The objective of this paper is to analyze the welfare effects of the European Banana Market Policy. Until 1993, EU countries had a wide variety of separate national policies, ranging from free trade (e.g. Germany) to heavily regulated markets (e.g. Spain, France). On 1 July 1993, the EU's common organization of the market in bananas came into force and established a combined quota-tariff regime with preferential access for ACP and EU suppliers. We estimate the resulting changes in the welfare of consumers, traders and the national governments for all member states of the European Union to identify the winners and losers of this change in the external trade policy. Over the period 1993 to 1998, the cumulated aggregate welfare loss of the consumers amounted to ECU 1408 mill, whereas the international banana traders gained ECU 558 mill. on the EU market. The welfare effect on the national budgets of the EU member states was also positive (ECU 783 mill.) due to higher tariff income. The resulting total deadweight loss of the European Union amounted to ECU 68 mill. As regards the distribution of the welfare effects, the former free trade countries lost welfare, whereas the formerly severely regulated countries gained. In absolute terms the biggest loser of the regime shift is Germany, the biggest winner is France. (authors' abstract) / Series: EI Working Papers / Europainstitut

This catalogue documents Roman lamps from the cemeteries of Gerulata (modern-day Rusovce). It consists of 16 Bildlapmen, 89 Firmalampen, and one special shape. These lamps were found mainly in two large cemeteries, in both cremation and inhumation graves, dated from the last decades of the 1 st century AD to the dawn of the 3rd century. Of the Bildlampen, several lamps with angular voluted nozzles (Loeschcke type I) and one fragment of a circular lamp with a rounded nozzle (Loeschcke type VIII) are represented. Of the Firmalampen, both Loeschcke types IX and X are found, type X and its variations being the most numerous (67 lamps). The iconography of relief decorations shows a range of mythological and profane images. Twenty different makers' stamps in relief are found, two without parallels, with Fortis as most common. The production, transport and copying of Firmalampen is described; resulting endeavors to locate their point of origin are determined to be often unreliable without chemical analysis. Both the relationship of lamps to other grave goods as well as their purpose in graves are assessed; lamps are found to have been an available luxury, as appropriate in a Romanized society. Most lamps had worn bases, and some had blackened wickholes; most are burned by their inclusion in the funeral pyre. The...

Doctor of Philosophy / Food Science / Justin Kastner / Many Chinese aquaculture farmers use unapproved chemicals to treat their fish, many of which are diseased as a result of the country’s poor waste management and environmental practices. During 2006-2007, the United States (U.S.), the European Union, and Japan rejected large amounts of Chinese seafood imports due to the presence of unapproved chemicals or the presence of approved chemicals at concentrations that exceeded permitted levels. This dissertation examines the sources of environmental health and food safety problems in China; it also examines how effective the U.S. and Chinese governments’ regulations are in protecting consumers from hazards in Chinese aquaculture products. The study looks at specific chemical contaminants found in Chinese aquaculture imports, explores their potential toxicity or carcinogenicity, and examines the reasons for their prohibition from human food. The study exploits the available U.S. seafood consumption patterns (courtesy of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey—NHANES—database) and then uses probabilistic modeling (courtesy of CREMe Software Limited) to determine the extent to which specific sensitive U.S. consumer subpopulations were exposed to aquaculture chemical contaminants in the food supply in a contrived scenario using real consumption data (from NHANES) and actual contamination data (from the FDA). The study compares exposure between children and adult consumers, and also looks at exposure among women aged 18 years and older and the elderly aged 60 years and older. This study suggests a strong likelihood that NHANES children, as well as female consumers aged 18 years and older and elderly consumers aged 60 years and older, were (in the contrived scenario) all exposed to violative intake levels of chemical contaminants from Chinese aquaculture imports. Children forming the 99.5th and 99.9th percentiles of NHANES seafood consumers were exposed to higher levels of nitrofuran, gentian violet, and malachite green contaminants per kilogram of body weight than were their adult counterparts. Conversely, children were exposed to lower levels of fluoroquinolone contaminants per kilogram of body weight than were their adult counterparts. The 50th, 95th, and 99.9th percentiles of female consumers aged 18 and older and elderly consumers aged 60 years and older were exposed to violative daily intake levels of contaminants in Chinese aquaculture. The study concludes by examining what the U.S. and Chinese governments should do to address aquaculture safety.

