Bibliographie sélective OHADA

Le Contrat de construction de maison individuelle, institué par la loi 90-1129 du 19 décembre 1990, soulève de nombreuses questions. La pratique professionnelle de ce contrat de louage d’ouvrage particulier et les solutions prétoriennes mettent en relief les insuffisances et incohérences législatives. Après plus de 20 années d’existence dudit contrat, la thèse aura pour objet de procéder à sa relecture afin, tout d’abord, de constater ses défaillances menaçant l’ensemble des protagonistes du projet de construction (maître d’ouvrage, constructeur, banquier, commune, etc.). Elle révèlera les pratiques qui dénaturent le contrat, les obligations qui handicapent les parties, les risques inévitables qui affectent le projet, les jugements qui hésitent ou s’égarent, et en général, toutes les situations qui provoquent une instabilité juridique. Elle poursuivra sa démarche en se faisant force de propositions, sous un double aspect. Il lui appartiendra premièrement de suggérer des montages ou des clauses conférant plus de sécurité juridique au système existant. Elle s’efforcera secondement d’interpeller le législateur en exposant de possibles évolutions de nature à mettre fin aux confrontations de normes ou au flou légal concernant chaque année plusieurs dizaines de milliers de programmes immobiliers, le plus souvent destinés aux particuliers.Cette relecture apportera une vision neuve et à jour des problématiques légales liées à la construction de maisons individuelles depuis l’initiation du projet jusqu’à l’exécution du contrat dans des objectifs d’efficacité du droit et d’intérêt général. The contract of construction of an individual house, established by Law 90-1129 dated December 19th, 1990, raises several questions. The professional practice of this particular rental contract and the praetorian solutions accentuate the legislative insufficiencies and incoherencies. After more than 20 years of existence of said contract, the thesis will have for objective to review it in order to notice its failures which threaten all protagonists of the construction project (project manager, constructor, banker, district, etc...). It will reveal the practices that alter the contract, the obligations that handicap the parties, the inevitable risks that affect the project, the judgments that hesitate or get lost and generally all situations which cause a legal instability. It will go on with its approach by making proposals, under a double aspect. It will be up to it first to suggest setups or clauses conferring more legal safety to the existing system. Secondly, it will endeavor to question the legislator by exposing possible evolutions that are likely to put an end to the standards confrontation or to the legal limbo that concern, each year, tens of thousands of real estate programs, most often meant for individuals. This review will bring a new and up-to-date vision of the legal issues related to the construction of individual houses, from the initiation of the project until the execution of the contract, within objectives of effectiveness of the law and public interest.

Os regimes da propriedade intelectual enfrentam problemas de adaptação no cenário contemporâneo. O surgimento da Economia Criativa, de um lado, e a evolução do próprio conceito de arte, de outro, provocaram uma aproximação entre artigos industriais e obras artísticas, passando estas a serem produzidas também dentro de uma lógica comercial. Essas mudanças não foram acompanhadas pelo Direito, resultando em institutos jurídicos que hoje não se aplicam apropriadamente, ao tutelarem excessivamente bens considerados como artísticos (tais quais esculturas, desenhos, fotografias e filmes), ao mesmo tempo em que dispensam tratamento menos restritivo para produtos semelhantes, de setores econômicos em ascensão, como artigos de design. Este trabalho confirma a hipótese de que tal descompasso se deve à manutenção da divisão histórica das categorias da propriedade intelectual (a propriedade industrial e os direitos autorais), engessando a visão clássica da separação entre arte e indústria. Como solução, propomos uma série de diretrizes para orientar eventuais reformas legislativas, como também a doutrina e a jurisprudência, visando a reduzir a defasagem tanto entre os dois regimes jurídicos, quanto entre sua fundamentação original e a realidade atual de sua tutela. Intellectual property legal regimes in Brazil struggle to adapt to the current society. The emergence of the Creative Economy as well as the evolution of the concept of art have brought together industrial items to artistic works. Such changes have deep implications that are not reflected in Law. Legal regimes associated with intangible goods do not apply properly nowadays, as they rigorously protect objects considered as artistic (such as sculptures, drawings, photographs and films), but do not provide the same treatment for similar items provided by new economic sectors, like design products. This research argues that such discrepancy is due to the maintenance of the historical division between the categories of intellectual property, particularly, author's rights and industrial property, deepening the classic distinction between industry and art. As a solution, we advance a series of guidelines for reformers, legislators, scholars and judges, in order to reduce the gap between the two legal regimes, and the mismatch between their original rationale and the reality they currently protect.

