Este trabalho tem como meta confrontar estudos teóricos sobre a problemática das ações sociais de empresas com os resultados de um estudo de caso sobre o Programa Moto Perpétuo da Fiat Automóveis S.A. que, durante cinco anos (1997 a 2001), voltou-se à doação de kits de materiais paradidáticos para milhares de escolas de diferentes regiões do Brasil. Apesar do amplo alcance do Programa, base na qual seus promotores se apoiaram para afirmar tratar-se da maior parceria da iniciativa privada com o governo federal dentro do Acorda Brasil! Está na hora da Escola - programa do Ministério da Educação dedicado a estimular a participação da iniciativa privada através de ações em prol da educação -, não havia, até o momento, nenhum estudo que demonstrasse os efeitos práticos dessa ação, seja na melhoria da educação (propósito declarado como motivação principal para sua existência), seja nas implicações de um redimensionamento das esferas pública e privada, assunto que acalora muitos debates na atualidade. Diante dessas constatações, optou-se pela realização de levantamento e leitura de diferentes fontes que tratam, de maneira direta ou não, da chamada responsabilidade social de empresas. Além de passo fundamental para uma adequada abordagem do objeto estudado, em última instância, esta etapa possibilitou subsidiar inferências mais amplas sobre este tema que condensa interesses conflitantes, na maioria das vezes expressos por discursos de promoção e de crítica mais afeitos às ideologias que espelhados no significado concreto de muitas dessas ações sociais. Numa outra parte, mediante informações obtidas com a realização de entrevistas e pelo levantamento e exame de diversos documentos, se analisou o Programa Moto Perpétuo. Como um exemplo da atuação privada junto ao setor público, pôde-se verificar que as correntes expectativas da eficiência de gestão e transferência de recursos em quantidade e qualidade suficientes não se concretizaram. Não obstante, os números sobre o Programa que foram divulgados (alunos e escolas beneficiadas e montante de recursos investidos), comparativamente altos diante de outras iniciativas deste tipo, foram componentes do êxito na construção de uma imagem positiva por parte dos promotores dessa ação junto a setores da opinião pública. Na somatória dessas constatações e de outros aspectos analisados, foi possível demonstrar que prevaleceram interesses de ordem comercial em detrimento das motivações declaradas da iniciativa de ajuda à educação. Apesar de não se poder afirmar que a iniciativa tenha resultado num avanço privado redefinidor do caráter público dos sistemas estadual e municipal de ensino atingidos pelo Programa, há indícios de que a implementação do Moto Perpétuo esteve condicionada pelas relações público (governo federal) - privado (empresa do setor automobilístico), representando um inédito capítulo centrado na educação, frente a um panorama no qual sobressaem historicamente acordos de ajuda mútua de caráter político-econômico. / The aim of this research is to confront theoretical studies about the problematic of social actions promoted by private companies with the results of a case study focusing the Moto Perpétuo Program sponsored by Fiat automobiles S.A. which, for five years (1997 a 2001), donated kits of educational materials to thousands of schools from different regions of Brazil. Despite the ample reach of the Program, in which its promoters based themselves to assert that it was the biggest partnership of a private institution with the Brazilian Federal Government Program of Education Acorda Brasil! Está na hora da escola (Wake up Brazil! It´s time of school) destined to encourage private institutions to act for the education there wasn t, up to now, any study that could demonstrate the practical effects of this action, whether it was for the educational improvement (declared purpose as the main motivation for its existence), or in the implications to reassess the extent of the public and private spheres, a question that heats many debates nowadays. In the face of these observations, it was opted to do a reading and research from different sources that deal, directly or not, with the business social responsibility. More than a fundamental step for an appropriated approach of the studied object, this stage permitted to subsidise broader inferences about this subject, which condenses conflicting interests, frequently expressed by speeches of promotion and criticism more accustomed to ideologies than mirrored in the concrete meaning of many of these social actions. In another part, the Moto Perpétuo Program was analysed by the information obtained from interviews and researches. As an example of the private acting in the public sector, it was verified that the current expectations of management efficiency and transfer of resources, in quantity and quality, didn t come true. Nevertheless, the data published about the Program (resources invested, students and schools benefited) comparatively high in the face of other initiatives like that, were components of success in the construction of a positive image made by the promoters of this action for the public opinion. In the sum of these observations and other aspects analysed, it was possible to demonstrate that commercial interests prevailed over the declared motivations to assist the education. Although it was not possible to assert that the initiative has resulted in a private advancement redefining the public nature of the State and Municipal system of teaching reached by the Program, there are evidences that the implementation of the Moto Perpétuo was conditioned by the relationship between the public (Federal Government) and the private (automobiles company), representing an unheard-of chapter centred on the education, facing a survey that stands out agreements of mutual help of political-economical nature.

The challenges faced by mathematics education reflect the more immense difficulties of the schooling system as a whole. This thesis investigates such challenges in the light of an ethical learning foundation and aims for a transformation through the use of technologies as learning tools.  Interaction design methods are used to craft constructivist learning kits that aim to move mathematics students from passive receivers of knowledge to active learners. The proposed tools modify new technologies by adapting them to teachers’ and learners’ needs to be best suited for mathematics classroom adoption. Additionally, social, political, and economic issues that may hinder the adoption of constructivist learning are presented and critically discussed.  Finally, this thesis paves the way for future designers who aim to design mathematics educational kits by providing a design framework based on the learning theory and the design process presented in this thesis.