The theses is regarding at the beginning the theoretical conception of joint trading policy and tariff union, esspecially law regulations concerning with an import form third countries. As a kind of change-over of acts is an implementation of these law regulations, acting as a connected point between these regulations and theirs application. The practic sample of import of the medical device is based on the mentioned regulations with the attaching of the principles for an international purchase contract and the other juridical institutes which are regarding the case in several details. At the end of the case is enclosed also the sample of delivery of the imported goods to one of European countries as an example of intracommunitary performance.

Cette thèse examine les déterminants qui expliquent les types de contrats choisis par les exportateurs et les importateurs pour gérer les risques du commerce international. Elle analyse le cas des exportations chiliennes comme l'un des leaders de l'hémisphère sud sur le commerce des fruits. En appliquant la Théorie de Coûts de Transaction et l'Analyse Institutionnelle, ce travail étudie l'influence de l'incertitude environnementale et comportementale ainsi que la spécificité des actifs sur le degré de complétude, la formalisation et l'exécution des contrats. Cette recherche applique une méthodologie multistrand intégrant des méthodes qualitatives et quantitatives. L'analyse utilise les informations provenant de 39 entretiens directs avec des exportateurs et des importateurs et de 65 enquêtes auprès d' exportateurs conduites à l'aide d'un questionnaire. Elle s'appuie également sur une base de données exhaustive issue des douanes chiliennes et documentant les 170370 transactions avec leurs contrats respectifs réalisées par le Chili dans ses exportations vers l'ensemble du monde sur la période 2009-2010. Elle s'appuie enfin sur 44 cas d'arbitrage international dans le commerce de fruits et légumes. Les résultats montrent que les niveaux d'incertitude environnementale liés aux « risques - pays importateurs » conduisent à des contrats plus complets tandis que des niveaux d'incertitude liés à la périssabilité des fruits conduisent à des contrats moins complets. De son côté, la pénurie d'offre sur le marché met l'entreprise exportatrice dans une position favorable pour négocier des contrats plus complets. Ces transactions internationales sont supportées par des moyens oraux et écrits; dans le négoce international des fruits, les contrats signés sont plus importants que pressenti, et leur rôle est davantage destiné à satisfaire les exigences institutionnelles qu'à compenser les risques. Pour faire respecter les contrats, les entreprises adoptent des mécanismes formels comme les inspections, les assurances et l'arbitrage, ainsi que des mécanismes informels tels que la confiance et la réputation. Cette étude a ses limites car elle porte principalement sur le point de vue de l'exportateur, la base de données des douanes ne fournissant pas l'identité de l'importateur et l'analyse transversale ne permettant pas d'observer l'évolution des pratiques contractuelles dans la durée. Jusqu'à présent, peu de recherches empiriques ont été faites sur les contrats intégrés dans différents contextes institutionnels; cette thèse contribue donc à la connaissance des choix contractuels dans 117 pays importateurs et plus généralement à la compréhension du commerce international des produits périssables. Elle est sur le plan académique, une contribution à la littérature économique et gestionnaire des contrats (complétude, formalisation, exécution) et des changements de forme de gouvernance dans les filières internationales. / This doctoral dissertation examines the determinants explaining the type of contracts chosen by exporters and importers to manage the hazards of international trade. It analyzes the case of Chilean off-season exports as one of the southern-hemisphere leaders in the fruit trade. Applying Transaction Cost Economics and Institutional Analysis as a framework, this work will analyze the influence of environmental and behavioral uncertainty and time-specificity on the degree of completeness, formalization and enforcement of contracts. A multi-strand research design integrating qualitative-quantitative methods is applied to analyze information gathered through: 39 face-to-face interviews with exporters and importers; questionnaire surveys from 65 exporters; an exhaustive Chilean customs database containing 170,370 shipments and contracts from Chile to worldwide buyers; and 44 