The marketing literature deals inadequately with markets which show characteristics of both consumer and industrial markets. In this work such markets are called hybrid markets. The research attempts to find an appropriate research approach for the short haul business related air travel market, which has hybrid market characteristics. Recent studies of the business travel market (Stephenson and Fox, 1987, Toh and Hu. 1988 and 1990) have investigated corporate and traveller attitude towards frequent flier programmes (see Glossary). However, as yet the airline marketing literature has not investigated the role the purchasing organisation (the employer of the traveller) has to play in a decision to purchase business related air travel. Market segmentation is selected as a suitable tool to investigate the business travel market. However, a review of the literature on segmentation for both consumer and industrial products reveals that an approach suited to the characteristics of this market is not available. Consequently a two stage research approach for hybrid markets is developed. A case study of nine companies in the first stage of the research is used to develop an understanding of corporate involvement in the purchase of business air travel, and identifies three key stakeholder groups in the purchase. They are the traveller, the travel organiser, and the 'organisation'. The second stage of the research collects data on the stakeholders. Traveller data on the importance of product elements in the purchase are used in a benefit segmentation of the market. The attitude data from 827 business travellers is analysed by factor analysis to identify six principal purchase benefits. These six benefits account for 60.6% of the variance in the data. Six factor scores for each respondent are calculated and then investigated by ak means iterative partitioning cluster analysis. A robust three cluster solution is discovered; i. e. three benefit segments are present in the short haul business travel market, based on traveller attitude. Cross-validation tests are carried out to test the stability of this solution. The three segments are investigated to evaluate the influence in the purchase decision of other organisational stakeholders. Differences between segments are found in the travel policy of the employing organisation, class of travel allowed to travellers, and purchase behaviour. The research indicates that for hybrid markets such as business travel, the role of the employing organisation may be important in purchase decisions. Consequently, it is recommended that future reserach should assess corporate involvement in purchases of products that have both consumer and industrial elements. The evaluation of the influences of various stakeholder groups in purchase decisions in hybrid markets may reveal previously overlooked marketing opportunities.

The research work disclosed in this publication is partially funded by the Strategic Educational Pathways Scholarship Scheme (Malta). The scholarship is part-financed by the European Union – European Social Fund under Programme II – Cohesion Policy 2007-2013. / This dissertation documents a compressor preliminary design study conducted by the author in fulfilment of his MSc thesis requirements. The compressor is intended for a new development engine within the 20Klbf thrust category, planned to be used on a short-haul aircraft, namely the ERJ-190. A market research suggests that there exists a definite opportunity for a commercially profitable engine within this thrust class. Furthermore, the proposed new engine is projected to outperform current production engines on critical issues such as fuel efficiency and operability. By and large, the objectives of this work have been achieved and a compressor design and layout is suggested, which matched or exceeded all the initial requirements. The quality of the results from this study are thought to be of sufficient detail to allow a further, more detailed development study to resolve some subtle pending issues. It is expected that, some compressor stages may have to be altered slightly during detailed design to augment their performance and ease of manufacture and assembly. Throughout this study, the importance of the compressor design figure of merits, pertaining to a short haul engine, has been outlined and their interaction on the design process is well documented. Furthermore, some rather unorthodox objectives such as compressor performance retention and reliability have been discussed. The author approached these subjects in an innovative way due to the limited non-proprietary knowledge available on these issues, especially considering their implications within preliminary design. Furthermore, the author developed and tested a new preliminary turbomachinery design code, named Turbodev, which can be used as an aid in future compressor design endeveours. Turbodev can handle most types of compressor layouts and generates an overall aerodynamic assessment of the turbomachinery performance. In conclusion; this documentation and the associated literature review aim to provide the reader with an overview of the work done and yield a better understanding of the decisions that face any design bureau when developing a new or modified engine component.

