Reverse engineering (extracting information about a product from the product itself) is a competitive strategy for many firms and is often costly to innovators. Recent research has proven metrics for estimating the reverse engineering time and barrier and has shown that products can strategically be made more difficult to reverse engineer, thus protecting the innovator. Reverse engineering, however, is only the first phase of attempting to duplicate a product. Imitating – the process of discovering how to physically reproduce the performance of the reverse engineered product in one or more of its performance areas – is the second and final phase. This thesis presents metrics for the time and barrier to imitating and shows how they can be joined with reverse engineering metrics to estimate a total time and total barrier to duplicate a product. As there is a cost associated with the design of barriers to reverse engineering and in imitating it is important that a return on investment analysis be performed to ensure a profitable endeavor. Details of such an analysis are presented here. To illustrate the methodology, two case studies are presented. The first is an analysis of KithcenAid's Stand Mixer. The second is an analysis of a cantilevered "L-beam" that has been structurally optimized under four conditions to achieve a specified mechanical performance. Additionally, anecdotal solutions to creating barriers to reverse engineering and imitating are discussed throughout.

Der Erfolg von Genossenschaftsbanken ist von einer Vielzahl betriebswirtschaftlicher, volkswirtschaftlicher und demografischer Faktoren abhängig. Die Arbeit untersucht den Einfluss auf den Geschäftserfolg bei über 900 deutschen Instituten. Wesentliche Erfolgsfaktoren sind dabei die Lage (städtisch, halbstädtisch oder ländlich), die Betriebsgröße, die Kreditquote, die Eigenkapitalquote sowie Steigung und Niveau der Zinsstrukturkurve.

Der Erfolg von Genossenschaftsbanken ist von einer Vielzahl betriebswirtschaftlicher, volkswirtschaftlicher und demografischer Faktoren abhängig. Die Arbeit untersucht den Einfluss auf den Geschäftserfolg bei über 900 deutschen Instituten. Wesentliche Erfolgsfaktoren sind dabei die Lage (städtisch, halbstädtisch oder ländlich), die Betriebsgröße, die Kreditquote, die Eigenkapitalquote sowie Steigung und Niveau der Zinsstrukturkurve.:Abbildungsverzeichnis Tabellenverzeichnis Abkürzungs- und Symbolverzeichnis 1 Einleitung 2 Einordnung und Zielsetzung 3 Theoretische Analyse 5 Schlussbetrachtung Anhang Literaturverzeichnis

<p>Pension fund companies manage and invest large amounts of money on behalf of their members. In return for their contributions, members expect a benefit at termination of their contract. Due to the volatile nature of returns that pension funds attain, pension companies started attaching a minimum guaranteed amount to member&rsquo / s benefits. In this mini-thesis we look at the pioneering work of Brennan and Schwartz [10] for pricing these minimum guarantees. The model they developed prices these minimum guarantees using option pricing theory. We also look at the model proposed by Deelstra et al. which prices minimum guarantees in a stochastic financial setting. We conclude this mini-thesis with new contributions where we look at simple alternative ways of pricing minimum guarantees. We conclude this mini-thesis with an approach, related to the work of Brennan and Schwartz [10], whereby the member&rsquo / s benefit is maximised for a given minimum guaranteed amount, which comprises of multi-period guarantees. We formulate a method to find the optimal stream of these multi-period guarantees.</p>

