Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Export sales contracts – Nigeria'

This thesis examines the seller's obligations of both delivery and conformity under a contract of sale. In this context, the related rules under both English law (represented by the Sale of Goods Act 1979) and the Vienna Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods 1980 have been explored and compared with each other. It was initially necessary to indicate the importance of the Vienna Convention as a model for unifying the law of international trade. As well as indicating potential reasons as to why the UK is unconvinced that it should become a member of the Convention, as well as briefly examining the previous efforts that led to the conclusion of the Convention. While delivery is not defined under the Convention, the SGA considers it a voluntary transfer of possession. Moreover, delivery under English law takes place independently from the transferral of ownership. The matter of transferring the ownership in the goods is not however, dealt with under the Convention, and should be solved by reference to private international law. According to English law the delivery goods must meet the description in sale by description, correspond with the sample in sale by sample, and in all cases be of a satisfactory quality. The goods must meet a particular purpose where some conditions are met, as well as having to be in the right quantity. Art 35 of the Vienna Convention is considered a counterpart of the said rules. Should the seller however, attempt to exclude his liability regarding the said implied terms, such an attempt is subject to the UCTA 1977 and the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations, 1999. In another respect, delivery of the goods may take place actually or constructively, such as delivery by documents, or delivery through a carrier. Furthermore, there are particular rules that control the process of delivery, such as time, place and expenses connected with delivery. Obviously, the intention of the parties plays the essential role in determining these matters. One of the most important issues is the legal effect of the seller's breach of his obligation of conformity or delivery. Here, the buyer is entitled to a wide range of remedies, such as rejection of the goods and avoiding the contract of sale, specific performance, reduction of the price, or damages. The approaches here of both English law and the Convention are distinct in relation to some particular remedies, such as specific performance and reduction of the price.

The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), adopted in April 11, 1980, is an attempt to unify rules of international trade. A large number of states that represent a variety of legal systems and of degrees of development have adhered to this Convention.<br>As a result of the divergence of approaches and rules in these systems, several issues were debated during the negotiations, among others the remedy of specific performance.<br>This thesis examines the provisions regarding specific performance in the Convention in attempt to reveal the divergence of approaches between Common Law and Civil Law by means of a comparative study of the two systems.<br>The purpose is to assess the extent to which uniformity is achieved in the Convention. The study shows that the solution adopted regarding specific performance was a compromise that threatens uniformity to a certain degree.

Thesis (M.A.)--City University of Hong Kong, 2007.<br>Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Sept. 7, 2007) "Master of Art in arbitration and dispute resolution LW6409 dissertation" Includes bibliographical references.

The central focus is on the testing of the causes and effects of export earnings instability in Brazil, 1953-1983. While Brazil has been included in some cross-sectional studies of fluctuations in export earnings, it has not been the subject of a case study, as is provided here. We test the traditional theory which stipulates that increased diversification of exports will decrease export earnings instability, and that in turn, a decrease in export earnings instability will enhance economic growth. While we do find that export diversification in Brazil did result in lower export earnings instability, the lower export earnings instability did not in turn stimulate economic growth. Our results indicate that the export earnings instability of manufactured goods was positively associated with the growth rate of Brazil's Gross National Product. The results of this case study may prove relevant to other developing countries striving to emulate the Brazilian success in diversifying into manufactured exports.

