Freshwater scarcity is a dire problem for exposed human societies and natural ecosystems—a problem expected to grow worse with anticipated climate change. Reverse osmosis (RO) desalination is currently the most energy-efficient and ubiquitous desalination process used for freshwater production in water-scarce regions. The synergy of high solar radiation and significantly reduced costs in photovoltaics (PV) creates the opportunity for PV to become a dominant and sustainable solution for powering the energy-intensive process of desalination and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.While photovoltaic-powered reverse osmosis (PVRO) is a promising technological solution, several significant challenges must be further addressed to sustain high RO performance. First, the inherently intermittent nature of solar energy generation can adversely affect the freshwater conversion process and thereby decrease water recovery and quality. Furthermore, global desalination capacity is dominated by large-scale plants, whereas PVRO systems are currently limited to small-scale systems. Thus, to truly integrate renewable energy with desalination systems in an impactful way, there is a need to explore pathways for modifying the RO process to enable flexible operation on a large-scale, in response to power variability. Furthermore, the techno-economic feasibility of flexible, renewable-powered RO processes and the potential benefits that could be provided to variable renewable energy (VRE) plants and the electric grid warrants investigation. Brine minimization is another major challenge for sustainable desalination. Brine management is especially an issue for inland desalination plants. Novel approaches that are less costly and less energy intensive are needed to facilitate minimal and zero liquid discharge. To enable high-salinity desalination, several variations of osmotically assisted RO, which each surpass the pressure limitation of conventional RO, have been proposed in the literature but require further assessment. The promise of these enhanced RO approaches entails a reduction in energy consumption when compared with thermal desalination methods. The primary deliverables and novel contributions of this thesis include the development of (i) design, simulation, and cost optimization models for variable-powered, variable-salinity RO systems, (ii) module-scale, cost-optimization models for enhanced RO technologies that reduce transmembrane osmotic pressure to enable high-salinity desalination and brine minimization, (iii) examining the effects of cyclic reverse osmosis on inorganic scaling mitigation, and (iv) quantifying the availability of unconventional, alternative water sources to alleviate local water scarcity in the contiguous US. First, the techno-economic feasibility of PV-powered RO desalination plants in the Gulf region was assessed using Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER) and Desalination Economic Evaluation Program (DEEP) to model both the power system and desalination system, respectively. Subsequently, an hourly simulation model for desalination was developed to replace the use of DEEP in the workflow. Grid-connected and off-grid cases with combinations of PV, batteries, and diesel generators were evaluated primarily by the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) and levelized cost of water (LCOW). The shortcoming of conventional and PV-powered RO is that variable power compromises cumulative water production, which in turn increases water costs. Thus, we proposed the concept of active-salinity-control reverse osmosis (ASCRO) which enables control of the transmembrane osmotic pressure and water production in response to variable power. The ASCRO system dynamically controls energy consumption by operating across a range of feed salinity, allowing it to shift over a wide range of pump feed flows and pressures. To accomplish this, ASCRO utilizes feedwater from both low- and high-salinity sources. Enabling a dynamic power consumption profile can enhance demand-response capabilities, compensating for stressors on the grid. Moreover, ASCRO can improve the integration of renewable energy (RE) by responding to power fluctuations without compromising permeate production. This system can include on-site RE and energy storage to power the ASCRO plant and provide services to the grid. We considered the following grid-connected scenarios: 1) ASCRO, 2) ASCRO and battery storage, 3) ASCRO and photovoltaics (PV), and 4) ASCRO, battery storage, and PV. The LCOW was minimized by providing load-shifting and regulation capacity services in