The urban landscape reflects the social, economic, and policy changes that have taken place in a community. The inner city has been previosly called a microcosm that indicates the changes that are occurring in society. The inner city can thus be studied to examine how it responds and adapts to economic change. This thesis asks in what ways are the historic and current economic transitions visible in Hamilton’s inner city landscape; and how do planning policies influence the emerging urban built form. The thesis examines select characteristics of the contemporary inner city derived from the literature (i.e. art and entertainment amenitites, recreational uses, residential revitalization, institutional uses, post-Fordist economy, decline in manufacturing activity, promotion of multi-modal transportation, sustainability policy, and statement place making) and their expected physical manifestations. The methods consist of a historical analysis and visual diagnosis that uses photographs and field notes in order to provide a bottom-up interpretation of downtown Hamilton’s changing urban landscape. There is evidence of arts-culture led rejuvenation of downtown Hamilton and the public realm. However, there is the challenge of promoting revitalization in a context of visual urban blight and the possibilities of policy-induced loss of employment lands.

Information and communication technologies and their innovative apparatuses have extensive social consequences. The basic interest of this thesis is to argue whether the information technologies and their technological apparatuses have the power to breach in the current capitalist system and therefore to lead us into a transformation towards an alternative world. In fact, this study more specifically attempts to argue and make sense out of this argument on the basis of an analysis of the Free Software Movement (FSM), since it is a product of the information technologies and has some suggestions for such a transformation towards a new society. Simultaneously, the study also argues the novel parts of the FSM as a new social movement and change agent of today&#039 / s contemporary world with reference to the literature on social movements.

Em um ambiente extremamente competitivo, baseado na globalização dos mercados, o Brasil reforça sua vocação no desenvolvimento dos agronegócios, como meio de melhor se inserir na economia mundial. Como as empresas brasileiras, ligadas a este setor, poderão continuar competindo, diante da atração de capitais e empresas internacionais em seus mercados tradicionais ? Parte-se da premissa que uma das possibilidades refere-se à formação de alianças estratégicas, do tipo consórcios de exportação, garantindo maiores oportunidades de sobrevivência, diante deste cenário. O estudo identifica quais os fatores estão presentes na formação destas alianças, a partir do acompanhamento da constituição de consórcios de exportação na cadeia de produção de suínos no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Definido como um estudo exploratório descritivo combinado, baseado em estudo de caso, o trabalho consistiu na revisão bibliográfica, pesquisa documental a fontes primárias, entrevistas de campo e pesquisa-ação. Analisando os resultados obtidos pela cadeia de produção de suínos, nos últimos anos, percebe-se que o desempenho do setor é bastante satisfatório no RS, principalmente com o aporte de investimentos internacionais recentes, utilizados na aquisição de empresas locais, tradicionalmente produtoras no Estado. Sendo assim, a pressão competitiva vem aumentando paulatinamente sobre as empresas nacionais remanescentes, sobretudo para as cooperativas de produção que, pouco a pouco, vêm perdendo posições nos mercados. A grande limitação do estudo foi não poder acompanhar a constituição formal do consórcio agroexportador, em função do ressurgimento da Febre Aftosa que impediu o fluxo internacional de carne suína e bovina procedente do Estado. Enfim, apesar dos entraves encontrados, verifica-se que a promoção dos consórcios poderá elevar a competitividade e a autonomia dos agronegócios do Brasil e do Rio Grande do Sul, principalmente naquelas cadeias de produção, cujos fatores críticos de sucesso são mais favoráveis. / Inside the competitive environment based on the market globalization, Brazil reinforces its capacity to develop agribusiness, as a better way to get in the world economy. But, how the Brazilian’s Agrifirms will be competitive in the future, when the international assets are arriving in its territory, nowadays? Its necessary to make good strategic alliances, like exportation’s consortia to guarantee better opportunities of business. This research reveals which factors are present in these alliances formations, studying the behavior of the pork’s chain in Rio Grande do Sul. This research is classified as an exploratory – descriptive combined study, based in a case methodology, distinguished in four sections: literature review; documental research; firm’s interview and action-research. The results showed that the pork chain in Rio Grande do Sul (South of Brazil) is globally competitive, mainly because of the improve of international assets, that are buying many local enterprises. However, for the traditional firm, including rural cooperatives, only through the strategic alliances constitution, keeping independent partners, it will be possible for the Brazilian’s firms to survive. The use of the international market, by these companies, reduce the transactional costs along this process. Because the return of foot and mouth disease fever contamination, in some regions in the south State, all meat exports were interrupted by the international markets. In spite of this situation, that caused a great damage to maintain the international flow of pork meat proceeded from Rio Grande do Sul, it was possible to observe that the consortia promotion can improve the competitivity, and autonomy, between the partners, specially for the Brazilian’s and south Brazilian’s Agribusiness.

