Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Postal union'

This dissertation contributes to the literature and current discussions on the European postal markets and the universal service obligations (USO). It consists of three independent chapters.

In chapter one, we investigate the consumers' preferences for various kinds of postal services. As such, we begin by reviewing the market and regulatory conditions for Europe and for our case study, Belgium. Then using data provided by the incumbent provider, the Belgian post (Bpost), we estimate demand price elasticities. The data comprises customer transactional information on letter mail, direct mail, parcels & express services, press delivery and value added services for the 2008-2009 period. These categories constitute not only the important lines of services that Bpost offers to its clients but also the main segments that constitute the whole Belgian postal market. As such, and using standard methods, we estimate for each service an equation that explains demand by prices, product varieties (i.e. mixes or combinations of volume, weight, priority and destination, inter alia), income, regulation proxies and other socioeconomic variables. The estimated price elasticities for regulated and partially regulated services are around -1.1, whereas for unregulated segments they fluctuate between -2.1 and -2.8. The lowest price elasticity is obtained for direct mail services (-1.0); the highest ones are associated with value added services (-2.1) and registered mail (-3.3). Price elasticities may be influenced by the cyclical effects during the period of analysis. Therefore, elasticities are higher when compared with the empirical evidence obtained for other countries and through the various methodologies applied over the last decades. The fact that technological substitutes, such as expenditures on telephony and internet access for daily and administrative mail services and, radio and television advertising for direct mail services, could not be accounted for (because there were no data available) may however be considered as a major limitation for the scope of our results.

In the second chapter, we explore theoretically the effects of the USO on unregulated markets. In particular, we are interested in investigating its welfare effects when the provision of services cannot be technologically separated. We present a model in which there is an incumbent who provides two services: a universal service and a non-USO service, the latter opened to competition. This is the case of letter mail and direct (or bulk) mail, services which have quite different purposes and regulatory frameworks (i.e. the former is fully regulated whereas the latter is liberalized under the current European Internal Market framework), but are jointly produce at some stages of the postal value chain. The USO is simplified to two dimensions, affordability and quality, implemented as a price cap and a minimum quality standard (MQS) for the provision of letter mail services. The latter involves the technological aspects that we are interested in. We find that the definition of the USO plays an important role in organizing markets that are open to competition. When it imposes few quality requirements (low MQS), the incumbent is not cost efficient enough to provide the high-quality variant of bulk mail, allowing its competitors to cream-skim the segment. However, because there are cost economies, the firm's participation in the segment yields a higher average quality of mail services at lower prices. When the USO is too comprehensive (high MQS), the incumbent exhibits large cost economies that ensure a dominant position in the provision of bulk mail services. Consumers are worse off as competition induces too much service differentiation in order to make profitable the provision. Relaxing the definition of the USO mitigates the competitive advantage of the USP and so, yields improvements in welfare. In the absence of access costs, firms will find profitable to participate in the bulk mail segment. However, foreclosure happens if the USO induces the incumbent to exhibit significant fixed costs. Therefore, the USP may end up as the sole supplier of bulk mail services if the definition of the USO imposes too many quality requirements (high MQS). In that case, the authority must balance the welfare gains of defining USO with the welfare losses of the consumers of the contested service.

Finally, in the third chapter we consider the ownership aspect of the provision of universal services as an incentive to introduce competition. One can further segment the provision between services for customers located in high-cost areas and services for customers located in low-cost areas. Additionally, under the current EU legislation, the supply is divided between upstream activities (e.g. collection and sorting) and downstream activities (i.e. delivery). The provision of upstream activities in high-cost areas remains in hands of the incumbent firm or the owner of the downstream (delivery) network. The upstream provision in low-cost areas is open to competition, but a retailer may be vertically integrated/separated or legally unbundled with the downstream firm. Legal unbundling means, in our model, that the downstream firm and one upstream firm located in the low-cost area belong legally to the same entity entitled to all profits, whom does not have full control rights over the firms' decisions. That is to say, upstream activities and the downstream services will be managed separately under the same ownership. In this framework we analyze the firm's boundaries in terms of competition development and welfare. We implement two criteria to answer questions like, does vertical separation promotes competition (entry of firms) while covers a larger demand than vertical integration? Does vertical integration demand less public funds to cover demand? Does legal unbundling is worse than ownership separation to promote competition? The first criterion is the probability of entry (of the potential upstream firm), which we determine for each modes of ownership. The second criterion is the cost of public funds. It is implemented by defining a loss function as the difference between the expected consumer surplus when the downstream firm chooses an access fee that maximizes its profits and the consumer surplus when access is priced at marginal cost. The use of both criteria let us conclude that efficient entry occurs when the downstream firm is vertically separated or legally unbundled of the retailer providing services in the low-cost area. However, it is under legal unbundling that the access charge takes its lowest value. The highest cost of public transfers is obtained when firms are vertically separated, but the lowest one is attained when firms are legally unbundled. Therefore legal unbundling constitutes the preferred organizational form to induce competition and to reduce the cost of public funds.
Doctorat en Sciences économiques et de gestion
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1986.
MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH.
Bibliography: leaf 112.
by Suzanne L. Finch.
M.S.