the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) market. We quantified that the ASCRO plant can ramp from minimum to maximum load within 84 seconds, which is adequate for participation in fast-timescale markets. The LCOW for these scenarios ranged from 49 – 59 cents/m³. We also present sensitivity analyses showing the effects of capital cost, CAISO market prices, and PV size on LCOW. To investigate alternative pathways to minimal and zero liquid discharge, low-salt rejection reverse osmosis (LSRRO), cascading osmotically mediated reverse osmosis (COMRO), and osmotically assisted reverse osmosis (OARO) were comparatively assessed via module-scale, cost optimization models to gain an accurate perspective of the performance differences between each of these configurations. We quantified the optimal LCOW of each technology for the case of desalinating feedwater at 70 g/L at 75% recovery, which would result in a brine concentration near 250 g/L, a level that allows further treatment with crystallizers. For baseline scenarios, LCOW results for OARO, COMRO, and LSRRO were 5.14, 7.90, and 6.63 $/m³ of product water, respectively, while the corresponding specific energy consumption (SEC) values were 10.31, 12.77, and 28.90 kWh/m³. A sensitivity analysis is also presented. Additionally, we sought to examine the possibility of whether adaptive RO operation could provide the added benefit of fouling mitigation. Using the Pitzer model, nucleation theory, and dissolution kinetics to guide a set of bench-scale fouling experiments, CaSO₄-NaCl solution, supersaturated with respect to gypsum, was fed through a membrane test cell to determine nucleation induction times, rates of flux decline, and scale reversal. Lastly, a geospatial analysis was conducted to estimate volumes of water deficits and potential alternative water sources for the contiguous US. Namely, wastewater effluent, brackish groundwater, agricultural drainage water, and produced water were considered in this analysis as alternatives for alleviating water scarcity. We formulated a conservative estimate of groundwater availability based on environmental flow limits. Additionally, agricultural drainage volumes were estimated based on USGS water use data. Overall, the results showed that water deficits amounted to an equivalent daily capacity of 149 million m³/day—nearly 50% more than the desalination capacity of the world in 2020. Furthermore, the total availability of alternative water sources was estimated to be between 192 – 240 million m³/day, but most of this volume was not in the same location as deficits. Thus, 58 – 65% of national water deficits would have to be alleviated via long-range transport. Additionally, the potential for integrating desalination and water reuse by interconnecting existing RO plants with wastewater treatments plants was also assessed.

Most of the US population is served by large-scale, centralized drinking water, wastewater, and storm water systems built in the late 19th and early 20th century. Multi-trillion dollar investments are needed over the next 20 years to restore failing infrastructure, expand service areas to accommodate growing populations, and meet rising service provision costs driven by environmental and regulatory factors. A formal plan that recognizes the socioeconomic complexity of water services provision in the US is needed to guide these investments. Rising residential water charges over the last 20 years have raised concerns about household affordability of basic water services. Meanwhile, anywhere from 9 to 45 million people (4-28% of the US population) are affected by health-based drinking water quality violations each year. New technologies and evolving social goals have the potential to reshape the sector as we know it. This dissertation is a first attempt at synthesizing the sub questions around which spending is most critical and how rates can be structured for more equitable outcomes. Research on the determinants of historic charge growth has been hindered by a lack of long-term longitudinal data. Unlike energy and telecom utilities, less than 20% of all drinking water utilities (primarily the investor-owned utilities) are economically regulated by public utility commissions. Absent local requirements, municipal water systems whose operating revenues are insufficient to cover operating expenses can make up for budget shortfalls with net transfers from the city general fund. We combine 10 American Water Works Association (AWWA) rate surveys to construct an 18-year unbalanced panel of charges at 446 large utilities (i.e., population served ≥10,000), revealing elevated 2-year compound annual charge