I dagens samhälle vill så väl företag som privatpersoner finnas på webben – det är en platform som de flesta förväntar sig hitta information på. För att minska på kostnaderna men samtidigt garantera såväl funktionalitet som säkerhet, så finns det webb-ramverk, ett slags bibliotek av funktioner för utvecklare att använda sig av. Företaget NTT Communications använder sig ofta av programmeringsspråket Python för utveckling av interna webb-applikationer. De är intresserade av att veta vilket webb-ramverk, för detta språk, som bäst möter de krav de ställer; snabb utveckling och modularitet. Till studien valdes två av de största webb-ramverken för Python; Django och Pyramid. Django är ett ”allt-inkluderat” ramverk medan man i Pyramid får göra val i form av databashanterare, templatespråk m.fl. Studien syftar till att ta fram vilket av dessa ramverk som bäst möter NTT:s krav där några utvalda delar från dessa ramverk har valts för att se på så väl funktionalitet, modularitet och komplexitet. De delar som undersöks är: dokumentation, community, url-dirigering, templatespråk och databashanterare. Studien har främst utförts genom undersökning av ramverkens dokumentation men även genom granskning av utomstående artiklar och tredjeparts-paket. Resultatet visar på att Django bäst lämpar sig för snabb utveckling där alla val redan är gjorda åt en men att det även är möjligt att modulera med ibland viss tappad funktionalitet. Pyramid visar istället på högre modularitet där ramverket är konstruerat för att moduleras men att detta medför en högre komplexitet. Båda ramverken visar på liknande funktionalitet. / In todays society, both companies and private individuals want to be seen on the web – it is a platform that everyone expects to find information on. To reduce the costs of development but at the same time guarantee both funtionality and security, there are web-frameworks, a sort of library of functions for developers to use. The company NTT Communications often use the programminglanguage Python for development of internal web-applications. They are interested in knowing which web-framework, for this language, that best meets their requirements; fast development and modularity. For this studie two of the biggest web-frameworks for Python were chosen; Django and Pyramid. Django is an ”all-included”-framework whilst in Pyramid you have to make choices in the form of databasehandler, templatelanguage and more. The study aims to see which of these frameworks that best meet NTT:s requirements where a specific set of parts from these frameworks have been chosen were focus lies on: funtionality, modularity and complexity. The parts that are examined are: documentation, community, url-dispatch, templatelanguage and databasehandler. The study has mainly been conducted through examination of the frameworks documentation, articles and thirdparty-packages. The result shows that Django is best suited for fast development where all choices already have been made for you, but also that there is possibility for modularity with sometimes some loss in functionality. Pyramid on the other hand shows a higher level of modularity were the framework is constructed to be moduled but that this entails a higher complexity. Both frameworks show similar functionality.

