Bibliographie sélective OHADA

LL.M. (Commercial Law) <br>The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa is the supreme law in the land. Thus, all law is subject to the Constitution and this inevitably includes the law of contract. The South African law of contract has been inherited from common law, namely Roman–Dutch law and has been applicable in South Africa to date. The Constitution states that the common law should be developed when it is not in line with the provisions of the Constitution. The values underpinning the Constitution are human dignity equality and freedom and these values must therefore be reflected in contractual relations. The common law principle of pacta sunt servanda, which means that agreements must be kept, at times this principle yields unjust and unreasonable results. The strict adherence to pacta sunt servanda has led to difficulties. The unenforceability of these contract terms has been shown in reported case law to stem from standard term contracts, unequal bargaining power and from persons who contract out of necessity. This dissertation concludes that South African law of contract and the current legal treatment of balancing contract law with constitutional values is unsatisfactory. The Bill on the Control of Unreasonableness, Unconscionableness, or Oppressiveness in Contracts or Terms which was tabled in 1998 should be revised and legislated, so as to regulate contracts and infuse the law of contract with the constitutional values of human dignity, equality and freedom.

Many contemporary private and public enterprises have been hit by scandals and underperformance which have been linked to organizational leadership. This study therefore sought to establish the impact of leadership styles on organizational performance. Leadership and organizational performance crises that have rocked institutions such as Eskom, the South African Broadcasting Corporation and the South African Airways, Steinhoff, Enron and others necessitated the study. The study focused on MBA year three students (class of 2017) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The assumption has been that since these are masters’ students, they have once been exposed to various leadership styles, some of them are leaders, all have studied leadership styles and therefore likely to understand how these styles impact on organizational performance. This is a quantitative study. The total population was 140 students of which a total of 100 were targeted. Simple random sampling was used. Most of the participants revealed that there is a significant link between leadership styles and organizational performance. They unanimously agreed that there is definitely a noteworthy relationship between leadership styles and the organizational performance. The respondents also revealed that transformational leadership style is the most complimentary leadership style to organizational performance followed by strategic and open leadership styles respectively. Participants agreed that toxic leadership style and autocratic leadership style are undermining the organizational performance. It is therefore recommended that organizations ensure continuous checks on leadership in order to ensure that available leadership can assist in the realization of organizational goals. In addition, it is also recommended for organizations to assess the "type" of a leader in terms of leadership styles before he/she is promoted to take leadership roles in the organization in order to make proper placements. This will allow the organization to assess whether that type of a leader is suitable for the organization. Future research is needed on how models can be developed on how to make proper placements to leadership levels/roles. Research should also focus on how leadership styles dovetail with other organizational efforts that are meant to boost organizational performance.

It is not uncommon for states to engage in arbitration proceedings with their investors (“Investor-State Arbitration” or “International Investment Arbitration”) administered under the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes. When these parties engage in document production during evidentiary proceedings, there arises an issue with regards to documents requested by the investor, which is considered as a “state secret” by the state. Based on the IBA Rules on the Taking of Evidence in International Arbitration (“IBA Rules”), states may have particular interest to refuse the production of a document. This is based on the argument that a document may be exempted from production if the document qualifies as a state secret by virtue of Article 9 of the IBA Rules. This paper will discuss appropriate measures to be taken by tribunals in order to allow for material and relevant evidence to be produced during proceedings, which may be crucial in being able to prove the case of the investor in the case of a conflict pertaining to the production of documents containing state secrets.

In Africa, whatever the considered age group, there are more entrepreneurs in the early stages of entrepreneurship than anywhere else in the world (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Report 2014). According to the gem survey (2014), 55.57 per cent of the population between 18–64 years expresses entrepreneurial intentions in Cameroon. Similarly, 37.4 per cent of the same age population is in the early course of their business activity. Between 2014 and 2015, total entrepreneurial activity has decreased in Cameroon (from 37.4 per cent to 25.4 per cent of all adults). Nonetheless, 61.1 per cent of the respondents think that entrepreneurship

