Thesis (MScAgric)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTARCT: The Law on the Marketing of Agricultural Produce (no 47 of 1996) introduced a new era in the marketing of deciduous fruit. Previously the producer was obliged by statute to deliver his deciduous fruit to Unifruco, the sole agent of the Deciduous Fruit Board, for exports to the overseas markets. In this era of statutory marketing control the producer could only take decisions about his product up to the point where it left the farm gate. In the deregulated marketing environment, the producer can now, however, control the marketing of his products until it reaches the end consumer abroad. The purpose of this thesis is to identify the factors, processes, opportunities and possible pitfalls with which the individual producer now has to contend, and to describe them qualitatively in order to enable him to decide how he will market his products in the environment of a deregulated market. In order to make a decision, the producer must have a vision and goals to achieve. The different facets in formulating these are discussed. The different decisionmaking phases that are employed interactively, to facilitate the making of a marketing decision, are investigated and clearly stated. These phases include the preparatory phase, the investigation of the distribution channel, as well as that of agents, the different marketing alternatives and eventually the actual taking of interactive marketing decisions. It has become quite clear, through the research done, that in future, the sustainability of every producer of deciduous fruit will be determined by his ability to make informed marketing decisions, and to adapt to the new marketing environment. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMMING: Die Wet op die Bemarking van Landbouprodukte (No 4 7 van 1996) het 'n nuwe era in die bemarking van sagtevrugte ingelei. In die verlede was die produsent statuter verplig om sy sagtevrugte aan Unifruco, alleenagent van die Sagtevrugteraad, te !ewer vir uitvoer na die buiteland. Die produsent het in die era van statutere bemarkingsbeheer dus slegs besluite ten opsigte van sy produk geneem tot waar dit die plaashek verlaat. In die gedereguleerde bemarkingsomgewing kan die produsent egter nou self besluite neem oor die bemarking van sy produk tot waar dit in die buiteland die hande van die eindverbruiker bereik. Die doel van die tesis is om die faktore, prosesse, geleenthede en moontlike slaggate waarmee die individuele produsent nou te kampe het, te identifiseer en kwalitatief te beskryften einde horn in staat te stel om te besluit hoe hy sy vrugte in die gedereguleerde bemarkingsomgewing kan bemark. Vir di.e neem van besluite is dit noodsaaklik dat 'n produsent 'n missie en doelstellings het. Die verskillende fasette by die opstel daarvan word bespreek. Die verskillende besluitnemingsfases wat interaktief aangewend word om die bemarkingsbesluit te neem, word ondersoek en uitgespel. Dit sluit in die voorbereidingsfase, die ondersoek van die distribusiekanaal, die ondersoek na agente, die verskillende bemarkingsalternatiewe en dan die neem van die interaktiewe bemarkingsbesluite. Uit die ondersoek is dit duidelik dat elke sagtevrugteprodusent se volhoubaarheid in die toekoms bepaal sal word deur sy vermoe om ingeligte bemarkingsbesluite te kan neem en dus by die nuwe sagtevrugtebemarkingsomgewing aan te pas.