international arbitration cases for the fruit and vegetable trade. The results show that high levels of uncertainty in the alternative importing countries increase the use of more complete contracts. When levels of fruit perishability are high, this often leads to less complete contracts. Shortage of market supply allows the exporting company a favorable position to negotiate a more complete contract. International transactions are supported by oral and written means; the use of signed contracts is more important than perceived in the fruit industry, but its role is more oriented to respond to institutional requirements rather than as a mechanism to offset hazards, such as exporting to risky countries or dealing with distrustful importers. To enforce contracts firms adopt formal and informal mechanisms. These include inspections, insurance, arbitration, in addition to trust and reputation. Limitations of this study include: the customs database does not include the identity of the importer, the cross-sectional analysis performed does not allow observing the evolution of contracting practices, the study is placed predominately from the exporter's perspective. There is also little empirical research on contracts analyzing transactions embedded in different institutional settings. This thesis contributes to the knowledge of contractual choices in 117 importing countries. It contributes to the understanding of international trade of perishable products. It also contributes to the economics and management literature on international contract completeness, formalization, enforceability, and to literature focusing on the changes of governance in the international supply chains.

Le premier chapitre soutient que dans ces économies om la qualité institutionnelle des lois sur les garanties et les faillites est faible, la collatéralisation excessive rend la prise de risque sous-optimalement plus couteuse pour les emprunteurs. Cela décourage le potentiel entrepreneurial et entrave ainsi la croissance potentielle de jeunes entreprises ayant un impact important sur la création d’emplois dans l’économie.Le deuxième chapitre met l’accent sur le canal de «déconnexion». La région du MENA est caractérisée par une proportion inhabituellement élevée d’entreprises qui n’ont pas besoin de financement. Ces entreprises sont moins susceptible de considérer l’accès au crédit comme une préoccupation majeure, sont moins susceptibles d’avoir acquis des immobilisations, et sont moins susceptibles de prévoir une opération de développement.Ces résultats tiennent également en tenant compte de l’ensemble des caractéristiques standard des entreprises. Nous étudions ensuite comment la politique de collatéralisation impact les performances des entreprises à travers le canal de «déconnexion». Dans le troisième chapitre, je passe à un échantillon de pays de l’OCDE. Une littérature croissante souligne le rôle du commerce avec les économies émergentes, en particulier la Chine, dans la destruction des emplois dans le secteur manufacturier comme le processus de désindustrialisation des les économies avancées. Cependant, pour quantifier la pertinence de l’exposition aux importations en provenances des marchés émergents, nous devons démêler le canal commercial du canal de productivité traditionnel. Dans ce chapitre, nous développons un modèle simple du changement structurel dans une économie ouverte pour en déduire des implications empiriques que nous analysons pour un échantillon de pays de l’OCDE. Dans les économies ouvertes, lorsque la croissance de la productivité de l’industrie nationale est plus rapide que celle des services,mais plus lente que celle de l’industrie étrangère, alors la part industrielle peut diminuer dans les économies avancées, tant en valeur ajoutée qu’en emploi. Nous appelons ce phénomène «double désindustrialisation». Nous trouvons des effets significatifs et quantitativement pertinents du commerce sur le changement structurel dans les économies avancées. En outre, alors que de nombreuses études étudient l’accélération de l’ampleur des importations en provenance de Chine depuis 2000 pour expliquer le modèle de désindustrialisation dans les économies avancées, nous soulignons que le changement de la composition des exportations chinoises vers les secteurs des technologies d’information et de communication et la naturante changeante du progrès technologique dans les économies émergentes pourrait contribuer à la compréhension du phénomène de désindustrialisation de l’après 2000. / This thesis investigates the role of collateral