Lime softening, chlorination, clarification and filtration have been long recognized treatment processes for beverage water specifically the carbonated soft drink (CSD) because it provides consistent water quality required for bottling plants, however these processes are becoming uneconomical and causes more problems than the benefits they offer. These processes require very large foot print, occupy large plant volume, and generate large volume of sludge which causes disposal problems. Chlorination produces trihalomethanes (THMs) and other by-products which are detrimental to health and imparts tastes to the final products. Using the newly developed submerged spiral wound ultrafiltration membranes in conjunction with lime softening may replace the conventional lime softening, clarification and filtration processes. This research was conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of integrating immersed ultrafiltration (UF) membrane with lime softening. The objectives of this research was to achieve the water quality required by the CSD bottlers; determine the relationships of operating parameters such as pH and membrane flux with trans-membrane pressure (TMP), and membrane permeability; determine the optimum dosage of lime; evaluate the operating parameters as basis for the design and construction of the full scale plant; and predict the membrane cleaning intervals. A pilot unit consisting of lime reactor and UF system was designed and built for this research. The pilot unit was operated at various pH ranging from 7.3 to 11.2 and at membrane flux rates of 15, 30 and 45 gfd. The pilot unit was also operated at the CSD bottler’s operating conditions which is pH 9.8 at flux of 30 gfd. The pilot unit operated for a total of 1800 hours. The raw water source was from city water supply. The filtrate from the pilot unit achieved alkalinity reduction to 20 to 30 mg/L preferred by CSD bottlers, with lime dosage close to the calculated value. The filtrate turbidity during the test was consistently within 0.4 to 0.5 NTU. The TMP values obtained during the test ranges from 0.1 to 2.5 psi, while the permeability values ranges from 18.19 to 29.6 gfd/psi. The increase in flux results to corresponding increase in TMP, and increase in operating pH, increases the rate of TMP. Permeability decreases with increasing operating pH. The TOC reduction ranges from 2.6 % to 15.8% with increasing operating pH. No scaling of the UF membranes was observed during the test. Thirty days UF membrane cleaning interval was predicted. The results from this research can use as the basis of designing and operating a full scale Lime Softening UF Treatment Plant.

The main objective of this thesis is to define the term "trade marketing" and evaluate its role within the Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company. With the use of internal resources and relevant literature, I will describe the use of trade marketing from both theoretical and practical point of view. I will also introduce the Coca-Cola HBC and its position on the carbonated soft drinks market in the Czech republic.

Final draft report presented to the Graduate School of Business Leadership, University of South Africa / The main purpose of this study is to ascertain the major service quality variables that determine customer satisfaction for the Carbonated Soft Drink market which is dynamic and is also part of the highly competitive impulse beverage industry in South Africa. Amalgamated Beverages Industry (aka Coca Cola) still holds the lion’s share of the market although its share has fallen in the last 5 years presumably due to the growth in the consumption of substitutes such as bottled water, 100% fruit juices, energy drinks and dairy juice blends. The proliferation of “diet conscious” consumers has exacerbated the situation. These alternatives are the primary growth areas in the impulse beverage market. This has obviously threatened the viability and profitability of major players in this industry. To date the performance of Carbonated Soft Drinks (CSDs) has been less than satisfactory. There are other key players which have penetrated this market namely Pepsi, trading as Pioneer Foods, Royal, Pioneer Foods, California Cola, Pick ‘n Pay and Quality Beverages. For purposes of this study the three key players were chosen namely ABI, Pepsi and Quality Beverages. These key players have made huge investments in this industry at the level of production and distribution. In addition heavy investments go towards advertising and promotional campaigns. This research is exploratory in nature and makes way for further research in order to reach a more logical conclusion. This study is conducted within the confines of Gauteng region and more specifically Johannesburg North and Central. These two regions were chosen because the researcher resides close to these regions and wanted to minimize the costs involved in this study. The researcher also assumed the findings are a true representation of the broader picture of the South African scenario. Before collecting information the researcher initially consulted recent articles, books, magazines, company reports and even the internet in order to develop a clear understanding of the industry. This also helped the researcher to make logical decisions in the course` of undertaking the research. To that effect the researcher adopted the service quality SERVQUAL and the Gaps models in coming up with a measurement instrument for the research. The CSD companies have two broad categories of customers namely the trader and the end user or consumer. The trader purchases the product for purposes of research whilst the end user buys for consumption. This research focused on the trade customer. According to research experts a sample of more than 5% of the total population does not compromise validity. However the researcher opted for more than 10% of the total population in order to increase reliability of the results. Thus from the population size of 965 trade outlets the researcher arrived at a sample of 100. The traders were classified into four major categories namely retail outlets, wholesalers, restaurants and service stations. Information was collected from these 100 traders using personal interviews. The researcher is the one who conducted all the interviews. Information was gathered from buyers, managers and owners. The researcher took advantage of the Statistical Package for Social Scientists in order to make a meaningful analysis of the data collected. Many service oriented recommendations have been promulgated by this research. They are neither exhaustive nor prescriptive given the time constraint within which this research was conducted.

