This longitudinal research study of the US bicycle industry from 1975 to 1994 and beyond examines the relationship between strategic alliances and industry structures from a resource-based view of the firm. The main argument of this study is that strategic alliances provide firms with flexible facilitating mechanisms to access strategic resources for competing in dynamic competitive environments. A theoretical framework outlines a reciprocal relationship between the creation of strategic alliances and the development of an industry life cycle. Purposes for strategic alliances arising from a transformation value chain are related to changes in industry structures as defined by different stages of an industry life cycle model. In order for a firm to sustain a competitive advantage as industry structures change, strategic alliances facilitate a means for firm resources to be reconfigured accordingly or they may become core rigidities. The following chapters develop the specifics for this research study. Chapter 1 introduces the rationales for studying strategic alliances and industry structures from a resource based view. Chapter 2 reviews theoretical foundations and research findings on the resource based view of the firm, strategic alliances and joint ventures, and the life cycle model. Chapter 3 draws from earlier research findings to develop a theoretical framework that outlines a dynamic relationship between strategic alliances and industry structures. While strategic alliances enable firms to adapt to environmental conditions, the cumulative impact of interfirm activities lead to shifts in life cycle stages. Chapter 4 outlines the case study research methodology and the selection of the bicycle industry for this empirical research study. Chapter 5 presents the bicycle industry with detailed discussions of types of bicycles and component parts, demand and supply conditions of the US bicycle industry, bicycle firm behavior, strategic alliances of bicycle firms, technological innovations, and the global bicycle industry. Chapter 6 discusses the case analysis of the bicycle industry by exploring the theoretical framework that was developed in Chapter 3. The results indicate that purposes for strategic alliances differ during each stage of the bicycle industry's life cycle from 1975 to 1994 and beyond. An important role of strategic alliances was to enable bicycle firms to reconfigure resources to protect the technical core of the organization and/or develop normal assets to leverage core competencies. To conclude, Chapter 7 outlines the contributions and limitation of this research study with future research directions.

The concept of 'globalization' has nomlally been observed and researched in relation to hightechnology sectors, and little rigorous work has been done in the clothing context. This research attempts to fill the gap by replacing opinion and views with objective analysis, and to add to the existing knowledge base by providing answers to the identified problems in a measurable form. One of the major factors shaping the clothing industry's current position towards operations in different countries is the level of labour costs and the labour cost gap between developed and developing countries. The study has shown that despite technological development, labour costs as a percentage of total costs in the clothing industry are still very high as compared with the situation in the automobile industry and the electronics industry. Moreover, the considerable labour cost gap between developed and developing countries has not closed over the years. The statistical evidence has provided a new and objective perspective on the size of the above gap and highlighted the continued relevance of the issue of labour costs to the clothing sector today. The research has also illustrated how factors such as inflation rate and indirect charges can have their impact on the labour cost level. The 'globalness' of the UK based clothing sector was assessed at both the industry level and at the company level. At the industry level, an extensive re-working of secondary data was carried out. A study of various indicators of international involvement has shown that the UK clothing industry's exports and outward investment are far from spread across the world's major markets, instead, they are fairly concentrated in certain regions. In addition, previously unpublished data on the use of outward processing traffic were collected and analyzed. Evidence suggests that the UK clothing industry is only 'global' to a limited extent. In order to develop an infornled understanding of the competitive strategies at company level and to study whether companies with higher degrees of globalization achieve better performance, a postal survey of 152 UK based clothing fimlS, followed by telephone and face-to-face interviews, was conducted. The primary data collected by questionnaires and interviews were subjected to rigorous statistical analysis. Four case studies were subsequently established to put the analysis into a real-life context. The surveyed experience of the UK based clothing companies has revealed that larger companies tend to have higher levels of international involvement. However, based on the statistical evidence, the thesis argues that a wider geographical presence does not equal globalization and it does not lead to better performance. The interviews and case studies also highlighted important strategic issues. Based on the infornlation from both the primary and secondary sources, the thesis concludes that in the future UK clothing companies will further increase their overseas manufacturing activities at the expense of the home production base. Only those companies which restructure and invest in good time in preparation for further changes in industry settings, and which have a close relationship with their clients, are more likely to succeed or survive.

