A crença na capacidade do mercado de Produtos Florestais Não Madeireiros (PFNMs) em conciliar a conservação de florestas tropicais e o desenvolvimento de populações extrativistas resultou na implementação de diversos programas com esta finalidade na Amazônia brasileira. Dentre esses programas é cada vez mais comum o estabelecimento de parcerias entre comunidades extrativistas que comercializam PFNMs com empresas. No entanto, estudos têm evidenciado que o mercado de PFNMs apresenta impactos tanto na esfera ambiental como no âmbito socioeconômico das comunidades envolvidas. Sobre os efeitos socioeconômicos, não estão claros quais os efeitos deste mercado nas estratégias de compartilhamento de recursos e cooperação produtiva entre unidades domésticas, as quais têm funções econômicas e sociais para a subsistência, em especial no caso das unidades mais vulneráveis. Partindo dessa questão central foi testada a hipótese de que a exposição ao mercado de PFNMs afeta essas instituições cooperativas, trazendo consequências negativas para a segurança de subgrupos mais vulneráveis economicamente. Para isso foi feito um estudo comparativo entre duas comunidades que compartilham o mesmo histórico e estão localizadas em condições ambientais e geográficas semelhantes na Reserva Extrativista do Médio Juruá no Estado do Amazonas Brasil, mas que diferem com relação à exposição ao mercado de PFNMs. Enquanto a comunidade do Roque comercializa óleos vegetais com empresas de cosméticos, Pupuaí mantém práticas econômicas locais. As técnicas para coleta de dados incluíram painel de observações sistemáticas, surveys, diagnóstico rural participativo e entrevistas estruturadas e semi-estruturadas. Os resultados indicam que o compartilhamento de recursos é menos frequente na comunidade inserida no mercado de PFNMs, porém este efeito não é perceptível na avaliação transversal entre unidades domésticas com diferentes graus da inserção ao mercado. Portanto, as mudanças no compartilhamento de recursos foram observadas somente no nível entre comunidades e a hipótese foi apenas parcialmente aceita. Com relação aos efeitos sobre unidades domésticas mais vulneráveis este estudo apresentou dois resultados principais. Em primeiro lugar há um padrão distinto de compartilhamento de recursos entre as comunidades. Isto é, na comunidade com mercado de PFNMs as unidades vulneráveis receberam mais recursos, enquanto na comunidade menos exposta ao mercado foi observado o oposto. Mas, devido à menor frequência de eventos cooperativos observados na comunidade inserida no mercado, ainda assim suas unidades vulneráveis receberam menos recursos quando comparadas com as unidades vulneráveis da comunidade menos exposta ao mercado. O segundo resultado é que as unidades mais vulneráveis da comunidade com mercado de PFNMs participaram de interações cooperativas com menos unidades distintas quando comparadas com aquelas da comunidade sem mercado e, portanto, têm menor capital social para recorrer em situações de risco ou escassez de recursos. No entanto, para avaliar se a redução no comportamento cooperativo afeta o bem-estar das unidades mais vulneráveis seria necessário avaliar se a demanda de consumo das unidades vulneráveis são melhor atendidas na comunidade inserida no mercado de PFNMs ou naquela menos exposta ao mercado. / The belief in the capacity of Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) to reconcile the double aim of providing for the well-being of extractive communities and conserving tropical forests resulted in the implementation of various programs with this purpose in the Brazilian Amazon. Among these programs it is increasingly common the adoption of partnerships between extractive communities and companies to trade NTFPs. Recently, however, several studies have highlighted the shortcomings of trading NTFP, regarding both biological conservation and the well-being of communities. Within the context of well-being impacts, there is a fear the increased integration of largely autarkic communities into NTFP markets can disrupt cooperation strategies and sharing practices, which have economic and social functions to peasant economies, particularly for more vulnerable households. In this study, we focus on this issue and advance the hypothesis that increased trade in NTFP may disrupt those cooperative institutions, bringing negative consequences to the security of the most economically vulnerable subgroups. To test this hypothesis, we compare two communities of the Médio Juruá Extractive Reserve, Brazilian Amazonia, which share the same historical background and similar environmental and geographic conditions, but differ in relation to NTFP trade. While Roque community trades vegetable oils with cosmetics companies, Pupuaí carries on with previous economic practices. Data gathering techniques included random systematic observations, household surveys, participatory rural appraisal and structured and semi-structured interviews. The results indicate that the community integrated into NTFP markets has fewer cooperative events than the community less market integrated. Despite that, no pattern is observed when we compare the association between levels of market participation among households. Therefore, we concluded the hypothesis was only partially accepted, because the changes in sharing practices are observable only at the community level. When we evaluate the effects of cooperation networks on more vulnerable households, we find two main results. First, we find a different pattern between the two communities as regards vulnerable households. While more vulnerable households benefit more from cooperative events in the community integrated into NTFPs, the opposite is observed in the community less exposed to markets. Even so, because the frequency of cooperation is much lower in the community trading NTFPs, these differences mean more vulnerable households still get fewer payoffs from cooperation than in the community less market integrated. Secondly, households from the community trading NTFPs, besides cooperating less frequently, also do so with a smaller number of different households when compared with the community less integrated to markets, which means their networks of social capital are weaker. It is therefore not yet clear in which community the human needs of vulnerable households are better fulfilled in order to ascertain whether the reduction on cooperative behavior diminishes their well-being.

