This research was geared towards the investigation of management strategies (factors) that affect the performance ofMSMEs in Kenya. Many developed countries record a time in history when entrepreneurial activities led to revival of economical growth after decline. This implies MSMEs is a very vital sector especially for a developing country like Kenya. MSMEs stagnate and their performance is uncertain according to writers such as Namusonge, Management inadequacies have been suggested in several studies. The objectives of this research was to, 1. To identifY the critical management factors affecting the performance of MSMEs in Kenya; ii. To establish the process through which managerial factors affect the performance of a MSMEs in Kenya ; m. To determine the integrative effect of various management factors in the MSMES in Kenya; IV. To establish the effect of demographics and management factors on performance, v. To establish effects of external environment on internal management factors A conceptual model was formulated from the literature review showing relationships of the management strategies and the environment they operate in. These relationships became the basis for the hypotheses which were later tested. In chapter 4, a mini research (pilot study) was conducted in May 2007,whose main aim was to test the reliability and validity of the research instruments. The 36 questionnaires returned were analysed through descriptive method. Results obtained indicated the instruments were reliable and the results valid. A few corrections suggested were made. The major correction was addition of question 35 to collect financial information. The data collection was done between mid August and mid October 2007.In chapter 5, the researcher analysesd the results of the survey after receiving 180 questionnaires. Time was a constraint. In chapter 6, the hypotheses and conceptual model were analysed and the results obtained suggested that, most strategies did not affect the profitability separately but severally. The integrated effect of the management strategies and the associated factors had a higher impact on performance of the MSMES than any individual strategies. In chapter 7, the conclusions, summaries and Recommendations are given. / Business Management / D. Com. (Business Management and Policy)

Na primeira metade de século XX, tanto os empiristas lógicos quanto os racionalistas popperianos sustentaram que os juízos científicos corretos derivavam de sua conformação a certas regras: indutivas, dedutivas, hipotético-dedutivas ou formalizáveis segundo o cálculo de probabilidades. No entanto, após a emergência de novos trabalhos, como os de Thomas Kuhn, houve um amplo desenvolvimento de abordagens que analisam a inferência científica com base em valores, em vez de regras estabelecidas a priori. A estratégia proposta por Kuhn considera a prática científica e sua história um elemento importante para uma compreensão adequada da racionalidade da ciência. Sua abordagem envolve a consideração de valores cognitivos, tais como fecundidade, consistência e escopo de teorias. Ampliando essa abordagem, estudos mais recentes – a partir da década de 90 e com grande efervescência nos últimos anos – defendem a tese de que o conhecimento científico, além de um produto da atividade social, possui ele mesmo uma dimensão social intrínseca. Poderíamos perguntar, então, em que medida valores não cognitivos, tais como valores morais e sociais, moldam a prática científica; e como esses valores poderiam exercer um papel legítimo ou mesmo contribuir para a produção de conhecimento. Essas questões envolvem o problema, bastante expressivo atualmente (cf. Longino, 2015), sobre a chamada “dimensão social do conhecimento científico”. Neste trabalho, abordo o referido problema no que tange à relação entre valores e atividade científica, utilizando-me, para a construção do artigo aqui presente, a abordagem do filósofo da ciência Hugh Lacey e aplicando-a a um contexto específico: as possibilidades de uso produtivo dos chamados Campos Sulinos. / In the first half of the XXth century, both logical empiricists and popperian rationalists sustained that correct scientific judgements derived from the conformation to certain rules: inductive, deductive, hypothetical-deductive or formalizable according to the calculation of probabilities. However, mainly because of Thomas Kuhn’s works, there was an extensive development of approaches that analyze the scientific inference based on values, rather than on a priori established rules. The proposal of Kuhn considers the scientific practice and history as elements of relevance to the comprehension of science’s rationality. His approach considers cognitive values, such as fecundity, consistence, and scope of theories. Expanding this approach, recent studies – starting in the 90s and with great effervescence in recent years – defend the thesis that scientific knowledge, besides being a product of social activity, features an intrinsic social dimension. We could ask, in what measure noncognitive values, such as moral and social values, shape the scientific practice; and how these values could exercise a legitimate role, or even contribute to the production of knowledge. These questions involve the currently quite significant (cf. Longino, 2015) problem called “social dimension of the scientific knowledge”. In this work, I approach the mentioned question regarding the relation between values and the scientific activity, using the approach of the philosopher of science Hugh Lacey, and applying it to a specific background: the possibilities of the productive use of the south Brazilian native grasslands, know Campos Sulinos.

