The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the influence of knowledge on the export performance of firms in different regions. More specifically, this study focuses on the impact of knowledge on the structure of regional export flows, in terms of horizontal and vertical product differentiation, as well as the geographical distribution of export flows. The thesis consists of four separate papers, which contribute to the overall analysis of knowledge, product differentiation and international trade in different ways. The second chapter presents a study of the effects of regional accessibility to R&D on the diversity of export flows with regard to goods, firms and destination markets. Chapter 3 provides an empirical analysis of vertical product differentiation, i.e. differentiation in terms of product quality, and examines the impact of educated labor and R&D on regional comparative advantages in goods of relatively high product quality. Chapter 4 contains a study of how the regional endowment of highly educated workers affects the structure of export flows, i.e. how the endowment of educated workers impacts on the number of product varieties exported, the average price per variety and the average quantity shipped out. The final chapter presents a micro-level analysis of firms’ propensity to participate in international markets and their propensity to expand export activities by introducing new export products or establishing export links with new destination countries. In summary, the empirical results of this thesis convey the message that regional accessibility to knowledge, embodied in highly educated labor and/or developed through R&D activities, plays a fundamental role in shaping the content and structure of regional export flows. More specifically, the present empirical observations suggest that the regional endowment of knowledge stimulates the size of the export base in terms of exporting firms and number of product varieties. The recurring significance of the accessibility variables in explaining spatial export patterns show that the knowledge endowment of a region must be defined in such ways that it captures sources of potential knowledge spillovers from inside as well as outside its own regional boundaries. This outcome shows that regional variations in knowledge endowments originate both in the actual spatial distribution of a nation’s knowledge labor across regions, and in regional differences in the geographical accessibility to internal and external knowledge labor.

Aim: The aim of this study is to examine and compare the importance of services and products in grocery store and to study the effects of services and products on customer retention. Method: This study is quantitative and data is collected by conducting a survey. Primary data is collected through questionnaires by visiting the stores in two cities of Sweden, namely Bollnäs and Gävle. In order to study the importance of service and products, importance scale is used in the questionnaire. Comparative analysis is used to analyze the data. Results & Conclusions: The results show that customers are more concerned about the quality of products rather than quality of services. Further, it is found that among all service elements, personal interaction is considered more important whereas, among products elements, quality of products has most influence on customer decisions. After the comparison of services and products, we found out that product quality influences customer retention to a greater extent. Suggestions for future research: Research always continues and could be followed up with more perception dimensions either from customers’ perspectives or from managerial perspectives. Future research can be conducted to study managerial perception of service and product quality. Furthermore, future research can be conducted to find out other factors that determine customer retention. Customers from multiple stores and larger cities can also be the theme for future researches. Contribution of the study: This study helps retail business to build strong customer base by focusing first on quality of products and then services. Further this helps firms to know how customer’s decision making is affected. Firms with limited resources can first focus on product improvement then on services.

Recent years there has been a large increase in the worldwide sales of cultured products containing probiotics. The obstacle in the production of fermented products incubated with probiotic strains is its effect on sensory, chemical and physical properties. This Master´s Thesis investigates how extended storage times in fermentation tank as well as buffer tank during production of probiotic yoghurts affect final product quality. Through experimental studies, maximum storage times for probiotic yoghurts were to be recommended. The study includes analyses of pH, viscosity, stability, acetic acid concentration, microbial viability and sensory evaluations. Design of experiments (DOE) was used to construct a 32-factorial design for the experiment where different storage times were tested. The analyses showed that: pH decreases with both storage time in fermentation tank and buffer tank. Viscosity increases with long storage times in fermentation tank, while it decreases with long storage times in buffer tanks. Many samples had a sandy/grainy and slimy texture which could be related to high levels of Bifidobacteria or high fermentation temperatures. High levels of acetic acid was found in all samples. All measurements data where within the specification limits, whereas no recommendation for maximum storage times during production could be given.

Title: A research of consumer attitudes to fruit snacks : A study of Thai consumers‟ attitudes toward vacuum fried crispy fruits Problem : How should Thai snack companies create their appropriate marketing planning of vacuum fried crispy fruits for satisfying Thai target consumer? Purpose: To investigate the Thai consumers‟ attitudes towards the vacuum fried crispy fruits that will be beneficial in creating the appropriate marketing planning as well as to recommend the potential marketing mix of this product to Thai snack companies Method: The research technique used in this study is mainly based on the quantitative method. By mailing the 400 surveys to the Thai respondents in Bangkok, the data will be collected and evaluated by using the statistic software program as well as using the secondary data to be a supportive source in this research. Moreover, there are marketing theories used in analyzing the data in this research in order to be more academic and reliable. Conclusion: The most influence attitude factor that motivates the Thai consumers to purchase this product is the sales promotion, in particular the samples promotion. While their attitudes to the terms of nutritional content and product quality are positive that can influence them to make a decision to purchase this product easier. Keywords: Snack fruits, Product Development, Consumer Behavior, Product Quality and Nutritional Content

