Despite several developments in logistics that strive to decrease costs, tendencies can be found for increased logistical costs (Pewe, 2011, p. 17). Some factors causing increased system complexity are increased selection and faster market movements. The Warehouse Department at Carlsberg Sverige in Falkenberg has been chosen to be studied regarding continuous quality improvements. Carlsberg Sverige implemented an automated inventory system and automated order-picking system in 2012-2013, which has had about 40% increase of stock keeping units (SKUs) since the investments. Since the implementation of the automation Carlsberg Sverige has encountered challenges with other quality of goods. The system has become more sensitive and it has become more important to eliminate deviation.The study aimed to develop a way for long-term reduction or elimination of quality errors that result in negative effects to the system. A specific area investigated was regarding both effect of the organization in a holistic perspective and on a level of detail of the analyzed area. The study did not include quality of beverages, but only external quality problems of goods, such as faulty stacking of packages or plastic wrapping hanging outside of the goods.An exploratory study was conducted with predominantly quantitative data collection methods. Initially a current state mapping was made, a flow chart was created through interviews and observations of employees. Critical activities / situations were identified in the flow chart and three areas were determined for further investigation regarding quality errors. Observations were carried out where all occurred abnormalities were registered. The results were analyzed and a focus area determined for continued deeper examination. A final model was created with the influence of theories and collected data from the case study.The examined focus area was part of the fully automated warehouse. Adaptation to the new automation was still under investigation and a need for more clarity in the continuous quality improvements . From the observations, it was revealed that in approximately 70% of the observing time in the focus area, there was an error in the area affected system. Registered errors were categorized into ten groups, seven groups were included in the research scope. Out of the seven categories there were two significance regarding amount of repetitions of registered errors; unreadable label was measured 30 times, and plastic wrapping outside goods was discovered 12 times during 7 hours of measurement. Significance regarding average duration was discovered for; system errors of labels and wood detected by sensors on conveyors.Detected errors with significance were further analyzed with fishbone diagrams to find root-causes. Several common causes were discovered in the fishbone diagrams, for instance regarding inadequate methods and measurements. The discoveries functioned as basis for the final model that consists of: Key Performance Indexes (KPI's), a flow chart of affecting processes, daily whiteboard meetings, improved communication channels and a process for implementation of routines. The model developed was to fit this case study, which represents; a complex system with lots of shift work, both manual and automated processes and handling of beverage goods. Despite this, the model is considered to function as a basis to work on continuous quality improvements for organizations outside the mentioned scope, but with modifications of the model.

Since the introduction of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) in 2003 and the Public Sector Risk Management Framework in 2010, Municipalities had to start focusing on proper risk management as part of their management activities. Within the government sector, risk management needs to be implemented in order to prevent financial losses and to improve service delivery. If shortcomings regarding risk management exist within a municipality, it could have a negative effect on sound financial management and the outcome of annual audits. This study was conducted to test the hypothesis, namely if shortcomings regarding risk management exist within a municipality. Should this be the case, it could possible affect sound financial management and the outcome of annual audits. This was to a large extent proven within this case study and it is likely that other municipalities will have similar problems. Information was obtained from two groups of officials of the Sedibeng District Municipality by means of one-on-one interviews and hand delivered questionnaires. Group 1 consisted of 14 officials not in management positions and group 2 of 11 officials in senior management positions. The questionnaire comprised five sections of questions that aimed at determining the extent of knowledge and attitude of the respondent towards monitoring, assessment, identification and response to risk management within their specific departments. Analysis of the results indicated clearly that the overall risk management knowledge differed substantially from group 1 to group 2. The knowledge, monitoring, assessment, identification and response to risk management activities were minimal or unclear to respondents not in management positions. Respondents in senior management positions were more aware of risk management responsibilities. However they admitted that it was not always done as required and in many cases only due to compliance. The results are strengthened by the statement released by the Auditor General in his 2011 audit report on Sedibeng District Municipality stating “the implementation of appropriate risk management activities to ensure risk assessment, were not conducted and the risk strategy to address the risks was not developed and monitored.” Various recommendations are proposed within this article that could improve the overall management and sustainability of risk management within municipalities. / M Development and Management (Public Management and Governance), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