Final draft report presented to the Graduate School of Business Leadership, University of South Africa / The main purpose of this study is to ascertain the major service quality variables that determine customer satisfaction for the Carbonated Soft Drink market which is dynamic and is also part of the highly competitive impulse beverage industry in South Africa. Amalgamated Beverages Industry (aka Coca Cola) still holds the lion’s share of the market although its share has fallen in the last 5 years presumably due to the growth in the consumption of substitutes such as bottled water, 100% fruit juices, energy drinks and dairy juice blends. The proliferation of “diet conscious” consumers has exacerbated the situation. These alternatives are the primary growth areas in the impulse beverage market. This has obviously threatened the viability and profitability of major players in this industry. To date the performance of Carbonated Soft Drinks (CSDs) has been less than satisfactory. There are other key players which have penetrated this market namely Pepsi, trading as Pioneer Foods, Royal, Pioneer Foods, California Cola, Pick ‘n Pay and Quality Beverages. For purposes of this study the three key players were chosen namely ABI, Pepsi and Quality Beverages. These key players have made huge investments in this industry at the level of production and distribution. In addition heavy investments go towards advertising and promotional campaigns. This research is exploratory in nature and makes way for further research in order to reach a more logical conclusion. This study is conducted within the confines of Gauteng region and more specifically Johannesburg North and Central. These two regions were chosen because the researcher resides close to these regions and wanted to minimize the costs involved in this study. The researcher also assumed the findings are a true representation of the broader picture of the South African scenario. Before collecting information the researcher initially consulted recent articles, books, magazines, company reports and even the internet in order to develop a clear understanding of the industry. This also helped the researcher to make logical decisions in the course` of undertaking the research. To that effect the researcher adopted the service quality SERVQUAL and the Gaps models in coming up with a measurement instrument for the research. The CSD companies have two broad categories of customers namely the trader and the end user or consumer. The trader purchases the product for purposes of research whilst the end user buys for consumption. This research focused on the trade customer. According to research experts a sample of more than 5% of the total population does not compromise validity. However the researcher opted for more than 10% of the total population in order to increase reliability of the results. Thus from the population size of 965 trade outlets the researcher arrived at a sample of 100. The traders were classified into four major categories namely retail outlets, wholesalers, restaurants and service stations. Information was collected from these 100 traders using personal interviews. The researcher is the one who conducted all the interviews. Information was gathered from buyers, managers and owners. The researcher took advantage of the Statistical Package for Social Scientists in order to make a meaningful analysis of the data collected. Many service oriented recommendations have been promulgated by this research. They are neither exhaustive nor prescriptive given the time constraint within which this research was conducted.