Em um ambiente extremamente competitivo, baseado na globalização dos mercados, o Brasil reforça sua vocação no desenvolvimento dos agronegócios, como meio de melhor se inserir na economia mundial. Como as empresas brasileiras, ligadas a este setor, poderão continuar competindo, diante da atração de capitais e empresas internacionais em seus mercados tradicionais ? Parte-se da premissa que uma das possibilidades refere-se à formação de alianças estratégicas, do tipo consórcios de exportação, garantindo maiores oportunidades de sobrevivência, diante deste cenário. O estudo identifica quais os fatores estão presentes na formação destas alianças, a partir do acompanhamento da constituição de consórcios de exportação na cadeia de produção de suínos no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Definido como um estudo exploratório descritivo combinado, baseado em estudo de caso, o trabalho consistiu na revisão bibliográfica, pesquisa documental a fontes primárias, entrevistas de campo e pesquisa-ação. Analisando os resultados obtidos pela cadeia de produção de suínos, nos últimos anos, percebe-se que o desempenho do setor é bastante satisfatório no RS, principalmente com o aporte de investimentos internacionais recentes, utilizados na aquisição de empresas locais, tradicionalmente produtoras no Estado. Sendo assim, a pressão competitiva vem aumentando paulatinamente sobre as empresas nacionais remanescentes, sobretudo para as cooperativas de produção que, pouco a pouco, vêm perdendo posições nos mercados. A grande limitação do estudo foi não poder acompanhar a constituição formal do consórcio agroexportador, em função do ressurgimento da Febre Aftosa que impediu o fluxo internacional de carne suína e bovina procedente do Estado. Enfim, apesar dos entraves encontrados, verifica-se que a promoção dos consórcios poderá elevar a competitividade e a autonomia dos agronegócios do Brasil e do Rio Grande do Sul, principalmente naquelas cadeias de produção, cujos fatores críticos de sucesso são mais favoráveis. / Inside the competitive environment based on the market globalization, Brazil reinforces its capacity to develop agribusiness, as a better way to get in the world economy. But, how the Brazilian’s Agrifirms will be competitive in the future, when the international assets are arriving in its territory, nowadays? Its necessary to make good strategic alliances, like exportation’s consortia to guarantee better opportunities of business. This research reveals which factors are present in these alliances formations, studying the behavior of the pork’s chain in Rio Grande do Sul. This research is classified as an exploratory – descriptive combined study, based in a case methodology, distinguished in four sections: literature review; documental research; firm’s interview and action-research. The results showed that the pork chain in Rio Grande do Sul (South of Brazil) is globally competitive, mainly because of the improve of international assets, that are buying many local enterprises. However, for the traditional firm, including rural cooperatives, only through the strategic alliances constitution, keeping independent partners, it will be possible for the Brazilian’s firms to survive. The use of the international market, by these companies, reduce the transactional costs along this process. Because the return of foot and mouth disease fever contamination, in some regions in the south State, all meat exports were interrupted by the international markets. In spite of this situation, that caused a great damage to maintain the international flow of pork meat proceeded from Rio Grande do Sul, it was possible to observe that the consortia promotion can improve the competitivity, and autonomy, between the partners, specially for the Brazilian’s and south Brazilian’s Agribusiness.