Since the introduction of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) in 2003 and the Public Sector Risk Management Framework in 2010, Municipalities had to start focusing on proper risk management as part of their management activities. Within the government sector, risk management needs to be implemented in order to prevent financial losses and to improve service delivery. If shortcomings regarding risk management exist within a municipality, it could have a negative effect on sound financial management and the outcome of annual audits. This study was conducted to test the hypothesis, namely if shortcomings regarding risk management exist within a municipality. Should this be the case, it could possible affect sound financial management and the outcome of annual audits. This was to a large extent proven within this case study and it is likely that other municipalities will have similar problems. Information was obtained from two groups of officials of the Sedibeng District Municipality by means of one-on-one interviews and hand delivered questionnaires. Group 1 consisted of 14 officials not in management positions and group 2 of 11 officials in senior management positions. The questionnaire comprised five sections of questions that aimed at determining the extent of knowledge and attitude of the respondent towards monitoring, assessment, identification and response to risk management within their specific departments. Analysis of the results indicated clearly that the overall risk management knowledge differed substantially from group 1 to group 2. The knowledge, monitoring, assessment, identification and response to risk management activities were minimal or unclear to respondents not in management positions. Respondents in senior management positions were more aware of risk management responsibilities. However they admitted that it was not always done as required and in many cases only due to compliance. The results are strengthened by the statement released by the Auditor General in his 2011 audit report on Sedibeng District Municipality stating “the implementation of appropriate risk management activities to ensure risk assessment, were not conducted and the risk strategy to address the risks was not developed and monitored.” Various recommendations are proposed within this article that could improve the overall management and sustainability of risk management within municipalities. / M Development and Management (Public Management and Governance), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

<p>In the field of the construction industry, the research work has been widely focused on identifying key performance indicators and critical success factors without assessing the impact of conflict environment factors. This study focusses on the impact of post-conflict environment factors on local construction organization performance. This research presents a performance prediction model comprising the effect of post-conflict environment factors on construction organization performance. The proposed framework of this study has four stages: identify key performance indicators (KPIs), identify post-conflict environment impacting factors, determine critical success factors (CSFs), and formulate success strategy to improve performance. Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and multiple linear regression (MLR) techniques are applied to analyze the data.</p> <p>The study finding indicates that there is a significant relationship between the post-conflict condition impacting factors and local construction organization performance, which is insufficiently studied in previous research work. Thus, the developed framework will benefit academic scholars and industry practitioners to analyze and evaluate challenges and opportunities caused by different external environment conditions in the post-conflict construction industry. </p>

This doctoral thesis focuses on the evaluation both economic and social performance factors in the management of business enterprises. The aim is to introduce a model that is based on the Balanced Scorecard principle. The main focus here is on the economic and social area directly stemming from the theoretical basis of the Corporate Social Responsibility. As a result of this thesis is to introduce not only the compilation of the model for performance evaluation of business enterprises but also the methodology of its implementation as well as creation of a strategic map. In order to do so, it is to define key performance indicators that are linked to the evaluation of the strategic aims in the individual perspectives. Thus, the identification of the economic and social factors is the key prerequisite which has an impact on performance in the area of Information and communication activities in the Czech Republic.

The dissertation is focused on the current needs of the business effectiveness and efficiency in marketing activities. In an industrial environment is a prerequisite for the success of the strategic marketing objectives in relation to corporate strategy. In this work there is focus on individual performance systems and group of metrics that are currently applied in engineering in connection to the implemented marketing activities. The main aim of this dissertation is to propose a methodologyfor the selection of marketing metrics that are directly connected to the effectiveness of the company and its marketing activities in the field of engineering in the Czech Republic. To explore the knowledge area there was also used primary and secondary research. The primary research was conducted by structured interviews through case studies and knowledge-based questionnaire investigation, supported by evidence acquired Czech and foreign literary sources. The work includes detailed assessment of the empirical research, including the testing of hypotheses as basis on which is established the methodology for selecting marketing metrics in engineering in the Czech Republic. The benefits could be seen both in theoretical and practical as well as educational fields.