No description available.

The aim of this thesis is to analyze the costs of the chosen company and through the analysis suggest provisions which will lead to costs optimization. The practical part starts with introducing the company, which was chosen for this thesis. Then the analysis of operating and financial cost is made. The optimization suggestions of selected costs are based on this analysis.

The thesis explored the effect of government regulation on the cost of developing Facility Plans for pollution abatement facilities in Indiana. The study used cost data from nearly 300 sewage works projects across Indiana from 1968 to 1976. The cost of professional services for these projects was computed on a per capita basis for each fiscal year and fluctuations in cost were analyzed in light of regulatory changes.It was found that the effect of these regulatory changes was to escalate costs, especially in fees for projects in municipalities with less than 2,000 population. / Department of Urban Planning

Thesis (M.S.)--Michigan State University. Dept. of Agricultural Economics, 2006. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on June 19, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 92-96). Also issued in print.

A terceirização, ou o processo de transferência de suas atividades, por parte das organizações, para terceiros, é uma prática utilizada há muito tempo e que vem se tornando mais comum. O mesmo também ocorre especificamente em relação às atividades da área de Tecnologia da Informação, desde o início da utilização dos computadores nas organizações até os dias atuais. Diversos são os motivos que levam as organizações a terceirizar, parcial ou totalmente, suas diferentes atividades e serviços na área de Tecnologia da Informação, sendo muitos deles associados à redução de custos, melhoria de qualidade e foco nas atividades essenciais da organização. Algumas teorias econômicas embasam as decisões de terceirização por parte das organizações, particularmente a economia dos custos de transação, custos de produção e teoria de agência. Esta tese tem como objetivo realizar um estudo exploratório sobre as formas de contratação e gerenciamento da terceirização de Tecnologia da Informação, bem como de fatores que influenciam a adoção dessas formas. A tese propõe um modelo, elaborado com base na literatura existente sobre o assunto, segundo o qual, determinados fatores econômicos e objetivos estratégicos das organizações influenciam na escolha de um modelo de gestão da terceirização. Além disso, o modelo propõe uma taxonomia para as formas de gestão da terceirização de Tecnologia da Informação, divididas em dois grupos: os modos de contratação e os modos de gerenciamento, e também analisa os relacionamentos específicos entre eles. A pesquisa utilizou uma amostra composta por 228 empresas, em sua maior parte indústrias, usuárias de serviços de Tecnologia da Informação, que participaram de um survey, através de um website na internet. Sobre os dados provenientes da amostra foram aplicadas várias técnicas estatísticas, como análise de correlação, análise de clusters e análise de variância, para validar as hipóteses do modelo. Os resultados obtidos confirmam o modelo de pesquisa parcialmente, comprovando os relacionamentos entre as formas de contratação e gerenciamento, porém, não permitindo conclusões definitivas sobre a influência de fatores econômicos e objetivos estratégicos na definição e escolha dos modelos de gestão. Dos relacionamentos entre as formas de contratação e gerenciamento é possível identificar um conjunto de três arranjos distintos, para a gestão da terceirização de TI pelas organizações. Além disso, são apresentados resultados e conclusões adicionais a respeito dos responsáveis pelo processo de terceirização, pelo orçamento de terceirização, quantidade e diversidade de serviços terceirizados e, ainda, sobre a satisfação com os resultados obtidos com a terceirização de serviços de TI. Dos relacionamentos entre as formas de contratação e gerenciamento é possível identificar um conjunto de três arranjos distintos, para a gestão da terceirização de TI pelas organizações. / Outsourcing, or the process of transferring activities to third parties has being underused for a long time and it is becoming a common practice. This is also true in the Information Technology area, ever since computers have been introduced in organizations. There are many reasons associated to the partial or total outsourcing of activities and services in Information Technology, many of them regarding cutting costs, quality improvement and focus on the organization core activities. Some economic theories support the outsourcing decisions such as transaction costs economics, production costs and the agency theory. The objective of this Thesis is to present an exploratory study regarding contracting and management models in Information Technology outsourcing, as well as, the factors that have being taken into consideration in the decision for such models. This Thesis proposes a model, based on the existing literature on the subject, in which companies specific economic factors and strategic objectives influence the choice for an outsourcing management model. Furthermore, the model proposes a taxonomy for the outsourcing management in Information Technology, divided into two groups: contracting and management models. It also analyses the specific relationship between them. The survey has collected information from 228 companies, most of them industries which use Information Technology services and that have answered a questionnaire in a Internet website. Some statistical methods have been applied on the collected sample data; such as, correlation analysis, cluster analysis and variance analysis in order to support the model hypothesis. The results partially confirm the research model, validating the relationship between contracting and management models. However, it was not possible to draw final conclusions on the influence of economic factors and strategic objectives in defining and choosing management models. From de relationships between contracting and management models it is possible to identify a set of three distinct groups for the management of Information Technology outsourcing in the organizations. Moreover, additional results and conclusions are presented regarding the responsibility for the outsourcing process, budgets, amount and diversity of outsourcing services, and, satisfaction with the outsourcing services results in Information Technology.

