全球財富報告》，全球富裕人士人數增加了8.3%，相對2009年17.1%的大幅成長，步伐轉趨溫和，較有利於長遠的穩定成長。同時，亞太區富裕階層的人數達330萬人，是現在全球富裕人士的第二大集中地，緊次於北美之後，並首次超越歐洲。台灣富裕人士數目在2010年底估計達94,100人，較2009年增加13.7％，財富總額年增升14.7％，達3,020億美元，台灣的財富管理市場也逐步邁入成熟市場階段。這是全球財富位移的結果，也為亞洲的財富管理事業開展了新的世紀。然而，過去台灣銀行業在淨利息收入占營業收入平均達到67%的比率下，對比外商銀行的收入項目多元化，未來要如何調整現狀以及增加其他獲利成長來源，藉以分散台灣銀行業收入過度集中的風險、突破目前銀行業經營瓶頸以及如何越過同質性過度相似的潛在經營風險。這些都是未來全力發展財富管理業務的多空條件與時空背景。當然，其中也分析了台灣長期低利率環境的成因與因為信用風險造成嚴重之逾期放款及呆帳率上升等經營風險。還有，銀行業的獲利能力比較與資產利用的好壞、風險未發生時的壓力測試或是風暴發生時的風險抵禦能力等，在在都與經營能力與策略方向有關，在發展財富管理業務時皆必須長遠地納入整合與思考。其次，分析完獲利能力與收入來源後，在擬定未來財富管理業成長的策略為： 一、做好市場區隔，保持其差異性，才能免於被取代。 二、吸引人才回流與培養新一代的區域人才與經理人。 三、營運管理策略下的分行組織設計與改造，銀行要執行明確的願景與策略，需要透過適切的分行端架構才能落實。 四、維有透過不斷地溝通、整體獎酬與績效管理的搭配才能真正使組織動起來，且根本性地改造組織文化，達成策略目標。 五、整體獎酬應該包含金錢性的固定薪酬、短期激勵、長期激勵、與非金錢的獎酬。 六、業務流程創新是企業長期成長的關鍵。愈是先起步發展CRM的企業，愈是能夠領先其他競爭對手在激烈競爭的市場上，搶先建立、維持與客戶較佳的關係。 七、除非您已擁有百分之百完全滿意的顧客，否則您仍有改善的空間...；如果您已擁有百分之百滿意的顧客，仍應隨時傾聽他們的意見，以便在他們想改變時，和他們一起改變。 八、銀行業者因從策略面、組織面到執行績效面，整體思考改善方略，累積與監控服務推動的成果，持續改善、精進，以維繫長期的服務競爭力。 九、找到對的業務代表。 十、當財富管理業的服務面項比重愈來愈重要時，人才的重要性，比以往更迫切，資金與設備都不再是重要問題。 在歷經2008全球金融風暴後的第四年，展望全球總體經濟的險峻局勢與歐洲債務與南歐負債累累的諸國，全球通貨緊縮的蠢蠢欲動，各國進出口的持續下滑，區域與各個國家發展相對停滯，財富管理業面臨的挑戰與經營風險不斷升高。國內國外的經營挑戰需要金融業業者與政府的共同因應與面對，除此，還需要更好的執行力與創新作為才能面對挑戰。以上必須正視其重要性與迫切性，需要業者與政府快速反應問題與加速提出因應具體策略，期望未來在發展財富管理事業上能夠將風險與挑戰減至最低。 / Based on the analysis of the experience of wealth management development in Switzerland, Singapore and Hong Kong, it is the close-ties to people business, it is a long-term relationship between commitment and trustworthy, it is a final result of fully support and throw-all-their-strength of government. Moreover, it is a performance of continuously striving for excellence and join-hands of wealth management business industry itself. On the basis of the 2011 Global wealth report by Capgemini and Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management, Rich has increased by 8.3% in the world, relatively substantial growth by 17.1% in 2009 and the development pace became a moderate way and became more conducive to stable long-term growth. At the same time, Asia-Pacific wealthy over 3.3 million people is now the world's second-largest concentration of rich which is more close to the North America and beyond Europe for the first time. The number of affluent people estimated in Taiwan reached 94,100 at the end of 2010 which increase by 13.7% over 2009 and the total wealth rise 14.7% with amounted to $302 billion. Taiwan's wealth management market has gradually entered a mature stage. This is the result of movement of global wealth, but also the new century for the wealth management business in Asia-pacific. However, the net interest income over operating revenue reached an average ratio of 67% of Taiwan banking in the past years. In compared with the diversification income sources of foreign banks, how to adjust status for the Taiwan wealth business in the near future as well as to get more other sources of profit growth in order to diversify the revenue concentrating risk of Taiwan wealth business. Besides, it is to break through the current banking operational bottlenecks, and to cross the homogeneous over similar potential business risks as well. Of course, we also analyze the puzzle of the long-term low interest rates in Taiwan and explain the serious operating risk of increased rate of loan loss and loan loss provision. Also, the comparison of profitability of banking and asset utilization, risk stress testing or risk resistance as it occurs which are related to the daily operation and strategic direction, we have to include a long-term consolidation and integration in the wealth management business development. Secondly, after discussion of profitability and income sources, We put more factors into the consideration of future strategic growth including, 1. The wealth management industry should do the market segmentation and maintain their differences which can be exempted from being replaced. 2. Attracting brain gain and develop the next generation of regional personnel and managers. 3. Branch organizations should make a new design and reform to implement the appropriate schema. 4. Through the overall mix of reward and performance management and the constant communication, we can really move and make a fundamental transformation of the organizational culture and achieve strategic objectives. 5. Overall reward should contain money fixed pay, short-term incentives, long-term incentives, and non-pecuniary reward. 6. Business process innovation is the key to long-term growth. More head start CRM Enterprise, more capable of leading competitors in a highly competitive market, the wealth management will be first to establish and maintain better relationships with customers. 7. Unless you have completely 100% satisfied customers, otherwise you still have room for improvement ... If you already have 100% satisfied customers, you should still be ready to listen to their views, so that when they want to change, and change with them. 8. Bankers continuously get improvement, enhancement, maintaining the long-term competitiveness of services through the business performance, organizations, overall thinking on strategy, accumulation and services. 9. Find the right representatives. 