O presente texto descreve um método experimental simples para comparar a eficiência de distribuidores de líquido empregados nas indústrias de tratamento de minérios em lavadores, classificadores e moinhos e nas indústrias de processos químicos. A técnica consiste basicamente em analisar a dispersão pelo desvio padrão da massa do líquido coletado em tubos verticais dispostos em arranjo quadrático colocados abaixo do distribuidor. Como exemplo de aplicação, empregouse para a coleta da massa de líquido uma unidade piloto, montada no Laboratório de Engenharia Química da Universidade Santa Cecília em Santos, com um banco de 21 tubos verticais de 52 mm de diâmetro interno e 800 mm de comprimento. Uma manta acrílica que não dispersa o líquido com 50 mm de espessura foi fixada entre o distribuidor e o banco de tubos para evitar respingos. Foram realizados ensaios com nove distribuidores do tipo espinha de peixe de 4 tubos paralelos cada, para uma coluna piloto com 400 mm de diâmetro. A literatura é discordante no que concerne aos parâmetros de projeto e eficiência destes distribuidores. Variaram-se o número (n) de orifícios (95, 127 e 159 furos/m2, 12, 16 e 20 furos por distribuidor) o diâmetro (d) dos orifícios (2, 3 e 4 mm) e as vazões de entrada indicadas por rotâmetro nos distribuidores (q) de 1,2; 1,4 e 1,6 m3/h. A melhor eficiência de espalhamento pelo menor desvio padrão (0,302) foi obtida com n de 159 furos/m2, d de 2 mm e q de 1,4 m3/h indicando as limitações dos parâmetros de projeto da literatura. A pressão (p), na entrada do distribuidor para esta condição, foi de apenas 0,51 kgf/cm2. A relação adimensional entre a área da seção do tubo de alimentação e a somatória da área dos furos foi de 5,81, a vazão volumétrica total por unidade de área da seção da coluna para esta melhor condição foi de 11,32 m3/(h.m2) e a velocidade média (v) em cada orifício foi de 6,31 m/s. Portanto, o método proposto permite comparar e quantificar a eficiência de distribuidores além de demonstrar a não validade de alguns parâmetros de projeto recomendados pela literatura. / The current text describes a simple experimental method in order to compare the efficiency of the liquid distributors applied at the ore treatment industries in washers, classifiers and mills as well as at the chemical processing industries. The technique basically consist of analyzing the dispersion through the standard deviation of the liquid mass which was collected in vertical pipes placed in a square way under the distributor. As an example of us usage, it has been applied a pilot scale for collecting the liquid mass, installed at the Santa Cecília Universitys Chemical Engineering Laboratory in Santos, with a setting of 21 vertical tubes measuring 52 mm in internal diameter and 800 mm in length. A 50 mm thick acrylic blanket was fixed between the distributor and the pipe setting in order to avoid splashes. Some experiments have been made with a ladder-tipe distributors containing 4 parallel tubes each, for a pilot column of 400 mm in diameter. The literature shows disagreement regarding the characteristics of the project and the efficiency of the distributors. The number of holes has varied (n) 95, 127 and 159 holes/m2; 12, 16 and 20 holes for distributor, the diameter of the holes (d) 2, 3 and 4 mm and the flow of entrance in the distributors (q) of 1,2; 1,4 and 1,6 m3/h. The best efficiency of splashing of the lowest deviation pattern (0,302) was achieved with n of 159 holes/m2, d of 2 mm and q of 1,4 m3/h showing the limitation of characteristics of the project literature. The pressure (p), for this condition in the distributor entrance, was only 0,51 kgf/cm2. The measuring relation between the area of the section of the feeding pipe and the addition of the area of the roles was 5,81, the total volume of the out flow for unit of the area of the column section for this better condition was 11,32 m3/(h m2) and the average speed (v), in each hole was 6,31 m/s. Finally, the indicated method permits the comparison and quantification of the efficiency of the distributors, besides showing that some of the project concepts are not valid and the literature does not recommend them.

The script, Millennium Bridge, is an investigation into the passions and fears that are shaping contemporary Australia today. Charting the political climate of the past decade, at the play's centre a man is building a bridge from Australia to Asia. The central dramatic question being asked is &quotIn an environment where the emphasis on economic prosperity overrides that of human rights and freedom of speech--what will be the consequences for the Australian people?" The accompanying analysis of the ten-year period it took to write Millennium Bridge illuminates the significance of institutional issues on a play and playwright's development. Written from the perspective of a mid-career playwright, the paper argues that the professional and personal circumstances within which a work of art is created (and their effect on the playwright's confidence and financial capacities) are a significant determinant of the productivity of playwrights.

