The purpose of this research is to analyze the dynamics of innovation and technological diffusion from the channels of international linkage at the microeconomic level. We specify and want to learn about the effects of sectoral innovation and technology transfer with international linkages: Imported technology, Information and Communication Technology, Foreign direct investment and its spillovers and trade. We apply a dynamic factor demand model to analyze the relationship between four channels of international technology transfer and diffusion, allowing for heterogeneous international linkages and their contribution to productive performance on Taiwan¡¦s manufacturing industries. We adopt the econometric method of the Generalized Method of Moment (GMM) to estimate the parameters of related equations. Throughout the empirical analysis, we hope to understand how degree of effects the four channels of technology transfer have on firm¡¦s productivity performance and the adjustment process of quasi-fixed input, capital, because of technology transfers. We found that:(1) It has the highest output level in Electrical and Electronic Manufacturing in Taiwan¡¦s manufacturing industry.(2) The exogenous technical change has a positive effect on output growth. As for the channels of international linkage, imported technology and R&D all have positive contribution to productivity. FDI has a negative impact on output growth except for Petroleum & Coal Products Manufacturing, but the effect of the FDI spillover has a positive contribution in the Taiwan¡¦s manufacturing industry.

The demand for imported fruit in China has increased dramatically since it first appeared in Chinese markets around 1993. Although imported fruit is much more expensive than domestically produced fruit and people’s income is much lower in China than in developed countries, imported fruit still attracts many willing buyers. Conventional concepts such as meeting basic needs or increasing consumer awareness of the importance of fresh fruit to a healthy lifestyle cannot adequately explain this phenomenon, as there is an abundance of fresh, cheap, local produce available in almost every Chinese market. There must be other factors influencing buying behaviour. To explore these factors and to examine the dynamics of the market for imported fruit, this research adopted a mixed qualitative-quantitative methodology guided by the paradigm of phenomenology. The research examined the characteristics of imported fruit itself, criteria imposed by Chinese buyers on these characteristics, the intended uses of imported fruit and their associated consumption values. To shed light on the possible influence of socio-economic factors, the research also compared buyers from two Chinese cities, Guangzhou and Urumqi. The former is one of the most developed cities in China and the latter is regarded as among the more backward and conservative cities in China. The research identified ten attributes that appeal to Chinese buyers. Six relate to the fruit’s physical attributes: that it has better appearance and packaging, lower chemical residues, better or different taste, and freshness. The remaining four relate to symbolic attributes associated with the fruit: that it represents achievement, wealth, personality and social status. Five intended uses of imported fruit were identified: for gifts, self-consumption, children, aged parents and patients. Four consumption values underlying these intentions were also identified: symbolism, concern for health, meeting basic needs and hedonism. However, the research revealed that no single combination of intended use and consumption value drives the demand for imported fruit in the Chinese market. Most frequently, it is a mix of hedonic and symbolic values behind a range of different intended uses that stimulates demand. Pursuing hedonic and symbolic values also leads to the visual quality of imported fruit generally being the most appealing attribute to Chinese buyers, a pattern common to both Guangzhou and Urumqi. These findings make a significant contribution to empirical knowledge about Chinese consumer behaviour. Results provide valuable insights into the interrelationships among product attributes, intended uses, consumption values and cultural values, and would give essential guidance to the development of strategies to market imported fruit in China. The research also examined limitations of current analytical approaches to the study of consumer behaviour. It demonstrated that approaches based on neural networks and fuzzy logic could be used independently or combined with conventional statistical methods to improve the explanation of consumer behaviour in this case. A comparison was carried out between the most popular form of neural networks (feedforward networks) and multivariate statistical methods in terms of their ability to predict behavioural intention through consumers’ attitudes towards products. Results demonstrated that neural networks were capable of capturing nonlinear aspects of complex relationships and producing better predictions than conventional statistical models. To explore consumer cognitive patterns, the research also compared K-means clustering with a Self-organizing Map (SOM) neural network in terms of the ability to cluster consumers on the basis of perceptions towards imported fruit attributes. Results indicate a superior outcome when K-means is used in conjunction with SOM in clustering analysis: using SOM to determine the ‘natural’ numbers of clusters and using K-means to do clustering. Finally, to quantitatively evaluate the impact of consumption values, this research develops a new approach that combines Means-end Chain theory with fuzzy logic theory. Given the global importance of the Chinese market, the successful application of neural networks and fuzzy logic in this study of the behaviour of Chinese consumers purchasing imported fruit could have wider ramifications. If the approach were proven in other applications, it could significantly improve the ability to understand the demand for consumer goods in China.

