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University of Macau / Faculty of Business Administration / Department of Management and Marketing

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oklahoma. / Bibliography: leaves 113-119.

En analysant les évolutions récentes de l'industrie du médicament, cette thèse apporte de nouveaux éléments, théoriques et empiriques, sur les mécanismes de transformation des industries de hautes technologies. Nous cherchons à comprendre pourquoi l'introduction de discontinuités technologiques ne conduit pas forcément au changement de l'industrie, et comment la logique dominante peut être remise en question. Pour répondre à cette problématique, nous utilisons une approche qualitative. Nous interrogeons des experts de l'industrie du médicament, et analysons onze études de cas d'entreprises de biotechnologies et de bioinformatique. Notre première contribution théorique est de proposer le concept de logique dominante pour compléter les travaux sur le cycle de vie des industries. Nous argumentons que les discontinuités technologiques sont une condition nécessaire, mais pas suffisante, du changement de phase d'une industrie. Le concept de logique dominante permet de prendre en compte les schémas généraux de création et de capture de valeur qui contraignent la stratégie des firmes évoluant dans l'industrie. Notre seconde contribution théorique est d'identifier quatre mécanismes de remise en cause de la logique dominante d'une industrie :nouvelles propositions de valeur, alliances avec de grandes entreprises d'autres industries, orchestration de réseaux, et portefeuilles de business models. Notre troisième contribution est managériale. Nous proposons un outil de la conception de la stratégie d'entreprise afin d'articuler promesses et risques, moyen et long terme. Enfin, notre quatrième contribution s'adresse aux managers et dirigeants de l'industrie du médicament. Nous leur suggérons quatre pistes de réflexion pour concevoir la stratégie de leur entreprise. / In analyzing recent developments in the drug industry, this thesis brings new elements, both theoretical and empirical, on mechanisms for the transformation of high-technology industries. We seek to understand why the introduction of technological discontinuities does not necessarily lead to change in the industry and on how the dominant logic can be questioned. To address this problem, we used a qualitative approach. We interviewed drug industry experts, and analyzed eleven case studies of biotechnology and bioinformatics companies. Our first theoretical contribution is to propose the concept of dominant logic to complete research on industry life cycle, where we argue that technological discontinuities are a necessary, but not sufficient, condition to change the industry. The concept of dominant logic allows taking into account the general schemes of value creation and value capture that constrain the strategies of the firms that are in the industry. Our second theoretical contribution is to identify four mechanisms of challenge to the industry's dominant logic: new value propositions, alliances with large diversifying entrants, orchestration of networks, and portfolios of business models. Our third contribution is managerial. We offer a tool for the design of corporate strategy. This tool allows articulating promises and risks, medium and long term. Finally, our fourth contribution addresses managers and leaders of the drug industry. We suggest four ways of thinking about the design of their corporate strategies.

[pt] A dissertação visa relatar e analisar o fracasso do processo de paz realizado na Colômbia, durante o governo do presidente Andrés Pastrana, entre os anos de 1998 e 2002. A realidade local constituía-se num drama humanitário cuja solução se mostrava contrária à sustentação de mitos como o de uma democracia política estável ou o da pobreza como a principal causa da violência. O firme desígnio de resolver pacificamente a luta armada exigia que se levasse em consideração a natureza complexa e instável do Estado, a identidade dos atores armados, a realidade do agravamento da crise social e a difícil conciliação entre os interesses internos e externos. O empreendimento conduzido pelo presidente Andrés Pastrana era objeto da área de estudos de resolução pacífica de conflitos, cujas lentes conceituais foram as escolhidas como ferramenta para leitura e interpretação dos fatos. Esta literatura lida com o contexto sócio-político no qual se desenvolvia o enfrentamento armado, abrangendo as várias características específicas deste contexto. Ela preconizava o reconhecimento mútuo e a flexibilização das exigências, para que a negociação apresentasse avanços. O colapso do processo de paz colombiano, entre outros aspectos, tornou evidentes os obstáculos para a transformação do conflito. Sequer conseguiu-se fazer que os dois lados presentes à negociação renunciassem ao uso das armas. Decorridos aproximadamente quatro anos de negociação entre o governo e as FARC, os esforços não lograram substituir uma histórica, vivaz e destrutiva experiência por outra, construtiva e benéfica, a qual poderia ter se sobressaído na eventual assinatura de um acordo de paz. / [en] This essay is an account and an analysis of the failure of the Colombian peace process that took place during the presidential mandate of Andrés Pastrana from 1998 through 2002. The local reality actually became an humanitarian crisis whose solution necessarily involved abandoning shattered myths such as that of a stable democracy or that of poverty as the main root of endemic violence. The strong will to solve the armed conflict in a peaceful way has lead to reflection on the complex and unstable nature of the Colombian state, the true character of the quarrelling actors, the deepening of the social crisis and the tricky conciliation between internal and external interests. President Pastrana´s initiative falls into the area of studies of peaceful conflict resolution. The reading and interpretation of the facts will therefore be undertaken through the lenses of the literature on peaceful conflict resolution. That literature deals with the issue of the socioeconomic context in which the armed struggles occur, including its specifics. It also recommends mutual political recognition among parties and increasingly flexible demands in order to spur the smooth advance of the negotiation. The ultimate collapse of the Colombian peace process exposed the multiple obstacles to a solution to the civil war. It was not even possible to persuade either party to drop weapons. After four years of negotiations between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia had passed, all these efforts were not enough to replace an ago-old, historical, and destructive social experience for a new, constructive, and beneficial experience. Such a new reality could have been possible if a peace accord had been reached.

