In the wake of the rapid evolution of information technology (IT), including the internet, during the last three decades, much attention has been given to the introduction of IT to the agricultural sector, and to ensuring its adoption by farmers. Given its apparent ability to provide rich information to a large number of people, hopes have been raised about the role of IT as a tool for diffusing innovations in the agricultural sector. This thesis addresses the reality of such a role in Australia and Sri Lanka. Following the broader innovation literature, an innovations systems approach is used, and the key aspects of diffusion stressed are reach, richness and the time taken. The agricultural innovation system (AIS) is seen as a complex interactive system involving actors fulfilling eleven functions – policy, education, finance and credit, marketing, input supply, research, extension and information, logistics, processing and storage, farmers and farm organisations, and consumers. It is clear that the Australian AIS is more effective than its Sri Lankan counterpart in terms of its use of leading-edge technologies, competition in global markets with innovative products, and quick diffusion of research findings to farmers. The use of IT in agribusiness in Australia is quite advanced, although still limited in small firms. While there are many examples of the use of IT for innovation diffusion in Australian agriculture, there is little evidence that this is yet a widely used process for the spread of innovations. The situation in Sri Lanka is quite different, with low levels of computer literacy and usage in the farm sector, with technology transfer ‘across the last mile’ remaining the weakest link in the Sri Lankan AIS. But farmers often go to great efforts to obtain better information, and much attention is being given by the Government and NGOs to the development of wireless networks, telecentres and other methods for promoting IT access and knowledge diffusion in the rural sector in Sri Lanka. Given the heterogeneous nature of the actors in an AIS, together with the importance of tacit knowledge and social and peer groups factors, IT will complement existing methods of innovation diffusion for the foreseeable future, rather than substitute them. Nevertheless, IT is likely to become increasingly important in innovation diffusion in agriculture, in both developed countries and in developing economies such as Sri Lanka. In implementing policies to this end, Sri Lanka must give due attention to the complex interactions between the many players in the AIS, to the role of tacit knowledge and social actors, and to the low level of the IT literacy in the rural sector. While continuing efforts to build relevant infrastructure are essential, these must be supported by measures to strengthen communication between the actors in the AIS, by education and capability development for farmers and by the creation of suitably tailored digital information packages on key issues.

Issues and Significance: It is widely believed that good corporate governance is an important factor in improving the value of a firm in both developing and developed financial markets. However, the relationship between corporate governance and the value of a firm (the CGVF relationship) differs in developing and developed financial markets due to disparate corporate governance structures in these markets resulting from the dissimilar social, economic and regulatory conditions in these countries. There is a need to understand the differences which affect the value of a firm for academic investigations, financial and management practices and public regulation of markets and corporations. Existing Literature and Limitations: The existing literature on how good corporate governance contributes to improving the value of a firm is not well developed and has several limitations. No single research thus far, has undertaken a comprehensive study of the differences in the relationship between the level of corporate governance sophistication of the firm and its contribution to firm value. In the context of developing markets the relationships between corporate governance and the value of a firm are not defined properly and these relationships are not adequately tested by incorporating the relevant factors affecting them. Furthermore, comparative analyses of the relevance of different management theories (such as agency theory, stewardship theory, etc.) in shedding light on the nature and process of the CGVF relationships in developing and developed markets have not been reported in literature. Therefore, there is a need to redefine and properly analyse CGVF relationships by incorporating the factors relevant for a firm operating in developing and developed financial markets. Objectives of the Study: To help overcome the limitations of the existing literature, this study develops separate models for the CGVF relationships for developed and developing markets keeping in mind the differences between these markets; defines the concept of corporate governance and the value of a firm suitable for developing and developed financial markets; highlights the differences in the process by which corporate governance affects the value of a firm in developing and developed financial markets; and states the implications of different management theories in explaining the differences in CGVF relationships in these markets. Methodology and Data: Two typical financial markets, Australia (developed) and Malaysia (developing) are selected for the present study. The panel data is collected from 2000 to 2003 for Tobin’s Q, price to book value ratio, market capitalisation, gearing ratio, return on total assets, shareholder’s concentration (agency cost), CEO duality, board size, and judicial and regulatory authority efficiency. Multifactor corporate governance and the value of a firm (CGVF) models relevant for developed and developing markets are constructed and econometric analyses are performed to test the relationship between corporate governance instruments and the value of a firm. Incremental tests are also carried out to see the importance