growth (CAGR) between 2008 and 2012. We estimate heterogenous impacts of the Great Recession on CAGR with an event study design of 204 utilities, comparing those with 2007 operating ratios below 1.2 (PCR) to those with ratios of ≥ 1.2 (FCR). Despite having the same cumulative 18-year CAGR, 2009-2013 CAGR was 3.9, 5.2, 5.2, and 5.7 percentage points per year higher at PCR utilities for 500, 1,000, 1,500, and 3,000 cf/month, respectively. Our findings demonstrate that large utilities who were likely relying on the general fund at the start of the Great Recession had to sharply increase their charges in the short-term to make up for decreased availability of that funding source. This indicates more immediate affordability challenges at utilities with operating ratios below 1.2 in the event of a similar economic shock. Additional data is needed to evaluate generalizability of these results to smaller systems. Willingness to pay (WTP) for improved drinking water quality is estimated based on the cost of household averting behaviors taken during violations. While buying bottled water is a well-documented reaction to these violations, demographic and socioeconomic differences in water intake, preferred water supply alternatives, and shopping behavior suggest heterogeneity in the timing and form (e.g. soda vs bottled water) of household responses. We quantify this heterogeneity with an event study design using monthly household purchases of soda, water, and juice from the Nielsen Homescan Consumer Panel Dataset from 2004 through 2017. We find that, while households spend an average 14.8% more on bottled water during a month with a nitrate violation, these responses are concentrated in non-hispanic (NHP) Black and NHP Other households below the poverty threshold. Bottled water spending is 91.8% higher than usual in violation months for the former group and 90.0% higher than normal in the month after a violation for the latter. A simultaneous 103% increase in juice spending results in a 30.6% increase in combined beverage spending for NHP Black households below the poverty line in a violation month. Meanwhile, an 85.3% increase in soda spending at NHP Other households drives a 58.9% increase in combined beverage spending in months with a violation and a 134% increase in soda spending, along with increased bottled water purchases, results in a 106% increase in combined beverage spending the month after a violation. NHP Black households with an IPR between 1 and 2 spend 129% more on soda during a violation. Our results indicate that studies focused only on bottled water purchases have systematically undercounted the effects on Hispanic, NHP Black, and Other NHP American households below the poverty threshold in their measure of WTP for improved drinking water quality or for the true cost of violations. Additional analysis is needed to determine if the tap water substitutions made by Hispanic households and households below the poverty threshold are increasing their overall sugary beverage consumption, which can have negative long-term health effects that are also not being considered. Finally, we explore the ongoing implementation of onsite and distributed water reuse systems (ODWRS) to better understand how sociotechnical transitions can be supported when they are deemed to be a socially optimal solution. ODWRS collect previously discarded water flows as alternative water sources (e.g. rainwater, stormwater, greywater, wastewater) from one or more buildings and treat that water close to the point of generation or point of use to a quality deemed safe for its intended end use. Widespread adoption of ODWRS requires both acceptance of new technologies (e.g., water treatment, engineering) and alterations to established social systems(e.g., norms, stakeholder engagement, regulations). This has often been discussed as a single transition for all types of systems at the same time. However, the types of ODWRS being implemented in different areas are not the same. We compile and analyze the first national dataset of system-level information on ODWRS to identify clusters of system types associated with specific drivers. We find evidence of multiple transitions based on the combination of original source contamination level and end use application contact level. Low-contamination, low-contact are almost in the final stage of sociotechnical transition for many locations. Many areas with water supply constraints have already begun the transition for high-contamination to low- or medium-contact systems. Wastewater ODWRS are being implemented in places with effluent disposal constraints and stormwater ODWRS are being implemented in areas with combined sewers or high flood risk, though usually only for low-contact end uses.

