Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Universal banks'

The worldwide financial services industry has undergone in the past two decades an unprecedented wave of consolidation within and across its three main sub-sectors: banking, securities activities and insurance. Today's observers assert that in ten years, most of the financial sector will be controlled by a small group of huge diversified banks. By enacting the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act in 1999, Congress repealed the depression-era "Glass-Steagall" Act of 1933 and thereby officially removed the longstanding legal barriers that insulated banks from securities firms and insurance companies. As promoters of financial convergence have long been claiming that the introduction of universal banks in the United States would produce numerous benefits for themselves, but also for the economy and for their customers, these predictions can be assessed today in the light of empirical analysis. Now that "financial supermarkets" are totally legal in the United States, it is essential to assess whether they are economically and morally viable.

This thesis uses the history of the Disconto-Gesellschaft to argue that the role of universal banks in fostering German industrialization was less than has previously been assumed. The archive of the Disconto-Gesellschaft is not currently accessible, so the thesis will use industrial archives to examine the bank's relations with industrial companies. After a discussion of the literature, a summary of other Disconto-Gesellschaft ventures shows that the Dortmunder Union was not an isolated disaster, but one among many. The thesis discusses the boom of 1867-1873 and. suggests it was engendered by a spate of railway building which fed into heavy industry. The next section recounts how the collapse of universal banks during financial crises led most countries outside Germany to separate commercial from investment banking either by law or by custom. The first chapter concludes with a discussion of how German industry raised capital. The second chapter discusses the origins of the Disconto- Gesellschaft; David Hansemann's introduction of a new corporate form, the Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien; the Disconto- Gesellschaft' s rise during the crisis of 1859, relations with competitors, internal structure and the character of its management and supervisory board. The third chapter treats the history of the Dortmunder Union, and the reasons for its failure. The fourth chapter discusses Krupp's difficulties in raising funds; how the Disconto-Gesellschaft coped with the problem of lending to two competing firms, Krupp and the Union; and management of this conflict through the rail cartel. The fifth chapter uses the correspondence of Kirdorf and Russell to discuss the coal industry's plight in the 1870's, and the reasons for the success of the Gelsenkirchener Bergwerks-Actien-Gesellschaft. The conclusion suggests that private banks were more successful in financing industry than universal banks like the Disconto-Gesellschaft because their great number meant that even a Krupp could find a private banker who believed in him, and because their narrow capital bases prevented them from keeping lame ducks alive.

Due to widespread bank scandals and failures around the world, there has been renewed interest in the effect of corporate governance on bank performance. The majority of research concerning corporate governance and its effect on bank performance has been undertaken in developed countries and markets, particularly the USA and European Union but relatively little evidence is provided in Sub Saharan Africa, specifically, Ghana. This study investigates the effects of corporate governance on financial performance of Ghanaian universal banking companies during the period 2006- 2014. This study primarily employs relevant governance theories to investigate the relationship between corporate governance and bank performance. Multiple regression panel data analysis and other appropriate methods are the main tools of analysis in this study. The empirical investigation revealed a mixed set of results. The findings showed that board size, board composition, bank size and foreign ownership are positively but insignificantly related to profitability in terms of return on asset and return on equity, while board committees have a positive and statistically significant impact on financial performance which is consistent with the monitoring hypothesis of agency theory which argues that board committees are an important mechanism of corporate governance in Ghana which impact on bank performance. This study contributes to the increasing number of research studies on the link between bank performance and corporate governance. The lacked of clarity, mixed and permanent relationships provided, show that the association the association between bank performance and different corporate governance mechanisms is complex and dynamic optimal governance arrangements may differ from bank to bank in relation to governance characteristics.

Due to widespread bank scandals and failures around the world, there has been renewed interest in the effect of corporate governance on bank performance. The majority of research concerning corporate governance and its effect on bank performance has been undertaken in developed countries and markets, particularly the USA and European Union but relatively little evidence is provided in Sub Saharan Africa, specifically, Ghana. This study investigates the effects of corporate governance on financial performance of Ghanaian universal banking companies during the period 2006- 2014. This study primarily employs relevant governance theories to investigate the relationship between corporate governance and bank performance. Multiple regression panel data analysis and other appropriate methods are the main tools of analysis in this study. The empirical investigation revealed a mixed set of results. The findings showed that board size, board composition, bank size and foreign ownership are positively but insignificantly related to profitability in terms of return on asset and return on equity, while board committees have a positive and statistically significant impact on financial performance which is consistent with the monitoring hypothesis of agency theory which argues that board committees are an important mechanism of corporate governance in Ghana which impact on bank performance. This study contributes to the increasing number of research studies on the link between bank performance and corporate governance. The lacked of clarity, mixed and permanent relationships provided, show that the association the association between bank performance and different corporate governance mechanisms is complex and dynamic optimal governance arrangements may differ from bank to bank in relation to governance characteristics.

In today's high pace of globalization and constant development of organizations, it is highly crucial that companies are able to adapt and figure out how to do things differently, such as to resolve how to streamline their work with the resources they have in the best possible way. One way of doing this is through the concept of Self-leadership which is a phenomenon providing the employees with more freedom and working independently more frequently without constant external executive control. Therefore, the authors of this paper have studied how the employees can use self-leadership with the purpose to examine if self-leadership can be used as a universal concept as well as in which situations it can be utilized. Thus, this master's thesis aims to contribute to the theoretical and empirical findings regarding this concept. This, by presenting various theories about the aspects of self-leadership in order to get a better understanding of how trust, communication and reliance may facilitate the entire process and how the leader of an organization could affect the practice and outcome of self-leadership. In order to provide a more in-depth aspect regarding the individuals practicing it on a daily basis, the authors have also studied the psychological aspects that may affect the practice, bearing in mind the cultural aspects that one possesses to see how these two factors may be intertwined to the concept of self-leadership. Additionally, the authors have studied the pros and cons with self-leadership as well as to find out whether or not self-leadership can be used as a universal concept that can be applicable in all working situations, independent of what role one has or in what sector one operates in, which is also one of the focal points of this study. Further, it has been examined to what extent self-leadership affects the performance of the person practicing it. Based on the theoretical findings and empirical data collected from practitioners working with self-leadership, operating in the international banking and IT sector, 4 semi-structured interviews were conducted which resulted in conclusions such as that self-leadership can be used by anyone, at any place or any time, no matter role or organization, rather the question lays within to what extent it may be practiced as some specific situations might require it more or less. Finally, the authors of this paper believe that self-leadership is applicable in all situations and that anyone would be able to practice it if there are enough balance between trust and communication from the the individuals in the organization and if it is clear enough by the superiors to what extent it may be practiced in different situations.

At the end of the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st century, most banks in the Czech Republic got into trouble. Some banks overcome this problems, but others have to cease their activities and lost their banking license. Difficulties of banks varied from case to case, but there were some common attributes. The first objective of this work is to find these common attributes. The second objective of this work is to identify "culprits" who were most involved in the difficulties of banks in the Czech Republic in the years 1993-2003. Method of incomplete induction will be used in this work. First of all, from all banks, which had difficulties in the years 1993-2003, I selected a sample of ten banks. Then for each bank I will detect the main causes of its problems. Subsequently, through a comparative method, I will determine the most frequent causes of the problems of banks in the years 1993-2003. To each cause I will assign a group of persons or institutions that contributed to its emergence. Finally, according to frequency of institutions and groups, I will identify the main "culprits", who were most involved in the difficulties of banks in the years 1993-2003. This work will be based primarily on the sources available in the library of University of Economics, the Library of the Czech National Bank and specialized literature, which deals with this issue.

Cette thèse contient trois études sur le fonctionnement des banques.

Le premier Chapitre analyse empiriquement comment la capacité d’offrir des emprunts à long terme est influencée par la dimension des intermédiaires financiers.

Le deuxième Chapitre analyse, avec un model théorique caractérisé par la présence de soft-budget constraint, ratchet effect et short-termism, comment la pression compétitive influence la capacité des banque de financer le firmes ayant des projets de bonne qualité.

Le troisième Chapitre examine, avec un model théorique du type moral hazard common agency, le conflits d'intérêts des banques universelles.

Financial intermediaries are recognized to promote the efficiency of resource allocation by mitigating problems of incentives, asymmetric information and contract incompleteness. The role played by financial intermediaries is considered so crucial that these institutions have received all over the world the greatest attention of regulators.

Across and within banking sectors it is possible to observe a wide variety of intermediaries. Banks may differ in their size, market power and degree of specialization. This variety raises interesting questions about the features of a well functioning banking sector. These questions have inspired an important body of economic literature which, however, is still inconclusive in many aspects. This dissertation includes three studies intending to contribute in this direction.

Chapter 1 will empirically study the willingness of smaller and larger lenders to grant long-term loans which, as credit to SME's, constitute an opaque segment of the credit market. Chapter 2 analyzes, with a theoretical model, the effects of competition on the efficiency of the banking sector when this is characterized by dynamic commitment issues which brings to excessive refinancing of bad quality investments (so called soft-budget constraint) or excessive termination of good ones (ratchet effect and short-termism). Chapter 3 presents a model to investigate to what extent the distortions posed by conflicts of interest in universal banks can be addressed through the provision of appropriate incentive schemes by the different categories of clients.
Doctorat en Sciences économiques et de gestion
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Previous research of the controller role is extensive and has been studied in several sectors, whichprovides a wide range of definitions of the controller role. These definitions have contributed to an ambiguous controller role in regards to what work assignments are most important and to whom the controller should report. This thesis aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the controller role based on work assignments within a decentralised organisation working with complex financial products. This thesis also contributes to an understanding of how controllers perceive that their role is affected by their work with handling information and their report relations. This has generated three research questions: What role does the controller have in a Swedish universal bank based on work assignments? What are the eventual differences in the controller role depending on department in the organisation? How do the controllers perceive that their role is affected by their work with handling information and by their report relations? Delimitation was made to analyse controllers at various levels in Handelsbanken. In order to create an understanding of the controller role in this context, an abductive approach as been used in order to combine existing theories with empirical findings. Based on a qualitative approach, triangulation was chosen to combine assembled empirical data with semi- structured interviews. The result of this study implies that controllers mainly lean towards the role as a Business partner as they work as a support function to provide local or higher managers with relevant analysis for decision-making. Based on work processes with information, the controllers lean towards an Analyst and Coach as they generally handle all business related information. From this case study, controllers in decentralised organisations possess the role as a Specialist as they  are  situated in separate departments with a clear focus. Results also show that more automated work assignments due to technological development do not increase the controllers’ opportunity to dedicate more time on analysis. Instead, increased information flows require controllers to allocate resources towards assembling information. In terms of report relations, close adherence towards the local managers does not affect the controller’s objective reporting to higher management and the controller can arguably bemore independent within their report relations than what is described by literature.

This is a master's thesis project, which is a part of the Master Programme in Electrical Engineering at Uppsala university. When developing a product or performing measurements, it is sometimes necessary to remove some content of a signal. This might be due to an interfering source that has to be filtered out, or that only a specific frequency interval is of interest. In such a case, it would be practical if a universal frequency selective filter was available and easy to use. In this thesis, a platform for implementing different frequency selective digital filters is developed. Through a user interface, parameters such as sampling frequency, filter order, type of filter and cutoff frequencies are set by the user. This provides a platform which is easy to configure in order to run one or multiple IIR or FIR filters in various constellations. By combining different filters, a wide variety of frequency responses can be obtained. A prototype is constructed, which allows the user to connect up to two input signals and retrieve up to two output signals. The filter bank is programmed in C and implemented in a 32-bit microcontroller, base on the ARM architecture. To get a reliable prototype, a printed circuit board is designed and manufactured. To protect the electronics from external stress, a cover is designed and 3D-printed. The filter design algorithms and the algorithm used when running the filter bank gives satisfying results. The capacity of the filter bank can be increased by refining the filtering algorithm. By improving the hardware, noise generated by the electronics can be decreased. The filter bank has a really good potential to become a very useful tool.

L'essor de la RSE, tant au sein des sociétés qu'au travers des concertations internationales, illustre l'importance qu'ont pris l'éthique et la morale dans les relations d'affaires. Le banquier y tient une place centrale puisqu'il est « le moteur de toutes les activités de son temps ». Du fait de son rôle prépondérant, aussi bien pour l'économie réelle que sur les marchés financiers, il devrait agir en précurseur du développement de la RSE. Pourtant, lors de la crise de 2007, l'incitation déraisonnée au surendettement des particuliers et le recours à la titrisation pour faciliter la diffusion d'actifs toxiques ont démontré une amoralité générale des banques dans la conduite de leurs affaires. De cette crise de grande ampleur ressortent des questionnements sur l’impact de l’aléa moral sur la stabilité des États et la volonté d’apporter des réponses juridiques au risque bancaire systémique, afin de responsabiliser les banquiers et d’éviter que l’Histoire ne se répète
The growth of CSR, both within companies and through international consultations, illustrates the importance of ethics and morals in business relations. Banker holds a central place in it, as he is "the driving force of all the economic activities of his time". Because of its key role in both real economy and financial markets, banks should act as a precursor to the development of CSR. However, during the 2007 economic crisis, the unreasoned inducement to household over-indebtedness and the use of securitization to facilitate the spread of toxic assets have shown a global lack of morality of banks in the conduct of their business. This extensive crisis raises questions about the impact of moral hazard on the stability of States and how to provide efficient legal answers to systemic banking risk, in order to hold banks responsible and to prevent History from repeating itself

Between 2000 and 2015 the Millennium Development Goals were the focus of much global attention and activity. They were selected in light of astounding poverty, with over 1 billion people at the time living on less than $1 per day. In a sense the MDGs were morally undeniable. The focus of this study is MDG2, universal primary education. It sets out to establish how and why MDG2 came to be selected. Whilst its selection seems obvious, for years developing countries complained about the short-sightedness of prioritising primary over secondary and tertiary education (Klees 2008). A task force commissioned by the World Bank and UNESCO at the time showed that the Bank’s rate of return analysis on primary education was flawed. It argued that developing countries need highly educated people to be economic and social entrepreneurs, develop good governance, strong institutions and infrastructure. In this way MDG2’s selection is problematic. Using case study method, first the literature is examined. Three hypotheses are generated: one based on a rational synoptic theory, one on critical theory and one on world society theory. A range of data are used to establish findings and test hypotheses. The study then considers implications of the findings for theory and the policy process. The findings show that priorities promoting more equal opportunities, such as MDG2, were gradually preferred. Whereas priorities promoting more equal outcomes, such as elimination of trade barriers, were gradually excluded. The study finds no evidence that the General Assembly ever voted on the list of 8 MDGs. Rather, the MDGs were selected by elite policy actors, addressing multiple interests. The study considers the assertion that marginalization of the poor does not happen because people harbor ill will toward them, rather because “The poor have no friends among the global elite” (Pogge 2011, p. 62).

Cette thèse a pour but d'améliorer la compréhension des interconnexions entre les processus hydro-sédimentaires et l'évolution morphologique du littoral guyanais, formés à partir des énormes apports sédimentaires amazoniens. Elle s'appuie sur trois échelles spatiales : la côte des Guyanes, le banc de vase et la vasière. L'amortissement des houles à la côte ainsi que les processus de migration des bancs ont été étudiée à l'échelle de la côte des Guyanes. Ce travail apporte une vision structurelle des zones subtidales des bancs et met aussi en évidence les différents processus et forçages (houle, courant) responsables du transport sédimentaire, en fonction de la bathymétrie (> 5 m et < 5 m). L'évolution morphologique du banc de Kourou et des surfaces de mangrove côtières associées, ont aussi été étudiées. Un lien a ainsi été exposé entre, l'implantation des palétuviers, les régimes de courant et la topographie de la vasière. Cette relation a permis d'aborder l'aspect prédictif de l'expansion des surfaces de mangrove côtière. À l'échelle de la vasière, les zones intertidales sont divisibles en deux secteurs géographiques avec des dynamiques sédimentaires bien distinctes : le front de mer et les zones internes. La morphologie des vasières est abordée, tout comme les processus sédimentaires ayant lieu au niveau de la zone interne. Une méthode de reconstitution des apports sédimentaires de la zone interne est aussi proposée. Cette étude souligne l'importance des interactions entre les sédiments cohésifs et la houle, qui modèlent la morphologie du littoral. Les influences des forçages hydrométéorologiques sur la morphodynamique des bancs de vase et l'évolution du trit de côte sont soumises à discussion.

Orientadores: Paulo Roberto Ottoni, Francis Henrik Aubert
Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem
Made available in DSpace on 2018-07-27T16:10:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Araujo_LuziaAparecidade_D.pdf: 43876775 bytes, checksum: 1894a068d59e689d9c073009eef464a2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2001
Resumo: Esta tese se propõe a explorar o papel da terminologia na prática tradutória e na formação de tradutores no Brasil. Conforme aqui argumentado, a terminologia desempenha um importante papel no âmbito da produção e recepção de traduções, seja enquanto jargão e como atividade voltada para a identificação, compilação e recuperação dos termos característicos de uma determinada área. Todavia, sua relevância parece ainda não ter sido devidamente reconhecida no universo tradutório em nosso país, onde é raro, por exemplo, encontrarmos fontes terminológicas de auxílio à tradução em português brasileiro. Além disso, a terminologia raramente figura como disciplina oferecida nos cursos de formação de tradutores e estudos teóricos sobre suas relações com a tradução são praticamente inexistentes. No atual universo tradutológico brasileiro, a terminologia parece ainda não ter suas fronteiras claramente demarcadas nem sua importância plenamente reconhecida. Nossa exploração inicia-se com a releitura da recepção polêmica de Uma breve história do tempo - do big bang aos buracos negros, de Stephen Hawking. Nessa releitura, são detectados os buracos negros da terminologia enquanto jargão na prática tradutória. Ainda no âmbito da prática, uma investigação mais abrangente é realizada objetivando traçar o perfil atual de um grupo de tradutores e tradutoras com relação a linguagens de especialidade, à utilização de recursos terminológicos e à padronização ou normalização terminológicas. Paralelamente, são detectados buracos negros na formação profissional, por meio da análise de alguns cursos de tradução no Brasil assim como do perfil discente e docente em relação à sua abordagem da terminologia. O perfil dos cursos locais é comparado ao de cursos de formação similar no Reino Unido e República da Irlanda, por meio de análise curricular. Num segundo momento, constatamos uma falta de ressonância da crítica especializada sobre edições subseqüentes daquela tradução como também das transformações pelas quais tem passado a realidade profissional sobre o meio acadêmico. Procurando identificar as matrizes teóricas que sustentam os buracos negros da terminologia no universo da tradução, repassamos a breve história dos estudos dessas disciplinas, através de um percurso enfocando as diferentes abordagens teóricas ao longo de seu desenvolvimento, e tentando identificar singularidades que as aproximam. A partir de uma perspectiva pós-estruturalista de tradução e terminologia, procuramos iluminar os buracos negros para melhor compreender sua formação, cujos efeitos se fizeram plenamente visíveis em Uma breve história do tempo. Centralizando o foco na problemática da formação profissional, são apresentadas algumas diretrizes e subsídios que, esperamos, possam contribuir para o big bang de um novo universo tradutório, onde a importância da terminologia esteja plenamente refletida
Abstract: This research work aims at exploring the role of terminology in translating and translator training in Brazil. As we shall argue, terminology plays an important role in the production and reception of translated works, either as a specialised jargon or as the act of identifying, compiling and retrieving termsfeaturing specialised domains. However, that role has not been fully acknowledged in our universe of translation, where translation-oriented terminology tools bearing Brazilian Portuguese are hard to find Similarly, terminology has seldom figured among the disciplines offered as part of a would-be translator study programme, nor has its relationship with translation deserved a careful theoretical investigation. As an attempt to fill out this gap, this study looks at the way terminology has been approached within two galaxies of our translation universe, the galaxy of practising and the galaxy of training. It starts by analysing the Brazilian rendering of Stephen Hawking's A brief history of Time ¿ from the Big Bang to black holes, and its polemic reception. Afurther investigation is carried out by means of a questionnaire application aiming at outlining the present profile of a group of 36 in-house and freelance translators with respect to their dealing with terminology, both as a product, or specialised jargon, and as a process, or activity inherent to their practice. Secondly, an attempt is made to outline the current profile of 126 would-be translators and 17 lecturers with respect to their dealing with terminology in the scope of professional training. As a supplement to this profile, the syllabus of eight Brazilian translator training programmes are analysed and later compared to nine similar ones offered in Great Britain and Ireland In our analysis we have found black holes of terminology as a specialised jargon in the translating process of Hawking's work, which have lead to its complete rejection ampng the scientific community. By outlining the translator's profile, we have found black holes of terminology in terms of a lack of a coherent methodology as well as appropriate tools for terminology management. Results have also shown similar black holes in our current translator training scenario as my analysis suggests that our programmes fail to provide students with an appropriate training towards fulfilling the present demands of a translator's professional reality in sofar as terminology issues are concerned " In our attempt to shedding some light into the black holes previous/y detected, we have looked at the brief theoretical history of translation and terminology andfound out afew singularities shared by both disciplines. We have also found out that some contemporary theories, mainly the ones inspired by post-structuralist ideaIs, could help usfinding alternatives to reduce the effects of those black holes. We then focused our attention on the galaxy of professional training, and devised a set of guidelines to syllabus design that we expect may contribute to the birth of a new translation universe in which the role of terminology can be fully acknowledged.
Doutorado
Tradução
Doutor em Linguística Aplicada

La question de l’efficacité de l’aide publique au développement est complexe et protéiforme. L’aide se présente sous de nombreuses formes et implique de nombreux instruments et acteurs, dont les objectifs et mêmes les philosophies diffèrent fortement entre les pays et les organisations. De cet enchevêtrement, les économistes ont jusqu’alors échoué dans leurs recherches de relations macroéconomiques robustes censées guider l’action publique. Ainsi, aucun consensus ne semble pour l’instant émerger de ce débat. Dès lors, l’orientation des politiques de développement a essentiellement été influencée par des hypothèses contestables reposant sur des fondements empiriques fragiles. Ce travail tente d’apporter de nouveaux éléments au débat sur l’efficacité de l’aide au travers de sept essais. Les trois premiers chapitres se consacrent à la question de la relation entre aide et croissance du point de vue statistique. Les nouvelles approches qui y sont proposées tentent de surmonter la plupart des défauts de la littérature empirique existante. Nous y montrons que la relation entre aide et croissance est extrêmement complexe et qu’il est difficile de l’appréhender à l’aide des méthodes économétriques usuelles. De plus, bien que l’aide semble globalement efficace en termes de croissance du PIB, son efficacité dépend de différents facteurs révélés par la présence de seuils aussi bien conditionnels que non-Conditionnels. Parmi ces facteurs, la vulnérabilité économique semble jouer un rôle primordial et sa prise en compte s’avère indispensable pour une compréhension globale du lien entre l’aide et la croissance économique. Dans une seconde partie, les deux chapitres suivants s’intéressent plus particulièrement à l’aide sectorielle, à travers l’étude de l’efficacité de deux initiatives largement reconnues que sont l’aide à la scolarisation primaire universelle et l’aide au commerce. Leur efficacité sera alors déterminée non plus en termes de croissance du PIB mais en termes de scolarisation et de performance à l’exportation. A l’instar des trois premiers chapitres, nos résultats semblent confirmer la présence d’une relation significative entre l’aide et les objectifs visés. Nos conclusions, notamment celles en termes d’éducation, vont clairement à l’encontre de l’idée selon laquelle l’aide aurait fait plus de mal que de bien. Enfin, en se basant sur les résultats précédents, les chapitres six et sept explorent, dans une troisième partie, les possibilités d’amélioration des stratégies actuelles d’allocation de l’aide mises en œuvre notamment par les grands bailleurs multilatéraux. Une de nos principales observations est que la vulnérabilité économique est un facteur important devant être pris en compte dans le design des méthodes d’allocation de l’aide
Aid effectiveness is a complex issue. Aid comes in many instruments, has many targets and involves many stakeholders whose objectives, methods and philosophy greatly differ across countries and institutions. From this mixed bag, economists have struggled finding strong regularities at the macroeconomic level to guide the political debate and consensus have failed to emerge. Hence, political stances have often been influenced by strong assumptions based on weak or at least hotly debated evidence. This work is an attempt to provide new perspectives on the aid effectiveness debate through seven essays. The first three chapters address the technical question of the aid/growth relationship issue using new approaches and new statistical instruments in an attempt to overcome most of the caveats of the aid empirical literature. We show that the aid/growth relationship is complex and difficult to measure using common statistical methods. Moreover, while aid is globally effective, its effectiveness depends on different factors reflected by the existence of conditional and unconditional thresholds. Among those factors, economic vulnerability seems to be a key component that has to be taken into account in order to identify this relationship. In a second part, we try to assess the effectiveness of two flagship initiatives which are Aid for Trade and Universal Primary Education with regards to the outcomes they ultimately target, namely, export performance for the former and school enrolment, gender parity and repetition rate in primary school for the later. As in the first three chapters, our results support the existence of a significant relationship between aid and the targeted outcomes. Those results, notably for the education sector, clearly argue against the idea that aid has done more bad then good. Finally, based on previous results, in a third part, chapters six and seven explore the mean to improve the current aid allocation strategies used notably by the Multilateral Development Banks. One of the main conclusions is that economic vulnerability is a central factor to be taken into account in the design of aid allocation strategies

En exploration pétrolière, la technique d'imagerie la plus couramment utilisée reste l'imagerie par sismique réflexion. Elle permet d'obtenir une première représentation des structures géologiques mais aussi une estimation du coefficient de réflexion des interfaces du sous-sol. Les variations de ce coefficient dépendent des paramètres pétrophysiques des milieux situés de part et d'autre de la discontinuité donnant naissance à la réflexion (densité et vitesses des ondes de propagation et de cisaillement). Une analyse de ces variations permet ainsi d'évaluer les paramètres élastiques qui sont des données indispensables et complémentaires à l'interprétation des réservoirs. Les traitements classiques consistent à étudier ces variations directement sur des données enregistrées en fonction du déport et du temps de propagation. L'analyse s'effectue par inversion d'une approximation linéaire des équations de Zoeppritz régissant les variations théoriques de l'amplitude. Nous proposons ici d'étudier les variations de l'amplitude après la phase d'imagerie, directement dans le domaine profondeur. Pour réaliser cette analyse, nous proposons un traitement spécifique après l'imagerie et avant l'analyse de l'amplitude pour corriger les impacts liés à la qualité du modèle de vitesse, à l'interférence des ondelettes entre deux réflexions proches et à l'étirement de l'ondelette. Ce traitement a aussi permis l'obtention d'un squelette du sous-sol conduisant à une première interprétation en profondeur des réflecteurs majeurs.

En Haïti, l’effort public pour l’éducation reste insuffisant. De plus, l’enseignement primaire est peu développé et de qualité faible. Ainsi, en dépit des progrès substantiels qui ont été réalisés durant ces vingt cinq dernières années, le pays reste très en retard face á l’objectif de l’éducation pour tous (EPT). En effet, les dernières données statistiques disponibles indiquent que plus de 4 500 000 filles et garçons sont actuellement en dehors du système scolaire. Outre l’abandon, le redoublement, le mauvais regroupement des élèves, l’encadrement pédagogique est médiocre. Ce qui pèse négativement sur les acquisitions des élèves. Les mauvais résultats obtenus des élèves aux examens officiels en témoignent. Par ailleurs, la rémunération des enseignants est très insignifiante et les conditions d’exercice de la profession enseignante laisse à désirer. Enfin, le système scolaire souffre d’un déficit de pilotage, de gouvernance et d’efficacité externe.Pour accompagner les décideurs politiques haïtiens et planificateurs nationaux dans leurs stratégies d’action en faveur de l’éducation pour tous, les principales organisations multilatérales, notamment la Banque mondiale, mettent en œuvre le Projet d’Education pour tous (EPT I et II). Spécifiquement, le Projet d’Ecoles Publiques à Gestion Communautaire (EPGC) cible la scolarisation primaire universelle (SPU) dans des milieux ruraux défavorisés où l’accès à l’enseignement primaire de base demeure un bien rare, voire inexistant dans les régions ciblées. Par l’aide. Cependant, malgré les divers projets ou programmes d’aide internationaux dédiés notamment à l’expansion de la scolarisation universelle sur l’ensemble du territoire national du pays, atteindre l’éducation pour tous est très aléatoire.Les conclusions de l’enquête empirique montrent que de nombreuses difficultés nuisent à la mise en œuvre effective de l’aide et ceci tant au niveau central, départemental et communal. Les données collectées sur le terrain indiquent un impact significatif sur la participation des acteurs locaux dans la gestion des affaires éducatives. Sur le plan des réalisations éducatives, les analyses de l’investigation confirment des effets sur les taux nets d’accès à l’école ainsi qu’un impact appréciable sur la parité filles-garçons. Les conclusions de l’enquête révèlent quelques effets pervers par exemple sur la qualité de l’école, des dynamiques locales, ainsi que des modes d’organisation administrative et de gestion pédagogique du système scolaire dans les zones allocataires ciblées pour la mise en application du Projet EPGC. Aussi, l’objectif de l’éducation pour tous ne sera pas atteint en Haïti et le chemin semble encore long.
In Haiti, the public effort for education is insufficient. Primary education is underdeveloped and is of low quality. Despite substantial progress made during the last twenty five years, the country is still far behind from achieving the goal of Education for All (EFA). The latest available statistics indicate that more than 4.5 million girls and boys are currently outside the school system. Abandonment, repetition, bad grouping of students and poor educational support reflect negatively on learning achievement. Teachers' salaries are insignificant and teaching conditions deprived. Hence, the school system suffers a deficit of control, governance and external efficiency.To accompany Haitian national planners and policy makers in their strategies for universal education, major multilateral organizations, including the World Bank, implement the Project Education for All (EFA I and II) also called. Through a program called “Project for Public Schools to Community Management (PPSCM)” they aim to achieve universal primary education in some disadvantaged rural areas where access to basic primary education remains inadequate or nonexistent. However, despite the various projects or international aid programs dedicated to the expansion of universal education all over Haiti, the goal of achieving Education for All is far from being reached.The findings of our empirical analysis show, the positive effect of international aid on school access and its significant impact on gender parity in Haiti. On the other hand, it exposes many difficulties that obstruct an effective implementation of international aid for education in Haiti at central, departmental and communal levels. The data collected in the field point out some negative effects, for example on the quality of the school, local dynamics, as well as administrative organization methods and educational management of the school system in areas where the PPSCM is implemented. The conclusion of this study reveals that the goal of Education for All will not be achieved and there still is a long way to go to provide school to all children in Haiti

Les fluctuations climatiques Quaternaires (<2.5 Ma) offrent un contexte approprié à l'étude de l'impact du changement climatique actuel sur la biodiversité. La dernière glaciation, dont le maximum glaciaire s'est terminé il y a environ 19 000 ans, a ainsi largement participé à la distribution des espèces actuelles. Les derniers milliers d'années constituent donc une période propice à l'étude de la mise en place et du maintien de la biodiversité.L'objectif de ma thèse a été de mieux comprendre comment une espèce de rongeur forestier apparue il y a environ 2 Ma, le campagnol roussâtre (Myodes glareolus), a répondu à ces cycles du Quaternaire. Mon étude s'est basée sur une approche morphométrique de plusieurs caractères impliqués dans la mastication (mandibule et molaires), visant à quantifier la différenciation de forme associée à l'influence de différents facteurs.Des résultats contrastés ont été obtenus selon le caractère considéré, la mandibule montrant une importante variabilité liée aux variations de la structure d'âge des populations. Au contraire, les molaires ont pu être utilisées comme marqueur de la structuration biogéographique du campagnol roussâtre.L'étude dans l'actuel des variations de taille et de forme des molaires et mandibules du campagnol roussâtre Myodes glareolus a nécessité l'intégration de thématiques variées touchant au patrimoine génétique des organismes, à leur développement, aux traits d'histoire de vie, à l'environnement, etc. Ceci a permis de mieux appréhender la complexité des processus conduisant à la grande diversité des patrons de forme observés chez le campagnol roussâtre.

[ES] La estandarización de la Quinta Generación de redes móviles o 5G, ha concluido este año 2020. No obstante, en el año 2014 cuando la ITU empezó el proceso de estandarización IMT-2020, una de las principales interrogantes era cuál sería la forma de onda sobre la cual se construiría la capa física de esta nueva generación de tecnologías. El 3GPP se comprometió a entregar una tecnología candidata al proceso IMT-2020, y es así como dentro de este proceso de deliberación se presentaron varias formas de onda candidatas, las cuales fueron evaluadas en varios aspectos hasta que en el año 2016 el 3GPP tomó una decisión, continuar con CP-OFDM (utilizada en 4G) con numerología flexible. Una vez decidida la forma de onda, el proceso de estandarización continuó afinando la estructura de la trama, y todos los aspectos intrínsecos de la misma. Esta tesis acompañó y participó de todo este proceso. Para empezar, en esta disertación se evaluaron las principales formas de onda candidatas al 5G. Es así que se realizó un análisis teórico de cada forma de onda, destacando sus fortalezas y debilidades, tanto a nivel de implementación como de rendimiento. Posteriormente, se llevó a cabo una implementación real en una plataforma Software Defined Radio de tres de las formas de onda más prometedoras (CP-OFDM, UFMC y OQAM-FBMC), lo que permitió evaluar su rendimiento en términos de la tasa de error por bit, así como la complejidad de su implementación. Esta tesis ha propuesto también el uso de una solución armonizada como forma de onda para el 5G y sostiene que sigue siendo una opción viable para sistemas beyond 5G. Dado que ninguna de las forma de onda candidatas era capaz de cumplir por sí misma con todos los requisitos del 5G, en lugar de elegir una única forma de onda se propuso construir un transceptor que fuese capaz de construir todas las principales formas de onda candidatas (CP-OFDM, P-OFDM, UFMC, QAM-FBMC, OQAM-FBMC). Esto se consiguió identificando los bloques comunes entre las formas de onda, para luego integrarlos junto con el resto de bloques indispensables para cada forma de onda. La motivación para esta solución era tener una capa física que fuese capaz de cumplir con todos los aspectos del 5G, seleccionando siempre la mejor forma de onda según el escenario. Esta propuesta fue evaluada en términos de complejidad, y los resultados se compararon con la complejidad de cada forma de onda. La decisión de continuar con CP-OFDM con numerología flexible como forma de onda para el 5G se puede considerar también como una solución armonizada, ya que al cambiar el prefijo cíclico y el número de subportadoras, cambian también las prestaciones del sistema. En esta tesis se evaluaron todas las numerologías propuestas por el 3GPP sobre cada uno de los modelos de canal descritos para el 5G (y considerados válidos para sistemas beyond 5G), teniendo en cuenta factores como la movilidad de los equipos de usuario y la frecuencia de operación; para esto se utilizó un simulador de capa física del 3GPP, al que se hicieron las debidas adaptaciones con el fin de evaluar el rendimiento de las numerologías en términos de la tasa de error por bloque. Finalmente, se presenta un bosquejo de lo que podría llegar a ser la Sexta Generación de redes móviles o 6G, con el objetivo de entender las nuevas aplicaciones que podrían ser utilizadas en un futuro, así como sus necesidades. Completado el estudio llevado a cabo en esta tesis, se puede afirmar que como se propuso desde un principio la solución, tanto para el 5G como para beyond 5G, la solución es la armonización de las formas de onda. De los resultados obtenidos se puede corroborar que una solución armonizada permite alcanzar un ahorro computacional entre el 25-40% para el transmisor y del 15-25% para el receptor. Además, fue posible identificar qué numerología CP-OFDM es la más adecuada para cada escenario, lo que permitiría optimizar el diseño y despliegue de las redes 5G. Esto abriría la puerta a hacer lo mismo con el 6G, ya que en esta tesis se considera que será necesario abrir nuevamente el debate sobre cuál es la forma de onda adecuada para esta nueva generación de tecnologías, y se plantea que el camino a seguir es optar por una solución armonizada con distintas formas de onda, en lugar de solo una como sucede con el 5G.
[CA] L'estandardització de la Quinta Generació de xarxes mòbils o 5G, ha conclòs enguany 2020. No obstant això, l'any 2014 quan la ITU va començar el procés d'estandardització IMT-2020, uns dels principals interrogants era quina seria la forma d'onda sobre la qual es construiria la capa física d'esta nova generació de tecnologies. El 3GPP es va comprometre a entregar una tecnologia candidata al procés IMT-2020, i és així com dins d'este procés de deliberació es van presentar diverses formes d'onda candidates, les quals van ser avaluades en diversos aspectes fins que l'any 2016 el 3GPP va prendre una decisió, continuar amb CP-OFDM (utilitzada en 4G) amb numerología flexible. Una vegada decidida la forma d'onda, el procés d'estandardització va continuar afinant la frame structure (no se m'ocorre nom en espanyol), i tots els aspectes intrínsecs de la mateixa. Esta tesi va acompanyar i va participar de tot este procés. Per a començar, en esta dissertació es van avaluar les principals formes d'onda candidates al 5G. És així que es va realitzar una anàlisi teòrica de cada forma d'onda, destacant les seues fortaleses i debilitats, tant a nivell d'implementació com de rendiment. Posteriorment, es va dur a terme una implementació real en una plataforma Software Defined Radio de tres de les formes d'onda més prometedores (CP-OFDM, UFMC i OQAM-FBMC), la qual cosa va permetre avaluar el seu rendiment en termes de la taxa d'error per bit, així com la complexitat de la seua implementació. Esta tesi ha proposat també l'ús d'una solució harmonitzada com a forma d'onda per al 5G i sosté que continua sent una opció viable per a sistemes beyond 5G. Atés que cap de les forma d'onda candidates era capaç de complir per si mateixa amb tots els requeriments del 5G, en compte de triar una única forma d'onda es va proposar construir un transceptor que fóra capaç de construir totes les principals formes d'onda candidates (CP-OFDM, P-OFDM, UFMC, QAM-FBMC, OQAM-FBMC). Açò es va aconseguir identificant els blocs comuns entre les formes d'onda, per a després integrar-los junt amb la resta de blocs indispensables per a cada forma d'onda. La motivació per a esta solució era tindre una capa física que fóra capaç de complir amb tots els aspectes del 5G, seleccionant sempre la millor forma d'onda segons l'escenari. Esta proposta va ser avaluada en termes de complexitat, i els resultats es van comparar amb la complexitat de cada forma d'onda. La decisió de continuar amb CP-OFDM amb numerología flexible com a forma d'onda per al 5G es pot considerar també com una solució harmonitzada, ja que al canviar el prefix cíclic i el número de subportadores, canvien també les prestacions del sistema. En esta tesi es van avaluar totes les numerologías propostes pel 3GPP sobre cada un dels models de canal descrits per al 5G (i considerats vàlids per a sistemes beyond 5G), tenint en compte factors com la mobilitat dels equips d'usuari i la freqüència d'operació; per a açò es va utilitzar un simulador de capa física del 3GPP, a què es van fer les degudes adaptacions a fi d'avaluar el rendiment de les numerologías en termes de la taxa d'error per bloc. Finalment, es presenta un esbós del que podria arribar a ser la Sexta Generació de xarxes mòbils o 6G, amb l'objectiu d'entendre les noves aplicacions que podrien ser utilitzades en un futur, així com les seues necessitats. Completat l'estudi dut a terme en esta tesi, es pot afirmar que com es va proposar des d'un principi la solució, tant per al 5G com per a beyond 5G, la solució és l'harmonització de les formes d'onda. dels resultats obtinguts es pot corroborar que una solució harmonitzada permet aconseguir un estalvi computacional entre el 25-40% per al transmissor i del 15-25% per al receptor. A més, va ser possible identificar què numerología CP-OFDM és la més adequada per a cada escenari, la qual cosa permetria optimitzar el disseny i desplegament de les xarxes 5G. Açò obriria la porta a fer el mateix amb el 6G, ja que en esta tesi es considera que serà necessari obrir novament el debat sobre quina és la forma d’onda adequada per a esta nova generació de tecnologies, i es planteja que el camí que s’ha de seguir és optar per una solució harmonitzada amb distintes formes d’onda, en compte de només una com succeïx amb el 5G.
[EN] The standardization of the Fifth Generation of mobile networks or 5G is still ongoing, although the first releases of the standard were completed two years ago and several 5G networks are up and running in several countries around the globe. However, in 2014 when the ITU began the IMT-2020 standardization process, one of the main questions was which would be the waveform to be used on the physical layer of this new generation of technologies. The 3GPP committed to submit a candidate technology to the IMT-2020 process, and that is how within this deliberation process several candidate waveforms were presented. After a thorough evaluation regarding several aspects, in 2016 the 3GPP decided to continue with CP-OFDM (used in 4G) but including, as a novelty, the use of a flexible numerology. Once the waveform was decided, the standardization process continued to fine-tune the frame structure and all the intrinsic aspects of it. This thesis accompanied and participated in this entire process. To begin with, this dissertation evaluates the main 5G candidate waveforms. Therefore, a theoretical analysis of each waveform is carried out, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses, both at the implementation and performance levels. Subsequently, a real implementation on a Software Defined Radio platform of three of the most promising waveforms (CP-OFDM, UFMC, and OQAM-FBMC) is presented, which allows evaluating their performance in terms of bit error rate, as well as the complexity of its implementation. This thesis also proposes the use of a harmonized solution as a waveform for 5G and argues that it remains a viable option for systems beyond 5G. Since none of the candidate waveforms was capable of meeting on its own with all the requirements for 5G, instead of choosing a single waveform, this thesis proposes to build a transceiver capable of building all the main waveforms candidates (CP-OFDM, P-OFDM, UFMC, QAM-FBMC, OQAM-FBMC). This is achieved by identifying the common blocks between the waveforms and then integrating them with the rest of the essential blocks for each waveform. The motivation for this solution is to have a physical layer that is capable of complying with all aspects of beyond 5G technologies, always selecting the best waveform according to the scenario. This proposal is evaluated in terms of complexity, and the results are compared with the complexity of each waveform. The decision to continue with CP-OFDM with flexible numerology as a waveform for 5G can also be considered as a harmonized solution, since changing the cyclic prefix and the number of subcarriers, changes also the performance of the system. In this thesis, all the numerologies proposed by the 3GPP are evaluated on each of the channel models described for 5G (and considered valid for beyond 5G systems), taking into account factors such as the mobility of the user equipment and the operating frequency. For this, a 3GPP physical layer simulator is used, and proper adaptations are made in order to evaluate the performance of the numerologies in terms of the block error rate. Finally, a sketch of what could become the Sixth Generation of mobile networks or 6G is presented, with the aim of understanding the new applications that could be used in the future, as well as their needs. After the completion of the study carried out in this thesis, it can be said that, as stated from the beginning, for both 5G and beyond 5G systems, the solution is the waveform harmonization. From the results obtained, it can be corroborated that a harmonized solution allows achieving computational savings between 25-40% for the transmitter and 15-25% for the receiver. In addition, it is possible to identify which CP-OFDM numerology is the most appropriate for each scenario, which would allow optimizing the design and deployment of 5G networks. This would open the door to doing the same with 6G, i.e., a harmonized solution with different waveforms, instead of just one as in 5G.
Flores De Valgas Torres, FJ. (2020). Study on Air Interface Variants and their Harmonization for Beyond 5G Systems [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/164442
TESIS

Sammanfattning Den som är under arton år är omyndig, vilket innebär att denne inte får råda över sina tillgångar och ingå avtal med bindande verkan enligt FB 9 kap. 1§. Vanligtvis är den omyndiges föräldrar både vårdnadshavare och förmyndare för sitt barn. Det är förmyndares ansvar att förvalta barnets tillgångar. Överstiger värdet på dessa tillgångar åtta gånger prisbasbelopp eller har tillgångar ett särskilt ursprung och karaktär enligt FB 13 kap. 2§, står föräldraförvaltningen under överförmyndarens tillsyn. Det ger ett sakrättsligt skydd för barnets egendom i situationer när föräldrarna har råkat på utmätning eller konkurs. Understiger tillgångar denna gräns eller saknas krav på särskild överförmyndarkontroll står det föräldrarna fritt att bestämma hur de tillgångarna kan användas eller placeras enligt FB 13 kap. 1§. Dock stadgas det i FB 13 kap. 1 och 7§§ att barnets tillgångar skall hållas separat och det som inte används för barnets behov skall göras räntebärande. Föräldrar har underhållsplikt för sina barn enligt FB 7 kap. 1§ efter vad som är skäligt med hänsyn till barnets behov och föräldrarnas samlade ekonomiska förmåga samt den omyndiges tillgångar och sociala förmåner. Staten tilldelar varje barn bosatt i Sverige det allmänna barnbidraget. Bidraget är avsett för barnets uppfostran och uppehälle men utbetalas till barnets vårdnadshavare. Hur det allmänna barnbidraget skall användas står föräldrarna fritt så länge barnets behov är tillgodosedd. Storleken på det allmänna barnbidraget täcker endast en del av de kostnader som det innebär att ha ett barn i familjen. Detta är för att föräldrar har det primära försörjningsansvaret, medan statens ansvar är sekundärt. Föräldrar har således dispositionsrätt över det allmänna barnbidraget och kan välja att antingen använda hela beloppet eller att placera det på ett separat bankkonto för att säkra barnets ekonomi i framtiden. På vilket sätt hanteras detta konto avgör om tillgodohavandet kan sakrättsligt skyddas mot föräldrarnas borgenärer vid utmätningsärenden.
Abstract A person under the age of eighteen is underage, which means that he cannot reign over his own assets and cannot conclude legally binding agreements according to FB 9 chapter 1§. Usually it's the parents that have custody and guardianship of their child. It is the guardian's responsibility to manage the child's assets. If the value of the assets exceeds the eight base amount or if the assets have a particular origin (inheritance, legacy or gift) or character according to FB 13 chapter 2§ then parents conduct is the subject of the overguardian’s supervision. It obtains protection for the child's property against parents’ creditors in situations when parents are facing foreclosure or bankruptcy. If the underaged’s assets value is below that limit or if there’s no requirements for overguardian’s supervision, the parents can freely determine how these assets can be used or place money into a bank account according to the FB 13 chapter 1§. However, FB 13 chapter 1 and 7§§ requires that the child's assets shall be separated from parents property and what isn’t used for the child's needs shall bring interests. Parents have a duty of alimony for their children as stated by FB 7 chapter 1§ out of consideration for child’s reasonable needs and parents' overall economic capacity along with the child's own assets and social benefits. The state assigns each child resident in Sweden the universal child allowance which is intended for the child's upbringing and living expenses, but it is paid to the child's guardian. The parents decide freely way the universal child allowance is to be used, as long as the child's needs are satisfied. The amount of the universal child allowance covers only a part of the costs of having a child in the family. This is because the parents have the primary maintenance obligation, while the state's responsibility is secondary. Parents thus have disposition over the universal child allowance and may choose to spend either the whole amount for the child's needs or to place the amount in a separate bank account to secure the child's economy in the future. The way this account is managed determines whether the money can be protected against parental creditors at execution issues.

Les recherches effectuées s'inscrivent dans une convention DRET/CNRS relative aux problèmes de dynamique sédimentaire dans une baie dominée par les courants de marée. Elle combine l'étude descriptive des unités morphosédimentaires à la modélisation des phénomènes à la surface du fond. Située au Sud du Golfe normand-breton, la baie du Mont-Saint-Michel réputée pour ses marnages exceptionnels s'étend dans sa globalité, entre l'archipel des Iles Chausey au Nord et la côte constituée de falaises briovériennes au Sud. On distingue ainsi de part et d'autre de l'archipel deux larges passes. La présence de hauts-fonds et d'éperons rocheux perturbent localement le gradient décroissant des courants de marée du large vers les estrans. Le flot plus court que le jusant est également plus intense. Les rivières qui se jettent dans la baie ont des débits très faibles par rapport au volume oscillant qui pénètre et qui se retire à chaque marée de ce vaste système en voie de comblement. Les courants tidaux, temporairement contrariés ou renforcés par les houles, demeurent les principaux moteurs de la construction du prisme sédimentaire holocène. L'analyse des ensembles et des corps sédimentaires de la baie s'appuie sur un canevas de prélèvements sédimentaires dense et des carottages sub-surfaces, sur la prospection par sonar à balayage latéral, sondeur et caméra vidéo, ainsi que sur la mise en place de stations courantologiques et hydrologiques. La couverture sédimentaire grossière composée d'éléments de socle affleurant, de cailloutis et de graviers occupe la partie centrale de la baie soumise aux plus forts courants de marée. Ces fonds durs de type "gravel lag" sont peu mobiles mais sont le siège d'une forte dynamique sédimentaire superficielle organisée sous la forme d'un réseau chevelu de rubans sableux rectilignes. Les limites du prisme sableux débutent vers -10 m de profondeur. L'influence des caps rocheux du Grouin, de Granville et de Champeaux sur la propagation de l'onde de marée est à l'origine de son modelé et de l'avancée de la nappe graveleuse jusqu'au domaine intertidal dans certains secteurs. Ainsi trois larges couloirs sableux mettent en contact le delta de marée, vaste piège de sable fin mobile et ces fonds grossiers. Les bancs côtiers de la baie maritime sont connectés au prisme littoral. Leur morphologie comme celle des dunes tidales associées est contrôlée par les courants de marée chenalisés entre les dépressions creusées autour de la pointe du Grouin. Le prisme sableux qui s'appuie entre Granville et la pointe de Champeux est également modelé de bancs et de grandes dunes tidales. Plus ouvert vers l'Ouest, il est également davantage soumis à l'action des houles océaniques. Les conditions de faible bathymétrie et l'agitation du plan d'eau déstabilisent la morphologie de ces structures. Dans cet environnement où les séquences sédimentaires maintenant bien établies sont organisées en fonction de l'intensité des courants de marée, la prolifération de la crépidule depuis 30 ans est un élément nouveau et important dans la répartition des faciès sédimentaires. La biomasse vivante et morte est estimée à 214 000 t. entre 0 et 10 m de profondeur. La production de bioagrégats et leur piégeage dans les colonies favorisent l'installation de vasières dans des milieux jusqu'alors peu favorables aux dépôts des vases et à leur stabilisation. La convergence des résultats des différentes méthodes indirectes de détermination des directions et des sens des transits sédimentaires montrent l'existence à l'échelle de la baie de vaste couloirs de transit des sédiments depuis le large vers le domaine intertidal, des régions sources car potentiellement érodables et proches des zones à fort bilan sédimentaire et des pièges sédimentaires mobiles servant de relais à la dynamique des sédiments qui viennent s'accumuler dans la baie orientale. Le volume de sable calculé par le code numérique et pénétrant dans le système pré-estuarien à partir des marées de VE moyennes, a été évalué à 500000 m3/an, le volume des suspensions traversant la radiale bec d'Endaine-Hermelle à 900000 m3/an. Ces valeurs calculées dans des conditions d'agitation nulle recoupent les travaux antérieurs mais sont probablement minorées. Elles soulignent l'importance des phénomènes hydrodynamiques contrôlés par les courants de marée dans cette région du Golfe et pour tous les petits estuaires de la facade Manche-Altantique à très faible débit fluvial.

L'atmosphère terrestre est le siège d'un transport de matière, en particulier d'éléments d'origines diverses, dont une proportion importante résulte des activités humaines. Ce phénomène induit des conséquences parfois graves, pour la santé humaine et pour la fonctionnalité des écosystèmes. Les éléments ainsi transférés sont redéposés, de manière complexe, à la surface de la terre, avec une cartographie de distribution très inégale, des possibilités d'accumulation, ou au contraire de dilution, variables, conduisant à des altérations diversifiées de la composition des eaux et des sols et de la fonctionnalité des êtres vivants. La redéposition atmosphérique est étudiée depuis une cinquantaine d'année sur les troncs des arbres, qui constituent une matrice verticale commune, très enrichie par l'apport atmosphérique, et pouvant mener soit à une analyse de composition, soit à des études de bioindication. Il en a découlé des tests de routine largement utilisés. Cependant, pour définir avec précision les apports d'origine anthropique et mieux maîtriser, en vue de les réduire, les apports anormaux ou dangereux, une étude en profondeur de cette déposition corticale devait être entreprise. C'est l'objet de ce mémoire. Au regard de la complexité du problème abordé, nous nous sommes essentiellement limités à l'étude d'une seule espèce d'arbre : Fraxinus excelsior L. , très commun dans notre zone d'étude et couvrant une vaste échelle d'altitude. Notre démarche analytique a consisté à combiner une analyse élémentaire très complète et sensible, l'ICP-MS avec une observation en microscopie à balayage couplée à la détermination de l'émission de rayons X spécifique des éléments présents. Cet ensemble de deux méthodes a permis de combiner identification - dosage précis - localisation - distinction entre états particulaire et dispersé. La déposition atmosphérique a été considérée sur une échelle de temps allant de 3 mois à 40 ans, en séparant les pousses successives des arbres. Nous avons séparé le dépôt superficiel sur les surfaces végétales d'une fraction solidement intégrée dans les tissus des tiges, spécialement le suber. Ces deux entités ne correspondent pas à la même chronologie. Nous avons montré que le dépôt de surface était, de fait, un écosystème construit sur un biotope alimenté conjointement par l'atmosphère et par l'arbre lui-même et qu'il comportait une phase vivante reviviscente et pour partie photosynthétique. Ce dépôt superficiel est déplacé en grande partie par la pluie. Le suber, couche apoplastique imperméable, a une bonne capacité de rétention des éléments à long terme et constitue, comparativement aux autres tissus des tiges, une matrice très intéressante pour percevoir l'apport atmosphérique sur plusieurs décennies. Pour déterminer valablement les apports atmosphériques d'origine anthropique qui s'accumulaient dans ces deux types de matrices, nous avons conçu un système de calcul (AAEF) permettant de les séparer des apports géogéniques et biologiques. Par ailleurs, constatant que l'apport atmosphérique comportait deux types de constituants, soit dispersés, soit particulaires, nous avons conçu et mis en œuvre un protocole de fractionnement basé 1) sur l'incinération, 2) sur les traitements successifs à l'eau et à l'acide nitrique concentré (2N) qui nous a permis d'étudier isolément une phase particulaire dans laquelle la masse des matériaux géogéniques se trouve rassemblée avec l'essentiel du plomb et du manganèse, la phase HNO3 concentrant les éléments comme le cuivre et le zinc et une phase H2O contenant l'essentiel du potassium. Les profils de distribution entre les différentes fractions semblent constituer une information intéressante sur la spéciation de plusieurs types d'éléments. L'ensemble du corpus méthodologique ainsi édifié permet d'accéder à des études assez réalistes d'historique et de distribution géographique des polluants élémentaires à des échelles de distances variées
Human activities are responsible for the atmospheric transfer of several types of compounds among which elements are present. One of the secondary effects of such transfer may be to affect human health and the functionality of ecosystems. After atmospheric transfer, a complex deposition of the elements occurs on the earth surface, with very unequal distribution, accumulation or dilution inducing quite different effects on water and soil composition and on the functionalities of living beings. The deposition process has been studied for approximately half a century on tree trunks. These organs constitute a very common vertical matrix on which quantitative or biomonitoring studies can be efficiently carried out, thus offering widely used routine tests. However, for a better exploitation of the information contained in such deposits, a much better understanding of this type of deposition was required. Such is the purpose of this report. A single tree species was chosen for this study: Fraxinus excelsior L. , a very common tree for our region, which was cultivated in the campus station and which could be found at several altitudes between 200 and 1700 m. Our methodological approach consisted in mixing two types of analytical techniques: ICP-MS and SEM-EDX which allowed to obtain an accurate concentration measurement of trace elements, a determination of their location or distribution at a microscopic scale and a chemical determination of the composition of crystallized or precipitated compounds. The time-scale of our studies on deposits ranged from 3 months to 40 years. Two types of fractions were analysed separately: a superficial one, on the stems, and another one, integrated inside the suber tissue and also inside other tissues. It was demonstrated that the superficial deposit was in fact a component of a specific small ecosystem characterized by a non-negligible photosynthetic rate and by a reviviscent ability. The superficial deposit is submitted to a partial lixiviation by rain. The suber tissue is a waterproof, apoplastic layer able to tightly retain most of the elements over long periods of time. It seems to be the best tissue for retaining atmospheric components over several decades. The deposit has several possible origins geogenic, biogenic or anthropogenic. In order to focus on this last fraction, a new system of calculation was conceived, which allows to determine the composition of an atmospheric anthropic elements fraction (AAEF). Moreover, this AAEF was fractionated into two parts, a dispersed one inside the deposit and a pattern of solid particles which were found either in the superficial deposit or inside the suber but not in the other tissues. A purification of the solid particles fraction was carried out, separating the water-soluble elements, the HNO3 2N-soluble ones and the solid residue. This last fraction contains most of the geogenic components, and of the Pb and Mn contents. The HNO3 fraction concentrates the elements such as Zn and Cu. The main purification steps are associated to the presence of the whole stock of dispersed K and Na inside the water phase and of Ca in the HNO3 fraction. This fractionation probably allows interesting speciation studies. With all these new experimental approaches, it seems possible to obtain realistic analyses of the historical and geographical distributions of elements deposits on different spatial scales

碩士
長榮大學
企業管理學系碩士班
99
The overbanking problem in Taiwan started from the financial deregulations in 1992, when government allowed new banks to be established. Most studies take the same efficient frontier assumption to measure the efficiency of banks, and always neglect the environmental factors . Thus, using data on 32 banks in Taiwan over 2006 to 2008, this study adopts Three–stage System DEA to investigate the operating efficiency of banks under different efficient frontier systems in Taiwan. The empirical results show that（1）the efficient reference sets of the banks would be wrongly judged if the efficiencies of banks in different efficient frontier systems are measured with the same efficient frontier method.（2）The inefficient separated banks and universal banks can improve its performance by reducing fixed assets and number of staffs.（3）The Efficiency score and benchmarks of stage 1 are significant difference those of stage 3.（4）The management efficiency of universal banks are better than separated banks.

