Esse trabalho mostra através de gráficos, tabelas, exemplos e análises, que a origem do fenômeno do aquecimento global (uso intensivo de energia) e o déficit social global é o incentivo para a demanda de produto e serviços que, de fato, não são necessários para uma vida digna e satisfatória da humanidade (consumismo). É obsen/ado que os benefícios desses produtos e serviços vão para uma parte mais privilegiada da população mundial, aumentando cada vez mais o abismo que separa a população mais favorecida da grande maioria das pessoas pobres e que, muitas vezes, não fazem uso de o mínimo necessário par prover sua subsistência. Esse trabalho tem a intenção de estimular o debate com vista a uma nova sociedade e para mostrar que um novo e simples estilo de vida deve ser considerado para resolver o problema do aquecimento global, as diferenças sociais e os sérios problemas de exaustão de recursos naturais da Terra. / This work shows by means of graphs, tables, examples and analyses, that the origin of the phenomenon of the global warming (intensive energy use), and the global social deficit, is the incentive for the demand of products and services that, in fact, are not necessary to a dignity and worthy life of the humanity (consumerism). It is observed that the benefits for these products and services, go to a lowermost part of the world-wide population, widening each time more the abyss that separates the supplied populations of the great majority of the poor persons and that, in not rare times, do not make use of the minimum for the proper survival. In this direction, this work has the intention to stimulate a debate aiming a new society and to show that a new and a simple life style has to be consider to solve the global warming problem and the social inequalities and moreover, the serious problem of the exhaustion of the earth natural resource.

Sustainable product design is a challenge that must be met by industrial designers. Over the history of the discipline there are numerous occasions where industrial design has contributed to the pollution and degradation of the environment, and at this time they must take the responsibility of educating and encouraging both consumers and business to move to more sustainable consumption and production cycles. This thesis investigates communication of sustainable product attributes through product semantics. The goal of converging these two fields is to make sustainable products more visible in the marketplace and to educate and capture the interest of consumers. The research investigates various consumer product categories and how consumers react to them, with specific emphasis on the products' sustainable qualities. The end result of the research effort is a set of general guidelines for the sustainable designer to use in their design efforts.

The appearance of the electrical appliances has undergone a dramatic change in many aspects since the 1920&rsquo / s. Throughout years, along with their changed appearance, the way the appliances are perceived has altered. The interface of domestic products is mainly dominated by visual elements. Undoubtedly, the domination of the visual perception in the interfaces of the appliances might cause complications in the interaction between the product and visually impaired users. In this thesis, the interaction between the electrical household appliances and visually impaired user is examined to identify the strong points in the interaction as well as any complications that may occur during the interaction. Observations were conducted with ten users to explore the interaction between the visually impaired users and three electrical domestic appliances: washing machine, vacuum cleaner and iron. The findings of the observations indicate that visually impaired users can operate their appliances, with some limitations. Yet a number of common problematic points related to the interface elements, which hinder from using their electrical appliances with full functionality, were encountered. At the end of the study, a list of design recommendations, some of which offered in the literature previously, are suggested.

The transfer of technology to developing countries constitutes one of the major debates in the literature on development economics. The present empirical investigation is intended to contribute to the large existing literature on technological transfer. Its major contribution lies in demonstrating rigorously that the integration of foreign technologies is greatly affected by the socio-economic conditions of the recipient countries. The present study attempts to identify the main socioeconomic characteristics involved in assimilating transferred technlogy. It first provides a quantifiable measure of the rate of technological absorption. Then, in presenting the selection of indicators, the general procedures followed in choosing the sample of countries are summarized and the principles guiding the choice of variables are examined. The model is based on multiple regression analysis, which is discussed in some detail. Another statistical method is used to explore the interdependence of the economic and social indicators, which provides more exact knowledge about their various interactions and lays the groundwork for the problem at hand. Three main indicators are identified that explain a significant-. sixty one percent of the total variance of the dependent variable. These main indicators are the rate of education, trade policies and the availability of certain consumer products. It is found that these variables express different and important dimensions of the third world economy. In general, the results reveal that the rate of technology integration varies greatly with the level of socio economic development. The findings of the investigation are analysed using new and efficient methods of diagnostic techniques, and are also seen within their theoretical perspectives. The analysis of results is concluded with a discussion of intangible factors that cannot as yet be quantified; factors such as political and managerial quality and yet can be expected to have significant effects on the rate of technological integration.