The demand for imported fruit in China has increased dramatically since it first appeared in Chinese markets around 1993. Although imported fruit is much more expensive than domestically produced fruit and people’s income is much lower in China than in developed countries, imported fruit still attracts many willing buyers. Conventional concepts such as meeting basic needs or increasing consumer awareness of the importance of fresh fruit to a healthy lifestyle cannot adequately explain this phenomenon, as there is an abundance of fresh, cheap, local produce available in almost every Chinese market. There must be other factors influencing buying behaviour. To explore these factors and to examine the dynamics of the market for imported fruit, this research adopted a mixed qualitative-quantitative methodology guided by the paradigm of phenomenology. The research examined the characteristics of imported fruit itself, criteria imposed by Chinese buyers on these characteristics, the intended uses of imported fruit and their associated consumption values. To shed light on the possible influence of socio-economic factors, the research also compared buyers from two Chinese cities, Guangzhou and Urumqi. The former is one of the most developed cities in China and the latter is regarded as among the more backward and conservative cities in China. The research identified ten attributes that appeal to Chinese buyers. Six relate to the fruit’s physical attributes: that it has better appearance and packaging, lower chemical residues, better or different taste, and freshness. The remaining four relate to symbolic attributes associated with the fruit: that it represents achievement, wealth, personality and social status. Five intended uses of imported fruit were identified: for gifts, self-consumption, children, aged parents and patients. Four consumption values underlying these intentions were also identified: symbolism, concern for health, meeting basic needs and hedonism. However, the research revealed that no single combination of intended use and consumption value drives the demand for imported fruit in the Chinese market. Most frequently, it is a mix of hedonic and symbolic values behind a range of different intended uses that stimulates demand. Pursuing hedonic and symbolic values also leads to the visual quality of imported fruit generally being the most appealing attribute to Chinese buyers, a pattern common to both Guangzhou and Urumqi. These findings make a significant contribution to empirical knowledge about Chinese consumer behaviour. Results provide valuable insights into the interrelationships among product attributes, intended uses, consumption values and cultural values, and would give essential guidance to the development of strategies to market imported fruit in China. The research also examined limitations of current analytical approaches to the study of consumer behaviour. It demonstrated that approaches based on neural networks and fuzzy logic could be used independently or combined with conventional statistical methods to improve the explanation of consumer behaviour in this case. A comparison was carried out between the most popular form of neural networks (feedforward networks) and multivariate statistical methods in terms of their ability to predict behavioural intention through consumers’ attitudes towards products. Results demonstrated that neural networks were capable of capturing nonlinear aspects of complex relationships and producing better predictions than conventional statistical models. To explore consumer cognitive patterns, the research also compared K-means clustering with a Self-organizing Map (SOM) neural network in terms of the ability to cluster consumers on the basis of perceptions towards imported fruit attributes. Results indicate a superior outcome when K-means is used in conjunction with SOM in clustering analysis: using SOM to determine the ‘natural’ numbers of clusters and using K-means to do clustering. Finally, to quantitatively evaluate the impact of consumption values, this research develops a new approach that combines Means-end Chain theory with fuzzy logic theory. Given the global importance of the Chinese market, the successful application of neural networks and fuzzy logic in this study of the behaviour of Chinese consumers purchasing imported fruit could have wider ramifications. If the approach were proven in other applications, it could significantly improve the ability to understand the demand for consumer goods in China.

