This research is focused on developing a simulation (game) that will help explain the basic principles of Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) and Target Value Design (TVD). The transfer of knowledge about Lean principles is currently limited and there is a need for teaching materials in this field. The Lean Construction community believes that teaching lean principles through games or simulations is very effective. This study is focused on developing a simulation that explains the basic principles of IPD and TVD. After study of current literature related to IPD, TVD and Lean simulations, this game was developed and then tested on construction professionals and students. Test results from a first run study showed that the simulation helps to explain some principles of IPD and TVD. However further study is needed to ensure that those who engage this simulation confidently understand key principles of IPD and TVD.

Exit polls have had a hard time predicting election results in Sweden over the last decade. The introduction of the Sweden Democrats in the political scene has generally caused problems for polling organizations. Opinion polls have a big influence on the economic market and therefore any wrongdoing might cause a big disturbance in the economy. This paper develops a model based on systematic sampling differences and sociodemographic background variables in order to predict the results of the Swedish general election 2018. The study uses data from SVT´s exit poll and SCB´s voter turnout survey. The results of the study show that the model in general predicts the 2018 Swedish general election better than the prognosis of SVT.

De acordo com a Teoria dos Stakeholders, os gestores devem coordenar os interesses dos indivíduos e grupos que podem afetar ou ser afetados pelo alcance dos objetivos da empresa. Há evidências de que a sobrevivência da empresa no longo prazo só poderá ser alcançada se os gestores considerarem não apenas os interesses dos acionistas, mas também dos funcionários, clientes, fornecedores e das comunidades - os chamados stakeholders primários. Contudo, ainda não está claro, na literatura, como as empresas podem operacionalizar a coordenação desses interesses. Defende-se, nesta tese, que as empresas podem buscar pontos comuns e interconexões desses interesses alcançando maior sinergia na criação de valor para os diversos grupos. Para o alcance da sinergia na criação de valor para stakeholders, propõe-se que as empresas desenvolvam as seguintes capacidades organizacionais: capacidade de conhecimento, capacidade de engajamento, capacidade de integridade e capacidade de adaptação, que, em conjunto, formam a capacidade dinâmica de gestão de stakeholders, definida como \"capacidade de a empresa integrar, construir e reconfigurar seus recursos e rotinas para atender simultaneamente aos interesses dos stakeholders no contínuo processo de criação de valor\". Essas capacidades foram propostas com base nas literaturas de gestão de stakeholders e capacidades organizacionais. Após essa proposta, a relação entre as quatro capacidades e a sinergia na criação de valor para stakeholders foi testada em uma amostra de 116 empresas, com dados referentes aos anos 2011, 2012 e 2013, totalizando 273 observações. Os dados foram obtidos da base do Índice de Sustentabilidade Empresarial (ISE) da Bolsa de Valores de São Paulo (BM&FBOVESPA) e analisados por meio de modelos longitudinais de regressão para dados em painel. Os resultados da pesquisa empírica mostraram que a capacidade de conhecimento e a capacidade de adaptação estão positivamente relacionadas com a sinergia na criação de valor. A capacidade de engajamento e a capacidade de integridade não se mostraram estatisticamente relacionadas com a sinergia na criação de valor nas empresas e períodos analisados. / According to Stakeholders Theory, managers must coordinate the interests of individuals and groups that may affect or be affected by the achievement of the company\'s objectives. There is evidence that the company\'s long-term survival can only be achieved if managers consider not only the interests of shareholders but also those of employees, customers, suppliers and communities - the so-called primary stakeholders. However, it is not clear yet, in the literature, how the company can operationalize the coordination of these interests. It is argued, in this thesis, that companies can seek common points and interconnections in those interests, achieving greater synergy in the value creation for the various groups. In order to achieve this synergy, it is proposed that companies develop the following organizational capabilities: knowledge capability, engagement capability, integrity capability and adaptive capability, which together form the dynamic capability of stakeholder management, defined here as the \"capability to integrate, build, and reconfigure the company´s resources and routines to simultaneously address the stakeholders\' interests in the ongoing process of value creation\". These capabilities were proposed based on the literature of stakeholder management and organizational capabilities. After this proposal, the relationship between the four capabilities and the synergy in the value creation for stakeholders was tested in a sample of 116 companies, using data from the years 2011, 2012 and 2013, totaling 273 observations. The data were obtained from the Corporate Sustainability Index (ISE) database of São Paulo Stock Exchange (BM&FBOVESPA) and analyzed through longitudinal regression models for panel data. The results of the empirical research have shown that the knowledge capability and the adaptive capability are positively related to the synergy in the value creation. The engagement capability and integrity capability were not statistically related to the synergy in the value creation in the analyzed companies and periods.

Magnetic shape memory alloys (MSMAs) are a class of active materials that de- form under magnetic and mechanical loading conditions. This work is concerned with the modeling of MSMAs constitutive responses. The hysteretic magneto-mechanical responses of such materials are governed by two major mechanisms which are variant reorientation and field induced phase transformation (FIPT). The most widely used material for variant reorientation is Ni2 MnGa which can produce up to 6% magnetic field induced strain (MFIS) under 5 MPa actuation stress. The major drawback of this material is a low blocking stress, which is overcome in the NiMnCoIn material system through FIPT. This magnetic alloy can exhibit 5% MFIS under 125 MPa actuation stress. The focus of this work is to capture the key magneto-thermo-mechanical responses of such mechanisms through phenomenological modeling. In this work a detailed thermodynamic framework for the electromagnetic interaction within a continuum solid is presented. A Gibbs free energy function is postulated after identifying the external and internal state variables. Material symmetry restrictions are imposed on the Gibbs free energy and on the evolution equations of the internal state variables. Discrete symmetry is considered for single crystals whereas continuous symmetry is considered for polycrystalline materials. The constitutive equations are derived in a thermodynamically consistent way. A specific form of Gibbs free energy for FIPT is proposed and the explicit form of the constitutive equations is derived from the generalized formulation. The model is calibrated from experimental data and different predictions of magneto-thermo-mechanical loading conditions are presented. The generalized constitutive equations are then reduced to capture variant reorientation. A coupled magneto-mechanical boundary value problem (BVP) is solved that accounts for variant reorientation to investigate the influence of the demagnetization effect on the magnetic field and the effect of Maxwell stress on the Cauchy stress. The BVP, which mimics a real experiment, provides a methodology to correlate the difference between the externally measured magnetic data and internal magnetic field of the specimen due to the demagnetization effect. The numerical results show that localization zones appear inside the material between a certain ranges of applied magnetic field. Stability analysis is performed for variant reorientation to analyze these numerical observations. Detailed numerical and analytical analysis is presented to investigate these localization zones. Magnetostatic stability analysis reveals that the MSMA material system becomes unstable when localizations appear due to non-linear magnetization response. Coupled magneto-mechanical stability analysis shows that magnetically induced localization creates stress-localizations in the unstable zones. A parametric study is performed to show the constraints on material parameters for stable and unstable material responses.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-20T13:20:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rogerio_Piva_Silva_Dissertacao.pdf: 8318421 bytes, checksum: c97e049fac53ac9deea57913050e9774 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-27 / Rheingantz Factory, founded in 1873 in Rio Grande, was a pioneer in industrialization in Rio Grande do Sul. The complex, which through the factory production helped to boost the local economy, is abandoned since the activity began to decline in the late 1960s. As a consequence, it starts to house unemployed and be vandalized. The neglect and degradation that has been suffering, shows that if nothing is done quickly, you can lose the only place industrial city of Rio Grande do Sul, which still retains some of its structure built. In order to provide a distinctive dimension to the agents and asset managers in making decisions, this study aims to measure the value assigned by society to the factory Rheingantz. For this, it will be used the contingent valuation method based on Pearce, Paglioli, among others. The economic valuation is justified by the need to make choices between what is essential to preserve and what is not, because of scarce resources. To this end, this study was conducted by the method of deductive approach, descriptive and field research. We interviewed 500 individuals of whom 87% believed that the plant represents a local identity, 84% should be overthrown as cultural heritage of the Rio Grande and 63% said they are willing to pay / donate for the preservation / conservation of cultural heritage represented by the Rheingantz, resulting in an average willingness to pay R$ 18.96 and total economic value of R$ 5,682,600.00 / A Fábrica Rheingantz, fundada em 1873 na cidade do Rio Grande, foi a pioneira na industrialização no Rio Grande do Sul. Seu complexo, que através da produção fabril ajudou a impulsionar a economia local, encontra-se abandonada desde que sua atividade entrou em declínio ao fim dos anos 1960, abrigando desocupados e sendo alvo de vândalos. O descaso e a degradação que vem sofrendo, evidencia que se nada for feito rapidamente, pode-se perder um dos únicos sítios industriais urbanos do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul que ainda mantém parte de sua estrutura edificada. Com o intuito de fornecer uma dimensão distintiva aos agentes e gestores patrimoniais na tomada de decisão, este trabalho tem por objetivo dimensionar o valor atribuído pela sociedade rio-grandina à fábrica Rheingantz utilizando, o método da valoração contingente, fundamentado em Pearce, Pagliola, entre outros. A valoração econômica se justifica em virtude da necessidade de se fazer escolhas entre o que é imprescindível preservar e o que não é - em função dos recursos escassos. Para tanto, este trabalho foi desenvolvido por meio do método de abordagem dedutivo, descritivo e pesquisa de campo. Foram entrevistados 500 indivíduos dos quais, 87% acreditam que a fábrica representa a identidade local, 84% que deve ser tombada como patrimônio cultural do Rio Grande e 63% responderam estarem dispostos a pagar/doar pela preservação/conservação do Patrimônio Cultural representado pela Rheingantz, resultando em uma disposição média a pagar de R$ 4,44 e valor econômico total de R$5.682.600,00

De acordo com a Teoria dos Stakeholders, os gestores devem coordenar os interesses dos indivíduos e grupos que podem afetar ou ser afetados pelo alcance dos objetivos da empresa. Há evidências de que a sobrevivência da empresa no longo prazo só poderá ser alcançada se os gestores considerarem não apenas os interesses dos acionistas, mas também dos funcionários, clientes, fornecedores e das comunidades - os chamados stakeholders primários. Contudo, ainda não está claro, na literatura, como as empresas podem operacionalizar a coordenação desses interesses. Defende-se, nesta tese, que as empresas podem buscar pontos comuns e interconexões desses interesses alcançando maior sinergia na criação de valor para os diversos grupos. Para o alcance da sinergia na criação de valor para stakeholders, propõe-se que as empresas desenvolvam as seguintes capacidades organizacionais: capacidade de conhecimento, capacidade de engajamento, capacidade de integridade e capacidade de adaptação, que, em conjunto, formam a capacidade dinâmica de gestão de stakeholders, definida como \"capacidade de a empresa integrar, construir e reconfigurar seus recursos e rotinas para atender simultaneamente aos interesses dos stakeholders no contínuo processo de criação de valor\". Essas capacidades foram propostas com base nas literaturas de gestão de stakeholders e capacidades organizacionais. Após essa proposta, a relação entre as quatro capacidades e a sinergia na criação de valor para stakeholders foi testada em uma amostra de 116 empresas, com dados referentes aos anos 2011, 2012 e 2013, totalizando 273 observações. Os dados foram obtidos da base do Índice de Sustentabilidade Empresarial (ISE) da Bolsa de Valores de São Paulo (BM&FBOVESPA) e analisados por meio de modelos longitudinais de regressão para dados em painel. Os resultados da pesquisa empírica mostraram que a capacidade de conhecimento e a capacidade de adaptação estão positivamente relacionadas com a sinergia na criação de valor. A capacidade de engajamento e a capacidade de integridade não se mostraram estatisticamente relacionadas com a sinergia na criação de valor nas empresas e períodos analisados. / According to Stakeholders Theory, managers must coordinate the interests of individuals and groups that may affect or be affected by the achievement of the company\'s objectives. There is evidence that the company\'s long-term survival can only be achieved if managers consider not only the interests of shareholders but also those of employees, customers, suppliers and communities - the so-called primary stakeholders. However, it is not clear yet, in the literature, how the company can operationalize the coordination of these interests. It is argued, in this thesis, that companies can seek common points and interconnections in those interests, achieving greater synergy in the value creation for the various groups. In order to achieve this synergy, it is proposed that companies develop the following organizational capabilities: knowledge capability, engagement capability, integrity capability and adaptive capability, which together form the dynamic capability of stakeholder management, defined here as the \"capability to integrate, build, and reconfigure the company´s resources and routines to simultaneously address the stakeholders\' interests in the ongoing process of value creation\". These capabilities were proposed based on the literature of stakeholder management and organizational capabilities. After this proposal, the relationship between the four capabilities and the synergy in the value creation for stakeholders was tested in a sample of 116 companies, using data from the years 2011, 2012 and 2013, totaling 273 observations. The data were obtained from the Corporate Sustainability Index (ISE) database of São Paulo Stock Exchange (BM&FBOVESPA) and analyzed through longitudinal regression models for panel data. The results of the empirical research have shown that the knowledge capability and the adaptive capability are positively related to the synergy in the value creation. The engagement capability and integrity capability were not statistically related to the synergy in the value creation in the analyzed companies and periods.