The primary contribution of the thesis is a theory enhancing the legal understanding of the phenomenon of virtual property, encompassing presentation of data and a new conceptual framework to interpret it. The author argues that the normative debates concerning the phenomenon have underestimated the importance of understanding and conceptualizing it first, and aims at amending this gap. The ‘virtual property phenomenon’ refers to the users of internet platforms and online computer games ‘possessing’ virtual items – digital objects that exist within these services – and getting into economic and social relations concerning these items, with other users, service providers and third parties. These relations are regulated by different types of service-specific rules – contractual and the ‘code’ – created unilaterally by the service providers, who additionally retain the ability to interpret and enforce them, using ‘digital force’, i.e. by modifying and deleting virtual items, and blocking users’ accounts. The primary challenge stems not from the fact that the phenomenon is not regulated, but from the fact that lawyers lack words – terms and concepts – to even conduct a meaningful debate about it, or how to respond to it. The thesis consists of six chapters. Firstly, the author describes the phenomenon and analyzes the theoretical and regulatory legal challenges posed by its emergence. Secondly, he critically assesses the state of the art. Thirdly, a methodology to address these challenges is proposed, which can also be used in other research projects concerning law and technology. Fourthly, the author explains how the process of digitalization has fundamentally challenged the assumptions that private law held about the structure of reality, and proposes new doctrinal tools to conceptualize it. Fifthly, the author presents a legally useful concept of virtual items, and argues that granting users property rights over them might not be the optimal means of realizing the property goals. Finally, the author proposes a normative solution, a correction of private law, responding to the new type of inequality in relations, namely a user protection law.

This dissertation examines the phenomenon of book digitization and the legal challenges for the creation of digital libraries. It explores whether the current copyright framework supports libraries in the digital era as they strive to remain the institutional guardians of our literary treasures. The thesis hypothesis is that the current framework is unsuccessful or inadequate in supporting libraries. To test this hypothesis and identify the legal inefficacies the dissertation examines context, i.e. the history and rationale for applying copyright rules to books and libraries, the copyright rules as applied to libraries before and after digitization was possible, various digitization projects and the practical challenges that digitization brought about, and, the relevant litigation which has started on both sides of the Atlantic covering over a decade now. Furthermore, the thesis explores normative directions of copyright rules, including their exceptions, applicable to libraries in the digital era. It ultimately proposes that among various players claiming this role, libraries, given their institutional functions and capabilities, should be attributed rights to digitization and a favorable legal framework for providing access to digital material.

The ability of an organization to adjust its operation in light of the evolving changes in their operating environment determines the sustainability of the business unit in both the short and long term. The objective of the study was to determine the response strategies adopted by Kenyan commercial banks in response to the interest capping laws. A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. The population of the study was 42 commercial banks operating in Kenya. Primary data was collected using a questionnaire that was both closed and open ended. Data was analysed using the descriptive statistics. The study found that banks have employed adaptation strategies through working with other partners in the banking sector to leverage their synergy and concentrate on areas that enhance competitive advantage. The research findings also reinforced the need for the banks to work together as a sector and attempt and change the laws that inhibit their operations through lobby groups in parliament and other forums. The study also show that there exists a link between firms‟ strategic activities and their strategic responses and therefore, bank managers should diversify their product range especially to the youth who are apt in using the mobile technology to access services and improve the bank level of efficiency and effectiveness in their operations. The study recommends that the commercial banks ought to conform to the regulations to attract customers while the Central Bank as a regulator should likewise be sensitive to the operating environment and should be flexible in setting the rules in order to attract investment and support the growth in the banking industry. The Interest capping law is still at its infancy stage in Kenya and thus there is room for further research as the full impact of the law is realized in the long term.

