Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Commercialisation'

The Australian Government expects universities to engage in technology transfer and commercialisation (TT&C) and almost all universities have established a technology transfer office (TTO) for this purpose. The primary aim of this research was to identify what would enhance the overall performance of Australian universities in research commercialisation and industry uptake of the university research commercialisation outcomes. Four research questions were enunciated: 1 What are the systemic barriers to research commercialisation within Australian universities? 2 How could Australian universities overcome the systemic barriers to the commercialisation of university research? 3 How, in particular, could Australian smaller and regional universities enhance their research commercialisation capacity and performance? 4 How could the uptake by industry of Australian university research outcomes be improved? Question 1 was answered using a qualitative content analysis on the substantial body of literature available. Questions 2 and 3 were answered using multiple-case analysis involving eight Australian university case studies and comparing Australian university practice with five benchmark universities œ two from the US, two from Canada, and one from New Zealand. The first major conclusion was that there are three essential criteria upon which university TT&C success is built: institutional and senior executive support for TT&C superior TTO management; and sufficient world-class research being conducted. The second major conclusion was that the same key criteria for success in TT&C apply across the board, whether a university is smaller, regional, technical, new or old, research-intensive or otherwise. Question 4 was answered using case studies developed on five SME companies in the electronics industry in one Australian State and comparing these results with the outcome of a narrative review conducted on the literature to permit methodological triangulation. The research found a rich engagement occurring between universities and industry, with the most important element involving individual personal relationships.

This study investigates the growing commercial focus of microfinance institutions in Pakistan. Specifically, the aim of the study is to examine the impact of commercialisation on microfinance institutions and their users or clients – micro borrowers. A selective review of the multidisciplinary literature on microfinance, its commercialisation and its context specifically in Pakistan is used to develop a conceptual framework for the thesis. The study uses mixed methods, where analysis of a series of interviews and focus group meetings is combined with quantitative data analysis to give deeper and more nuanced understanding of the consequences of microfinance’s commercialisation. Moreover, particular attention is given to important themes, including: outreach, profitability, mission, and the prevailing practices of microfinance institutions. The principal findings of the study indicate, firstly, that with increased commercialisation, microfinance institutions in Pakistan tend to confined to a few parts of the country, mostly urban; in particular microfinance tends not to reach rural areas where poverty is more widespread. Secondly, it is found that microfinance institutions and some of the borrowers employ unsavoury practices that exploit cultural norms. Finally, this study argues that commercialisation of microfinance has resulted in a negative impact not only on micro borrowers but also on commercial microfinance institutions themselves, which largely fail to achieve their stated objective of profitability and ‘sustainability’.

Les personnes chargées d’une mission de service public (public sector bodies) procèdent depuis plusieurs années à la vente auprès du secteur privé d’informations collectées ou produites pour les besoins de leurs obligations (public task of public sector bodies). A l’heure de la société de l’information (information society), les données publiques (public sector information PSI) représentent une ressource économique de tout premier ordre dont la plus grande exploitation pourrait permettre le développement de différents marchés de l’information ou satisfaire les besoins d’activités économiques qui n’ont pas précisément pour objet la création de produits ou de services d’informations. La pratique du commerce des données publiques par différentes administrations n’a cependant pas suffisamment été encadrée pour permettre la réalisation de ce potentiel économique latent. Certes, différentes législations (droit de la propriété intellectuelle, droit des données personnelles (privacy law) et droit de la concurrence) sont venues saisir le mouvement de l’information publique vers le marché. Si leur étude permet ainsi d’éclaircir et de dégager certains éléments du régime juridique du commerce des données publiques, leur application, qui n’est pas toujours acquise, et leur articulation, qui s’avère relativement complexe, ne permet pas exactement de satisfaire le besoin de sécurité des opérateurs économiques. C’est pourquoi, la directive 2003/98/CE relative à la réutilisation des informations du secteur public (on the re-use of public sector information), transposée dans la loi du 17 juillet 1978 relative à la liberté d’accès aux documents administratifs est venu imposer un cadre juridique minimal régissant l’accès et l’utilisation des données publiques. Cependant, ce dispositif législatif, s’il créé un droit à l’utilisation des données publiques, ne concerne qu’un nombre relativement restreint d’informations publiques.

Includes bibliographical references.
The current available modes for protecting Intellectual Property (IP) in the Republic of South Africa (RSA) are Patents, Trade Secrets, Copyrights, Trademarks and Industrial Design. Common law remedies are also available to parties whose rights have been infringed. The legislations governing these Intellectual Property (IP) regimes were passed at different periods, some before South Africa became a republic in 1963 and others thereafter, while others were passed after the abolition of apartheid in 1990. For those legislations passed before the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) in 1994, the RSA had to amend or repeal and enact laws which are TRIPs compatible. However, an area of IP for Indigenous people, also known as Traditional Knowledge (TK), has not been adequately protected due to complexities which cannot be accommodated by an international IP regime. This has led to poor or inadequate commercialisation of TK. TK is also not provided for by TRIPs, thus relegating it further. The scope of this paper is limited to commercialisation of TK. However, it must be appreciated that commercialisation cannot take place in a vacuum. Thus protection of TK is a prerequisite to its commercialisation.