O mercado de baixa renda tem se tornado cada vez mais relevantes para todos os setores empresariais. Estima-se que em 2010 as classes C e D serão responsáveis por mais da metade do consumo do mercado interno brasileiro. Empresas de transporte aéreo brasileiras de passageiros, que historicamente se caracterizaram por prestar serviço voltado para as classes de maior renda, passaram a desenvolver estratégias para atrair o público de baixa renda para viajar de avião, partindo de estratégias concebidas em outras indústrias e adaptando às particularidades do setor aéreo. O presente trabalho identificou as estratégias de empresas aéreas brasileiras para atender o mercado de baixa renda. Devido ao fato do mercado de baixa renda para o transporte aéreo ser ainda embrionário, as estratégias se concentra ainda no composto mercadológico, como produto, preço, canal de distribuição, comunicação e serviço. Práticas adotadas pelo varejo para atrair e reter o consumidor de baixa renda, como a loja de vizinhança, porta a porta, meios de financiamento alternativos ao cartão de crédito tem sido testadas e adotadas pelas empresas aéreas analisadas, complementando as práticas usuais do mercado. Essa pesquisa avaliou ainda os principais fatores indutores e restritivos à inserção da baixa renda no setor de transporte aéreo. A maior preocupação das empresas aéreas analisadas nesse estudo é com a infra-estrutura aeroportuária, que pode se tornar limitador da expansão do setor aéreo no Brasil. Já as operadoras de turismo são percebidas pelas empresas aéreas como agente indutor à inserção da população de baixa renda, em especial pela venda de pacotes de turismo. Finalmente, essa pesquisa avaliou, ainda que de maneira sucinta as estratégias de negócio adotadas pelas empresas aéreas, e identificou um modelo de baixo custo brasileira. Trata-se de um modelo híbrido entre as estratégias de diferenciação e baixo custo. As empresas analisadas procuram simultaneamente oferecer serviços para clientes corporativos e estimular novos mercados, sobretudo o mercado de baixa renda. De acordo com Porter (1985), esse tipo de estratégia poderia ser classificado como meio-termo, visto que a empresa não adota nenhuma das estratégias genéricas. Porém, o histórico dessas empresas permite avaliar que essas empresas iniciaram sua operação com modelo mais próximo à estratégia de baixo custo, e tiveram que evoluir ou reformular completamente esse modelo de acordo com as características do mercado brasileiro. / The Bottom of Pyramid has become increasingly relevant market to all business sectors. It is estimated that in 2010 social classes C and D will account for over half the consumption of the Brazilian domestic market. Brazilian airlines, who have historically been characterized by providing service for the high income classes, began to develop strategies to attract lowincome public to travel by plane, using strategies developed in other industries and adapting to the particularities of the airline industry. This research has identified strategies for Brazilian airlines to reach the Bottom of Pyramid market. As this segment is still limit, strategies still focus on the marketing mix, such as product, price, distribution channel, communication and service. Practices adopted by retailers to attract and retain low-income consumers, as the neighborhood store, door to door, alternative financing to credit card have been tested and adopted by the airlines studied, complementing the usual practices of the market. This research also evaluated the main factors that affect the introduction of Bottom of Pyramid in the airline industry. The major concern of airlines examined in this study is with the airport infrastructure, which can limit the expansion of the airline industry in Brazil. Tour operators are already perceived by the airlines as a promoter for this process. Finally, this research evaluated the business strategies adopted by airlines, and identified a Brazilian low-cost model. The model is a hybrid between the strategies of differentiation and low cost. The analyzed airlines are seeking to offer services to both corporate customers and stimulate new markets, particularly the Bottom of Pyramid. According to Porter (1985), this strategy could be classified as stuck in the middle, because the company does not adopt any of the generic strategies. However, the history of these companies can assess that these companies started their operation with model closer to the strategy of low cost, and they had to evolve or completely redesign this model according to the characteristics of the Brazilian market