Circular economy (CE) is widely seen as a potential solution to negative impacts caused by thelinear economy; however, companies must integrate CE principles into the business modeldeeper to achieve sustainable development. The Product-Service System (PSS) businessmodel is a potential solution to the superficial implementation of CE due to shifting the focusto delivering functionality rather than ownership. However, several researchers point out thatPSS systems, whilst promoted as sustainability alternatives, rarely have enough quantitativedata supporting these outcomes and where the research field widely highlight the need tofurther develop assessment methods for PSS, with the use phase being a specifically criticalarea to monitor due to companies increased responsibility. This master’s thesis, therefore,aims to evaluate how companies monitor and assess their use-oriented PSS during the usephase to safeguard the intended increase in sustainability performance. To achieve theseobjectives, a qualitative, multiple case study was employed, where four companies wereinterviewed following a semi-structured approach, creating in-depth knowledge in each case. The case studies reveal that the different companies' primary methods to safeguard theirsustainability ambitions were through data collection, which, however, lacked the structuralsupport of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The different case studies could be seen tomainly collect performance data for proactive maintenance and consumer behaviour data toadjust their services and, by that, reduce environmental impact. However, only Volvo CarMobility did try to reduce the risk of unforeseen rebound effects by investigating customers'changed mobility behaviour. All of the companies did during the interviews refer to KPIs thatthey used to ensure that their sustainability goals were met; however, only one of the casestudies had an indicator that could meet the requirements of KPIs, whereas others lackedspecified targets, were vaguely defined or were irregularly collected. Additionally, the casestudies confirmed different strategic reasons for implementing their PSS other thansustainability and whether all sustainability goals could be connected to economic incentives.These different drivers confirm the PSS attraction and suitability for companies; however, italso emphasises the importance of implementing a system perspective to mitigate risks ofburden shifting and loss of the potential to contribute to sustainable development. Future research could further evaluate the importance of information and communicationtechnologies (ICT) when collecting data on PSS consumers, how AI-supported technologycould facilitate the recognition of consumer behaviour, and how this data collection shouldbe efficiently managed in the organisation. Additionally, another interesting avenue for futureinvestigation would be the overall consumer behaviour of society and its impact on businessmodels such as PSS. In conclusion, this master's thesis confirms and extends previous assertions on theimportance and complexity of use-oriented PSS and adds to the emerging literature on the subject through the information from the case studies. The findings also point to the holisticinsights and performance assessments required to optimise the potential and ensure thesustainability of the services. / Cirkulär ekonomi (CE) betraktas allmänt som en potentiell lösning på den negativa påverkansom den linjära ekonomin orsakar. För att uppnå en hållbar utveckling är det nödvändigt förföretag att djupare integrera CE-principer i affärsmodellen. Affärsmodellen förprodukttjänstsystem (product service system - PSS) anses vara en potentiell lösning när CEytligt implementerats i företag, detta genom att fokusera på att leverera funktionalitetsnarare än äganderätt. Dock pekar flera forskare på att PSS-system, trots att de främjas somhållbarhetsalternativ, sällan har tillräckligt med kvantitativ data som stödjer dessa resultat.Inom PSS forskningsfältet betonas behovet av att vidareutveckla bedömningsmetoder(Nakada et al., 2020), där användningsfasen anses vara ett specifikt kritiskt område attkontrollera på grund av företagens ökade ansvar. Denna masteravhandling syftar därför tillatt utvärdera hur företag kontrollerar och bedömer sina användningsorienterade PSS underanvändningsfasen för att säkerställa den avsedda ökningen i hållbarhetsprestanda. För attuppnå dessa mål användes en kvalitativ, flerfallstudie där fyra företag intervjuades med ettsemistrukturerat förhållningssätt, vilket skapade mer djupgående kunskap om vardera fall. Fallstudierna visar att de olika företagens huvudsakliga metod för att säkerställa sinahållbarhetsambitioner var genom datainsamling, men detta saknade dock det strukturellastödet av nyckeltal (Key Performance Indicators - KPI:er). De olika fallstudierna kunde sessamla prestandadata främst för proaktivt underhåll och konsumentbeteendedata för attjustera sina tjänster och därigenom minska miljöpåverkan. Endast Volvo Car Mobility försökteminska risken för oförutsedda rekyleffekter genom att undersöka kunders ändraderörelsebeteende. Samtliga företag hänvisade under intervjuerna till KPI:er som de användeför att säkerställa att deras hållbarhetsmål uppnåddes, men endast företaget som hyrde utbilbarnstolar hade en indikator som kunde uppfylla KPI-kraven, medan de andra fallensaknade specificerade objektiv, var vagt definierade eller insamlades oregelbundet.Dessutom bekräftade fallstudierna olika strategiska skäl för att implementera sina PSS utöverhållbarhet, och alla hållbarhetsmål kunde kopplas till ekonomiska incitament. Dessa olikadrivkrafter bekräftar PSS attraktion och lämplighet för företag, men betonar också vikten avatt implementera ett systemperspektiv för att minska riskerna för tunnelseende ochförskjutning av belastningen (s.k. burden shifting) och förlora potentialen att bidra till enhållbar utveckling. Framtida forskning kan rikta sig mot att ytterligare utvärdera betydelsen av informations- ochkommunikationsteknologier (Information and Communication Technology - ICT) vid insamlingav data om PSS-konsumenter, hur AI-stödd teknik kan underlätta igenkänning avkonsumentbeteende och särskilt hur denna datainsamling bör hanteras effektivt iorganisationen. Dessutom skulle en annan intressant väg för framtida undersökningar kunnavara samhällets övergripande konsumentbeteende och dess påverkan på affärsmodeller somPSS.   Sammanfattningsvis bekräftar denna masteravhandling tidigare påståenden omanvändningsorienterade PSS betydelse och komplexitet och bidrar till den växandelitteraturen om ämnet genom information från fallstudierna. Resultaten pekar också på deholistiska insikter och prestandabedömningar som krävs för att optimera potentialen ochsäkerställa tjänsternas hållbarhet.

