Approximately half of all wasted food is fruits and vegetables. One major cause of food waste is abnormal aesthetics; even if it is just as delicious as its normal counterpart. Food with a non-standard appearance (hereafter called ugly food) can be expelled by the markets. To reduce such waste, ugly food campaigns, which were developed in Europe and spread throughout the world, advocate for the consumption of ugly food. To study the problem of ugly food waste, this thesis examines ugly apples, since apples are the most common, representative, and readily accessible fruit. The objective of this thesis is to suggest marketing strategies and actions to facilitate the consumption and sales of ugly apples that can be expanded to other ugly fruits and vegetables. The data used for analysis are obtained from the Rural Development Administration in Korea. The findings of the thesis indicate that younger people and lower-income households are more likely to purchase ugly apples from online markets, non-stores such as food trucks and traditional markets compared with mega-scale discount stores. When advertising ugly apples, food quality should be emphasized rather than price.

The aim of the thesis is to identify new technologies currently used in retail and to evaluate the attitudes of domestic customers to these technologies. Then, based on the findings, devise recommendations on the use of these new information technologies. The diploma thesis deals with individual information technologies which are used in the Czech Republic and abroad, but also with those that are still being developed. With the help of research, the topic of retail technology is viewed from the perspective of customers.

Problemställning: Mellan åren 2011 och 2017 lades 5000 fysiska butiker i Sverige inom sällanköpsvaruhandeln ner, samtidigt har e-handelns omsättning ökat markant de senaste åren. I Linköping har den fysiska handeln inte minskat nämnvärt det senaste året vilket gör det intressant att studera hur de fristående butikerna i staden agerar för att hantera den ökade konkurrensen e-handeln och digitaliseringen bär med sig. Med anledning av detta undersöker studien hur fristående fysiska butiker konkurrerar och hur de står emot e- handeln. Forskningsfrågor: -        Hur arbetar fristående fysiska butiker med konkurrensstrategier? -        Hur påverkas fristående fysiska butikers strategier av de strukturella förändringar digitaliseringen medför? -        Hur ser fristående fysiska butiker på sin framtid med avseende på vilka strategier som kan stärka deras konkurrenskraft och möjlighet att långsiktigt överleva? Syfte: Studien syftar till att skapa förståelse för hur fristående fysiska butiker hanterar den ökade konkurrensen från e-handeln i och med digitaliseringen och hur de ser på sin framtid. Resultat: I studien framkommer att de fristående fysiska butikerna i regel inte arbetar efter strategier som framhävs i teorin, utan snarare baserar sina beslut på känsla. Vidare har e- handeln påverkat butikerna dels negativt på grund av bland annat priskriget den medför men även positivt då de fått möjlighet att nå fler kunder och sälja mer. Vår referensram visade sig inte vara tillräcklig för att beskriva vilka faktorer butikerna upplever som viktiga, utan behöver justeras eller kompletteras. Kunskapsbidrag: Studien bidrar med en insikt om hur fristående fysiska butiker i en svensk stad strategiskt hanterar den ökade konkurrensen som kommit i och med digitaliseringen. Studien belyser även att traditionella teorier behöver justeras och utökas för att beskriva handelssituationen för fristående fysiska butiker i ett digitaliserat samhälle. / Problem: Between 2011 and 2017, 5000 physical stores within durable goods in Sweden were closed, while e-commerce's sales have increased significantly in recent years. In Linköping, physical trade has not declined notably in the past year, which makes it interesting to study how independent stores in the city act to manage the increased competition e-commerce and digitalization entail. With this in mind, the study investigates how physical stores compete and how they resist e-commerce. Research Questions: -        How do independent physical stores work with competitive strategies? -        How are the strategies of independent physical stores affected by the structural changes caused by the digitalization? -        How do independent physical stores envisage their future when it comes to competitive strategy and long-term survival opportunities? Purpose: This study aims to create an understanding of how independent physical stores manage the increased competition from e-commerce and digitalization as well as how they envision their future. Conclusion: The study concludes that independent physical stores do not avail the competitive strategies provided by the theoretical framework, but rather base their decisions on intuition. The digitalization has brought both negative and positive consequences upon the independent physical stores. The competitiveness regarding pricing has increased which is negative, but digitalization can also be used as a tool to reach more potential customers and thus, enhance sales. The theoretical framework of this study proved to be limited in its ability to describe which factors the independent physical stores find important, and is therefore in need of adjustments or supplements. Contribution: The study contributes with knowledge of how independent physical stores in a Swedish city strategically manage the increased competition that has come with the digitalization. The study further highlights that traditional theories are in need of adjustments and expansion to better describe the trading situation of independent physical stores in a digitalized society.

