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Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:51:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 3398.pdf: 1524050 bytes, checksum: 3dc5bfaca6c1fc417d237928bd0b64f9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-08-27 / The competitive environment of the XXI century subjects corporations to some major challenges. The complexity of relationships as more and more multinational companies merge and interaction between companies increases, has opened up the way for organizations to recognize the strategic role played by the production area. The management of these relationships is appearing more and more frequently on meeting agendas of high level leadership of organizations. In terms of this, the objective of this research is to analyze the influence between links, central company and suppliers, who belong to a cross-section of the supply chain of white goods, based on the theories of production strategy and the supply chain management. The field research was conducted as a qualitative exploratory survey, by means of three case studies in three companies, these being a factory of white goods (central company) and two tier one suppliers. The main method used to obtain the information was actually visiting the companies and conducting interviews with their managers. The main conclusion from this study is that there is a strong connection (influence) of competitive strategy and production strategy of the central company on the strategies and structural and infrastructural decisions of the analyzed suppliers, being that this influence is becoming more powerful through the buying power of the central company and through threats from new competitors, mainly Asian suppliers. / O ambiente competitivo do século XXI impõe grandes desafios para as corporações. A complexidade das relações intrafirma e interfirmas, com a intensificação de fusões de empresas multinacionais, como ocorre com as montadoras de linha branca no período pós década de 90, abriu caminho para as organizações reconhecerem o papel estratégico da função Produção. Além do aumento da abrangência das relações entre empresas nas cadeias de suprimentos, que também potencializa o valor estratégico da Produção. A gestão destas relações está cada vez mais na pauta das discussões da alta liderança das organizações, visando identificar oportunidades que possibilitem o desenvolvimento de novas vantagens competitivas e de maior captura de valor pela cadeia. Neste contexto o objetivo desta dissertação é analisar a influência entre elos, montadora e fornecedores, pertencentes a um recorte da cadeia de suprimentos de linha branca, com base nas teorias da Estratégia de Produção e da Gestão da Cadeia de Suprimentos. O enfoque deste estudo está na estratégia de produção e suas implicações nas áreas de decisão estruturais e infraestruturais, mediante influências exercidas entre elos, montadora e fornecedores, da cadeia de suprimentos. A pesquisa de campo foi conduzida como uma pesquisa qualitativa exploratória, por meio de três estudos de caso em empresas da cadeia de linha branca, sendo uma montadora e dois fornecedores de primeira camada, em que o principal meio utilizado para obtenção de informações foi a realização de visitas às empresas e entrevistas com seus gestores. A principal constatação deste estudo é que existe forte influência da estratégia competitiva e da estratégia de produção da empresa central (montadora) sobre as estratégias e decisões estruturais e infraestruturais dos fornecedores analisados, sendo esta influência potencializada pelo poder de compra da montadora e pelas ameaças de novos concorrentes, principalmente fornecedores asiáticos.