The thesis entitled "Consumer arbitration in South Africa and its effect on the consumer‘s right to redress and enforcement" notes with concern the outdated and inadequate nature of the Arbitration law currently applied in South Africa. The fact that the Act was enacted in 1965 and has never been amended highlights the desperate need to review the prevailing arbitration law with a view to aligning it with the current needs of the business world. The thesis addresses the concern that consumers are not adequately protected by the current arbitration law and thus substantially develops the discourse on the topic of arbitration in situations of unequal bargaining power. It raises three primary research questions in this context. The first question reads thus, if private arbitration is properly conducted should it still provide the parties with the envisaged benefits? Secondly, is private arbitration constitutional, especially as it impacts upon consumers‘ contracting with large corporations? Thirdly, is the private arbitration process as it is currently applied, constitutional as far as it denies parties an appeal on merits against an award that is clearly wrong? The thesis attempts to answer these questions and offer recommendations for the South African Law Reform Commission (SALRC) within the specific context of commercial arbitration. In addressing these research questions, the thesis incorporates a brief overview followed by a detailed discussion of the Arbitration law framework in South Africa and abroad. The discussion of arbitration abroad is done in order to identify best practices, which could be adapted to suit the South African environment. International Arbitration law receives attention and a few observations regarding how selected foreign jurisdictions treat arbitration. Finally, the thesis explores the possibility of establishing an independent institution that will be fully equipped to handle arbitration proceedings from inception to completion.

This thesis examines the jurisprudence of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Panels and Appellate Body (AB) and investment tribunals on non-discrimination clauses contained in the WTO agreements and investment agreements respectively. The thesis puts forward an alternative conceptual perspective through which the interpretation of non-discrimination provisions in international economic law could be analysed. It is argued that nondiscrimination obligations (as every legal rule to a greater or lesser extent) are inherently indeterminate. This is a fortiori the case in regard to non-discrimination provisions due to their link to the concept of equality. The concept of equality is open-ended and value-laden: its content depends on the prioritisation of different values. Thus, equality in the economic sphere can accommodate different conceptions which reflect different ideological approaches in relation to regulation, economic development and the proper role of the State in the economy. International courts and tribunals enjoy broad discretion in selecting which conception of equality to adopt when interpreting non-discrimination clauses. This indeterminacy is a positive characteristic of international economic regimes. Both the WTO and the investment arbitration regime are equipped with institutional characteristics which enable the contestation of different ideological approaches and promote pluralism. In the WTO context, this role is fulfilled by the institutional structure of the organization which facilitates the dialogue between the WTO members and the WTO Dispute Settlement System. In the realm of international investment arbitration, the mechanism of party-appointed arbitrators, despite its shortcomings which can be addressed, ensures value pluralism.

The focus of this study is the protection of creditors’ rights in South Africa’s statutory business rescue regime provided for in Chapter 6 of the Companies Act 71 of 2008. In this analysis, three issues in particular are addressed in depth. The first is the creditors` power to initiate the business rescue process. The second is the position of creditors between the commencement and the termination of the business rescue process. The third issue is to suggest (on the basis of experience drawn from reported case law and academic criticism of the current business rescue statutory provisions) an improved model that will more effectively safeguard creditors’ rights in South Africa’s business rescue regime. In exploring these issues, I give a critical review of pertinent literature. With respect to the first issue, I conclude that the legislative provisions granting creditors the right to seek a court order initiating the business rescue process are open to criticism. By contrast, a resolution of the board of directors for the commencement of business rescue is a simpler route. With regard to the second issue I conclude that the company’s creditors have considerable influence in the business rescue process. Overall, the current statutory business rescue regime is intended to give a voice to all major stakeholders in the company’s continued solvent existence. In the event of certain irresoluble disputes in the course of that process, the judiciary has the final say. A substantial number of judicial decisions have provided interpretations of the statutory provisions, and the trend has been to try to restore financial ailing companies to solvency and viability where there is a reasonable prospect for success in this regard. In my conclusion, I propose a legislative model that seeks to strike an optimum balance between the competing and sometimes conflicting interests of the various interested parties and I suggest reforms directed at enhancing the protection of creditors’ rights. This thesis takes account of South African legislation and legislative amendments as at 31 December 2016 and of decisions of the South African courts up to and including those handed down during April 2017 and reported in the saflii on-line law reports. Since a substantial part of this thesis was written from outside South Africa, the author relied heavily on the safllii data base of judgments of the South African courts, rather than on hard copy law reports which take time to reach their destination by post.