[pt] As marcas próprias (MP s) despontam como sendo uma das principais ferramentas do varejo para seu crescimento e fomentação dos lucros. Em países como a França e os EUA elas já representam 36 porcento e 20 porcento das vendas totais do varejo supermercadista respectivamente. No Brasil, esse percentual ainda não passa de 7 porcento. O intuito deste estudo é realizar um comparativo entre o mercado brasileiro e o francês de MP s verificando as suas similaridades e diferenças para analisar as possíveis perspectivas futuras para esse segmento no Brasil. O mercado francês foi selecionado por diversas razões dentre elas por ser um mercado maduro nesse segmento e pelos dois principais varejistas brasileiros serem direta ou indiretamente controlados por franceses. A literatura sobre o tema no Brasil ainda é restrita e, em sua maioria, são direcionados para aspectos sobre a relação da indústria com o varejo, com poucas referências a mercados internacionais como esse paralelo que aqui está sendo proposto (Brito et al., 2004). A partir de entrevistas com diretores dos principais supermercadistas brasileiros e franceses que representam 85 porcento e 75 porcento de vendas de MP s nos respectivos mercados, foram traçadas as características do mercado brasileiro e um comparativo entre os dois mercados. Posteriormente, com base nos dados analisados foi delineado um possível cenário futuro das MP s no Brasil. Os resultados indicam que o mercado brasileiro ainda está subdesenvolvido em relação ao francês pela evolução do varejo e pelo alto envolvimento com marcas pelo consumidor brasileiro. A tendência para o mercado brasileiro é de se profissionalizar mais nos próximos anos com uma crescente aceitação do consumidor e de desenvolver novas categorias de produtos no médio e longo prazo. / [en] Private Labels (PL s) products blunts as being one of the main tools for retailers to grow and to foment their profits. In developed countries such as France and the US, they already represent 36 percent and 20 percent of the total grocery retail sales respectively. In Brazil, this percentage still does not exceed 7 percent. The purpose of this study is to undertake a comparative analysis between the Brazilian and French PL markets verifying their similarities and differences to outline the possible future perspectives for this segment in Brazil. The French retail market has been selected because of the maturity of its market concerning PLs and due to the two main Brazilian grocery retailers being controlled directly or indirectly by French companies. The literature on this topic in Brazil is still limited and, in it s majority is focused on the industry-retail relationship, with a few references to international markets as it is proposed in this study (Brito et al., 2004). From data collected in personal interviews with top managers of the main Brazilian and French grocery retailers which represent 85 percent and 75 percent of PL s total sales in their markets, an overview of the Brazilian market and a comparison between the two markets has been built. Subsequently, based on the analised data, possible Brazilian PL market scenarios have been outlined. The results show that the Brazilian market is still underdeveloped when compared to the French one due to the Brazilian market History and to the high involvment with brands by Brazilian consumers. The perspective concerning the Brazilian market in the near future is to professionalize itself, with an increase in consumer acceptance and to develop new product categories in the medium and long term.

En base al constante crecimiento del mercado de videojuegos, diversas marcas buscan incorporar estrategias para diferenciarse del resto y poder potenciar la intención de compra de las personas en su beneficio, tal como las tiendas Phantom y Lawgamers, quienes buscan obtener la mayor cantidad de ventas posibles. Por tal motivo, la presente investigación tiene como finalidad encontrar la relación entre las variables de los elementos del windows display e intención de compra de videojuegos en Centros Comerciales en mujeres aficionadas de Lima Metropolitana. Así mismo, el trabajo de investigación busca responder a la pregunta de investigación formulada, la cual debate acerca de cuál de los elementos del windows display son más influyentes en la intención de compra y, así responder la hipótesis propuesta, la cual menciona que el sticker o la estatua tienen mayor influencia en la intención de compra. Además, esta investigación esta compuesta por una parte cualitativa y cuantitativa, la cual es de tipo correlacional porque se busca comprobar la relación de una variable con otra y con técnica mixta. Así pues, los resultados obtenidos de la investigación revelaron que el sticker y la estatua no son los elemento del windows display que más influyente en la intención de compra en el público objetivo. Por otro lado, el windows display cuenta con otros elementos, los cuales fueron jerarquizados según su grado de importancia, siendo los más importantes producto, color, sticker, iluminación y estatua. Por ultimo, se pudo concluir que el producto es el elemento del windows display que más influyente en la intención de compra en el público objetivo. / Based on the constant growth of the videogame market, several brands seek to incorporate strategies to differentiate themselves from the rest and to maximize the intention of people to purchase on their benefit, Stores like Phantom and Lawgamers, who seek to obtain as much sales as possible. For this reason, the purpose of this research is to find the relationship between The variable elements of windows display and the intention of buying videogames in shopping centers for amateur women in Metropolitan Lima. Likewise, the research work seeks to answer the question formulated, that discusses which of the elements windows display are most influential in the purchase intention and, answer the proposed hypothesis, which mentions that the sticker or the statue have a greater influence on the purchase intention. In addition, this research is composed of a qualitative and quantitative part, which is correlated because it seeks to verify the relationship of one variable with another and with mixed media. Thus, the results obtained from the investigation revealed that the sticker and the statue are not elements of the windows display that most influential in the purchase intention in the target audience. On the other hand, the windows display has other elements, which were ranked according to its importance, being the most important product, color, sticker, lighting, statue. Finally, it can be concluded that the product is the element of the windows display that is the most influential in the purchase intention in the target audience. / Trabajo de investigación

