The aim of the research is to analyze the role of the consumer in a detailed way. Firstly I defined the concepts of "consumption" and "consumer", giving relief to the socio-economic theories that have characterized the subject during recent years,and taking in consideration the process of consumption and the behavioral and decisional theories proper of the consumer. Moreover, I have deeply analyzed the consumer under the juridical aspect, from the mere legal recognition to the trial and the efforts sustained by the European Legislator during the last years with the purpose of creating a system of common rules with the final goal of guaranteeing a high-level of protection to the consumer in international contracts and assuring the correct operation of the Single Internal Market founding the discipline on a competitive model. Great relief is given to the "Rome I Regulation" on the choice of the law aplicable to contracts and to the "Bruxelles Convention" on the competent court.
In this final master thesis are analyzing international business evaluation features and suggested the best method to evaluate international business. In the first part of the work are analyzed international business features, highlighting the political and currency fluctuation risks, business evaluation aspects, long established and newly developed business evaluation methods and selected the method which is best suited to evaluate international business. In the second part of the work is analyzed the feasibility of discounted cash flow method to evaluate international business and the steps of the method, highlighting the determination of cash flows, the discount rate calculation, continuous value and cash flow discounting. The focus is on discount rate calculation. In the third part of the work is done the practical business evaluation of Lithuanian company AB "Stumbras" which is working in the international alcohol sphere. In this stage is given the characterization of world, Europe and Lithuanian alcohol drinks sectors. Also there is analyzed the Lithuanian macroeconomics situation. There is performed company competitive and SWOT analyze. Also there is done company's financial analyze (vertical, horizontal and financial ratio analyze), determined the company value and factors which have the greatest impact to business value. Structure: introduction, theoretical part, discounted cash flow feasibility to evaluate the international business analyze, practical international business evaluation following AB "Stumbras" example, conclusions and suggestions, references.
In this final master thesis are analyzing international business evaluation features and suggested the best method to evaluate international business. In the first part of the work are analyzed international business features, highlighting the political and currency fluctuation risks, business evaluation aspects, long established and newly developed business evaluation methods and selected the method which is best suited to evaluate international business. In the second part of the work is analyzed the feasibility of discounted cash flow method to evaluate international business and the steps of the method, highlighting the determination of cash flows, the discount rate calculation, continuous value and cash flow discounting. The focus is on discount rate calculation. In the third part of the work is done the practical business evaluation of Lithuanian company AB "Stumbras" which is working in the international alcohol sphere. In this stage is given the characterization of world, Europe and Lithuanian alcohol drinks sectors. Also there is analyzed the Lithuanian macroeconomics situation. There is performed company competitive and SWOT analyze. Also there is done company's financial analyze (vertical, horizontal and financial ratio analyze), determined the company value and factors which have the greatest impact to business value. Structure: introduction, theoretical part, discounted cash flow feasibility to evaluate the international business analyze, practical international business evaluation following AB "Stumbras" example, conclusions and suggestions, references.
Co-operative Law has a long tradition in European countries, like the Industrial and Provident Act in the United Kingdom in1852 or the Prussian Co-operatives Act in 1867. The European Union was no born to create a common law but to remove restrictions on the freedom of establishment. In 2003 the Statute for a European Co-operative Society was approved, but harmonization of European co-operative legislation was never carried out, not even for its most importante distinctive elements. In 2012 the European Commission presented a report about the application of the SCE Statute showing that the SCE Regulation has had relatively little success. The differences between the different legal systems are considerable, both in forma and in content. European Commission expressed its intention not to carry out the harmonization of the European co-operative legislation directly, but to support the harmonization proposals that the co-operative sector presented to it. El derecho cooperativo tiene una larga tradición en los países europeos, desde la Industrial and Provident Act de 1952 en Reino Unido o la Ley prusiana de cooperativas de 1867. La Unión Europea no nació para crear un derecho común sino para surprimir las restricciones a la libertad de establecimiento. In 2003 se aprobó el Estatuto de la Sociedad Cooperativa Europea, pero nunca se ha llevado a cabo una armonización de la legislación cooperativa en Europa, ni siquiera en relación con sus elementos más característicos. En 2012, la Comisión Europea presentó un informe sobre la aplicación del Estatuto de la SCE que mostraba que esta regulación había tenido relativamente poco éxito. Las diferencias entre los diferentes sistemas legales son considerables, tanto formalmente como por su contenido. La Comisión Europea ya manifestó su intención de no llevar a cabo la armonización de la legislación cooperativa europea directamente, pero sí apoyar las propuestas de armonización presentadas por el sector cooperativo.
This article analyzes the civil society dimension and pays particular attention to the role of civil society's organizations within the EU's Eastern Partnership's governance and networking processes. The study is based on the EU's documents' analysis and the data of qualitative interviews conducted between 2011-2014 from the respondents of the EU's institutions (European Commission, EEAS, EP), member states' representations in Brussels, and the members of the Eastern Partnership civil society forum created in 2009. The study shows that the representatives of civil society organizations are seeking to be involved and are existent in most of the stages and interactional modes of the EU's relations with the Eastern Partnership countries, and this process predicts the conditions for the emergence of international governance in the Eastern neighborhood space. On the other hand, the representatives of CSOs are complaining about not being involved enough in the negotiations deciding over the Association or other kind of agreements between the EU and their (EaP) country.
This article analyzes the civil society dimension and pays particular attention to the role of civil society's organizations within the EU's Eastern Partnership's governance and networking processes. The study is based on the EU's documents' analysis and the data of qualitative interviews conducted between 2011-2014 from the respondents of the EU's institutions (European Commission, EEAS, EP), member states' representations in Brussels, and the members of the Eastern Partnership civil society forum created in 2009. The study shows that the representatives of civil society organizations are seeking to be involved and are existent in most of the stages and interactional modes of the EU's relations with the Eastern Partnership countries, and this process predicts the conditions for the emergence of international governance in the Eastern neighborhood space. On the other hand, the representatives of CSOs are complaining about not being involved enough in the negotiations deciding over the Association or other kind of agreements between the EU and their (EaP) country.
This article analyzes the civil society dimension and pays particular attention to the role of civil society's organizations within the EU's Eastern Partnership's governance and networking processes. The study is based on the EU's documents' analysis and the data of qualitative interviews conducted between 2011-2014 from the respondents of the EU's institutions (European Commission, EEAS, EP), member states' representations in Brussels, and the members of the Eastern Partnership civil society forum created in 2009. The study shows that the representatives of civil society organizations are seeking to be involved and are existent in most of the stages and interactional modes of the EU's relations with the Eastern Partnership countries, and this process predicts the conditions for the emergence of international governance in the Eastern neighborhood space. On the other hand, the representatives of CSOs are complaining about not being involved enough in the negotiations deciding over the Association or other kind of agreements between the EU and their (EaP) country.
In today's world where fewer and fewer barriers and borders limit relationships, interactions between things, people, services, it is no wonder that in a globalized economy like ours, interests, connections, needs of various aspects from people all around the world, happen to coexist and working their way out in certain defined places. There are indeed, some places which more than others, for various reasons ranging from political situation, location, economy rather than taxation, have the ability to attract capital and resources from other countries, giving rise to international financial hubs. One on all in Europe is definitively the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg which with an area of 2,586 km² and a population of only 602,005 people, it is home to more than 130 international banks, Europe's number one investment fund centre, World's top ten largest Private Equity houses, Europe's number one cross-border insurance center, and EU-regulatory framework and EU-wide licensing of financial services. The following chapters, indeed, aim to disclose the main features which bring Luxembourg to be that leading financial center in Europe, the reasons why so many international banks and firms choose the Grand Duchy as their home, the most relevant aspects of the country economy with a focus on the leading sectors. The first two chapters will give a global overview of what the situation is in Luxembourg in order to have a picture of today business and highlighting the strength of the grand duchy economy, bringing on aspects and achievements globally acknowledged. The second chapter however will give more insights on the specific of Luxembourg tax system, detailing the appealing tax regime and even so, the support and protection of the double tax conventions signed with countries worldwide, strengthen the business climate in this country. The analysis will go through the key factors that make Luxembourg so attractive, like favourable tax treaty agreements with 57 countries, a very competitive company taxation at 28.59%, no withholding taxes on dividends, paid to EU or double tax treaty resident, lowest VAT rate in Europe at 15%. Will together be analysed, the most used incentives for the entities, as the investment tax credits (Luxembourg tax law, indeed provides a tax credit available and amounts to 13% of the increase in investments in tangible depreciable assets made during the tax year), or the new regime of the intellectual properties which give the possibility to have on a net income from qualifying IP assets, a benefits of an 80% exemption from income taxes. The essay will continue with the coverage of the core business of Luxembourg financial activity; the third chapter will give a detailed analysis of banking and wealth management, asset management services offered, the corporate finance services required by all the entities which are created and have the registered office in the Grand Duchy, followed by the analysis pf private equity and venture capital investments, real estate investment vehicles, and hedge funds which can be considered the main features of the country financial activity. The last two chapters will analyze and emphasize the international character of the system and the future prospective on how the economy, the activities and the services may evolve, giving more insights on which the priorities will be in the near futures and where the efforts will be made in other achieve some certain standard of sustainability. The fourth chapter indeed will focus on the constantly growing relationship established with the Chinese economic world the Arabic world, which both play a very important role in the today economy and happen to be two of the main actors of Luxembourg financial system. The fifth and last chapter will highlight how Luxembourg has a comprehensive domestic climate finance agenda which since 2015, have seen the government and the financial services industry, working together in a dedicated climate finance task force to implement a coherent and fully integrated climate finance strategy. The Luxembourg government contributes to the technical support facility of the Amundi Planet Emerging Green One, the largest green bond fund in the world. This Luxembourg based investment fund targets green bonds emitted by banks in developing countries and at the same time helps develop green bond policies, training programs, and best practices in such markets through the technical support facility.
Uno dei più lunghi periodi di redditività finanziaria dell'era presente è stato interrotto nel 2008 dal fallimento delle innovative strutture di cartolarizzazione ingegnate a Wall Street per condividere il rischio finanziario. Si sono affermati così nuovi fenomeni comportamentali nel campo della moderna finanza facendo emergere l'urgenza di strumenti di governo e di gestione finanziaria. In questo contesto si inserisce la crisi di una delle più importanti Compagnie Assicurative al mondo, l'AIG. che si era spinta in operazioni economiche con strumenti finanziari derivati quali i MBS, i CDS e i CDO. ; One of the longest periods of financial profitability of the present era was interrupted by the failure of innovative securitizazion structures invented at Wall Street to share the financial risk. These innovative structures established themselves as new behavioral phenomena in the field of modern finance, bringing out the urgency of instruments of government and financial management. In 2008 the subprime mortgages allowed to make invisible " risky mortgages " by combining them in financial products paced on the market, labeling them as obligations related to the 'real estate' world and so making them safe by definition. In this context we must insert the crisis of one of the largest insurance companies in the world, the American International Group ( Aig). The AIG was saved then with the help of the US Treasury.
The European Union has long pursued a full program of unification of the national rules on private international law. For the theoretical advantages of uniformity, created by "denazionalizing" the systematic of civil law, corresponds, howewer, a loss of meaning in terms of culture and legal values, at the expense of the identities and the political choices, that only in the national communities – in the absence of democratic processes at the European level – can still find ways of legitimate expression.Paper presented at the Conference "La dimension culturelle du droit international privé (Journée en l'honneur de Tito Ballarino)", held on June 13, 2014 in Losanna, at the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law.L'Unione europea persegue da tempo un nutrito programma di uniformazione delle normative nazionali di diritto internazionale privato. Ai vantaggi teorici dell'uniformità, artificialmente creata denazionalizzando la sistematica del diritto civile, corrisponde tuttavia una perdita di senso in termini di cultura e di valori giuridici, a scapito delle identità e delle scelte politiche che solo nelle comunità nazionali – in assenza di processi autenticamente democratici a livello europeo – possono ancora trovare legittima espressione.Relazione presentata al Convegno "La dimension culturelle du droit international privé (Journée en l'honneur de Tito Ballarino)", tenutosi il 13 giugno 2014 a Losanna, presso l'Istituto svizzero di diritto comparato
'Conventional' models of how the field of international political economy should engage with ethics have proposed or assumed the normative primacy of ethical principles and often sought to add reliable empirical economic analysis so that political perspectives on economic systems, institutions and practices can result. James Brassett and Christopher Holmes (2010) have criticized such approaches for overlooking the potentially violent character of ethics as a constitu- tive discourse like any other. The present article defends the conventional method against Brassett and Holmes's critique. Focusing especially on Thomas Pogge's ethics of world poverty as Brassett and Holmes's main conventionalist target, the article argues that: (i) Brassett and Holme s's understanding of 'ethics' is seriously inadequate; (ii) Pogge's 'negative duty not to harm' principle should be maintained against Brassett and Holmes's troublingly 'political' account and facile relativist critique of Pogge's ethics; (iii) Brassett and Holmes, while conceivably critical of Pogge's global level reformist solution as superficially 'neo liberal', cannot see that their own arguably valuable proposal of radical local forms of 'resistance' can coherently complete Pogge's poverty ethics and thus confirms, rather than undermines, the conventional method. Ultimately, Brassett and Holmes's post structural attempt risks being 'violent' itself for implying a renewed international moral skepticism.
La disabilità: una storia tragica nascosta nell'inconscio collettivo; 2. La palingenesi nei più recenti orientamenti legislativi: una tardiva riparazione? 3. La non omogenea nozione di disabilità nelle fonti internazionali; 4. Ma serve veramente una nozione rigida di disabilità? 5. Posto che tutti, in una certa misura, possiamo essere considerati dei disabili; 6. Ma, quindi, le persone affette da minorazioni esistono in quanto categoria? 7. La problematica distinzione tra discriminazione diretta e discriminazione indiretta; 8. Le cause di giustificazione e le deroghe; 9. Il diverso trattamento riservato ai disabili non costituisce discriminazione positiva ma è espressione del principio di uguaglianza; 10. Rimane da capire quando si possa ritenere che le cause di giustificazione siano ragionevoli; 11. Interpretazioni ed omissioni del legislatore italiano; 12. Ma le azioni volte a garantire l'uguaglianza dei lavoratori disabili non si limitano alla disciplina antidiscriminatoria.
In this article I provide an appraisal of the neo-Gramscian approach to the study of international relations by focusing on three of its major exponents: Robert Cox, Stephen Gill and Adam Morton. I argue that neo-Gramscians have yet to adequately address some important challenges and criticisms of their method around its overly "top-down" mode of analysis, its neglect of forms of resistance and its excessively global and cosmopolitan account of neoliberal hegemony and especially resistance. I maintain that a return to the letter of Gramsci's writings on hegemony and its national-popular and democratic character would not only allow neo-Gramscians to address more effectively these weaknesses, but also strengthen their approach and align it more effectively with trends in contemporary politics.Keywords: Gramsci; International Relations; Hegemony; National-Popular.
At the master thesis Lithuanian textile industry international competitiveness improving aspects are being researched. The meaning of textile industry international competitiveness to modern Lithuania economics is being described. During scientific sources analysis it was found that the industry's international competitiveness depends on factors such as relative or absolute advantages of the state (climate, geographical position, resources and self-sufficiency, etc.), new technologies in the production process, investments, government policy in the international competitiveness of industry . In order to assess the Lithuanian textile industry international competitiveness empirical surveys were disposed, which allowed the identification of the factors most affecting the country's textile industry and its competitiveness. It was also examined the practice of the various countries in textile industry international competitiveness improvement. The examination of the theoretical and practical aspects of the work is presented recommendations Lithuanian textile industry to increase international competitiveness. At the end of the thesis conclusions and suggestions were performed. Structure: introduction; textile industry international competitiveness improvement is modern Lithuanian economics priority; theoretical models, whitch can be used to improve textile industry international competitiveness; empirical researches used to evaluate the international competitiveness of Lithuanian textile industry; recommendations for Lithuanian textile industry international competitiveness improvement; conclusions and suggestions, references. Thesis consist of: 77 p. text without appendixes, 6 pictures, 19 tables, 46 bibliographical entries. Appendixes included.
At the master thesis Lithuanian textile industry international competitiveness improving aspects are being researched. The meaning of textile industry international competitiveness to modern Lithuania economics is being described. During scientific sources analysis it was found that the industry's international competitiveness depends on factors such as relative or absolute advantages of the state (climate, geographical position, resources and self-sufficiency, etc.), new technologies in the production process, investments, government policy in the international competitiveness of industry . In order to assess the Lithuanian textile industry international competitiveness empirical surveys were disposed, which allowed the identification of the factors most affecting the country's textile industry and its competitiveness. It was also examined the practice of the various countries in textile industry international competitiveness improvement. The examination of the theoretical and practical aspects of the work is presented recommendations Lithuanian textile industry to increase international competitiveness. At the end of the thesis conclusions and suggestions were performed. Structure: introduction; textile industry international competitiveness improvement is modern Lithuanian economics priority; theoretical models, whitch can be used to improve textile industry international competitiveness; empirical researches used to evaluate the international competitiveness of Lithuanian textile industry; recommendations for Lithuanian textile industry international competitiveness improvement; conclusions and suggestions, references. Thesis consist of: 77 p. text without appendixes, 6 pictures, 19 tables, 46 bibliographical entries. Appendixes included.