Biofuels have been used as an energy source for heating and cooking since the beginning of time. However, recent changes in the demand for energy, and in particular, renewable energy, have spurred the growth of liquid biofuel industries in developed countries. Many developing countries, including South Africa have the potential to produce biofuels with benefits extending into the economic and social spheres. Despite government commitments and targets, the South African biodiesel and bio-ethanol industries have stalled in the starting blocks. This research aims to assess the reasons why. South Africa does not have the climate to compete with Brazil in bio-ethanol production and the scope for bioethanol is limited by environmental factors. However our neighbours show significantly more promise in this area. Biodiesel production is more likely to be commercially viable due to the country’s ability to grow oil crops and the need for the by-products. Despite the availability of land for cultivation of energy crops, the required technology and suitable infrastructure, progress has been slow. Uncertainty, high risk and misdirected government interventions have hampered investment in the sector and those involved in biofuel projects are very negative about the government’s ability to stimulate the industry. Consequently, they are looking towards importing feedstock material and exporting the biofuel. This will create a limited number of jobs, but will be energy and carbon negative, and will not aid rural development. Currently there is no medium or large scale virgin oil to biofuel producer operating in the country and the start-up dates for projects are beyond 2013. The WVO biodiesel industry has grown rapidly in the last five years but is limited to small scale operators with limited benefit potential. With the exception of Brazil, other world leaders in biofuels are facing heavy criticism and the mechanisms used to initially boost the industry have very limited application in South Africa. The benefits of biofuel production in South Africa are plentiful and align well with social need and development goals. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Biofuels have been used as an energy source for heating and cooking since the beginning of time. However, recent changes in the demand for energy, and in particular, renewable energy, have spurred the growth of liquid biofuel industries in developed countries. Many developing countries, including South Africa have the potential to produce biofuels with benefits extending into the economic and social spheres. Despite government commitments and targets, the South African biodiesel and bio-ethanol industries have stalled in the starting blocks. This research aims to assess the reasons why. South Africa does not have the climate to compete with Brazil in bio-ethanol production and the scope for bioethanol is limited by environmental factors. However our neighbours show significantly more promise in this area. Biodiesel production is more likely to be commercially viable due to the country’s ability to grow oil crops and the need for the by-products. Despite the availability of land for cultivation of energy crops, the required technology and suitable infrastructure, progress has been slow. Uncertainty, high risk and misdirected government interventions have hampered investment in the sector and those involved in biofuel projects are very negative about the government’s ability to stimulate the industry. Consequently, they are looking towards importing feedstock material and exporting the biofuel. This will create a limited number of jobs, but will be energy and carbon negative, and will not aid rural development. Currently there is no medium or large scale virgin oil to biofuel producer operating in the country and the start-up dates for projects are beyond 2013. The WVO biodiesel industry has grown rapidly in the last five years but is limited to small scale operators with limited benefit potential. With the exception of Brazil, other world leaders in biofuels are facing heavy criticism and the mechanisms used to initially boost the industry have very limited application in South Africa. The benefits of biofuel production in South Africa are plentiful and align well with social need and development goals. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

This study analyses the international timber trade between Malaysia and Europe with respect to the importance of environmental issues on trade and the role of Malaysia as a major timber exporter to Europe. It also evaluates the comparative advantage of Malaysian wood products and the willingness of French consumers (to represent European communities) to pay for sustainable forest management. The first part gives an overview the clashes of perception between developed and developing countries on the environmental concerns over trade. It was observed that environmental standards may act as non-tariff barriers to exporting countries. In addition, the stringent requirements posed by importing countries on technical, marking and labelling to some extent provide unnecessary barriers to trade. The second part deals with the role of Malaysia as a key player in the tropical timber trade. This part evaluates the main export market for Malaysian wood products to the world. For the purpose of this thesis, the analysis focuses on the European market. From the observations, it was found that the export of wooden furniture surpassed major timber exports in 2004. However, to penetrate the European market, Malaysia has to compete with the Chinese with their lower cost tropical wood products, and Brazil with their advantage in certification and labelling of tropical wood products. In tandem with that, the commitment towards sustainable forest management at national level causes shortage of raw materials in Malaysia. To a certain extent, the internal and external factors create necessary challenges to enter the European market. In the third part, the Balassa approach was used to classify the comparative advantage of Malaysia's twenty one types of wood products in Europe. It was estimated that Malaysia had high comparative advantage only in five products which were mechanized and intermediary industrial products. The products identified were sawn wood, wooden mouldings, plywood, veneer and builders' joinery and carpentry. The remaining products had lower comparative advantage and disadvantage to export to the European market based on the Balassa index. In the last part, the estimation on the willingness to pay for sustainable forest management attributes was conducted. Besides that, additional attributes such as fair trade and wood origin were included. A questionnaire was set up using all the attributes reflected in the hypothetical wood flooring product in the market. Based on the result, consumers were willing to pay the highest for the presence of fair trade and wood origin (in this study referring to French origin); nevertheless they were still willing to pay for sustainable aspects of forest. However, the willingness to pay for all the attributes was altered depending on the respondents' knowledge of forest labelling, their attitudes towards environmental preservation, living area, education level, type of job and income level. In the overall finding of the thesis, all the results from each part were synthesized in a systemic approach simultaneously deliberating on the macro and microeconomic perspectives as well as the dimensions on demand and supply. Overall, the findings suggest that the challenges and constraints facing the Malaysian timber industry indirectly shaped the export of Malaysian wooden products. Malaysia has adapted by going into value-added products to lessen the impact of environment-related trade barriers and to circumvent the shortage of raw materials supply. Malaysia has successfully customized the wooden products to the sustainability and legality requirements of the European market by pursuing the national certification (Malaysian Timber Certification) and being committed to sustainable forest management objectives.