of individual variables in the model for developing and developed financial markets. In addition, tests for the complementarities of corporate governance instruments in affecting the value of a firm are also performed. Results and Implications of CGVF Relationships The results of the corporate governance model for developing, developed and crossmarket analysis suggest a positive relationship between corporate governance and the value of a firm. The results on the relationship between the value of a firm and corporate governance mechanism in the developed market suggest a negative relationship between debt and the value of a firm. The result confirms agency theory, as managers do not handle the debt properly. Also, there is a negative relationship between the value of a firm and a larger board, further confirming agency theory. On the contrary, control variables such as market capitalisation and the price to book value ratio have a positive relationship with the value of a firm in this market. The managers are stewards in this case and are inclined to support the interests of the shareholders thereby supporting stewardship theory. Similarly, the results on the relationship between corporate governance and the value of a firm in the developing financial market suggest a negative relationship between shareholder concentration and the value of a firm. The results of this model confirm agency theory where the majority shareholders, as agents, are involved in empire building. Similarly, control variables such as return on total assets, market capitalisation and price to book value ratio have a positive relationship with the value of a firm in the developing financial market. The results support stewardship theory. Finally, the bigger board size has a positive relationship with the value of a firm in the developing financial market. The results on the cross-market analysis show that higher debt and inefficient regulatory authority have a negative relationship with the value of a firm. There is an agency cost involved in handling debt. Furthermore, the inefficient regulatory authority deteriorates the value of a firm supporting agency theory. On the contrary, control variables such as return on total assets and price to book value ratio have a positive relationship with the value of a firm in both developed and developing financial markets, supporting stewardship theory. The incremental regression shows that price to book value ratio is the most significant factor in improving the value of a firm in all the CGVF models. The tests of complementarities in the cross-market analysis suggest that board size improves the marginal benefit of CEO duality. Similarly, the regulatory regime encourages an independent CEO to improve the value of a firm. Finally, the value of a firm in a developing market is a broad concept and also incorporates the social value in addition to the monetary value of a firm. The difference in the results for developing and developed markets is due to the different social, regulatory and corporate governance systems in their financial markets. Due to these variations in the selected financial markets, the process by which the value of a firm is affected is also different. Conclusion: In light of the above findings, the study has highlighted the role of corporate governance in effective utilisation of assets to improve the value of a firm. The role of the board and regulatory authority is important in disciplining the CEO and majority shareholders in the financial markets. A bigger board creates value for shareholders in developing financial markets. On the contrary, a smaller board and less debt create value in developed financial markets. The current study makes an original contribution by suggesting that there is a positive relationship between corporate governance and the value of a firm in both developing and developed markets, although, the nature of this relationship differs due to differences in the characteristics of developing and developed markets. The divergence in the social, economic and organisational aspects of these markets makes the relevance of various organisational and management theories in explaining the CGVF relationships different as well. These insights in explaining the CGVF relationships are useful for academic understanding and business and public policy formulations.

Um grande problema atual do mundo é o efeito estufa causado pela combustão de petróleo e seus derivados. Além disso, as reservas de petróleo não são ilimitadas, nem renováveis. Uma maneira de minimizar o problema é a utilização de combustíveis renováveis, tais como o etanol, derivado da cana de açúcar. É o caso dos motores de ignição por centelha que usam o etanol há décadas no Brasil. Este trabalho descreve as tecnologias existentes para utilização de etanol em motores de ignição por compressão. Apresenta resultados energéticos e de consumo de mistura de etanol anidro com diesel em diversas proporções. Mostra como substituir parcialmente o Diesel pelo etanol hidratado em determinadas proporções, sem realizar a mistura de combustíveis. Os combustíveis entram no motor por caminhos diferentes. Finaliza realizando estudos econômicos da utilização do etanol etílico em conjunto com o óleo diesel. / A major problem in the world nowadays is the \"green-house\" effect, caused by the combustion of petrol and its derivatives. Besides, oil reserves are not lirnitless, nor renewable. One way to rninirnize this problem is by using renewable combustibles, like ethanol, derived from sugar cane. This is the case of ignition spark engines, that have been using ethanol for decades, in Brazil. This thesis describes the existing technologies for ethanol utilization in ignition compression engines. It also presents energy and consumption results for the rnixture of anhydrous ethanol and diesel, in different proportions. It shows how to partially replace the diesel by hydrated ethanol in certain proportions, without fuel\'s blend. The fuels enter into the motor by different routes. It finally describes econornic studies for the utilization of ethylic alcohol m association to diesel.