Submitted by Noeme Timbo (noeme.timbo@metodista.br) on 2016-08-30T18:31:25Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Euclydes Ghedin Coelho.pdf: 3278997 bytes, checksum: 4646f683f572f8f056b6160738c82c0f (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-30T18:31:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Euclydes Ghedin Coelho.pdf: 3278997 bytes, checksum: 4646f683f572f8f056b6160738c82c0f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-06-23 / The Globalization has made it possible for countries to find their customers anywhere, Brazil being the fourth consumer market in the world cars, virtually all global manufacturers want to be present in this market. With the Chinese, holders of the title of biggest global automobiles producers, it wouldn’t be different. However, unlike the steady growth of its worldwide production, they saw their sales stagnate at low levels in Brazil in recent years. The aim of this study is to understand the evil of sales performance the Chery brand in Brazil, from the perspective of Sales Managers of used car agencies and former owners. To try to answer this question, we opted for an exploratory study, through a literature review and a qualitative research, with open in-depth interviews based on a pre-established script and a cut in the city of São Paulo – SP. It was also used an electronic media secondary research, which confirmed the information obtained in the field research. As shown in this job, all brands had a reduction in sales, however, Chineses brands have suffered major reductions as “national” brands. In the survey it was observed that three factors were decisive for the bad performance of Chineses brands and consequently the brand Chery as well. The first one was the increase of Tax on Industrialized Products (IPI), the second was the economic crisis that Brazil is undergoing and the third was the rejection of Chery cars. This rejection was due a lot of factors, added the negative experiences that consumers had with imported brands of vehicles that left the country, the image that Chineses products are copies and the hypothetical bias that Chineses products have low quality. Therefore, listening to the interviewees and through the comments on the Chery brand in electronic media, it can be deduced that only the economic crisis and tax increases not fully justify the poor sales performance of the Chery brand. This analysis, indicates that rejection factors to the Chery brand vehicles had a decisive participation in the significant drop in its sales in the period of 2010 to 2014. / A globalização possibilitou aos países buscarem seus consumidores em qualquer parte, sendo o Brasil o quarto mercado consumidor de automóveis do mundo, e praticamente todos os fabricantes globais buscaram estar presentes neste mercado. Com os chineses, detentores do título de maiores produtores mundiais de automóveis, não seria diferente. Contudo, ao contrário do crescimento constante de sua produção mundial, viram suas vendas estagnarem em baixos níveis no Brasil nos últimos anos. O objetivo deste estudo é compreender o mau desempenho de vendas da marca Chery no Brasil, sob a óptica dos gerentes de vendas das agências de carros usados e dos ex-proprietários. Para tentar responder a esta questão, optou-se por um estudo de caráter exploratório, por meio de uma revisão bibliográfica e uma pesquisa qualitativa, com entrevistas abertas em profundidade com base em um roteiro preestabelecido e um recorte na cidade de São Paulo – SP. Utilizou-se também uma pesquisa secundária em meios eletrônicos, que confirmou as informações obtidas na pesquisa de campo. Conforme apresentado no trabalho, todas as marcas tiveram redução em suas vendas, porém, as marcas chinesas sofreram maiores reduções que às marcas ditas nacionais. Na pesquisa, observa-se que três fatores foram decisivos para o mau desempenho das marcas chinesas e, consequentemente, da marca Chery também. O primeiro foi o aumento do Imposto sobre Produtos Industrializados (IPI), o segundo foi a crise econômica que o Brasil atravessa e o terceiro foi a rejeição aos carros da Chery. Essa rejeição deveu-se a vários fatores, somados às experiências negativas que consumidores tiveram com marcas de veículos importados que deixaram o país, a imagem de que produtos chineses são cópias e ao hipotético preconceito que produtos chineses são de baixa qualidade. Portanto, ouvindo os entrevistados e por meio dos comentários sobre a marca Chery nos meios eletrônicos, pode-se deduzir que somente a crise econômica e o aumento de impostos não justificam totalmente o mau desempenho de vendas da marca Chery. Essa análise indica que os fatores de rejeição aos veículos da marca Chery tiveram participação decisiva nesta queda significativa de suas vendas no período de 2010 a 2014.