Tesis por compendio / Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) should be lighthouses for society. Therefore, they must have an exemplary behavior in all sustainability areas: economy, social and environment. The environmental awareness of the educational community - student, professors, researchers, staff and managers - has increased considerably in the first decades of this century. The Environmental Management Systems (EMS), either ISO certified or EMAS verified, have gained popularity in HEIs seeking for a better disclosure of their environmental behavior and the improvement of their environmental performance. Due to the structure of HEIs, the EMS has difficulties when being incorporated into the overall management system. To respond in real time to the changes that occur as a result of the environmental performance of the HEI, a better integration of the environmental assessment in the overall management system is needed. In this research, several methodologies and tools have been tested trying to improve the interaction between the environmental behavior and the general management system of the HEI. Reporting tools like the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System¿ (STARS®) have proven to be useful to report sustainable behavior to specialize stakeholder. However, their intricacy make them difficult to used directly in the everyday management or as a disclosure tool. The aggregated indicators like the ecological footprint have proven to be useful to communicate the environmental performance on a comprehensive way although with restrictions in the assessment. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and its recently launched adaptation of the LCA for Organizations (O-LCA) also allows to describe and evaluate the environmental impact of these institutions. However, the complexity of performing this type of assessment and the high requirements of quality data not always available have become a handicap. This research analyzes the complexity of HEIs and the particularities of these tools and methodologies to propose a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the environmental assessment of these organizations. The Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), specially one of its environmental units (EPSA), is used as a case study. As a result, a methodology to define the most suitable environmental KPIs for a HEI is presented. The methodology considers a life cycle approach with an operational control as a consolidation method. The environmental management system is used as the main data provider. The information managed by the accounting system has been explored and a classification method has been proposed to use the accounting system as a complementary source of quality data. The methodology has been applied to the case study defining 7 environmental KPIs that assess the most significant environmental impacts of EPSA UPV and can be easily integrated in the current general management system of a HEI. / Las instituciones de educación superior (IES) deben ser faros para la sociedad. Deben tener un comportamiento ejemplar en todas las áreas de sostenibilidad: economía, sociedad y medio ambiente. La conciencia ambiental de la comunidad educativa - estudiantes, profesores, investigadores, personal y gestores - ha aumentado considerablemente en las primeras décadas de este siglo. Los sistemas de gestión ambiental (SGA), ya sea certificados por ISO o por EMAS, han ganado popularidad en las IES buscando la divulgación de su comportamiento y la mejora de su rendimiento medioambiental. Debido a la estructura de las IES, el SGA tiene dificultades para incorporarse en su sistema de gestión general. Para responder en tiempo real a los cambios que se produzcan como resultado del desempeño ambiental de la IES, se necesita una mejor integración de la evaluación ambiental en el sistema de gestión general. En esta investigación se han evaluado varías metodologías y herramientas buscando la mejora de la interacción entre el desempeño ambiental, la sociedad y el sistema de gestión de la IES. Las herramientas de información como la Iniciativa de Informes Globales (GRI, Global Reporting Initiatives) y el Sistema de Seguimiento, Evaluación y Calificación de Sostenibilidad (STARS®) han demostrado ser útiles para reportar un comportamiento sostenible a los actores e interesados especializados. Sin embargo, su complejidad hace que sea difícil de utilizar directamente en la gestión cotidiana y como herramienta de divulgación. Los indicadores agregados, como la huella ecológica, han demostrado ser útiles para comunicar el desempeño ambiental, aunque presentan restricciones. El Análisis de Ciclo de Vida (ACV) y su adaptación recientemente lanzada del ACV para Organizaciones también permite describir y evaluar el impacto