The Australian music industry is growing and developing yet specific information about the ways in which distribution systems develop is limited. In this study I examined the growth and change of the Australian music value chain. This includes the development of digital distribution systems and the effect that peer-to-peer technology has on system development, specifically the disintermediation between consumers and artists to the detriment of the multinational value chains. The drivers of this change are broken into social and technical elements in order to describe the growth and change occurring. The method used included a comprehensive literature review and use of secondary data from key music industry associations. The Australian music industry is a subset of the global industry and is led by foreign markets and their methods in which music content moves from the creators to the consumers. The consumption patterns of Australian music consumers are changing. The overall value of the music industry is dropping as the new digital downloads market emerges and the overall volume of sales increases; this reflects similar trends in foreign markets. CD single sales have dropped and digital single sales (in MP3 format) have increased. However, there needs to be a balance in the future development of Australian music distribution systems between the needs of music consumers and the sustainability of music companies, where there is both connectivity and steady revenue flow. There are technical elements that have caused a movement away from the traditional forms of music distribution as new technologies facilitate the change, such as Apple's iPod and broadband Internet connections. Advancement of distribution systems has increased piracy levels and the response has been the implementation of digital rights management (DRM), which prevents connectivity. There are also social elements that affect growth and change such as connectivity, or the consumers freedom to choose when, where and how to listen to their music. When music product has a restriction placed upon it its value to the consumer drops. Multinational music companies have failed to recognise the value users place on the freedom to pick and choose and have tried to control rather than to co-develop systems that meets both parties needs.

O presente texto descreve um método experimental simples para comparar a eficiência de distribuidores de líquido empregados nas indústrias de tratamento de minérios em lavadores, classificadores e moinhos e nas indústrias de processos químicos. A técnica consiste basicamente em analisar a dispersão pelo desvio padrão da massa do líquido coletado em tubos verticais dispostos em arranjo quadrático colocados abaixo do distribuidor. Como exemplo de aplicação, empregouse para a coleta da massa de líquido uma unidade piloto, montada no Laboratório de Engenharia Química da Universidade Santa Cecília em Santos, com um banco de 21 tubos verticais de 52 mm de diâmetro interno e 800 mm de comprimento. Uma manta acrílica que não dispersa o líquido com 50 mm de espessura foi fixada entre o distribuidor e o banco de tubos para evitar respingos. Foram realizados ensaios com nove distribuidores do tipo espinha de peixe de 4 tubos paralelos cada, para uma coluna piloto com 400 mm de diâmetro. A literatura é discordante no que concerne aos parâmetros de projeto e eficiência destes distribuidores. Variaram-se o número (n) de orifícios (95, 127 e 159 furos/m2, 12, 16 e 20 furos por distribuidor) o diâmetro (d) dos orifícios (2, 3 e 4 mm) e as vazões de entrada indicadas por rotâmetro nos distribuidores (q) de 1,2; 1,4 e 1,6 m3/h. A melhor eficiência de espalhamento pelo menor desvio padrão (0,302) foi obtida com n de 159 furos/m2, d de 2 mm e q de 1,4 m3/h indicando as limitações dos parâmetros de projeto da literatura. A pressão (p), na entrada do distribuidor para esta condição, foi de apenas 0,51 kgf/cm2. A relação adimensional entre a área da seção do tubo de alimentação e a somatória da área dos furos foi de 5,81, a vazão volumétrica total por unidade de área da seção da coluna para esta melhor condição foi de 11,32 m3/(h.m2) e a velocidade média (v) em cada orifício foi de 6,31 m/s. Portanto, o método proposto permite comparar e quantificar a eficiência de distribuidores além de demonstrar a não validade de alguns parâmetros de projeto recomendados pela literatura. / The current text describes a simple experimental method in order to compare the efficiency of the liquid distributors applied at the ore treatment industries in washers, classifiers and mills as well as at the chemical processing industries. The technique basically consist of analyzing the dispersion through the standard deviation of the liquid mass which was collected in vertical pipes placed in a square way under the distributor. As an example of us usage, it has been applied a pilot scale for collecting the liquid mass, installed at the Santa Cecília Universitys Chemical Engineering Laboratory in Santos, with a setting of 21 vertical tubes measuring 52 mm in internal diameter and 800 mm in length. A 50 mm thick acrylic blanket was fixed between the distributor and the pipe setting in order to avoid splashes. Some experiments have been made with a ladder-tipe distributors containing 4 parallel tubes each, for a pilot column of 400 mm in diameter. The literature shows disagreement regarding the characteristics of the project and the efficiency of the distributors. The number of holes has varied (n) 95, 127 and 159 holes/m2; 12, 16 and 20 holes for distributor, the diameter of the holes (d) 2, 3 and 4 mm and the flow of entrance in the distributors (q) of 1,2; 1,4 and 1,6 m3/h. The best efficiency of splashing of the lowest deviation pattern (0,302) was achieved with n of 159 holes/m2, d of 2 mm and q of 1,4 m3/h showing the limitation of characteristics of the project literature. The pressure (p), for this condition in the distributor entrance, was only 0,51 kgf/cm2. The measuring relation between the area of the section of the feeding pipe and the addition of the area of the roles was 5,81, the total volume of the out flow for unit of the area of the column section for this better condition was 11,32 m3/(h m2) and the average speed (v), in each hole was 6,31 m/s. Finally, the indicated method permits the comparison and quantification of the efficiency of the distributors, besides showing that some of the project concepts are not valid and the literature does not recommend them.

