Abstract not available

Modern lifestyle has increased the amount of solid and liquid waste that humans create. There are issues associated with pollution and disposal. Adaptation of technologies from the developed world often does not provide the required solutions. This thesis describes an attempt at finding an ecologically and economically sustainable solution for waste management that is appropriate for poorer regions and remote areas. The proposed natural system is close to natural resources and uses biological waste processing methods that have proven to be saustainable. Available resources and low cost give an edge for such processes to be practical and realistic. The system is based on vermicomposting. Composting worms survive in the harsh environments found in most parts of the developing world. Areas for further research and process optimisation were identified that would pave the way for future endeavours towards development of a fully working model. The treatment system is shown to work and achieve the objectives of treating waste to usable products including worms for feed supplement, compost fertilizer and irrigation water. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p>The recent emergence of Multinational Companies (MNCs) from developing countries as players of major role inside their industry has led the academic agenda to dedicate a lot of efforts on better understand the internationalization particularities of companies from this kind. This research aims on contributing to the already existent theoretical bodywork by highlighting the differences between firms from developed and developing countries by performing a cross-country comparison between two firms from the same industry: a Brazilian company, which will be called Beta due to confidentiality issues, and a Swedish company, which will be named Alpha. Although being joint-managed by Swedish and Swiss assets, this study focus on the Swedish part of the society, which is constituted by the firm which will be named Gamma. Both companies operate on the electric motors, power and automation technologies segment. The theoretical framework used was built under traditional International Business theories, such as the Nordic Research School in International Business and the Eclectic Paradigm. The method used constituted in a multiple case-study and data were collected from companies’ reports  as well as other publications, and primary data were collected by applying a questionnaire with both firms. Results highlight how the self-experience was more important for Beta while partnerships affected more the case of Alpha. Different ownership advantages structures held each firm point out that the developed country MNC enjoys greater brand equity, making the developing country firm to provide adapted solutions to its customers in order to compete in the market. The orientation on seeking for localization advantages can be described as an extent as their capacities developed in the home market, and the drivers for producing abroad are similar among the firms.</p>

The recent emergence of Multinational Companies (MNCs) from developing countries as players of major role inside their industry has led the academic agenda to dedicate a lot of efforts on better understand the internationalization particularities of companies from this kind. This research aims on contributing to the already existent theoretical bodywork by highlighting the differences between firms from developed and developing countries by performing a cross-country comparison between two firms from the same industry: a Brazilian company, which will be called Beta due to confidentiality issues, and a Swedish company, which will be named Alpha. Although being joint-managed by Swedish and Swiss assets, this study focus on the Swedish part of the society, which is constituted by the firm which will be named Gamma. Both companies operate on the electric motors, power and automation technologies segment. The theoretical framework used was built under traditional International Business theories, such as the Nordic Research School in International Business and the Eclectic Paradigm. The method used constituted in a multiple case-study and data were collected from companies’ reports  as well as other publications, and primary data were collected by applying a questionnaire with both firms. Results highlight how the self-experience was more important for Beta while partnerships affected more the case of Alpha. Different ownership advantages structures held each firm point out that the developed country MNC enjoys greater brand equity, making the developing country firm to provide adapted solutions to its customers in order to compete in the market. The orientation on seeking for localization advantages can be described as an extent as their capacities developed in the home market, and the drivers for producing abroad are similar among the firms.

In Mexico, transportation planning deals with unique social, political, financial and cultural elements when promoting mobility solutions. These elements include the opportunity costs of public investments, institutional barriers and changes in the political agenda. Other important element is the influence of existing private bus operator. Bus provision is offered by a disproportionate number of small private enterprises, single concessionaries and unregulated providers. Today, many of these entities have gained political power and, often, resist attempts to improve public transportation. The recommended solution to overcome political problem created from the opposition from private providers includes the introduction of franchise systems. Franchising systems under strict institutional regulations support the incorporation of current private providers in the proposed projects. However, incorporating bus operators into any form of system under franchise system implies major changes in private providers’ business and routines. Franchising implies moving from concession-owner-driver to simple employee or shareholder of the new system. Franchising also results in having to change routines associated with the operation. Understandably, these changes generate resistance, delaying implementations. In this thesis it is argued that a framework from which the influence of these private providers on transport improvements may be evaluated is critically important. This framework can contribute to knowledge about the political feasibility of projects. Private bus operators can exert an influence on system technology and on the selection of areas for improvements. Based on qualitative and quantitative methods, this thesis frames, analyzes, formalizes and quantifies the impact of private bus operators in government attempts to improve transit provision. A fieldwork methodology was employed to identify the factors that influence private bus operators’ reactions to transit improvements. Using a logistic regression, these factors are statistically evaluated. Results show that several variables in which the government exert a direct influence (that related with trust, the legal recognition to operate and taxation) on private bus operators’ willingness to participate in transit improvements. Other important variables include those associated with the (i) characteristics of private bus operators; (ii) the nature of the business activity; and (iii) private bus operators’ perceptions about business having created for extensive period of time. Rationalizing the influence of private bus operators’ influence on the planning process of transit improvements contributes to maximizing the political feasibility of completion.