10. When the services dimension in the wealth management industry become more and more important, the importance of talents is more urgent than ever, and funding and equipment are no longer important issues. We are now in the fourth year after the 2008 global financial turmoil, as looking to the overall global economic precarious situation with EU and southern European debt-ridden countries, the global deflation is ready to go and the rates of imports and exports continued to decline in many countries. At the same time more regions and international states get stuck and stagnation. We need to confront the domestic and foreign business challenge side by side with each other and we have to boost the ability of execution and innovation. We do emphasize the fact that execution is a discipline to learn, not merely the tactical side of business. Meanwhile, as authors had made as the recommendations for specific risks and challenges, we have to face up to the importance and urgency of mentioned situation, and need to get the rapid response of government and to speed up collecting the response of specific policies, We do expect to be able to minimize the risks and challenges in the development of wealth management business of coming years in Taiwan.

The objective of my research is to develop a body of work for exhibition based on an examination of the ways that corporate space, as exemplified by the foyers and conference rooms of contemporary corporate offices, reflect societal anxieties about wealth and power. These works will draw on the history of painting, with particular reference to 17th century Dutch still life painting, as a framework within which to conduct the exploration of contemporary space. This will be done by applying or interpreting the principles, motifs and techniques used in that period in the visual representation of the connection between wealth and decadence and western culture's ambiguous attitude towards the creation and accumulation of wealth. Boardrooms, corporate foyers and office interiors have developed into instantly recognisable types of space with a particular atmosphere, typified by large empty space and the use of materials such as marble and granite and surfaces with reflective finishes.. These spaces are often open to the public, but the intention is for people to be impressed by the wealth and power of the occupants, an idea initially perfected in Ancient Rome. The impression of wealth and power created in these spaces is balanced against a need to demonstrate prudence and restraint - the corporations need to avoid creating an impression of extravagance or wastefulness. The emergence of the genre still life painting in the Netherlands during the 17th century provides useful source material for their representations of restrained prosperity as well as the moral content related to the virtues of modesty and the transience of material life and wealth. The illusory space in the church interiors of Saenredam and de Witte, with their sense of expansive space and light, are echoed in the real space of contemporary corporate foyers and provide a basis for considering the format, composition and modes of representation of constructed space.

This thesis explores the forces driving a series of momentous transformations to Indonesia�s production and distribution systems since early colonial rule. The analysis of these forces is anchored in four conceptual themes: the basis of these systemic transformations, their politico-economic ordering as driven by a surplus-creation imperative, labour�s role in this imperative and its response to the �ordering�, and the mode of production as the historical setting within which the transformations occur. This thesis illuminates an analytical gap in the literature by nominating labour as the key force in wealth-creation and recognising its active role in challenging ruling appropriation regimes and in the broader social struggles against exploitation and oppression. The thematic focus defines the boundaries for an exploration of successive colonial and post-colonial ruling regimes. Early chapters examine how the Dutch penetrated the Indonesian politico-economy, entrenching their systems of production organisation and creating an exclusionary system of wealth appropriation. Appropriation systems are characterised by transitions in European political and economic systems, especially from mercantilism to industrial capitalism. The entrenchment of colonial power is considered in relation to the expansion of capitalist organisation in Indonesia. The state�s stimulation of this expansion is associated with an undermining of the country�s reproductive base and a growing challenge to foreign rule. The Japanese occupying force� demolition of colonial productive and distributive linkages and encouragement of independence activism is connected with a post-war struggle for independence. Links are drawn between colonial rule and the tensions and organisational difficulties faced by Republican regimes leading up to the New Order�s re-establishment of a strict regulatory regime, and the development of an indigenous system of capitalist organisation. The surplus-generation and appropriation perspective informs the evolution of Indonesia�s productive and economic systems across colonial and post-colonial epochs and the challenges to the system of social and production regulation that heralded the destabilisation of New Order rule and the rise of the contemporary era of political democracy.