ambiental de estas instituciones salvando las restricciones. Sin embargo, la complejidad de realizar este tipo de estudios se ha convertido en una desventaja. Los Indicadores Clave de Desempeño (KPI, Key Performance Indicators) surgen como alternativa aunando precisión con flexibilidad para informar sobre la situación ambiental de la organización y servir como herramienta en la toma de decisiones. El objetivo de este trabajo es definir un conjunto de Indicadores Clave de Desempeño (KPI) que permitan optimizar el desempeño ambiental de las IES. Esta tesis analiza la complejidad de las IES y las particularidades de los indicadores, las herramientas y las metodologías aplicadas en IES. La Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), en particular una de sus unidades medioambientales, la Escuela Politècnica Superior de Alcoy (EPSA), ha sido utiliza como caso de estudio. Como resultado, se propone una metodología para definir los KPI ambientales más adecuados para una IES. La metodología considera un enfoque de ciclo de vida con un control operativo como método de consolidación o agregación de la información. El SGA se utiliza como principal proveedor de datos. Se explora también la información gestionada por el sistema contable. Se propone una clasificación y un método para utilizar el sistema contable como fuente complementaria de datos de calidad para la evaluación del comportamiento ambiental. La metodología propuesta se ha aplicado al caso de estudio proporcionando siete KPI ambientales que evalúan los impactos ambientales más significativos de la EPSA UPV y que pueden integrarse fácilmente en el actual sistema de gestión general de una IES. / Les institucions d'educació superior (IES) han de ser fars per a la societat. Han de tindre un comportament exemplar en totes les àrees de sostenibilitat: economia, societat i medi ambient. La consciència ambiental de la comunitat educativa -estudiants, professors, investigadors, personal i gestors- han augmentat considerablement en les primeres dècades d'aquest segle. Els sistemes de gestió ambiental (SGA), ja siguen certificats per ISO o per EMAS, han guanyat popularitat en les IES buscant la divulgació del seu comportament i la millora del seu rendiment mediambiental. A causa de l'estructura de les IES, el SGA té dificultats per a incorporar-se al seu sistema de gestió general. Per tal de respondre en temps real als canvis que es produïsquen com a resultat de l'acompliment ambiental de l'IES, es necessita una millor integració de l'avaluació ambiental en el sistema de gestió general. En aquesta recerca s'han avaluat diverses metodologies i eines cercant la millora de la interacció entre l'acompliment ambiental, la societat i el sistema de gestió de l'IES. Les eines d'informació, com ara la Iniciativa d'Informes Globals (GRI, Global Reporting Initiatives) i el Sistema de Seguiment, Avaluació i Qualificació de la sostenibilitat (STARS®) han demostrat ser útils per a reportar un comportament sostenible als actors i interessats especialitzats. No obstant això, la seua complexitat fa que siga difícil d'utilitzar directament en la gestió quotidiana i com a eina de divulgació. Els indicadors agregats, com l'empremta ecològica, han demostrat ser útils per a comunicar l'acompliment ambiental, encara que presenten restriccions. L'Anàlisi de Cicle de Vida (ACV) i la seua adaptació llançada recentment de l'ACV per a Organitzacions també permet descriure i avaluar l'impacte ambiental d'aquestes institucions salvant les restriccions. No obstant això, la complexitat de realitzar aquesta mena d'estudis s'ha convertit en un desavantatge. Els indicadors clau d'acompliment (KPI, Key Performance Indicators) sorgeixen com a alternativa conjuminant precisió amb flexibilitat per a informar sobre la situació ambiental de l'organització i servir com a eina en la presa de decisions. L'objectiu d'aquest treball és definir un conjunt d'indicadors clau d'acompliment (KPI) que possibiliten optimitzar l'acompliment ambiental de les IES. Aquesta tesi analitza la complexitat de les IES i les particularitats dels indicadors, les eines i les metodologies aplicades en IES. La Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), particularment una de les seues unitats mediambientals, l'Escola Politècnica Superior d'Alcoi (EPSA), ha estat utilitzada com a cas d'estudi. Com a resultat, es proposa una metodologia per a de definir els KPI ambientals més adequats per a una IES. La metodologia considera un enfocament de cicle de vida amb un control operatiu com a mètode de consolidació o agregació de la informació. El SGA s'utilitza com a principal proveïdor de dades. S'explora també la informació gestionada pel sistema comptable. Es proposa una classificació i un mètode per a utilitzar el sistema comptable com a font complementària de dades de qualitat per a l'avaluació del comportament ambiental. La metodologia proposada s'ha aplicat al cas d'estudi proporcionant set KPI ambientals que avaluen els impactes ambientals més significatius de l'EPSA UPV i que poden integrar-se fàcilment en l'actual sistema de gestió general d'una IES. / Lo Iacono Ferreira, VG. (2017). Proposal of a set of Key Performance Indicators for the environmental assessment of Higher Education Institutions [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/88907 / Compendio