Many rural communities in South Africa do not have running water or electricity. The fetching and heating of water is therefore a time consuming and expensive daily ritual. The use of energy sources such as wood or coal are not readily available and cause environmental pollution. Although solar water heaters are commonly available in South Africa, they are very seldom used in rural areas. Whilst this can mostly be attributed to a high system cost, current designs also do not cater for specific rural problems such as the transporting or purification of water. A prototype model, designed with such an approach in mind, has already been constructed by TEMM International (Pty.) Ltd. The Solar Heat Barrow (SHB) was developed in the 1992 to 2003 period with the intention of combining a number of functions at low cost. Specific requirements were: low cost, a suitable design and materials for manufacture in large volume, sufficiently durable taking into account the harsh conditions of use. suitability for cases where no in-house piped water supply was available, the use of appropriate technology and the improvement of quality of life. The unit combines the absorption of solar radiation, the heating of a relatively small volume of water, the transport of the water from the point of supply and the storage of the hot water until it is used. Untreated water sources such as surface waters (streams, rivers, lakes, etc.) or unprotected open wells are the vehicles for waterborne bacterial diseases such as cholera and typhoid fevers. In the case where water is collected from these sources, the SHB has a build-in Purification Dispenser that purifies the water in the collector against waterborne bacterial diseases. Certain research questions need to be answered. They will be answered by demonstrating the SHB in two communities where no in-house piped water supply is available and by establishing the socio-economic response of the users. The research questions are as follow: What are the responses of the users concerning the SHB, in comparison to those of a control group, regarding its operation, durability, utility and satisfaction of needs? What is the daily use of hot water and the reduction in energy use and cost? To what extent will the target community purchase the SHB at the full or subsidised commercial price? Is there a business case that can be developed for the large scale production, marketing. financing and Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMME) development of the SHB? It was decided to choose a community in the Valley of Thousand Hills in KwaZulu Natal as the demonstration site. The name of the community is Mabedlane. It is a remote rural area 20 km's north of Botha's Hill and is situated along the Umgeni River. The community is dependent on the river for domestic water. Most families are headed by women. The area has low levels of infrastructure, poor roads, a high unemployment rate and poor health facilities. The first survey, which was conducted before the test period started, showed a very positive response from potential users. From 112 questionnaires that were given to the people of Mabedlane, all indicated that they were interested in a product that can transport and heat water for domestic use. The socio-economic study has shown that the price per unit needs to be adapted as 85% of the people who participated in the survey indicated that they would only pay less than R100 for the product. 15% indicated that they would pay between RlOO and R200. From the second and third questionnaires it was clear that the users were satisfied with the heating performances of the SHB. The community was very interested in purchasing a SHB. They have realised that a SHB will improve their standard of living and regard it as a necessity in their day to day activities. It is apparent that people, who will benefit from a SHB most, are those who will not be able to pay the full retail price. Therefore, new business strategies have to be researched when implementing the SHB to the target market in South Africa. The idea of considering ways to sponsorlfund the SHB must also be investigated. / Thesis (M.Ing. (Mechanical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

Many rural communities in South Africa do not have running water or electricity. The fetching and heating of water is therefore a time consuming and expensive daily ritual. The use of energy sources such as wood or coal are not readily available and cause environmental pollution. Although solar water heaters are commonly available in South Africa, they are very seldom used in rural areas. Whilst this can mostly be attributed to a high system cost, current designs also do not cater for specific rural problems such as the transporting or purification of water. A prototype model, designed with such an approach in mind, has already been constructed by TEMM International (Pty.) Ltd. The Solar Heat Barrow (SHB) was developed in the 1992 to 2003 period with the intention of combining a number