Em um ambiente extremamente competitivo, baseado na globalização dos mercados, o Brasil reforça sua vocação no desenvolvimento dos agronegócios, como meio de melhor se inserir na economia mundial. Como as empresas brasileiras, ligadas a este setor, poderão continuar competindo, diante da atração de capitais e empresas internacionais em seus mercados tradicionais ? Parte-se da premissa que uma das possibilidades refere-se à formação de alianças estratégicas, do tipo consórcios de exportação, garantindo maiores oportunidades de sobrevivência, diante deste cenário. O estudo identifica quais os fatores estão presentes na formação destas alianças, a partir do acompanhamento da constituição de consórcios de exportação na cadeia de produção de suínos no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Definido como um estudo exploratório descritivo combinado, baseado em estudo de caso, o trabalho consistiu na revisão bibliográfica, pesquisa documental a fontes primárias, entrevistas de campo e pesquisa-ação. Analisando os resultados obtidos pela cadeia de produção de suínos, nos últimos anos, percebe-se que o desempenho do setor é bastante satisfatório no RS, principalmente com o aporte de investimentos internacionais recentes, utilizados na aquisição de empresas locais, tradicionalmente produtoras no Estado. Sendo assim, a pressão competitiva vem aumentando paulatinamente sobre as empresas nacionais remanescentes, sobretudo para as cooperativas de produção que, pouco a pouco, vêm perdendo posições nos mercados. A grande limitação do estudo foi não poder acompanhar a constituição formal do consórcio agroexportador, em função do ressurgimento da Febre Aftosa que impediu o fluxo internacional de carne suína e bovina procedente do Estado. Enfim, apesar dos entraves encontrados, verifica-se que a promoção dos consórcios poderá elevar a competitividade e a autonomia dos agronegócios do Brasil e do Rio Grande do Sul, principalmente naquelas cadeias de produção, cujos fatores críticos de sucesso são mais favoráveis. / Inside the competitive environment based on the market globalization, Brazil reinforces its capacity to develop agribusiness, as a better way to get in the world economy. But, how the Brazilian’s Agrifirms will be competitive in the future, when the international assets are arriving in its territory, nowadays? Its necessary to make good strategic alliances, like exportation’s consortia to guarantee better opportunities of business. This research reveals which factors are present in these alliances formations, studying the behavior of the pork’s chain in Rio Grande do Sul. This research is classified as an exploratory – descriptive combined study, based in a case methodology, distinguished in four sections: literature review; documental research; firm’s interview and action-research. The results showed that the pork chain in Rio Grande do Sul (South of Brazil) is globally competitive, mainly because of the improve of international assets, that are buying many local enterprises. However, for the traditional firm, including rural cooperatives, only through the strategic alliances constitution, keeping independent partners, it will be possible for the Brazilian’s firms to survive. The use of the international market, by these companies, reduce the transactional costs along this process. Because the return of foot and mouth disease fever contamination, in some regions in the south State, all meat exports were interrupted by the international markets. In spite of this situation, that caused a great damage to maintain the international flow of pork meat proceeded from Rio Grande do Sul, it was possible to observe that the consortia promotion can improve the competitivity, and autonomy, between the partners, specially for the Brazilian’s and south Brazilian’s Agribusiness.

