This study examines how a user-centered approach can influence product design to reduce physical discomfort when using in-ear true wireless. The given study is a collaboration with the consumer electronics company Zound Industries. The purpose has been to understand the origins of why physical discomfort can arise when using in-ear true wireless headphones and to what extent the user behaviour plays in it all. Previous studies have shown how physical discomfort in the form of eczema, itching and soreness has been caused by the use of in-ear true wireless. Based on user-centered methods such as expert interviews, cultural probes, user interviews, focus groups, this study has been able to identify not only how, but why physical discomfort can occur when using in-ear true wireless. Furthermore, the study has also been able to identify behavioural patterns among users that reveal how headphones are used for purposes other than what they are intended for. It has been possible to show how users use their headphones like an earplug without music to block out sound in order to be able focus or to communicate they don’t want to be disturbed to avoid social interactions. The conducted knowledge and insights provide a better understanding of how design can be used to enhance the experience of using in-ear true wireless headphones. Applying design strategies within design for behavioural change, an adjustable headphone has been developed that allows the user to use the headphone according to the needs of the user. The study provides a basis for how design can be better utilised in future in-ear true wireless headphones.

<p>U okviru disertacije predstavljene su metode realizacije kontekstualnih platformi i kontekstualnih korisničkih sprega za uređaje potrošačke elektronike. Predloženi su algoritmi semantizacije konteksta i procene zauzetosti korisnika, arhitektura rešenja i rezultati evaluacije.</p><p>&nbsp;</p> / <p>In this dissertation methods of implementation of context-aware platforms and context-aware user interfaces for applications in consumer electronics are presented. The work includes the proposition of algorithms for context semantization and user availability estimation, architecture of the solution as well as the results of evaluation experiments.</p>

Hållbarhet är ett aktuellt ämne i dagens samhälle och nämns ofta i mediesammanhang. Planeten är överbefolkad, människor svälter och levnadsstandarden skiljer sig markant mellan jordens kontinenter. Även jordens resurser används i större mån än vad planeten klarar av och detta leder i sin tur till att miljön blir lidande. Detta har bidragit till att samhället idag har höga krav på hur företag arbetar kring hållbarhet. Intressenternas krav har i sin tur lett till att upprättande av hållbarhets- redovisningar har blivit allt vanligare. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka hur hållbarhetsredovisningar utformas i tre olika branscher i Sverige och jämföra dessa för att urskilja eventuella likheter och olikheter som kan finnas. Vidare kommer även alternativa förklaringar till likheterna och olikheterna framföras. Branscherna som har studerats är hemelektronikbranschen, klädbranschen och livsmedels- branschen. För att besvara studiens syfte och frågeställningar har en djupgående analys av 15 företags hållbarhetsredovisningar gjorts. Sedan har dessa företag jämförts för att ha möjlighet att urskilja eventuella likheter och olikheter. Utifrån det empiriska materialet kan det utläsas att utformningen av de granskade rapporterna är olika till utseendet men att innehållet är relativt likt. Dock finns det ett fåtal skillnader i innehållet vilket kan bero på vilken miljö som respektive företag är aktiva i och vilka krav intressenterna har på ett företags hållbarhetsarbete. Likheter mellan branscherna och företagen kan förklaras med hjälp av legitimitetsteorin och den institutionella teorin. Företag vill uppnå legitimitet gentemot samhället i stort och det kan göras genom att efterlikna de företag som upprättar framgångsrika hållbarhetsrapporter. Studien är en kartläggning av hållbarhetsredovisningar i tre olika branscher där likheter och olikheter framhävs samt eventuella förklaringar till varför företag utformar sin hållbarhetsredovisning på de sätt de har gjort. / Sustainability is an up-to-date issue and it’s often mentioned in media. The planet is overpopulated, people are starving and the living conditions differ significantly between the continents. The resources of the earth are used to a greater extent than the planet is capable of. This has led to environmental problems and that the society has high demands of corporate social responsibility. Stakeholders’ requirements have led to the fact that the establishment of sustainability reports has become more common. The purpose of this thesis is to examine how sustainability reports are