Thesis (M.S.)--Boise State University, 2009. / Title from t.p. of PDF file (viewed May 19, 2010). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 41-45).

Thesis--Wisconsin. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 119-125).

Many innovations fail on the market. Non-adoption and slow diffusion represent a high risk for companies in technology-intensive industries when looking to innovate, develop, market and launch a new technology. Its diffusion in the market is a major challenge for marketing. The consequence of a failed market introduction can be financial and reputational loss. Diffusion of innovation research shows a short-coming of researching barriers and challenges which prevent new technologies from being successful. This research sheds some light in the diversity, importance and existence of barriers for the diffusion of innovation. The originality of this investigation is a mixed-methods approach to explore barriers and challenges for the diffusion of innovation. An exploratory qualitative research is performed on the unique case of digital radio diffusion in Germany. Barriers evolve by this method in addition to barriers, which so far are described in a theoretical framework. These barriers are researched empirically via an international survey with close to one thousand participants representing experienced practitioners in marketing and sales positions from different industries. Various research findings are presented. The evolving barriers are researched and show circumstances of today, such as the dominance of internet, environmental awareness or the importance of inter-industrial collaboration. Additionally, diffusion barriers from a theoretical framework are tested with empirical data. Findings are presented as evidence for diffusion barriers and their importance for the specific example of digital radio is explained. Furthermore, barriers are also generalized for different technology-intensive industries. The existence of barriers is confirmed by empirical data and patterns of variations are outlined. Validity is achieved via triangulation of methodologies and supporting literature. The findings are presented to extend the theoretical framework and to close a gap in diffusion of innovation theory. The research contributes in very different ways to existing knowledge. Apart from the theoretical contributions, methodological and practical contributions are also made. With quantitative research, the sampling strategy for an online questionnaire considers the benefits of professional social networks on a global level to contribute empirical data to a theoretical framework. The practical contribution is directed to industry stakeholders and practitioners such as in marketing. The research findings result in a framework of barriers and supporting illustrations for technology-intensive industries. Practitioners can benefit from the illustrations for strategic decision-making in business development, product and general management, marketing and sales.

Orientador: Eugenio Jose Zoqui / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecanica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-04T00:39:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Val_GuilhermeTrindadedo_M.pdf: 732727 bytes, checksum: 869c1ce09ec685ab76c9bf3a0f247764 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2004 / Resumo: Este trabalho tem o objetivo de analisar criticamente a implantação da ISO 9001:2000, demonstrando e avaliando os impactos no setor de processos e um estudo de caso em situação real apontando as vantagens sobre a ISO 9001:1994, assim como os problemas relacionados à organização da empresa, propondo soluções através dos métodos e ferramentas mais adequadas. Uma comparação entre as normas ISO 9001:1994 e ISO 9001:2000 foi feita para demonstrar os impactos da revisão. A Implantação foi realizada na área de Processos Metalúrgicos, mais precisamente em uma empresa que tem como principal processo a Trefilação de Aços Inoxidáveis. Neste trabalho, estão descritos os principais passos da implantação do sistema em todos os níveis da organização, analisando-os criticamente, através de indicadores da qualidade e produtividade, destacando os principais resultados obtidos e as dificuldades encontradas. Nesse processo de implantação a maior dificuldade foi à conscientização da alta diretoria seguida pelos demais setores da empresa, porém, após passar por essa dificuldade, a responsabilidade diante da política da empresa fez com que todos os setores participassem ativamente para o cumprimento e monitoramento das metas estabelecidas pela organização / Abstract: This research has as objective to analyze critically the introduction of ISO 9001:2000, showing and evaluating the impacts in the process department and a case study and real situation pointing the advantages against ISO 9001:1994, as well as the problems related to the company organization, proposing solutions through method and more suitable tools. A comparision between the norm ISO 9001:1994 and ISO 9001:2000 was done to demonstrate the revision impacts. The introduction was accomplished in the Metallurgical Process, more precisally in a company that has as principal process the Stainless Steel Trefilation. At this research are described the principal steps of the system introduction in all levels of the organization, analyzing them critically through quality indicators and productivity, emphasizing the principal results taken and the difficulties found. In this process of introduction the biggest difficulty was to make aware the company management followed by the other departments of the company, however, after finished this difficulty, the responsibility to the company politics made all departments change their mind and participate actively to execute and follow up the mark established by the organization / Mestrado / Gestão da Qualidade Total / Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