Submitted by Marcia Bacha (marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2013-10-25T18:24:05Z No. of bitstreams: 1 MIM - Andre Ceciliano.pdf: 13616676 bytes, checksum: c811a9e94c6f5a9b7a34e1d650895361 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marcia Bacha (marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2013-10-25T18:24:56Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 MIM - Andre Ceciliano.pdf: 13616676 bytes, checksum: c811a9e94c6f5a9b7a34e1d650895361 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marcia Bacha (marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2013-10-25T18:25:14Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 MIM - Andre Ceciliano.pdf: 13616676 bytes, checksum: c811a9e94c6f5a9b7a34e1d650895361 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-10-25T18:25:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MIM - Andre Ceciliano.pdf: 13616676 bytes, checksum: c811a9e94c6f5a9b7a34e1d650895361 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Estamos vivenciando uma era na qual a convergência entre a tecnologia da informação e a comunicação vem sendo identificada, por diversos estudiosos e acadêmicos, como a responsável pelas mudanças identificadas na sociedade, na economia e na revisão do papel do Estado ocorridas na segunda metade do século XX. Segundo estes pesquisadores, com sua apregoada capacidade de transformação dos conceitos de tempo e espaço, a convergência tecnológica vem introduzindo profundas transformações no modelo de gestão das empresas a partir do momento em que velocidade, flexibilidade, capacidade de integração e capacidade de inovação tornam-se fatores críticos de sucesso para qualquer organização que queira ser bem sucedida na economia atual. Cada vez mais eficácia, eficiência, disponibilidade e produtividade são exigidas dos profissionais, independentemente do nível hierárquico, da especialização ou da localização física de seus escritórios. Essa dissertação tem como objetivo verificar se a utilização de ferramentas oriundas da convergência da tecnologia da informação e comunicação pode ser considerada como um fator determinante para a implementação de uma organização com barreiras fluidas. / We are living in an age where the convergence between Information Technology and Communications is being identified, by academics and specialists, as the responsible for the transformations detected in the society, the economy and the role of the State. According to these researchers, with its proclaimed capability in transforming the time and space concepts, the ICT convergence is introducing deep transformations in the business managerial model based in the new critical success factors: speed, flexibility, integration and innovation capability. More and more effectiveness, efficiency, availability and productivity are demanded from the professionals, independently of his hierarchical level, specialization or physical localization. This dissertation objective is check if the use of ICT Converged tools can be considered as a determinative factor for the implementation of an organization with fluid barriers.

The thesis identifies the role of e-business and ICT in the economy of the present European Union and their function in increasing EU's competitiveness in the world's economy. It maps and evaluates help of the public sector of the European Union for this important component of modern economy. The thesis also describes current state of e-business and ICT both in the European Union and the world and outlines their probable future development.

This thesis examines how employability and the employable as a discursive subject was constructed through a Swedish labor market policy measure called “datortek”. The datortek was a form of combined computer lab and activity center that was set up in collaboration between local governance and the National market labour board. People who were registered as unemployed could be sent to the local datortek to learn how to use a computer. In this way, they would be made employable in the new, knowledge based society and Sweden would be well on its way to become a leading nation in the field of IT-technology and expertise. At least, that was the idea. In the 1990’s there was a shift in Swedish, as well as european, labour policy discourse. The politically defined problem of “unemployment” changed towards being an issue of the individual’s ability to make oneself “employable”. On a large extent, employability depends on certain individual properties, such as “flexibility”, “entrepreneurship” and being “active”. Earlier research have mainly focused on employability as a policy concept. In this view, employability is seen as something that is enforced through public policy onto the workers. This study is taking a somewhat different approach. Here, employability will be seen as a concept that takes form in a process of negotiation and articulation. A process that takes place in the interpersonal meeting, in the intercept between man and machine, in formal documents as well as through the design of the datortek itself. Thus, the datortek can serve as a study object that allow us to investigate how employability was articulated. It is this articulation, the process of becoming-employable through the datortek, which is at the heart of this study. The thesis shows that the datortek functioned as a simulated work place where the participants were made to stage and perform “teamwork” and learn “social competence”. The computer was given the role of an instrument for bringing out certain feelings amongst the participants. This emotive discipline can be understood as a way to achieve “emotional competence”. The thesis also shows a different way on how a concept such as employability can be studied. By looking into the very practical aspects of the datortek, the abstract idea of employability is made comprehensible. This gives us, not only deepened knowledge of the notion of modern labor, but also a better understanding of how ideology is (re)produced.

