Abstract This is the first part of our three part comparative study of Technology Business Incubators (TBIs) in China and India. For this we employ the integrative framework developed by Mian (1997) and its adaptation to analyzing the performance of TBI, which uses three sets of variables for analysis: management and operational policies, services, and performance outcomes of TBI. The determinants we introduce into Mians‟s model highlight the financial, networking and organizational aspects of the incubation system. We present an overview comparison of TBIs in China and India which provides an overall understanding of TBI environment in these two emerging economies. We mainly focus on: objectives, structure and governance of incubators, selection of tenants/incubatees, funding for incubators and tenants, services provided by incubators, performance and outcomes. By analyzing the contexts for their emergence in both countries, we identify similarities and differences between the two systems and explore the reasons for performance differences. This paper prepares the ground for the next stages of the research which involves national surveys of TBIs and tenants to explore the strength and weaknesses of the TBIs in these two countries and compare the success or failures of incubatees/ tenants of incubators in China and India which will help to identify policy learning for both countries in particular and also for other developing countries in general. The contribution of our paper is twofold: first, the adaptation of the integrative framework developed by Mian (1997) and the second, the comparative study of two major emerging economies which fills an important gap in the TBI literature.

This study critically investigates the material and structural behaviour of Aer-Tech material. Aer- Tech material is composed of 10% by volume of foam mechanically entrapped in a plastic mortar. The research study showed that the density of the material mix controls all other properties such as fresh state properties, mechanical properties, functional properties and acoustic properties. Appreciably, the research had confirmed that Aer-Tech material despite being classified as a light weight material had given high compressive strength of about 33.91N/mm2. The compressive strength characteristics of Aer-Tech material make the material a potential cost effective construction material, comparable to conventional concrete. The material also showed through this study that it is a structural effective material with its singly reinforced beam giving ultimate moment of about 38.7KN. In addition, the Aer-Tech material is seen as a very good ductile material since, the singly reinforced beam in tension showed visible signs of diagonal vertical cracks long before impending rapture. Consequently, the SEM test and the neural network model predictions, carried out had showed how billions of closely tight air cells are evenly distributed within the Aer-Tech void system as well as the close prediction of NN model for compressive strength and density are same with the experimental results of compressive strength and density. The result shows that the Aer-Tech NN-model can simulate inputs data and predicts their corresponding output data.

Traditional viewshed analyses distinguish between those areas which can be seen from a given observation point and those which cannot be seen. Given a surface digital elevation model (DEM) and observer properties (location and height), the algorithm computes whether or not each target cell is within the observer's line-of-sight. Just as significant and robust (although yet not commercially available) would be a tool that could search local neighborhoods of the observer to determine if different tower placements could achieve significantly improved viewsheds. This thesis customizes the popular ArcGIS software to demonstrate the implementation of such a tool. The use of different sampling methods specifies locations to site observation points throughout the Virginia Tech central campus, characterized by having large open areas in an otherwise urban environment. Analysis of the viewsheds calculated both before and after applying the optimization tool determined the amount of coverage gained by moving the observer short distances across the ground. In large open areas (Drillfield, parking lots), optimization achieved minimal gain, however in areas near buildings, significant increases in visible area were possible by moving the observer to the top of a nearby building. This research rejects the common belief that the best location for an observer or transmitter in open areas is always at the highest elevation point. However, in settings with tremendous vertical differences over small horizontal distances (ground to roof), the belief is justified. / Master of Science

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This thesis has been carried out within the framework of the Master of ScienceProgramme in Sociotechnical Systems Engineering and performed for the SwedishTrade Council in London. The author investigates how the Swedish Trade Councilcan facilitate and bridge the contacts between venture capitalists in the UK andhigh-tech start-ups in Sweden. High-tech ventures in the start-up phases often face a challenge in accumulatingsufficient financial resources and skills to successfully move from concept stage tobusiness, particularly within the life sciences’. High costs associated to time consumingand demanding product development cycles may require external investors whichprovide venture capital and expertise. However, many face difficulties in attractingventure capital partly due to the so-called equity gap, which relates to financiersunwillingness for taking on risk and investing in the early-stages. The study shows that venture capital largely rely on local networks and are limited intheir investments’ geographical distribution. The interviewed market players alsoemphasise the importance of local networks in the investment processes. Given thesecharacteristics, it may be difficult for a Swedish company seeking venture capitalabroad without help from intermediaries. Although there is a role to fill forintermediaries in assisting in the investment discovery process, it is likely to provedifficult over time as tasks become increasingly cumbersome.

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The diploma thesis focuses on decision making in business practice. The thesis deals with design of the tool which should make the solution of decision tasks easier by usage of fuzzy logic, decission trees and linear programming.

The thesis "Perception of Chinese hi-tech brands in Europe" examines how Chinese origin affects the perception of hi-tech brands by European customers. The theoretical part deals with the concept of country of origin and its relationship to the concept of brand equity. The practical part is devoted to the research on the topic of perception of Chinese smartphones in Europe. The research results confirm both hypotheses: 1. Customers when choosing a smartphone brand are not affected by the country of origin. 2. European customers do not perceive Chinese hi-tech products as of low quality.

Cílem diplomové práce je analýza marketingových nástrojů použitých firmou XAX a následně vyhodnotit a navrhnout zvýšení jejich efektivity. Popis strategie společnosti a faktory ovlivňující budou identifikovány. Práce obsahuje návrhy a doporučení na zvýšení efektivity marketingových nástrojů dané firmy v oblasti High-tech odvětví.

Cílem diplomové práce je analýza marketingových nástrojů použitých firmou XAX a následně vyhodnotit a navrhnout zvýšení jejich efektivity. Popis strategie společnosti a faktory ovlivňující budou identifikovány. Práce obsahuje návrhy a doporučení na zvýšení efektivity marketingových nástrojů dané firmy v oblasti High-tech odvětví.