In and amongst the institutional chaos of Africa lies a wealth of business potential for multinational corporations (MNCs) worthy of entry. This research study investigated the effect of political, regulatory and societal norm aspects of institutions on internationalising MNC, base-of-the-pyramid (BoP), strategies across various emerging economies in Africa. Although there is an abundance of literature on the BoP markets in emerging economies, literature is limited on the construct of strategy internationalisation across African countries through the institutional lens. A qualitative research methodology was used for this study to understand the institutional variables. Individual depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight managers having cumulative experience across ten MNCs. The focus of the study was on the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. However, to give the data variance five of the interviewees were employed in the FMCG industry while the others were employed in the consumer electronics, pulp and paper, and mobile telecommunications industries. The research data were analysed using an inductive approach to explore the themes discovered. These themes were: political ties and history, consumer insight, and information and communication technology (ICT). This study confirmed the importance of institutional aspects on BoP strategy internationalisation in Africa. Also, the study discovered a new and remarkable finding that acknowledges the BoP as non-traditional MNC shareholders rather than viewing the market as consumers or business partners alone. This progressive understanding of the BoP will encourage close, long-term interaction and mutualistic relationships, and foster shared commitment through embeddedness, as well as increase market penetration through creative channels and inclusive networks. From the findings above, a functional framework was developed for MNCs exploring the BoP space in Africa. The framework builds upon and advances the BoP 2.0 protocol developed by Stuart Hart, and will enable MNCs to anticipate challenges and risks associated with BoP markets in Africa. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lmgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted

Living cells are highly complex, making it an extremely challenging task to understand how they function. A possible solution is the bottom-up assembly of non-living components and building up life-like features from scratch, i.e., using synthetic cells as a tool to understand the basic characteristics of life. One such chassis for synthetic cells are liposomes, which, like the cell membrane of living cells, are made of phospholipids. As living cells grow, lipids are incorporated into their membrane in order to cope up with the volume increase of the cell. In a similar fashion, a variety of ways are currently being investigated to achieve growth of synthetic cells. Few examples include incorporation of fatty acids from the surrounding environment, reconstituting the enzymes for fatty acid or lipid biosynthesis in the liposome, or by carrying out the synthesis of artificial membrane components through the external addition of precursor molecules. Here, we demonstrate the membrane-tension mediated growth of giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) by fusing sub-micrometre-sized feeder vesicles to them. We use a recently developed microfluidic technique, octanol-assisted liposome assembly (OLA), to produce cell-sized (~10 μm) GUVs on-chip. Following the density-based separation of the liposomes from the waste product (1-octanol droplets), we supply small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs, ~30 nm in diameter) which act as a lipid reserve for growth by fusing with the GUVs. The lipids molecules, being very stable in bilayer conformation, require energy to reorient themselves and undergo membrane fusion. We show that increased membrane tension of GUVs can act as a sole driver to carry out multiple fusion events and cause significant growth. By placing a mass population (>1000) of GUVs in a sufficiently hypotonic solution (delta c 3−5 mM), we build up the membrane tension (~10 mN/m) driving multiple SUV-GUV fusionevents, eventually doubling the volume of a part of the population. We probe a variety of lipid compositions, including hybrid (composed of lipids and fatty acids) GUVs and find the growth to be dependent on the lipid composition. Maximum growth is obtained when using a hybrid system, as compared to pure lipids. Our results show the possibility to use a protein-freeminimal system to induce growth in a minimalistic manner and the demonstrated highthroughput microfluidic approach may have useful implications towards realizing an autonomous entity capable of undergoing a continuous growth-division cycle.