Introdução - O pescado é amplamente utilizado para a produção de alimentos à base de matéria-prima de origem animal. A importação de pescado vem crescendo ano a ano, sendo o Porto de Santos/SP uma das principais rotas de entrada desse produto no país. Objetivos - Avaliar as condições higienicossanitárias de pescado importado no Porto de Santos/SP. Métodos - A pesquisa foi desenvolvida com base em duas abordagens: estudo dos requisitos obrigatórios para nacionalização do produto importado com base na legislacão vigente e trabalho desempenhado pelo Vigiagro/MAPA, assim como, estudo laboratorial. Foram coletadas 60 amostras de 30 diferentes produtos de pescado sendo cada amostra constituída por, no mínimo, 500 g do produto de uma mesma marca, lote, data de fabricação e validade. Uma parte das amostras, 30 embalagens de 500 g no mínimo, foi acondicionada em caixas isotérmicas com temperatura controlada e encaminhada para realização das análises microbiológicas. As demais 30 embalagens foram encaminhadas, sob as mesmas condições, para realização das análises físico-químicas. As análises físico-químicas e microbiológicas foram realizadas em Laboratórios credenciados no Mapa. Para produtos congelados foram realizadas as análises microbiológicas para pesquisa de Salmonella spp em 25 gramas e contagem de Staphylococcus coagulase positiva e realização das análises físico-químicas de N-BVT. Para produtos salgados refrigerados, foram realizadas análises microbiológicas para pesquisa de Salmonella spp em 25 gramas, contagem de Staphylococcus coagulase positiva e contagem de coliformes termotolerantes a 450 C, assim como, realização das análises físico-químicas de umidade e resíduo mineral fixo. Resultados - Nos produtos congelados, as análises físico-químicas para o N-BVT e as análises microbiológicas para pesquisa de Salmonella spp em 25 gramas e contagem de Staphylococcus coagulase positiva indicaram 100,0% de conformidade com a legislação vigente. Nos produtos salgados refrigerados, as análises microbiológicas para pesquisa de Salmonella spp em 25 gramas, contagem de Staphylococcus coagulase positiva e contagem de coliformes termotolerantes a 450 C também indicaram 100,0% de conformidade com a legislação vigente. Por outro lado, 100,0% das análises físico-química de umidade e 44,4% das análises físico-químicas para resíduo mineral fixo no pescado salgado resfriado estavam com valores acima da legislação vigente. Todos os produtos apresentaram documentação obrigatória e rótulo de acordo com a legislação vigente. Conclusão Embora os resultados das análises microbiológicas tenham demonstrado que os produtos estivessem próprios para o consumo, as análises físico-químicas, em específico os parâmetros referentes a umidade no pescado salgado refrigerado, não estavam de acordo com os valores determinados pela legislação vigente. A legislação sanitária vigente para importação de pescados, assim como a metodologia de inspeção e fiscalização desses produtos, se mostrou eficiente comparado aos resultados laboratoriais encontrados, com possibilidade de inclusão de novas ferramentas e análises laboratoriais visando garantir, ainda mais, as condições higiênicossanitárias e segurança alimentar. / Introduction - Seafood is widely used for the production of food based on raw materials of animal origin. The fish import has been growing year by year, and the Port of Santos / SP one of the main routes of entry of that product in the country. Objectives - To evaluate the hygienic-sanitary conditions of imported fish in the Port of Santos / SP. Methodology - The study was based up on two approaches: study of the mandatory requirements for nationalization of the imported product on the basis of current legislation and work performed by Vigiagro / MAPA, as well as laboratory study. It was collected 60 samples from 30 different products of fish each sample being composed by 500 g from the same brand, batch number, manufacturing and expiration date. A share of these samples, 30 packages of 500 g at least, was accommodated and transported in temperature-controlled isothermal box to the microbiological analysis. The remaining 30 packages were sent, under the same conditions, to physico-chemical analysis. The physico-chemical and microbiological analyzes were performed in laboratories accredited on MAPA. For frozen products were performed microbiological analyzes for Salmonella spp research in 25 g Staphylococcus and count coagulase positive and achievement of physical and chemical analysis of N-BVT. For salted products, microbiological analyzes were performed for detection of Salmonella spp in 25 g, Staphylococcus coagulase positive count and count of coliform to 450 C and physical-chemical analysis for humidity and fixed mineral residue. Results - In the frozen products, physico-chemical analysis for the N-BVT and microbiological analyzes for Salmonella spp research in 25 g and Staphylococcus