Background: In 2003, the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service gave instructions that all the new student constables should undergo a personnel capacity-building programme as part of their basic training. This led to the development of the Self-Management Programme by Police Social Work Services. This programme IS, since July 2004, an integral part of the empowerment of more than 8000 recruits annually. A comprehensive study into the short and long-term effects of the programme on recruits, as well as its overall return on investment (ROI), was started in 2004. In this document, only the results that were achieved with the measurement of the programme's decision-making and purpose-in-life components will, however, be covered. Objectives: The study had a twofold purpose. The first was to measure the short and long-term effect of the Financial Management, Planning of Goals, Self-knowledge, Problem-solving and HIV/AIDS Awareness modules on recruit's knowledge, attitude and behaviour. It, secondly, endeavoured to measure the programme's return on investment coefficient. Method: The study utilised an experimental research design, as well as focus groups and triangulation. It involved an average of 400 experimental group respondents, 120 control group members, 12 focus group participants and 14 presenters per module. A total of 23 questionnaires and a focus group schedule was designed and utilised in the generation of data. Results: All five modules had a practical significant effect on the respondents' knowledge, attitude and behaviour and improved their personal and professional functioning considerably. The "decision-making" and "purpose-in-life" components, as well as the programme as a whole, also produced a very high return on investment. It, therefore, implies that the Self-Management Programme should be seen as both a very effective capacity-building tool and a financial asset for the South African Police Service. / Thesis (Ph.D. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

Denna litteraturstudie fokuserar på Enterprise Architecture (EA), dess definitioner och underliggande ramverk. Vi har valt att göra en litteraturstudie då access till företag med information kring EA ansågs vara svår och utesluter därför intervjuer och andra direkta tillvägagångsätt då vi upptäckte att det är svårt att få tag på vettig information. Zifa konferensen är en internationell EA-konsult konferens som förespråkar konsulter och säljtekniker istället för att fokusera på grundvärdena av EA. Detta föreslår att ett objektivt resultat bara kunde erhållas genom en litteraturstudie. Ännu en anledning bakom valet av studie är att EA är en grundläggande process på detaljnivå, denna inkluderar basala saker så som inköps-/försäljningspriser. Detta anser vi vara känslig information som skapar förhinder för access. Syftet är att ta fram en integrerad modell som beskriver EA och verksamheter, med tanke på kostnaderna kring EA syftas här på medelstora till stora företag då det är dyrt att kartlägga en verksamhet.Litteraturstudien använde sig av snöbollsmetoden när det kom till val av källor samt en rad olika krav för vilka källor som skulle inkluderas. Dels för att det inte skulle bli överflödigt och dels för att det fanns så mycket litteratur att välja bland. Då det fanns så mycket litteratur kring ämnet anpassade vi strängt snöbollseffekten när vi valde studier, vi sökte fram tre vetenskapliga källor, därefter letade vi endast efter källor som var inkluderade eller härleddes från dessa. Fribergs modell av litteraturstudier användes som en utgångspunkt och grund för hur hela uppbyggnaden skulle se ut.Resultaten från samtliga källor visar på skiljaktigheter kring basala förklaringar såsom definitionen av EA samt mer invecklade teman där många källor visar att EA kan bringa vinst och hög avkastning till ett företag samtidigt som andra källor säger att EA är dyrt. Slutsatsen blev därför att det finns mycket kvar att undersöka inom området av EA och att företag borde öka sin kunskap inom detta område innan de implementerar EA. Den föreslagna möjligheten för företag är att skapa en intern arkitekturavdelning som en sjätte konfiguration enligt Mintzberg. Denna avdelning har hand om kartläggningen och arbetar för företaget istället för att hyra extern hjälp i form av konsulter som inte är invigda i verksamheten och som kräver lång tid för att lära känna den specifika verksamheten.

This work deal with the progress of trolleybus transport in Pardubice. This work evaluate the invesment project of construction a new trolleybus line from Pardubičky, točna to Černá za Bory, točna. The evaluation contain the calculation of current operation bus costs and the costs of new trolleybus line. After comparing the cost is evaluated a possible saving and determine the period of return on investment - construction of a new trolley tracks. The work also analyzes the current state of transport networks in Pardubice, bus and trolley lines, tariff terms and conditions of the current fleet.

Thesis deals with the use of renewable sources of energy focused on water energy, especially small hydropower plants in Czech Republic. It should clarify the legal and technical framework for energy production in small hydro power plants, types of aid and the amount for the operator. Case studies describe the construction and reconstruction of small hydroelectric power plants which are dependant on the amount of feed-in tariffs and try to find out the economic efficiency according to the selected methods of investment appraisal.