designed in three different industries in Sweden and compare them to distinguish any similarities or differences that may exist. Further, alternative explanations for the similarities and differences will be made. The industries that have been studied are the following: consumer electronics industry, clothing industry and food industry. In order to answer the study's purpose and questions, an in-depth analysis of 15 companies’ sustainability reports has been made. Then a comparison has been made between these companies and industries in order to determine if there are any similarities or differences. Based on the empirical material, the design of the reviewed reports is different in appearance but the content is relatively similar. However, there are also a few differences in the content and these may depend on the environment for which each company is active and what kind of requirements its stakeholders have on the company's sustainability work. Similarities between the industries and companies can be explained with the help of legitimacy theory and institutional theory. Companies want to achieve legitimacy towards the society and one way to do this is to imitate the companies that establish successful sustainability reports. The study is a mapping of sustainability reports in three different industries, highlighting similarities and differences, as well as possible reasons why companies design their sustainability report in the way they have done.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This study is based on the Law 12.305/2010 (National politics on Solid Waste), which has progressed in in the field of sustainability, by transmitting a strong educational and awareness value. However, the increasing demand and offer of new technologies has caused in the population a big and increasing desire for consumption. In this sense, the objective of the research came to life, through the Law nº 12.305/2010, from the extension of the instrument in the reverse logistics of the consumer electronics in face of the consuming society and the capitalism market, both agents that use the planned obsolescence and perceived in spite of environmental balance. The central question proposed to be answered is presented in the following form: aware the ecological caos created/caused by the consuming society and the capitalist market, which incorporate the practice of planned obsolescence and perceived, it is asked if the reverse logistics instrument, brought by the Law that set up the National politics on Solid Waste, is it enough to strike/reduce the excess of consumer electronics surplus? Bringing to the real case, what is the situation of the consumer electronics waste in the city of Santa Maria/RS? The approach method utilized was the dialect. The theoretical framework presents itself from a base critical theory Zigmunt Baumam and Enrique Leff. The procedure method adopted was the case study, and the metodological instrument to data collection was the interview guidelines technic. It was studied, iniatialy, the consuming society and the capitalist market, emphasizing the planned obsolescence strategies programmed and perceived, and the cultural aspect tied to the consum; later, it was made a counterpoint in face of the National politics on Solid Waste and their main directives, explaining the collectors of recyclable material situation, the post-consumer responsibility and the shared liability, and contextualizing the reverse logistics instrument regarding the consumer electronics waste and, finaly, it was presented the counterpoint through the situation of the consumer electronics waste in the city of Santa Maria/RS. In the end, it was observed that the reverse logistics of the consumer electronics waste was not enough to strike or reduce the exceeding of consumer electronics waste, only contributes to the reducing the generation of these waste, in a minor percentage, because the planned obsolescence strategies and perceived practice by the market prevail in spite of the environment preservation and protection. There is a long road to go in the city of Santa Maria to reduce the distance between text (of law) and context (environmental reality) and to reach the desired minimum in the environmental related questions, with respect to consumer electronics waste. / Este trabalho apresenta-se a partir da Lei 12.305/2010 (Política Nacional de Resíduos Sólidos), a qual avançou muito no campo da sustentabilidade, transmitindo um forte caráter educativo e conscientizador. Entretanto, a crescente demanda e a oferta de novas tecnologias têm provocado na população um grande e crescente desejo de consumo. Nesse sentido, o objetivo da pesquisa emergiu, à luz da Lei nº 12.305/2010, da extensão do instrumento da logística reversa de eletroeletrônicos diante da sociedade do consumo e do mercado capitalista, bem como da