This thesis investigates manufacturer-distributor power relationship in the Chinese Iron and Steel Industry. The main objectives of this study are to identify, describe and investigate the power relationships in Chinese Iron and Steel Industry; to understand the concept of power from the perspective of distributors and their relationship with State-Owned Enterprises and Private-Owned Enterprises in this industry; and to explore the possibility of developing an extended research power-relationship framework by investigating the power construct and potentially related and relevant factors in the Chinese market that may impact predicted outcomes such as positive conflict resolution attitude and levels of conflict. Two quantitative pilot studies were conducted, consisting of 14 surveys with semi-structured questions each, which were instrumental in the design of an extended power relationship model by incorporating the factors such as the level of trust, frequency of communication and level of guanxi that drive positive conflict resolution attitude into the traditional power model that had not been combined in a single framework before. Subsequently, the main study was carried out comprising 148 questionnaires completed by distributor firm managers. These represent the views of 74 respondents, who responded for both state-owned enterprises and private-owned enterprises in the Chinese Iron and Steel Industry The sample size is 74 respondents including 14 respondents that were also respondents for the pilot studies. This study generated four main findings. 1) a State-Owned Enterprises tend to use more non-coercive power than Private-Owned Enterprises, and have a stronger negative effect than Private-Owned Enterprises; 2) although Private-Owned Enterprises were rated higher than State-Owned Enterprises in the level of trust, and have a stronger positive effect when explaining the observed relationship between the level of trust and positive conflict resolution attitude, the difference is really minimal; 3) Private-Owned Enterprises were rated higher than State-Owned Enterprises in the frequency of communication, and have a stronger positive effect than State-Owned Enterprises in the explanation of the relationship between frequency of communication and positive conflict resolution attitude. 4) Private-Owned Enterprises were rated higher than State-Owned Enterprises in the level of guanxi, and have stronger positive effect than State-Owned Enterprises in the explanation of the relationship between level of guanxi and positive conflict resolution attitude. These findings contribute to fill gaps in the literature with regard to power relationships in distribution channels. This thesis extends the current boundary of knowledge through the formulation of an extended framework that integrates conflict resolution constructs into a typical/traditional power model. This extended framework comprises new constructs such as level of trust, frequency of communication and level of guanxi and hypothesises their impact on conflict resolution attitude and level of conflict in the Chinese distribution channel. New knowledge is created by investigating differences regarding the use of power by SOEs and POEs considered from the distributor perspective in the Chinese context. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed in detail.

The purpose of this project is to design an electronic commerce site for MarocMart company. MarocMart.com is an one-stop shopping company for a number of high quality products: carpets, jewelry, pottery, wood, leather, metals, and fashion items, etc... Each article is unique, hand-made by Moroccan craftsmen.

The purpose of this project is to investigate the use of the emerging XML technologies to improve online Business to Business (B2B) supply chain processes.