近年來台灣工業用塑膠製造產業因技術門檻降低、國內人力成本提升，導致廠商的營運愈來愈艱困，並開始尋求各種轉型的方式，包括研發新技術、轉戰高科技市場、改良設備、開發綠色產品…等。在這麼多轉型的選項中，研發一直被視為是企業維持長期競爭力的指標，而本研究即以此為出發點，探討研發管理、新產品開發專案管理、以及經營績效的關聯性。 為求貼近實務狀況，了解當前工業用塑膠製造廠商如何利用研發提升經營績效，本研究選擇採用個案研究法，並挑選於台灣上櫃的M公司作為個案公司，藉由其實際開發案例，分析研發管理、新產品開發專案管理與經營績效三者之間的關係。 研究結果顯示，雖然研發管理與新產品開發專案管理都各自能為公司提升部分的經營績效，但新研發技術運用的順遂與否卻仰賴部門間的合作，唯有在大家具有相同的共識時，企業內部資源才得以整合，並為公司帶來效益。因此，企業除了可以藉由各作業流程的改善提升經營績效外，也可利用共同績效指標的訂定，確保各部門間有一致的方向，以利公司整體運作。

近幾年來關於創新研究的相關文獻，多半著墨於團隊創新之探討，包括團隊知識分享、團隊信任、團隊領導與團隊互動等議題；但「個人」所產生的創新力量，事實上也應不容小覷。本研究將透過資策會的專利提案，針對近十年間所提出的專利資料與訪談進行分析，以探討個人與團隊在研發創新所扮演的角色，以及個人與團隊創新的適用情境、組成特徵與互動歷程特徵。 / 根據資策會1995-2005間專利數據（共426件。專利從申請到取得時間經常需要2至3年，因此，本次研究僅統計至2005年）初步分析後發現：（一）民國90年以前，個人專利總件數比兩人以上組成之團隊的專利總件數多。（二）民國91年起，資策會的專利件數快速增加，而此時兩人團隊所獲得的專利件數最多；到了93、94年，三人或四人以上團隊所獲得的專利數，則超越個人或兩人團隊所獲得之專利。（三）個人專利佔全部專利數的32%，而由2~4人團隊所取得的專利數則佔64%。（四）個人專利共70件；這些由單獨個人提案的獲證專利中，有將近六成（41件）的專利，該提案人只提了這一項專利而已，往後並未有其他專利，表示這些人很可能只是偶然靈光乍現而獲得專利，抑或表示個人專利提案的創新方式有所侷限。（五）另一方面，有部分曾經獲得個人專利的研發人員，也樂於與其他人組成團隊來一同申請專利，並獲得146件專利；（六）有些人不曾獲得個人專利，但透過團隊合作，也獲得210件專利，佔資策會總專利數的近半數。 / 由此可見，個人創新與團隊創新是研發創新的兩種重要途徑，不應偏廢。而個人創新與團隊創新的優劣與適用情境，則值得進一步探討。本研究除了以資策會專利數據比較個人與團隊在創新的效率與品質上的差異之外，進一步也透過實地訪談之方式，分別探究研發創新過程中，個人與團隊創新的組成特徵與互動歷程特徵，並嘗試歸納資策會在專利提案與專利構思的理想方式，作為研發機構進行創新管理、任務指派與團隊編組之參考，以促進研發同仁的創意效能，提升研發創新能量，進而提升專利價值。 / In recent years, the majority of innovative research literature focuses on team innovation such as team knowledge sharing, team trust, team leadership, and team interaction. The contribution of individual innovation, however, should not be overlooked. This study will explore roles of individual and team efforts in innovative research, adequate applications of individual and team innovations, and characteristics and interactive features of individual and team innovations through an analysis of patent cases proposed by III (Institute for Information Industry) in past ten years and personal interview with patent inventors. / According to the patents data between 1995 to 2005, results of III preliminary analysis indicated that (1) The total number of individual patents obtained was more than the total number of patents obtained by innovation teams with two or more members before 2001. (2) After 2002, the number of III’s patents increased rapidly. During this period, the innovation teams with two members received the largest number of patents. Between 2004 and 2005, the number of patents received by teams with three or four members exceeded the number of patents obtained by an individual or teams with two members. (3) Individual patents accounted for 32% of the total number of patents, whereas, patents obtained from teams with two to four members accounted for 64% of the total number of patents. (4) The total number of individual patents obtained between 1995 and 2005 was 70. Of these certified individual patents, nearly 60% (41) of patent inventors mentioned that they had only one and no other future patents. This suggests that these people are likely to obtain a patent because of an occasional spurt of ideas. It also demonstrates the limitation of creativities among individual inventors. (5) The III’s data also shows that about 40% of research and development specialists who had obtained an individual patent were delighted to team up with other members to apply for a patent. These people received a total of 146 patents. (6) Those individuals who had not had any patent in the past also acquired 210 patents through team works. These patents accounted for about half of III’s patents. / The above evidence shows that individual innovation and team innovation are both important venues to research and development and they should not be disregarded. The advantages, disadvantages, and adequate applications of individual and team innovations, however, should be explored further in future innovation studies. In addition to the analysis of patents data acquired from III to compare the efficiency and quality between individual and team innovations, the current study also utilizes personal interview to understand the characteristics and interactive features of individual and team innovations during the process of research and development. This study also attempts to summarize ideal patent proposals and conceptions in III and provide exemplars of innovation management, task assignment, and team grouping to research and development institutions. Finally, this study will help promote the efficiency of innovative performance among research and development specialists, enhance research and creative ideas, and consequently increase the values of patents.