Este estudo tem como objetivo verificar quais são os efeitos indiretos que a participação de povos indígenas no mercado de produtos florestais não madeireiros (PFNMs) produz no uso de recursos naturais. As Terras Indígenas são estratégicas para a conservação das florestas tropicais, embora este papel possa ser alterado pelo crescente envolvimento dos povos indígenas com o mercado. Estimulado como forma de promover o desenvolvimento econômico dessas sociedades aliado à conservação ambiental, o mercado de PFNMs pode também produzir efeitos negativos no meio ambiente, tanto diretos - nos recursos explorados - como indiretos - por meio de transformações nas atividades de subsistência dos povos indígenas. O estudo dos efeitos indiretos é ainda negligenciado, restando dúvidas se a adoção dessa estratégia de mercado atinge os objetivos a que se propõe. O presente estudo pretende auxiliar a preencher essa lacuna, verificando de que forma a participação dos Araweté no mercado de PFNMs afeta suas atividades de subsistência. Por meio de técnicas qualitativas (entrevistas semi-estruturadas e informais) e quantitativas (survey e observações sistemáticas de alocação de tempo), foram levantados dados sobre o grau de envolvimento no mercado de PFNMs (renda obtida) e o padrão de utilização dos recursos naturais (tempo alocado nas diferentes atividades de subsistência e tamanho da área cultivada) de uma amostra de 24 unidades domésticas por um período de sete meses, durante um ano. Os resultados mostram que ocorreram transformações históricas nas atividades de subsistência dos Araweté e em sua participação na economia de mercado. Na subsistência, observou-se: o maior consumo da mandioca e do milho; o cultivo de dois roçados (milho e mandioca) por várias famílias; a incorporação de novas tecnologias na pesca e agricultura; a redução da coleta de alguns itens e a introdução do cultivo de arroz. Os Araweté participam da economia de mercado principalmente por meio da comercialização de PFNMs, bem como por aposentadorias e salários do governo. O maior envolvimento no mercado de PFNMs está associado com maior dedicação às atividades de subsistência (de forma geral) e, em particular, à agricultura e à coleta, embora não explique variações na caça e pesca. / The aim of this study is to analyse the indirect effects produced to the use of natural resources which arise from the participation of indigenous peoples in markets for non-timber forest products (NTFP). Indigenous territories play a strategic role in the conservation of tropical rainforests, though their character might change with the growing involvement of indigenous societies in the market economy. If NTFP markets are stimulated in order to promote economic development of such societies, alongside with forest conservation, they may as well produce negative effects both directly – to the resource extracted, or indirectly – through changes in the patterns of subsistence activities. The study of the latter has been neglected, raising doubts whether this win-win strategy accomplishes its own purposes. This study focuses on this gap, by investigating how the participation of the Araweté in the NTFP trade affects their pattern of subsistence activities. Qualitative (semi-structured and unstructured interviews) and quantitative (survey and spot observations) techniques were adopted to gather data about Arawete’s level of participation in the market economy (i.e. incomes) and the patterns of natural resource use (i.e. time allocated to subsistence activities and size of the agricultural plots). 24 households were sampled during seven months within a year’s period. The results show the patterns of Araweté’s subsistence and their involvement into the market economy were transformed. As regards subsistence patterns, we observed: a greater consumption of manioc and corn; the cultivation of two plots (corn and manioc) by several families; the incorporation of new fishing and hunting technologies; a decrease in gathering of some products and the introduction of rice. The Araweté participate in the market economy mainly through the commercialisation of NTFPs, as well as pensions and government salaries. Their greater involvement in the market economy is associated with greater dedication to subsistence (in general) and, in particular, to agriculture, while it does not explain changes in hunting and fishing patterns.