Ce travail étudie l’influence des questions environnementales sur le commerce international à partir des échanges de bois tropicaux Malaisie – Europe, la Malaisie étant un important exportateur de bois. Les avantages comparatifs des produits forestiers Malaisiens sont évalués, ainsi que la propension à payer le bois issu de gestion forestière durable par les consommateurs français (en tant qu’Européens). La première partie envisage les différences de perception entre pays développés et pays en développement pour le lien entre commerce et environnement. Il apparaît que les normes environnementales agissent comme des barrières non-tarifaires. Ces barrières sont accentuées par les critères de marquage, d’étiquetage, et de technologie imposés par les pays importateurs. La seconde partie analyse le rôle clé de la Malaisie dans le commerce des bois tropicaux. Les principaux marchés d’exportation des bois Malaisiens sont évalués. Le marché Européen est étudié plus en détail. Il apparaît que les ventes de meuble ont dépassé en 2004 celles des autres principaux produits forestiers. Sur le marché Européen la Malaisie fait face à la concurrence de produits tropicaux à bas prix venant de Chine, et à celle de produits forestiers éco-certifiés venant du Brésil. Concomitamment, l’engagement de la Malaisie dans une dynamique de gestion plus durable y crée une pénurie relative de matériau brut. La troisième partie calcule l’index de Balassa d’avantage comparatif, pour 21 produits forestiers Malaisiens sur le marché Européen. Seuls 5 produits industriels intermédiaires ou à transformation fortement mécanisée, ont un avantage comparatif marqué. Il s’agit des sciages, moulures, contreplaqués, placages, charpente et menuiserie industrielle. Les autres produits présentent des avantages comparatifs faibles ou même négatifs. La quatrième partie estime la propension à payer pour différents attributs environnementaux, ainsi que d’autres tels le commerce équitable et l’origine géographique. Un questionnaire reprenant ces attributs pour du parquet bois hypothétique a été utilisé. Il semble que les consommateurs soient prêts à rémunérer le plus les critères de commerce équitable et d’origine Française, la gestion durable étant recherchée dans une moindre mesure. La propension à payer les tous les attributs varie en fonction des notions et attitudes qu’ont les consommateurs sur l’éco-certification, l’environnement, ainsi qu’en fonction de leur lieu d’habitation, niveau d’éducation et de revenu, et type de profession. Enfin les résultats des 4 parties sont synthétisés en reliant les échelles micro et macroéconomiques, avec les dimensions de demande et d’approvisionnement. D’une façon générale, les résultats suggèrent que les opportunités et contraintes propres à la l’industrie du bois de Malaisie façonnent les exports de produits. La Malaisie s’adapte en se tournant vers des produits à plus haute valeur ajoutée et à moindre impact environnemental, pour pallier aux barrières commerciales et à la pénurie relative de matériau. La Malaisie s’est dotée d’une certification nationale (Malaysian Timber Certification) propre à remplir les critères de durabilité et de légalité de l’Europe, et s’est engagée la gestion durable des forêts. / This study analyses the international timber trade between Malaysia and Europe with respect to the importance of environmental issues on trade and the role of Malaysia as a major timber exporter to Europe. It also evaluates the comparative advantage of Malaysian wood products and the willingness of French consumers (to represent European communities) to pay for sustainable forest management. The first part gives an overview the clashes of perception between developed and developing countries on the environmental concerns over trade. It was observed that environmental standards may act as non-tariff barriers to exporting countries. In addition, the stringent requirements posed by importing countries on technical, marking and labelling to some extent provide unnecessary barriers to trade. The second part deals with the role of Malaysia as a key player in the tropical timber trade. This part evaluates the main export market for Malaysian wood products to the world. For the purpose of this thesis, the analysis focuses on the European market. From the observations, it was found that the export of wooden furniture surpassed major timber exports in 2004. However, to penetrate the European market, Malaysia has to compete with the Chinese with their lower cost tropical wood products, and Brazil with their advantage in certification and labelling of tropical wood products. In tandem with that, the commitment towards sustainable forest management at national level causes shortage of raw materials in Malaysia. To a certain extent, the internal and