coagulase positive counts indicated 100.0% of compliance with current regulation. In salted products, microbiological analyzes for Salmonella spp research in 25 g, Staphylococcus coagulase positive and coliform to 450 C counts also indicated 100.0% compliance with current legislation. On the other, 100.0% of the physico-chemical analysis of humidity and 44,4 % in the ashs physico-chemical results, in salted fish, were with higer limits established by Brazilian legislation. All products submitted mandatory documents required for import and labeling in accordance with current regulation. Conclusion - Although the results of the microbiological analyzes showed that the imported fish were apropriate for consumption, the physico-chemical analysis, in particularly the humidity parameters were not in accordance with values indicated in the current regulation. The current health regulation for the imported fish, as well as the inspection methodology and supervision of these products, was efficient compared to laboratory findings, with the possibility of adding new tools and laboratory tests to ensure even more the higienic-sanitary conditions and food safety.

Detroit's shocking decline has been a topic of national concern for several decades now, but attention paid to the city's problems reached new levels when the American public learned that the U.S. automotive industry was in jeopardy, eventually needing more than $17 billion in loans from the United States government to stay afloat. Once the fourth largest city in the United States, the Motor City ushered in the twenty-first century with half the number of residents it had just fifty years before and new monikers like Murder City that mocked the city's formerly heroic identity. To the nation, Detroit was dying, and its failure to live up to its potential as a thriving metropolis demanded the public's mournful attention. How had a city that was once mighty fallen so far? The purpose of this thesis is to understand what meanings media texts attribute to Detroit, how they negotiate its symbolic value in the American narrative, and what functions they perform in the public sphere by contributing to national discourse in these ways. The nation has been told it should care about the city's recovery, which begs the question: Why? Why does Detroit matter? Drawing primarily from memory studies and integrating urban history, sociology, and ruin studies, this thesis performs a rhetorical analysis of four case studies that negotiate the meaning of Detroit as public discourse. This thesis argues that narratives of Detroit implicitly placate a country in crisis and reinforce the continued relevance of American values--individualism, capitalism, and post-racial multiculturalism--to the new world order. These cultural texts implicitly ask: Are we the superpower we were when Detroit stood at the helm of our empire? If not, who or what can we blame for the overthrow of the nation? In this way, media discourses on Detroit function to negotiate a transitioning national identity and restore social order by resolving the questions that Detroit's demise evokes, determining its impact--symbolic and otherwise--on the future of the country, and assessing the state of the nation. / Mass Media and Communication

Yes / Grounded in signaling theory, this paper investigates the signals reflecting product quality, innovativeness, reputation and cultural background which influence film performance, i.e. film survival (duration on cinema screen) and box office success, in China’s changing institutional context. This market has grown substantially and still possesses potential for further development. However, China’s unique institutional context presents challenges. By examining an expanded range of potential signals, two of which have not previously been examined in the literature, namely imported films and enhanced format film formats such as 3D and IMAX, we develop a conceptual framework and argue that signaling theory needs to be combined with institutional context. Similar to findings for film industries in other countries, we find quality and reputational signals including budget, star power, sequels, and online consumer reviews to be important in China. However, unique results are also revealed. Chinese consumers react to an innovativeness signal in that they are specifically attracted to enhanced format films. Film award nominations and prizes are insignificant reputational signals. Once other signals are taken into account, imported films on average do not perform as well as domestic films. We link these findings to China’s unique institutional setting and offer important implications for management, recognizing the challenges to film companies of competing in an increasingly globalized market. The paper is also of relevance to policymakers given their continued efforts in shaping the development of China’s film industry.