This study examines the environmental and socio-economic effects associated with the planting of Atriplex nummularia Lindl. (Oldman saltbush) in the karoo. This is the first study of its kind on oldman saltbush and serves as an important scoping exercise in assessing the impact of saltbush on its surrounds and in identifying additional aspects which require investigation. The environmental parameters investigated include microclimatic effects, soil induced changes, salinity effects on the germination of selected karoo species and compositional changes in the indigenous plant community within a saltbush plantation. When compared to indigenous karoo plant species oldman saltbush is found to ameliorate soil temperatures and increase surface soil salinity (specifically sodium chloride), on an individual plant basis. Salinity is shown to have a differential effect on the germination of selected karoo shrubs. The indigenous plant community within a forty year old saltbush plantation is impoverished with both density of individuals and species richness being markedly reduced. Saltbush is identified as an unsuitable nurse plant for the majority of karoo shrubs. Farm size in relation to both actual and intended area established to saltbush is considered. The area of saltbush already established in the karoo is considered too insignificant to have any wide socio-economic impact. Farmers who intend planting large areas of their farms to saltbush are in the minority. It is those farmers who already have some saltbush planted, who intend planting more. Ecologically based management guidelines are presented, suggesting practices which minimize the detrimental effects of saltbush on soil salinity and the indigenous plant community. These guidelines are practical and in keeping with the overall objectives of optimum resource utilisation and the national grazing strategy for South Africa.

This study examines the environmental and socio-economic effects associated with the planting of Atriplex nummularia Lindl. (Oldman saltbush) in the karoo. This is the first study of its kind on oldman saltbush and serves as an important scoping exercise in assessing the impact of saltbush on its surrounds and in identifying additional aspects which require investigation. The environmental parameters investigated include microclimatic effects, soil induced changes, salinity effects on the germination of selected karoo species and compositional changes in the indigenous plant community within a saltbush plantation. When compared to indigenous karoo plant species oldman saltbush is found to ameliorate soil temperatures and increase surface soil salinity (specifically sodium chloride), on an individual plant basis. Salinity is shown to have a differential effect on the germination of selected karoo shrubs. The indigenous plant community within a forty year old saltbush plantation is impoverished with both density of individuals and species richness being markedly reduced. Saltbush is identified as an unsuitable nurse plant for the majority of karoo shrubs. Farm size in relation to both actual and intended area established to saltbush is considered. The area of saltbush already established in the karoo is considered too insignificant to have any wide socio-economic impact. Farmers who intend planting large areas of their farms to saltbush are in the minority. It is those farmers who already have some saltbush planted, who intend planting more. Ecologically based management guidelines are presented, suggesting practices which minimize the detrimental effects of saltbush on soil salinity and the indigenous plant community. These guidelines are practical and in keeping with the overall objectives of optimum resource utilisation and the national grazing strategy for South Africa.

Au cours de cette thèse, nous présenterons les effets de l'introduction en bourse de titres appartenant au secteur technologique. Exploration qui porte sur la période 1997 - 2008 selon un positionnement théorique puis un développement des hypothèses. Nous conclurons par la validation empirique de nos échantillons. Les méthodes les plus usuelles seront exploitées quant à la détection des rendements à long terme, temps événementiels ou calendaire, tout en prenant en compte la sensibilité des modes de calcul de la performance et méthodes d'évaluation des rendements attendus dans l'obtention et analyse des résultats. Ces derniers, reflet de problèmes statistiques, seront dès lors, soumis aux solutions préconisées dans la littérature scientifique. Aussi, compte tenu des spécificités du marché français, nous nous appuierons sur le modèle à trois facteurs de Fama & French, démonstration par le résultat selon le coefficient beta, de valeurs de constante presque nulles et non significatives y compris sur les rendements excédentaires. Enfin, sera souligné le déclin des performances opérationnelles des firmes sur le marché Euronext Paris selon un portefeuilles de référence. Phénomène dû à une fenêtre d'opportunité lors de l'introduction en bourse coïncidant avec un pic de performance (rentabilité économique et taux de marge économique) en période de pré-cotation. Ajoutons à cette cotation souvent accompagnée d'une forte croissance, une restructuration du bilan se traduisant par une baisse du taux d'endettement. / In this thesis, we present the effects of the IPO titles owned by the technology sector. Exploration which covers the period 1997-2008 according to a theorical positioning and development assumptions. We conclude with the empirical validation of our samples.