Submitted by Jorge Silva (jorgelmsilva@ufrrj.br) on 2017-05-19T18:26:23Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2016 - Denise Rosane Perdomo Azeredo.pdf: 2006973 bytes, checksum: 610e1499e6733b78ee2eb47034198a7d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-19T18:26:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2016 - Denise Rosane Perdomo Azeredo.pdf: 2006973 bytes, checksum: 610e1499e6733b78ee2eb47034198a7d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-08-25 / Nowadays consumer desired healthy foods that promote benefits and free from food additives. The chemical composition of soft drinks, artificial colors and preservative, may pose a risk to consumer health due to the possibility of benzene formation, a recognized carcinogenic agent in humans and the association between artificial colors, allergic reactions and DNA damage. In this study, an orange soda formula containing the preservatives sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate with carrot and apple concentrate was developed. In parallel, we developed a standard formula containing tartrazine and sunset yellow. Physicochemical, microbiological and sensory analysis of formulas were carried out during the storage period of 150 days. It was observed that there were no changes in physicochemical parameters. However, the colorimetric analysis revealed a short shelf life in the sample containing the carrot and apple concentrate. Regarding microbiology, both formulations were according to regulation by public health agencies. The yeasts and molds counts presented 1 log cycle growth in the formula containing the carrot and apple concentrate, suggesting that the robustness of the developed matrix may be affected, if the hygiene conditions of processing line sanitation are not observed. It was found that the color was the sensory characteristic that most influenced consumers regarding the acceptability of the samples, signaling that this parameter interfered significantly in evaluating flavor and appearance The results obtained by microbiological challenge test and determination of growth potential (?) indicated that yeast and lactic acid bacteria are able to multiply in the formula containing carrot and apple concentrate without preservatives (? ? 0.5 log10), indicating that the formula is sensitive. Acid acetic bacteria, in these conditions, were inhibited. A preserved formula with the addition of carrot and apple concentrate and other formula with the addition of artificial colors were prepared. The results referring to the growth potential (?) indicated that yeast and lactic acid bacteria were inhibited (? ? 0.5 log10) in both formulas. However, the preservative resistant yeasts presented growth ability (? ? 0.5 log10). In the apple and carrot concentrate, it was observed that yeast, lactic acid bacteria and fungus Penicillium citrinum were inhibited, indicating that this ingredient should not be considered a nutrient source for microbial multiplication that would affect the formula robustness. It was verified the growth of the preservative resistant yeasts (growth potential ? ? 0,5 log10) in all the evaluated formulas and ingredient. The data obtained, in this study, indicate that the development of more natural foods still represents a challenge for the food industry. / Atualmente o consumidor anseia por alimentos mais naturais, saud?veis, que promovam benef?cios ? sa?de e que sejam isentos de aditivos. Nesse sentido, a composi??o qu?mica dos refrigerantes, especialmente no que concerne aos corantes artificiais e conservadores pode representar riscos ? sa?de do consumidor, devido a possibilidade de forma??o de benzeno, reconhecido agente carcinog?nico ao homem, e a associa??o entre corantes artificiais, rea??es al?rgicas e efeitos delet?rios ao DNA. Nessa pesquisa, inicialmente, desenvolveu-se uma formula??o de refrigerante de laranja, contendo os conservadores benzoato de s?dio e sorbato de pot?ssio, na qual os corantes artificiais ? amarelo tartrazina e amarelo crep?sculo foram substitu?dos por concentrado de cenoura e ma??. Em paralelo, desenvolveu-se uma formula??o controle. Foram realizadas an?lises f?sico-qu?micas, microbiol?gicas e sensorial das formula??es durante o per?odo de armazenamento de 150 dias. Observou-se o atendimento ao padr?o de identidade e qualidade e estabilidade das formula??es em rela??o aos par?metros f?sico-qu?micos. Entretanto, na an?lise colorim?trica observou-se uma degrada??o de cor percept?vel ao consumidor na amostra contendo o concentrado de cenoura e ma??. Em rela??o as an?lises microbiol?gicas, ambas as formula??es atenderam aos par?metros preconizados pela legisla??o. Entretanto, a contagem de bolores e leveduras apresentou crescimento de 1 ciclo log na formula??o contendo o concentrado de cenoura e ma??, sugerindo que a robustez da matriz desenvolvida pode ser afetada, se as condi??es de higieniza??o da linha de processamento n?o forem observadas. Em rela??o a an?lise sensorial, verificou-se que a cor foi a caracter?stica sensorial que mais influenciou os consumidores com rela??o a aceitabilidade das amostras, sinalizando que esse par?metro interferiu, de forma significativa na avalia??o do sabor e apar?ncia. Os resultados referentes a aplica??o do teste desafio e a determina??o do potencial de multiplica??o microbiana (?) indicaram que as leveduras e bact?rias l?cticas s?o capazes de se multiplicar na formula??o adicionada de concentrada de cenoura e ma?? sem conservadores (? ? 0,5 log10), sinalizando que a formula??o ? sens?vel. As bact?rias ac?ticas, nessas condi??es, foram inibidas. Nas formula??es preservadas quimicamente com adi??o de concentrado de cenoura e ma?? e a adicionada de corantes artificiais, os resultados referentes ao potencial de multiplica??o microbiana (?) indicaram que as leveduras e bact?rias l?cticas foram inibidas (? ? 0,5 log10) em ambas as formula??es. Entretanto, as leveduras resistentes a conservadores apresentaram habilidade de crescimento (? ? 0,5 log10). No ingrediente concentrado de cenoura e ma??, observou-se que as leveduras, bact?rias l?cticas e o fungo Penicillium citrinum foram inibidos, indicando que o concentrado n?o deve ser considerado uma fonte de nutriente para a multiplica??o microbiana que afetaria a robustez da formula??o. Constatou-se a multiplica??o das leveduras resistentes a conservadores, com potencial de multiplica??o ? ? 0,5 log10 em todas as formula??es e ingrediente avaliados. Os dados obtidos no presente estudo sinalizam que o desenvolvimento de alimentos mais naturais ainda representa um desafio para a ind?stria de alimentos.