New product development quality has been found to be a key determinant of the market success and profitability of a new product because of its contribution to superior customer value, the cornerstone of a firm¡¦s competitive advantage in the marketplace. Therefore, enterprises are increasingly utilizing new product development teams for new product development. Previous studies have suggested that the diverse backgrounds of cross-functional team members can increase the amount and variety of information available to design products, thereby improving design process efficiency and product development performance. However, researchers still know very little about how such teams can improve new product quality. Thus, our first research question was; what are the relationships between team characteristics and organization contextual factors and new product quality? In addition, as nationality has been shown to influence individual¡¦s cognitive schema, values, and nonverbal behavior, all of which influence behavior in teams, new product development teams pose a particular type of challenge in different countries. Team-based work designs have been easier to implement in countries with collectivist as opposed to individualist cultures. To address that issue, this study will examine the differences of how team characteristics and contextual influences affect new product quality in collectivist and individualist cultures. Thus, our second research question was; do team characteristics and organization contextual factors affect new product quality differently in collectivist cultures and individualist cultures? Because this was a cross-national research, samples were taken from two countries, one in Taiwan and the other in the U.S.A. We received 184 completed questionnaires from Taiwanese teams, and 176 completed questionnaires from American teams. In order to make sure that the instrument used in this study could measure what it was intended to measure, we used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to examine the validity of the measurement models of both dependent variables and independent variables. We then used hierarchical moderated regression analysis to test the contingency hypotheses. Research results reveal two different outcomes of hypotheses testing. For Taiwanese teams, new product quality is positively affected by the capability of information integration in the team and quality orientation in the firm, but is negatively influenced by speed-to-market pressure and product innovativeness in the firm. Functional and tenure diversity have a moderate no effect on new product quality. The capability of information integration in a team can also reduce the negative effect of speed-to-market pressure on new product quality. In contrast, for American teams, new product quality is positively affected by functional diversity and the capability of information integration in the team and quality orientation in the firm, but is moderately negatively influenced by supplier involvement in the firm. Customer involvement in a firm can increase the positive effect of the capability of information integration on new product quality. In conclusion, the present study contributes to the literature on new product development teams in several ways. First, it extends research on new product development teams across collectivist and individualist cultures and identifies boundary conditions for theories of new product development teams. Second, this study is the first to empirically examine how team characteristics and organization contextual factors affect new product quality across cultures. Third, it provides a thorough and integrative review of the literature from diverse disciplines such as new product development, organizational behavior, and management and innovation as a means of establishing links among team characteristics, organization contextual factors, and new product quality. Finally, the model we have provided will assist managers in identifying the team characteristics and organization contextual factors needed to assist new product development teams in collectivist and individualist cultures to develop high-quality products. Since these factors can be directly manipulated by managers, they can create the effective conditions, specific to the industry characteristics they are engaged in, for new product development teams to develop high-quality products.

Product quality is regarded as one of the most important factors that consumers consider while purchasing products. However, contrary to objective quality, perceived product quality includes consumer&#039 / s judgment about the overall superiority or excellence of a product. This study mainly concentrates on the relationship between product appearance and perceived product quality especially for durable goods. The definitions of product quality and perceived product quality are reviewed to explain different dimensions of perceived product quality. Product appearance and the importance of product appearance are explained to reveal the relationship between the consumer and the appearance of the product. Four types of information communicated through the appearance are revealed: aesthetic information, symbolic information, functional information and ergonomic information. In the field study, how these four types of information communicated by the product appearance influence the consumers&rsquo / quality perception is questioned through a quantitative study. Conducted with 100 participants, the results of the questionnaire shows that the appearance influences quality perception in various stages of consumer/product context for durable goods. At the end of the study, it is observed that aesthetic, functional and ergonomic information directly influence consumer&rsquo / s quality perception / wheras, the influence of symbolic information on the perceived quality is found to be limited and indirect.

In this paper are overviewed basic principles of ultrasonic inspection paying more attention to defect localization and size determination opportunities. Also there is done analysis of sound frequency influence on defect detection and sound wave attenuation.