[ES] La complejidad en la gestión de las redes de comunicación tradicionales, así como su poca escalabilidad y flexibilidad, supone un obstáculo para el desarrollo y consolidación de nuevas tecnologías emergentes como es el caso del Internet de las Cosas (Internet of Things), dónde la facilidad para el intercambio y manejo de grandes volúmenes de datos heterogéneos procedentes de sensores es un requisito clave para el correcto funcionamiento del sistema. El Internet de las Cosas se define cómo la interconexión digital de objetos cotidianos dotados de inteligencia (Smart devices) a través de redes de comunicación de datos ya sean públicas (Internet) o privadas. Sin embargo, el Internet de las Cosas no sólo está compuesto por estos dispositivos, toda la infraestructura, plataformas, aplicaciones y servicios que ayudan a los datos a viajar desde los dispositivos origen y hacia sus diferentes destinos, y la gestión de estos también forman parte del denominado Internet de las Cosas. El almacenamiento, análisis, procesado y gestión masiva de dichos datos es lo que se denomina Big Data, y está compuesto de grandes cantidades de datos (massive data) estructurados en diferentes formatos, modelos de datos y protocolos, lo que dificulta su tratamiento y su intercambio a través de las redes de datos convencionales. Ante esta problemática la implementación de redes virtuales definidas por software se presenta como una posible solución para dotar de flexibilidad, escalabilidad y sencillez de gestión a las redes que interconectan estos dispositivos, plataformas y otros elementos IoT, permitiendo una visión global, una gestión centralizada y un desarrollo de servicios a nivel de red específicos para los entornos de Internet de las Cosas. Este proyecto se presenta como una aproximación de estas dos tecnologías y tendrá como objetivo el diseño de una solución donde probar las herramientas de control de redes definidas por software o programables (SDN) y las funciones virtuales de redes (NFV) aplicadas a despliegues de Internet de las Cosas (IoT) de forma que se puedan demostrar sus ventajas e implicaciones y se puedan descubrir nuevas líneas de desarrollo sobre esta base. / [CA] La complexitat en la gestió de les xarxes de comunicació tradicionals, així com la seua poca escalabilitat i flexibilitat, suposa un obstacle per al desenvolupament i consolidació de noves tecnologies emergents com és el cas de la Internet de les Coses (Internet of Things), on la facilitat per a l'intercanvi i maneig de grans volums de dades heterogènies procedents de sensors és un requisit clau per al correcte funcionament del sistema. La Internet de les Coses es defineix com la interconnexió digital d'objectes quotidians dotats d'intel·ligència (Smart devices) a través de xarxes de comunicació de dades ja siguen públiques (Internet) o privades. No obstant això, la Internet de les Coses no sols està compost per aquests dispositius, tota la infraestructura, plataformes, aplicacions i serveis que ajuden les dades a viatjar des dels dispositius d'origen i cap a les seues diferents destinacions, i la gestió d'aquests també formen part de la denominada Internet de les Coses. L'emmagatzematge, anàlisi, processament i gestió massiva d'aquestes dades és el que es denomina Big Data, i està compost de grans quantitats de dades (massive data) estructurats en diferents formats, models de dades i protocols, la qual cosa dificulta el seu tractament i el seu intercanvi a través de les xarxes de dades convencionals. Davant aquesta problemàtica la implementació de xarxes virtuals definides per software es presenta com una possible solució per a dotar de flexibilitat, escalabilitat i senzillesa de gestió a les xarxes que interconnecten aquests dispositius, plataformes i altres elements IoT, permetent una visió global, una gestió centralitzada i un desenvolupament de serveis a nivell de xarxa específics per als entorns d'Internet de les Coses. Aquest projecte es presenta com una aproximació d'aquestes dues tecnologies i tindrà com a objectiu el disseny d'una solució on provar les eines de control de xarxes definides per software o programables (SDN) i les funcions virtuals de xarxes (NFV) aplicades a desplegaments d'Internet de les Coses (IoT) de manera que es puguen demostrar els seus avantatges i implicacions, i es