This thesis examines my experience of leading leadership development. During the last three years I have been researching my role as Head of Leadership and Organisational Development at the University of Hertfordshire (UH), with a view to making sense of and rethinking leadership and approaches to leadership development more generally. This thesis considers how my own thinking and practice has changed and developed as a consequence of paying attention to and reflecting on personal experience, whilst at the same time locating my sense-making in the broader academic scholarship. Narrative accounts of the significant incidents and interactions that I have participated in during the past three years have been shared verbally with the participants on the programmes that I lead, and explored more extensively in written form with colleagues in the learning community on the Doctorate in Management (DMan) programme at UH, as a means of intensifying my sense-making and its generalisability to a community of engaged enquirers. My research was prompted by disillusionment with the dominant discourse on leadership and leadership development based as it is on theories, frameworks, tools and techniques that privilege a form of autonomous, instrumental rationality and deceptive certainty that did not reflect the social, non-linear, uncertain day-to-day realities faced by me and the managers with whom I worked. In this thesis, I draw on my experiences as a manager, leader of leadership development, and a student of leadership development, to problematise the mainstream managerialist conceptions of leadership and organisation that are now part of the organisational habitus (Bourdieu, 1977) in the UK. The rise and naturalisation of managerialist ideology across the private, public, and charitable sectors in the UK makes it an inordinately difficult perspective to contest without risking some form of exclusion. I contend that my experience of attempting to encourage radical doubt and enquiry rather than the mindless acceptance and application of conventional wisdom contributes to knowledge in the field of leadership and organisational development by providing insight into and an alternative way of thinking about and practising leadership and leadership development. In contesting dominant conceptions, I proffer a more reality congruent alternative to mainstream thought. I draw on the perspective of complex responsive processes of relating (Stacey et al, 2000, Griffin, 2002, Shaw, 2002), critical management studies (Alvesson and Willmott, 1996), social constructionism (Berger et al, 1966), and other thinkers critical of managerialist conceptions of leadership and leadership education (Khurana, 2007) to explore leadership as a social, relational activity where leaders are co-participants, albeit highly influential ones, in the ongoing patterning of relationships that constitute organisation. However, I argue that it is insufficient for management educationalists to snipe critically at managerialism from the sidelines, problematising one perspective and simply replacing it with another (Ford et al, 2007), leaving their participants ill-equipped to navigate the potentially destructive political landscape of day-to-day organisational life. While the dominant discourse on leadership and organisation is flawed, to avoid exclusion managers must still become fluent in the language and practice of managerialism, the ideology that has come to dominate the vast majority of organisational communities in which they find themselves. In this thesis, I argue that it is crucial for managers and leaders of leadership development to engage with a polyphony of perspectives, and develop the reflective and reflexive capacity to continuously explore and answer for themselves the questions who am I, and what am I doing, who are we, and what are we doing?

A integração é um dos fatores determinantes da eficiência e da eficácia do processo de desenvolvimento de produtos. Neste trabalho, considera-se que um processo de negócio é integrado quando as pessoas, atividades e áreas funcionais mantêm uma relação simbiótica, que preserva as orientações individuais dos grupos especializados e que é resultante da divisão de atividades e da existência de esforços para obter unidade de ações e compatibilidade de resultados. Estes esforços são caracterizados por quatro elementos: troca de informações, coordenação, atitude colaborativa e compatibilidade. Porém, a integração só ocorre quando é empreendida ação gerencial para obtê-la. O presente trabalho apresenta a gestão de informações como esta ação gerencial, desdobrando-a em três componentes: gestão das atividades e do fluxo de informações, gestão de conflitos de decisões e gestão de memória. A partir deste contexto, propõe-se um modelo conceitual que sintetiza como, em projetos de agregação de novas funcionalidades ou customização de produtos, cada componente da gestão de informações contribui para concretizar cada elemento da integração. Para falseamento deste modelo, apresenta-se um estudo de caso isolado, realizado na unidade brasileira de um fabricante global de equipamentos elétricos. Conclui-se que os três componentes da gestão de informações contribuem para a realização da coordenação, da atitude colaborativa e da compatibilidade, e que a troca de informações é suportada apenas pela gestão das atividades e do fluxo de informações e pela gestão da memória. Conclui-se também que o modelo de processo deve ser descrito no formato de um projeto-modelo de configuração modular, que permite combinar as atividades de acordo com o tipo de produto/projeto a ser executado, e que o planejamento do projeto deve corresponder à escolha das atividades, recursos e procedimentos, dentre aqueles previstos no projeto-modelo, que serão executados e utilizados no projeto em questão. / Integration of the product development process is one of the factors determining the efficiency and effectiveness of such a process, of great importance for those companies for which product development is a factor of competitiveness. Integration is defined as the symbiotic interrelation of the entities involved in this business process. It: preserves individual orientations of the specialized groups and results from the division of activities and the existence of efforts to obtain unit of actions/compatibilities of results. These efforts are characterized by four elements: information sharing, coordination, collaboration and compatibility. However, integration only happens when managerial action is undertaken. The present work presents information management as such a managerial action, unfolding it in three components: management of activities and flow of information, management of conflicts and management of memory. Starting from this context, it proposes a conceptual model for projects of aggregation of new functionalities or customization of products that synthesizes as each component of information management contributes to render each element of integration. For verification of this model, it presents a unique case study, accomplished in the Brazilian unit of a global manufacturer of electric equipments. It concludes that the three components of information management contribute to the accomplishment of coordination, attitude of collaboration and compatibility. It also concludes that sharing of information is only supported by the management of activities and flow of information and management of memory. Its also concludes that the process model should be described in the format of a project-model of modular configuration, which allows combining the activities in agreement with the product/project type to be executed, and that planning of a project should correspond to the choice of the activities, resources and procedures, among those foreseen in the project-model, that will be executed and used in the particular project.