external factors create necessary challenges to enter the European market. In the third part, the Balassa approach was used to classify the comparative advantage of Malaysia’s twenty one types of wood products in Europe. It was estimated that Malaysia had high comparative advantage only in five products which were mechanized and intermediary industrial products. The products identified were sawn wood, wooden mouldings, plywood, veneer and builders’ joinery and carpentry. The remaining products had lower comparative advantage and disadvantage to export to the European market based on the Balassa index. In the last part, the estimation on the willingness to pay for sustainable forest management attributes was conducted. Besides that, additional attributes such as fair trade and wood origin were included. A questionnaire was set up using all the attributes reflected in the hypothetical wood flooring product in the market. Based on the result, consumers were willing to pay the highest for the presence of fair trade and wood origin (in this study referring to French origin); nevertheless they were still willing to pay for sustainable aspects of forest. However, the willingness to pay for all the attributes was altered depending on the respondents’ knowledge of forest labelling, their attitudes towards environmental preservation, living area, education level, type of job and income level. In the overall finding of the thesis, all the results from each part were synthesized in a systemic approach simultaneously deliberating on the macro and microeconomic perspectives as well as the dimensions on demand and supply. Overall, the findings suggest that the challenges and constraints facing the Malaysian timber industry indirectly shaped the export of Malaysian wooden products. Malaysia has adapted by going into value-added products to lessen the impact of environment-related trade barriers and to circumvent the shortage of raw materials supply. Malaysia has successfully customized the wooden products to the sustainability and legality requirements of the European market by pursuing the national certification (Malaysian Timber Certification) and being committed to sustainable forest management objectives.

The after-sales pricing industry has, as many other industries, transformed with the digital era which have enabled automatization and scalable solutions. For companies pricing over 35 000 after sales items, scalable, digital solutions is needed. “The Company” International AB offers their SaaS solution Price, which integrates with the company’s ERP system and helps gain as much profits as possible by assisting with value-based pricing.  But lately, “The Company” has realized to be able to be market leading they need to ensure a better user experience (UX). This research’s aim was to understand how design affect customer value by understanding what UX factors are important to succeed in a B2B after-sales spare part market. The main research question were thereby: How do the UX design affect the customer value on an after sales digital service?. An important note to make is that this study will focus on the market, UX design trends and customers and their needs – not how the design should be done per se (e.g. “this button should be green, not blue”).  From the literature review, the sub-elements of UX were found to be Functionality, UI Design, Usability and Affect. Moreover, Organization is found to be a vital part to enable as good the UX as possible. The review suggested all sub-elements and their units could play a part of creating enhanced customer value.  The study is based upon qualitative interviews, followed up by a quantitative validation form studying the sub-elements and CSI. The interviews were held online with video calls and lasted for about 1–1,5 hr.  The findings verify earlier studies and implications, that all UX sub-elements do affect customer value significantly. The factor with least correlation to CSI is functionality which could be explained by being a hygiene factor, not motivator factor. Another finding, in contrary to B2C research, suggests that positive emotions is not wished for in B2B software’s as the users are “forced” to use the software as it is a part of their job, but this implication need to be further researched.  To be able to use UX as a market strategy “The Company” is advised to, within the product development team, not only prioritize new functionalities but also improving existing functionalities. It is also advised to share UX goals and vision throughout the different division working with Price. Some actions advice to take to enhance Price’s UX is making error messages actionable, enabling the user to save drafts in wizards and make it possible for the user to terminate any actions in the system.