High-profile instances of workplace violence and increased pressure from competitors have threatened the viability of one of the nation's largest employers, the United States Postal Service (USPS). As a result, the USPS began a massive change effort in the early 1990's. One of the initiatives implemented to improve labor-management relations was a derivative of the self-managed work team known as the crew chief program. This study provides a mixed-methods and multi-level approach to understand the impact this unique program had on organizational attitudes. The first aim of this study was to investigate whether the crew chief program reduced employees' stress and strain and improved job and supervisory satisfaction and company and union commitment, while controlling for the nesting of employees within sites and employee demographic characteristics. The second aim was to replicate and extend the stressor-strain-outcome (SSO) model of stress and to determine whether employee perceptions of crew chief support moderated the relationships between stressors, strain, and outcomes. I evaluated Aim 1 using data from 177 mail processors from 27 units matched from baseline to one-year follow-up with hierarchical linear modeling. This was followed up with an implementation analysis of qualitative data to determine the extent to which the program was implemented compared to the original design. I evaluated Aim 2 using structural equation modeling from 538 mail processors who participated at follow-up. There was little quantitative support for Aim 1. However, the results of the implementation analysis suggested that the crew chief program was not functioning as conceived. Aim 2 received strong support, with almost all of the main effects of the SSO model replicated. However, there was no support for the moderator effects. Additionally, I found role ambiguity to have direct relationships with other organizational outcomes beyond the indirect effects via strain and that crew chief support was strongly related to stressors and outcomes. These findings reinforce the notion that employing both quantitative and qualitative methods can dramatically improve the quality of organizational research. Based on these findings, I describe several suggestions for improvements to this specific program and for improving future initiatives aimed at enhancing labor-management relations.

The objective and purpose of this PhD is to provide pragmatic solutions to the Posted Workers Directive 96/71/EC.1 This European Union legislation is designed to govern a unique category of worker that moves throughout the internal market temporarily under the provision of services. The Directive was created to protect workers’ rights, combat social dumping by ensuring a climate of fair competition and promote the transnational provision of services. In practice, it has failed to fulfil its objectives, as seen by the Laval Triplet.2 Therefore, following a thorough analysis of the issues that are intrinsic to the Directive itself and also highlight wider issues such as the competing interests of the internal market and national labour law as well as the conflicting economic and social policy interests, this thesis will provide legislative solutions which will constitute the requisite original contribution to knowledge. The thesis is composed of five parts, beginning with the Introduction and ending with the Conclusions. The central Chapters follow the chronological order of the Directive’s story as follows: Chapter 1 details why and how the Directive was created including an analysis of the early case law; Chapter 2 analyses the issues associated with the Directive and it offers an original critique of the Court’s interpretation of the Directive; and Chapter 3 reviews the solutions that have already been suggested by the EU Institutions, the European Social Partners and the academic literature before providing my own input to the field. The form of methodology adopted throughout is therefore doctrinal.

Les flux télégraphiques et postaux internationaux sont régulés à partir de la seconde moitié du XIXe siècle par le biais d’organisations internationales spécifiquement créées à cet effet : l’Union télégraphique internationale (1865 ; qui devient en 1932 Union internationale des télécommunications) et l’Union générale des postes (1874 ; qui devient en 1878 Union postale universelle). Ces rènes de coopération sont le lieu d’élaboration de normes tarifaires et techniques, assurant l’interconnexion des réseaux nationaux. L’objet de cette thèse est de retracer l’histoire de la politique de la France à leur égard. Ceci afin de mieux cerner la manière dont se construit et évolue un ordre international des communications du milieu du XIXe siècle au milieu du XXe siècle, autour d’institutions, de règles et de valeurs partagées par les partenaires de la coopération. La coopération technique est un objet d’histoire européen –à la fois international et transnational–, permettant d’aborder la question de l’articulation entre universalisme et régionalisme ainsi qu’entre ordre européen issu du XIXe siècle et construction européenne amorcée au lendemain de la Seconde Guerre mondiale
Since the middle of the XIXth Century, international connexions between national postal and telecommunication networks have been regulated through multilateral cooperation. This thesis aims at analysing the policy of France towards the International Telegraph Union (then renamed International Telecommunications Union) and the Universal Postal Union, from their creation to the foundation of the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunication Administrations in 1959. These institutions were arenas where international regulation (with both technical and commercial standards) was debated and cast by specific professional communities. The history of technical cooperation provides an international and transnational perspective for a history of European communication networks. It tackles the questions of the articulation between universalism and regionalism as well as between European order inherited from the XIXth Century and the European construction launched after the Second World War