[pt] O ROI de treinamento, última etapa da escala de avaliação de treinamentos, que compreende também as fases de avaliação de reação, aprendizagem, comportamento e resultados, é o objeto de estudo desta pesquisa que buscou investigar os sistemas existentes para mensurá-lo nas Organizações Brasileiras, bem como a relevância deste tema. Foi feita uma ampla revisão da literatura sobre os métodos existentes para calcular o ROI de treinamento, recorrendo principalmente a autores dos Estados Unidos. O referencial teórico e a realização de um pré-teste em 2002 contribuíram como base para a formulação do questionário que avaliou as condições e percepções para o cálculo do ROI de treinamento em amostra composta por 75 empresas brasileiras de diversos estados. A análise qualitativa combinada à análise quantitativa com uso do software estatístico SPSS (teste t, redução de fatores, formação de clusters, MANOVA) chegou a conclusão de que poucas empresas brasileiras aplicam métodos de mensuração do ROI de treinamento, mas a percepção da relevância do tema é alta. Identificou-se nas respostas do questionário um possível exemplo de aplicação no Call Center da Vésper, descrito ao final da pesquisa, a partir de entrevista realizada. / [en] Training ROI, last stage in the training evaluation methodology, that also includes reaction, learning, behavior and results, is the object of study of this research that investigated the existing systems to measure it in the Brazilian organizations, as well as the importance of the theme. A broad revision of the literature about the existing methods to calculate Training ROI was made and resorted mainly to authors in the United States. The theoretical reference and the realization of a pretest in 2002, contributed as basis to formulate a questionnaire that evaluated the conditions and perceptions for the calculation of Training ROI in a sample of 75 Brazilian companies from various states. The qualitative analysis together with the quantitative analysis using statistical software SPSS (t test, factor reduction, clusters formation, MANOVA), concluded that few Brazilian companies apply measurement systems in Training ROI, but the perception of its importance is high. A possible example of application was identified in the Call Center of Vésper, described at the end of the research, with the interview made.

<p>Marketing has changed a lot the past decade. New modern marketing channels have been developed and marketing have become more effective. This has affected the expectations advertisers have on advertising channels. One thing advertisers increasingly expect is to be able to efficiently measure the result of advertising, the ROI. A method for measuring ROI of digital signage is in focus in this study. The measurement is enabled by a combination of digital signage and mobile advertising. First a consumer is exposed to digital signage encouraging SMS interaction in order to receive an electronic voucher entitling the consumer to a discount. If the voucher is used, revenues can be linked to a specific campaign and ROI can be calculated. The study focus on measuring the tendency consumers have to interact through SMS when they get exposed to relevant advertising and the tendency they have to use the voucher that is sent to them as a result of the interaction.  The question is how efficient this method is for measuring ROI. In order to bring clarity to the issue, I conducted a quantitative survey using an online self completion questionnaire as measurement tool. It was distributed through e-mail among students at the College of Management at National Taiwan University. Furthermore, I have chosen a deductive approach, my epistemological position is positivism and I therefore utilize the scientific model conducting my research. My ontological position is objectivism meaning that I believe reality is independent of social actors.</p><p>The empirical data collected showed that the method in focus have great potential in working efficient for measuring ROI of digital signage. The general tendency to interact through SMS was high, on average 82.3% of the respondents would interact through SMS when getting exposed to relevant advertising. In addition, 96.5% of those would also use the voucher sent to them, enabling ROI calculations.</p><p>It was presumed that the digital signage advertising was relevant to such an extent to the consumer getting exposed to it, that he/she already had a purchase intention of the product/service which the advertising regarded. This should be remembered when evaluating the results. Nevertheless, if advertisers succeed in reaching out with relevant advertising enough, the findings in this study indicates that the method is an efficient tool to use for ROI calculations of digital signage.</p><p> </p>