Abstract The road freight transport industry as a labour-intensive sector is dependent on the work ability and well-being at work of employees. The majority of the occupational accidents are related to work phases outside the cab. These work phases, which are performed in various different work environments, contain several kinds of ergonomic discomforts. This poses complex challenges for the employers from a safety and productivity point of view. The framework of this thesis is based on the foundations of ergonomics and design science. The main objective was to provide knowledge that can be implemented into the design and management of work systems for local and short haul delivery operations. Material was obtained from two sources. A meta-synthesis was performed to frame holistic management in a human perspective. Furthermore, additional in-depth design knowledge was obtained through participatory ergonomics video analyses on drivers’ work outside the cab. Video analyses resulted in 262 identifications of demanding work situations where ergonomic discomforts and risks of accidents occurred. Sudden over-exertions and strains, falls and slips as well as losing control of work equipment were the most common deviations related to drivers’ work outside the cab and mainly related to physical activities of movement and carrying by hand. The majority of the work situations identified were performed in cargo spaces or elsewhere within the truck structure or at premises and yards that are administered by the customers or other stakeholders. In these environments, drivers tend to perform their work manually or using different types of work equipment. This thesis provides new in-depth knowledge on drivers’ work outside the cab. The results show that different stakeholders can contribute to drivers’ work systems. The knowledge provided by drivers and other stakeholders can be applied to holistic design and management processes at company level. Moreover, the knowledge can also be applied to broader value chain design and management processes. / Tiivistelmä Tieliikenteen tavarankuljetus työvoimavaltaisena toimialana on riippuvainen henkilöstön työkyvystä ja -hyvinvoinnista. Suurin osa tapaturmista liittyy työtehtäviin ohjaamon ulkopuolella. Näitä töitä tehdään hyvin vaihtelevissa työympäristöissä ja niihin työtehtäviin liittyy monenlaisia ergonomisia haittakuormitustekijöitä. Tämä asettaa haasteita niin työsuojelun kuin tuottavuuden näkökulmasta. Väitöskirjan viitekehys pohjautuu ergonomiaan sekä suunnittelutieteeseen. Tavoitteena on tuottaa tietoa, jota voidaan hyödyntää työjärjestelmien suunnittelussa ja johtamisessa erityisesti maaliikenteen jakelukuljetuksissa. Materiaali koostui kahdesta osiosta. Metasynteesillä muodostettiin näkemys kokonaisvaltaisesta johtamisesta ihmisnäkökulmasta. Lisäksi kuljettajat ja sidosryhmien edustajat analysoivat osallistuvan ergonomian keinoin videoaineistoa jakelukuljettajien työstä ohjaamon ulkopuolella. Videoanalyyseissa tunnistettiin yhteensä 262 työtilannetta, jossa esiintyy erilaisia ergonomisia haittakuormitustekijöitä sekä mahdollisia tapaturmariskejä. Äkilliset fyysiset kuormitukset, putoamiset, liukastumiset ja kaatumiset sekä työvälineiden hallinnan menettäminen olivat yleisimpiä tunnistettuja poikkeamia kuljettajan työssä. Pääasiassa nämä liittyivät kuljettajan liikkumiseen sekä erilaisten taakkojen kantamiseen. Valtaosassa (85 %) havainnoista kuljettaja työskenteli ajoneuvon kuormatilassa tai päällirakenteissa tai asiakkaiden tai muiden sidosryhmien hallinnoimissa työympäristöissä. Näissä työympäristöissä kuljettaja työskenteli sekä manuaalisesti käsin että hyödyntäen erilaisia apuvälineitä. Väitöskirja tarjoaa uudenlaista syvällistä tietoa kuljettajan työstä ohjaamon ulkopuolella. Eri sidosryhmät voivat osaltaan vaikuttaa kuljettajan työjärjestelmiin. Kuljettajien ja sidosryhmien tuottamaa tietoa voidaan soveltaa työjärjestelmien kokonaisvaltaisessa suunnittelussa ja johtamisessa niin yritystasolla kuin myös suunniteltaessa ja johdettaessa laajempia arvoketjuja.