In simultaneously pursuing commercial and social goals, specialist microfinance organisations (MFOs) are leading examples of social enterprises working in development. Yet evidence of the feasibility of such ‘double bottom line’ management is limited. The thesis takes a comparative case study approach to investigating the dynamics of a social enterprise model of microfinance, with particular emphasis on its role in promoting employment related goals. Case study material consists primarily of the experience of two Central Asian MFOs that participated in an action research project ‘Microfinance for Decent Work’ implemented by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Data was obtained through participant observation, staff interviews, client level surveys, and it also includes reflective practice arising from my participation in the ILO project as a consultant to both MFOs between 2008 and 2012. The findings are mixed. One of the MFOs was more strongly internally motivated to achieve social goals, and was more successful in implementing social performance management initiatives. The other was motivated more by the goal to demonstrate social performance to external stakeholders, and was less responsive to the evidence generated. The thesis also illustrates both path dependence in the evolution of social performance management, and the limited capacity of external agencies such as the ILO to influence the institutionalisation of development management within MFOs.

by Ling Ho-Wan Howard, Ryoo Byung-Hoon. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 72-74). / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iii / LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS --- p.vi / LIST OF TABLES --- p.vii / PREFACE --- p.viii / Chapter / Chapter I. --- IT PROFILE OF HONG KONG --- p.1 / IT Penetration in2002 --- p.1 / Government Initiatives --- p.2 / Software Industry of Hong Kong --- p.2 / Chapter II. --- IT STRATEGY --- p.5 / IT Strategy - 3 Check Points --- p.5 / Flexible Platform --- p.5 / Strategy vs. ROI --- p.8 / Outsourcing or Internal Development --- p.9 / Quality Management System ´ؤ Instituting Best Practices --- p.10 / Deming's 14 Points --- p.11 / The Juran Trilogy --- p.12 / Crosby's 14 Quality Steps --- p.13 / Chapter III. --- SOFTWARE QUALITY MANAGEMENT - CMM --- p.16 / Software Development Project --- p.16 / Software Project Process Model --- p.17 / Software Quality Management --- p.19 / Capability Maturity Model (CMM) --- p.20 / Bootstrap 3.2 --- p.23 / Trillium --- p.25 / ISO 9001/TickIT --- p.26 / SPICE --- p.27 / Chapter IV. --- CMM PRACTICES IN THE WORLD --- p.29 / The CMM Practices - Worldwide --- p.29 / Two studies on Software Process Management in Taiwan --- p.32 / Software Process Management in Taiwan: A Longitudinal Study of Top 1000 Companies --- p.32 / Software Project Process Management Maturity and Project Performance --- p.34 / Chapter V. --- SOFTWARE PROCESS MANAGEMENT IN HONG KONG --- p.36 / The CMM in Hong Kong --- p.37 / Case Studies on the SPM in Hong Kong --- p.41 / Case 1: Dow Chemical --- p.41 / Case 2: Oracle Hong Kong --- p.44 / Case 3: Bentley Systems Inc. (Hong Kong) --- p.48 / Case 4: i-Cable --- p.50 / Case 5: SinoPac Securities (Asia) Ltd --- p.53 / Implications of the Statistics --- p.55 / Factor comparison of mean value --- p.56 / Implications --- p.58 / Chapter VI. --- CONCLUSION --- p.60 / APPENDIX --- p.62 / BIBLOGRAPHY --- p.72

Since the 1970's, the increasing scale and complexity of development schemes has led to mounting public concerns about their environmental impacts. Environmental assessment and management developed out of a recognised need to protect the biophysical environment from overuse and degradation . Evidence suggests that the issues continue to become more complex and we need to equip ourselves to deal with them. The complexity of issues we face today demands a holistic and integrated management approach. This thesis highlights the weakness in the application of environmental impact assessment (EIA) to deal with current issues . The conceptualization of EIA within the ecological modernisation discourse has limited the use of the tool to adequately consider issues outside the biophysical environment. On the African continent, social issues such as HIV/AIDS are becoming more dominant than biophysical impacts. EIA must thus be re-framed to address concerns regarding the HIV/AIDS impact of development schemes. An alternative discourse of social justice is put forward as an approach that will take EIA closer to achieving sustainable development. The hypotheses