WHO and UNICEF recommend the use of “ready-to-use therapeutic food” (RUTF) in the treatment of severely acute malnourished (SAM) children with no complicated medical background. This research paper aims to review the evidence on the use of RUTF in the treatment of SAM children, explore the potential issues with the use of RUTF, and provide suggestions for future research. A total of 7 studies were included for the review on the effectiveness of RUTF treatment. Evidences showed a general improvement in the health outcomes of SAM children, yet failed to yield high-quality evidences to prove its benefits. Potential problems with the reliance on RUTF were identified, further research on the use of RUTF are required. / published_or_final_version / Public Health / Master / Master of Public Health

Tourism is today the world’s largest industry and an important economic development tool in many developing countries. However tourism sometimes causes social complications, often due to social- and economic gaps that lead to tensions between tourists and local residents. At small island destinations spatial confinement and isolation contribute to the risk of these tensions to occur, which may then ruin the destination’s image. This study examines the relationship between tourists and local residents at the small island Koh Tao, which is a popular tourist destination in Thailand. The aim is to identify possible tensions and to examine why these tensions may occur. The research material is collected through an ethnographic study, including participant observations and informal interviews. The result of the study shows an overall positive relationship between the tourists and local residents, where the tourism industry’s economic contribution to the host community is an important factor fortheir positive attitude towards tourism. A few social- and economic gaps are identified, however these do not seem to be the cause of any notable tensions. Yet, sometimes tensions do occur and are then most often related to cultural- and linguistic misunderstandings. The essay discusses how these misunderstandings could be prevented through increased knowledge and also proposes an illustrating model. Finally, suggestions for future research regarding the usage of tourism as a development tool are proposed. / Minor Field Studies

Child labor can affect human capital investment of children, as the daily available time is limited and an increase in time devoted to child labor reduces the available time for investment in human capital. The tradeoff between child labor and human capital investment is important, as the accumulation of human capital is a crucial factor in curtailing poverty and accelerating development plans undertaken by developing countries. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child emphasizes the importance of education and urges nations not to engage children in work that may interfere with their education. This research is comprised of four chapters that study the relationship between human capital investment and child labor. In the first chapter, I examine the available theoretical and empirical literature to determine the main factors that affect the tradeoff between child labor and human capital investment. The literature identifies income, access to credit, returns to education, and parental preferences as the main factors. In chapter 2, I investigate and analyze the Egyptian’s SYPE dataset that I use in chapter 3 and chapter 4. The SYPE is the most recent household survey dataset that provides data on education and child labor of Egyptian young people. In chapter 3 and chapter 4, I use the SYPE data for children aged 10 to 17 to study the relationship between child labor measured by household work and human capital investment measured by hours spent in schooling-related activities and by school attendance. Chapter 3 focuses on the gender difference in household work and human capital investment and introduces an identity framework (Akerlof and Kranton, 2010) to explain these differences. The chapter first establishes the puzzle that although females spend about twice more time in household work relative to males, there is no difference across gender in human capital investment. This is a puzzle because one would expect that the extra burden on females should impair their ability to invest in human capital and prevent them from ‘catching up’ ending up with the same amount of human capital investment as males. To resolve the puzzle, I introduce a model of identity where there are two social groups, males and females, and social norms determine time allocation for each social group. The model of identity should be understood as an additional framework, that supplements standard time allocation and human capital investment models (Becker, 1962). It captures differences across genders that are difficult to understand otherwise. I infer the norms from sociological research as well as from answers to questions in SYPE that shed light on gender expectations. The evidence on norms is surprisingly consistent with the time allocation patterns. Thus, a simple model of identity suggests that norms play a large role in explaining gender differences in time allocation and females’ ability to ‘catch-up’ in human capital investment despite a heavier household work burden. In the fourth chapter, I study the impact of household work on girls’ human capital investment using an instrumental variable approach and two-stage least squares (2SLS). Human capital investment is measured by school attendance and hours spent in school-related activities. Access to public services, and sisters-to-siblings ratio are used as instruments for household work. I do not find a significant effect of household work on girls’ school attendance. Measuring human capital investment by hours spent in school-related activities, I find that household work has a significant and sizable effect on human capital investment for girls. Increasing household work by one hour reduces hours spent investing in human capital by 2.096 hours. The effect of household work on hours of human capital investment occurs through the effect of household work on homework and private tutoring time, as the effect of household work on time in school is insignificant. The effect of household work on homework time is higher than its effect on private tutoring time (0.612 and 0.572 respectively). / Graduate

published_or_final_version / Urban Studies / Master / Master of Social Sciences

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