Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-05T18:38:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 27 / Bolsa para curso e programa de Pós Graduação / A obtenção de informações sobre valor para o cliente torna-se essencial para análise de investimentos atuais e futuros nos serviços/produtos. O propósito deste trabalho é estabelecer uma estrutura de análise de congruência e possíveis trade-offs das perspectivas entre o que é valor para o cliente e a intenção organizacional. A base da proposta refere-se à abordagem da teoria Cadeias Meios-Fim (Chain end-means), a qual estabelece uma estrutura cognitiva relacionando três níveis que variam de elementos concretos para níveis mais abstratos: atributos (Como?), conseqüências de uso (O quê?) e valores (Por que?). Para o presente estudo utilizou-se o método de Escalada (Laddering) o qual também foi operacionalizado em uma fase quantitativa pela adaptação da Técnica de Associação de Padrões (APT) para a construção do Mapa Hierárquico de Valor. A instituição de ensino analisada foi a Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos – Unisinos, através dos seus cursos de MBA’s. Os resultados obtidos evidenciam congruências e i / The acquisition of information on value for the customer becomes essential for the analysis of investments, current and futures in the products. The purpose of this work is to establish a structure of consistency analysis and possible trade-offs between what is value for the customer and for the organizational intention. The base of the proposal refers to the approach of the theory Chain end-means, which establishes a cognitive structure relating three levels that vary from concrete elements to the most abstract levels: attributes (How?), use consequences (What?) and values (Why?). The present study was elaborated using Laddering and in a quantitative phase for the Association Pattern Technique (APT), method for the construction of the Hierarchical Map of Value (HVM). The results presented evidence consistencies and inconsistencies in the three levels of the chain, in the two perspectives and between the two methods. The analysis of those results contributes to possible strategic decision-making in the m

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-05T18:39:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 31 / Nenhuma / O propósito deste trabalho foi o de investigar o valor para o cliente na Educação Superior a partir da percepção dos alunos de graduação sobre atributos, conseqüências e valores relacionados ao consumo deste tipo de serviço. Com base na proposta de valor para o cliente de Woodruf (1997), utilizou-se o modelo da cadeia de meios-fim (Means-end chains) proposto por Gutman (1982) para a aplicação de duas técnicas no intuito de obter as percepções dos alunos pesquisados: a Laddering e a APT (Association Pattern Technique). A coleta de dados foi realizada em Porto Alegre, em duas etapas. A primeira etapa (qualitativa) contou com uma amostra de 30 respondentes e a segunda etapa (quantitativa) contou com 294 respondentes. Os resultados foram analisados em três momentos: análise dos resultados obtidos na Ladering; análise dos resultados obtidos na APT; e análise comparativa dos resultados obtidos nas duas técnicas. Os resultados da etapa qualitativa foram apresentados através da criação de um mapa hierárquico de valor / The purpose of this work is to study the value to the customers in higher education, from the point of view of the students, collecting their opinions about value, consequences and attributes about this type of service. Based in the value proposed by Woodruf (1997) and using the means-end chains proposed by Gutman (1982) two models were applied to the students: the Laddering and the Association Pattern Technique (APT). All data was collected in the city of Porto Alegre in two different stages. The first one, the Value Stage (qualitative stage), done with 30 students and the second one, the Amount Stage (quantitative stage), where 294 students were interviewed. The Laddering and the APT data were separately analyzed and both were also compared. The qualitative stage’s results was presented by the creation of a customers’ value hierarchic map. The quantitative stage’s results was presented by the significance of the relations between the Attributes and Consequences, and Consequences and Values identified by APT

Since the initial genome sequencing projects along with the recent advances on technology, molecular biology and large scale transcriptome analysis result in data accumulation at a large scale. These data have been provided in different platforms and come from different laboratories therefore, there is a need for compilation and comprehensive analysis. In this thesis, we addressed the automatization of biological data acquisition and integration from these non-uniform data using machine learning techniques. We focused on two different mining studies in the scope of this thesis. In the first study, we worked on characterizing expression patterns of housekeeping genes. We described methodologies to compare measures of housekeeping genes with non-housekeeping genes. In the second study, we proposed a novel framework, bi-k-bi clustering, for finding association rules of gene pairs that can easily operate on large scale and multiple heterogeneous data sets. Results in both studies showed consistency and relatedness with the available literature. Furthermore, our results provided some novel insights waiting to be experimented by the biologists.