Please refer to full text to view abstract. <br>LL.M. (International Commercial Law)

Healthcare markets have started being created in Europe. Indeed, some European countries, such as the UK and the Netherlands, have started adopting the choice and competition model for healthcare delivery. Taking as a starting point that as health systems in Europe move towards market driven healthcare delivery, the application of competition law in these systems will increase, the goal of this doctoral thesis is (a) to identify some of the competition problems that may be raised in light of the reality that especially in hospital and medical markets the pursuit of competition and the pursuit of essential dimensions of healthcare quality may inevitably clash (b) to demonstrate that competition authorities would be unable to address some of these competition problems if they did not pose and address a fundamental question first: how should we define and assess quality in healthcare? How should we take healthcare quality into account in the context of a competition analysis? In delving into these questions, this doctoral thesis explores how the notion of healthcare quality is defined from antitrust, health policy and medicine perspectives and identifies three different models under which competition authorities may actually assess how a specific anticompetitive agreement or hospital merger may impact on healthcare quality. These are: (a) the US market approach under which competition authorities may define quality in healthcare strictly as choice, variety, competition and innovation (b) the European approach under which competition authorities may extend the notion of consumer welfare in healthcare so that it encompasses not only the notions of efficiency, choice and innovation, but also the wider objectives and values European health systems in fact pursue (c) the UK model under which competition authorities may cooperate with health authorities when they assess the impact of a specific transaction on healthcare quality. The thesis identifies the main merits and shortcomings of these models and emphasizes that what is crucial for the adoption of a holistic approach to healthcare quality is not only the model under which healthcare quality is actually integrated into a competition analysis but also competition authorities’ commitment to protect all dimensions of this notion.

The picture presented and often referred to in EU internal market law and legal scholarship is clear. Within the internal market private actors are the recipients of rights and public authorities are constrained in their (regulatory) powers. The notion of this new individualism is bound up with capacities, powers, and resources that empower private actors to engage in the internal market and cross-border situations; ultimately serving the objectives the internal market seeks to attain. Yet, within thinew individualism a conceptually different class of private actors has emerged that is constrained in economic freedoms, i.e. through obligations, rather than being empowered in the context of the internal market. This thesis will enquire the reasons that led to the development of this counter-culture. Why did it emerge? To what extent does this phenomenon affect the roles of private actors in the internal market? I will demonstrate that under the counter-culture private actors are responsibilized and transformed into ‘competent authorities’, i.e. alternative forms of regulatory authority, in the internal market. Private actors are placed into systems of shared responsibilities the relationships of which are coordinated by EU internal market law. In this regard, the concept of responsibility will serve as a tool to bridge the gap between the new positions EU internal market law allocates to private actors and the emerging legal consequences, i.e. allocation of obligations or tasks. The legal contexts of EU free movement law, EU discrimination law, EU food safety law and EU data protection law will serve as case studies against which the construed conceptual framework will be tested. Under the counter-culture the new individualism is no longer only about the exercise of self-interests. Rather, this form of the new individualism comes with a requirement to give account to the interests of other actors within the internal market.

East African Community Law provides a comprehensive and open-access text book on EAC law. Written by leading experts, including the president of the EACJ, national judges, academics and practitioners, it provides the most complete overview to date of this increasingly important field. Uniquely, the book also provides a systematic comparison with EU law. EU companion chapters provide concise overviews of EU law and its development, offering valuable inspiration for the application and further development of EAC law. The book has been written for all practitioners, judges, civil servants, academics and students faced with questions of EAC law. It discusses institutional, substantive and jurisdictional issues, including the nature of EAC law, free movement and competition law as well as the reception of EAC law in Partner States.

The study, entitled “Identification of the parties to the employment relationship: an appraisal of teleological interpretation of statutes”, is a legal-interdisciplinary doctrinal investigation situated within the fields of labour law and the interpretation of statutes. It concerns itself with the proper interpretation of labour legislation in general and the interpretive question as to who should be party to the employment relationship in particular, within the context of the advent of constitutionalism and the proliferation of and the increase in the importance of labour legislation. In law, meaning-generation is a function of statutory interpretation and every application of a text to particular circumstances entails interpretation. The protection extended by labour legislation is only extended to those persons who are defined as “employees”. The study describes the teleological model of statutory interpretation, which aims to give effect to the purpose of a legislative provision in light of constitutional values. The study explores the five elements of (teleological) interpretation that should be considered when interpreting concepts such as “employee”: the text, the context, the telos (or values), the history and the comparative dimension. The chief findings of the study includes: that legislation has become an indispensable source of contemporary labour law; that the courts have adopted a teleological approach to the interpretation of statutes; that the courts have, in interpreting the term “employee”, adopted a teleological approach to the interpretation of statutes; and that the interpretations advanced by the courts have not had the profound effect envisaged by the Constitution on the transformation of society.