S’intéresser à la négociation en droit des entreprises en difficulté peut sembler, de prime abord, surprenant tant cette branche du droit est marquée du sceau de l'ordre public. La logique de dialogue entre le débiteur et ses créanciers s’observe pourtant de plus en plus dans la majorité des procédures offertes au débiteur pour traiter ses difficultés. C’est que les perspectives du législateur ont changé : il ne s’agit plus seulement de sanctionner, mais davantage de prévenir les difficultés et de sauvegarder les entreprises avec l’intime conviction qu’une norme consentie est une norme efficace. De cette évolution est née la volonté d’appréhender le phénomène actuel de la négociation dans ses effets sur le droit des entreprises en difficulté. Il s’est agi de déterminer, dans les textes, la réalité des négociations et, en contrepoint, la part réelle du pouvoir du juge. Ce sont d’abord les équilibres au sein des procédures qui ont été bouleversés par la promotion du processus de négociation, en particulier s’agissant de celles qui, à l’origine, étaient judiciaires et collectives et dans lesquelles l’unilatéralisme était prégnant. À l’inverse, on observe un phénomène de judiciarisation des procédures amiables avec le souci de sécuriser des processus négociés. De ce fait, la ligne de partage entre les procédures amiables et les procédures judiciaires est moins claire que par le passé. Le développement de la négociation, a aussi modifié les équilibres entre les acteurs : au cœur de la recherche de la solution à apporter aux difficultés de l’entreprise, le débiteur et ses créanciers se retrouvent placés au premier rang. Enfin, les mutations opérées par l’intégration de la négociation en droit des entreprises en difficulté modifient également les valeurs traditionnellement attachées à la matière. Les principes traditionnels tels que l’égalité des créanciers s’en trouvent atténués. Cependant, ces changements offrent surtout un droit plus équilibré et plus attractif. Si l’office classique du juge semble dénaturé, son pouvoir se retrouve corrélativement renforcé. Le processus de négociation nécessite en effet la mise en place d’un cadre juridique strict et un contrôle judiciaire important afin d’assurer la garantie des droits fondamentaux des parties. Surtout, le débiteur et ses créanciers accepteront plus aisément une solution dont ils ont la maîtrise. Il ressort de cette évolution, le constat d’un droit davantage fondé sur l’idée de confiance. Ainsi, en raison des nombreux avantages qu’on lui connaît, la voie amiable pourrait encore jouer de ses charmes auprès du législateur français. At first glance, it may seem surprising to focus on negotiation in insolvency law since this branch of law is marked by the seal of public order. However, the logic of dialogue between the debtor and his creditors is increasingly observed in most of the procedures offered to the debtor to deal with his difficulties. The legislator's perspectives have changed: it is no longer just a question of sanctioning, but more of preventing difficulties and safeguarding companies. This evolution has given rise to the desire to understand the current phenomenon of negotiation in its effects on the law of companies in difficulty. The aim was to determine, in the texts, the reality of the negotiations and, as a counterpoint, the real share of the judge's power. The promotion of the negotiation process in dealing with business difficulties has upset, on the one hand, the balances within the procedures. Negotiations appear to have been strengthened in procedures that were originally judicial and collective and in which unilateralism was prevalent. Conversely, mutual agreement procedures are more judicial in nature than before. As a result, the dividing line between amicable and judicial proceedings is less clear than in the past. The development of negotiation has also upset the balances between the players: at the heart of the search for a solution to the company's difficulties, the debtor and his creditors are placed at the forefront of the processing. The changes brought about by the integration of negotiation into the law of companies in difficulty are also changing the values traditionally attached to the subject. Traditional principles such as the equality of creditors are reduced. However, these changes offer above all a more balanced and attractive law. If the judge's traditional office seems to be distorted, his power is strengthened accordingly. The negotiation process requires the establishment of a strict legal framework and significant judicial control to ensure that the fundamental rights of the parties are guaranteed. Above all, the debtor and his creditors will more easily accept a solution in their control. This development shows that the law is more based on the idea of trust. Thus, because of the many advantages known to it, the amicable way could still play its charms with the French legislator.

L’extinction partielle des dettes occupe, encore aujourd’hui, une place discrète dans le Code civil. Elle pourrait presque être reléguée à un simple accident de parcours dans la vie de l’obligation. L’article 1342-4 nouveau du Code civil – vestige de l’article 1244 antérieur à l’ordonnance – en donne une illustration particulièrement frappante en posant comme principe que le créancier peut purement et simplement refuser un paiement partiel. Toutefois, les cas de survenance de l’extinction partielle se multiplient en jurisprudence et en pratique. Plus encore, la loi pose de plus en plus d’exceptions ponctuelles à l’article 1342-4, notamment par les mesures de grâce ou les règles régissant les effets de commerce en droit des affaires. L’intérêt du sujet part de ce postulat : il existe une discordance entre la vision classique de l’extinction partielle et son intérêt actuel renouvelé par une société de l’endettement. Définie comme la disparition non rétroactive d’un quantum de l’obligation pour en laisser subsister une autre partie, l’extinction partielle repose paradoxalement sur la satisfaction du créancier. La subsistance d’un quantum de l’obligation différencie, en effet, extinction partielle et extinction totale : le créancier demeure dans l’attente d’une partie de la dette. Le lien de droit demeure par l’expectative d’un désintéressement futur. La satisfaction du créancier est donc toute à la fois immédiate et projetée. Partial extinction of debts still occupies a discreet place in the French civil Code. It could almost be relegated to a transient difficulty. The new article 1342-4 of the civil Code – old article 1244 prior to the new legislation of 2016 - provides a striking illustration of this, as a principle that the creditor may simply refuse partial payment. However, cases of partial extinction are multiplying in case law and practice. More importantly, the law increasingly makes specific exceptions to 1342-4, including through grace measures or rules governing business effects. The interest of the subject is based on this assumption: there is a discrepancy between the classic view of partial extinction and its current interest renewed by our society of debts. Defined as the non-retroactive disappearance of a quantum of the obligation to allow another part to remain, the partial termination is paradoxically based on the satisfaction of the creditor. The subsistence of a quantum of the obligation differentiates, in fact, partial extinction and total extinction: the creditor remains awaiting part of the debt.