Submitted by Daniele Santos (danielesantos.htl@gmail.com) on 2016-02-19T13:16:45Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Giuliana.pdf: 3987779 bytes, checksum: baa424c449764033b03772a571e9b480 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Janete de Oliveira Feitosa (janete.feitosa@fgv.br) on 2016-02-19T16:25:05Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Giuliana.pdf: 3987779 bytes, checksum: baa424c449764033b03772a571e9b480 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marcia Bacha (marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2016-02-22T13:09:09Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Giuliana.pdf: 3987779 bytes, checksum: baa424c449764033b03772a571e9b480 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-02-22T13:09:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Giuliana.pdf: 3987779 bytes, checksum: baa424c449764033b03772a571e9b480 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-10-28 / This exploratory research aims to find out the extent to which Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) impacts the purchasing behavior of Peruvian consumers when it comes to convenience food products. The study includes qualitative and quantitative analysis. Qualitative analysis consists of in-depth interviews with CSR representatives from consumer product companies, CSR practitioners and some consumers from the quantitative sample. That group’s composition was selected in order to obtain a wide picture of the consumers’ perception towards CSR, including their understanding of the concept and the relevance in their decision making process when buying convenience food products. The quantitative analysis portion consists of an on-line survey focused on Peruvian consumers who live in Lima during the year 2015. Consumers included in the sample were selected by convenience. After analyzing the 134 completed surveys, the results obtained suggest that even though there is an increasing interest in CSR, including CSR as an attribute of the purchased goods, interest is not fully demonstrated by the purchasing behavior of consumers. The main breach leading to this inconsistency appears to be the lack of or failure in the companies’ CSR communication towards consumers. Consumers demand reliable information which socially responsible companies usually provide; however at this stage, the target audiences of such information are mostly corporations and communities surrounding the manufacturing plants of convenience food products.

Endkunden legen bei ihren Kaufentscheidungen immer mehr Wert auf Individualität. Als Reaktion darauf, haben Unternehmen das Potential der Co-Creation erkannt. Dies beschreibt die Zusammenstellung eines komplexen Produktes durch den Kunden selbst. Auch Campeleon nutzt Co-Creation im Rahmen der Produktentwicklung. Das Start Up entwickelt in enger Zusammenarbeit mit Pilotkunden modulare Ausstattungsmodule für Reisemobile. Durch die intensive Interaktion mit dem Kunden konnten Anforderungen an die Produkte identifiziert werden, die ansonsten unentdeckt geblieben wären. So sind erste modulare Ausstattungsmodule entstanden, die es ermöglichen, den knappen Platz im Innenraum von Reisemobilen durch Mehrfachnutzung der Flächen zu maximieren. Neben einer innovativen Küchenlösung ist so auch ein modulares Camper-Bad entstanden. Gleichzeitig muss sich Campeleon immer wieder die Frage stellen, in welchem Maße Co-Creation sinnvoll genutzt werden kann und wann sie für den Kunden überfordernd wirkt. Daraus ist eine Checkliste entstanden, die Kunden dabei behilflich sein soll, ihre Gedanken zum Reisemobil-Ausbau zu ordnen. Dieser Artikel beleuchtet zum einen Vorteile und Herausforderungen von Co-Creation. Zum anderen wird die Entstehung eines Prozesses zur Umsetzung anhand eines Anwendungsbeispiels veranschaulicht.