Thesis (LLD (Mercantile Law))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.<br>ENGLISH ABSTRACT: International sales contracts have very specific needs that stem from the multiplicity of legal systems which apply to such contracts. In addition to harmonised law, mercantile custom is able to address many of these needs. Mercantile custom represents usages which are clear, certain and efficient and are expected to be known and applied by merchants in a particular trade or region. To this extent mercantile custom fulfils an automatic harmonisation function. However, where a custom does not enjoy uniform application across all branches of trade, the harmonisation function of mercantile custom is limited, as is the case with trade terms. Trade terms reflect mercantile customs and usages which developed over a long time in order to simplify the trade in goods that are transported from one place to the other. They regulate the delivery obligations of the seller and buyer as well as associated obligations such as the passing of risk. Trade terms negate the need for elaborate contract clauses and appear in abbreviated form in contracts of sale. Although they provide a uniform expression of mercantile custom in a particular location or trade, the understanding of trade terms tend to differ from country to country, region to region or from one branch of trade to the next. The ICC INCOTERMS is an effort to standardise trade term definitions at the hand of the most consistent mercantile customs and practices. The aim of this study is to investigate the efficiency of INCOTERMS as a form of standardisation in international sales law. For purposes of the investigation the focus is limited to the passing of risk. Although national laws usually have a default risk regime in place, merchants still prefer to regulate risk by means of trade terms. This study will investigate the legal position in the case of FOB, CIF and DDU terms. An analysis of the risk regimes of a few selected national systems will show that each has their own understanding of these trade terms. The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) does not refer to trade terms, but many commentators have concluded that the CISG risk rule is consistent with INCOTERMS. The study will discuss this in more detail. To determine the efficiency of INCOTERMS as a form of standardisation in international sales law, the study examines their characteristics, legal nature as well as their limited scope of regulation. Specific emphasis is placed on the interplay between the CISG and INCOTERMS and the possibility of some form of interaction and collaboration between the two instruments. It is concluded that collaboration between INCOTERMS and the CISG adds value to the international law of sales by increasing the efficiency of an international business transaction and thereby facilitating international trade.<br>AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Internasionale koopkontrakte het spesifieke behoeftes wat voortspruit uit die veelvoudigheid van regstelsels van toepassing op so ‘n kontrak. Baie van hierdie behoeftes kan aangespreek word deur geharmoniseerde regsreëls in samehang met handelsgewoontes en –gebruike. Handelsgewoontes verteenwoordig duidelike, seker en effektiewe gebruike. Daar word dus van handelaars wat in ‘n bepaalde bedryf of streek handel dryf, verwag om van hierdie gebruike kennis te neem en hulle toe te pas. In hierdie konteks vervul handelsgebruike ‘n outomatiese harmoniseringsfunksie. Waar ‘n gebruik nie eenvormig toegepas word oor alle bedrywe heen nie, is die harmoniseringsfunksie van handelsgebruike egter beperk. Handelsterme bied ‘n tipiese voorbeeld hiervan. Handelsterme verteenwoordig bepaalde handelsgewoontes en –gebruike wat oor ‘n geruime tyd ontwikkel het ten einde handel in goedere wat van een plek na die ander vervoer word, te vergemaklik. Hulle reguleer die leweringsverpligtinge van die verkoper en koper asook ander verpligtinge wat met lewering verband hou, soos byvoorbeeld die oorgang van risiko. Handelsterme doen weg met lang en omslagtige kontraksbedinge aangesien hulle in die vorm van afkortings in die kontrak figureer. Alhoewel handelsterme ‘n uniforme uitdrukking van gebruike in ‘n bepaalde gebied of bedryf verteenwoordig, is dit egter so dat die inhoud van handelsterme van land tot land, streek tot streek of van een tipe bedryf tot die ander verskil. INCOTERMS is ‘n poging om die inhoud van handelsterme te standaardiseer aan die hand van die mees eenvormige handelsgewoontes en –gebruike. Die doel van hierdie studie is om die effektiwiteit van INCOTERMS as ‘n vorm van standaardisering in die internasionale koopreg te ondersoek. Vir doeleindes van die ondersoek word die fokus beperk tot die oorgang van risiko. Al het nasionale regstelsels gewoonlik ‘n verstek risiko-reël in plek, verkies handelaars steeds om risiko by wyse van handelsterme te reguleer. Die studie ondersoek die regsposisie in die geval van FOB-, CIF-, en DDU-terme. ‘n Analise van risiko-regulering in ‘n aantal nasionale sisteme toon dat elk hul eie betekenis heg aan die inhoud van hierdie terme. Alhoewel die Weense Koopkonvensie geensins na handelsterme verwys nie, voer verskeie kommentatore aan dat die Konvensie se risiko-bestel verenigbaar is met dié van INCOTERMS en sal hierdie aspek gevolglik in meer besonderhede in die studie aangespreek word. Ten einde die effektiwiteit van INCOTERMS te bepaal, word daar ondersoek ingestel na hulle kenmerke, regsaard en beperkte aanwendingsgebied. Spesiale klem word gelê op die wisselwerking tussen die Weense Koopkonvensie en INCOTERMS asook die moontlikheid van interaksie en samewerking tussen die twee instrumente. Die gevolgtrekking is dat interaksie tussen die Koopkonvensie en INCOTERMS waarde toevoeg tot die internasionale koopreg deur die effektiwiteit van die internasionale besigheidstransaksie te verhoog en gevolglik internasionale handel te bevorder.<br>Harry Crossley Fund<br>NRF Thuthuka Fund