The use and trade in medicinal plant products in South Africa is a cultivating sector of rural development. In order to conserve these plants and develop sustainable production, policies to promote domestication have been adopted. However, users view cultivated plants with scepticism. The key for policy makers is to understand how users respond to scarcity of species and whether domestication can be a solution. The main purpose of the study is to give an overview of variables that influence the rate of adoption of medicinal plant gardens. The last discussion will investigate whether domestication of species is an appropriate solution to conservation, or whether the intervention should be promoted as a local economic development option. The research took the form of a case study approach focusing on a specific area, with participatory and qualitative phases providing the basis for a semi-structured interview schedule, designed to assess the healer's acceptability of medicinal plant gardens, their comparative perception of cultivated and collected plants in their natural habitat/environment, and constraints in the establishment of medicinal plant gardens. Results indicated that:<li> The type of healer influences acceptability of medicinal plant gardens; •Healers use medicinal plant gardens to supply urban demand and provide income; • Healer and client perceptions of medicinal plant potency influence acceptability of cultivated plants; •Type of healer influences the environment in which species are collected. • Ancestral belief system forms an integral component of healers behavioural pattern.</li> The study concludes that:<li> Local scarcity of medicinal plants alone does not stimulate demand for nurseries; • Rituals associated with some treatments influence collection, storage and cultivation patterns; • Policy makers also need to promote domestication for commercial production and to investigate alternatives for propagating the population of some plant species in their natural habitat/environment to cater for specific needs of healers and • Interview responses, although useful, cannot always be taken at face value<//i>. / Dissertation (M Inst Agrar ( Agricultural Extension))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

[pt] O Triângulo Norte da América Central é composto por El Salvador, Honduras e Guatemala. Esses países compartilham um histórico de desigualdades socioeconômicas, violência e intervenções estrangeiras em seus territórios. Intensos fluxos emigratórios são registrados nesses países, com seus nacionais buscando chegar aos Estados Unidos percorrendo o território mexicano, razão pela qual consideramos esses quatro países como uma região de emigração, devido aos fluxos neles originados e atravessados. Essas migrações geralmente ocorrem de maneira forçada e em fluxos maciços. Consoante à mobilidade, ocorre um processo de contenção desses migrantes por parte dos Estados Unidos, que desenvolve mecanismos físicos e políticos para impedir a entrada dessas pessoas em seu território, além de imporem políticas migratórias e fronteiriças ao México e aos países do Triângulo Norte da América Central para impedirem os fluxos de chegarem em sua fronteira. Assim sendo, percebemos esses quatro países como uma região de fronteira que se traduz em região de i-mobilidade migratória, pois nela ocorrem dois processos concomitantes, o de trânsito e o de controle do mesmo. Nesta dissertação, investigamos a violência como elemento deflagrador dessas migrações e como ela atinge os sujeitos migrantes ao longo de seu percurso à Terra Prometida, os Estados Unidos. Analisaremos as migrações ocorridas entre 2018 e 2021, com foco nas caravanas de migrantes centro-americanos, apresentando as inovações de sua organização e o perfil demográfico daqueles que as integraram, bem como as medidas tomadas pelos Estados Unidos e México para impedir essa mobilidade. / [en] The Northern Triangle of Central America is composed by El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. These countries share a history of socioeconomic inequalities, violence, and foreign interventions in their territories. Intense emigration flows are recorded in these countries, with their nationals seeking to reach the United States by traveling through Mexican territory, in what we consider these four countries as a region of emigration, due to the flows originating and crossing through them. These migrations usually occur in a forced way and in massive flows. The United States develops physical and political mechanisms to prevent these people from entering its territory and imposes migration and border policies to Mexico and to the countries of the Northern Triangle of Central America to prevent the flows from reaching its borders. Thus, we perceive these four countries as a border region that translates into a region of migratory i-mobility, because two concomitant processes occur there, that of transit and that of control of it. In this dissertation, we investigate violence as a triggering element of these migrations and how it affects the migrant subjects along their journey to the Promised Land, the United States. We will analyze the migrations that occurred between 2018 and 2021, focusing on the Central American migrant caravans, presenting the innovations of their organization and the demographic profile of those who integrated them, as well as the measures taken by the United States and Mexico to prevent this mobility.