puguen descobrir noves línies de desenvolupament sobre aquesta base. / [EN] Nowadays, the complexity of traditional network administration, together with the lack of scalability and flexibility, has been a challenge for the proper development and integration of new emerging technologies which make use of this network. As an example, we have the so-called Internet of Things (IoT). The principal IoT network requirement that enables the growth of this paradigm is the need to facilitate high data volume exchange and administration, from very heterogeneous sources. The IoT concept is defined as the digital interconnection of daily objects endowed with more "intelligence" (Smart devices) through a data communication network either public (Internet) or private. However, this technological trend does not only depend on the "smart devices", but on the whole infrastructure, platforms, frameworks, services, and applications that helps data to travel from the source devices to their different destinations. Also, the handling of the massive volumes of data extracted from those smart devices, their storage, processing, and analysis, known as Big Data, is a key part of this paradigm. This data is gathered from very different sources, and hence, it has diverse data structures and formats. Moreover, it is exchanged using various network protocols (LoRa, CoAp, etc.) which hinder its management and communication through conventional networks, that were not created for such data traffic. Given this problem, several technological approaches have emerged to solve it. Virtual software-defined networking is presented as a possible solution to provide flexibility, scalability, and simplicity of management to the networks that interconnect these devices, platforms, services, and other IoT elements. The virtualization of the network infrastructure, includes an extra layer of abstraction, thus providing a holistic vision of the network and centralizing the administration of its elements and the development of specific network services for IoT deployments. This project is presented as an approximation of these two technological paradigms and will have as the main objective the design of an architectural blueprint and testbed were testing the control tools of software-defined networks (SDN) and the virtualized network functions (NFV) applied to IoT deployments. Thereby, its advantages and implications can be evaluated, and new lines of development can be discovered on this base. / Suárez De Puga García, J. (2022). Especificación e implementación de un sistema de red definida por software con funciones virtuales adaptadas a despliegues de Internet de las cosas [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/181555 / TESIS

Urban neighborhoods that work toward carbon-free, climate-neutral goals, attain apositive energy balance, and aspire for excess renewable energy production aredefined as Positive Energy Districts (PEDs). PEDs are designed to contribute tosustainable urban growth, and it is also true that sustainable urban growth can leadto the creation of PEDs. Essentially, PEDs can be achieved by developing andfollowing sustainable infrastructure and urban planning practices including spatial,transportation, and social planning. As per JPI Urban Europe, the key aspects ofPEDs along with the funding include implementation strategies, stakeholders,climate transition, governance, legal frameworks, as well as technological andsystem innovation. As the name suggests, PED mainly comprises positive energy (energy management)and district (neighborhood) elements. The district aspect encompasses urbanplanning that constitutes strategic planning for sustainability implicationsconsisting of environmental, social, economical, mobility, andtransportation-related factors, all of which involve the users and its people. Thepositive energy aspect of a PED enables local energy production resulting in energyefficiency and potential cost savings for its residents. The thesis examines the performance of urban planning factors with the potential todevelop an existing neighborhood toward a PED. This research study explores theoverall sustainability of a neighborhood in terms of mobility, social, economic, andenvironmental factors. The performance of these factors is measured through KeyPerformance Indicators (KPIs), which measure the attributes of sustainability. Thesecontributing KPIs have been studied on a scale through a case study of HammarbySjöstad (HS) in Stockholm. The perception of stakeholders is collected for evaluatingKPIs. These KPIs have been thoroughly analyzed as designed during the planningstage and post-implementation to evaluate their success. The findings of this thesiscan be employed as guidelines for setting benchmarks and goals for the developmentof PEDs in cities throughout the world.