realidade sobre os resíduos eletroeletrônicos na cidade de Santa Maria/RS. A pergunta central que se propõe a responder apresentou-se da seguinte forma: tendo em vista a desordem ecológica causada/gerada pela sociedade do consumo e pelo mercado capitalista, que incorporam a prática da obsolescência programada e percebida, indaga-se se o instrumento da logística reversa, trazido pela Lei que instituiu a Política Nacional de Resíduos Sólidos, é suficiente para combater/diminuir o excesso de resíduos eletroeletrônicos? E, trazendo para o caso concreto, qual a situação dos resíduos eletroeletrônicos na cidade de Santa Maria/RS? O método de abordagem utilizado foi o dialético. O marco teórico apresenta-se a partir de uma teoria de base crítica, fundada em Zigmunt Baumam e Enrique Leff. O método de procedimento adotado foi o estudo de caso, e o instrumento metodológico para coleta de dados foi a técnica da entrevista por pautas. Trabalhou-se, inicialmente, com a sociedade do consumo e a lógica do mercado capitalista, destacando as estratégias da obsolescência programada e percebida, e o aspecto cultural atrelado ao consumo; num segundo momento, fez-se o contraponto diante da Política Nacional de Resíduos Sólidos e suas diretrizes principais, esclarecendo a situação dos catadores de materiais recicláveis, a responsabilidade pós-consumo e a responsabilidade compartilhada, e contextualizando o instrumento da logística reversa em relação aos resíduos eletroeletrônicos; e, finalmente, apresentou-se o resultando do contraponto através da situação dos resíduos eletroeletrônicos na cidade de Santa Maria/RS. Ao final, constatou-se que a logística reversa de resíduos eletroeletrônicos não é suficiente para combater ou diminuir o excesso de resíduos eletroeletrônicos, apenas contribui para a redução da geração desses resíduos, em percentual muito pequeno, porque as estratégicas da obsolescência programada e percebida praticadas pelo mercado predominam em detrimento da preservação e proteção do meio ambiente. E que há um longo caminho a ser percorrido na cidade Santa Maria para diminuir a distância entre texto (da lei) e contexto (realidade socioambiental) e para alcançar o mínimo desejado em relação às questões ambientais, especialmente, no que tange aos resíduos eletroeletrônicos.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-11T13:52:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Vitor Picanco.pdf: 1033903 bytes, checksum: 37d40769f15c8524be9918da3ee427d8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-04-11 / This thesis aims at analyzing the evolution of concentration of exports from the Consumer Electronics Subsector Industrial Manaus Polo - PIM, verifying the possible implications of this phenomenon in terms of affection within the same business. The survey data comprise two levels: secondary data on foreign trade, from the system for monitoring and controlling the flow of exports from the Ministry of Industry and Trade - MDIC and the Superintendence of Manaus Free Trade Zone - SUFRAMA, and primary data from semi-structured interviews applied to institutional managers working in the context of discussions of international trade and development in the Amazon. In parallel interpretation of these two matrices are developed interpretative analysis of the institutional perception with regard to the dynamics of concentration of export products and destinations found in PIM in the period 2001 to 2010. Verification of the results of statistical analyzes and institutional perceptions found that the concentration of exports in the electronics sub-sector has been neglected with regard to policy statements that promote the development of industrial production in the Amazon from the logic of strengthening of international integration of consumer electronics PIM / Esta dissertação tem como objetivo principal analisar a evolução da concentração das exportações do Subsetor de Eletroeletrônicos do Polo Industrial de Manais - PIM, verificando as possíveis implicações de tal fenômeno em termos de afetação no âmbito comercial do mesmo. Os dados da pesquisa compreendem dois níveis: dados secundários de comércio exterior, provenientes dos sistemas de acompanhamento e controle do fluxo de exportações do Ministério da Indústria e Comércio MDIC e Superintendências da Zona Franca de Manaus SUFRAMA; e dados primários provenientes de entrevistas semiestruturadas aplicadas a gestores institucionais atuantes no contexto das discussões de comércio internacional e desenvolvimento no Amazonas. Em interpretação paralela dessas duas matrizes se elaborou análise interpretativa da percepção institucional no que se refere à dinâmica da concentração de exportações em produtos e destinos verificadas no PIM no período de 2001 a 2010. Da verificação dos resultados das análises estatísticas e das percepções institucionais constatou-se que a concentração de exportações dentro do subsetor de eletroeletrônicos tem sido negligenciada no que se refere à formulação de políticas afirmativas que promovam o desenvolvimento da produção industrial no Amazonas a partir da lógica do fortalecimento da inserção internacional dos produtos eletroeletrônicos do PIM