Health and environmental risks associated with emissions of hazardous chemicals from articles, including everyday consumer products such as clothes and toys, have become widely acknowledged internationally, particularly in the EU. This thesis contributes to new understandings of how these risks are currently managed within the EU and recommends actions for ensuring a safe and sustainable use of chemicals in articles. Paper I provides an overview and comparative analysis of regulatory strategies for managing risks of chemicals in articles in the EU. The in-depth analysis, which is focused on the Toys Safety Directive, the RoHS Directive, and REACH, shows that the legislations differ significantly. Differences include e.g. what criteria are used for the selection of substances to be targeted for regulation, and the kind of requirements and restrictions applied to the selected substances. It is concluded that product-specific directives are important complements to REACH in order to ensure a safe use of chemicals in articles. Paper II evaluates to what extent the regulation of chemicals in articles under REACH is coherent with the rules concerning chemicals in the Sewage Sludge Directive (SSD) and the Water Framework Directive (WFD). The results show that the majority of the chemicals that are prioritized for phase-out under the WFD or for concentration restrictions in sludge and soil under the SSD are allowed to be used in articles according to REACH. In order to avoid end-of-pipe problems and to increase resource efficiency, it is argued that it is necessary to minimize the input of chemicals identified as hazardous to health or the environment into articles. Paper III aims to clarify what the substitution principle means and how it can reasonably be applied as part of chemical policies. A general definition is proposed that gives equal weight to hazard, functionality and economical considerations, while at the same time recognizing that the aim of the substitution principle is to reduce hazards to human health and the environment. This paper also summarizes major methods to promote and implement the principle, discusses legislative approaches with regard to their ability to promote substitution of hazardous chemicals, and makes proposals for an efficient implementation of the principle. / <p>QC 20121119</p>

Nano materials can today be found in a wide range of consumer products and the number of new products on the market is expected to inrease. In the shadow of hope for nano materilas potential in various applications, low awareness of its health and environmental risks is hiding. Furthermore, the knowledge about people´s risk perception of nano materials is limited. Parallel to the situation described above, the scholls meet the challenge of incrasing the scientific literacy. To achieve this goal, skills in argumentation in science studies has been emphasized and the concept of socio-scientific issues has been emerged. Using focus groups as a method, this study aimed first, to explore young engineering student´s risk perception of nano materials, and secont to analyze the extent to which they apply scientific konwledge to argue about nano materials. The material from the focus group interviews was analyzed with respect to both content and interaction. To analyze the content, a thematic classification of the material was made. The interactive and communicative forms were highlighted by an analysis of arguments according to the SEE-SEP-model. Seven themes were indentified from the focus group material. It was also assumed that 55 percent of the participants´arguments were based on values, 25 percent on konwledge and 20 percent on personal experiences. Despite the absence of specific knowledge, the young engineering students have the ability to conduct a complex argumentation about nano materials where they involve the paradox; new opportunities, inresolved risks. Their risk perception is not primarily based on knowledge but on emotional expressions such as fascination, hope, resignation and fear. / Nanomaterial återfinns idag i ett brett spektrum av konsumentprodukter och antalet nya produkter förväntas öka på marknaden. I skuggan av förhoppningar om nanomaterialens potential i allehanda tillämpningar döljer sig bristfälliga kunskaper om dess hälso- och miljörisker. Vidare är kunskapen om människors riskpercetion an nanometrial begränsad. Parallellt med den ovan beskrivna situationen står skolan inför utmaningen att öka den naturvetenskapliga allmänbildningen. För att uppnå målet har kompetens inom argumentation i de naturorienterande ämnene betonats och begreppet sociovetenskapliga dilemman vuxit fram. Med fokusgrupper dom metod har studien syftat dels till att undersöka unga teknikstuderandes riskperceetpion av nanomaterial, dels till att analysera i vilken utsträckning de tillämpar vetenskapliga kunskaper för att argumentera om nanomaterial. Materialet från fokusgruppsintervjuerna analyserades med avseende på både innehåll och interaktion. För att analysera innehållet gjordes en tematisk indelning av materialet. De interaktiva och kommunikativa formerna belystes genom en argumentationsanalys enligt SEE-SEP-modellen. Sju teman identifierades ur fokusgruppmaterialet. Vidare utgick 55 % av deltagarnas argument från värderingar. därefter kom kunskap med 25 % och sist personliga erfarenheter med 20 %. Trots avsaknad av specifik kunskap, har unga teknikstuderande förmågan att föra en komplex argumentation om nanomaterial där de berör pradoxen; nya möjligheter, outredda risker. Deras riskperception baseras inte främst på kunskaper utan på emotionella uttryck så som fascination, hopp,uppgivenhet och rädsla.

