Thesis--University of Wisconsin--Madison. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 268-276).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Georgetown University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 275-288)

This thesis is concerned with the study of technology upgrading in late industrialising countries. This research aims to understand the process of technology upgrading of SMEs in the automotive industry by looking at the internal and external sources of technology for these firms. To do so, the main bodies of literature of this research are i) technological capabilities and absorptive capacity, ii) global value chains, and iii) NLSs. Technology upgrading has not been a well-developed notion in the literature. The literature has focused on technical change in industrialised economies and it has omitted the process of incremental changes and the shortcomings existing in the system of innovation for late industrialising countries. To observe technology upgrading in developing countries, I look at the transfer of technology from up-to-date firms (assemblers) to the less knowledgeable firms (SMEs) and the assimilation of this technology by the latter. To look at other sources of technology, I observed the country' context and the role of other actors in the industry. In this regard, National Learning Systems (NLSs) permit to understand and explain the differences of the process of technical change in late industrialising countries where they learnt through the diffusion of technology created somewhere else rather than the creation of it within the system. In this research, I offer new findings for the literature which has paid little attention to the process of technology upgrading and SMEs. I also confirm that the use of NLSs instead of NIS is more accurate for late industrialising countries and I offer new paths for future research in these issues.

A corporation which is aiming to create a world class brand should evaluate its existing product portfolio as a first step to configure its future products better. Therefore, this study is performed with the collaboration of Temsa Global Company, who desires to create a global brand in the commercial vehicle area: Temsa. The aim of the study is to find out the relationship between the brand specific design characteristics and visual product design features with a semantic approach, through a case study on a local commercial vehicle manufacturer: Temsa Global Company.

O setor de transportes é responsável por grande parte do consumo de recursos não renováveis e pelas emissões de gases causadores de efeito estufa, entre outros. No Brasil, predomina o transporte rodoviário, especialmente com o uso de caminhões para o transporte de cargas. Estes caminhões, entretanto, não impactam o meio ambiente apenas durante o uso, mas também em outras etapas do ciclo de vida que vão desde a extração de recursos ao descarte final do produto. Atualmente, há meios de avaliar as prioridades para a redução de impactos ambientais, com diversos métodos diferentes. O objetivo deste estudo consiste em analisar o processo de transporte rodoviário de cargas em três diferentes métodos ambientais: a Avaliação do Ciclo de Vida (ACV), Análise Emergética e Análise Exergética. A ACV consiste em uma metodologia que possibilita a avaliação ambiental em todas as fases do ciclo de vida do produto. As etapas da realização da ACV compreendem: a definição do objetivo e do escopo, a análise de inventário, a avaliação de impacto e a interpretação. Na ACV, foi selecionado um método que engloba a pontuação única: o Eco-indicator-99. Já a análise emergética é realizada a partir da obtenção dos fluxos de matéria, energia, dinheiro e informação, fornecendo um valor, no caso a emergia. A exergia é utilizada como unidade de medida comum (em Joules) para isumos energéticos e materiais, produtos e poluentes. Para realizar a comparação das três metodologias, o cenário escolhido foi a análise de dois tipos de caminhões de diferentes capacidades de cargas, com dados de consumos de recursos e geração de poluentes de uma base de dados de inventário internacional, neste caso o inventário Ecoinvent. Ao final apresentam-se os resultados e as conclusões sobre o emprego dos métodos da avaliação de impacto do ciclo de vida (AICV), análise exergética e análise emergética. / The transport sector is responsible for great part of unrenewable resources use and gases emissions contributing to green house effect. The trucks employment in cargo transport predominates in Brazil. These trucks, however, impact on the environment during their use as well as in other stages of their life cycle, since the extraction of resources till the final discart of product. To evaluate the priorities for the diminishing environment impact, several different methods had been elaborated. This study consist in comparing the result of three of these methods: the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), the Exergy Analysis and the Emergetic Analysis. The LCA is a methodology that enables the environment evaluation in all phases of the product life cycle. The accomplishment stages of LCA include the objective and target definition, the inventory analysis, the impact evaluation and the results interpretation. Otherwise, the emergetic analysis is carried through the materialflux, energy, money and information thet provide us a value, in this case, the emergy. The exergy is used as a tactical unit for usual energy supplies and materials, products and pollutants. The compare these tree methodologies, two different cargo capacity trucks had been slected, with data of resources use and pollutants production for an internationaldatabase, the ecoinvent. The results and conclusions are presented about the evaluation methods of life cycle impact, exergy analysis and emergetic analysis.