As empresas calçadistas brasileiras, em sua grande maioria intensivas em mão de obra, vêm ao longo do tempo perdendo a sua competitividade exportadora devido à valorização do real frente ao dólar americano. A trajetória recente de apreciação da taxa de câmbio, além de fazer com que a margens de lucros sejam cada vez menores, também favorece um aumento das importações de calçados provenientes de outros países, principalmente asiáticos, a preços mais baixos, prejudicando, assim, a diversificação delas para o mercado doméstico. Esta situação causou, e vem causando, uma grande redução na força de trabalho do setor e também o fechamento de inúmeras empresas. Frente a uma situação cambial adversa e que tende a se manter uma constante pelos períodos próximos, é necessário que as empresas adotem medidas para garantir os seus lucros e a sua sobrevivência. A estruturação de um sistema de gestão e de controle dos custos poderá proporcionar melhores margens e certa proteção contra variações cambiais negativas. Aliado a este fato, a busca por produtos de maior valor agregado promoverá um aumento da receita que, em conjunto com o controle dos custos, poderão trazer para as empresas o lucro necessário para a continuidade do negócio. Saber como abordar estas soluções será essencial para trazer de volta a competitividade às empresas do setor. / The Brazilian footwear companies, most of them labor intensive, have lost its export trade competitiveness over time due to appreciation of the Real (Brazilian currency) against the US dollar. The recent appreciation of the exchange rate in Brazil are shrinking the companies’ profit margins and also favors an increase in footwear imports from other countries, mainly Asian, at lower prices. These imports are also damaging the companies’ performance in the domestic market. Such situation caused, and it is still causing, a great reduction in the workforce in the industry and also the closure of many companies. Faced with an adverse exchange rate situation, which tends to remain constant in a short term, it is necessary for companies to adopt measures to ensure their profits and upcoming survival. The structuring of a management system and cost control could provide better margins and certain protection against non-favorable exchange rate variations. Joined to this fact, the search for products and markets with higher value added will promote an increase in revenues which, together with costs control, could bring the companies the profit necessary for continuity of business. The understanding of how to approach these solutions will be essential topic to bring back the competitiveness to the Brazilian footwear industry.