environment and trade exposure on the allocation of employment across firms and sectors. The first chapter argues that, in these economies with poor institutional quality of collateral and bankruptcy laws, aggressive collateralization makes the risk-taking behavior of borrowers suboptimally more costly. This discourages entrepreneurship and thus impedes the growth potential among young firms with a potentially high impact on job creation in the economy.Second chapter stresses the "disconnection" channel on the performance of firms when stringent collateral environment impedes the access of firms to financial system. Studying the 6 economies in MENA we observe region is characterized by an unusually highshare of firms that do not need external finance. These firms are less likely to view access to finance as a major concern, are less likely to have purchased fixed assets, andare less likely to plan further expansion. These findings also hold after accounting fora standard set of firm characteristics. In the third chapter, I move to a sample of OECD countries. A growing body of literature emphasizes the role of trade with emerging economies, especially with China, in job destruction in the manufacturing sectors andin the deindustrialization process currently seen in advanced economies. However, to quantify the relevance of exposure to imports from emerging markets, the trade channel needs to be disentangled from the traditional productivity channel. Developing asimple model of structural change in an open economy, I derive empirical implicationsto analyze for a sample of OECD countries. The model illustrates when productivity growth of domestic manufacturing is faster than that of services but slower than that of foreign manufacturing, the share of manufacturing in advanced economies may fall,both in terms of value added and of employment. I call this phenomenon "twin deindustrialization".My empirical results indicate significant and quantitatively relevant effects of trade on structural change in advanced economies. Furthermore, while many studies investigate the accelerating volume of imports from China post 2000 to explain the pattern of deindustrialization in advance economies, I stress that the shift in the composition of Chinese exports towards the ICT sectors and the changing nature of technological progress occurring in emerging economies are important considerations in understanding the pattern of deindustrialization in the post 2000 period.

Der "klassische" Importweg von Proteinen wie Transkriptionsfaktoren, Kernrezeptoren oder viralen Proteinen in den Zellkern erfolgt in Abhängigkeit der Importine alpha und beta. Während nur ein Importin beta existiert, waren zu Beginn der Arbeiten zwei humane alpha-Importine bekannt. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird die Identifikation, Klonierung und funktionelle Charakterisierung von vier neuen humanen alpha-Importinen beschrieben. Anhand ihrer Primärstruktur wurden die sechs alpha-Importine in drei Subfamilien unterteilt. Um die Hypothese zu testen, dass die verschiedenen Importin alpha Isoformen spezifische Funktionen ausüben und sich nicht vollständig gegenseitig ersetzen können, wurde zunächst ihre Expression auf RNA- und Proteinebene analysiert. Hier ließen sich differentielle Expressionsmuster in verschiedenen humanen Zellen und Geweben nachweisen. In vitro Analysen mit rekombinant exprimierten und aufgereinigten Proteinen deuteten daraufhin, dass die neu identifizierten Isoformen tatsächliche Importfunktion besitzen, dass sich jedoch die verschiedenen alpha-Importine in ihren Substratspezifitäten unterscheiden. Verschiedene neue Substrate der alpha-Importine wurden identifiziert und deren Importwege im Detail analysiert. Unterschiede in der Regulation der Expression der alpha-Importine in Abhängigkeit von Zellproliferation, Zelldifferenzierung bzw. in unterschiedlichen Diabetesmodellen der Ratte deuteten ebenfalls auf spezifische Funktionen der verschiedenen Isoformen hin. Die spezifische Inhibition der Importin alpha Expression in kultivierten HeLa-Zellen mittels RNA-Interferenz führte bei den meisten Isoformen zu einer ausgeprägten Inhibition der Zellproliferation, wodurch erstmals der Nachweis essentieller Funktionen verschiedener alpha-Importine in lebenden humanen Zellen erbracht wurde. In weiterführenden Experimenten sollen die Ursachen für die Inhibition der Zellproliferation bei Importin alpha-Mangel geklärt und die Bedeutung der unterschiedlichen alpha-Importine in vivo weiter analysiert werden. / The "classical" import