O setor de transportes é responsável por grande parte do consumo de recursos não renováveis e pelas emissões de gases causadores de efeito estufa, entre outros. No Brasil, predomina o transporte rodoviário, especialmente com o uso de caminhões para o transporte de cargas. Estes caminhões, entretanto, não impactam o meio ambiente apenas durante o uso, mas também em outras etapas do ciclo de vida que vão desde a extração de recursos ao descarte final do produto. Atualmente, há meios de avaliar as prioridades para a redução de impactos ambientais, com diversos métodos diferentes. O objetivo deste estudo consiste em analisar o processo de transporte rodoviário de cargas em três diferentes métodos ambientais: a Avaliação do Ciclo de Vida (ACV), Análise Emergética e Análise Exergética. A ACV consiste em uma metodologia que possibilita a avaliação ambiental em todas as fases do ciclo de vida do produto. As etapas da realização da ACV compreendem: a definição do objetivo e do escopo, a análise de inventário, a avaliação de impacto e a interpretação. Na ACV, foi selecionado um método que engloba a pontuação única: o Eco-indicator-99. Já a análise emergética é realizada a partir da obtenção dos fluxos de matéria, energia, dinheiro e informação, fornecendo um valor, no caso a emergia. A exergia é utilizada como unidade de medida comum (em Joules) para isumos energéticos e materiais, produtos e poluentes. Para realizar a comparação das três metodologias, o cenário escolhido foi a análise de dois tipos de caminhões de diferentes capacidades de cargas, com dados de consumos de recursos e geração de poluentes de uma base de dados de inventário internacional, neste caso o inventário Ecoinvent. Ao final apresentam-se os resultados e as conclusões sobre o emprego dos métodos da avaliação de impacto do ciclo de vida (AICV), análise exergética e análise emergética. / The transport sector is responsible for great part of unrenewable resources use and gases emissions contributing to green house effect. The trucks employment in cargo transport predominates in Brazil. These trucks, however, impact on the environment during their use as well as in other stages of their life cycle, since the extraction of resources till the final discart of product. To evaluate the priorities for the diminishing environment impact, several different methods had been elaborated. This study consist in comparing the result of three of these methods: the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), the Exergy Analysis and the Emergetic Analysis. The LCA is a methodology that enables the environment evaluation in all phases of the product life cycle. The accomplishment stages of LCA include the objective and target definition, the inventory analysis, the impact evaluation and the results interpretation. Otherwise, the emergetic analysis is carried through the materialflux, energy, money and information thet provide us a value, in this case, the emergy. The exergy is used as a tactical unit for usual energy supplies and materials, products and pollutants. The compare these tree methodologies, two different cargo capacity trucks had been slected, with data of resources use and pollutants production for an internationaldatabase, the ecoinvent. The results and conclusions are presented about the evaluation methods of life cycle impact, exergy analysis and emergetic analysis.

A severe capital shortage in South Africa during the 1980s resulted in significant losses for both freight and passenger rail, which gave rise to cutbacks in new investments for rail. By 1986 expenditure on fixed rail assets was reduced from R1.44 billion to R500 million; this was the beginning of the decline of freight rail. During this period freight transport was deregulated and road freight used this opportunity to compete with rail transport in the same market segment by transporting bulk goods on long hauls. The result of this was an increase in truck traffic on the roads, causing a negative impact on the conditions of the road and placing freight rail in a continuous decline, leading to the obsolete state of the rail infrastructure, rolling stock and its under-utilisation. This had a detrimental impact on freight rail and the economy. Having realised the extent of the problem, government, through the Department of Transport (DoT), decided to intervene by changing the current model of the freight transport system. To that effect the DoT is in the process of developing a National Rail Policy, with the main focus being to encourage the shift of freight transportation of bulk commodities from road to rail. As the National Rail Agency, Transnet undertakes all South Africa‟s freight rail operations through its Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) division. As such, TFR is ultimately responsible for the implementation of the road to rail implementation project. To that effect, TFR developed the MDS to revitalise itself and ensure its success. The objective of this research is to (a) assess the capacity of TFR to successfully implement the road to rail policy; (b) determine whether the implementation of road to rail will lead to freight rail efficiency and competitiveness, reliability and sustainability; and (c) establish the industry‟s reaction towards the shift from road to rail. In order to respond to the research question, qualitative research was chosen as the most appropriate approach. This facilitated an in-depth exploration and understanding of the issues around the road to rail project including how the industry feels about the issue, as well as an exploration of other possible alternatives which could provide the same or better results in a simpler and more effective manner. This research may serve as additional information for authorities to consider during the implementation of the road to rail project, and could render a better chance of success. Upon completion of this research the author concluded that Transnet Freight Rail has a good chance of success. The implementation of road to rail is being given adequate attention. Integration is possible as the industry welcomes and supports the road to rail programme, in fact a number of collaboration agreements already exist between rail and other transport modes. This will enable Transnet Freight Rail to achieve efficiency, sustainability and a competitive advantage within the seven year timeframe of the MDS. / Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) / M. B. A. (Business Leadership)

This thesis examines the impact of the real exchange rate on the amount of revenues from a system of tolled and time tolled roads in the Czech Republic in the years 1999-2014. This effect is investigated on monthly data using regression analysis on two systems of tolled roads separately, system of tolled roads and system of time-tolled roads. Based on available dataset was shown a statistically significant negative effect of the real exchange rate on toll revenues in the system of tolled roads. In the case of time-tolled roads system was demonstrated negative effect of real exchange rate on time-toll revenues, but this effect is questionable, since the influence has been demonstrated only in a model with limited explanatory power.