Avregleringen av finansmarknaden 1992 möjligtgjorde för andra finansiella aktörer än bankerna att etablerar sig på den svenska marknaden. Stora banker gick samman med andra finansiella institut och bildade konglomerat, som inte sällan sträcker sig över landets gränser. Små banker inriktade mot specifika verksamheter ökade också sina kundunderlag och har börjat ta marknadsandelar i sina segment från storbankerna. Studien går ut på att se om det finns någon tendens till att nischbankerna skulle vara på väg att konkurrera ut storbankerna. I uppsatsen studerar jag utvecklingens bakomliggande drivkrafter. I den empiriska delen studeras bankernas utveckling på in- och utlåningsmarknaden. Resultatet av jämförelsen mellan storbankernas och nischbankernas in- och utlåning visar att nischbankerna har ökat sina marknadsandelar inom de segment de är verksamma i, medan storbankerna sin totala omslutning. Och slutsatsen är att nischbankerna knappast utgör något allvarligt hot mot storbankerna.

The purpose of this study was to examine the marketing strategy used by Pernond Ricard to promote popular liquors in the low¡Bmid and high price categories¡Cthe study divided 9 products into 3 price segments¡Cthis research study used individual in-depth interviews in order to understand the marketing strategy and operational practices of the business model¡CAnalyses indicated that their marketing strategy STP and 4Ps¡Athe key elements of their marketing strategy are people¡Bpromotion¡Bchannel¡Bproduct and price strategies¡C Finally¡Asuggestions for Pernond Ricards¡¦ marketing strategy are as follows¡G (1) Different price segmentation should be more focused on different target groups¡C (2) Must understand the local consumer¡¦s behavior and usage habits in order to satisfy their needs¡C (3) Customize their products and services for each individual target customer segment¡C Lastly¡Athis research study will propose the marketing strategy and suggestions for future research directions¡C

Industrial furnace is very important production equipment for industrial enterprises. Its performance will directly affect the efficiency and effectiveness of enterprises in manufacturing industry, even change the competitive advantage of the organization. To achieve more high quality and synergy, there is a need to have an integrated industrial furnace system that may compose of industrial furnaces, network, computer automatic control, intelligent software, and decision support technical. The integrated industrial furnace system takes the place of the traditionally single and dummy industrial furnace gradually. The importance of the integrated industrial furnace system to the enterprise is increased dramatically. With the change of market focus from production-orientation to customer-orientation, more and more companies realize the importance of the strategy of market segment and position. ¡§The small market segment¡¨ and ¡§unease of standardization¡¨ (high customization) are major characteristics in the industrial furnace industry. Therefore, the market and position strategy is the critical successful factor for the furnace industry in addition to technical excellence. Taiwanese industrial furnace companies are becoming global business recently. This research will focus on exploring the market and position strategy of furnace industry from a global perspective. This research will combine qualitative and quantitative methods. First, we will adopt literature review, in-depth interview, and focus-group interview with suppliers, customers, scholars, market analysts, and economic officials to develop two measure instruments: the supplier strategy measure and customer preference and selection criterion measure. Second, we will survey via questionnaires, and test reliabilities and validities of the both measures conscientiously. Finally, we formally mail validated questionnaires to suppliers and customers in the industrial furnaces industry. Based on multivariate analysis, factor analysis, cluster analysis, and multi-dimensional scaling, we will provide insights and suggestion about integrated industrial furnace system industry: 1.The strategy patterns of industrial furnace suppliers 2.The selection criterion of industrial furnace in a broad customer perspective 3.The grouping of customers and supplier in the integrated industrial furnace system industry. 4.The perceptual map of major suppliers in the integrated industrial furnace system industry 5.The strategy, market segment, and position current analysis and future suggestions