of functions at low cost. Specific requirements were: low cost, a suitable design and materials for manufacture in large volume, sufficiently durable taking into account the harsh conditions of use. suitability for cases where no in-house piped water supply was available, the use of appropriate technology and the improvement of quality of life. The unit combines the absorption of solar radiation, the heating of a relatively small volume of water, the transport of the water from the point of supply and the storage of the hot water until it is used. Untreated water sources such as surface waters (streams, rivers, lakes, etc.) or unprotected open wells are the vehicles for waterborne bacterial diseases such as cholera and typhoid fevers. In the case where water is collected from these sources, the SHB has a build-in Purification Dispenser that purifies the water in the collector against waterborne bacterial diseases. Certain research questions need to be answered. They will be answered by demonstrating the SHB in two communities where no in-house piped water supply is available and by establishing the socio-economic response of the users. The research questions are as follow: What are the responses of the users concerning the SHB, in comparison to those of a control group, regarding its operation, durability, utility and satisfaction of needs? What is the daily use of hot water and the reduction in energy use and cost? To what extent will the target community purchase the SHB at the full or subsidised commercial price? Is there a business case that can be developed for the large scale production, marketing. financing and Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMME) development of the SHB? It was decided to choose a community in the Valley of Thousand Hills in KwaZulu Natal as the demonstration site. The name of the community is Mabedlane. It is a remote rural area 20 km's north of Botha's Hill and is situated along the Umgeni River. The community is dependent on the river for domestic water. Most families are headed by women. The area has low levels of infrastructure, poor roads, a high unemployment rate and poor health facilities. The first survey, which was conducted before the test period started, showed a very positive response from potential users. From 112 questionnaires that were given to the people of Mabedlane, all indicated that they were interested in a product that can transport and heat water for domestic use. The socio-economic study has shown that the price per unit needs to be adapted as 85% of the people who participated in the survey indicated that they would only pay less than R100 for the product. 15% indicated that they would pay between RlOO and R200. From the second and third questionnaires it was clear that the users were satisfied with the heating performances of the SHB. The community was very interested in purchasing a SHB. They have realised that a SHB will improve their standard of living and regard it as a necessity in their day to day activities. It is apparent that people, who will benefit from a SHB most, are those who will not be able to pay the full retail price. Therefore, new business strategies have to be researched when implementing the SHB to the target market in South Africa. The idea of considering ways to sponsorlfund the SHB must also be investigated. / Thesis (M.Ing. (Mechanical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

Η μικρή παράκτια αλιεία αποτελεί σημαντικό τμήμα του αλιευτικού κλάδου στnν Ελλάδα και τη Μεσόγειο και χαρακτηρίζεται από υψηλή ετερογένεια και πληθώρα ιδιαιτεροτήτων. Η διαχείριση της απαιτεί την εξέταση βιολογικών, αλλά και κοινωνικών και οικονομικών παραμέτρων. Στην παρούσα εργασία αναπτύχθηκε μία τυπολογία της ελληνικής μικρής παράκτιας αλιείας με βάση βιολογικά, κοινωνικά και οικονομικά χαρακτηριστικά. Στη συνέχεια η εργασία εστιάστηκε στον Πατραϊκό Κόλπο, όπου μελετήθηκε η δραστηριότητα της τοπικής μικρής παράκτιας αλιείας, η συνολική παραγωγή και η παραγωγή ανά μονάδα αλιευτικής προσπάθειας, η σύνθεση του αλιεύματος, τα απορριπτόμενα και η κατά μήκος σύνθεση των αλιευμάτων. Οι νομοί της Ελλάδας στρωματοποιήθηκαν βάσει του αριθμού των αλιέων και της εξάρτησης από την αλιεία και πραγματοποιήθηκαν συνεντεύξεις αλιέων. Επιβεβαιώθηκε η ποικιλία εργαλείων και ειδών-στόχων και η έντονη χωρική ετερογένεια. Το κυρίαρχο πρότυπο αλιευτικής δραστηριότητας εμφάνισε εποχικές διακυμάνσεις (20 ημέρες δραστηριότητας μηνιαίως το καλοκαίρι, 13 ημέρες το χειμώνα), παρουσίασε όμως τοπικές ιδιαιτερότητες. Οι κύριες ενασχολήσεις (métiers) που πραγματοποιούνται σε πανελλήνιο επίπεδο αναγνωρίστηκαν ως συνδυασμοί αλιευτικού εργαλείου, είδους-στόχου, εποχής και περιοχής με πολυμεταβλητή ανάλυση. Οι αλιείς παρουσίασαν χαμηλό μορφωτικό επίπεδο και υψηλή μέση ηλικία, υψηλά ποσοστά παραμονής στον τόπο γέννησης και διαπιστώθηκε έντονη παρουσία της οικογένειας στο επάγγελμα. Οι αλιείς χωρίστηκαν σε τρεις ομάδες εξάρτησης από την αλιεία βάσει του ποσοστού του εισοδήματος που προέρχεται από