The transfer of technology to developing countries constitutes one of the major debates in the literature on development economics. The present empirical investigation is intended to " contribute to the large existing literature on technological transfer. Its major contribution lies in demonstrating rigorously that the integration of foreign technologies is greatly affected by the socio-economic conditions of the recipient countries. The present study attempts to identify the main socioeconomic characteristics involved in assimilating transferred technlogy. It first provides a quantifiable measure of the rate of technological absorption. Then, in presenting the selection of indicators, the general procedures followed in choosing the sample of countries are summarized and the principles guiding the choice of variables are examined. The model is based on multiple regression analysis, which is discussed in some detail. Another statistical method is used to explore the interdependence of the economic and social indicators, which provides more exact knowledge about their various interactions and lays the groundwork for the problem at hand. Three main indicators are identified that explain a significant-. sixty one percent of the total variance of the dependent variable. These main indicators are the rate of education, trade policies and the availability of certain consumer products. It is found that these variables express different and important dimensions of the third world economy. In general, the results reveal that the rate of technology integration varies greatly with the level of socio economic development. The findings of the investigation are analysed using new and efficient methods of diagnostic techniques, and are also seen within their theoretical perspectives'. The analysis of results is concluded with a discussion of intangible factors that cannot as yet be quantified; factors such as political and managerial quality and yet can be expected to have significant effects on the rate of technological integration. / Ministry of Hydraulics in Algeria

O objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar, analisar e propor, de forma detalhada, o processo de otimização do valor do produto aplicado em componentes automotivos atuais de produção na indústria automobilística, onde os requisitos necessários de qualidade, desempenho e redução de custos são priorizados. O assunto é introduzido com uma descrição das justificativas técnicas e econômicas do tema. A seguir são enfocadas e detalhadas duas metodologias: a tradicional do desenvolvimento do produto e a da engenharia de otimização do valor do produto, a EOVP, pois uma análise conjunta das duas metodologias mostra com clareza as vantagens de otimizar o valor do produto. Visando uma melhor compreensão dos conceitos abordados, na sequência são apresentados estudos de casos de aplicação da EOVP em componentes de veículos com e sem a percepção direta do cliente final (consumidor). Os resultados obtidos mostram: a economia anual para a montadora de veículos, os índices de qualidade interna (na fábrica após a implementação dos produtos na linha de produção) e qualidade externa (opinião do consumidor após período de exposição dos componentes no campo) e principalmente as lições aprendidas para serem aplicadas aos novos desenvolvimentos de projetos de produtos automotivos. / The objective of this project is to present, analyse and propose, in detail form, the product value optimization process applied to current production components in automotive industries, wherein the necessary requirements of quality, performance and cost reductions are priority. The subject begins with a description of technical and economical apologies of the theme. Next, in the context, are emphasized and detailed two methodologies: the current product development and product value optimization engineering, the PVOE because an analysis of both methodologies clarifies the advantages of optimize the value of product. In order to have a better comprehension of described concepts, in sequence case studies of PVOE are presented applied in automotive components with and without direct client perception (customer). The acquired results show: the annual saving for car makers, the internal quality (inside the factory after the implementation of products at assembly line) and outside quality indexes (customer opinion after a period of field exposition of components) and lessons learned in order to address for new design developments of automotive products.