Em diversos mercados de energia onde há competição, a formação de preços de energia elétrica no mercado de curto prazo decorre do equilíbrio da oferta e da demanda, onde geradores e grandes consumidores informam, em periodicidade horária ou inferior, as quantidades de energia e preços associados aos quais estão dispostos a produzir e consumir, respectivamente. No Brasil, no entanto, a demanda utilizada no modelo de formação de preço de energia elétrica no curto prazo (PLD) é considerada inelástica em relação ao preço. Por mais que se possam constatar sinais de resposta da demanda frente à volatilidade do PLD, ou ao custo com uso da rede de transmissão e distribuição no período de ponta, não há mecanismo estabelecido para que os consumidores ofertem as quantidades de energia e preços aos quais estão dispostos a reduzir seu consumo. O presente trabalho tem o objetivo de apresentar proposta de alteração no processo de formação de preço no curto prazo de modo a permitir a Oferta da Redução do Consumo (ORC) pelos consumidores industriais. A proposta parte da representação do parque termelétrico atual, que serve de base para o valor da oferta de redução do consumo, as adaptações para introdução da curva de operação para fins de consideração da redução de consumo, bem como metodologia para aferição do montante de energia efetivamente reduzido. Além disso, de modo a apresentar o potencial benefício sistêmico com a introdução da proposta, são apresentadas simulações com a cadeia de modelos de formação de preço atual tendo como base a indústria de alumínio no Brasil. Os cenários de ORC da indústria levam em consideração parâmetros econômicos que asseguram a atratividade do negócio em consonância com o benefício sistêmico de redução do custo de operação. Apresenta-se ainda simulação da operação do ano de 2015 com estimativa do potencial de ORC no Ambiente de Contratação Livre (ACL) onde se constatou reduções de até 25% no Custo Marginal de Operação (CMO) e 16% de redução despacho termelétrico. / In several competitive power markets, short term power price is the result of the balance of supply and demand represented by bid and ask prices and energy quantities. In Brazil, short term power price (PLD) calculated by Newave/Decomp price models consider price-inflexible demand, even though traces of demand response to short term power prices and demand tariffs can be identified. The purpose of this Thesis is the proposal of changes in process of power pricing allowing large energy consumers bid their price to curtail their consumption in substitution of thermal power dispatch. Topics included in proposal are: cost of installed thermal power plants in power system, industrial demand curtail and restart features, and demand response effectiveness appraisal tools. Current power price models were employed on simulations to evaluate system\'s benefits with demand response. From an industrial perspective, accounting measures were basis to convert loss of production in demand-side bidding price in order to keep business profitability. Estimate of demand side bidding potential market in Brazilian free market with simulation of system impact in 2015 with results that reached 25% of Marginal Cost reduction and 16% of Thermal Dispatch reduction.

Diss. Uppsala : Uppsala universitet, 2007.

Thesis (MTech (Quality))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2009. / Irrespective of the nature of organisations, they all face a certain amount of uncertainty and risk. In order to maintain resilience, competitiveness and performance, organisations must have a system in place to manage the risks associated to their organisations. The challenge is to determine how much risk and uncertainty is acceptable, and how to cost effectively manage the risk and uncertainty while meeting the organisation's strategic and operational objectives. For many large organisations, quality or so called 'customer perceived quality', has become an issue of survival. Furthermore, increased competitiveness is necessary in order to become the obvious choice for the customer. Corporations must have long term goals and Quality Management Systems serve as organised mechanisms to manage quality, effectiveness and competitiveness involving everyone at all levels of the organisation. An understanding of culture in organisations can thus offer insight into individual and group behaviour, and leadership. Furthermore, it can help to explain not just 'what' happens in an organisation, but 'why' it happens. Companies view culture as something to be influenced to achieve organisational goals of productivity and profitability. Attempts to change the culture of an organization, may meet with varied levels of success. The emphasis on quality building products, have been the focus of the construction industry in South Africa. As a supplier of extruded aluminium profiles to the building industry, Hulamin Extrusions is also faced with typical challenges representative of the industry and as a result, the following aspects would be subjected to research scrutiny: ~ Introduction of a Quality Management System. ~ The challenges of organisational culture. ~ The need for change management. ~ Facilitating the implementation of the system. ~ Continuous Improvement. The researcher anticipates finding ways to improve organisational culture, which in turn would facilitate quality improvement within the organisation.