Die Grenzregionen rund um die Zentren Bratislava und Wien gehören zu den am schnellsten wachsenden Regionen in Europa - insbesondere die High-Tech-Industrie betreffend (www.contor-analyse.de). Ein Erfolgsfaktor für kommerziell erfolgreiche High-Tech (Start Up) Unternehmen ist die frühzeitige Identifikation von Nutzeranforderungen und Verkaufsargumenten bei Innovationen. Interdisziplinäre Teams, die technisch und kaufmännisch ausgebildete Arbeitskräfte beinhalten, stellen die Basis für unternehmerische Innovations-Erfolgsgeschichten dar. Im August 2011 ist ein Team aus Forschern der Technischen Universität Wien, der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, der Wirtschaftsuniversität Bratislava und des Inkubators INITS angetreten, High-Tech Unternehmen bei deren Markteintritt zu unterstützen und die universitäre Ausbildung von Interessierten an Innovationen im B2B High-Tech-Bereich zu adaptieren. Das Projekt Grenzüberschreitendes HiTECH Center wurde gestartet (Projektlaufzeit 08/2011 bis 12/2013, Förderprogramm ETC, creating the future: Programm zur grenzüberschreitenden Zusammenarbeit SLOWAKEI - ÖSTERREICH 2007-2013, www.hitechcentrum.eu). Zielsetzung war die Entwicklung einer Methodik für einen erfolgreichen Markteintritt in B2 B High-Tech-Märkten. Das Projekt wurde mit sieben Arbeitspaketen konzipiert. Arbeitspaket sechs betrifft eine Publikation der wichtigsten Lernergebnisse. Die vorliegende Arbeit stellt dieses Ergebnis dar und wurde erst durch eine Projektverlängerung bis November 2014 ermöglicht. Die Vorarbeiten zum Projekt und die erste Analysephase innerhalb der Projektlaufzeit zeigen eine Lücke an Forschungsergebnissen zum Thema "Marketing Testbed" und von vergleichbaren interdisziplinären Lehrveranstaltungen an österreichischen Universitäten. Existierende Marketing- und Innovationslehrgänge beschäftigen sich in überwiegender Zahl mit B2C Themen und sind nicht interdisziplinär. Trotz der geografischen Nähe der beiden Länder Österreich und Slowakei ist die zu geringe Transparenz der Märkte - und der damit verbundenen Chancen - derzeit eine Barriere für eine schnellere Entwicklung dieser grenzüberschreitenden Region. Weiters besteht über die Grenzen hinaus ein Mangel an interdisziplinär ausgebildetem Personal, das Marketingaufgaben der High-Tech-Anbieter effizient bearbeiten kann. Dem Projektteam stellten sich daher unter anderem folgende Fragen: Mit welcher Methodik können High-Tech Start Up Unternehmen in frühen Innovationsphasen unterstützt werden, um einen erfolgreichen Markteintritt zu schaffen? Wie stark beeinflusst die Thematik "Multidisziplinäre Kommunikation" den Prozess vom Innovationsimpuls zum Markteintritt? Wie können die Anforderungen der innovierenden High-Tech Firmen in die Universitätslehre integriert werden? Wie können interdisziplinäre Lehrformate - auch grenzüberschreitend - umgesetzt werden? Das Projektteam konnte im Rahmen der Projektlaufz eit ein erstes Regelwerk für Marketing Testbeds entwickeln und dieses Wissen bereits in wissenschaftlichen Arbeiten und ersten Implementierungen anwenden. Insgesamt wurden am Institut für Marketing Management in Wien acht Arbeiten von Studierenden fertiggestellt (davon zwei Dissertationen). An der WU Bratislava wurden 17 studentische Arbeiten abgeschlossen und sechs interdisziplinäre Projekte umgesetzt. Es fand ein intensive Wissensaustausch mit drei Synergieprojekten (INNOVMAT, DUO STARS, SMARTNET) statt und die Zwischenergebnisse des HiTECH Centrum Projekts waren die Basis für ein weiteres europäisches Projekt (Projekt REALITY, Programm ERASMUS MUNDUS). Das Hauptergebnis des Projekts liegt in der Bestätigung der Wichtigkeit der multidisziplinären Kommunikation in allen Bereichen vom Innovationsimpuls zum Markteintritt. Für eine nachhaltige Wirkung der Projektergebnisse wird die Gründung eines HiTECH Center Vereins sorgen, der sich mit den angestoßenen Forschungsthemen beschäftigt und High-Tech Start Ups in deren frühen Markteintrittsphasen unterstützt. (authors' abstract)

Yes / With the aim of targeting high-risk hidden heterosexual young people for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) testing, an innovative web-based screening strategy using Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS) and home-based CT testing, was developed, piloted and evaluated. Two STI clinic nurses encouraged 37 CT positive heterosexual young people (aged 16-25 years), called index clients, to recruit peers from their social and sexual networks using the web-based screening strategy. Eligible peers (young, living in the study area) could request a home-based CT test and recruit other peers. Twelve (40%) index clients recruited 35 peers. Two of these peers recruited other peers (n = 7). In total, 35 recruited peers were eligible for participation; ten of them (29%) requested a test and eight tested. Seven tested for the first time and one (13%) was positive. Most peers were female friends (80%). Nurses were positive about using the strategy. The screening strategy is feasible for targeting the hidden social network. However, uptake among men and recruitment of sex-partners is low and RDS stopped early. Future studies are needed to explore the sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and impact of strategies that target people at risk who are not effectively reached by regular health care.