Bakgrund: Det råder en i allmänhet ökad efterfrågan om hållbara leverantörskedjor. Tillverkningen av hemelektronik är däremot både socialt och miljömässigt icke-hållbar vilket på senare år har uppenbarat sig i stor omfattning. Med tanke på att återförsäljarna av hemelektronik är många gånger fler än tillverkarna är återförsäljarna i en potentiell beroendeställning gentemot tillverkarna vilket väcker intresse för hur svenska återförsäljare av hemelektronik bör verka för hållbara leverantörskedjor. Syfte: Denna studie avser att beskriva konsumenters efterfråga och myndigheters påverkan på hållbara leverantörskedjor, beskriva den potentiellt asymmetriska relationen mellan tillverkare och återförsäljare på hemelektronikmarknaden samt utforska hur svenska återförsäljare bör verka för en hållbar leverantörskedja. Detta med tanke på den i allmänhet ökade efterfrågan på hållbara leverantörskedjor och den potentiellt svaga förhandlingskraft som återförsäljare av hemelektronik i Sverige innehar gentemot tillverkare. Slutsats: Konsumenters efterfrågan om hållbara leverantörskedjor i hemelektroniken är låg medan myndigheters efterfrågan om hållbar hemelektronik yttrar sig i form av striktare lagar. Beroendeställningen som svenska återförsäljare av hemelektronik har till tillverkare påverkar möjligheten att upprätthålla sina egenformulerade uppförandekod gentemot leverantörer, möjligheten till leverantörsbyte och garantin av en genomgående hållbarhet leverantörskedjan. För att påverka leverantörskedjorna till att bli mer hållbara använder sig återförsäljarna av styrmedel som uppförandekoder för leverantörer, relationsbyggande, utbildning och tillit. För att dessa ska ha största möjliga effekt rekommenderas en kombination av flera styrmedel. Formella som informella. Kunskapsbidrag: Då studien varit inriktat mot den svenska hemelektronikmarknaden har gjort resultatet till en vidareutveckling av befintliga teorier. Studien förväntas vara ett bidrag för framförallt återförsäljande aktörer och branschorganisationer på den svenska hemelektronikmarknaden Vidare är även resultatet användbart för organisationer som identifierar sig i den beroendeställning som studiens fallföretag befinner sig i samt ämnar att påverka hållbarheten i sina leverantörskedjor. / Background: There is a generally growing demand for sustainable supply chains. On the other hand, the production of consumer electronics is both socially and environmentally unsustainable, which has been revealed in recent years. Considering that the retailers of consumer electronics are many times more than manufacturers, dealers could potentially be in a state of dependence against manufacturers, which raises interest in how Swedish retailers of consumer electronics can work for sustainable supply chains. Aim: This study intends to describe consumers’ demand governments’ impact on sustainable supply chains, describe the potentially asymmetric relationship between manufacturers and retailers in the consumer electronics market, as well as investigating how Swedish retailers should work for a sustainable supply chain. This in view of the generally increased demand for sustainable supply chains and the potentially weak negotiating power that retailers of consumer electronics in Sweden hold against manufacturers. Conclusion: Consumers' demand for sustainable supply chains in consumer electronics is low, while authorities demand for sustainable consumer electronics expresses itself in the form of stricter laws. Swedish electronic retailers dependency on manufacturers affects the ability to maintain their proprietary code of conduct vis-à-vis suppliers. Moreover it affects the possibility of switching suppliers and the guarantee of an overall sustainable supply chain. In order to influence the supply chains to become more sustainable, retailers use instruments such as codes of conducts for suppliers, relationship building, education and trust. In order for these to have the greatest effect, a combination of several instruments is recommended. Formal as informal. Contribution of knowledge: Since this study has been focused on the Swedish consumer electronics market has made the result a development of existing theories. The thesis is expected to be a contribution primarily for retailers and industry organizations that are active on the Swedish consumer electronics market. Furthermore, the result is also useful for organizations that identify themselves in the same dependency as the study’s cases and intend to influence the sustainability on their supply chain.