Datakraft i Småland AB är ett IT-konsultföretag som specialiserar sig på hosting och IT-drift. Företaget erbjuder även ett komplett affärssystem där möjligheter för individuella anpassningar kan göras via programmering. De är nu intresserade av att få en utvärdering av de programmeringsverktyg som används i affärssystemet, Pyramid och utgör syftet för denna rapport.   De frågeställningar som arbetet utgår ifrån och som skall besvaras är följande: Vad är möjligt att göra med programmeringsverktygen i Pyramid med C# i Visual Studio som utgångspunkt? Är Visual Kosmos ett lättarbetat/effektivt programmeringsspråk jämfört med C#? För utvärderingen samlas teorier och data in genom utbildning och ett skarpt uppdrag som handlar om att skapa en anpassning i Pyramid åt Technoskruv, en av Datakrafts kunder. Den arbetsmetod som har använts följer Datakrafts riktlinje, vilken innehåller stegen förstudie, systemering, programmering och dokumentering.   Resultatet blev en skarp jämförelse mellan Pyramids utvecklingsmiljö med sitt programmeringsspråk, Visual Kosmos och Visual Studio med sitt C# i form av tabeller. Som analys av resultatet gjordes en subjektiv bedömning utifrån resultatet, teorin och de data som samlats in under arbetets gång, för att tillsammans besvara frågeställningarna.   De programmeringsverktyg som används i Pyramid har karaktärer från standardiseringar som återfinns i Visual Studio och C#. Detta innebär att de i teorin inte har några begränsningar vad gäller programmering. I praktiken är dock verktygen starkt begränsade på grund av den miljön som de befinner sig i som är formad för att tjäna affärssystem och dess funktioner, vilket är slutsatsen av denna studie. / Datakraft i Småland AB is an IT consulting company that specializes in hosting and IT services. The company also offers an enterprise resource planning system, called Pyramid, which has built in tools for users to make customized solutions through programming. Datakraft are now interested in getting an evaluation of the programming tools existing in the system, which is the main objective of this report. The questions that will be answered in this project are: What is possible to do with the programming tools in Pyramid with C# in Visual Studio as a guideline? Is Visual Kosmos an easy/efficient programming language to work with compared to C#? For the evaluation, the work consists of collecting theories and data through education and by creating a solution in Pyramid for Techno Skruv, one of Datakraft’s customers. The methodology that was used for this project is also the procedures used by DataKraft's own staff. This methodology includes the steps feasibility study, design, programming and documentation. The result is presented as a distinguishable comparison between Pyramid’s development environment with its programming language, Visual Cosmos and Visual Studio with the C# in table forms. With the results, analysis was made with the data combined with the theories to get the answers for the questions of the objective. The programming tools in Pyramid have features that can be found in the standardized Visual Studio and C#. In the light of this, theoretical, the programming tools in Pyramid have no restrictions in terms of programming. In practice, however, the tools are limited due to the fact that the system was created to serve resource planning systems, which is the conclusion of this study.

The increasing mobile penetration rates in Africa provide an interesting opportunity to mitigate financial exclusion on the continent. Through mobile phone applications that provide an electronic store of value that sits on the mobile phone, the unbanked poor can now access accounts and initiate financial transactions on their mobile phone. The mobile phone presents a more affordable and accessible channel for transacting. The aim of the research was to determine the inclination for the unbanked at the base of the pyramid in South Africa to adopt mobile banking. In total, 100 individuals were interviewed to determine their propensity to adopt mobile banking if it were made available to them. The criteria for selection were residence in an informal settlement in Gauteng, being unbanked and having access to or ownership of a mobile phone. Graphical representations of the findings were analysed to determine the proportion of the sample that would adopt mobile banking under the various constructs. It was concluded that mobile banking had a high likelihood of being adopted by individuals at the base of the pyramid on the basis of its low cost, the convenience and security it offered, and the ease of its use. Additional factors in favour of adoption included observability and trialability. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