Memoria para optar al Título Profesional de Ingeniero Forestal / En los últimos veinte años Chile ha tenido un desarrollo forestal importante, influenciado por estrategias políticas y económicas direccionadas a participar de forma activa en el comercio internacional. En este proceso, el sector forestal sostuvo ritmos de crecimiento variables en el tiempo. Debido a factores internos y externos al país y a un patrón de desarrollo que consolidó a tres grandes grupos empresariales que hoy dominan la actividad económica forestal. El estudio analiza el desarrollo que han experimentado las exportaciones y las empresas forestales, desde la perspectiva económica y comercial, entre 1995 y 2015, como resultado de las principales iniciativas políticas y económicas formuladas antes y durante el período de estudio. Se distinguen los factores más significativos que han incidido en el comportamiento de las exportaciones forestales chilenas, y se analizan los instrumentos políticos y legales que han afectado dicho desarrollo. De igual modo también se caracteriza el crecimiento del sector empresarial forestal de Chile, con especial consideración a su estructura y origen, y su relación con las condiciones políticas y económicas del período. Para lograr los objetivos, se extraen los datos de organismos gubernamentales y empresas privadas, cuyo análisis está referido a: las leyes relacionadas con el rubro, los efectos de la Crisis Asiática y Crisis Subprime; la evolución y velocidad de cambio de los montos exportados por producto; la composición de las exportaciones; la variación de la balanza comercial forestal; la variación de los mercados; los tratados de libre comercio; las grandes inversiones privadas en infraestructura a nivel nacional y latinoamericano; la salida y entrada de empresas al mercado; las áreas de mayor crecimiento; la propiedad de las empresas; los cambios estratégicos percibidos en el sector empresarial; las políticas económicas, y el apoyo a pequeñas y medianas empresas forestales. Finalmente, el estudio pretende responder preguntas relacionadas con las principales iniciativas políticas y económicas que influenciaron la evolución del sector, así como las razones que pueden justificar la evolución que han tenido las exportaciones y el desarrollo de las empresas del sector forestal durante el período de estudio. / Forest industry has been an important contributor to the economy of Chile for over twenty years as a result of political and economic strategies geared to encourage international trade. Under domestic and foreign up-and-downs the internationalization process faced uneven growth paces over the years and consolidated three large business groups which currently lead the sector economic activity. Within this scheme and from the economic and commercial perspectives the forest business development between 1995 and 2015 is analyzed, as a result of the major political and economic initiatives formulated before and during the study period. The most significant factors that have influenced Chilean forest exports are recognized associated to political and legal tools which have somehow affected such development. The Chilean forest business sector expansion is also characterized - particularly its origin and structure - related to the economic and political settings. The official and private information collected as well as the analysis involved referred to: laws connected to the forest activity; Asia and Subprime Crisis as factors of Chilean forest development; the evolution as well as the speed of change of forest product exports; forest products trade balance and target markets; free trade agreements; major private investments in domestic infrastructure and in Latin America; companies entry and exit of market; larger areas of growth; companies ownership; strategic changes perceived by business; economic policies and support to medium and small size forest companies. Finally, this study intends to answer questions related to the major political and economic initiatives that affected the forest sector growth, the reasons behind the expansion of forest product exports as well as the development of the forest sector companies over the study period.