During the past years, the usage of wood as construction material in multistory applications has increased. In Germany and Sweden, various activities have been, and are about to be performed, to accentuate and improve the position of wooden multistory houses. In line with that, this thesis tries to contribute to the understanding of how consumers perceive durable products; in the contextual frame of how German and Swedish consumers perceive wooden multistory houses. It was hypothesized that consumers’ perceptions on durable products differ, depending on their age, income, national and within-country habitation. Based on the Means-End Chain Theory, the Association Pattern Technique has been further developed to collect and analyze data for two samples. In Germany and Sweden, 31 respectively 34 laddering interviews have been carried out which formed the base for a survey-study in each country. Here, 229 surveys were received from German, and 503 from Swedish respondents. The results show that age, income, national and within-country habitation have significant impact on consumers’ perceptions of wooden multistory houses. Moreover, the extension of the Association Pattern Technique was validated. It allowed for additional data to be gathered, which can be regarded as rather important, since it appeared in the most dominant Means-End Chains of the respondents in both Germany and Sweden. This helps to understand consumers’ underlying reasons why one product is favoured over another.

During the past years, wooden one and two family houses showed a higher growth rate on the German construction market compared to conventional material like brick and stone. Wood as construction material became more and more attractive. Furthermore, a growing demand on multifamily houses could be recognized, yet, wood has not been considered as an alternative in this field of application until now. Trying to understand the end-users attitudes towards wooden multifamily houses, this licentiate thesis aims at exploring German end-users’ perceptions of wooden multifamily houses. To collect the necessary data, the Association Pattern Technique (APT) was applied, which is a two-stage method and has its foundations in the Means-End theory. In the first stage, 31 in-depth laddering interviews were carried out, which served as the base for the matrix-survey in the second stage, where 229 answers were received. Extending the existing method in the matrix-survey stage allowed for important additional data to be uncovered. The results show that individuals associate certain product attributes with wooden multifamily houses and that these attributes are thought to entail specific consequences. These consequences are in turn linked with the personal values of the respondents. The most dominant perceptual orientations of different groups of respondents are shown and significant differences could be found in how individuals in German perceive wooden multifamily houses depending on age, income and habitation.

Bottlenose dolphins exhibit fission-fusion social systems in which group size and composition change fluidly throughout the day. Societies are typically sexually segregated, and the quality and patterning of individual relationships in this social species shape the social structure of a population. Female dolphins usually have a large network of associates with whom they form recurring moderate bonds, while male associations are highly variable due to their mating strategies. Males employ one of two strategies; males may be solitary, and encounter and herd females individually, while others may form strong bonds with one to two other males and cooperatively herd individual females in the shape of a first-order alliance. Second-order alliances are more uncommon and have only been observed in Shark Bay, Australia, and more recently within the St. Johns River (SJR), Jacksonville, Florida. Given the inter-population variation in male mating strategies, greater documentation of social structure in neighboring populations along the Atlantic coast is needed. Therefore, chapter one documents the social structure of the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) estuarine system where dolphins have experienced recurrent cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) epizootics. Although environmental disturbances can affect both social and mating systems, IRL dolphin sociality does not seem to be affected by the 2008 CeMV mass mortality event. Additionally, males only form first-order alliances within this population. Because multi-level alliances are unique to the SJR in this region, chapter two analyzes the stability and function of SJR alliances. Both first- and second-order alliances exhibited variation in stability, while alliance association appears dependent on female presence. Thus, SJR alliances likely function within a reproductive context. Together, this work provides insight into the social and mating systems of bottlenose dolphins, as well as the function of multi-level alliances at a relatively new study site.

<p>During the past years, wooden one and two family houses showed a higher growth rate on the German construction market compared to conventional material like brick and stone. Wood as construction material became more and more attractive. Furthermore, a growing demand on multifamily houses could be recognized, yet, wood has not been considered as an alternative in this field of application until now. Trying to understand the end-users attitudes towards wooden multifamily houses, this licentiate thesis aims at exploring German end-users’ perceptions of wooden multifamily houses.</p><p>To collect the necessary data, the Association Pattern Technique (APT) was applied, which is a two-stage method and has its foundations in the Means-End theory. In the first stage, 31 in-depth laddering interviews were carried out, which served as the base for the matrix-survey in the second stage, where 229 answers were received. Extending the existing method in the matrix-survey stage allowed for important additional data to be uncovered.</p><p>The results show that individuals associate certain product attributes with wooden multifamily houses and that these attributes are thought to entail specific consequences. These consequences are in turn linked with the personal values of the respondents. The most dominant perceptual orientations of different groups of respondents are shown and significant differences could be found in how individuals in German perceive wooden multifamily houses depending on age, income and habitation.</p>