摘要 進口流行服飾零售在過去十年已經是台灣年輕人間創業的趨勢。因為1990年代開始韓國文化在全球風行，對韓國流行服飾的供給與需求均大幅增加。另一方面，自2008年開始的全球經濟危機造成的低薪與失業問題更影響大批年輕人。他們之中許多人選擇自行創業，而因為較低的進入門檻，進口流行服飾的零售業成為主要的選項。 激烈的競爭造成了零售價降低以及仿冒品、次級品的問題，這些問題也惡化了這些新創立事業營運上的壓力，特別是在現金流和銷售量兩方面。這些年輕人會選擇創立這樣的零售業務正因他們本身缺乏資源，所以在極早期做出合適的行銷策略選擇，將非常的關鍵。 現今的管理理論多針對如何管理已經存在的企業或針對那些手中已有些許資源的企業家探討如何進行資源配置。這些理論中討論創立新事業的策略部分卻很少。我們發現邱志聖（2014）提出的4C策略行銷架構可以提供解決之道，能幫助這些年輕創業者選擇創業的適當策略。 透過4C策略行銷架構分析，我們發現，當進口流行服飾零售業者採用實體店面銷售的方式時，會比採用網路行銷更有機會降低顧客的交易成本。這些成本不只是價格，還包括了外顯效益成本，資訊搜尋成本，道德危機成本，以及專屬資產成本。 在我們的研究中，我們也認知到包曼（2003）提出的「自媒體」觀念可以將業務營運帶向另外一條新的道路。不管是實體店面或是網路銷售的經營者都可以藉由經營本身的「自媒體」來降低交易成本。我們相信，「自媒體」透過改善經營者的4C策略行銷架構，將對未來產生顛覆性的改變。 / Abstract Imported fashion retailer has already been a trend of newly startups among young people in the past decade in Taiwan. Because the increase in global popularity of South Korean culture since the 1990s, both the supply and demand on Korean fashion clothing are increasing dramatically. On the other hand, low wages and unemployment affected lots of young in Taiwan due to global economic crisis since 2008. Many of them chose to start their own business and imported fashion retailer is a major option due to its low barriers to entry. Tough competition leads to low retail price and problems on counterfeit and substandard goods, which also exacerbates the stress on running business of these newly startups, especially on their cash flow and sales. These young entrepreneurs chose to start their retail business due to their lack of resources, so it is critical to make the suitable selection of their marketing strategies in the very beginning. Management theories nowadays paid lots attention on how to manage an existed corporate or how to distribute the resources for those entrepreneurs who already owned some. The literatures on theories regarding strategies to start a new business are disproportionately low. We noticed the 4C Strategic Marketing Analysis (Chiou, 2014) might provide a solution to that, helping these young entrepreneurs to choose a proper strategy starting their own business. Through 4C Strategic Marketing Analysis, we discovered, if imported fashion retailers choose to sell through a retail store rather than online business, they will have better chances to reduce the transaction costs of their customers. And those costs included not only the price, but cost of utility, cost of information search, cost of moral hazard and cost of asset specificity. During our research, we also acknowledged “We Media” (Bowman, 2003) may lead to a new way to run business. Both retail storeowners and online business owner could reduce their transaction costs by running their own “We Media”. We believe, “We Media” might be a game changer through its improvement on the 4Cs of marketing exchange.