There is an urgency within the building sector to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change. An increased proportion of biobased building materials in construction is a potential measure to reduce these emissions. Life cycle assessment (LCA) has often been applied to compare the climate impact from biobased materials with that from e.g. mineral based materials, mostly favouring biobased materials. Contradicting results have however been reported due to differences in methodology, as there is not yet consensus regarding certain aspects. The aim of this thesis is to study the implications from non-traditional practices in climate impact assessment of timber buildings, and to discuss the shortcomings of current practices when assessing such products and comparing them with non-renewable alternatives. The traditional practices for climate impact assessment of biobased materials have been identified, and then applied to a case study of a building with different timber frame designs and an alternative building with a concrete frame. Then, non-traditional practices were explored by calculating climate impact results using alternative methods to handle certain methodological aspects, which have been found relevant for forest products in previous research such as the timing of emissions, biogenic emissions, carbon storage in the products, end-of-life substitution credits, soil carbon disturbances and change in albedo. These alternative practices and their implications were also studied for low-carbon buildings. The use of non-traditional practices can affect the climate impact assessment results of timber buildings, and to some extent the comparison with buildings with lower content of biobased building materials. This effect is especially evident for energy-efficient buildings. Current normal practices tend to account separately for forest-related carbon flows and aspects such as biogenic carbon emissions and sequestration or effects from carbon storage in the products, missing to capture the forest carbon cycle as a whole. Climate neutrality of wood-based construction materials seems like a valid assumption for studies which require methodological simplification, while other aspects such as end-of-life substitution credits, soil carbon disturbances or changes in albedo should be studied carefully due to their potentially high implications and the uncertainties around the methods used to account for them. If forest phenomena are to be included in LCA studies, a robust and complete model of the forest carbon cycle should be used. Another shortcoming is the lack of clear communication of the way some important aspects were handled. / <p>QC 20150310</p>

The Study aims to evaluate what kind of systems buyers of raw materials use for handling the flow of information in their supply chain of raw materials. Due to the complexity of the topic, the Study is only examining the continuous exchange of information between suppliers and buyers of raw materials. The purpose of the Study is to provide recommendations to Boliden on which system is suitable for implementation at the company. The Study’s results were achieved by collecting both primary and secondary data. The primary data was collected through interviews with raw materials buyers and trade organisations. A total of fifteen interviews were conducted in the Study. The secondary data was collected through a literature study. The results of the Study indicate that there exists four different solutions for managing the flow of information in a supply chain of raw materials. The most common solution among buyers of raw materials is to use the so-called “traditional” systems, i.e. e-mail, telephone and physical meetings. The second most common solution is to use an external information handling system provided by a trade organisation. The third most common solution is to use a commercial information handling system, i.e. a system provided by a commercial provider. Lastly, the least common solution is to develop an information handling system on its own, i.e. a proprietary information handling system. The conclusion of the Study is that Boliden should use two information handling system simultaneously, i.e. an external information handling system and the traditional information handling systems. However, Boliden should also look into the option of developing a proprietary information handling system.

No description available.

Since the emergence and the subsequent evolution of lean manufacturing concepts, numerous enterprises of different scale and specialties have adopted lean tools and techniques in their facilities with varying success. In general, lean manufacturing related studies have been conducted on large manufacturing firms, such as the automotive industry. Yet, lean manufacturing tools and techniques are also suited for small enterprises. Thus, the main concern of this study is to investigate the success of set-up time reduction efforts (one of the steps needed to achieve 'one-piece flow') in secondary wood products manufacturing facilities on four woodworking machines (moulder, shaper, table saw, and band saw) based on firm size. The first objective of this research is to explore the results of the implementation of set-up time reduction efforts on selected woodworking machines in enterprises of varying size. It is assumed that company size is a major factor influencing the rate of set-up time improvements. To that end, the first hypothesis, which states that 'Small firms are less successful in reducing set-up time through set-up time reduction efforts than are large firms,' has been developed and supportive questions have been corresponding created. While statistical testing of the hypotheses created for this is not possible due to the limited number of participants, speculations about the possible outcome can be made. Thus, for hypothesis one, the data obtained does not show any sign of a relationship between a firm size and the success rate of set-up time reduction efforts. The second objective of this study is to investigate how a firm's productivity is affected by set-up time reduction efforts as related to firm size. With regards to some of the weaknesses of typical small manufacturing firms (e.g. having limited budget and resources, intuitive management strategies including lack of strategic planning), large firms, by and large, are expected to be more successful in increasing productivity through set-up time reduction. To that end, the goal is to investigate results of the set-up time reduction efforts in terms of productivity improvement in manufacturing facilities. With this in mind, the second hypothesis was proposed, which reads 'Small firms achieve lower productivity gains through set-up time reduction than do large firms.' For the second hypothesis, while no conclusive proof can be offered, no sign of a relationship between firm size and productivity gain through set-up time reduction could be found. Another objective of this study is to explore the success rate of set-up time activities on the four types of woodworking machines in industry facilities considering the training activities provided by manufacturers. The aim is to compare set-up time improvement performance of manufacturers between enterprises which trained their workers/operators and enterprises which did not train their employees. To understand the relationship between the scale of firms (and/or facilities) and training activities to improve set-ups, the third hypothesis, which reads 'Small firms are less concerned with set-up time reduction through training than are large firms,' has been developed. For the third hypothesis, while testing is not possible, it appears that there is no relationship between firm size and the level of concern for set-up time reduction through training activities. The final objective of this research is to investigate whether the secondary wood manufacturing firms studied experienced a bottleneck in their production due to the long set-up actions of machines. In order to accomplish this objective, the final hypothesis, 'In both, large and small firms, bottlenecks occur at machines with high set-up times,' has been developed. The final hypothesis cannot be accepted or rejected due to the limited number of responses obtained, set-up time was a frequently indicated explanation for the occurrence of production bottlenecks in secondary wood products manufacturing firms. / Master of Science