[pt] Apesar do recente aumento do número de pesquisas sobre a população de baixa renda no Brasil na área de Administração e de Marketing, pouco se estudou, ainda, sobre os padrões de consumo desse segmento na Região Nordeste. Considerando que, segundo dados do IBGE, 62,1 por cento dos trabadores nordestinos vivem de rendimentos de um salário mínimo, contra 35,9 por cento no Brasil, a presente dissertação pretende contribuir para reduzir essa relevante lacuna de pesquisa. Portanto, o objetivo desta dissertação foi identificar padrões de consumo de famílias de baixa renda da região metropolitana de Recife, a partir da composição de seu orçamento, nos anos de 2002/2003 e 2008/2009, e analisar mudanças encontradas nesse período. Com base nos dados fornecidos pela Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares (POF/IBGE) e utilizando técnica de análise de grupamentos (cluster), foram identificados quatro perfis de consumo nos dois períodos estudados, o que parece confirmar a heterogeneidade do segmento de baixa renda. Apesar de o período estudado ser marcado pelo aumento real do salário mínimo e da oferta de crédito, pela implementação de programas sociais do Governo Federal e pelo crescimento do investimento privado na região, verificou-se que os perfis de consumo não apresentaram grandes mudanças no intervalo de tempo em questão. Por outro lado, surgiram evidências de melhora do padrão geral de consumo das famílias de baixa renda e de sua condição de vida, o que aponta para perspectivas positivas para o padrão de consumo da população de baixa renda de Recife. / [en] Despite the recent increase in research on low-income population in Brazil in the field of Management and Marketing, little has been studied also on the consumption patterns of this segment in the Northeast. Whereas, according to IBGE, 62.1 per cent of workers receive a minimum wage, against 35.9 per cent in Brazil, this paper aims to contribute to reduce this significant research gap. Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to identify patterns of low-income families in the metropolitan area of Recife, from the composition of its budget in the years 2002/2003 and 2008/2009, and analyze changes found in this period. Based on data provided by the Household Budget Survey (POF /IBGE) and using technical analysis of clusters, we identified four profiles of consumption in both periods studied, which seems to confirm the heterogeneity of low-income segment. Although the study period is marked by a real increase in the minimum wage and the supply of credit, for the implementation of social programs of the Federal Government and the growth of private investment in the region, it was found that consumption profiles showed no major changes in the interval of time in question. On the other hand, there was evidence of improvement in general pattern of consumption of low-income families and their quality of life, which points to a positive outlook for the consumption pattern of low-income population of Recife.

Deep-ocean pressure measurements are a necessary component for ocean characterization and oceanographic monitoring. Some principle applications such as tsunami detection and ocean floor subsidence are reliant on deep-ocean pressure measurement data. The deep ocean is a challenging environment especially for pressure measurements; discerning pressure changes that are a small fraction of the ambient pressure calls for intelligent engineering solutions. An ocean-deployable concept model of a pressure sensor is developed. The design is based on a diaphragm transducer intended for measuring hydrostatic pressure changes on the order of 1 centimeter of water (cmH2O) while exposed to ambient pressures several orders of magnitude greater for up to 2500 meters of water (mH2O). Two laboratory-scale pressure sensors are fabricated to test the fundamental principle of the proposed concept at lab-safe pressures. One is a single-sided sensor exposed to atmospheric pressure. The second sensor is a two-sided design that operates at a defined target depth pressure and measures the differential pressure across both faces of the diaphragm. The sensor design built for atmospheric pressure testing observed a mean experimental sensitivity of 6.05 pm/cmH2O in contrast to 6 pm/cmH2O determined theoretically. The percent error between the experimental and theoretical values is 0.83%. The second design was tested at target depth pressures of 10, 20, 40, and 60 psi (7, 14, 28, and 42 mH2O) and performance was within 5.8%, 2.8%, 0.7%, 4.0% respectively when considering percent error of the mean experimental and theoretical. The repeatability was sufficient for a given sample and pressure response within the range proposed in theory when a pressure preload was present to the diaphragm. Future work will aim at developing a design concept that incorporates a piston and is tested at a higher hydrostatic pressure system, and within ocean waters. A deployment plan and consideration of challenges associated with ocean testing will be accounted for. / Graduate

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(エネルギー科学) / 甲第22673号 / エネ博第405号 / 新制||エネ||77(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院エネルギー科学研究科エネルギー応用科学専攻 / (主査)教授 平藤 哲司, 教授 馬渕 守, 教授 土井 俊哉 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Energy Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