το ψάρεμα, οι οποίες εμφάνισαν διαφορές σε χαρακτηριστικά όπως η μέση ηλικία, το μήκος του σκάφους, οι ημέρες δραστηριότητας και το εισόδημα από το ψάρεμα. Στη συνέχεια μελετήθηκε η μικρή παράκτια αλιεία του Πατραϊκού Κόλπου με δειγματοληψίες σε αλιευτικές εξορμήσεις. Η αλιευτική παραγωγή ήταν κατά μέσο όρο 12 Kg ανά αλιευτική εξόρμηση. Συνολικά, αναγνωρίστηκαν 102 είδη αλιευμάτων. Αναπτύχθηκε μία μεθοδολογία αναγνώρισης ενασχολήσεων σε περιπτώσεις περιορισμένου αριθμού δεδομένων, όπως συχνά συμβαίνει στη Μεσόγειο. Οι ενασχολήσεις που αναγνωρίστηκαν παρουσίασαν διαφορές στην ποσότητα και στη σύνθεση του αλιεύματος και ομαδοποιήθηκαν σε μετα-ενασχολήσεις με σκοπό την αποτελεσματικότερη δειγματοληψία της αλιευτικής δραστηριότητας. Η μελέτη των απορριπτομένων ανέδειξε τρεις αιτίες απόρριψης: χαμηλή εμπορικότητα (78% της απορριφθείσας ποσότητας), καταστροφή των αλιευμάτων κατά την παραμονή τους στο νερό (5%) και μείωση της ποιότητάς τους εξαιτίας κακών χειρισμών του ψαρά (17%). Υψηλό ποσοστό απόρριψης παρουσίασαν οι ενασχολήσεις παραγαδιών και μανωμένων διχτύων με μικρό άνοιγμα ματιού. Από τα δεδομένα ατομικού μήκους των αλιευμάτων πραγματοποιήθηκαν συγκρίσεις κατά μήκους σύνθεσης ανάμεσα σε διαφορετικές ενασχολήσεις και εποχές του έτους. Στις περισσότερες περιπτώσεις διαπιστώθηκαν διαφορές. Η μελέτη της επίπτωσης της εφαρμογής του ελάχιστου επιτρεπόμενου μεγέθους εκφόρτωσης έδειξε μικρό ποσοστό υπομεγεθών ατόμων στο αλίευμα βάσει τόσο των σημερινών σε ισχύ μεγεθών όσο και βάσει αυτών που πρόκειται να εφαρμοστούν σύμφωνα με τον Οδικό Χάρτη για την Αναθεώρηση της Κοινής Αλιευτικής Πολιτικής, σε επίπεδο είδους όμως παρουσιάστηκαν εξαιρέσεις. Η παρούσα εργασία αποτελεί τη βάση για την ανάπτυξη μεθοδολογίας για τη μελέτη της μικρής παράκτιας αλιείας στην Ελλάδα και την πραγματοποίηση συγκριτικών μελετών σε ευρωπαϊκή κλίμακα σε αυτόν τον λίγο μελετημένο αλιευτικό κλάδο. / Small-scale fisheries are an important fisheries sector in Greece and the Mediterranean. They are characterized by high heterogeneity and a multitude of particularities. The management of small-scale fisheries requires taking into account biological as well as social and economical elements. In the present study, a typology of Greek small-scale fisheries was developed based on biological, social and economical parameters. Consequently, the study focused in the Patraikos Gulf, where elements such as the fishing activity of the local fleet, catch and catch per unit of effort, species composition, discards and length composition of individuals caught were examined. The prefectures of Greece were stratified considering the number of fishermen and local dependence on fisheries and interviews of fishermen were carried out. The multitude of fishing gears and target species and the intense spatial heterogeneity was confirmed. The major activity pattern identified was seasonal (20 days of activity in summer, 13 in winter), however local particularities arose. The main métiers practiced were identified as combinations of fishing gear, target species, area and season. Concerning socio-economical elements, the fishermen generally had low education, high average age, tendency to remain in their place of birth and the profession is attached to the family. The fishermen were categorized into three dependence groups, based on the percentage of income originating from fisheries. Significant differences were identified among these groups considering variables such as mean fishermen age, vessel size, days of activity and income from fishing. Consequently, the small-scale fisheries of the Patraikos Gulf were studied using data from sampling of fishing operations. The catch weighted about 12 Kg per operation on average and a total of 102 species were recorded. A methodology for the identification of métiers using a limited dataset, as is often the case in the Mediterranean, was developed. The métiers identified showed significant differences in catch quantity and composition and were grouped in meta-métiers to facilitate fishing activity sampling schemes. The study of discards revealed three reasons for discarding: low commercial value (78% of discards), destruction of the catch before gear retrieval (5%) and bad handling of the catch o board (17%). High discard ratio was recorded for the longline and small-size mesh trammel net métiers. Using data of individual length per species comparisons were carried out among métiers and seasons that in most cases revealed significant differences. The study of the effect of minimum landing sizes legislation showed a low percentage of undersized individuals regarding both the legislation currently in effect and the proposed one by the Roadmap for the Reform of the Common Fisheries Policy of the European Union, but exceptions arose for certain species. The present work is the foothold for the development of a methodology for studying small-scale fisheries in Greece and for carrying out comparative studies in a European scale concerning this understudied fishing sector.