Direct marketing is becoming a key strategy for organisations to develop and maintain strong customer relationships. This method targets specific customers with personalised advertising and promotional campaigns in order to help organisations increase campaign responses and to get a higher return on their investments. There are, however, many issues related to direct marketing, ranging from the highly technical to the more organisational and managerial aspects. This research focuses on the organisational and managerial issues of the direct marketing process and investigates the stages, activities and technologies required to effectively execute direct marketing. The direct marketing process integrates a complex collection of marketing concepts and business analytics principles, which form an entirely ‘self-contained’ choice for organisations. This makes direct marketing a significantly difficult process to perform. As a result, many scholars have attempted to tackle the complexity of executing the direct marketing process. However, most of their research efforts did not consider an integrated information system platform capable of effectively supporting the direct marketing process. This research attempts to address the above issues by developing a conceptual framework for the Direct Marketing Process with Business Intelligence (DMP-BI). The conceptual framework is developed using the identified marketing concepts and business analytics principles for the direct marketing process. It also proposes Business Intelligence (BI) as an integrated information system platform to effectively execute the direct marketing process. In order to evaluate and illustrate the practicality and impact of the DMP-BI framework, this thesis adopts a case study approach. Three case studies have been carried out in different industries including retailing, telecommunication and higher education. The aim of the case studies is also to demonstrate the usage of the DMP-BI framework within an organisational context. Based on the case studies’ findings, this thesis compares the DMP-BI framework with existing rival methodologies. The comparisons provide clear indications of the DMP-BI framework’s benefits over existing rival methodologies.

O transplante endotelial tem sido cada vez mais utilizado como uma alternativa ao transplante penetrante no tratamento das desordens do endotélio da córnea. No entanto, ao consultar a literatura não foram encontradas referências identificando em qual momento da cirurgia de transplante lamelar posterior ocorre maior dano às células endoteliais do botão doador. Objetivou-se avaliar e comparar as repercussões de duas etapas do transplante lamelar posterior sobre o endotélio da córnea de suínos utilizando a microscopia eletrônica de varredura. Utilizaram-se 30 bulbos oculares de 20 suínos, mestiços (1/2 Large White ½ Landrace), machos, com seis meses de idades e com peso médio de 100 kg. Foram designados dois grupos experimentais. No G1 constituído por 10 bulbos oculares, foi avaliado o dano ao endotélio da córnea após a confecção do botão doador. No G2, formado por 20 bulbos oculares, foi avaliado o dano ao endotélio da córnea após a inserção do botão doador no leito receptor utilizando introdutor de Busin. Perdas celulares ocorreram e variaram de acordo com o grupo estudado. A perda endotelial média do G1 foi 8,41% e no G2 17,31%. As diferenças foram estatisticamente significativas entre os grupos estudados. No presente estudo e nas condições experimentais realizadas foi possível concluir que a inserção do botão doador induziu maiores danos ao endotélio corneano de suínos, comparativamente à sua criação. / Endothelial keratoplasty has been adopted as an alternative to penetrating keratoplasty in the treatment of corneal endothelial disorders. However, references identifying at what time of posterior lamellar transplant surgery occurs greater damage to the endothelial cells of the donor button were not found, when consulting the literature. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the effects of two stages of posterior lamellar keratoplasty on the corneal endothelium of swine using scanning electron microscopy. A total of 30 eyes were evaluated in this study. The eyes were divided in two groups of ten each eye: G1 (evaluated after delamination and preparation of the donor button) and G2 (evaluated after delamination and preparation and insertion of the donor button using Busin glide). Cell loss occurred and varied according to the study group. The average endothelial cell loss was 8.41% in G1 and 17.31% in G2. The differences were statistically significant between the groups studied. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated damage in either group. The average endothelial cell loss was 8.41% in G1 and 17.31% in G2. The differences were statistically significant between the groups studied. It was concluded in the present study and also in the experimental conditions that the insertion of the donor button has induced greater damage to the corneal endothelium of swine compared to its creation.