The proper organization and differentiation of the anterior segment is pivotal for normal eye development. Neural crest-derived POM cells are key contributors to correct anterior segment formation, differentiating to form the monolayered corneal endothelium. Mice with homozygous null mutations in the forkhead transcription factor gene, Foxc1, fail to develop a proper corneal endothelium stabilized by adherens junctions, with the endothelium adhering to the lens, preventing anterior chamber separation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the interaction between Foxc1 and the adherens junction protein, N-cadherin, as well as an associated gene, Msx1, during key stages in corneal endothelium development. Foxc1 was over-expressed in E12.5 and E13.5 POM cells and qPCR was carried out to determine the effect of Foxc1 on N-cadherin and Msx1 gene expression. Data showed over-expression of Foxc1 in wildtype E12.5 and E13.5 POM cells to cause significant fluctuations in N-cadherin and Msx1 expression (p < 0.05). POM cells were then transfected with a Foxc1 knock-down plasmid or the Foxc1 overexpression plasmid to evaluate the effect of Foxc1 on N-cadherin protein expression by Western blot analysis, however, these results were inconsistent with the gene expression analyses with no significant differences in N-cadherin expression detected. N-cadherin protein expression and localization was then further assessed by means of immunocytochemistry (ICC) and confocal microscopy in monolayer and hanging-drop POM cell cultures. Both qPCR and confocal microscopy data showed consistency, indicating increased amounts of N-cadherin in E12.5 cells relative to E13.5 cells, with membrane-bound N-cadherin showing a clear lattice-work pattern in hanging drop culture. Foxc1 over-expression/knock-down studies on E12.5 and E13.5 POM cells together suggest that N-cadherin is transcriptionally regulated by Foxc1 and that Foxc1 has a threshold level at which it is able to exert control over N-cadherin in POM cells. Foxc1 expression is therefore essential in establishing N-cadherin adhesion junctions in the corneal endothelium. Preliminary data also suggests that Msx1 may directly interact with Foxc1 in POM cells, however, further studies must be undertaken to verify and establish the effects of Foxc1/N-cadherin/ Msx1 interaction in the development of a cohesive, integrated corneal endothelium and functional anterior segment. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2011.

Corneal endothelial development is an intricate process driven by finely tuned gene expression. Its formation is necessary for the continued normal development of the anterior segment of the eye. The presence of an inductive lens able to secrete factors such as TGFβ2 as well as the expression of Foxc1 and Pitx2 is essential to corneal endothelial development, as in the absence of any of these; the corneal endothelium fails to form. Corneal endothelial development begins as peri-ocular mesenchyme (POM) cells migrate into the space between the lens and surface ectoderm at E11.5. From E12.5, these cells begin to transition from a mesenchymal to an epithelial/endothelial (MET) phenotype, differentiating into a monolayered endothelium by E15 characterised by inter-cellular junctions. To study the initial process of development, immortalised POM cell lines from E12.5 and E13.5 embryos were used. Expression of the key genes, the transcription factors, Foxc1 and Pitx2 and two genes involved in EMT/MET, Slug and Tsc22, were analysed at these stages to establish the developmental norm. The effect of the lens on these expression levels was then determined. To establish whether TGFβ2 is the lens secreted signal responsible for gene expression changes, cells were subjected to TGFβ2 treatment. In all these experiments, the role of Foxc1 in regulating gene expression was determined by Foxc1 overexpression and knockdown. The effect of the lens on cellular proliferation and on the expression and cellular arrangement of N-cadherin, a junction protein was also determined. The results showed that, at E12.5, the lens downregulates Foxc1 and Pitx2 expression, is a potent inducer of Tsc22 expression and is required for maintaining Slug levels. TGFβ2 was shown to play a role in Foxc1 and Pitx2 downregulation. Analysis suggests that Tsc22 expression is responsive to lens signals, but that TGFβ2 is not the signal responsible for its downregulation between E12.5 and E13.5. The lens has no effect on Slug expression in the presence of Foxc1, but when Foxc1 is silenced, Slug is induced. Thus, Foxc1 plays a crucial regulatory role in Slug expression. At E13.5, as differentiation is initiated, Foxc1 expression remains responsive to the lens and to TGFβ2. Pitx2 expression is still induced by the lens but, at this stage, TGFβ2 does not play a part in Pitx2 regulation suggesting involvement of other unknown lens secreted signals. Other lens secreted signal/s were also shown to downregulate Tsc22 and Slug at this stage. The lens was implicated in MET as it was shown to have an effect on N-cadherin localisation in 3-dimensional culture. E12.5 Spheroids exposed to E6 lenses formed a distinct lattice arrangement of N-cadherin compared to the uniform distribution in control cells. Although the 13.5 control cell aggregates also showed a lattice framework, it was more pronounced in the lens treated cells. The transcriptional role of Foxc1 was determined by overexpression and knockdown experiments where Foxc1 overexpression and knockdown upregulated Tsc22 and downregulated Pitx2 and Slug at E12.5. At E13.5, Pitx2 was downregulated and Slug was upregulated in response to aberrant expression of Foxc1. This was illustrative of the sensitivity these genes have to Foxc1 expression during development. It is known that the presence of a functioning lens and Foxc1 are essential for proper development of the corneal endothelium, which in turn is necessary for normal eye development. The understanding of the precise molecular mechanisms required for corneal endothelial development and the processes requisite for cell proliferation and differentiation has important consequences for providing further insight into the pathophysiology of anterior segment dysgenesis and glaucoma. Previous studies suggest that stem-cell like qualities are conferred in cells undergoing EMT. Such an investigation may lead to application in regenerative medicine such as the bioengineering of corneal tissue. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2013.