La variété des situations auxquelles sont confrontés les acteurs de la vie des affaires, et l’importance des sommes en jeu, constituent un aiguillon particulièrement stimulant pour la réflexion des spécialistes dans le domaine financier et juridique. Un engouement s’enracine également dans la tendance des marchés financiers à exiger une plus grande transparence dans la gestion des groupes diversifiés, dont la lisibilité financière est souvent réduite. Une telle exigence de lisibilité est au cœur de la définition des actions traçantes. Apparues outre-Atlantique au début des années 80, elles ont bénéficié, avec l’avènement de la nouvelle économie, d’un regain d’intérêt notable et d’un volume d’émission élevé sur le marché financier américain depuis les années 90. L’émission d’actions traçantes, mis à part leur nature hybride, constitue une mesure de restructuration assez particulière qui vient compléter la base d’études déjà constituée sur le thème de la restructuration de capitaux. Cette recherche a pour ambition de montrer comment introduire les actions traçantes sur le marché financier français et plus particulièrement, elle permettra d’élargir le choix des formes de restructuration qui seront présentés pour des entreprises souhaitant chercher de nouvelles sources de financement, se procurer de nouveaux moyens d’acquisition et atteindre l’objectif fondamental qui est celui de la création de valeur. De ce fait, l’émission d’actions traçantes se trouvera en concurrence avec d’autres formes de restructuration (scission et apport partiel d’actif). Par conséquent, on présentera les facteurs dont les entreprises devront tenir compte dans le choix des restructurations envisagées. / The variety of situations faced by actors of the business concerning their field, and the importance of the amount of money involved, is considered as a mind moving element particularly for specialists in financial and legal matters. Enthusiasm is also rooted in the financial markets which tend to require greater transparency from groups, including financial visibility that is often reduced. Such a requirement is highly recommended in the definition of tracking stock. Emerged across the Atlantic in the early 80s, they have benefited, with the advent of the new economy, a noticeable income of interest and have increased since the early '90s until now through a large number of issuances on the U.S. financial market. The issuance of tracking stock, apart from its hybrid nature, contains a certain measure of restructuring rather special that completes the basis of studies already made on the subject of capital restructuring. This research also aims to show how to introduce tracking stock on the French financial market, and more particularly to expand the choice of forms of restructuring that will be presented to companies in hope to seek new funding sources, to obtain new ways of acquisition and achieve a fundamental objective which is the creation of value. Therefore, the issuing of tracking stock will have to compete with other forms of restructuring (spin-off, equity carve-out). Thus, we present the factors that companies should deem when choosing the restructuring proposed.

The past two decades have witnessed significant growth in home-based work (HBW), particularly home-based business (HBB) activity and self-employment. These phenomena are attributed to factors such as flexible organization of production. While some empirical accounts on HBW and HBB activity in Canada do exist, they have mostly been conducted at the national or urban level rather than in rural areas. This thesis, therefore, places greater emphasis on rural HBBs in Saskatchewan where out-migration of people is threatening the viability and sustainability of rural and small communities. It is argued that rural sustainability largely depends on economic viability. The study area for the research includes the City of Saskatoon and the countryside surrounding this city. <p>The overall goal of this research is to contribute to the discussion of rural sustainability by considering HBBs as a potential strategy to achieve sustainability in rural areas and small communities. Therefore, the primary objectives of the dissertation are to examine the nature and degree of relationships of home business activity between rural, rural-urban fringe and urban areas, and the implications on links for sustainability of rural households and communities; to examine the relationship of HBB activity to the concept of rural entrepreneurship and business development; and to assess the contributions of rural and small town HBBs to the sustainability of households and communities in Saskatchewan. <p>A combination of the concept of sustainable community development, the von Thunen model and the competitive strategy model (i.e., cost-leadership, differentiation, focus) provide the theoretical framework of the thesis. Through snowball sampling and mail questionnaire surveys, primary data on HBBs were obtained from Saskatoon and its surrounding regions in Saskatchewan for micro-level analysis. Both qualitative and quantitative techniques were employed to analyze the data. <p>Major findings of the thesis include the linkages that HBBs create among places and the impact of links on community sustainability; and the apparent spatial variations in HBBs, motivations, competitive strategies, and benefits of home businesses from the urban core to the limits of the rural hinterland. It was also found that home businesses contribute positively to the sustainability of households and communities in rural Saskatchewan. Specifically, they generate significant revenue and employment opportunities for people, while supporting local economies through their networks, purchasing and selling of goods and services locally as well as keeping managers and members of their households in rural areas and small communities for considerable number of years. Indeed home-based occupation is a vital component of the mechanisms for rural sustainability. Also, this thesis proposed a rural-urban HBB model for future social science research. <p>Major conceptual underpinnings of the research include rural-urban relations; regional and community economic development, sustainable community development; rural entrepreneurship, home-based work, home business, self-employment, competitive strategy, and the von Thunen Isolated State model.