of proteins like transcription factors, nuclear receptors or viral proteins into the nucleus depends on importins alpha and beta. While only one importin beta is known, two human alpha-importins had been described. In this study the identification, cloning and functional characterisation of four novel human alpha-importins is reported. Based on their primary structures the human alpha-importins can be grouped into three distinct subfamilies. To test the hypothesis that the various alpha-Importins differ in their specific functions and cannot substitute for each other first their expression at the RNA- and protein levels were analyzed. Differential expression patterns in various human cells and tissues could be demonstrated. In vitro analyses using recombinantly expressed and purified proteins indicated, that the newly identified isoforms posses import functions in deed. However, there was evidence for differences in their substrate specific import efficacies. New substrates of the alpha-importins were identified and their import pathways analyzed in detail. Differences in the expression regulation of the alpha-importins depending on cellular proliferation and differentiation as well as in different rat models of diabetes further pointed towards specific functions of the various alpha-importins. Specific expression inhibition of several isoforms of the importin alpha protein family in cultured HeLa-cells using RNA-interference technology caused a strong inhibition of cellular proliferation. This is the first proof for essential functions of different alpha-importins in living human cells. Future experiments shall identify the mechanisms involved in the cellular proliferation inhibition due to importin a deficiency and further analyze the role of the different alpha-importins in vivo.

Das 26S Proteasom führt die letzen Schritte des essentiellen, Ubiquitin abhängigen Proteinabbaus durch, indem es ubiquitinierte und fehlgefaltete Proteine erkennt und eliminiert. Da es in S. cerevisiae während allen Stadien der Zellteilung vornehmlich im Zellkern lokalisiert ist, ist der Importweg dieses 2,5 MDa umfassenden proteolytischen Komplexes in den Zellkern von besonderem Interesse. Das 26S Proteasom unterteilt sich in das katalytisch aktive 20S Proteasom sowie den 19S Regulatorkomplex. Für 20S Proteasomen konnten Lehmann und Mitarbeitende (2002, JMB, 317, 401) zeigen, dass Vorläuferkomplexe über den Karyopherin alpha/beta abhängigen Importweg in den Zellkern gelangen und dort zu 20S Proteasomen heranreifen. In dieser Arbeit wird gezeigt, dass die nukleäre Lokalisation der 19S Regulatorkomplexe ebenfalls von Karyopherin alpha/beta abhängt. Die Untersuchung der potentiellen klassischen Kernlokalisationssequenzen (cNLS) in den Untereinheiten des 19S Base Subkomplex ergab, dass Rpn2 und Rpt2, eine non-ATPase Untereinheit sowie eine ATPase Untereinheit des Base Komplex, funktionelle cNLS beherbergen. Die Deletion der Rpt2 NLS führte zur wt Lokalisation der proteasomalen Subkomplexe. Die Deletion der NLS in Rpn2 dagegen bewirkte eine verschlechterte proteasomale Funktion und eine Mislokalisation der Komplexe. Unsere Daten unterstützen ein Modell wonach die nukleären 26S Proteasomen aus Subkomplexen zusammengelagert werden, die durch Karyopherin alpha/beta in den Zellkern gelangen. / 26S proteasomes fulfil final steps in the ubiquitin-dependent degradation pathway by recognising and hydrolysing ubiquitylated proteins. As the 26S proteasome mainly localises to the nucleus in yeast, we addressed the question how this 2 MDa multisubunit complex is imported into the nucleus. 26S proteasomes consist of 20S proteolytically active core and 19S regulatory particles, the latter composed of two subcomplexes, namely the base and lid complexes. We have shown that 20S core particles are translocated into the nucleus as inactive precursor complexes via the classical karyopherin alpha/beta import pathway (Lehmann et al. 2002; JMB, 317, 401). Here, we provide evidence that nuclear import of base and lid complexes also depends on karyopherin alpha/beta. Potential classical nuclear localisation sequences (NLS) of base subunits were analysed. Rpn2 and Rpt2, a non-ATPase and an ATPase subunit of the base complex, harbour functional NLS. The Rpt2 NLS deletion yielded wild type localisation. However, the deletion of the Rpn2 NLS resulted in improper nuclear proteasome localisation and impaired proteasome function. Our data support the model by which nuclear 26S proteasomes are assembled from subcomplexes imported by karyopherin alpha/beta.

Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Infektionen verursachen entzündliche Erkrankungen der Leber. Insbesondere die frühen Phasen des HBV Lebenszyklus sind noch nicht geklärt, so ist z.B. der Rezeptorkomplex an den HBV bindet unbekannt. Mittlerweile stehen neue Infektionsmodelle zur Verfügung um den HBV Lebenszyklus zu untersuchen. Dies erfordert eine effiziente Zellkultur basierende Methode um große Mengen infektiöser Partikel zu generieren. Ein Ziel der Arbeit war durch Kultivierung auf Mikrocarrier die HBV Produktion der Zelllinie HepG2.2.15 zu steigern. Die Analyse von Protein und HBV Sekretion, Infektiösität und MAP Signalübertragung ergab eine 18x höhere HBV Produktion bei einer reduzierten Sekretion von subviralen Partikeln durch HepG2.2.15 die auf Mikrocarrier kultiviert wurden. Der Anstieg der Virusproduktion korreliert mit einer verstärkten Aktivierung der MAP Kinase ERK-2, die mit HBV Replikation in Verbindung steht. Ein weiterer wenig verstandener Teil des HBV Lebenszyklus ist der Kernimport des HBV Genoms. Spuren der viralen Polymerase finden sich im Zellkern von HBV infizierten Zellen. Ziel der Arbeit war, Motive in der HBV Polymerase zu finden, die in der Lage sind Zelllokalisation zu beeinflussen. Durch Sequenzvergleich wurde eine konservierte zweiseitige Kernlokalisationssequenz im Terminalen Protein der HBV Polymerase identifiziert, die eine Proteinkinase CKII Erkennungsstelle enthält. Inhibition der CKII Aktivität in HBV infizierten primären Hepatozyten sowie die Zerstörung der CKII Erkennungsstelle im Terminalen Protein inhibieren die HBV Replikation. Die Funktionalität der Kernlokalisationssequenz wurde durch Fusion an GFP bestätigt und war Abhängig von CKII Aktivität in der Zelle. Dies wurde in vitro durch Bindung des Adapterproteins Karyopherin-alpha an CKII-phosphoryliertes Terminales Protein bestätigt. Die HBV Polymerase enthält eine konservierte zweiseitige Kernlokalisationssequenz deren Funktionalität durch CKII Phosphorilierung vermittelt wird. / Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection causes acute and chronic liver inflammation. Especially the early phase of the HBV life cycle is not clearly understood. For example the receptor complex that mediates viral entry is not known. Novel infection models to study the HBV lifecycle are described that demand for a large amount of cell culture generated infectious HBV particles. One aim was to enhance HBV production of the cell line HepG2.2.15 by cultivation on microcarrier substrate. Analysis of protein and viral particle secretion, infectivity, and cellular MAP kinase signaling revealed an up to 18x increased HBV production and a decreased subviral particle secretion by HepG2.2.15 when cultivated on microcarrier. The observed effect was due to an enhanced phospho-activation of MAP kinase ERK-2 that is tightly associated with HBV replication. Another poorly understood part of the HBV lifecycle is the mechanism that delivers the HBV genome into the nucleus. Traces of HBV polymerase can be found in HBV infected cells. The second objective was to identify motifs on the HBV polymerase that determine its subcellular localization. By sequence alignment a conserved bipartite nuclear localization signal was found in the terminal protein of the HBV polymerase encompassing a protein kinase CKII recognition site. Inhibition of CKII kinase in infected primary hepatocytes and destruction of the identified CKII recognition site in the viral polymerase impaired virus production. The functionality of the putative nuclear localization signal was confirmed by fusion to GFP. Moreover, its functionality was depended on CKII activity that was verified by in vitro binding experiments of terminal protein to the import adaptor karyopherin-alpha. This data identified a nuclear localization signal in the HBV polymerase, which functionality is mediated by CKII phosphorylation.