[Partial abstract]: This study was carried out to determine the contribution of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) to household total income, other livelihood sectors were also examined simultaneously. The contribution of agriculture involved livestock and crop production. Wages and government grants were other livelihood sectors that were looked into. This study was important in determining the change in livelihood strategies in the last decade and to quantify the NTFPs used at the two sites. It was carried out in Guquka and Koloni, both part of the central Eastern Cape. Information on direct use value of the NTFPs used, the quantities and local price; crop production outputs and inputs and the costs. Data were collected via a questionnaire.

Export-oriented illegal logging has been recognized as a major global problem in environmental, social, and economic terms. It has been argued that export-oriented illegal logging does not benefit the community or government that should be benefited by its own natural resources. The emergence of policy initiatives targeting illegal logging could have the potential to increase the competitiveness of legally sourced timber products by removing illegal products from the market of the consuming country. The US Lacey Act amendments of 2008 set a precedent for the global trade in plants and plant products by putting in place incentives for US wood products importing companies to demand legally sourced and traded wood. This research addresses how the 2008 Lacey Act amendments have impacted the US wood industry, and how those affected by the amendments view the future of environmental policy and global illegal logging as impacted by the amendments. The majority of respondents in this study agree that steps should be taken to decrease global illegal logging, but some aren't convinced that the Lacey Act amendments will ultimately have the desired effect. According to this research, most US wood importers have made small changes to their operational practices. This study indicates the possibility that though US wood importers feel the responsibility to ensure their companies are compliant with legislation, they are not sure the 2008 Lacey Act amendments will ultimately hinder global illegal logging. Included in this study are also suggestions from US wood importers regarding policy implementation. These suggestions include an increase in communication between the US government and US wood products companies, an increase in future research, and the possibility of focusing the Lacey Act on certain high-risk regions. / Graduation date: 2012

This thesis is about the quest to build effective strategies to support the development of enterprise on the margins of the economy, to create jobs and reduce poverty. A core part of this challenge includes grappling with the role of markets in development, and of markets as a critical part of the context in which enterprise development in rural and peri-urban areas can either provide a path out of poverty – or instead serve to lock people into poverty. The thesis explores these issues by tracking the experience of the Mineworkers Development Agency (MDA) as it attempted to grapple with this challenge. MDA is the development wing of South Africa’s National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) , and was set up to create jobs and support enterprise development for communities affected by the loss of jobs on the mines. The thesis covers a fourteen-year period in MDA’s history, from its inception in 1988 until 2002. It tracks the learning process across several phases in the development of MDA’s approach. These included the development of worker co-operatives, the establishment of business service centres, value-chain work in the craft sector, and the commercialization of a juice product from the indigenous marula berry. In the process, MDA engaged with an emergent paradigm in the development sector called ‘Making Markets Work for the Poor’. Can markets really be made to work for the poor? Or even just made to work ‘better’ for the poor? Or is the process of inclusion in markets inexorably and inevitably one of making the poor work for markets? The thesis explores these issues in the context of MDA’s experience, locating this within a wider set of theoretical concerns over the role of markets in society, and the ways in which societies have protected themselves from the negative impacts of the development of market economies. It draws on wider political economy approaches to argue that markets are institutions that are socially constructed, and explores what scope there might therefore be to construct them differently. While recognising the importance of social protection, the thesis argues that there is a need to go beyond defensive strategies aimed at protecting society from markets, to identify new terms of engagement within markets to shape markets, and to harness their wealth-creating potential in ways that have different distributional consequences, as part of a long-term agenda of eradicating poverty.