This research project investigates the requirements or factors that will influence mcommerce adoption in low-income markets. The framework incorporated awareness, availability, convenience, affordability and acceptability as variables for m-commerce adoption in low-income markets. Mobile commerce is the next step in the evolution of networked computing and is the utilisation of mobile communication for financial gain. In South Africa, the fast rate of mobile technology adoption has created an access footprint for mcommerce across the country. Businesses are adopting m-commerce into their business strategies to tap into these new markets. Recently the potential commercial benefit in low-income markets is being explored by business. In South Africa the low-income market has been characterised by the foundation tier of the economic pyramid. Although this market is seen as extremely price sensitive and has little to no disposable income, the collective potential of it is considerable. The research found that certain aspects of the framework were applicable. Awareness, knowledge and acceptability were seen to have the highest association with m-commerce adoption in the low-income market. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Investment in low income markets is increasing so too is a sense of controversy regarding poor markets. With BOP investment becoming many a firms’ strategy towards achieving growth, it is not clear to what extent managers’ attitudes to poor customers differ towards their attitudes towards middle-class customers. It is, however, well described that attitudes to poor people in a social context is negative and in some cases less favourable. It is postulated that business' mindset may be a barrier towards engaging with BOP markets despite the incentives and benefits that literature puts forward for marketing to the poor. Whether this attitude is negative, neutral, less favourable or similar is not well understood. The findings of this research project, can with a high level of confidence, report that the attitudes of a sample of managers do display a less favourable attitude towards a poor customer than is the case with a similar sample that is exposed to a wealthier customer. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Small businesses are significant contributors to a nation’s job creation and employment. These enterprises face many challenges that often lead to failure within 5 years. Some small business owners fail because they lack the necessary strategies for maintaining a sustainable business operation. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive phenomenological study was to analyze how to overcome the high failure rate of small businesses in Accra, Ghana. The conceptual framework for this study was institutional and planned behavior theories. The research questions sought participant’s experiences with small business survival that may have led to sustainable businesses. Data were collected from 20 participants using semistructured telephone interviews in Accra, Ghana. Participants were small business owners in the consumer products industry. Eligibility required full-time self-employed persons aged 26-65 years who must have been in business beyond 5 years. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data. After data analysis, member checking was used to establish the trustworthiness of the outcomes. The main result of the study was that small businesses that had identified viable business opportunities in sustaining the needs and challenges of potential customers reported gains in sales and customer retention. The findings were significant for improving sustainable small business efforts, improving self-employment, reducing poverty through inclusive business models, and creating positive social change. Small business owners and policymakers might benefit from this research by reducing redundancies in their operations. This effort should promote an environment that enhances wealth creation and the quality of life of small business owners in Accra, Ghana.

The research project investigated the trade-off between profit and social welfare objectives and whether metrics existed to measure the social welfare objectives set and the impact made. The study was conducted with leading brands within their respective categories and that are currently active in the South African BoP consumer market. The BoP market is widely recognised as an opportunity for business in developing markets to gain penetration of their brands and grow profits. How much of this ambition is married with social welfare objectives that aim to give back rather than just take out of the communities that they operate in? The challenge has been on what social impact to target and how to measure this. The research project was done using a quantitative research method, sampling brands that are within the top three sellers of their respective categories for LSM 1-4 consumers as measured by AMPS. This was supported by a thorough literature review to highlight the gaps that exist in the current way of interacting with BoP markets. The main finding is that profit is still the primary objective for most brands operating within this space and goals and associated social welfare metrics are still a distant third to marketing and business metrics measured within a business. The study ends with some recommendations for brand and business leaders to consider as they continue their incursions into BoP markets. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lmgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted

This study describes a sustainable empowerment process used to mobilise, capacitate and sustainably empower communities.An approach to unlock the potential of the high number of unemployed youth within the emerging markets was investigated. These unemployed youth do not have the correct skills, experience and opportunities to become productive citizens of a country. This research looked at methods used to enable the youth to contribute sustainably to the formal economy as a key to empowering the community.The success factors for community empowerment and the contributions made by stakeholders were explored.The research was based on exploratory research of a South African company, Next S and their operations within local communities. Next S was used because of their innovative and dynamic operations and long history with community projects. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

The participation of businesses and major corporate companies in poverty stricken lower income markets has been met with opposing, and at times controversial views. The Bottom of the Pyramid proposition is one such idea that encourages business people to get involved in the market. However, the commercial viability of the BOP proposition has yet to be proven. The literature review from this study focuses on the ideas surrounding the appropriate business models that have been put forward through academic literature in order for companies to operate successfully in the lower income market segment. Consequently, the literature also focuses on the developments of the BOP proposition as it relates to the business proposed models. Specific attention is paid to the areas of innovation and replication as strategic focus areas within the BOP business models. The research seeks to highlight the fact that the BOP market segment is a commercially viable market for companies to pursue, and that the business model focus for companies should be centred around the dual application of innovation and replication principles as part of the company’s business model. The research study made use of interviews with expert executives and supporting documentary evidence from two case study organisations from within the FMCG industry in South Africa. The results of the research were documented and used to address the primary and secondary research objectives. The research findings ultimately enabled the author to construct a model, which companies interested in pursuing the BOP market could implement in order to operate profitably within the BOP market segment. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted