This master thesis focuses on the worldwide optical connection situation.Within the respective regions of Asia-Pacific,the Americas and Europe, it identifies the main countries and focuses on the situation and share of FTTx subscribers in them.It tries to answer the question of what technologies are represented the most on particular markets. Within each country,two service providers are chosen and their offer analyzed.For an overview,the price offer for an Internet connection with the highest transmission rate and the price for VoIP service are provided. The analytical part uses the obtained data from individual countries and regions for a price comparison and market forecast.The price comparison deals with the price level of a standard connection in relation to GDP per capita in PPS.This comparison enables the discovery of how expensive the Internet connection via FTTx is in a particular country.Furthermore, the analytical part, in relevant countries, focuses on the calculation of the ratio of costs for the yearly use of a FTTx subscription in relation to the disposable family income. The highest ratio-8.37%-was recorded in India. The thesis also includes a market forecast in the horizon of the end of 2009 and 2010 for the most important countries.For each country,the main growth factor is identified and subsequently the development for the entire year 2009 and 2010 is forecast.The worldwide forecast is 61.37 million (as of the end of 2009) and 72.67 million (as of the end of 2010) FTTx subscriptions.The contribution of this master thesis is the analysis of in what state of development the market of Internet optical connection is in the most important countries, with price comparisons and a market forecast constituting further contributions.

The object of this Master´s Thesis is proposal of shopping centre´s marketing strategy. Theoretic part deals with the issue of a retail trade and marketing planning. Current state analysis are made in practical part, which is the main resource for shopping centre´s marketing strategy proposal and second floor remodeling.

Subject of this thesis is initial public offering and it’s main goal is describing of obtaining external funds for company’s funding. In the first part of the thesis is description of basic structure of financial markets, especially stock markets. The term IPO and it’s advantages and disadvantages are described. The last part is focused on individual steps of IPO realization. This thesis is focused on evaluation of chosen company’s entry on stock market. Especially macro-economic presumptions for IPO, readiness of chosen company and choice of suitable market are evaluated.

The diploma thesis is by its nature focused on evaluation of company performance. Analyzed company SITA CZ, a.s. is one of the market leaders providing services regarding of treatment with non-hazardous and hazardous waste. This company is analyzed in two aspects within diploma thesis. Evaluation focuses on market position and performance within specific economic activities according to NACE rev.2 – 382, at first. Second evaluation is focused on competitive benchmarking that should pin-point particular weaknesses. The main goal of the diploma thesis is to propose solutions to improve company performance and market position.

Orientador: Teodoro Vaske Junior / Resumo: A utilização de tintas anti-incrustantes é mandatória para embarcações e outras estruturas submersas na água do mar. Existem diversas vantagens em utilizar estas tintas como ganho em tempo e em velocidade de operações, e menor gasto de combustível, pois a bioincrustação aumenta a rugosidade da superfície e diminui a hidrodinâmica das embarcações. Em geral, a maioria destas tintas contém biocidas que evitam que os organismos incrustantes consigam se estabelecer sobre a superfície das embarcações. Esses biocidas por sua vez, acabam por serem liberados das pinturas provocando danos aos ecossistemas, como, por exemplo, o imposex, que é a masculinização de fêmeas de moluscos gastrópodes, um problema de disrupção endócrina causada pelo tributilestanho (TBT). Novos biocidas surgiram no mercado global após o banimento do TBT como alternativas menos danosas, porém muitos estudos comprovam efeitos prejudiciais a biodiversidade aquática, principalmente quando combinados. No Brasil, as regulamentações ambientais que dizem respeito às tintas anti-incrustantes são a Norman 23 da Marinha do Brasil, que estabelece as diretrizes para os sistemas anti-incrustantes, e a Resolução Conama 357, que estabelece os padrões de qualidade de águas. Esses dois documentos estão relacionados apenas ao uso do TBT, que foi banido em 2008. Em relação aos novos biocidas não existe nada neste aspecto, embora a Normam 23 tenha opção de incluir outros biocidas, caso necessário. O presente estudo tem por objetivo ... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The use of some kind of antifouling protection is mandatory for ships and submerged structures. This use has many advantages, such as time gains in trips and general operations due to higher attainable speeds and reduced fuel consumption, as biofouling increases hull roughness and reduces hydrodynamic performance of the vessel. In a general way, most of these paints include biocides, to avoid the organism fixation in the vessel’s hull surface. However, these biocides cause environmental problems such as imposex, which causes masculinization of female marine gastropods, an endocrine disruption problem caused by tributyltin (TBT). New biocides were introduced in the global market after the TBT banning as less harmfull alternatives, but many studies have shown that these also could cause damage to marine ecosystems, and particularly when combined. In Brazil, environmental regulations on antifouling paints are: Normam 23, from the Brazilian Navy, which regulates application of marine antifouling systems, and Resolution 357 from CONAMA (Brazilian National Environment Council), which establish the water quality parameters. Both documents include only organotins (Normam 23) or specifically TBT (Res. 357), forbidden as antifouling since 2008. The new antifouling biocides are not discussed or regulated in these regulatory instances, while Normam 23 have the possibility of upgrade for including other biocides if required. This study is aimed at an evaluation of the possible risks to ma... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

<p dir="ltr">The U.S. food supply chain, particularly the beef industry, faces growing demands for transparency and traceability due to increased consumer awareness of environmental and social impacts. A lack of transparency and access to information, along with misinformation, pose challenges to brand trust and supply chain efficiency. Emerging information technologies like RFID and blockchain are being explored to enhance traceability and information transparency, forming the topic of this dissertation.</p><p dir="ltr">This study aims to understand how the growing demand for transparency in the U.S. beef industry could reshape its supply chain structure and dynamics. It comprehensively examines the potential of information technologies like blockchain to enhance traceability, reduce transaction costs and information asymmetry and shift the supply chain structure to vertical coordination.</p><p dir="ltr">To achieve these objectives, we employed System Dynamics (SD) to model the U.S beef supply chain from 2013 to 2022, leveraging on existing literature and statistical data. This methodology was selected because of its unique ability to capture dynamic complexities and feedback among variables, allowing us to assess market dynamics and evaluate potential changes in the beef supply chain under different information technology scenarios. The model was evaluated through a series of tests and demonstrated its efficacy in simulating and analyzing the dynamics of the beef supply chain.</p><p dir="ltr">We simulated a wide range of key policy initiatives on both supply and demand sides of the beef supply chain. Our findings reveal that blockchain adoption is influenced by various factors such as market dynamics, consumer preferences, and existing power imbalances within the supply chain. Scenario analyses suggest that larger firms may be less incentivized to adopt blockchain if the market isn't ready for transparency, due to high implementation costs. Conversely, smaller firms could benefit from reduced transaction costs. Also, our results show an increased willingness to pay for transparent beef boosts the market for smaller firms and raises beef prices. Regulatory intervention may be necessary to balance the power dynamic within the supply chain, especially considering the market power held by packers.</p><p dir="ltr">This study fills existing knowledge gaps and provides valuable insights for beef supply chain stakeholders. It organizes complex data into clear, communicable causal loop diagrams and then introduces a comprehensive U.S. beef supply stock-and-flow diagram, grounded in literature, data, and trends. Finally, by synthesizing complex data and providing practical tools for decision-making, this research offers a foundation for future studies and policy recommendations in the field of supply chain transparency.</p>

In a market that nowadays is based on the customers expectations there will always be new demands placed on distributors. Based on requests regarding how compliant and adaptive they can be found in aspects of good customer knowledge. In being able to accommodate those requests a requirement in management of large quantities of customer data and large and small scale decisions is needed. The problem this study investigates is the seen lack of visualization tools in market share analysis (MSA) ability to lower the risk of loss of relevant data. Scientific literature confirms an existing knowledge gap based upon visualization and its ability to solve problems given that research focused on presenting the problem and what constitutes it but not on what can be used to manage it. However this study seeks to investigate How visualization of market share analysis can be used in connection to decision making?. The study applies a quantitative research strategy and uses surveys with the grading method likert scale in the choice of selected data collection method. The result of the study shows the respondent groups high valuations of visualization but how the prioritization differentiates in respective MSA-phase. In regards to the mentioned information the study ́s four suggestions mainly aims to show how visualization of MSA can be used to present and clarify for each decision options and known ways forward, lowering the risk of loss of relevant data and clarification of relations. For future research demands of expanding research through geographic extent and an expansion of areas within marketing and business development are presented as suggested areas to look closer into.

This study is set out to assess the effectiveness of customer relationship management (CRM) in the hotel industry. Relying on the integration of several CRM scholars, the study seeks to answer questions about the relationship between CRM and performance. A mixed research method approach was adopted. The research targeted 106 hotels in Pretoria. 47 responses were received from the hotel personnel who answered the questionnaire. The findings of the survey clearly indicate that hotel performance is dependent on CRM, as shown in the variance of performance levels in line with the level of CRM practised by a specific, named hotel. The study further suggests that hotels’ management should continuously embark on various CRM practices in order to improve their performance. Responses will be captured and analysed using the SPSS computer software. The results will be subjected to quantitative data analysis. It is expected that the findings will highlight important implications for hotels and other hospitality and tourism stakeholders in Pretoria and beyond. Stakeholders wishing to improve their understanding of the effectiveness of CRM in hotels will find this study helpful. / Business Management / M. Tech. (Business Administration)

This thesis investigates the factors that are associated with annual changes in the share price of Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) listed companies. In this study, an increase in value of a share is when the share price of a company goes up by the end of the financial year as compared to the previous year. Secondary data that was sourced from McGregor BFA website was used. The data was from 2004 up to 2011. Deciding which share to buy is the biggest challenge faced by both investment companies and individuals when investing on the stock exchange. This thesis uses binary logistic regression to identify the variables that are associated with share price increase. The dependent variable was annual change in share price (ACSP) and the independent variables were assets per capital employed ratio, debt per assets ratio, debt per equity ratio, dividend yield, earnings per share, earnings yield, operating profit margin, price earnings ratio, return on assets, return on equity and return on capital employed. Different variable selection methods were used and it was established that the backward elimination method produced the best model. It was established that the probability of success of a share is higher if the shareholders are anticipating a higher return on capital employed, and high earnings/ share. It was however, noted that the share price is negatively impacted by dividend yield and earnings yield. Since the odds of an increase in share price is higher if there is a higher return on capital employed and high earning per share, investors and investment companies are encouraged to choose companies with high earnings per share and the best returns on capital employed. The final model had a classification rate of 68.3% and the validation sample produced a classification rate of 65.2% / Mathematical Sciences / M.Sc. (Statistics)

This study is set out to assess the effectiveness of customer relationship management (CRM) in the hotel industry. Relying on the integration of several CRM scholars, the study seeks to answer questions about the relationship between CRM and performance. A mixed research method approach was adopted. The research targeted 106 hotels in Pretoria. 47 responses were received from the hotel personnel who answered the questionnaire. The findings of the survey clearly indicate that hotel performance is dependent on CRM, as shown in the variance of performance levels in line with the level of CRM practised by a specific, named hotel. The study further suggests that hotels’ management should continuously embark on various CRM practices in order to improve their performance. Responses will be captured and analysed using the SPSS computer software. The results will be subjected to quantitative data analysis. It is expected that the findings will highlight important implications for hotels and other hospitality and tourism stakeholders in Pretoria and beyond. Stakeholders wishing to improve their understanding of the effectiveness of CRM in hotels will find this study helpful. / Business Management / M. Tech. (Business Administration)