[pt] A grande competitividade do mercado mundial de commodities faz com que as indústrias busquem soluções que lhes permitam gerar maior rentabilidade em suas operações. Esse processo intensifica a busca por otimizações de operação e processos produtivos mais eficientes, incluindo alternativas competitivas de fontes de insumos. Nesse contexto a flexibilidade gerencial pode atuar como um importante fator no aumento do valor de projetos industriais, através da possibilidade de proporcionar redução de custos operacionais através da flexibilização do processo produtivo. No caso da indústria de alumínio, onde há presença de volatilidade no custo de seus insumos, principalmente da energia elétrica, além da volatilidade do próprio alumínio, a possibilidade de alternância na estrutura da cadeia produtiva pode trazer janelas de oportunidades para redução de custos a partir da flexibilização do processo produtivo. Essa flexibilidade de alternar a origem do metal que é introduzido na fundição gera uma opção ao gestor que poderá utilizar o alumínio proveniente das salas de redução eletrolítica, cujo custo de produção é altamente influenciado pelo custo da energia elétrica, ou alternativamente, utilizar lingotes de alumínio comprados no mercado. A decisão de exercício da opção ocorrerá em função destas alternativas de modelo operacional, tendo em vista a variância no preço de seus insumos. Essa dissertação propõe a utilização da Teoria de Opções Reais para avaliar as opções de alternância existentes entre as fases de redução e fundição do alumínio, utilizando um caso de uma empresa brasileira no setor de alumínio, a Valesul. Os resultados indicam que essa metodologia é capaz de valorar ganhos econômicos não contemplados pelos tradicionais métodos de avaliação, indicando a influência positiva da flexibilidade gerencial na eficiência operacional e aumento da competitividade destas indústrias. / [en] The strong competitiveness of the commodities market forces industries to pursue solutions that allow them to generate greater profitability in their operations. This process intensifies the need for optimizations in the operations and for more efficient production processes, including competitive alternative supply sources. Within this context, managerial flexibility can play an important role to increase the value of industrial projects, due to the possibility of providing operational cost reduction through flexible production processes. In the case of the aluminum industry, where there is volatility in the cost of raw materials, especially electrical energy in addition to the volatility of the aluminum itself, the possibility of switching the production chain structure may bring opportunities for cost reduction based on flexible production processes. The flexibility to switch the origin of the metal that is introduced into the Cast house generates an option for management that will be able to use aluminum coming from the Reduction plant, where cost is highly influenced by electrical energy costs, or alternatively use the aluminum ingots purchased directly from the market. The decision to exercise this option will be based on these alternative operational models, in view of their costs which are influenced by the price volatility of the raw materials. This study proposes the use of Real Options Theory to analyze the switch option in the aluminum Reduction and Casting phases, based on the case of Valesul, a Brazilian company in the aluminum sector. The obtained results indicate that this methodology is able to capture the economic value added that are not contemplated by the traditional valuation methods, pointing to the positive influence of managerial flexibility in the operational efficiency and increase of competitiveness within these industries.

Thesis (MTech (Quality)--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2009 / Irrespective of the nature of organisations, they all face a certain amount of uncertainty and risk. In order to maintain resilience, competitiveness and performance, organisations must have a system in place to manage the risks associated to their organisations. The challenge is to determine how much risk and uncertainty is acceptable, and how to cost effectively manage the risk and uncertainty while meeting the organisation‟s strategic and operational objectives. For many large organisations, quality or so called „customer perceived quality‟, has become an issue of survival. Furthermore, increased competitiveness is necessary in order to become the obvious choice for the customer. Corporations must have long term goals and Quality Management Systems serve as organised mechanisms to manage quality, effectiveness and competitiveness involving every one at all levels of the organisation. An understanding of culture in organisations can thus offer insight into individual and group behaviour, and leadership. Furthermore, it can help to explain not just „what‟ happens in an organisation, but „why‟ it happens. Companies view culture as something to be influenced to achieve organisational goals of productivity and profitability. Attempts to change the culture of an organization, may meet with varied levels of success. The emphasis on quality building products, have been the focus of the construction industry in South Africa. As a supplier of extruded aluminium profiles to the building industry, Hulamin Extrusions is also faced with typical challenges representative of the industry and as a result, the following aspects would be subjected to research scrutiny: Introduction of a Quality Management System. The challenges of organisational culture. The need for change management. Facilitating the implementation of the system. Continuous Improvement. The researcher anticipates finding ways to improve organisational culture, which in turn would facilitate quality improvement within the organisation.

Environmental management systems (EMSs) have been advanced as a tool for successful adoption and implementation of environmental management initiatives in organisations. As with any management system, an EMS needs to be integrated into corporate management so that it may operate in congruence with the other management systems present in an organisation. One framework that has been widely recognised for fostering the process of management systems integration in organisations is Mckinsey's 7-S model of business elements. This model has been used to understand and foster integration in mainstream management and business circles. However, it was the researcher's considered view that the model could be usefully applied in organisations to foster EMS integration. Hence, the study set out to explore the efficacy of Mckinseys 7-S model using a case study, namely Hulett Aluminium. Data collection included reviewing related literature, interviewer administered questionnaires and open-ended interviews. The study had a total of 41 respondents, most of whom were questionnaire respondents. Simple coding sheets and content analysis were used to-analyse the data. It is clear from the study that Mckinsey's 7-S model is useful to understanding EMS integration in organisations. However, the model does not adequately provide for human aspects in the process of dealing with change. The model's inclusion of human aspects seems to be confmed to skills (i.e. capacity and knowledge), with an inclination towards technical imperatives. However, non-technical factors such as the way the employees perceive of the change and how it affects them are also important. Positive perceptions, especially those arising from personal results could serve to reinforce the change process, which apparently is at the heart of EMS adoption and implementation. This study does not present statistically definitive conclusions, but interesting trends and views emerge. It should be regarded as exploratory, providing directions to researchers for further, more in-depth research into the theme of the study. The study also makes recommendations as well as suggestions for further research. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2001.