The aim of this qualitative study is to understand how first-line managers lead their employees in the implementation of social service legislated value-base for elderly people. We wanted to understand what kind of leadership the managers used and how this leadership is formed by their acting space. Method: For this study is a qualitative method used. Trough semi-structured interviews, with 7 first-line managers, the empirical data were collected. Theory: For the analysis of the empirical data was Kurt Lewin’s three classic leadershipstyles used; the autocracy, the democracy and laissez-faire, and the theoretical concept of acting space. Result: The result of the study showed that the most common leader-style is the democracy style among the first-line managers. In the work with the social service legislated value-base for elderly people it is important to be a present leader that supports and include the employees in this work. However there are situations where the leader has to use an autocracy leader-style. The leadership is shaped by the acting space the first-line manager has. It can be affected by the organizational conditions like resources and the possibility of education for both the managers and the employees.

在微利的時代下，須從硬體的架構下發展無限的創意發展空間，從中衍生附加價值，而價值創造正式企業突破流血式競爭框架最佳的新思維模式。企業的經營模式已從量轉向質的發展，甚至從幫助顧客解決問題上，提供創新的價值，其可透過技術與人才的融合、平台與服務的整合、軟體與硬體的結合、機能與感性的統合，使組織活化、再造，展現出價值創造為導向的企業。 本論文將價值創造分為三類主要的意涵，企業可以從和顧客共創價值、和供應商及關係夥伴共創價值、以及為所生存的環境創造價值：整個價值網域是連動的關係，企業整合關係網絡夥伴，透過網絡能量的整合，創造無疆界的事業，以顧客需求出發，提供整合性的解決方案，創新顧客價值，且將眼光提升至整個大環境、大社會，以追求永續經營的環境來創造永續的企業。因此，企業透過顧客價值提供、企業價值創造、環境價值經營三個價值創造導向，突破產品與服務的疆界進而突破產業疆界，以創新者、整合者、促進者的目標邁進。企業可以價值創造為導向，以變革三部曲為轉型步驟，從策略再思考重新定義自身產業、重新思考企業的定位與方向，提早預見產業的未來發展，選擇與集中於本身的核心能力；並打造企業願景，擬定五到十年的中長期變革計畫，進行組織轉型；在變革管理中，建立企業一致的價值觀和企業文化，灌輸新內涵與新衝擊於企業文化中，給予對挑戰的生命力一記響鐘，藉以改變員工的行為與態度。本論文以六種經營模式，來呈現價值創造導向的日本企業轉型內涵，以變革三部曲為經，以價值創造導向為緯，舖成論文架構。 本論文個案的特色：Origin以提案經營結合專業研發能力與客製化的能力創新顧客價值；Shiseido以感性工程來探索顧客的感性品質結合其研發產品的物理品質來滿足顧客並讓顧客驚艷；Hitachi以解決方案提供者為人類打造新時代的生活基礎創造與人類生活息息相關的支援系統；NTT DoCoMo以跨平台整合服務創造整個通訊與生活的整合價值；Olympus的社會關懷務求使社會更為美好來創造產品與服務；Toyota的環保使命重新定義了汽車產業的未來。 對我國企業經營的啟示為跳脫代工製造的角色，以優異的製造、學習、設計能力，整合價值網絡，爲顧客提供整合性的解決方案；強調創新的突破與人才長遠的培育，整合多元性的資源，創造統知型的企業能力；跨越國際的疆界、打破事業的疆界，利用科技與感性的統合、管理與技術的統合、國內外創造力的統合，釋放組織活力，重新在世界舞台上定位。 / In this tiny profit era, we should develop infinite creative space from the hardware structure, and thus deriving added value. The value-creation is the best new thinking model for a business to break through the trap of a blooding competition. The business model has developed from quantity to quality, and even developed as creating new values by helping customers solving the problems. Also, a business can blend technology and talent, integrate platform and service, combine software and hardware, and merge functionality and sensation to vitalize and reengineer the organization to perform value creation orientation. The research categorizes value-creation orientation as three parts: a business can co-create value with customer, co-create value with value net, and create value for the environment. This value dimension is correlating: “a business integrates partners and creates a boundless business by the power of integrating value net. Driven by customer demands, a business provides total solutions and innovates customer values. Furthermore, a business enlarges his insight for the whole environment and the whole society to create a permanent business by pursuing a permanent environment.” Therefore, a business oriented by “value co-creation with customer”, “value co-creation with value-net”, “value creation for the environment” can break through the boundary of product or service as well the boundary of business, and achieve the goal of being an innovator, an integrator and an improver. A business takes 3 change steps as strategic rethinking, organizational transformation and change management. Strategic rethinking is to redefine the industry, rethink the positioning and direction of a business, to foresee the future development of the industry, and to select and concentrate the core competence. To establish a vision and make a mid- to long-term change plan(5~10 years) is to carry out an organizational transformation. In change management, we have to establish a consistent value and business culture, and install new intension and new strike to the business culture, so as to change the behavior and attitude of the employees. The research takes 6 business models to present Japanese business transformation oriented by value creation, which takes 3 change steps as longitude and value creation as latitude to construct the structure of the research. The characteristics of the cases in this research: Origin takes Proposal-type management to combine the R&D ability and customized ability to create customer value; Shiseido takes KANSEI engineering to dig out the KANSEI quality of customers and combine it with physical quality of products to satisfy the customers and surprise them; Hitachi as a Total solution provider creates a new era lifeline support system and the life infrastructure; NTT DoCoMo privides Cross-platform integration service to create the total value of the communication and the life; Olympus’s Social-IN is to make life better by creating new products and services; Toyota’s Environment mission is to redefine the future of the car industry. As for the revelation for the management of our business, we can take good advantage of the excellent producing, learning, designing abilities and integrate value net to provide total solutions for customers. We can emphasize on the breakthrough of innovation and the long-term development of talents, and integrate diversification of resources to create “knowledge-integration” business ability. We can cross the boundary of continents and break up the boundary of business by integrating functionality and sensation, management and technology, inside and outside innovation, to release the vigor of organization and restart to position on the world stage.

The thesis investigates the concept of trademark dilution under international and regional trademark law, and under the laws of selected jurisdictions; namely, the United States of America, Germany, the United Kingdom and the Republic of South Africa. The investigation includes measures undertaken to prohibit the internet-based dilution of famous marks through the registration of confusingly similar domain names. It is noted that dilution is imprecisely formulated under international trademark treaty law. In fact, the term "dilution" does not appear in international trademark treaties. To fill the gap of international trademark treaties, various policy initiatives, or `soft law' have been developed, which to some extent clarify both the concept of dilution, the type of mark protected from dilution, and the scope of such protection. The problem is that the policy initiatives are non-binding on States, so that different States have adopted different common law and statutory approaches to the protection of marks against dilution. This is demonstrated, for example, by the fact that the European Union and its Member States provide protection from dilution to "marks with a reputation", while the United States of America provides such protection only to "famous" marks, and the Republic of South Africa protects "marks which are well-known in the Republic" from dilution. The thesis analyses the protection granted in these jurisdictions, to determine the similarities and differences of approach, and to make appropriate law reform proposals to achieve uniformity of protection. In the final analysis, it is concluded that the burden of enforcing dilution provisions rest on the judiciary. This being so, the judiciary is urged to engage in a balancing exercise in deciding dilution cases. The courts should recognize that dilution provisions are powerful tools at the disposal of owners of trademarks with advertising value. At the same time, the courts should be steadfast in ensuring that protection from dilution does not stultify freedom of trade, or create absolute monopolies or a form of copyright in a trademark. / Jurisprudence / LL.D.

The thesis investigates the concept of trademark dilution under international and regional trademark law, and under the laws of selected jurisdictions; namely, the United States of America, Germany, the United Kingdom and the Republic of South Africa. The investigation includes measures undertaken to prohibit the internet-based dilution of famous marks through the registration of confusingly similar domain names. It is noted that dilution is imprecisely formulated under international trademark treaty law. In fact, the term "dilution" does not appear in international trademark treaties. To fill the gap of international trademark treaties, various policy initiatives, or `soft law' have been developed, which to some extent clarify both the concept of dilution, the type of mark protected from dilution, and the scope of such protection. The problem is that the policy initiatives are non-binding on States, so that different States have adopted different common law and statutory approaches to the protection of marks against dilution. This is demonstrated, for example, by the fact that the European Union and its Member States provide protection from dilution to "marks with a reputation", while the United States of America provides such protection only to "famous" marks, and the Republic of South Africa protects "marks which are well-known in the Republic" from dilution. The thesis analyses the protection granted in these jurisdictions, to determine the similarities and differences of approach, and to make appropriate law reform proposals to achieve uniformity of protection. In the final analysis, it is concluded that the burden of enforcing dilution provisions rest on the judiciary. This being so, the judiciary is urged to engage in a balancing exercise in deciding dilution cases. The courts should recognize that dilution provisions are powerful tools at the disposal of owners of trademarks with advertising value. At the same time, the courts should be steadfast in ensuring that protection from dilution does not stultify freedom of trade, or create absolute monopolies or a form of copyright in a trademark. / Jurisprudence / LL.D.