Uppsatsens syfte är att undersöka hur Sveriges utrikeshandel har påverkat arbetskraftenssammansättning. Det är viktigt att utreda då den internationella handeln ständigt ökar. Enligthandelsteori leder utrikeshandel till att produktion av varor och tjänster specialiseras efter dekomparativa fördelar som förekommer. I Sveriges fall innebär det specialisering motkapitalintensiv produktion vilket bör leda till en ökad efterfråga på högskoleutbildadarbetskraft.Syftet besvaras med hjälp av en ekonometrisk studie där data från svensk tillverkningsindustriför åren 1995 – 2005 struktureras som paneldata. Andelen importerade insatsvaror användssom proxyvariabel för utrikeshandelns påverkan. Arbetskraftens sammansättning definierassom fördelningen mellan individer med och utan högskoleutbildning.Uppsatsens resultat är att utrikeshandel kan ha påverkat arbetskraftens sammansättning itillverkningsindustrin då efterfrågan på högskoleutbildad arbetskraft har ökat under studeradtidsperiod. Kapitalintensiva näringsgrenar påverkas i lägre grad jämfört medarbetskraftsintensiva näringsgrenar av en förändring i andelen importerade insatsvaror. / The purpose of this study is to analyse how Sweden’s foreign trade has affected thecomposition of the country’s workforce. International trade is growing constantly; thereforethere is a need to understand the importance and consequences of this. According to tradetheory, international trade will lead to specialisation of the production of goods and servicestowards areas where comparative advantages are prominent. In Sweden’s case, this meansspecialisation in capital-intensive production, which should increase the demand for skilledlabour.An econometric study of the Swedish manufacturing industry for the years 1995 – 2005 is thebasis for the study. Data is structured as panel data where the share of imported inputs is usedas a proxy for the impact of foreign trade on the composition of the workforce. Thecomposition consists of skilled and non-skilled labour.Results of this study demonstrate that foreign trade has affected the composition of theworkforce in the manufacturing industry, as the demand for skilled labour has increasedduring the time period.

The topic of my thesis is foreign travel issues. Its purpose is to survey the awareness of students of the University of South Bohemia about travel risks, while mapping the knowledge and use of available preventive measures. The thesis is divided into two parts, theoretical and practical. In the theoretical part I try to describe in a well arranged way the available knowledge about health risks associated with traveling, including the various forms of prevention. The aim of the practical part is to analyze the obtained data and to determine the awareness of university students about the risks associated with traveling. The survey is based on the methods of prevalence studies conducted using an anonymous questionnaire survey. In total, 652 students of the University of South Bohemia were addressed, the number of returns was 460 questionnaires. In relation to the objectives two hypotheses were proposed. H1: The awareness of students of the Faculty of Health and Social Studies about the health risks associated with a stay abroad is significantly higher than that of students of other faculties of the University of South Bohemia. H2: Statistically, the most important source of information on the knowledge and use of possible prevention measures is the Internet. These hypotheses were statistically evaluated and on the basis of the obtained results they were confirmed or refuted. The research results show that the most informed about the presented issues are students of the Faculty of Science. This fact was later explained by a number of exotic destinations visited during the last stay abroad, as well as a wide offer of the Faculty of globally-oriented practical training and research fellowships, in connection with which the students inform themselves about possible travel risks. Statistically, most of the surveyed students use the Internet to get information. This research became the basis for targeted focus of health education on minimizing health risks when traveling abroad. The real outcome of the thesis is an information poster which will be distributed to individual faculties of the University of South Bohemia.