This thesis attempts to critically and comparatively analyse the issues relating to the passing of property and risk under the United Nations Convention on the Contract for International Sale of Goods (CISG) and English Law (SGA). The passing of property and risk plays a central role in the area of international legislation in relation to sales contracts. These elements can be the most significant components in contracts of sale between parties, whether in the international or domestic field. The reason is founded on their legal nature and the close relationship between them. The passing of property and risk has been a central issue for practitioners, judges and lawyers dating back to the Roman period and several ideas have been proposed to resolve it. Where the situation is different for contracts of sale in relation to the passing of property and risk, whether in the domestic or international field, it still creates many unresolved problems, because of ongoing changes in the field of modern commerce, which may contribute to unfair implications between the parties. It has been observed in this thesis that both English law and the CISG adopt the party autonomy principle, where the intention of the parties - whether in relation to the passing of property or risk - is the basic rule. However, the difference lies in the default rules. While English law involves default substitutional rules, which apply in cases where there is an absence of an expressed or implied indication regarding the intention between the parties, the CISG lacks such default rules regarding the transfer of property, which could be viewed as its main weakness, although the CISG does involve such provisions with respect to the transfer of risk. This thesis willdiscusses, the legal nature of the rules in relation to the passing of property and risk, and the role of the party autonomy principle, and the impacts and legal difficulties that might arise through the application of these rules, whether they are default rules or based on the party autonomy principle. It will also examine the legal gaps and weaknesses of both legal systems in an attempt to identify such legal difficulties and to find appropriate solutions and remedies.

El propósito de esta tesis es el estudio de la naturaleza legal de los, recientemente actualizados, Incoterms® en el ámbito del conflicto de leyes y de jurisdicciones en el marco del contrato de compraventa internacional de mercaderías. La Cámara de Comercio Internacional, como organización representante del mundo empresarial, se ha ocupado, desde 1936, de recopilar y actualizar los principales términos comerciales de forma regular para adaptarse a los cambios en el comercio Internacional. Las características de los Incoterms® reflejan la esencia de la entidad creadora que promueve la autorregulación en el ámbito profesional. Su actuación no solo se limita a recoger las prácticas más consolidadas en el ámbito mercantil, sino que pretende ser proactiva e impulsar el comercio. De esta forma se acerca al fenómeno de la denominada lex mercatoria, que busca la regulación adecuada del comercio internacional. Los Incoterms son relevantes tanto en el contexto económico como en el jurídico. Son reglas que se encuentran integradas en el marco legal como parte del contrato de compraventa internacional de mercaderías e interactúan con toda la normativa aplicable a este contrato, tanto de origen formal como informal. La presente tesis aborda el ámbito normativo en el que se insertan y analiza el lugar que ocupan estos términos comerciales en el sistema tradicional de fuentes del ordenamiento jurídico. La naturaleza jurídica de las reglas Incoterms determina el rol que estas reglas desempeñan en el ámbito del conflicto de leyes y de jurisdicciones. Esta tesis analiza también los distintos cauces a través de los cuales los Incoterms® pueden incorporarse al contrato de compraventa de mercaderías, así como su posible incidencia sobre la normativa aplicable, tanto de forma directa como indirecta. Desde su primera publicación, la finalidad de las reglas Incoterms© ha consistido en proporcionar unas pautas para la interpretación de los principales términos comerciales en el comercio internacional, a fin de prevenir y reducir posibles conflictos entre los operadores del comercio. El espíritu inicial de los Incoterms® sigue vigente, pero es preciso comprobar si se traduce, a efectos prácticos, en la determinación de la competencia judicial internacional, ya sea de forma directa o indirecta. En los últimos años, el Tribunal de Justicia de la Unión Europea ha concluido, de forma pionera, que la delimitación del lugar de entrega contenido en los Incoterms® puede constituir un criterio válido a efectos de determinar el foro contractual establecido en el artículo 7.1 b) del Reglamento 1215/2012. Este hecho pone de manifiesto la especial relevancia de estas reglas como referente interpretativo del lugar de entrega material de las mercaderías en el contrato de compraventa internacional. Las reglas Incoterms®, como elementos clave del contrato de compraventa, contribuyen a reducir los malentendidos entre comerciantes, minimizando las controversias entre las partes y los litigios.<br>The aim of this thesis is to study the legal nature of newly released Incoterms® concerning the conflict of applicable laws and of jurisdiction in the scope of contracts for sale of goods. Since the creation of Incoterms® by the International Chamber of Commerce in 1936, these rules have been regularly updated to keep pace with developments in international trade. The Incoterms® content reflects the essence of the International Chamber of Commerce’s spirit of self-regulation for businesses. Their goal is to ascertain and reflect the most common commercial practices, promote international trade, and encourage proactive best practices. Doing so, Incoterms addresses the needs of international trade acting as a source of the lex mercatoria. The Incoterms® rules play an important role in an economic context as well as in the legal framework. They are integrated in a legal context as part of an international sale of goods contract. They operate in conjunction with other formalized laws and applicable rules of laws to the international sales contract. This thesis addresses the regulatory framework in which the Incoterms® rules reside and analyzes the place of commercial terms in the traditional source of law. The legal nature of Incoterms® determines the role these rules play in the conflict of applicable laws and of jurisdiction. This thesis also analyzes the different ways Incoterms® rules can be incorporated into an international sales contract and their direct or indirect influence on the governing law. Since its first publication, the purpose of Incoterms© rules has been to provide a set of international guidelines for the interpretation of the most commonly used trade terms in foreign trade. Thus, the Incoterms© rules address problems arising out of the inconsistent interpretation of trade terms among international trading partners and thereby reduce the number of disputes. The initial Incoterms® spirit remains in force, but it is necessary to verify whether it translates into practical effects in the direct or indirect determination of international jurisdiction. Recently, the Court of Justice of the European Union concluded that Incoterms® can be the provisions of a contract on whose basis the place of delivery can be determined within the meaning of the first indent of article 7.1 b) of the Regulation 1215/2012. This fact reveals the special relevance of these rules as an interpretative reference of the material delivery place of the goods in the international sales contract. Incoterms® rules, as key elements of an international sales contract, significantly reduce misunderstandings among traders and thereby minimize trade disputes and litigation.<br>L’objectiu d’aquesta tesi és l’estudi de la naturalesa legal dels Incoterms®, recentment actualitzats, en l’àmbit del conflicte de lleis i de jurisdiccions en el marc del contracte de compravenda internacional de mercaderies. La Cambra de Comerç Internacional, com organització representant del món empresarial, s’ha ocupat, des de 1936, de recopilar i actualitzar els principals termes comercials de forma regular per adaptar-se als canvis en el comerç Internacional. Les característiques dels Incoterms® reflecteixen l’essència de l’entitat creadora que promou l’autoregulació en l’àmbit professional. La seva actuació no només es limita a recollir les pràctiques més consolidades en l’àmbit mercantil, sinó que també pretén ser proactiva i impulsar el comerç. D’aquesta manera s’acosta al fenomen de la denominada lex mercatoria, que busca la regulació adequada del comerç internacional. Els Incoterms® són rellevants tant en el context econòmic como en el jurídic. Són regles que es troben integrades en el marc legal como a part del contracte de compravenda internacional de mercaderies i interactuen amb tota la normativa aplicable a aquest contracte, tant d’origen formal como informal. La present tesi aborda l’àmbit normatiu en el que s’insereixen i analitza el lloc que ocupen aquests termes comercials en el sistema tradicional de fonts de l’ordenament jurídic. La naturalesa jurídica de las regles Incoterms® determina el rol que aquestes regles juguen en l’àmbit del conflicte de lleis i de jurisdiccions. Aquesta tesi analitza també les diferents vies mitjançant les quals els Incoterm® poden ser incorporats al contracte de compravenda de mercaderies, així com la seva possible incidència sobre la normativa aplicable, tant de forma directa como indirecta. Des de la seva primera publicació, la finalitat de les regles Incoterms®ha estat la de proporcionar unes pautes per a la interpretació dels principals termes comercials en el comerç internacional, a fi de prevenir i reduir possibles conflictes entre els operadors del comerç. L’esperit inicial dels Incoterms® segueix vigent, però és precís comprovar si es tradueix, a efectes pràctics, en la determinació de la competència judicial internacional, ja sigui de forma directa o indirecta. En els darrers anys, el Tribunal de Justícia de la Unió Europea ha conclòs, de forma pionera, que la delimitació del lloc d’entrega inclòs en els Incoterms® pot constituir un criteri vàlid a efectes de determinar el fòrum contractual establert en l’article 7.1 b) del Reglament 1215/2012. Aquest fet posa de manifest l’especial rellevància d’aquestes regles com a referent interpretatiu del lloc d’entrega material de las mercaderies en el contracte de compravenda internacional. Les regles Incoterms ® com a elements clau del contracte de compravenda, contribueixen a reduir els malentesos entre comerciants, minimitzant las controvèrsies entre les parts i els litigis.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1985.<br>Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-108).