[pt] As mudanças recentes nas matrizes elétricas mundiais são geralmente motivadas pela busca de fontes de energia mais limpas e pela dificuldade na construção de novas gerações centralizadas. Como resultado, este estímulo altera não apenas a tecnologia da fonte de energia, mas também a sua localização, que agora passa a ser mais próximas aos centros consumidores ou até mesmo conectadas à rede de distribuição, como a Geração Distribuída (GD). No Brasil, a GD possui um arcabouço regulatório que permite aos seus adeptos, chamados de prosumidores, terem um papel ativo na rede de distribuição, injetando e consumindo eletricidade consoante o seu balanço elétrico. Esse comportamento traz novos desafios para as companhias de distribuição, e, embora alguns benefícios da GD possam ser obtidos para essas companhias, a perda de mercado e diminuição de suas receitas fixas podem acarretar em transferência de custos estruturais, dos prosumidores para os consumidores sem este tipo de instalação. Nesse contexto, o presente trabalho realiza uma análise técnico-econômico, para novos empreendimentos residenciais de GD fotovoltaica, parcela mais significativa de GD no Brasil. Essa análise considera todas as opções propostas de revisão da regulação de GD pelo órgão regulador e aborda tanto o impacto no retorno do investimento pelos prosumidores, quanto o impacto nas receitas em todas as distribuidoras do país. Para isto, no âmbito do investidor, serão avaliados três diferentes fatores econômicos: LCOE, payback descontado e benefício-custo; já no âmbito da distribuidora, será avaliado o impacto do aumento das GD na receita da empresa e na tarifa de energia elétrica imposta pela mesma, para tanto será realizado uma previsão de mercado para os próximos dez anos, considerando o modelo baseado em Bass. Os estudos realizados apontaram que qualquer uma das opções propostas pelo órgão regulador causará uma redução do mercado aderente a instalação da GD, o que consequentemente levará a uma redução dos prejuízos das distribuidoras e cenários menos favoráveis ao investimento pelo lado do prosumidor. / [en] Recent changes in the world s electrical mix are generally motivated by the search for cleaner energy sources and by the difficulty in building new centralized power plants. As a result, this stimulus changes not only the energy source technology, but also its location, which is now closer to consumer centers or even connected to the distribution network, such as Distributed Generation (DG). In Brazil, DG has a regulatory framework that allows its supporters, called prosumers, to play an active role in the distribution network, injecting and consuming electricity according to their own electrical balance. This behavior brings new challenges for distribution companies, and although some benefits of DG can be obtained for these companies, the loss of market and reduction of their fixed revenues can result in the transfer of structural costs, from prosumers to consumers without this type of installation. In this context, this work performs a technical-economic analysis for new residential projects of photovoltaic DG, the most significant portion of DG in Brazil. This analysis considers all proposed options for reviewing DG regulation by the regulatory body and addresses both the impact on return on investment by prosumers and the impact on revenues in all distribution companies in the country. For this, within the investor, three different economic factors are evaluated: LCOE, discounted payback and benefit-cost; within the scope of the distribution companies, the impact of the increase in DG on the company s revenue and on their electricity tariff are also evaluated, for which a market forecast will be made for the next ten years, considering the model based on Bass. The obtained results indicate that any of the options proposed by the regulatory agency will cause a reduction in the market adherent to the installation of the DG, which will consequently lead to a reduction in the revenue losses for distribution companies and less favorable scenarios for investment on the prosumer side.

В выпускной квалификационной работе рассматриваются особенности маркетинговой деятельности дистрибьютерских компаний, их специфика управления процессами распределения и создание ценности услуг, а также концепция «lean» при управлении процессами распределения. Проведена оценка маркетинговой и конкурентной среды дистрибьютерской компании «ЭТМ». В рамках исследования предлагается проект по совершенствованию процесса распределения товаров и услуг в компании и обосновывается целесообразность внедрения концепции бережливого распределения. / The final qualification work examines the features of the marketing activities of distribution companies, their specifics of managing distribution processes and creating the value of services, as well as the concept of "lean" in managing distribution processes. An assessment of the marketing and competitive environment of the distribution company "ETM" was carried out. The study proposes a project to improve the process of distribution of goods and services in the company and substantiates the feasibility of introducing the concept of lean distribution.