Service marketing is something new, and a lot of companies are working on answering the demand as best they can. Consumption behaviour implies a lot of changes in every market, and companies have to deal with all these changes. Companies must be able to adapt their strategy to be competitive. This has implications for the different models they use to adapt. Furthermore, there is a big difference between the theory and the practice. There are a lot of variables that must be taken into consideration in order to develop the best strategy and to offer the best service possible. During this research, the authors have used a qualitative case study with an abductive approach to develop a theoretical model based on the theory and the practice. Through interviews, the authors have discovered the importance of following the "flow". Companies need to be always be updated by developing a CRM. But also the variable technology that plays an important role in offering a certain product or service. Moreover, the industry is growing very fast, and companies must be able to change all the time and develop new product to be real competitors. So this investigation provides a model that varies from market to market with an explanation of how to develop a certain strategy based on all the information you can gather.

Calculation of the blade tip clearances of the high-pressure-compressor rotors in aeroengines involves calculating the radial growth of the corotating compressor discs. This requires the calculation of the thermal growth of the discs, which in turn requires a knowledge of the disc temperatures and Nusselt numbers for the buoyancy-induced flow in the cavity between the discs. This is a strongly conjugate problem in which the equations for the fluid flow and the disc temperature are coupled. In this thesis, the buoyancy-induced flow and heat transfer inside the compressor rotors is modelled assuming laminar Ekman-layer flow on the discs and compressible flow in the fluid core between the Ekman layers; conduction in the discs is modelled using a one-dimensional fin equation. The theoretical predictions are compared with Nusselt numbers and temperatures obtained from two independent sets of temperature measurements, obtained on a multi-cavity compressor rig, and the ‘experimental’ Nusselt numbers were calculated using a Bayesian model for the inverse solution of the fin equation. For most of the experimental cases, with Grashof numbers up to 1012, mainly good agreement was achieved between the theoretical predictions and experimental values of the disc temperatures and Nusselt numbers. As predicted by the model, increasing the rotational Reynolds number can, under certain conditions, cause a decrease in the Nusselt numbers. Importantly, the results suggest that laminar Ekman-layer flow could occur even at the high Grashof numbers found in the compressor rotors of aeroengines. An extension of the buoyancy model included empirical correlations for the Nusselt numbers for the compressor shroud and disc cobs. This extended model was used to predict the temperature rise of the axial throughflow of cooling air in the compressor rotor, and reasonable agreement was achieved between the predicted and measured throughflow temperatures. This is the first time a theoretical model (rather than CFD) has been used to predict the temperatures of a compressor disc and the axial throughflow, and the model takes only seconds to predict the temperatures that would take days or even weeks to predict using CFD. Some suggestions are made for future research to improve the extent and accuracy of the model.

This thesis contributes to a growing body of research examining the relationship between sociocultural influences and disordered eating behaviour. The aim of the current research was to extend on previously developed theoretical models to more closely examine agerelated differences in an integrated sociocultural model of disordered eating behaviour. The proposed model was informed by components of the dual-pathway model and the tripartite influence model. Nine-hundred and ninety-five women, from four different age groups (i.e., preadolescent, early adolescent, late adolescent and young adult), completed self-report measures of perceived pressure to be thin, modelling of disordered eating behaviour, media exposure, internalisation of the thin-ideal, social comparison, body dissatisfaction, body mass index, and disordered eating behaviour. Using structural equation modelling (SEM) techniques, a sociocultural model of disordered eating was tested and found to have good fit to the data. A number of age-related differences in the strength of the relationship between variables were found. Interestingly, modelling of disordered eating behaviour was a direct predictor of disordered eating behaviour regardless of age group. As expected internalisation of the thin-ideal mediated between perceived pressure to be thin and body dissatisfaction for all age groups. Surprisingly, media exposure had few effects on internalisation, but was more strongly related to social comparison for the late adolescent and young adult age groups. Social comparison played a less significant role in predicting body dissatisfaction in preadolescent girls. However, for all other participants, social comparison predicted internalisation of the thin-ideal, body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviour. As expected, BMI predicted body dissatisfaction, and body dissatisfaction predicted disordered eating behaviour. The models accounted for between 60-64% of the variance in disordered eating behaviour. Implications for prevention programs are discussed in light of these findings.