To regulate and facilitate are the main functions of legal rules. These purposes are achieved by a harmonised legal system by which the law becomes identical in numerous jurisdictions. The process to unify the law of sale internationally started in the 1920s and culminated, in 1988, in the implementation of the CISG. This Convention intends to provide clarity for most international sales transactions by regulating the formation of contracts, and the rights and obligations of the seller and the buyer resulting from the contract. The CISG has these days enjoyed much ratification and influenced a number of legislation reforms worldwide. Despite the role it played during the drafting process of the CISG, the DRC has not yet ratified it. Instead, the country continued to rely, until recently, on colonial legislations which had become out-dated, and inadequate to meet modern international sales contracts requirements. The situation appears to have been improved a year ago as the effect of the adoption of OHADA law whose Commercial Act is largely inspired by the CISG. Because the introduction of OHADA law in the DRC is very recent, this study intends to assess the current state of Congolese sales law by comparing it with the CISG and South African law, which is non-CISG but modernised. The comparative study aims at establishing whether current Congolese law, as amended by OHADA law, is sufficient or has shortcomings; if it has some, it aims to identify those shortcomings, and make suggestions for their improvements. After discussion, it has been discovered that the ratification of OHADA law has significantly improved Congolese domestic sales law. Given that there remain certain unresolved shortcomings in Congolese international sales law, however, the study ends by a proposal for the accession of the DRC to the CISG in order to fill them.<br>Mercantile Law<br>LLD

LL.M. (International Commercial Law)<br>The Original BRIC Organization comprising Brazil, Russia, India and China, was first conceived in 2001 as part of an economic modeling exercise to forecast global economic trends. Fast forward almost a decade into its existence and BRIC was up for a change. The BRIC foreign Ministers at a meeting held in New York in 2010, came to an agreement to invite South Africa to join the Organization. On the 14 April 2011, South Africa attended the first joint summit, evolving the former BRIC to what is known today as BRICS, the “S” referring to South Africa. This move is seen as a significant step, as its members‟ now come from four different continents and is sure to turn heads in the “old North”, what used to be the traditional Western dominance over the global economy. BRICS comprises some of the world‟s fastest growing and biggest economies, as illustrated by the statistics that emanated from the most recent summit held in Durban in March 2013. Senior Goldman Sachs economist Jim O‟ Neil, the person responsible for coining the „BRIC‟ acronym, predicted in 2001 that the combined economies of Brazil, Russia and China would overtake the United States and the G-7 countries. Since that bold statement in 2001, the words uttered by O‟Neil have become more than just a prediction. As Bidwai points out, BRICS account for over 40% of the world‟s population, 18% of its market- exchange GDP, 15% of world trade and two-fifths of its foreign currency reserves. It goes without saying that the BRICS group has many advantages and strengths that would stand it in good stead going forward. As previously stated, its members are among the fastest growing in the world, economically speaking, and were also least affected by the financial crisis that rocked many of the world‟s powerhouses. There has even been talk of a BRICS Development Bank, which was first tabled in 2012 at the Delhi summit. Although discussions are in its infancy, a proposed $100-billion currency-stabilization contingency reserve arrangement is to be negotiated...

L.LD. (Private International Law)<br>The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (the CISG or the Vienna Sales Convention) was adopted at a diplomatic conference of the United Nations held in Vienna during 1980. The Convention came into force on 1 January 1988. According to its preamble, the Convention is based on the premise that “the adoption of uniform rules which govern contracts for the international sale of goods and take into account the different social, economic and legal systems would contribute to the removal of legal barriers in international trade and promote the development of international trade”. The CISG has proven to be successful in its endeavour and currently has 74 member states representative of all legal traditions. As an international convention, the CISG has been lauded for its “simplicity, practicality and clarity”. Schlechtriem observed that the CISG has now gained worldwide acceptance. It has even been stated that the CISG has established a “world law on international sales” and that it has influenced several domestic sales laws. It is submitted that the CISG constitutes an important component of modern international commercial law or of the modern lex mercatoria. Therefore, a study that aims to establish a better understanding of the scope and functioning of the CISG and its relationship with domestic law, is of special relevance for the international business and legal community. The two basic methods of the unification of law, ie the unification of substantive law and the unification of private international law, have both been utilised in the field of the international sale of goods. The CISG is the most notable example of first mentioned method of unification.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 2007. Graduate Programme in Economics.<br>Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 128-133). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:NR38983