Submitted by JOSÉ VARELA DONATO DONATO (jvarela@superig.com.br) on 2011-08-03T20:10:39Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE - Empreendedorismo e Estratégia.pdf: 2040306 bytes, checksum: ec0f87dee77d5c0f7e15ae6920a28565 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Vera Lúcia Mourão (vera.mourao@fgv.br) on 2011-08-03T20:28:08Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE - Empreendedorismo e Estratégia.pdf: 2040306 bytes, checksum: ec0f87dee77d5c0f7e15ae6920a28565 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Vera Lúcia Mourão (vera.mourao@fgv.br) on 2011-08-03T20:31:43Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE - Empreendedorismo e Estratégia.pdf: 2040306 bytes, checksum: ec0f87dee77d5c0f7e15ae6920a28565 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2011-08-04T13:40:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE - Empreendedorismo e Estratégia.pdf: 2040306 bytes, checksum: ec0f87dee77d5c0f7e15ae6920a28565 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-06-30 / This research aims to describe how the process of creating two companies and their competitive strategies have developed in the carbonated soft drinks sector in the State of Ceará. It is a qualitative and descriptive research, in which interpretation plays a crucial role in data analysis, that consisted mainly of texts originated from interviews with the founders and general managers of two companies studied and managers of three supermarket chains as well as documents, articles, studies and statistics from the carbonated soft drinks sector. The research revealed that the entrepreneurial processes occured in a disordely way, the discovery of an opportunity resulted of a set of conditions, the entrepreneurs did not compare opportunities and used rational and non-rational criteria for evaluating opportunities, they didn’t have a long-term goal or vision at the beginning of their companies and exhibited confidence and optimism about the success of their business. Regarding the creation of competitive strategy, the results show that competition occurred in all segments of the value chain of companies, a cost leadership strategy was effective for entry into the market, but an obstacle to growth in face of changes in the economic profile and lifestyle of consumers; the intangible assets (brand reputation, knowledge, education for entrepreneurship, for example) and capabilities to effectively perform the activities in the value chain are more sustainable and valuable competitive advantages to business performance. Finally, the research results suggest that the development and evaluation of business creation projects must incorporate variables such as increasing the number of firms and their survival and mortality rates, entry costs, capacity utilization, and competitive movements in broader geographic areas. / Esta pesquisa tem por objetivo principal descrever como se desenvolveram, no setor de refrigerantes no Estado do Ceará, os processos de criação de duas empresas e de suas estratégias competitivas. Trata-se de pesquisa qualitativa, de natureza descritiva, em que a interpretação desempenha papel crucial na análise dos dados, constituídos principalmente de textos, originados de entrevistas com os fundadores e gerentes gerais das duas empresas estudadas e gerentes de três redes de supermercados, além de documentos, estudos, artigos e dados estatísticos do setor de refrigerantes. A pesquisa revelou que os processos de empreender ocorreram de maneira desordenada; a descoberta de uma oportunidade resultou do atendimento de um conjunto de condições; os empreendedores não compararam oportunidades e usaram critérios racionais e não racionais para avaliação de oportunidades, não tiveram meta ou visão de longo prazo na implantação de suas empresas e exibiram confiança e otimismo quanto ao sucesso de suas empresas. Quanto à criação da estratégia competitiva, os resultados mostram que a competição ocorreu em todos os segmentos da cadeia de valor das empresas; uma estratégia de liderança em custo foi eficaz para a entrada no mercado, mas impeditiva ao crescimento diante das mudanças no perfil econômico e estilo de vida dos consumidores; os recursos intangíveis (reputação da marca, conhecimento, educação para o empreendedorismo, por exemplo) e capacidades de executar com eficiência as atividades na cadeia de valores foram vantagens competitivas mais sustentáveis e valiosas para o desempenho empresarial. Finalmente, os resultados da pesquisa sugerem que a elaboração e a avaliação de projetos de criação de empresas devem incorporar variáveis como aumento do número de firmas e suas taxas de sobrevivência e mortalidade, custos de entrada, utilização de capacidade e movimentos competitivos em espaços geográficos mais amplos.