Innovation is the central value of economic behavior. In this dissertation research, I attempt to explore the social and cognitive origins of firm innovation through three interrelated studies, by merging several research streams — managerial cognitions, social networks, and innovation, and collecting data through multiple methods — archives and surveys. First, I proposed a social-cognitive view to study the sources of firm innovation. In the context of firm innovation, top management teams' cognitions or an entrepreneur's cognitions shape the way they use the social structure available to them, while the social structures influence the embedded actors' cognitions and ultimately strategic actions. Managers and entrepreneurs form collaborative partnerships aimed at innovation and competitiveness. During this dynamic social learning process, cognitive differences influence the formation of social capital and its realized benefits. The impact of social capital on innovation cannot be evaluated without understanding the individual cognitive characteristic first. Next, I tested this theoretical model in two contexts. In the first empirical study, I derived firm-level hypotheses that link the top management team's cognitions, the firm's social capital, and the technological innovations. These hypotheses are tested on a sample of U.S. semiconductor firms in the years 1991-1998. In the second empirical study, I derived similar hypotheses that link entrepreneur's cognitions, social capital and startup's technological innovations. A survey was conducted in both Pennsylvania and Virginia, targeting the entrepreneurial firms in technology industries. The hypotheses were empirically tested on a final sample of 70 U.S. small and medium-sized manufacturers. Two empirical studies supported some of the derived hypotheses and the findings have significant theoretical, empirical, and practical implications. In a diverse social network, actors' knowledge structure tends to be more complex, and more centralized. In addition, these studies indicate that both social capital and cognitive structure play important roles in technological innovation. By distinguishing between cognitive structures, as well as social capital characteristics, and by investigating their effects on firm innovations, this dissertation extends the literature on organization theory, innovation research, entrepreneurship, and research methodologies. This dissertation research deepens our understanding of firm innovation, and opens a whole line of further research. / Ph. D.

No / The aim of this research is to develop a unified model of electronic government (e-government) system adoption and validate it using the data gathered from 419 citizens from few selected cities in India. In course of doing so, the research also evaluates the performance of nine well-known alternative theoretical models of information technology (IT) adoption including the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). The results indicate that the proposed unified model for e-government adoption by this research has outperformed all other theoretical models by explaining highest 66% variance on behavioral intentions, adequately acceptable levels of fit indices, and significant relationships between each hypothesis. The research also provides its limitations and presents implications for theory and practice toward the end.

An organization’s internal processes of identity management is argued to influence its communication, which in turn influence the perceived reputation of the organization. The aim of this study is to investigate how the organizational identity is reflected upon and perceived integrated in employees’ daily work. This is done through applying the internal factors of a theoretical model, comprising of identity, culture and image, at an empirical setting. Literature on organizational identity in relation to organizational culture and organizational image is reviewed followed by conducting 12 semi structured interviews with managers from the marketing and human resource departments at Arla Foods in Sweden. The findings suggest that although employees reflect on the identity, there is a gap between reflection and action, meaning that the identity is not necessarily integrated in practice in the daily work due to different understandings of the organizational culture. In relation to the model, it is suggested that culture may not be so clearly connected to identity, whereas image and identity are very closely related. Also, the context in which the employees conduct their work is shown through the empirical setting, to be important for how employees reflect upon the identity.

O principal objetivo dessa tese foi contribuir para a discussão sobre o seguro de renda e sua adoção no Brasil. No primeiro artigo buscou-se fornecer argumentos para posteriores discussões no que se refere ao seguro de renda. Para isso, o artigo apresentou o seguro de renda, seu funcionamento e como ele se desenvolveu nos dois principais países que o utilizaram, sendo eles os Estados Unidos e Canadá. Buscou-se ainda apresentar as principais características desse modelo de seguro, e quais são os principais modelos existentes. Esse artigo também teve como objetivo contribuir teoricamente para o desenvolvimento do tema no que se refere ao contrato ótimo de um seguro de renda. Como resultados, observou-se que a determinação endógena do prêmio e dos custos da seguradora para um contrato ótimo de seguro (de renda) são fundamentais para a solução (principalmente afetando as condições de primeira ordem) assim como os efeitos marginais de determinadas restrições impostas do ponto de vista de Pareto. Além disso, buscouse nesse trabalho tratar, do ponto de vista teórico, a capacidade de proteção de um seguro de renda quando comparado a um portfólio composto por seguros tradicionais de produtividade e mecanismos de proteção de preços, como mercados futuros ou opções. Observou-se uma limitação dos resultados e de uma melhor análise quantitativa dada a ausência de uma forma funcional, porém foi possível observar alguns resultados interessantes no que se refere à substituição entre a adoção de seguros (tradicionais) e derivativos agrícolas para proteção de preços. O segundo artigo teve como objetivo expor formas de calcular as taxas de prêmio de um hipotético seguro de renda no formato dos seguros americanos Income Protection ou Revenue Assurance, para milho para municípios do Paraná/BR, por meio do uso de cópulas na distribuição conjunta entre preços e produtividade. Buscou-se com isso contribuir para a obtenção de taxas mais precisas. Os resultados mostraram que existem significativas diferenças entre as taxas de prêmio entre os diferentes municípios e, ainda mais com relação aos diferentes meses de vencimento dos preços futuros utilizados na análise. Além disso, outras análises revelaram que o adequado planejamento do plantio, por exemplo, pelo produtor rural irá lhe garantir menores taxas de prêmio. Como uma das conclusões do trabalho, observa-se que esse tipo de ferramenta, levando-se em conta as características do país, poderia ser utilizado, principalmente com o ajuste de subvenções por parte do governo federal e/ou estadual. / The main objective of this thesis was to contribute to the discussion of income insurance and its adoption in Brazil. In the first article we attempted to provide arguments for further discussions about income insurance. The paper presented how it works and how it has developed in two major countries: the United States and Canada. It also sought to present the main characteristics of this insurance model, and what are the main existing models. This article also aims to contribute to the theoretical development of the subject with regard to the optimal contract for a income insurance policy. As a result, it was observed that the endogenous determination of the premium and costs of insurance for an optimal contract is the key to the solution (mainly affecting the first order conditions) as well as the marginal effects of certain restrictions, in view of Pareto Optimal. In addition, we sought to address in this paper, in the theoretical point of view, the protective capabilities of a secure income when compared to a \"portfolio\" composed by traditional insurance productivity and price protection mechanisms such as futures or options. There was a limitation of the results and better quantitative analysis given the absence of a functional form, but there have been some interesting results regarding the replacement of the adoption of insurance (traditional) and derivatives for the protection of agricultural prices. The second article aims to explain ways to calculate premium rates for hypothetical income insurance in the form of American Income Protection or Revenue Assurance for corn for municipalities of Parana/BR, through the use of copulas in the joint distribution between prices and productivity. Was sought to help to obtain more accurate rates. The results showed that there are significant differences in premium rates between different cities and even more about the different months of maturity of the futures prices used in the analysis. In addition, further analysis revealed that the proper planning of planting, for example, will guarantee for the farmer a lower premium rates. As one of the conclusions of the study, notes that these types of tool, taking into account the characteristics of the country, could be used, especially with the setting of grants by the federal government and/or state.

Cable harness is an integral part of a modern-day automobile. The design of many mechanical components is based on the cable harness and hence it is important to accurately calculate the space occupied by cable harness. In this thesis, a theoretical model representing n arbitrarily sized cables was used to generate a packing of the cable harness, and the space occupied by them was calculated. The model was used to develop an algorithm that generated a feasible configuration and a container around that packing. The optimisation toolbox in MATLAB was also used to calculate the space and optimise the container size. A customised standalone tool was developed in MATLAB by utilising the established methods, that enables calculation of space occupied by cables at various points of interest along the truck chassis for Scania CV.

Cette thèse étudie numériquement l'impact d'une onde déferlante à l'échelle de la vague. Dans un premier temps, le phénomène de percussion présent sur de faibles durées est décrit dans deux cas de lâcher de barrage. Les résultats montrent que la réduction du pas d'espace induit des changements locaux dans le profil d'interface avant l'impact. Ces changements influencent fortement les pics de pression, rendant ainsi leur estimation impossible. L'influence de lagéométrie locale de l'interface est théoriquement étudiée sur le cas d'un jet triangulaire. En développant deux lois semi-empiriques, nous montrons que pour des interfaces fortement inclinées, les pics de pression sont très sensibles aux variations d'angles incidents. L'impact d'une onde déferlante est traité en initialisant le déferlement par la mise en place d'un couplage faible de modèles BEM/VOF afin d'approcher la forme du jet avec une précision optimale. Les efforts critiques sont calculés pour des obstacles situés à différentes altitudes. L'intensité des pics est en accord avec la théorie pour des angles inférieurs à 70°. Deux types d'impacts sont étudiés en appliquant les résultats du jet triangulaire au cas de jets courbes. / Numerical simulations are performed to describe different cases of breaking wave impacts at the wave scale. The main purpose is to assess short duration pressure peak involved in impulsive loads. The academical case of a triangular wedge hitting a vertical wall allows to investigate the origin of pressure peak and connect their magnitudes to the local interface inclination. Theoretical results enable us to derive two semi-empirical laws which show that pressure peaks are very sensitive to angle variations for strong interface inclination, making thus theire assessment difficult. This result is illustrated on a breaking dam case for which mesh size has shown to have a great influence on the incident jet shape, revealing that pressure peak assessment requires to know accurately interface profile. The case of a breaking wave is treated by setting up a coupling approach (VOF / BEM). This method allows to accurately approximate the interface profile at the beginning of the breaking stage. Pressure peaks are in good agreement with the theoretical results for angles lower than 70°. Two differents types of impacts are then treated by applying results from triangular case to breaking wave jet and the influence of interface curvature on pressure peak evolution is studied.