The study has the interest to investigate the existing values in science and analyze the possibility of promotion of ethics in the scientific pratices in the contemporaneity. The basis for this analysis is on Hugh Lacey s studies on the search for an epistemological model based on the adequacy of present values in scientific practices to social projection and human needs. This analysis shows that to have a better understanding of science and its objective, we should distinguish the values, the moments and the decisive strategies for the development of science. The Lacey s proposed has two articulations a distinction of values (cognitive and noncognitive) and a distinguish of the proper times of scientific practice that would enable a better explanation and justification of the problem of ―value-free science‖. To Lacey, there are three moments of scientific activity that allow us to analyse the performance of values: the moment M1, to adopt ways and strategies for research; the moment M2, to accept theories; and the moment M3, to apply scientific knowledge. The distinction of values is needed to support the view that scientific knowledge can be impartial and still serve as social values. Already, the distinction of moments of scientific activity allows the author to indicate the suitable place for investigating social influences in the research (at the moments M1 and M3). We realize that the modern tradition of science used a materialist understanding that selected restricted and one-dimensional strategies of research, overly linked to noncongnitive values of control of natural objects that privilege capitalists values, that, almost always, do not guarantee the enjoyment of other values essential for the human welfare. Therefore, this discussion suggests the importance of rethink the present values in science for a scientific activity that balances the ideal of the understanding of the world, together with the ability to generate useful Technologies for the flourishing of humanity. / O estudo tem por interesse investigar os valores existentes na ciência e analisar a possibilidade da promoção de uma prática científica ética na contemporaneidade. A base para essa análise fundamenta-se nos estudos de Hugh Lacey sobre a busca de um modelo epistemológico pautado na adequação de valores presentes nas práticas científicas às projeções sociais e necessidades humanas. Tal análise aponta que para termos uma melhor compreensão da ciência e do seu objetivo devemos distinguir tanto os valores quanto os momentos e as estratégias decisivas para o desenvolvimento da ciência. A proposta de Lacey apresenta duas articulações - uma distinção dos valores (cognitivos e não cognitivos); e uma distinção dos devidos momentos da prática científica que possibilitariam uma melhor explanação e justificação do problema da ―ciência livre de valores‖. Para Lacey há três momentos da atividade científica que nos permitem analisar a atuação dos valores: o momento M1, de adotar caminhos e estratégias para a pesquisa; o momento M2, de aceitar teorias e; o momento M3, de aplicar o conhecimento científico. A distinção dos valores é necessária para apoiar a visão de que o conhecimento científico pode ser imparcial e ainda se servir de valores sociais. Já a distinção dos momentos da atividade científica permite ao autor indicar o local adequado para se investigar influências sociais no interior das pesquisas (nos momentos M1 e M3). Perceberemos que a tradição moderna de ciência se utilizou de um entendimento materialista que selecionou estratégias de pesquisa restritas e unidimensionais, exageradamente ligadas a valores não cognitivos de controle dos objetos naturais que acabam por privilegiar valores capitalistas que, quase sempre, não garantem a apreciação de estratégias múltiplas de pesquisa e de outros valores essenciais para o bem-estar humano. Por isso esta reflexão propõe a importância de repensarmos os valores presentes na ciência para almejarmos uma atividade científica que equilibre o ideal de entendimento do mundo juntamente à capacidade de gerar tecnologias úteis ao florescimento da humanidade. / Mestre em Filosofia

Na primeira metade de século XX, tanto os empiristas lógicos quanto os racionalistas popperianos sustentaram que os juízos científicos corretos derivavam de sua conformação a certas regras: indutivas, dedutivas, hipotético-dedutivas ou formalizáveis segundo o cálculo de probabilidades. No entanto, após a emergência de novos trabalhos, como os de Thomas Kuhn, houve um amplo desenvolvimento de abordagens que analisam a inferência científica com base em valores, em vez de regras estabelecidas a priori. A estratégia proposta por Kuhn considera a prática científica e sua história um elemento importante para uma compreensão adequada da racionalidade da ciência. Sua abordagem envolve a consideração de valores cognitivos, tais como fecundidade, consistência e escopo de teorias. Ampliando essa abordagem, estudos mais recentes – a partir da década de 90 e com grande efervescência nos últimos anos – defendem a tese de que o conhecimento científico, além de um produto da atividade social, possui ele mesmo uma dimensão social intrínseca. Poderíamos perguntar, então, em que medida valores não cognitivos, tais como valores morais e sociais, moldam a prática científica; e como esses valores poderiam exercer um papel legítimo ou mesmo contribuir para a produção de conhecimento. Essas questões envolvem o problema, bastante expressivo atualmente (cf. Longino, 2015), sobre a chamada “dimensão social do conhecimento