Cholestasis is an important liver pathology. During cholestasis bile acids accumulate in the bile canaliculus affecting hepatocyte viability. The actions of bile acids require changes in the release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores and in Ca2+ entry. The target(s) of the Ca2+ entry pathway affected by bile acids is, however, not known. The overall objective of the work described in this thesis was to elucidate the target(s) and mechanism(s) of bile acids-induced modulation of hepatocytes calcium homeostasis. First, it was shown that a 12 h pre-incubation with cholestatic bile acids (to mimic cholestasis conditions) induced the inhibition of Ca2+ entry through store-operated Ca2+ channels (SOCs), while the addition of choleretic bile acids to the incubation medium caused the reversible activation of Ca2+ entry through SOCs. Moreover, it was shown that incubation of liver cells with choleretic bile acids counteracts the inhibition of Ca2+ entry caused by pre-incubation with cholestatic bile acids. Thus, it was concluded that SOCs are the target of bile acids action in liver cells. Surprisingly, despite the effect of choleretic bile acids in activating SOCs, the Ca2+ dye fura-2 failed to detect choleretic bile acid-induced Ca2+ release from intracellular stores in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. However, under the same conditions, when the sub-plasma membrane Ca2+ levels were measured using FFP-18 Ca2+ dye, choleretic bile acid induced a transient increase in FFP-18 fluorescence. This evidence suggested that choleretic bile acids-induced activation of Ca2+ entry through SOCs, involving the release of Ca2+ from a region of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) located in the vicinity of the plasma membrane.

This analysis shows the possibility of implementing a Convenience Store (CVS) Chain Business in an emerging market in Latin America: Peru. Even though the international financial crisis that started in 2007, and affected the whole economic world, this type of business has demonstrated that some services can do well based on its own competitive advantage that focus on the customer needs. Modern cities, with millions of inhabitants suffer from traffic jams, insecurity, lack of time, long distances to go from one place to another, etc. The convenience of providing different types of products and services and the good location that the stores should have are key elements for the success of the CVS business. Dividing the analysis into 4 main categories: Commercial, Operational, Organizational and Financial, this project shows that there is still a market niche to consider in an almost 9 million people city like Lima that only hosts a little more than 200 of such a places located in gas stations. The analysis proposed to open two types of places: Internal and External, in order to satisfy the unsatisfied demand that already exists and cover all the possible best locations in town, before international big chains enter there. In the long run, the idea is to replicate the experience in other big cities around the Latin America region that are still empty of such business model.