Fermentation processes play an integral role in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products. The Quality by Design initiative, combined with Process Analytical Technologies, aims to facilitate the consistent production of high quality products in the most efficient and economical way. The ability to estimate and control product quality from these processes is essential in achieving this aim. Large historical datasets are commonplace in the pharmaceutical industry and multivariate methods based on PCA and PLS have been successfully used in a wide range of applications to extract useful information from such datasets. This thesis has focused on the development and application of novel multivariate methods to the estimation and control of product quality from a number of processes. The document is divided into four main categories. Firstly, the related literature and inherent mathematical techniques are summarised. Following this, the three main technical areas of work are presented. The first of these relates to the development of a novel method for estimating the quality of products from a proprietary process using PCA. The ability to estimate product quality is useful for identifying production steps that are potentially problematic and also increases process efficiency by ensuring that any defective products are detected before they undergo any further processing. The proposed method is simple and robust and has been applied to two separate case studies, the results of which demonstrate the efficacy of the technique. The second area of work concentrates on the development of a novel method of identifying the operational phases of batch fermentation processes and is based on PCA and associated statistics. Knowledge of the operational phases of a process can be beneficial from a monitoring and control perspective and allows a process to be divided into phases that can be approximated by a linear model. The devised methodology is applied to two separate fermentation processes and results show the capability of the proposed method. The third area of work focuses on undertaking a performance evaluation of two multivariate algorithms, PLS and EPLS, in controlling the end-point product yield of fermentation processes. Control of end-point product quality is of crucial importance in many manufacturing industries, such as the pharmaceutical industry. Developing a controller based on historical and identification process data is attractive due to the simplicity of modelling and the increasing availability of process data. The methodology is applied to two case studies and performance evaluated. From both a prediction and control perspective, it is seen that EPLS outperforms PLS, which is important if modelling data is limited.

Doctor of Philosophy / Economics / Philip G. Gayle / This dissertation consists of three essays on product quality in commercial aviation. Since the mid-1990s, major airlines that serve the U.S. domestic market have increasingly found it appealing to form alliances. Amidst the recent emergence of airline alliance formation, this dissertation has sought to answer questions on the product quality implications of policies regarding cooperation among airlines in the U.S. domestic air travel industry. A challenge that empirical work faces in studying the relationship between airline alliances and product quality is to find reasonable measure(s) of product quality. The first essay sheds light on whether the route network integration that comes with an airline alliance provides sufficient extra incentive to partner carriers to improve their flight routing quality. Evidence suggests that routing quality for Delta/Continental/Northwest's--our alliance of interest--products decreases in markets where pre-alliance competition among alliance partners exists, resulting in substantial negative welfare effects for passengers. In fact, routing quality for Delta/Continental/Northwest products decreased by 0.256% below the mean routing quality of the entire sample's products. More interestingly, the codeshare effects in specific markets where the alliance firms competed prior to the alliance, are also negatively associated with routing quality of the alliance firms' products, resulting in a fall in consumer utility of $0.5 per consumer. The second essay explores the potential relationship between on-time performance and airline code-sharing. Although flight delay has always received much attention, we are unaware of any empirical research that measures the on-time performance effects of airline alliances. We empirically investigate the on-time performance effects of the largest U.S. domestic alliance that began in June 2003--an alliance between Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines and Continental Airlines. We find evidence that code-sharing improves alliance partners' on-time performance and that the size of the alliance effect on on-time performance depends on pre-alliance competition in a market, with the effect being larger in markets where the partners competed in prior to the alliance. Using a structural econometric model, the third essay attempts to provide an alternative explanation to a long-standing question: why are airlines late? Airlines usually claim that air travel delays are out of their control, placing the blame on adverse weather or air traffic control as the most common reasons. Despite these claims, data on causes of flight delay reveal that the share of delay caused by weather and air traffic control has been on the decline while the share of delay caused by airlines has been on the rise. This suggests that on-time performance improvement is well within the reach of carriers. We investigate why airlines have little or no incentive to improve on-time performance. We also measure the cost of delay borne by consumers in terms of how much monetary value they are willing to pay to avoid delay. We find that consumers are willing to pay $0.78 for every minute of arrival delay which after extrapolation, amounts to consumer welfare effects of $1.76 billion. Our findings suggest that airlines have little to no incentive because their markups do not increase when they improve on-time performance. In fact, the marginal increase in price resulting from on-time performance improvement is offset by an increase in marginal cost causing a zero net effect on markup.

Submitted by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2016-04-15T13:25:54Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Fernando Ferraresi - 2015.pdf: 4790321 bytes, checksum: 5da31ddf8f0b1669032fa30b8520a90a (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2016-04-15T13:32:13Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Fernando Ferraresi - 2015.pdf: 4790321 bytes, checksum: 5da31ddf8f0b1669032fa30b8520a90a (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-15T13:32:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Fernando Ferraresi - 2015.pdf: 4790321 bytes, checksum: 5da31ddf8f0b1669032fa30b8520a90a (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-01-15 / With the continuous expansion of the automobile market in Brazil industries produce, move and store a large number of componentes, both domestic and imported, making use of different types of packaging. / Com a contínua expansão do mercado automobilístico no Brasil as indústrias produzem, movimentam e armazenam um grande número de componentes, tanto nacionais quanto importados, fazendo uso de diversos tipos de embalagens.