científico”. Neste trabalho, abordo o referido problema no que tange à relação entre valores e atividade científica, utilizando-me, para a construção do artigo aqui presente, a abordagem do filósofo da ciência Hugh Lacey e aplicando-a a um contexto específico: as possibilidades de uso produtivo dos chamados Campos Sulinos. / In the first half of the XXth century, both logical empiricists and popperian rationalists sustained that correct scientific judgements derived from the conformation to certain rules: inductive, deductive, hypothetical-deductive or formalizable according to the calculation of probabilities. However, mainly because of Thomas Kuhn’s works, there was an extensive development of approaches that analyze the scientific inference based on values, rather than on a priori established rules. The proposal of Kuhn considers the scientific practice and history as elements of relevance to the comprehension of science’s rationality. His approach considers cognitive values, such as fecundity, consistence, and scope of theories. Expanding this approach, recent studies – starting in the 90s and with great effervescence in recent years – defend the thesis that scientific knowledge, besides being a product of social activity, features an intrinsic social dimension. We could ask, in what measure noncognitive values, such as moral and social values, shape the scientific practice; and how these values could exercise a legitimate role, or even contribute to the production of knowledge. These questions involve the currently quite significant (cf. Longino, 2015) problem called “social dimension of the scientific knowledge”. In this work, I approach the mentioned question regarding the relation between values and the scientific activity, using the approach of the philosopher of science Hugh Lacey, and applying it to a specific background: the possibilities of the productive use of the south Brazilian native grasslands, know Campos Sulinos.

Plusieurs domaines d'application traitent des objets et des données complexes dont la structure et la sémantique de leurs composants sont des informations importantes pour leur manipulation et leur exploitation. La structure de graphe a été bien souvent adoptée, comme modèles de représentation, dans ces domaines. Elle permet de véhiculer un maximum d'informations, liées à la structure, la sémantique et au comportement de ces objets, nécessaires pour assurer une meilleure représentation et une manipulation efficace. Ainsi, lors d'une comparaison entre deux objets complexes, l'opération d'appariement est appliquée entre les graphes les modélisant. Nous nous sommes intéressés dans cette thèse à l'appariement approximatif qui permet de sélectionner les graphes les plus similaires au graphe d'une requête. L'objectif de notre travail est de contribuer à l'interrogation flexible et personnalisée d'objets complexes modélisés sous forme de graphes pour identifier les graphes les plus pertinents aux besoins de l'utilisateur, exprimés d'une manière partielle ou imprécise. Dans un premier temps, nous avons proposé un cadre de sélection de services Web modélisés sous forme de graphes qui permet (i) d'améliorer le processus d'appariement en intégrant les préférences des utilisateurs et l'aspect structurel des graphes comparés, et (ii) de retourner les services les plus pertinents. Une deuxième méthode d'évaluation de requêtes de recherche de graphes par similarité a également été présentée pour calculer le skyline de graphes d'une requête utilisateur en tenant compte de plusieurs mesures de distance de graphes. Enfin, des approches de raffinement ont été définies pour réduire la taille, souvent importante, du skyline. Elles ont pour but d'identifier et d'ordonner les points skyline qui répondent le mieux à la requête de l'utilisateur. / Several application domains deal with complex objects whose structure and semantics of their components are crucial for their handling. For this, graph structure has been adopted, as a model of representation, in these areas to capture a maximum of information, related to the structure, semantics and behavior of such objects, necessary for effective representation and processing. Thus, when comparing two complex objects, a matching technique is applied between their graph structures. In this thesis, we are interested in approximate matching techniques which constitute suitable tools to automatically find and select the most similar graphs to user graph query. The aim of our work is to develop methods to personalized and flexible querying of repositories of complex objects modeled thanks to graphs and then to return the graphs results that fit best the users ’needs, often expressed partially and in an imprecise way. In a first time, we propose a flexible approach for Web service retrieval that relies both on preference satisfiability and structural similarity between process model graphs. This approach allows (i) to improve the matching process by integrating user preferences and the graph structural aspect, and (ii) to return the most relevant services. A second method for evaluating graph similarity queries is also presented. It retrieves graph similarity skyline of a user query by considering a vector of several graph distance measures instead of a single measure. Thus, graphs which are maximally similar to graph query are returned in an ordered way. Finally, refinement methods have been developed to reduce the size of the skyline when it is of a significant size. They aim to identify and order skyline points that match best the user query.