O transplante endotelial tem sido cada vez mais utilizado como uma alternativa ao transplante penetrante no tratamento das desordens do endotélio da córnea. No entanto, ao consultar a literatura não foram encontradas referências identificando em qual momento da cirurgia de transplante lamelar posterior ocorre maior dano às células endoteliais do botão doador. Objetivou-se avaliar e comparar as repercussões de duas etapas do transplante lamelar posterior sobre o endotélio da córnea de suínos utilizando a microscopia eletrônica de varredura. Utilizaram-se 30 bulbos oculares de 20 suínos, mestiços (1/2 Large White ½ Landrace), machos, com seis meses de idades e com peso médio de 100 kg. Foram designados dois grupos experimentais. No G1 constituído por 10 bulbos oculares, foi avaliado o dano ao endotélio da córnea após a confecção do botão doador. No G2, formado por 20 bulbos oculares, foi avaliado o dano ao endotélio da córnea após a inserção do botão doador no leito receptor utilizando introdutor de Busin. Perdas celulares ocorreram e variaram de acordo com o grupo estudado. A perda endotelial média do G1 foi 8,41% e no G2 17,31%. As diferenças foram estatisticamente significativas entre os grupos estudados. No presente estudo e nas condições experimentais realizadas foi possível concluir que a inserção do botão doador induziu maiores danos ao endotélio corneano de suínos, comparativamente à sua criação. / Endothelial keratoplasty has been adopted as an alternative to penetrating keratoplasty in the treatment of corneal endothelial disorders. However, references identifying at what time of posterior lamellar transplant surgery occurs greater damage to the endothelial cells of the donor button were not found, when consulting the literature. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the effects of two stages of posterior lamellar keratoplasty on the corneal endothelium of swine using scanning electron microscopy. A total of 30 eyes were evaluated in this study. The eyes were divided in two groups of ten each eye: G1 (evaluated after delamination and preparation of the donor button) and G2 (evaluated after delamination and preparation and insertion of the donor button using Busin glide). Cell loss occurred and varied according to the study group. The average endothelial cell loss was 8.41% in G1 and 17.31% in G2. The differences were statistically significant between the groups studied. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated damage in either group. The average endothelial cell loss was 8.41% in G1 and 17.31% in G2. The differences were statistically significant between the groups studied. It was concluded in the present study and also in the experimental conditions that the insertion of the donor button has induced greater damage to the corneal endothelium of swine compared to its creation.

O transplante endotelial tem sido cada vez mais utilizado como uma alternativa ao transplante penetrante no tratamento das desordens do endotélio da córnea. No entanto, ao consultar a literatura não foram encontradas referências identificando em qual momento da cirurgia de transplante lamelar posterior ocorre maior dano às células endoteliais do botão doador. Objetivou-se avaliar e comparar as repercussões de duas etapas do transplante lamelar posterior sobre o endotélio da córnea de suínos utilizando a microscopia eletrônica de varredura. Utilizaram-se 30 bulbos oculares de 20 suínos, mestiços (1/2 Large White ½ Landrace), machos, com seis meses de idades e com peso médio de 100 kg. Foram designados dois grupos experimentais. No G1 constituído por 10 bulbos oculares, foi avaliado o dano ao endotélio da córnea após a confecção do botão doador. No G2, formado por 20 bulbos oculares, foi avaliado o dano ao endotélio da córnea após a inserção do botão doador no leito receptor utilizando introdutor de Busin. Perdas celulares ocorreram e variaram de acordo com o grupo estudado. A perda endotelial média do G1 foi 8,41% e no G2 17,31%. As diferenças foram estatisticamente significativas entre os grupos estudados. No presente estudo e nas condições experimentais realizadas foi possível concluir que a inserção do botão doador induziu maiores danos ao endotélio corneano de suínos, comparativamente à sua criação. / Endothelial keratoplasty has been adopted as an alternative to penetrating keratoplasty in the treatment of corneal endothelial disorders. However, references identifying at what time of posterior lamellar transplant surgery occurs greater damage to the endothelial cells of the donor button were not found, when consulting the literature. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the effects of two stages of posterior lamellar keratoplasty on the corneal endothelium of swine using scanning electron microscopy. A total of 30 eyes were evaluated in this study. The eyes were divided in two groups of ten each eye: G1 (evaluated after delamination and preparation of the donor button) and G2 (evaluated after delamination and preparation and insertion of the donor button using Busin glide). Cell loss occurred and varied according to the study group. The average endothelial cell loss was 8.41% in G1 and 17.31% in G2. The differences were statistically significant between the groups studied. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated damage in either group. The average endothelial cell loss was 8.41% in G1 and 17.31% in G2. The differences were statistically significant between the groups studied. It was concluded in the present study and also in the experimental conditions that the insertion of the donor button has induced greater damage to the corneal endothelium of swine compared to its creation.