Theoretic methods assessing the performance of companies and Balanced Scorecard are descibed in part one. The company "Letiště Praha, a. s." is introduced in part two. The recent situation of this company is analysed and then Balanced Scorecard proposal is created in part three.

Rehabilitation-release is a form of species reintroduction where sick, injured, or rescued animals are rehabilitated before release back into the wild. Published research on rehabilitation releases of rehabilitant non-human primates is limited, and released troop mortality rates are generally high or difficult to determine. The objective of this study was to add to the limited scientific literature on primate rehabilitation and release by investigating factors affecting survival rates and welfare of a rehabilitant troop of vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus rufoviridis) released in Malawi in 2016, using pre-existing datasets from the Lilongwe Wildlife Trust. I hypothesized that 1) higher social rank, more complete forest strata use, close proximity to troop members, and frequent predator vigilance would be associated with greater survival, and 2) rank stability/ group cohesion will be strong post-release, activity budgets will show low levels of stress-related behaviors, and behavioral diversity will increase post-release, suggesting welfare improvements. The Lilongwe Wildlife Trust troop had a survival rate of 36%, which is comparable to other vervet releases. Using a combination of linear modeling, survival analysis, and preliminary social network analysis, I found that being a juvenile, being more highly ranked, and being in close proximity to others was significantly associated with lower risk of death – but these results were not consistent and should be considered with caution. Contrary to predictions, forest strata use did not differ greatly across individuals despite differences in survival. Interestingly, the troop’s mean hourly count of predator vigilance decreased post-release, but this did not influence individual survival. In support of my predictions, the troop’s dominance hierarchy appeared stable post-release, group cohesion was strong, and activity budgets showed low levels of stress-related behaviors. However, mean behavioral diversity across individuals decreased post-release, contrary to predictions. These findings suggest that vervet dominance hierarchy, age, and social proximity may influence post-release survival with higher ranking individuals, juveniles, and highly socially connected individuals more likely to survive. Juveniles may be more ecologically adaptable than adults and so better able to survive in a new habitat. Lower ranked individuals, as well as those with low social connectedness, may be more disconnected from the troop while traveling or foraging, placing them at a higher risk of predation but more research is needed to confirm this. Decreased behavioral diversity post-release may have been caused by an increase in foraging and troop movement and generalized behavior categorization may have limited the accuracy of behavioral diversity measurements. Future studies that wish to use behavioral diversity to assess welfare should use highly specific ethograms to capture unique behaviors. Release troops may also benefit from pre-release feeding regimes, such as platform feeders, that encourage more complete canopy use as well as more time at the release site prior to the start of the rainy season. Predator-awareness training is highly recommended to strengthen anti-predator behaviors, especially if the troop has any wild individuals. Finally, the Lilongwe Wildlife Trust’s extensive pre- and post-release monitoring provides vital insight into the troop’s social dynamics, behavioral repertories, and overall survival. Other rehabilitation centers should follow this strategy, since all newly monitored and reported releases will add valuable information to the development of the vervet monkey rehabilitation and release program.

The presented thesis exploits the introduction of the yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) to New Zealand to study the cultural evolution of birdsong dialects in exotic populations after 140 years of complete isolation from the original source populations in Great Britain. The data are interpreted with detailed knowledge of yellowhammer past in New Zealand and of the global (Europe) and regional (Czech Republic) distribution of yellowhammer dialects. Yellowhammer song is simple and males have very limited repertoire. Since the 19th cen- tury it is known that despite its simplicity the song exhibits fascinating geographical variation; the males share the terminal notes to create mosaic-like distribution of dialects. Although this phenomenon has been known for decades and thoroughly studied, many questions remain. One of them is a suspected border between "western" and "eastern" groups of dialects. By combining information about the dialect distributions obtained from works of previous researchers with recordings from online repositories and archives we demonstrate that these groups do not create macrogeographical patterns (Chapter 6). The citizen-science project "Dialects of the Czech Yellowhammers" involved Czech cit- izens in mapping the distribution of yellowhammer dialects in the Czech territory....