This Master's thesis deals with the customers' behaviour on the beer market in South Moravia region and the capital city of Prague. The main goal is to ascertain the posibility of success in introducing new kind of beer. Another goal is to discover the characteristics of customers' behaviour, their relation to beer in general and furthermore the decisional process on the beer market in South Moravia region and the capital city of Prague as well as noticing the difference in customers' behaviour in those parts of the Czech republic. There are target segments of potentional customers, positioning of the pro-duct and other marketing recommendations for introducing a new kind of beer defined based on the results of survey that was analysed using the statistical me-thods. The result of the thesis will be given to the management of the minibrewery Pegas that is based in Brno, so that they can decide whether to introdu-ce this new beer on our Czech market.

The chelicerates (e.g., spiders, mites, scorpions, harvestmen and horseshoe crabs) are oneof the oldest arthropod clades, arising in the Cambrian. The chelicerates display a conserved body plan comprising of an anterior prosoma and a posterior opisthosoma. The prosoma comprises the segments bearing the chelicerae, pedipalps and the four pairs of walking legs. The opisthosoma is more variable, and either contains no appendages (e.g., in harvestmen), or extremely derived appendages (e.g., the spinnerets of spiders and the pectines of scorpions). Recent evolutionary developmental (evo devo) studies on arachnids and other arthropods have shown that a conserved suite of developmental genes pattern the chelicerate body plan, with slight modifications in their expression patterns correlating with morphological diversification and evolution of segments and the appendages that they bear. Although a few tractable evo devo chelicerate models are currently in use, there is a noted paucity of evo devo studies on mites, let alone embryological studies on mites using modern microscopic techniques. The following dissertation aimed at filling the gap in the current knowledge of mite evolution and development by studying the development of the emerging mite model mite Archegozetes longisetosus. Four main aims that focused on answering questions surrounding mite and chelicerate evolution were the subjects of the dissertation research. These aims included a.) determining the segmental composition of the mite opisthosoma, b.) determining how the segment of the suppressed fourth pair of walking legs is formed during embryogenesis, c.) determining how can the appendage-patterning genes, i.e., the "limb gap genes," aide in elucidating arthropod phylogeny and d.) determining how the evolutionarily conserved Hox genes pattern the reduced mite opisthosoma. The findings from this project include that the acariform mite opisthosoma has been reduced to two terminal segments, that the formation of the segments bearing the fourth pair of walking legs is tied to opisthosomal segmentation in A. longisetosus, that mites retain chelicerae comprised of three segments, that only the proximal elements of the fourth pair of walking legs are patterned during development in A. longisetosus, and that the mite homologues of the Hox genes Ultrabithorax and Abdominal-B are only expressed in a single segment in the opisthosoma in A. longisetosus. These findings are placed within a comparative framework to aid in the understanding of the evolution of arthropod and chelicerate body plans.

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