The aim of this study is to contribute to today´s knowledge about stocks of electronic products on the organisational level. This is done by using a bottom-up MFA on laptops and smartphones in a chosen organisation, the data collected for this study is done by both semi-structured interviews and literature searches. Investigating the associated metals in the laptops and smartphones is also an aim of this study. Having knowledge of the existing stocks and flows of materials is important for the prospects of urban mining. This study takes a circular economy aspect of the current state of stocks and flows of materials. Circulation of materials within society is an effective approach to saving resources rather than just recycling the materials since not all materials can be retrieved through recycling processes. The results show that there is a significant stock of metals embedded in the laptops and smartphones in the organisation. Metals found include Aluminium, Magnesium, Copper, Iron, Nickel, Tin, Gold, Silver, Palladium, Zinc, Lead, Cobalt, Barium and Neodymium. The results also indicates that some of the laptop stock is in hibernation and so is the associated metals in these laptops. These stocks could be of big importance for future sources of metal resources, but more studies are needed to fully understand the stocks of metals in society and how much of these stocks that are in hibernation. / Gruvan i garderoben

The increasingly entangled correlation between media, sport and activism in the United States has generated an upsurge in new media research that focuses on athletes’ political social media posts from an ‘outsider’s’ perspective. To clearer comprehend the complex relationship of media, sport and activism from an ‘insider’s’ perspective, this thesis aims to converse with collegiate athletes in the United States about how they experience their personalized politics on social media, as well as it observes the collegiate athletes’ activist practices on particularly Twitter and Facebook. As an auxiliary ‘prop’, I utilize former NFL (National Football League) player Colin Kaepernick’s approach to athlete activism to start the discussions about the topic with the collegiate athletes. Kaepernick’s kneel during the national anthem in 2016, prior to a football game displayed on national television, gained a variety of negative responses, but also sparked a difference in conversations about the politization of sport, and ultimately lead to a swift re-appearance of athlete activism on social media (Serazio and Thorson, 2020). Thus, by collecting interview data and observations of the media practices of collegiate athletes, the analysis draws on bottom-up framing and practice theory to better understand how such sportspersons experience the intersection between sports and politics on social media, the implications of athlete activism, and the media practices involved in such performance. Ultimately, the results of this study suggest that appearances of tensions, anxieties and pressures subsist in collegiate athletes’ activism practices on social media, making it an auspicious site for further research seeking to investigate the intersection of media, sport, and activism.

This paper presents the complexity of peacebuilding by looking at different types of peacebuilding models. To understand the peacebuilding models, this paper reviews different scholarly pieces of literature on the topic of peacebuilding. Furthermore, the paper focuses on the case of Somalia to determine the suitable peacebuilding model for Somalia. Somalia has faced one of the longest civil wars in Africa after the collapse of the government. To propose suitable peacebuilding for Somalia, the paper reviews different types of peacebuilding attempts that were conducted in Somalia by both international organizations and local peacemakers. These processes include an UN-led top-down approach and a bottom-up approach initiated by elders and local respected individuals. From reviewing different types of peacebuilding literature, the finding reveals conflict resolution specifically Ramsbotham et al (2011) as the best suitable peacebuilding model for Somalia.

This masters’ thesis deals with a thermal design of a draft dry bottom boiler for bituminous coal that should replace a disassembled boiler in a current boiler room. Application of SCR is intended in order to reach emission standards of NOx.

Purpose The goal of this research is to define top-down and bottom-up approaches as well as the communication processes and the information flow to see how it is used and matched with day-to-day activities in several retail stores. To meet this goal, the following research questions have been formulated: ● How do organizations use information strategies such as top-down and bottom-up management? ● What are the means to be used in information strategies so that the envisaged objectives can be achieved?  Method To meet that objective, a study has been performed on seven store managers from seven different retail shops through interviews from which the empirical data has been gathered. The latter has been combined with a theoretical framework to achieve the purpose. Findings Based on the empirical results taken from the seven store managers, the authors were able to see and understand how each of them was using information strategies and what were the challenges and improvements related to it. Limitations The authors chose to limit their research to the retail industry in Sweden, therefore the outcome of this study cannot be applied to other industries or countries. Moreover, the interviews have been only given to store managers, which implies that the employees’ perspective on the subject is not analyzed here.