Purpose: This study aims to test which values from the mass customization process that affect the willingness to pay for products in the consumer electronics industry. Method: We have used a quantitative method with a deductive approach. The study is based on the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) performed on the test and survey which was inspired by the CPVT model. Primary data has been manually gathered from the survey via Google Forms and later analyzed in EXCEL, SPSS as well as AMOS. The timeperiod for the survey lasted between 2020-11-01 to 2020-12-01. The final sample amounted to 145 observations. Conclusion: This study found that creative achievement value (which refers to the customers pride of authorship and is directly connected to the codesign process in the product configurator), had an effect on the perceived satisfaction (the enjoyment which comes from the mass customization process) which in turn effected their willingness to pay (an increase or decrease in incitement to pay for a product after going through the mass customization process). There was a strong positive covariance (correlation between the variable groups) between the factor for satisfaction and the factor for willingness to pay in the factor correlation matrix. / Syfte: Denna studie avser sig testa vilka värden från kundanpassningsprocessen som påverkar betalningsviljan för produkter inom hemelektronikbranschen. Metod: Vi har använt oss av en kvantitativ metod med en deduktiv ansats. Studien baserar sig kring en konfirmativ faktoranalys (CFA) som gjordes på det test och enkät som inspirerats av CPVT modellen. Primärdata har manuellt samlats in från enkäten via Google Forms och analyserats i EXCEL, SPSS samt i AMOS. Tidsperioden för undersökningen varade mellan den 2020-11-01 och 2020-12-01. Det slutliga urvalet uppgick till 145 observationer. Slutsatser: Studien fann att kreativt prestationsvärde (vilket syftar till kundens upplevda stolthet vid vetskapen av att ha skapat något och är direkt kopplat till designprocessen i produktkonfiguratorn) påverkade kundens upplevda tillfredsställelse (den belåtenhet som kommer från kundanpassningsprocessen) som i sin tur påverkade kundens betalningsvilja (en ökning eller minskning av incitamentet till att betala ett högre pris för produkten efter att ha gått igenom kundanpassningsprocessen). Det fanns en starkt positiv kovarians (korrelationen mellan variabelgrupperna) mellan tillfredsställelse och betalningsvilja i väg-diagrammet samt en godtycklig korrelation mellan faktorn för tillfredsställelse och faktorn för betalningsvilja i faktor-korrelationsmatrisen.

The wireless charging market has seen exponential growth in recent years and wireless charging is quickly becoming the standard in consumer electronic devices to eliminate inconveniences of wired chargers. The adoption of wireless charging technology is most visible in the smartphone industry. This thesis report elicits the process involved in designing a Wireless charger that complies with the Qi- Wireless Standards set by the Wireless Power Consortium. The drawbacks of current product offerings and user needs are identified, and conceptual solutions that could strengthen the wireless charging experience are explored. The most promising solution is developed upon which results in a full-scale functional prototype.