Submitted by Silvana Teresinha Dornelles Studzinski (sstudzinski) on 2016-05-06T16:52:30Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Alessandra Vitorino Razzera_.pdf: 1279640 bytes, checksum: e2e6bd52fb501079f94aa2453e161fcd (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-06T16:52:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Alessandra Vitorino Razzera_.pdf: 1279640 bytes, checksum: e2e6bd52fb501079f94aa2453e161fcd (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-29 / Nenhuma / A partir da abertura comercial brasileira ocorrida nos anos 90, a participação das importações de bens obteve um considerável crescimento, em razão do desenvolvimento econômico e da própria globalização. Dentro da área de operações das organizações, a função de importação relaciona distintos agentes logísticos, no contexto da cadeia de suprimentos (supply chain), demandando soluções inovadoras, as quais necessariamente passam pelos prestadores de serviços logísticos terceirizados, ou third party logistics – TPL. Assim, o presente estudo buscou analisar o papel dos prestadores de serviços logísticos terceirizados, no desenvolvimento de soluções logísticas inovadoras em importação, no Brasil. Para tanto, foi realizado um estudo de caso múltiplo, com quatro prestadores de serviços logísticos no Brasil, elegidos por meio do ranking da instituição ILOS de 2014, referente aos prestadores de serviços logísticos que mais se destacaram no mercado brasileiro naquele ano. Por meio da estratégia de estudo de caso múltiplo, foram realizadas entrevistas em profundidade com os prestadores de serviços logísticos e com um cliente destes. Após esta etapa, os dados coletados nas entrevistas foram compilados e triangulados, junto a apresentações e folders de serviços que foram disponibilizados e indicados como inovadores, além dos respectivos websites e informações provenientes da internet. O presente estudo multicascos, destaca o papel dos prestadores de serviços logísticos no desenvolvimento de soluções logísticas inovadoras do tipo tecnológicas. Os resultados encontrados, demonstram que as inovações são empurradas pelos direcionamentos dos clientes na maioria das vezes, porém puxadas, quando há uma abertura para as mudanças alicerçada em confiança, relacionamento, entendimento da cadeia de suprimentos dos importadores e de sua real necessidade, um trabalho interno e externo, minucioso e constante, comunicação, desenvolvimento de pessoas, background em logística, atuação institucional e pró-atividade. / From the Brazilian trade opening occurred in the 90s, the share of import goods achieved a considerable growth, as a result of the economic development and globalization. Within the operations area of the organizations, the import function relates different logistics agents in the context of the supply chain, requiring innovative solutions, which necessarily pass through the outsourced logistics service providers, or, third party logistics - TPL. The present research investigates the role of third party logistics service providers, in the development of innovative logistics solutions for imports in Brazil. Thus, a multiple case study was conducted with four logistics services providers in Brazil, chosen by the ranking of ILOS 2014 institution, related to the logistics service providers that stood out in the Brazilian market that year. Through a multiple case study strategy, depth interviews were conducted with the logistics service providers and a client of these. After this step, the data collected in the interviews was compiled and triangulated, along with presentations and brochures of services provided by the TPL’s and indicated as innovative, beyond the respective websites and information from the internet. This search highlights the role of logistics service providers, in the development of innovative logistics solutions of the technological type. The results show that innovations are driven by customer directions most of the time, but pulled when there is an opening for the change, based in trust, relationship, understanding of the importers supply chain and their real need, an internal and external work, thorough and constant, communication, people development, background in logistics, institutional action and proactivity.