The final thesis follows the effort of the European Union to transfer responsibility for issues in the banking sector from taxpayers to its shareholders and creditors. It adopts many new tools and measures. The first part of the thesis is devoted to the banking union project, which unifies the supervision and procedures for solving the crisis at the European level. Emphasis is placed on the newly adopted Single resolution mechanism. Since the adopted legislation does not apply exclusively to the Eurozone countries the second part of the thesis analyses the implementation of the BRRD into Czech law, and the related amendments concerning the Czech banking sector. The aim of the thesis is to analyse the crisis resolving procedure, which is specified in the third chapter on the example of a fictitious bank. The example monitors tools and measures that can be used in various life stages of a bank. It is mainly based on the rules laid down in BRRD and the Czech legislation ZOPRK.

The diploma thesis analyzes the European, Czech and Russian standards and requirements for ensuring safety of machinery and methodical process to ensure safety through certification of machinery and centrifugal pumps specially introduced onto the market in the Eurasian Economic Union and the Russian Federation. The first part describes the legislative documents, their properties and the current legislative requirements of EU and EAES. In the second part is an analysis and described comparison of legislative safety requirements of the European Union, the Czech Republic, the Eurasian Economic Union and the Russian Federation. In the third part is described comparison of standards, and were made updates. In the practical part is an analysis of risks pump manufacturer "SIGMA GROUP" according to the requirements EAES and proposed methods for reducing risk prevention. Also in the practical part is analyzed and is created methodical preparation of certification of machinery and pumps placed on the market in the Eurasian Economic Union and the Russian Federation.

碩士
國立虎尾科技大學
經營管理研究所在職專班
102
Abstract Since corporatization of Chunghwa Post in 2003, it has become the company which mainly relies on profits. However, Chunghwa Post still undertakes social responsibility from the country. It is important to find the balance between corporate profit and social responsibility. In recent years, total economic environment changes dramatically and enterprises must frequently adapt to new change. In original survival model, different types of stress intrude in daily lives. Besides, the government continuously promotes organizational reengineering. With complicated tasks and simplified manpower, post offices have fewer employees and more complicated works and service quality is continuously required. Post office employees in modern time encounter enormous work stress. Employees tend to seek help from labor union and post office associations in order to find the balance between labor and capital. However, post office employees’ intention to seek help from labor union usually depends on their identification with labor union. Leadership of labor union when dealing with employees usually determines employees’ trust in labor union. Therefore, post office employees’ organizational identification with labor union and leadership & capacity of coordination are important for members’ trust in labor union. Members should trust labor union in order to inform it of their difficulties or needs at work. Labor union needs members’ support to work for employees. This study aims to probe into effects of Chunghwa Post Association (CPA) members’ organizational identification and leadership of labor union on employees’ trust in labor union. It aims to balance the work in post offices, enhance harmony in workplace of post office employees and help solve life, physical and mental problems of post office employees and obstacles at work. This study adopted questionnaire survey and distributed questionnaires to 450 CPA members. 437 questionnaires were retrieved, including 401 valid ones, with a valid return rate of 92%. The data were analyzed using SPSS for descriptive statistics, t test, one-way ANOVA, Scheffe’ method, Pearson’s product-moment correlation, and regression analysis. The hypotheses were validated, and the findings are shown as follows: 1.CPA members mostly agree with “involvement” of scale of “organizational identification”; as to scale of “leadership”, “total leadership” is the most important; in addition, in scale of “trust in labor union”, “trust in total labor union” is the most important. 2.CPA members with different post office working years have significant difference on “organizational identification” and “trust in labor union”. 3.CPA members of different genders and marital statuses and educational levels and post office identities and service units have significant difference on “organizational identification”, “leadership” and “trust in labor union”. 4.CPA members’ “organizational identification” with labor union has highly positive correlation with “leadership”. 5.CPA members’ “organizational identification” with labor union has highly positive correlation with “trust in labor union”. 6.CPA members’ perceived “leadership” of labor union has highly positive correlation with “trust in labor union”. 7.CPA members’ “organizational identification” with and perceived “leadership” of labor union can significantly predict “trust in labor union”. “Total leadership” and “cohesion” are the most significant predictors. Keywords: Chunghwa Post, trust in labor union, leadership, organizational identification

This master's thesis deals with the topic of modernization of communication means in Korea during the late 19th century, namely with the intruduction, organizational structure and development process of the West-inspired postal system in 1884-1905. It further examines the extent of actual utility, accessibility and importance of postal services from the perspective of the then Korean society and government. This work is divided into two parts. The first one covers approximately the first half of 1880's, exploring the situation regarding the very brief existence of the first Korean post office, Ujŏngch'ongguk. This part also briefly deals with the alternative medium of modern communication, telegraph. It was, however, not until more than 10 years after the abolishment of the first post office that Korean postal services were resumed. In the second part of the thesis I inquire into the postal system's development throughout the period of so-called kabo reforms (1894-96) and the Korean Empire (1897-1905).

Defence date: 3 February 1997
Examining board: Luis María Díez-Picazo (directeur, Institut Universitaire Européen) ; Prof. Vassilios Skouris (directeur externe, Université Aristotle de Thessalonique) ; Prof. Claus-Dieter Ehlermann (Institut Universitaire Européen) ; Prof. Elisenda Malaret (Université de Barcelone) ; Prof. Yves Mény (Directeur du Centre Robert Schuman)
PDF of thesis uploaded from the Library digitised archive of EUI PhD theses completed between 2013 and 2017

The aim of this thesis is to present the phenomenon of posting workers within the EU in the context of the freedom to provide services. The author introduces the de lege lata legal framework in a complex and chronological manner, taking into consideration the motives and political pressure behind key modifications. Accordingly, the thesis examines relevant Treaty provisions, case law and its evolution, key secondary acts, as well as the relation of such sources to legal acts which address posting workers in an indirect manner. The author focuses on the analysis of existing key provisions, their practical impact and insufficiencies. However, she also approaches the topic from the de lege ferenda perspective by presenting the ongoing revision of the current legal framework and by considering other potential changes which could improve the regulation of posted workers in the future. Furthermore, the thesis demonstrates the complexity of posting workers by drawing attention to the colliding interests of involved member states and parties, showing the sensitivity of the subject. This underlines the fact that the phenomenon cannot be separated from its political context and is condemned to a constant balancing of two colliding interests - the freedom to provide services and social protection of posted...

The diploma thesis deals with the topic of integration of the Czech republic to the European Union and its teaching in civic education at lower secondary school. By the initial analysis of the work I will set down the most important outcomes in curriculum the task of the didactic procedures. The topic is represented in the educational area Man in Society and in the cross- curricural subject Education Towards Thinking in European and Global Contexts contained in Framework Education Programme for Elementary Education. Suggestions of didactic procedures are the main part of the thesis. They will follow the pupils' own experience and they should help them to realize the ifluence of membership in the European Union on their everyday life. Each topic begins with an introduction of the issue, which contains a brief theoretical background of the topic. The thesis will present selected actual problem solved at the European level, students will be led to critical thinking and expressing their own attitude based on orientation in legal and social aspects. The thesis will contain information background for teachers and specific didactic materials for pupils.

Topic of this diploma work is Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) - legal aspects. CFSP is one of policie sof EU based on intergovermental cooperation in foreign relations and defence policy which includes Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The second part of the diploma work describes history of CFSP from WW 2 to describing of Treaty on European Union (TEU). The third part of diploma work describe CFSP of EU in TEU from 90's to current wording. Main topics are instruments and institutions and voting procedure. Marginally I write something about Common Commercial Policy and Cooperation with Third States in the fourth part of diploma work. The last part of diploma work is about the CSDP and EU millitary and civil missions. The content of the work is about CFSP and related issues, therefore I write the basic information about CFSP below. CFSP (as Europian polical cooperation) was established in 70's in last century by member's states for cooperation in foreign policy. In 1992 CFSP was incorporated in TEU and built as authority of Union in second pillar. CFSP was novelised by Amsterdam Treaty and Nice Treaty and Lisbon Treaty as last novelisation. Today is cancelled the Three Pillar structure and CFSP is classified in other external action of EU. Treatment of external action is divided between...