put forward in the thesis were investigated through the use of both primary and secondary data sources. Extensive interviews and case studies formed the bulk of the data generated through the study. The results of the investigation showed that there are varying views on the purpose of EIA, that social issues continue to be underplayed in the process and that HIV/AIDS is considered a valid impact to be assessed in EIA. It must be noted that although HIV/AIDS is recognized as a common impact of development projects, particularly in Africa , the approach to dealing with the issue has been very different across EIAs and the issue is dealt with in an ad hoc manner. In order to expand the applicability of environmental assessment in Africa , a framework has been developed to integrate HIV/AIDS into the EIA process. The premise behind the framework is that HIV/AIDS can impact on the viability of a development scheme and conversely, development schemes can increase the transmission of HIV. The framework considers the social, economic and cultural drivers that create living and working environments, which promote the transmission of HIV. By applying the appropriate tools throughout the EIA process, one can identify potential impacts. Mitigation and management interventions can then be built into an HIV/AIDS component of the environmental management plan. This approach will allow environmental assessment practitioners; decision-makers and developers to better understand the critical issue of HIV/AIDS and ultimately contribute to managing the pandemic and further sustainable development in Africa. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:49:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseJLMC.pdf: 2573293 bytes, checksum: e97d2ef13b6cde5e6d1649ca1b19be7c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-09-01 / Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos / Continuous development of new and improved products is seen as a key factor for business survival and growth. A new product that satisfies consumer s needs in an efficient and opportune manner increases competitive advantage. New product development (NPD) process has a multidisciplinary and multifunctional character, demanding specialized kinds of technical knowledge, peculiar of different disciplines or functions. A successful NPD requests a good integration among these functions, so that an auxiliary tool that helps this integration can increase project s performance and, consequently, competitive performance. In this thesis an auxiliary tool for managing functional integration in new product development processes is proposed, based in three conditional factors (Context, Technological Positioning, Competences) and three dimensions (Communication, Coordination and Collaboration). The tool s proposal includes a discussion about these conditional factors and dimensions, describing how they can be used to acquire an adequate functional integration in new product development process. As a secondary contribution of the thesis, a discussion about a particular case of integration, the one between applied research and NPD project, is made, including a theoretical discussion and case studies. / O desenvolvimento contínuo de produtos novos e aprimorados é considerado um fator chave para a sobrevivência e o crescimento das empresas. Um produto que atenda às necessidades dos consumidores de maneira eficiente e oportuna aumenta a vantagem competitiva. O processo de desenvolvimento de produto (PDP) tem um caráter multidisciplinar e multifuncional, demandando conhecimentos técnicos especializados, próprios de diversas disciplinas ou funções. Um PDP bem sucedido requer uma boa integração entre estas funções envolvidas, de forma que uma ferramenta de auxílio a essa integração pode melhorar o desempenho no desenvolvimento de produtos e, conseqüentemente, o desempenho competitivo. Nesta Tese propõe-se uma ferramenta para auxiliar a gestão da integração funcional no Processo de Desenvolvimento de Produto baseada em três condicionantes (Contexto, Competências, Posicionamento Tecnológico) e três dimensões (Comunicação, Colaboração e Coordenação). A proposta de ferramenta inclui uma discussão sobre esses condicionantes e dimensões, descrevendo como estes podem ser usados para atingir uma integração funcional adequada no projeto de desenvolvimento de produto. Como uma segunda contribuição da Tese, um caso particular de integração, a das atividades de Pesquisa Aplicada com os Projetos de Desenvolvimento de Produto, é também abordado através de uma discussão teórica e em um estudo de casos.