The debate on business and human rights attracts the interest of many parties, and regularly makes the headlines. On 19 January 2017 De Morgen, for instance, ran the following headline: “These banks do business with companies that violate human rights and nature”. The discourse suggests that few question that business enterprises should respect human rights. The legal meaning and consequences of associating 'business' with 'human rights' remain contentious, however. By clarifying the existing legal framework this thesis seeks to rationalize the debate. Special attention is paid to enforcing the responsibility of business enterprises for human rights through domestic judicial remedies. The analysis is concretised through a case study on adverse human rights impacts of environmental degradation caused by mining in South Africa. Based on the findings of the study, the thesis reflects on how the international legal framework on business and human rights should be developed further.

South Africa has been experiencing a number of violent strikes by trade unions in recent times. The issue is not only to hold unions liable for damage caused during strikes, but also to reduce the number of violent strikes. This study investigates if victims of such violence can hold trade unions liable for the violent acts committed by their members during industrial action. The Labour Relations Act, 66 of 1995 (LRA) makes provision for the dismissal of employees who commit misconduct during an unprotected strike. It also provides the remedy of an interdict and a claim for just and equitable compensation which can be made against the union, during an unprotected strike. It is further possible to hold the union together with its members liable for damages in terms of the Regulation of Gatherings Act, 205 of 1993 (RGA). The study argues that a strike or conduct in furtherance of a strike that becomes violent could lose protection and the trade union should consequently be held liable, in terms of the LRA and/ or the RGA, for damages caused by its members. This study investigates the position in Canada, Botswana and Australia to determine if there could be any other basis upon which to hold trade union liable for the conduct of its members. The study recommends that the common law doctrine of vicarious liability should be developed by the courts to allow trade unions to be held liable for damages caused by members during violent industrial action. Policy considerations and changing economic conditions and the nature of strikes in the Republic favours the expansion of the doctrine of vicarious liability to trade union member relationship.

The rapid increase in globalization in the last two and a half decades has caused businesses to easily transcend national boundaries. States respond to such flexibility by harmonising their laws to easily adapt to such changes in order to attract investments. This is the case with the OHADA jurisdiction where its architects foresaw an economic spur through integration of business laws. Though expected to stay within the bounds of the law, the law cannot absolutely determine how businesses should prioritise their stakes. As such, ethics comes in to complement the law. This article uses the stakeholder theory of corporate control to investigate the place of ethics in OHADA, as applied in Cameroon. It concludes that an altruistic social conscience is still highly wanting.

In South Africa compliance with competition law has become a major concern for firms that achieve and maintain certain levels of success and growth in the market, as their actions are often a source of complaints and litigation by rivals and competition authorities. With substantial financial penalties often levied against them for a variety of conduct deemed to constitute an abuse of their market position, dominant firms must constantly be aware of the likely impact of their business strategies and actions on both rivals and consumers. What were once thought to be normal and economically sound business practices and decisions, such as cutting prices to attract customers, have now acquired new meanings, with devastating consequences for dominant firms. So, are dominant firms under attack from competition law? In this study I aim to determine this. I track the historical development of competition law in three jurisdictions: South Africa, America, and the EU, with the aim of identifying traces, if any, of hostility towards dominant firms in the origins of competition law. I further investigate whether the formulation and enforcement of certain aspects of existing abuse of dominance provisions manifest as hostility towards dominant firms. While acknowledging the important role that competition law enforcement plays in promoting competition and enhancing consumer welfare, I conclude that significant unjustified economic and legal prejudice is suffered by dominant firms as a result of the way in which certain abuse of dominance provisions have been formulated and applied. I also offer appropriate recommendations.