劉鵬. / Thesis (doctoral)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 450-498). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in Chinese and English. / Liu Peng.

Herbal formulations claimed to cure several medical conditions including skin eruptions, chest pains, wounds, gout, menstrual pains, stress, nervous disorders, microbial and viral infections as well as stomach ailments have recently appeared as part of South African traditional medicine. The formulations consist of mixtures of extracts of different plant parts from several different plant species packaged in labelled bottles or boxes. The mixtures are available for sale in herbal shops and public places. While there has been widespread use of these herbal mixtures, there has been no scientific evidence to support their use. This project was aimed at documenting, validating claimed efficacy and testing the safety of fourteen unregistered commercial herbal preparations commonly sold in Pietermaritzburg. A detailed investigation of the pharmacological effects and safety of the plant components of one of the mixtures, Imbiza ephuzwato was also carried out. / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

Plants are able to take up and accumulate certain environmental contaminants such as heavy metals. When the plants are ingested by man, these contaminants are transferred along the food chain. Due to the poorly regulated medicinal plant trade in South Africa, many opportunities exist for heavy metal contamination of medicinal plants namely contaminated harvest sites as well as poor drying, processing, storage, transport and manufacturing conditions. The concentrations of five heavy metals (As, Cd, Co, Ni, Pb) and six microelements (B, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Zn) were determined in some commonly used South African medicinal plants obtained from street markets. Elemental content was determined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrophotometry (ICP-OES). Some of the medicinal plant samples investigated contained As and Cd at levels exceeding the World Health Organization limits of 1 and 0.3 mg kg-1 respectively. Lead and Ni were detected in all the samples. Elevated Fe and Mn levels were recorded in certain plant species. The results revealed multiple metal contamination in some medicinal plant parts sold in local markets and is thus grounds for concern. The effects of Cd application on growth parameters of some medicinal plant species belonging to the Hyacinthaceae (Albuca setosa, Eucomis autumnalis, Eucomis humilis, Merwilla plumbea) gave insight into heavy metal accumulation and distribution in these species. Application of Cd at 5 mg l-1 over a 12 week period reduced growth in A. setosa. The medicinally used A. setosa bulbs accumulated 37 mg kg-1 Cd after 12 weeks. Cadmium application at 2 mg l-1 over a six week period had no effect on growth parameters of E. autumnalis or E. humilis. However, a substantial difference in total Cd accumulation was detected in the plants (40.2 and 15.3 mg kg-1 respectively). Cadmium application at 2 mg l-1 significantly reduced the fresh weight of leaves, bulbs and roots of M. plumbea. Although most of the Cd was stored in the roots, the medicinally used bulbs accumulated up to 11.6 mg kg-1 when applied at 10 mg l-1. The antagonistic effect between Cd and Zn treatments and their effect on micronutrient distribution in M. plumbea were investigated. Five treatments were evaluated: (1) Hoagland’s nutrient solution (HS) (control) (2) HS + Cd 2 mg l-1 (single) (3) HS + Cd 2 mg l-1 + Zn 50 mg l-1 (combination) (4) HS + Cd 2 mg l-1 + Zn 100 mg l-1 (combination) (5) HS + Cd 2 mg l-1 + Zn 150 mg l-1 (combination). Cadmium readily accumulated in leaves, bulbs and roots of M. plumbea when supplied at 2 mg l-1. Zinc at 50 mg l-1 led to increased Cd accumulation. However, further increases in Zn concentration showed an antagonistic effect of Zn on Cd uptake and accumulation. Thus, increasing Zn levels in soils may be favourable for reducing toxic Cd accumulation in M. plumbea plants. Boron was not significantly affected by the addition of Cd to the media. However, with an increase in Zn, leaf B content increased while the B content in the bulbs and roots decreased. Copper and Mo levels were not significantly affected by treatments with Cd or Cd/Zn combinations. Compared