Defence date: 16 November 2011
Examining board: Arpad Abraham, EUI; Thomas Cooley, New York University, Stern Business School; Xavier Freixas, Universitat Pompeu Fabra; Ramon Marimon, Supervisor, EUI
PDF of thesis uploaded from the Library digital archive of EUI PhD theses
The three papers in this thesis differ considerably with respect to methodology and topic; yet, they all reflect my overarching interest in the design of economic policies and the institutions that execute them. They are, also, testimony of the privilege to write a PhD thesis in Economics during times that leave little doubt about the relevance of thoughtful economic policy. My first, humble, contribution to designing these are the three papers in this thesis. As an introduction, I will proceed to briefly describe their contributions. In the first paper, I address the question of how diverse opinions (“beliefs”) among members of a monetary policy committee [MPC], as well as its institutional features, in particular, its size and its decision-making process, influence macroeconomic volatility. I answer this question in two parts: first, I explain the relationship between decision-making in committees and robust, or regret-minimising, decision-making. I show that the two can be equivalent under very specific conditions (on beliefs and the potential models of the economy). These conditions are hard to test empirically; therefore, I proceed, in the second part, to simulate an empirically motivated example, and, to compare the volatility generated by a, hypothetical, robust decision-maker, with actual volatility generated by the committee of the Bank of England [BoE], and, by several, differently specified, committees. I find, that under reasonable parameterisations, committee decision-making resembles robust decision-making. In addition, it turns out that greater diversity and aspiration towards consensus make monetary policy “more robust”. At the time of writing, disagreements among MPC members were often reduced only to increment changes of the interest rate. Nowadays, however, disagreements concern, for example, acceptable debt levels and are much deeper and more fiercely debated. The framework, then, suggests, for example, that the departure of conservative central bankers from the governing council of the European Central Bank [ECB] reduces the robustness of its decisions, and that robust Federal Open Market Committee [FOMC] policies (see Ellison & Sargent, 2009) may be an artefact of institutional structures, and not, as the authors suspect, of policymakers’ mindsets. In the second chapter, I turn to the issue of bank regulation, and, in particular, to the question of how the integration of commercial lending, and, investment banking, influences underwriting quality. Contributing to an old, but re-animated debate, I introduce mergers & acquisition [M&A] as a source of investment banking revenues in a benchmark model of universal banks (Kanatas & Qi, 2003). The analysis illustrates, that, when assessing the effects of financial services integration, a distinction has to be made between the effects of administrative synergies, such as the joint use of computers or staff, and informational synergies. The latter, should also be treated differently, depending on whether they constitute strategic informational gains, e.g. from underwriting, or non-strategic gains, for example, from standardised credit applications. It turns out that, ceteris paribus, and, under perfect competition, strategic efficiency gains improve incentives for higher underwriting quality, while non-strategic gains (administrative and informational) induce banks to depreciate the quality of their provided services. In the paper, I then provide conditions for the many intermediate cases. I also show that higher monopolistic rents lead to better underwriting quality, and, that deregulation can create risks for aggregate economic activity. The model provides possible explanations for why universal banking in Germany is often considered a success, while it is often treated with scepticism in the United States [US] (the German market is less competitive); and as to why studies in the US typically find improved underwriting quality after financial integration, whilst cross-country studies and studies, for example, from Taiwan uncover evidence of reduced underwriting quality (opportunities for non-strategic efficiency gains are often higher in less developed countries, whilst technical opportunities for the strategic use of information across business sections is likely to be higher in the US). In terms of theoretical contributions, the paper reconciles the predictions of Kanatas & Qi (2003) with another prominent model (Puri, 1999), and augments the latter with the insight, that the positive effect of informational spillovers does not necessarily have to rely on previous interactions between firms and banks, but can, as well, result from anticipated benefits in M&A. The third, and last, chapter is an empirical investigation into the effect the public recapitalisations during 2008-10 had upon bank lending. The chapter is joint work with Ouarda Merrouche (European Securities and Markets Agency [ESMA], initially at The World Bank). We collect information on direct public recapitalisations from public sources (homepages of central banks, ministries, etc.) and estimate their effect on changes in credit growth, using difference-in-difference and propensity score matching models. Furthermore, we analyse the determinants of these “bailouts”, as well as, of their size and their risk-absorbing properties. We identify, a shortage of liquid assets, of Tier1 capital, but also bank size as most important predictors of public bailouts, and, thus, lend support to the current regulatory debate, that is, mostly, concerned with minimum capital requirements, maturity transformation and institutions that are considered “too big too fail”. In terms of effective recapitalisations, our results lead us to emphasise decisive interventions, i.e. interventions that cover at least 49.22% of banks’ pre-crisis equity levels, and, those, that exhibit the commitment to disburden banks of their risks (recapitalisations with common equity). Furthermore, we identify positive externalities on the interbank market, and, reject the hypothesis that locally operating banks increase lending more than globally active banks that are provided with the same amount of public capital.

Проаналізовано Аналіз кредитного ринку України, Характеристика фінансового стану та результатів діяльності банківської установи, Практика мінімізації кредитного ризику в акціонерному банку "Південний", Зарубіжний досвід щодо мінімізації кредитного ризику Запропоновано Практичні аспекти організації системи захисту від кредитного ризику в акціонерному банку "Південний".
The analysis of the credit market of Ukraine, Characteristics of the financial state and results of the banking institution, The practice of minimizing credit risk in the joint-stock bank "Pivdennyi", Foreign experience in minimizing credit risk is analyzed. Practical aspects of organization of the system of protection against credit risk in Joint-Stock Bank "Pivdennyi" are offered.

The banking industry (which is part of the global service industry) not only plays a leading role within the financial system in a country but also has an important socio-economic function.
Банківська галузь (яка входить до складу глобальної галузі обслуговування) не тільки відіграє провідну роль у фінансовій системі країни, але також має важлива соціально-економічна функція.

59 Abstract Applicatin of MiFID directive on activities in universal bank MiFID or Markets on financial instruments Directive, is extensive and key European financial market regulation. Introduced into the laws of all the Member States many new applications and employed a large number of companies. The content of this work is to first clarify the concept of a universal bank, the bank and the reason why the Directive applies to them. Furthermore, analysis of specific activities and procedures, which are due to the introduction of the Directive into law occurred mainly by retail investors, the current clients of universal bank. Most attention is devoted to investor protection, mainly test the approprietness and suitability, performance instructions for the customer. The following chapter is devoted to issues of organizational changes, the new rules required. Part of the text is devoted to the transposition process in individual countries and especially in the Czech Republic. Another chapter is concerned with problems that frequently appear in the application and in the last chapter outlines recent developments, particularly in the new draft directive, revising MiFID after almost five years of operation, which is just being born on the soil of the European Union. The conclusion is the finding that changes in...

M.Tech (Department of Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology), Vaal University of Technology.
Due to the fickle nature of weather upon which renewable energy sources mostly depend, a shift towards a sustainable renewable energy system should be accompanied with a good intermediate energy storage system, such as a battery bank, set up to store the excess supply from renewable sources during their peak periods. The stored energy can later be utilised to supply a regulated and steady power supply for use during the off-peak periods of these renewable energy sources. Battery banks, however, are often faced with the challenge of charge imbalance due to the disparities that occur in the operating characteristics of the batteries that constitute a bank. When a battery bank with charge imbalance is repeatedly used in applications without an effective battery management system (BMS) through active charge equalisation, there could be an early degradation, loss of efficiency and reduction of service life of the entire batteries in the bank. In this research, a universal battery management system (BMS) in stand-alone photovoltaic application was proposed and designed. The BMS consists majorly of a switched capacitor (SC) active charge equaliser, designed with a unique configuration of high capacitance and relatively low switching frequency, which can be applicable to common battery types used in stand-alone photovoltaic application. The circuit was mathematically optimised to minimise losses attributed to impulsive charging and tested with lead acid, silver calcium, lead calcium and lithium ion batteries being commonly used in stand-alone photovoltaic application. The SC design was verified by comparing its simulation results to the digital oscilloscope results, and with both results showing similar values and graphs, the design configuration was validated. The design introduced a simple control strategy and less complicated circuit configuration process, which can allow an easy setup for local usage. The benefit of its multiple usage with different stand-alone photovoltaic battery types saves the cost of purchasing a different charger and balancer for different battery types. More so, the design is solar energy dependent. This could provide an additional benefit for usage in areas where energy dependence is off-grid.

碩士
國立臺灣大學
財務金融學研究所
94
Abstract In the dynamic world of today, modern financial institutions are increasingly more competitive and their services more versatile. In order to survive the ever-changing business environment, most major financial institutions have followed the prevalent trend of merger and acquisition to strengthen their competitiveness. Even so, financial institutions around the world have parted their cross-business structure into two main models: Universal Bank of the European region, and the Financial Holding Company of the US and Japan. This paper will first discuss related publications and the quantitative aspect of selected financial institutions for a general performance evaluation of cross-business structure of both Universal Bank and Financial Holding; and then analyze the various qualitative aspects of Universal Bank and Financial Holding Company, through the eyes of industry professionals, to provide additional statistics to the compatibility of both cross-business structures with added scale and scope as the basis of a intensive examination of the advantages and disadvantages of Universal Bank and Financial Holding Company. Research findings: 1. Currently available studies and publicly obtained financial information of the industry tend to rate Universal Banks slightly more advantageous than Financial Holding Companies. 2. Data obtained from an exclusively designed survey for this paper, which materialized financial industry professionals’ insight on six intangible aspects of the differences between UB and FHC, reveals a preference for Financial Holding Companies. Policy implication: 1. This research concluds that both Financial Holding Company and Universal Bank have their strong points. Therefore it is suggested that the government develop a multi-axles policy in which to allow each financial institution to choose its most advantageous cross-business structure. At present, the discussion of a new “Financial Service Law" is hoped to give Taiwan financial industry more choice and freedome as suggested.