The 1980 United Nations Convention on the International Sale of Goods, concluded under the auspices of UNCITRAL, creates a comprehensive statutory legal framework for international sales. Through the express incorporation of the principle of freedom of contract, the convention contains rules which the parties may freely adapt to the particular circumstances of their transaction, by filling any gaps that may arise with trade usages and other practices. In addition, the convention recognises the binding force of international trade usages in certain circumstances, in that it binds parties to usages which are so widely known and have acquired such regularity of observance in international trade as to justify an expectation that they will be observed in the particular transaction. Such acknowledgment of the changing patterns and norms of behaviour which characterise international trade law allows the CISG to be categorised as a major component of the modern lex mercatoria.<br>Constitutional International & Indigenous Law<br>LL.M.

The aim of the thesis was to critically compare termination of contracts in South Africa, England and the CISG. It was found out that South Africa prefers to use the term cancellation because it is a remedy of last resort. The problem with cancellation is that is a drastic step of bringing the transaction to an abrupt and premature end, which is only used when a material breach occurs. English law uses the term discharge as it refers to the ending of the obligations under the contract when a breach occurred and represents the point at which one party is no longer bound by its’ contractual obligations and claims damages. Chapter 3 argued that though discharge goes beyond cancellation it does not cater for diverse domestic rules which need uniform international laws. Chapter 4 discussed and argued that avoidance is a term that was chosen by the CISG to end a contract when a fundamental breach occurs. There were problems on interpretation of terms and use of diverse domestic rules. The advantage of the term avoidance is that it is a technical term adopted and given a uniform meaning in the CISG where interpretation of terms and diverse domestic rules did not apply. Avoidance furthermore comprised concepts of rescission and termination. From the above it was argued that South Africa needs to develop new terms for termination of a contract and create new laws along the lines of the CISG.<br>Private Law<br>LL. M.

It is universally acknowledged that international trade and cooperation have become key drivers of SMEs. Indeed, the success of SMEs in the sales sector depends upon their capacity to conquer the foreign market and compete with larger companies. Many SMEs today, in particular those in Central and West Africa, are very much aware of this reality. However, because of differences between domestic laws and their maladjustment, many African SMEs still struggle to enter the international market and compete with larger companies. It is therefore obvious that any SMEs that want to succeed in international commerce today will be called upon to confront different regulations, whether domestic, regional or international, which are often shaped according to the realities and expectations of a particular environment. The challenge today is to regulate and harmonise these different legal systems, in order to render the law identical in numerous jurisdictions. This process of unifying the law internationally, in particular the law of sale, started in 1920 and culminated in 1988, with the implementation of the CISG. This Convention, which has become the primary law for international sales contracts, endeavours to deal with this problem of differences in law between states on a global scale, by attempting to achieve a synthesis between different legislations, such as civil law, common law, socialist law, and the law regarding industrialised and Third World countries. Even though the CISG appears to be a compromise between different legal systems, the fact remains that it is not yet applicable in many countries, especially those in Central and West Africa, which are mostly still ruled by domestic and regional law, namely the OHADA. The purpose of this study is to attempt to analyse and compare the OHADA’s Uniform Act Relating to Commercial Law to the CISG, in order to identify similarities and differences between the two, and to determine, with regard to the operating mode and structure of SMEs in West and Central Africa, which one of the two legislations is more appropriate.<br>Private Law<br>LL. M.

This research analyses the impact and materiality of South Africa’s choice not to ratify the CISG on its trade as well as relations with other states. As the point of departure, the broader events leading up to the creation of the CISG will be examined as well as UNCITRAL’s mandate and the development of trade in the local and global context. At present, the CISG has been ratified by 85 states. The decisions by common law jurisdictions such as the UK and India not to ratify the CISG as well as the delay by Brazil and Japan will be discussed. The legal, business and political or policy reasons for and against the ratification of the CISG are investigated which focuses on aspects such as legal certainty, uniformity of laws and the reduction of legal costs. An investigation is carried out regarding the historical foundations of the South African law of contract to this framework sets the tone for a comparison between the South African law and the provisions of the CISG. Lastly, a comparison is drawn between the provisions of the CISG and the South African law with specific emphasis on the remedies of specific performance and the right to claim damages which culminates in an overall conclusion that the South African law is compatible with the CISG insofar as remedies for breach of contract are concerned.<br>Mercantile Law<br>LL. M. (International Economic Law)