Le crédit de regroupement destiné aux ménages et aux particuliers fait aujourd’hui partie intégrante des crédits régis par le code de la consommation. Dans un contexte de multi-endettement le plus souvent inadapté à la situation financière des débiteurs, le recours au regroupement de crédits s’inscrit dans la recherche de solutions par le débiteur pour résorber son malendettement ou mieux gérer son budget. Favorisée entre autres par la baisse des taux d’intérêt, l’offre de crédit de regroupement tend à devenir un outil de conquête de parts de marché. Demeuré longtemps sans encadrement précis, le regroupement de crédits bénéficie désormais d’un cadre strict et contraignant initié par la loi n°2010-737 du 1er juillet 2010 portant réforme du crédit à la consommation. Un encadrement dont la substance porte sur la définition des régimes des opérations de regroupement et leurs conditions de formation très formalistes et de nature consumériste. Cela traduit des avancées innovantes en la matière mais cette règlementation tient insuffisamment compte des spécificités du regroupement d’où la nécessité d’évoluer vers un cadre juridique spécifique plus approprié. Il est en effet nécessaire d’intégrer dans l’encadrement du regroupement la définition de l’opération, son procédé de mise en œuvre et d’autres aspects tenant au processus de restructuration. Ce qui permettra de définir des droits et des devoirs pour les parties prenantes aux crédits regroupés et de mieux tenir compte de la fragilité du consommateur-emprunteur par des mesures de prévention d’un nouvel engrenage dans l’endettement excessif. Le mécanisme du regroupement étant néanmoins susceptible de résorber efficacement le malendettement, il pourrait être utilisé comme mesure de traitement du malendettement dans le cadre des procédures de désendettement. Cela nécessite la définition de conditions d’ouverture du droit du surendettement aux situations de malendettement et de trouver des sources de financement du réaménagement de l’endettement via le crédit de regroupement que proposerait la Commission de surendettement. A propos, se tourner vers l’un des créanciers prêteurs est préconisé, mais il faudrait envisager la mise en place d’un fonds public spécifique de soutien aux particuliers qui financerait subsidiairement ledit crédit en cas d’exercice par le banquier de sa liberté de refuser le crédit. In fine, même si les différentes mesures de traitement du malendettement et du surendettement sont utiles, il est nécessaire et primordial de trouver de meilleurs outils pour les prévenir. The Consolidation of Debts to households and individual customers is now part of the Credit Offer regulated by the French Consumption Code Law.In the framework of multiple debts unfit to the financial situation of the Debtors, the use of debts consolidation is geared towards the search of solutions by Debtors to solve bad debts or better manage their budget. Favored by the decrease of interest rates, the consolidation of debts has evolved as a tool to gain additional market shares. Long Time without any structured monitoring, the consolidation of debts is now structured in a strict and binding framework initiated by the law n°2010-737 of July 2010 amending the consumption debt Law. A framework which is grounded on defining the different types of debts consolidation and the conditions of their creation – This process being very formal and of consumerist type. This entails innovative progress in this area field, but these rules do not take into account the peculiarities of debts consolidation, thus, implying the necessity to evolve towards a more specific legal framework. It is now compulsory to integrate within the framing of Debts Consolidation, the definition of the nature of these operations, their methods of implementation and additional aspects related to the restructuring process. This will allow to define the rights and obligations of the stakeholders to debts Consolidation and take into account the fragility of the consumer-borrower through prevention measures against the threat of falling back into the traps of excessive debts. The mechanisms of debts consolidation is however a potential way to solve excessive debts, it could be used as a healing measure to treat excessive Debts in the framework of deleveraging processes. For that purpose, leveraging one of the creditors can be advocated, but one should also contemplate the setup of a Public Fund to support individual customers, and that would finance alternatively such a credit, if not accepted by the bank.In fine, even though the different treatment measures against excessive and bad debts are useful, it is highly important to find out better tools to prevent those situations.

This work is concerned with an analysis of the copyright protection of musical works. Musical works form part of the categories of works protected under copyright law. It would be easy to dismiss musical works as not warranting a serious study, as would for example, be warranted for “industrial property” rights such as patents and geographical indicators, or more “serious” copyrights such as architectural works and computer software. Such a perspective would however, not be cognisant of the significant contribution that the music industry, as part of the broader cultural and creative industries makes to the global economy. It has, for example, been shown that in 2013, the global cultural and creative industries contributed some US$2,250b, employing some 29,5 million people, with the music industry being one of the top three employers and with its revenues exceeding those of radio.1 A single successful musician can earn in excess of US$100m per annum,2 making the industry ripe for litigious claims. For this reason therefore a consideration of the legal rules that apply to the protection of musical works is crucial. There is currently no clear exposition and systematic analysis of the legal principles applicable to the field of music copyright and no work devoted to the in-depth delineation of the rights and sub-rights relating to musical copyright protection. This study seeks to address this research and knowledge gap by providing a historical and contextual analysis of the protection of musical works. The aim is to provide a complete picture of the milieu of music copyright protection to enable the reader to feel empowered in dealing with the subject-matter. This the writer does by mapping the historical development of music copyright protection in particular from eighteenth century England when the first copyright legislation was enacted, until the enactment of the British Copyright Act of 1911, which signalled the emergence of the “common law” copyright system. The writer then shows how this enactment shaped the development of modern music copyright law, and concludes by presenting a contextual consideration of the current South African law of music copyright and highlighting the challenges it is faced with.

L’évolution d’une économie industrielle vers une économie de la connaissance et du savoir a propulsé la propriété intellectuelle sur le devant de la scène. Désormais les droits intellectuels s’intègrent à tous les domaines de la vie moderne. De ce fait, le besoin de les protéger efficacement par des règles juridiques appropriées et d’inciter en conséquence les créateurs à produire de nouvelles créations est devenu une nécessité de premier ordre. Cependant, la spécificité de la nature de l’œuvre protégée par la propriété intellectuelle exige la prise en considération de multiples intérêts antagonistes. C’est pourquoi le législateur a cherché, au nom de l’intérêt général, à créer un juste équilibre interne entre les principaux intérêts présents au sein du régime de la propriété intellectuelle. Or, l’exercice des prérogatives octroyées par le régime de propriété intellectuelle effectué par le titulaire de droit a généré une importante expansion de ses intérêts au détriment des autres intérêts concurrents – présents dans la matière. Cette situation a provoqué, en conséquence, une rupture de l’équilibre interne de ce système, préétabli en amont par le législateur. Or, l’intérêt général peut jouer un rôle central dans le rétablissement d’un équilibre en la matière. Dans cette perspective, le juge peut, grâce à son pouvoir créateur de règles jurisprudentielles, se servir de l’intérêt général comme d’une ligne directrice servant à rétablir ce juste équilibre dans le système de la propriété intellectuelle. L’intérêt général justifie donc, tout autant que les limites intrinsèques aux droits de la propriété intellectuelle, les limites extrinsèques à ces droits

Historiquement, l'arbitre et le juge sont un vieux couple. Cette union légale procède de l'assistance technique que ce dernier porte à l'arbitre. Les nombreux dysfonctionnements que connaissent les justices étatiques des États membres de l'OHADA poussent ces derniers à réorganiser cette institution phare des États. A l'instar des États-Unis, du Canada ou encore de la France, les États membres de l'OHADA peuvent également opter pour une déjudiciarisation qui, délesterait le juge étatique de toutes ses tâches supplémentaires, dont celles relevant de l'arbitrage, spécifiquement pour les États de cet espace juridique. Dans cette hypothèse, il s'agira de bâtir un système arbitral totalement affranchi de toute intrusion du juge étatique. Ces travaux s'inscrivent donc dans une logique de droit prospectif, l'objectif étant à terme de présenter un droit de l'arbitrage totalement émancipé de l'apport du juge et ainsi, véritablement conférer à cette justice privée son caractère indépendant tant vanté. Historically, the referee and the judge are an old couple. This legal union proceeds from the technical assistance that the judge brings to the referee. The numerous issues faced by the state courts of the OHADA member states are forcing them to reorganize this all important institution. Just like in the United States, Canada or France, the OHADA member states can also opt for a judicial injunction, which would relieve the state judges of additional duties, including those related to arbitration specifically for the member States of this legal environment. In regard to this, it will be useful to build an arbitral system completely free from any intrusion of the state judge. This work is therefore part of a prospective-law approach, the ultimate goal being to present a right for arbitration totally liberated from the contribution of the judge and thus, truly confer to this private justice it’s independent character.

This thesis is a comparative analysis of the provisions on the seller’s duty to deliver the goods free from any third-party intellectual property rights (IPRs) under the United Nations Conventions on the International Sale of Goods (CISG) and the UK Sale of Goods Act 1979 (SGA). As a consequence of technological advancement, there has been an increased observance of the interaction between intellectual property rights (IPRs), which are intangible property rights, and tangible goods. As a result of this interaction, growing numbers of goods, which are either subject to IPRs as a whole or that possess an IP-protected component, have become subject to sales agreements. The circulation of the goods around the world increases the likelihood that third-party IPRs over the goods will be infringed. This risk of infringement also raises the possibility that the application of IP law remedies will prevent the buyer from reselling or using the goods in question. This study is concerned with the question of how the sale of goods is affected by third-party IPRs, and it proposes to undertake a comparative analysis of the provisions that determine the seller’s liability when third-party IPRs arise in relation to goods that are sold under the CISG and the SGA. It seeks to determine which instrument offers sufficient protection that will benefit the buyer. In attempting to reveal the sufficient protection, it also undertakes a comparative analysis of the remedies that are available to the buyer under the CISG and the SGA when third-party IPRs over the goods are raised. With regard to the widely acceptance of the CISG by 89 states, and the dominant role of English law in commercial law and its preference as a governing law to most contracts, it is aimed to determine the differences and similarities between the CISG and the SGA, and the practical consequences of their application to the contracts when third-party IPRs over the goods arise. The thesis will seek to determine if the text of the relevant CISG articles can be improved and will accordingly formulate proposals that work towards this outcome.

Le financement des procès présente de nombreux avantages pour le développement de l'arbitrage international, auparavant inaccessible aux parties impécunieuses. Les systèmes anglo-saxons, traditionnellement contre le financement des procès, commencent à introduire des règlementations facilitant l'accès au financement et promouvant son développement. La sophistication des formes de financement et le statut du tiers financeur apportent cependant une certaine complexité à l'exercice par l'arbitre de son pouvoir et au déroulement de la procédure arbitrale. Cette dernière reste gérer par le consensus des parties et la confidentialité de la procédure. La divulgation de l'accord de financement et la détermination du statut du financeur sont parmi les questions que posent l'existence d'un tiers dans la procédure arbitrale. Third-party funding presents various advantages for the development of international arbitration, previously inaccessible for insolvent parties. Common law systems, traditionally against the funding of litigation, are recently adopting regulations allowing access to funding and promoting its development. The sophistication of the forms of funding and the status of third-party funder give rise to certain challenges with regard to the exercise by the arbitrator of his/her powers and the administration of the arbitration process. This process remains widely governed by the will of the parties and the confidentiality of the procedure. The disclosure of the funding agreement and determining the status of the funder are amongst the various questions triggered by the presence of a third-party in the arbitration process.

Le transport sous contrat d'affrètement est pour un certain nombre de raisons qui seront examinées au cours de cette recherche (charges, indemnisation des dommages, pollutions, assurances etc.) le mode de transport le plus adopté pour le pétrole. Cette étude a pour objectif d’analyser le régime de responsabilité des parties contractantes dans le transport des produits par les navires pétroliers. De cibler corollairement l’âme du contrat qui est la question de la liberté contractuelle encadrée par les chartes parties proprement pétrolières. De déterminer le périmètre d'intervention des différents acteurs qui ont capacité à négocier dans le secteur du transport - ce qui implique d'abord de les connaitre. Aujourd’hui le marché de l'affrètement pourrait d'avantage être qualifié comme un commerce sous sa forme d'échange des informations. La clé du succès est ici, d’avoir accès aux informations correctes à un moment donné. Les analyses développées dans cette recherche montrent à l'évidence que la nature du marché du fret pétrolier n'est pas établie de manière unilatérale mais qu’elle résulte de plusieurs facteurs évoqués tout au long cette étude. La liberté des contractants est définie par les différents chartes parties. Ces chartes sont des modèles imposés par Ies compagnies. Il apparaît souhaitable qu'elle évolue vers un "multilatéralisme'.

Le transport sous contrat d'affrètement est pour un certain nombre de raisons qui seront examinées au cours de cette recherche (charges, indemnisation des dommages, pollutions, assurances etc.) le mode de transport le plus adopté pour le pétrole. Cette étude a pour objectif d’analyser le régime de responsabilité des parties contractantes dans le transport des produits par les navires pétroliers. De cibler corollairement l’âme du contrat qui est la question de la liberté contractuelle encadrée par les chartes parties proprement pétrolières. De déterminer le périmètre d'intervention des différents acteurs qui ont capacité à négocier dans le secteur du transport - ce qui implique d'abord de les connaitre. Aujourd’hui le marché de l'affrètement pourrait d'avantage être qualifié comme un commerce sous sa forme d'échange des informations. La clé du succès est ici, d’avoir accès aux informations correctes à un moment donné. Les analyses développées dans cette recherche montrent à l'évidence que la nature du marché du fret pétrolier n'est pas établie de manière unilatérale mais qu’elle résulte de plusieurs facteurs évoqués tout au long cette étude. La liberté des contractants est définie par les différents chartes parties. Ces chartes sont des modèles imposés par Ies compagnies. Il apparaît souhaitable qu'elle évolue vers un "multilatéralisme'.

The thesis examines the influence of shareholder activism on corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure of targeted firms and its spillover effects on CSR disclosure, corporate social performance (CSP) and financial performance (FP) respectively in peer firms. The research is motivated by filling the research gaps in prior literature and providing insights to shareholders, the management and regulatory bodies in practice. The thesis consists of three parts. Firstly, this thesis reviews the literature surrounding shareholder activism by conducting narrative reviews of 92 working papers and publications and meta-analysis on 55 working papers and publications, published during 2000-2017 period. Theories from prior literature, namely agency theory, stakeholder theory and stakeholder salience theory are analysed through narrative review analysis at the beginning of the chapter. Then, the analysis of narrative review also documents mixed findings of the associations among shareholder activism and FP and CG and CSP, including spillover effects. That is, the associations could be positive, negative and not significant in prior literature. The results of meta-analysis indicate that shareholder activism improves FP and CSP respectively. In addition, the thesis also examines the major types of shareholder activists and main forms of shareholder activism. Overall, through the analysis, the thesis identifies the research gaps of prior literature, thereby pointing out future research directions. Secondly, by employing shareholder proposals from Standard & Poor's 1,500 (S&P 1,500, hereafter) companies in the United States as a proxy of shareholder activism during 2006-2014 period with 13,572 separate observations, this thesis examines whether the whole sample of shareholder activism, institutional shareholder activism and coordinated shareholder activism could influence CSR disclosure level respectively. Simultaneously, this thesis also investigates whether shareholder activism affects CSR disclosure level given the other corporate governance mechanisms, namely board size, the presence of female directors, outside directors and CEO incentives. The results typically demonstrate that: (1) while shareholder activism negatively relates to CSR disclosure level, larger board size or the presence of female directors combined with shareholder activism directly relates to maintaining better CSR transparency; (2) coordinated shareholder activism could decrease social disclosure level. The findings also indicate that CSR disclosure provides an approach to strategically manage risks. Thirdly, the thesis explores spillover effects from different types of shareholder activism on CSR disclosure level, CSP and financial performance by using data gathered from S&P 1,500 companies during 2007-2014 period. The findings show that shareholder activism increases social disclosure level and environmental disclosure level in peer firms. It also shows that there is a weak positive association between shareholder activism and CSP. It therefore demonstrates the weak influences of shareholder activism in changing firms’ CSP. It also illustrates that institutional shareholder activism has an advantage over coordinated shareholder activism in terms of increasing corporate transparency. In this manner, it indicates that the collective action problem among coordinated shareholders could also attenuate the impact of shareholder activism in peer firms. The thesis contributes to the literature on shareholder activism practically and theoretically. The findings provide useful insights to shareholders, management teams and regulatory bodies for their policy-making. Beyond the practical contribution, the thesis also provides empirical evidence to stakeholder salience theory and analyses the collective action problem.

La titrisation des créances est une opération qui permet aux banques de se financer sur les marchés financiers à moindre coût et sans trop de risques. Pour réaliser l’opération, les banques cèdent les prêts qu’elles ont octroyés à une structure qui se chargera ensuite de les placer auprès des investisseurs. De plus, la titrisation permet également aux banques de gérer les risques liés aux prêts. Avec l’avènement de cette opération, les banques se soucient moins de la qualité et de la capacité financière des emprunteurs. Une fois le prêt accordé, les banques vont créer des portefeuilles de créances qui seront cédés par la suite. Une autre forme de titrisation permet de transférer uniquement le risque lié aux prêts sans toutefois sortir ces prêts du bilan de la banque: c’est la titrisation synthétique. Ces deux formes de titrisation, classique et synthétique, ont été utilisées auxÉtats-Unis et ont contribué à l’explosion de la bulle immobilière qui a entraîné une crise financière en 2008 : la crise des subprimes. La titrisation a donc occasionné le mouvement de contagion des risques qui s’en est suivi sur les marchés financiers. Les subprimes sont des prêts hypothécaires à risque accordés à un taux variable aux ménages américains à faible capacité financière. Le taux est bas les premières années, mais augmente progressivement. Titriser ce type de prêts revient à propager le risque de non-remboursement des emprunteurs à tous les différents intervenants de la chaîne. Et c’est ce qui s’est produit: les taux ont été relevés et les emprunteurs n’ont pas été capables d’assurer le paiement des différentes mensualités entraînant un blocage de tout le circuit. Les choses se sont passées de cette façon parce que, sur les marchés à cette période, l’appât du gain l’avait emporté sur le respect des règles d’encadrement des marchés, quasi inexistantes. Cette thèse propose des solutions d’encadrement du marché financieret de l’opération de titrisation en particulier. Entre la loi du marché, le droit et l’éthique, les recommandations faites dans cette dissertation se veulent complémentaires aux actions des différents régulateurs, nationaux et internationaux.

"Bu çalışmada finansal tabloların işlevleri, çeşitleri, düzenlenmesi ve tutulmasından kaynaklanan hukuksal sonuçlar incelenmiştir. Finansal tablolar, işletmenin finansal durumunun ve finansal performansının biçimlendirilmiş sunumudur. Bu tablolar aracılığıyla, şirketin finansal durumu hakkında bilgilendirme yapılmaktadır. Finansal tablolar, özellikle yabancı yatırımcının şirketlere güvenip yatırım kararı alması açısından önem arz etmektedir. Bu bağlamda, Türk Ticaret Kanunu'nun (TTK) genel gerekçesi beşinci paragrafında, uluslararası piyasaların bir parçası olmak hedefi ortaya konulmuştur. Hedefe ulaşmak için, finansal tabloların uluslararası standartlara göre düzenlenmesi gerekliliğine yer verilmiştir. Hedefe ulaşmada yeterli düzenleme yapılması konusunda Kamu Gözetimi, Muhasebe ve Denetim Standartları Kurumu görevlendirilmiştir. Kurum tarafından yapılan düzenlemeler, uluslararası muhasebe standartlarının çevirisinden ibaret olup, yeterli değildir. TTK ile muhasebe uygulaması arasında köprü kurulamamıştır. Ticaret ve vergi hukuku alanında yer alan düzenlemeler kapsamında iki ayrı uygulama yürütülmektedir. Finansal tabloların işletmenin finansal durumunu, finansal performansını ve nakit akışlarını gerçeğe uygun olarak sunması gereklidir. Kural olarak standartlara uygunluk, bilgilerin gerçeğe uygun şekilde açıklanması için yeterlidir; ancak bu uygunluk gerçek durumunu yansıtmıyorsa standartlar uygulanmayabilecektir. Finansal tablolar bilanço, döneme ait kar veya zarar ve diğer kapsamlı gelir tablosu, özkaynak değişim tablosu, nakit akış tablosu, önemli muhasebe politikalarını ve diğer açıklayıcı bilgileri içeren dipnotlardan oluşur. Bilanço, işletmenin hazırlandığı tarih itibariyle varlık, yükümlülük ve özkaynaklarını gösteren finansal tablodur. İşletmenin sahip olduğu her türlü malvarlığı unsuru veya katlandığı her sorumluluk bilançoda muhasebeleştirilemez. Bunun için standartlarda sayılan koşulları taşımaları gerekmektedir. Bilanço dışındaki diğer finansal tablolar, ya bilançonun hazırlanması açısından birer araçtır ya da bilançonun tamamlayıcısıdır. Tabloların içeriğinde yer alan bilgilerin birbiriyle ilişkisi, bunların bir bütün olarak değerlendirilmesi gerektiğini ortaya koymaktadır. Finansal tabloların tutulmasının yönetim kurulu, denetim ve genel kurul açısından hukuki sonuçları bulunmaktadır. Yönetim kurulu finansal tabloları hazırlar ve genel kurula sunar. Bununla birlikte, denetim finansal tablolar esas alınarak yapılacaktır. Buna bağlı olarak, denetçi şirket hakkında denetim raporunu oluşturacaktır. Genel kurul, denetimden geçmiş finansal tablolara dayanarak şirkete ve yönetim kuruluna ilişkin kararlar alacaktır. In this study, the legal results arising from the functions, types, regulation and retention of the financial statements are examined. Financial statements are a structured representation of the financial position and financial performance of an entity. These tables provide information on the financial position of the company. Financial statements are especially significant for foreign investors to trust companies and make investment decisions. In this context, the fifth paragraph of the general justification of the Turkish Commercial Code (TCC) aims to be a part of international markets. In order to reach the target, it is necessary to arrange the financial statements according to international standards. The Public Oversight, Accounting and Auditing Standards Authority has been appointed to ensure adequate regulation to reach the target. The regulations made by the institution consist of translation of international accounting standards and are not sufficient. No bridge could be established between the TCC and the accounting practice. Within the scope of the regulations in the field of trade and tax law, two different applications are carried out. Financial statements shall present fairly the financial position, financial performance and cash flows of an entity. As a rule, compliance with standards is sufficient for the information to be truthfully disclosed; however, if this compliance does not reflect the actual situation of the company, the standards may not apply. The financial statements comprises balance sheet, a statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income for the period, a statement of changes in equity, a statement of cash flow, notes, comprising significant accounting policies and other explanatory information. The balance sheet is the financial statement showing the assets, liabilities and equity of the entity. Any asset that the entity owns or any liability that it endures cannot be recognized in the balance sheet. For this, they must meet the requirements listed in the standards. Other financial statements, other than the balance sheet, are either tools for the preparation of the balance sheet or complementary to the balance sheet. For this reason, the relationship between the information contained in the content of the tables suggests that they should be evaluated as a whole. The holding of the financial statements has legal consequences for the board of directors, auditing and general assembly. The Board of Directors shall prepare the financial statements and present them to the General Assembly. However, the audit will be performed on the basis of financial statements. Accordingly, the auditor will establish an audit report on the company. The General Assembly shall take decisions regarding the company and the board of directors on the basis of audited financial statements."

The Companies Income Tax Act provides the architecture for corporate income taxation (CIT) in Nigeria. It specifies the rate, the tax base and contains the bulk of the incentives to which qualified corporate taxpayers are entitled. This thesis investigates the influence of incentives on the compliance behaviour of micro and small companies (MSCs) in Nigeria. By Nigeria’s standard, these are companies which: (1) employ between 1 to 49 persons and/or own assets (excluding land and building) valued at less than NGN 100million; or (2) are either private limited companies or one-man businesses. In the context of the Nigerian tax system, MSCs are corporate taxpayers with turnover of less than NGN 200 million. This choice of research population is a consequence of the globally acknowledged niche occupied by MSCs vis-à-vis the of the socio-economic objectives of any state. In the course of the study, the formulated research questions were resolved using a multi-stage mixed methods framework which allowed for the fusion of qualitative and quantitative epistemology as well as facilitated the introduction of pragmaticism into the research process. The thesis, inter alia, identified gaps in the administrative regime of CIT incentives in Nigeria and highlighted the fact that they have the potential to introduce uncertainty into the tax system. In addition, it revealed that the regulatory regime for the role and services of tax intermediaries within the tax system, in terms of current standards and reality, is sub-optimal. On the basis of a survey of a small sample of MSCs, it was concluded that the influence of tax intermediaries with regard to the compliance behaviour of MSCs was marginal. Reason for this was traced to the fact that the role and services of the latter vis-à-vis clients who are MSCs are actuated by variables which are within the psycho-social space of the tax intermediairies and the desires/requests of the MSC. This dismisses, in the context of Nigeria, the notion that the tax intermediary is the initator of every tax dodge. Based on the findings, the thesis, inter alia, recommended a re-orientation in the conceptualisation of tax compliance as the prevailing theoretical premise for the extant tax law and policy does not contemplate that non-economic factors and referents outside the realm of taxation are capable of influencing tax compliance behaviour. In addition, recommendations with the capacity to change the law, policy and administrative regime relating to CIT incentives as well as the role and services provided by tax intermediaries were made after an examination of the situation in Kenya and South Africa.

Bu çalışma İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi Hukuk Fakültesi Özel Hukuk Doktora Tezi olarak hazırlanmıştır. Tezin konusunu anonim şirketlerde yönetim kurulunda temsil edilme imtiyazı oluşturmaktadır. 6012 sayılı Türk Ticaret Kanunu ile imtiyazlara ilişkin yeni bir düzen getirilmiş, ayrıca yönetim kurulunda temsil edilme hakkı normatif düzenlemeye kavuşturulmuş ve belirli gruplar ile azlığa temsil edilme hakkı tanınabileceği hükme bağlanmıştır. Tez kapsamında ilk olarak imtiyaz kavramı ve imtiyazlara ilişkin temel ilkeler incelenmiştir. Takip eden bölümde yönetim kurulunda temsil edilme hakkı irdelenmiştir. Tezde en önemli amaç, temsil edilme hakkını etraflıca incelemek ve temsil edilme hakkıyla imtiyazlar arasında kurulan köprüyü tanıtmak olmuştur. Bu itibarla, bir imtiyaz olarak nitelendirilen temsil edilme hakkının, diğer imtiyazlardan ayrılan özellikleri üzerinde durulmuştur. Ayrıca temsil edilme hakkının tanınabileceği zümreler ile tanındığı her bir zümre özelinde hakkın hukuki niteliğine yönelik tespitlerde bulunulmuş ve öğretide pek tartışılmamış olan temsilci üyenin niteliği ele alınmıştır. Devamında temsil edilme hakkına dair yöntemler incelenmiş ve çeşitli esas sözleşme hükümleri yorumlanmıştır. Tezde karşılaşılan hukuki sorunların işlevsel bir menfaat hukukçuluğu çerçevesinde yanıtlanmasını hedefleyen bir yöntem benimsenmiştir. Yorum yapılırken amaçsal yorum metodu kullanılmış, saptanan hukuki sorunlar için de lege lata çözüm önerilerinde bulunmaya gayret edilmiştir. This paper is prepared as Istanbul Bilgi University Faculty of Law Private Law PH.D. Dissertation. Subject of the dissertation is the privilege to be represented in the board of directors of joint stock companies. Turkish Commercial Code numbered 6102 introduced a paradigm shift in relation to the privileges, regulated the right to be represented in the board of directors and set forth that such right may be granted to certain groups and minority. Firstly, privilege concept and principles surrounding the privileges have been examined in the dissertation. Following section focuses on the right to be represented in the board of directors. The substantial purpose of the dissertation is to introduce the right to be represented and the correlation between such right and privileges. Thus, the differences between the right to be represented which is a privilege and other privileges have been set forth. Further, determinations have been made on classes that may be granted with the right to be represented and legal qualifications of the right by taking into consideration each class that may be granted with such right, and characteristics of the representative, a subject so far that has not been examined in detail by doctrine, have been discussed. Methods of right to be represented are examined and miscellaneous articles of association provisions are interpreted in this regard. The method adopted in the dissertation aims to respond to the legal problems within the frame of taking into consideration the interests of the shareholders. The teleological interpretation methodology has been used for interpretations and proposals of de lege lata solutions to the legal problems have been endeavored.

Anonim şirketin yönetim ve temsil yetkileri 6102 sayılı Türk Ticaret Kanunu'nda ayrı başlıklarda düzenlenmiştir. TTK'da, anonim şirketlerde yönetim yetkisinin devri için esas sözleşmede devre izin veren bir hükmün bulunması ve yönetim organizasyonuna ilişkin bir iç yönerge hazırlanması gerekmektedir. Bu hususlara uygun şekilde, yönetim kurulu alacağı bir karar ile yönetim yetkisinin tamamını veya bir kısmını kurul üyelerine ve/veya üçüncü kişilere devredebilecektir. Temsil yetkisinin devri ve sınırlandırılmasına ise TTK, kanuni ve iradi sınırlandırmaların yanısıra 371. maddenin 7. Fıkrasında yapılan ekleme ile sınırlı temsilci tayini hususunda yeni ve eleştirilen bir rejim getirmiştir. Bu bağlamda çalışmamızda, yönetim ve temsil yetkilerinin devir ve sınırlandırılmasının kapsamı, devir ve sınırlandırmalar için uyulması gereken şartlar, yönetim yetkisi ile temsil yetkinin devri arasındaki ilişki ve bu yetkilerin devredilebileceği kişiler inceleme konusu yapılmakta ve bu konulara ilişkin güncel tartışmalar ele alınmaktadır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Anonim Şirket, Yönetim Kurulu, Yönetim Yetkisi, Temsil Yetkisi, Yetki Devri, Örgüt Yönergesi, Sınırlı Yetkili, Sınırlı Temsilci, Sorumluluk. Management rights and representation rights in joint stock companies have been regulated under separate subjects in 6102 numbered Turkish Commercial Code. According to Turkish Commercial Code, joint stock companies that want to delegate the management rights should have a provision on their articles of association that allows such delegation and should prepare internal rules regarding the organization of management. According to such terms, the board of directors may delegate its management Powers fully or partially to one or more board members and/or third parties by issuing a decision on such matter. Regarding the delegation and limitation of representation rights, the addition of seventh paragraph to article 371. of Turkish Commercial Code, has introduced a new and highly criticized regime on such matter besides the legislative and voluntary limitations. In this context, our study will review the limits of delegation and limitation of management and representation right, requirements for such delegation and limitation, the relationship between right of management and right of representation, persons whom the powers may be delegated and the up-to-date discussions on such subjects. Keywords: Joint Stock Company, Board of Directors, Management Right, Representation Right, Delegation of Rights, Internal Rules, Limited Authority, Representative with Limited Power, Responsibility.

Birbirinden bağımsız birden fazla şirketin bir araya gelmek suretiyle bir organizasyon oluşturmalarına sıklıkla karşılaşılmakta, bu organizasyona ise şirketler topluluğu denilmektedir. Kuruluşların faaliyet alanlarını genişletmek istemeleri, bu yönde maliyetlerini en aza indirerek kârlılıklarını arttırmak için bir araya gelmeleri sonucunda ticari açıdan bir organizasyon oluşturmaları ülkemizde de sıklıkla görülmektedir. Ancak mevcut kanunlarımızda bu şekilde oluşan organizasyonlara yönelik herhangi bir özel düzenlemeye daha önce yer verilmemişti. Bu tür durumlarla farklı hukuk alanlarında da sıklıkla karşılaşılması, zamanla şirketler topluluğu açısından yasal düzenleme yapılması gereğini doğurmuş ve şirketler topluluğuna ilişkin düzenlemeler ilk olarak 6102 sayılı Türk Ticaret Kanunu ile yapılmıştır. Bu düzenlemeler, topluluk yapılanmasının, organizasyon şemasının kurulmasını, işleyişi ve ilgililerin sorumluluğunun belirlenmesini amaçlamaktadır. Ticaret Kanununda düzenlenen şirketler topluluğuna ilişkin hükümlerin önemli bir bölümü Alman Konzern Hukuku esaslıdır. Çalışmamızda kanundaki şirketler topluluğu düzenlemeleri incelenirken, Türk Hukuku esas alınmış ve konu diğer hukuk dalları ile birlikte çok yönlü bir şekilde ele alınarak şirketler topluluğu düzenlemelerinin uygulanabilirliğinin sağlanması hedeflenmiştir. Bağlı şirketin borçlarından dolayı hakim şirketin sorumluluğunu irdeleyen çalışmamızda, şirketler topluluğunun temel kavramları, şirketler topluluğunda sorumluluk halleri ile bağlı şirketin üçüncü kişilere karşı sorumluluğu konusu, özellikle fiili şirketler topluluğu kapsamında ve anonim şirket temelinde incelenmiştir. Ayrıca şirketler topluluğu düzenlemelerinin uygulama yelpazesinin genişletilmesine katkı sağlaması amacı ile diğer hukuk alanlarına da değinilmek suretiyle çok yönlü araştırma yapılmıştır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Şirketler Topluluğu, Sorumluluk, Hakim Şirket, Bağlı Şirket. It is frequently seen that multiple companies independent from each other come together to form an organization and this organization is called a group of companies. In our country, it is frequently observed that entities form a commercial organization by coming together around the desire of extending their field of activity and in order to reduce costs and increase profitability. However, existing laws lacked a specific regulation in connection with organizations that are formed as such. Encountering such cases in different fields of law has, in time, led to the requirement of a legislative regulation about group of companies and regulations have been introduced for the first time in connection with group of companies under Turkish Commercial Code No. 6102. These regulations are aimed at stipulating the structuring of the group of companies, forming the organizational chart, and determining operational aspects and responsibilities of the concerned persons. Substantial part of the provisions regarding group of companies regulated under Commercial Code is based on German Konzern Law. The present study is focused on group of companies regulations under the Law based on Turkish law and the subject matter is addressed in an in-depth approach based on other branches of the law in order to establish enforceability of the group of companies regulations. In the present study analysing liability of the Dominant Enterprise in connection with debts of an Affiliated Company, basic concepts related with group of companies, liabilities in a group of companies and liability of anAffiliated Company towards third persons are explained within the scope of actual group of companies and joint stock companies. In addition, an in-depth study has been conducted based on other fields of the law for the purpose of contributing to extension of the enforcement range of regulations on group of companies. Keywords: Group of companies, Liability, Dominant Enterprise, Affiliated Company.