[pt] Esta tese é composta por três artigos empíricos que utilizam dados de venda de uma cadeia de lojas de produtos eletroeletrônicos e de características de seus clientes. O primeiro investiga o efeito de características, como gênero, idade, escolaridade e renda, na probabilidade do cliente de receber desconto. Ele tem o objetivo de averiguar se a autoridade de decisão de preço final dada aos vendedores está sendo bem usada. Quando há discriminação de preços, clientes com renda mais alta devem ter menor probabilidade de receber descontos. Por outro lado, descontos podem ser dados por outros motivos, diferentes daquele desejado pela firma. Uma vez que o cliente percebe que o vendedor tem poder de decisão sobre o preço final, ele pode desejar começar um processo de barganha para reduzir o preço que pagará. O resultado deste processo pode também depender das características do cliente, se estas afetarem a habilidade de barganhar. Neste caso, quanto maior a habilidade do cliente de barganhar pelo desconto, maior este será. Como encontramos que a probabilidade de receber descontos aumenta com a renda e escolaridade do cliente, e o valor do desconto também é maior para pessoas com mais alta renda e mais educadas, concluímos que o desconto não está sendo dado como resultado de discriminação de preços, mas como o resultado de uma barganha. O segundo artigo estima o efeito de informação assimétrica sobre o financiamento da compra de produtos, usando o plano de pagamento escolhido e as características não observadas do cliente. Decompomos o efeito em seleção adversa e um componente causal, usando técnica similar à usada por Adams, Eivan and Levin (2009). Encontramos um efeito marginal significante e concluímos que o efeito causal da escolha do plano de pagamento é maior que aquele causado pela seleção adversa. Um aspecto chave da estratégia de identificação é a escolha da variável exógena. Usamos uma variável binária que é um quando a compra é feita num mês de saldão, meses estes quando há um plano especial: onze parcelas sem juros. A variável usada claramente influencia a escolha do plano de pagamento, mas o repagamento não depende diretamente dela, uma vez que nosso instrumento não está associado ao valor do colateral do empréstimo. O terceiro artigo estuda o repasse para os preços da primeira redução de IPI de 2009. A redução ocorreu para quatro diferentes produtos: refrigeradores, fogões, máquinas de lavar e tanquinhos. Observamos o efeito do IPI nos preços e nas características dos clientes. Encontramos que a ocorrência da redução do IPI gera uma redução de 5,97 porcento no preço, quando usamos um modelo linear simples e uma redução de 2,98 porcento no preço, quando usamos um efeito fixo de produto. Gênero, idade, renda e escolaridade dos clientes que compram eletrodomésticos não mudam significativamente com a redução do IPI. / [en] This dissertation is composed of three independent empirical articles that use data on home and kitchen appliances and image equipment sales of one specific chain store and their clients characteristics. The first one investigates the effect of the client s characteristics, such as gender, age, education and income, on the probability of receiving a discount. It intends to investigate if the pricing authority that is delegated to the salespeople is being well used. If the effect of delegation were to implement price discrimination, clients with higher income would have a lower probability of getting a discount. On the other hand, discounts can be given for a different reason than the one desired by the firm. Once the customer recognizes that the salesperson has some discretion over the prices, she may wish to engage in bargaining to decrease the final price. The outcome of this process may also depend on the customer s characteristics if they affect the customer s skill in bargaining. In this case, the greater the client s ability, the bigger the discount. Since we find that the probability of receiving a discount is increasing in the client s income and education, and the value of the discount is also bigger for people with higher income and better education, we conclude that the discount giving is not a result of price discrimination, but a result of a bargaining process. The second article estimates the effect of asymmetric information on consumer loans, using the payment plan chosen by the client and his observable characteristics. We decompose the effect into an adverse selection and a causal component using a technique similar to Adams, Einav and Levin (2009). We find significant marginal effects for both components and that the causal effect of the payment plan choice is greater than the one caused by the adverse selection. A key aspect of the identification strategy is the choice of the exogenous variable. We use a dummy variable that is one when the month of the purchase is one of the saldão months, that is, when one special payment plan is also available: eleven monthly payments, with zero interest rate. The variable used clearly influences the payment plan choice but the repayment behavior does not depend directly on it, since it is not directly related to the value of the debt collateral. The third article studies the retail market effects of the first tax stimulus episode of 2009, when the government reduced the IPI (Industrialized Products Tax) of certain categories of kitchen and home appliances. Tax rates vary depending on the product. The reduction occurred to four different products: refrigerators, stoves, washing machines and non automatic washing machines. We estimate the effect of the IPI reduction on prices and the composition of demand. We find that the IPI reduction lead to a 5.97 percent reduction on price, when we use a simple linear model and a 2.98 percent reduction, when we control for product fixed effects. The characteristics of consumers who acquire the appliances do not change significantly with the reduction.

The main goal of the thesis is to find market value for the company Elektro, Inc. on the date 1st January, 2010. The company specializes in retail sale of consumer electronics and electric appliances. The valuation consists of financial analysis, strategic analysis, forecasting of important indexes of value and creating the financial scheme. For the final valuation there is used the method called DCF Equity that discounts all the cash flows that flow to the company's owners.