to the control, Cd and Cd/Zn applications caused an increase in Mn content in leaves, bulbs and roots. Iron levels of M. plumbea were not significantly affected by Cd in the media. However, with an increase of Zn in the Cd-containing media, Fe content in the leaves, bulbs and roots increased. Tulbaghia violacea is one of the few medicinal plants that is also frequently used as a leafy vegetable. Application of Cd at 2 and 5 mg l-1 to T. violacea of varying sizes (small 8 - 10 g, medium 16 - 20 g, large 80 – 95 g) elicited a difference in growth response, Cd accumulation and micronutrient distribution. Leaf length and fresh weight of leaves of the medium-size plants decreased with application of Cd at 2 mg l-1 whilst 5 mg l-1 Cd significantly decreased the number of leaves in small-sized plants. Small plants accumulated more Cd in the leaves than medium- or large-sized plants. Application of Cd at 2 mg l-1 and 5 mg l-1 lowered the leaf Cu, Fe, Mo and Zn contents in small- and medium-size plants. This study indicated that T. violacea has the ability to accumulate Cd. In addition, plant size plays an important role with regards to Cd accumulation and elemental distribution. The effect of various nutrient applications (10%, 50% and 100% Hoagland’s nutrient solutions (HS); and HS deficient in N, P or K) on growth parameters and micronutrient distribution in Dioscorea dregeana were investigated. Irrigating plants with 50% HS resulted in better growth performance, whereas a deficiency of either N, P or K negatively affected seedling growth. Plants grown in 10% HS contained higher total B, Fe and Mo levels compared to seedlings grown in 50% and 100% HS. Compared to the control, P deficiency resulted in a Fe increase in the leaves, tuber and roots while a lack of P and K significantly increased total Mn content in D. dregeana. The effect of excess Zn (100, 200 and 300 mg l-1) on growth performance, chlorophyll content and microelemental distribution on Dioscorea sylvatica was investigated. Growth parameters showed a significant decrease when supplied with Zn at 100 mg l-1. Zinc phytotoxicity was evident by the reduction in chlorophyll content. Highest Zn concentrations were detected in the roots. Certain micronutrients appear to be redistributed due to Zn toxicity. The effect of microelements (Cu, Zn) and heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Hg) on germination and seedling development of Bowiea volubilis, Eucomis autumnalis and Merwilla plumbea was investigated. Copper and Zn applied at 1 mg l.1 significantly reduced the percentage germination of E. autumnalis. Low concentrations (. 1 mg l.1) of Cu and Zn negatively affected the root growth of all three species. Mercury concentrations of 0.5 and 1 mg l.1 significantly decreased the percentage germination of B. volubilis and E. autumnalis respectively. Cadmium and Hg at 2 mg l.1 showed a negative effect on the root growth of B. volubilis. Concentrations of 0.5 mg l.1 of all heavy metals tested significantly decreased shoot length of M. plumbea. The effect of Cd on biological activity (anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antifungal) of medicinal plants with previously confirmed activity was evaluated. When supplied with Cd at 2 mg l-1, Eucomis humilis bulbous extracts showed lower anti-inflammatory activity than the control for both COX-1 and COX-2 activity. Eucomis autumnalis bulbous extracts had greater COX-1 activity compared to the control. However, Cd suppressed the activity of COX-2. Compared with non-Cd-treated Merwilla plumbea plants (control), those supplied with Cd at 10 mg l-1 showed increased antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus. However, no change in activity against Escherichia coli was observed. Cadmium accumulation in the bulbs had no effect on antifungal activity of Tulbaghia violacea. Thus, optimized agricultural practices are essential for quality control of cultivated medicinal plants. The studies presented in this thesis collectively answer several questions related to heavy metal involvement in South African medicinal plants. The findings substantiate the need to regulate and monitor the South African medicinal plant trade against heavy metal contamination which will in turn provide a product of safety and quality to the consumer. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.