Universidade Federal do Cearà / As IndÃstrias de PanificaÃÃo constituem-se em um segmento do varejo de alimentos com atuaÃÃo diferenciada, uma vez que agrupam as atividades de indÃstria e comÃrcio. Estas indÃstrias estÃo passando por um intenso processo de transformaÃÃo para adaptarem-se ao mercado globalizado, cada vez mais competitivo. Diante deste cenÃrio, as panificadoras assumiram uma nova postura frente à concorrÃncia, diversificando o mix de produtos, adaptando-se a uma maior flexibilidade dos processos produtivos e investindo em qualidade, higiene e atendimento. Neste contexto, o presente trabalho aborda os aspectos mais relevantes do setor de panificaÃÃo nacional e fornece uma visÃo dos aspectos gerenciais, mercadolÃgicos e econÃmicos da empresa de panificaÃÃo cearense. à abordada, tambÃm, a diferenÃa entre Sistemas, MÃtodos e Formas de custeio, evidenciando as caracterÃsticas fundamentais dos principais mÃtodos de custeio, com destaque para o ABC. Na Ãltima parte do trabalho à apresentado um estudo de caso, abordando uma aplicaÃÃo do mÃtodo de Custeio Baseado em Atividades (ABC), numa empresa de panificaÃÃo cearense, proporcionando um enfoque detalhado das caracterÃsticas do processo de produÃÃo dos produtos da panificaÃÃo, possibilitando uma visÃo clara da conexÃo recursos-atividades-produto e permitindo uma atuaÃÃo dos gestores no sentido de otimizar processos e conseqÃentemente resultados. Demonstrando que a metodologia baseada em atividades (mÃtodo ABC) à uma forte aliada na gestÃo da entidade. / The bakery industries consist in a food segment with differentiated performance, a time that the industry and commerce activities are grouped. These industries are passing for an intense process of transformation in order to adapt themselves to the global market, which is more competitive each day. Ahead of this scene, the bakery industries had assumed a new position front to the competition, diversifying mix of products, adapting themselves to a bigger flexibility of the productive processes and investing in quality, hygiene and attendance. In this context, this work presents the most important aspects of the bakery national sector , and supplies a vision of the managemental, marketing and economic aspects of the bakery companies in CearÃ. It is also demonstrated the difference between Systems, Methods and Forms of expenditure, evidencing the basic characteristics of the main studied and used methods of expenditure world-wide, with prominence for the ABC. In the last part of the work it is presented a case study, approaching a simulation of the method of Activities Based in Coast (ABC), in a bakery company in Cearà , evidencing a detailed vision of the process characteristics of the bakery production , making possible a clear vision of the connection resource-activity-product and allowing a performance of the managers in order to optimize processes and its results. It demonstrates that the activities based on coast (ABC method) is very important to the company management.

As empresas calçadistas brasileiras, em sua grande maioria intensivas em mão de obra, vêm ao longo do tempo perdendo a sua competitividade exportadora devido à valorização do real frente ao dólar americano. A trajetória recente de apreciação da taxa de câmbio, além de fazer com que a margens de lucros sejam cada vez menores, também favorece um aumento das importações de calçados provenientes de outros países, principalmente asiáticos, a preços mais baixos, prejudicando, assim, a diversificação delas para o mercado doméstico. Esta situação causou, e vem causando, uma grande redução na força de trabalho do setor e também o fechamento de inúmeras empresas. Frente a uma situação cambial adversa e que tende a se manter uma constante pelos períodos próximos, é necessário que as empresas adotem medidas para garantir os seus lucros e a sua sobrevivência. A estruturação de um sistema de gestão e de controle dos custos poderá proporcionar melhores margens e certa proteção contra variações cambiais negativas. Aliado a este fato, a busca por produtos de maior valor agregado promoverá um aumento da receita que, em conjunto com o controle dos custos, poderão trazer para as empresas o lucro necessário para a continuidade do negócio. Saber como abordar estas soluções será essencial para trazer de volta a competitividade às empresas do setor. / The Brazilian footwear companies, most of them labor intensive, have lost its export trade competitiveness over time due to appreciation of the Real (Brazilian currency) against the US dollar. The recent appreciation of the exchange rate in Brazil are shrinking the companies’ profit margins and also favors an increase in footwear imports from other countries, mainly Asian, at lower prices. These imports are also damaging the companies’ performance in the domestic market. Such situation caused, and it is still causing, a great reduction in the workforce in the industry and also the closure of many companies. Faced with an adverse exchange rate situation, which tends to remain constant in a short term, it is necessary for companies to adopt measures to ensure their profits and upcoming survival. The structuring of a management system and cost control could provide better margins and certain protection against non-favorable exchange rate variations. Joined to this fact, the search for products and markets with higher value added will promote an increase in revenues which, together with costs control, could bring the companies the profit necessary for continuity of business. The understanding of how to approach these solutions will be essential topic to bring back the competitiveness to the Brazilian footwear industry.