<p>Trots allt jämställdhetsarbete i dagens samhälle innehar män fortfarande en större andel chefspositioner än kvinnor. Det finns många teorier som försöker förklara varför det förhåller sig så. Syftet med denna uppsats är att förklara eventuella skillnader i rekryterares attityder till kvinnors och mäns förutsättningar att nå chefspositioner inom dagligvaruhandeln. Vi har genomfört intervjuer med rekryteringsansvariga i tre dagligvarubutiker i Skåne. Resultaten från dessa har sedan jämförts med befintliga teorier och tidigare undersökningar i ämnet chefsrekrytering. Vi har kommit fram till att det finns hinder för kvinnor att nå chefspositioner i de organisationer vi undersökt. Dessa hinder verkar främst ligga i rekryterarnas attityder. Vi har funnit faktorer som verkar missgynnande för jämställdheten, men också sådant som verkar gynnande.</p> / <p>Even though the society of today promotes gender equality, men still hold a greater proportion of managerial positions than women do. There are many theories aiming to explain why things are this way. The purpose of this paper is to explain potential differences in recruiters’ attitudes towards the conditions of men and women reaching managerial positions in food stores. We have interviewed the recruitment managers in three food stores in southern Sweden. We then compared the results from the interviews with existing theories and previous studies in the subject. We found that barriers to women reaching managerial positions in the organizations exist. These barriers appear to be found in the attitudes of the recruiters. We have found things that appear to disadvantage gender equality, but also things that seem favourable.</p>

<p>Purpose/Aim: The purpose of this thesis is to define and analyse how Swedish record companies work with digital musical content distributors. A more narrow aim is to show how the record companies and with the digital musical content distributors iTunes Music Store and Spotify create incentives for consumer’s to use legal digital music channels through the Internet. To further circle the core of the problem following questions have been asked: How does the record companies provide iTunes Music Store and Spotify with digital content and what is done by the record companies to retain control over the material? How do the record companies view digital musical sales and what incentives are given to consumers to buy music digitally? Finally, What position of power do iTunes Music Store and Spotify have on the digital content arena?</p><p>Material/Method: The data collected for this thesis is retrieved through personal interviews with representatives from three of the four major record companies Universal Music, Warner Music and EMI and their Swedish branches.</p><p>Main results: The consumer’s access to digital content through iTunes Music Store and Spotify is of the utmost importance and is a prerequisite. Even if the record companies choose to not demand DRM protection on their products it does not stop Apple from keeping their Fairplay protection. In this way Apple is the company controlling the files, even if the Record Companies have made their decision based on research, which has shown that sales go down if the music files are DRM protected. The record companies have chosen not to get involved with the sales of digital content. This results in power being shifted to E-tailers such as iTunes Music Store and Spotify. The incentives the consumers are given to buy music digitally are found in the surplus value, which is supported by iTunes Music Store and Spotify. These surplus values are such services as recommendations of music or artists. Different packaging solutions, such as subscriptions through an Internet provider, do not raise the value of the music. The value is added to the Internet provider’s products and not the music, but they do guarantee a steady income for the record companies.</p>

<p>Diabetes mellitus is a bihormonal disorder with hyperglycemia due to deficiency of insulin and hypersecretion of glucagon. To improve diabetes treatment it is important to clarify the signal transduction of glucagon secretion. The cytoplasmic Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]_i), an important determinant of hormone secretion, and the membrane potential were recorded in individual mouse α-cells. Glucagon and insulin secretion were measured from mouse islets and glucagon secretion from hamster glucagonoma cells. Glucose inhibited glucagon secretion from islets and glucagonoma cells with maximal effect at 7 mM, indicating a direct action on the α-cells. High concentrations of glucose paradoxically stimulated glucagon secretion. Whereas glucose inhibition of glucagon release was associated with lowering of [Ca²⁺]_i, stimulation of secretion at high glucose concentrations was Ca²⁺-independent. Adrenaline, which is a potent stimulator of glucagon secretion, increased [Ca²⁺]_i by α₁- and β-adrenergic mechanisms involving mobilization of intracellular Ca²⁺ from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and influx of the ion across the plasma membrane. Ca²⁺ mobilization could be attributed to generation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and cAMP, and influx occurred through voltage-dependent L-type channels activated by a depolarizing store-operated current. Glucose hyperpolarized the α-cells and inhibited adrenaline-induced [Ca²⁺]_i signalling. At 3 mM, glucose had a pronounced stimulatory effect on Ca²⁺ sequestration in the ER, shutting off store-operated Ca²⁺ influx. The α-cells express ATP-regulated K⁺ channels but pharmacological blockade of these channels neither interfered with the hyperpolarizing and [Ca²⁺]_ilowering effects of glucose nor with the inhibition of glucagon secretion. In contrast, activation of the depolarizing store-operated mechanism prevented glucose-induced, hyperpolarization, lowering of [Ca²⁺]_i and inhibition of glucagon secretion. It is proposed that adrenaline stimulation and glucose inhibition of glucagon release involve modulation of a store-operated depolarizing current. The U-shaped dose response relationship for glucose-regulated glucagon secretion may explain the hyperglucagonemia in diabetes.</p>