This thesis, which consists of three self-contained essays, examines, both theoretically and empirically, some of the economic and identity strategies and mechanisms that federated co-operatives, in particular, and strategic alliances, in general, can use to achieve co-operation and coordination. To accomplish this objective, the thesis uses a combination of industrial organization and game theory concepts from economics, insights from social and cognitive psychology, and evidence from in-depth interviews with decision-makers in the Co-operative Retailing System (CRS) - an association of 264 independent Western Canadian retail co-operatives and their wholesaler, Federated Co-operatives Ltd. (FCL).<p> Essay One combines a case study of the CRS with an examination, in a game-theoretic framework, of the co-operation and coordination problems arising among firms in alliances and the potential solutions to these problems suggested in the economics and business strategy literatures. One of the contributions of this essay is to provide examples of the mechanisms that can be used to implement these theoretical solutions in a business setting - i.e., the essay identifies practical ways for alliances to alter partner firms' payoffs, to provide private rewards, to monitor behaviour, to establish long term goals among partners, to build high group identification within the alliance, and to focus partners' expectations on the efficient outcomes. Another contribution of this essay is to identify some of the second-order co-operation problems that arise in strategic alliances - e.g., lack of incentives by alliance partners to contribute resources that are necessary to develop alliance management mechanisms - and to offer examples of the strategies that can be used to deal with these problems.<p> Essay Two draws upon social identity theory and develops an economic model of behaviour to show how the core firm in a strategic network can promote effective co-operation among network members by inducing them to identify with the network. In addition, the essay offers empirical evidence from the CRS that identity has successfully been used, together with economic mechanisms, to foster co-operation among member retails, and provides examples of the most important mechanisms that FCL, as the core firm in the CRS, has used to manage the identity of the retails. More generally, by incorporating the psychology (and sociology) of identity into an economic model of behaviour, Essay Two contributes to an emerging view that non-economic (behavioural) factors are complementary to the economic ones in the management of strategic partnerships.<p> Essay Three considers the collective action problems that arise in co-operatives when it comes to financing growth and identifies the conditions under which retained patronage can be an effective way for co-operatives to raise growth capital. The essay develops a game-theoretic model to examine the trade-off between the share of patronage refunds a co-operative wholesaler pays to member retails in cash and the share of patronage refunds it retains and invests, so as to provide retails with enough short-run benefits to encourage them to patronize their organization, while still retaining resources to invest in long-term growth. Analytical results show that when there are increasing returns in patronizing the co-operative wholesaler, retails' decisions to patronize their organization are complementary strategies and, as a result, multiple equilibria are possible. Some of these equilibria are ones with high patronage and high investment, while others are characterized by low patronage and low investment. Retails' expectations about the actions of their counterparts are critical in determining the prevailing equilibrium. The analysis also shows that the existence of the horizon problem further constraints the ability of the wholesaler to raise growth capital. Taken together, these results suggest that the retention of patronage refunds can be an effective way for the co-operative wholesaler to raise growth capital, provided it acts to focus retails' expectations on the 'good' equilibrium and to mitigate the horizon problem.<p> By examining the strategies and mechanisms that the CRS has used to achieve co-operation and coordination, and in so doing illustrating the mechanisms that firms can use to manage partner opportunism and prevent coordination failure, the thesis contributes to the alliance management literature. Firms today are increasingly forming strategic alliances with suppliers, buyers, and even competitors in order to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. However, despite their increasing popularity and value-creation potential, alliances more often fail than succeed, with alliance failure often attributed to opportunistic (non-co-operative) behaviour by one or more of the partners and to coordination failure. As a result, it is important to identify strategies and mechanisms that alliance partners can use to achieve co-operation and coordination, and thus realize the benefits from their association.<p> The thesis also contributes to the co-operative literature by shedding light on the age-old debate on whether federated co-operatives need to be centralized to ensure efficiency. In particular, the thesis shows that federated co-operatives can be efficient, provided they address the co-operation and coordination problems that arise among their members, and provides examples of the mechanisms that federated co-operatives can use to achieve co-operation and coordination. In addition, the thesis offers the first analytical treatment of how the horizon problem influences investment decisions in co-operatives.