Governments have realized the increasing importance of the role of universities play in creating and diffusing knowledge as part of the process of innovation. Similarly, universities are now recognised as the seed bed for business firm formation. This has led to the commercialisation of academic research within publicly funded research institutions such as universities receiving increasing recognition in studies of technology management and economic development. Numerous programmes and supporting facilities have been made available by governments to enable universities to share the ‘laboratory life’. Despite positive supports from government and universities, little research has been carried out into such activities in the context of developing economies. This study aims to fill the gap by studying the commercialisation activities of universities in Malaysia. The study investigates the role of government and universities by focusing on their initiatives to promote the commercialisation of academic research in universities. The main objective of the study is to understand the current trend of commercialisation activities in Malaysian Universities. A qualitative-interview is used as the main method of data gathering from the three universities. This study found out that the effect of entrepreneurial university is still very much limited in the three universities. The Government takes a moderate stand by giving a full autonomy to the universities on the implementation of academic commercialisation activity. The study also shows that the type of academic commercialisation i.e. spin offs formation, licensing, knowledge transfer and consultation is influence by the type of university i.e. Research University and Vocational University in the three universities. The third finding from this study is the failure to address the personal motivation of academic staff. The findings have important implications not only for Malaysia but all developing countries seeking to enhance their innovation capability.

Cette thèse propose une analyse de la commercialisation des vins en primeur. Le chapitre 1 présente les caractéristiques de cette vente ainsi qu' une revue de la littérature analysant le rôle de certains marchés financiers. Le chapitre 2 fournit une justification à l' engouement des acheteurs pour le marché vinicole bordelais entre 1995 et 1999. Nous montrons qu' un investissement dans le vin primeur a procuré des rendements significativement meilleurs qu' un investissement sur le marché boursier. En revanche, hors marché primeur, un portefeuille contenant vins et actifs financiers n' a été que rarement plus performant qu' un portefeuille classique. Le chapitre 3 étudie le rôle des ventes en primeur dans le financement des producteurs. Dans un modèle où une asymétrie d' information entre banques et viticulteurs crée un problème de rationnement de crédit, nous étudions le rôle certificateur de ces ventes. Nous montrons qu' en raison des possibilités de collusion entre producteur et négociant, cette commercialisation n' est utilisée qu' à des fins de financement. Elle résout néanmoins le problème de rationnement de crédit. Le chapitre 4 étudie les offres d' achats anticipés comme un moyen de couverture contre un choc sur la demande. Si le producteur ne peut s' engager sur le prix futur, il rencontre un problème de crédibilité intertemporelle. Nous montrons que ce problème se résout par le rationnement de la demande en première période. Seuls les producteurs averses au risque choisissent de vendre à l' avance et rationnent la demande
This thesis deals with the "en primeur" wine sales which is a form of forward market where producers sell in advance a part of their new production. The first chapter describes the "en primeur" sales and presents the literature related to the roles of some financial markets. The second chapter uses data from Bordeaux market to justify the recent speculative interest in wine sales. Results show that there is little evidence of improvement from adding wines to financial portfolio while investment in the "en primeur" market provides significantly higher returns than investment in financial markets. The third chapter studies the role of "en primeur" sales to finance producers who face liquidity problem. In a model with credit rationing, we study the role of certification by trade. Collusion is shown to prevent certification. "En primeur" sales are used only to solve the credit rationing problem. In the fourth chapter, we justify buy-in-advance offers because they provide insurance when there is some uncertainty about the demand of the good. We show that because the monopoly faces a commitment problem, these offers must entail some rationing. Moreover, any risk-averse producer chooses to propose an introductory offer, with rationning, while a risk-neutral producer prefers not to do so. Hence ? demand rationing may occur for insurance motives

En 1986, plus d'un million et demi de metres cube (equivalent grumes) de bois tropicaux ont ete importes en france, sous forme de grumes ou de sciages. La majorite est destinee aux entreprises de type industriel produisant du contreplaque ou des menuiseries. Les bois tropicaux ont servi de support a l'industrialisation de ces secteurs quand la croissance de la demande finale (batiment et ameublement) l'a rendue necessaire. Ils ont ete a la base de l'innovation quand cette demande a diminue et s'est modifiee. Leur approvisionnement a ete rendu possible par l'existence d'acteurs qui, de l'arbre sur pied en pays tropical au bois vendu en france, forment une filiere. Ce systeme, domine par des entreprises du sous-systeme industriel les negociants internationaux, ajuste les volumes importes aux variations de la demande. Ces dernieres sont determinees par celles du p. I. B. Les entreprises du systeme etablissent une perequation entre les differentes essences importees. Leurs prix sont determines a partir du marche mondial (domine par l'asie). Ils ne doivent pas depasser l'evolution des couts des materiaux de construction et l'indice general des prix
In 1986, more of 1. 5 million cubic meters (eq logs) of logs and sawnwoods were imported in france. Most of them are used by industrial firms producing plywoods or joineries. Tropical woods were necessary to the industrialization of these sectors when the demand of building and furniture activities had increased a lot. When the demand had brought down and changed, they were used for the innovation of other products. Their importation was possible because there are some actors, between the tree in the tropical country and the wood sold in france, forming a chain. This system, dominated by industrial sub-system firms (the wood-traders) adapts the imported quantities to the demand's variations. These latter are determined by those of the g n p. The firms of the system make a choice between the different imported species. Their prices are determined by the world market (when asia is price taker). They mustn't exceed the evolution of the building material costs and the general price index

Universities are facing growing pressure to contribute towards innovation which has social impact and which contributes to economic development. Researchers mainly in the Science and Engineering fields are the primary sources of innovation outputs from universities and as such their involvement in commercialisation activities directly adds to the growth of innovative outputs from publicly financed research. Technology Transfer Offices (TTO) have been established at universities across South Africa to foster the involvement of researchers in commercialisation activities, to champion the innovation conversation within higher education institutions and to progress innovations from concept to application in society. This study focussed on understanding the factors which enable or create a barrier to the involvement of researchers in commercialisation activities at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. The key elements examined in this study include the researchers’ perception of enablers (monetary and nonmonetary incentives) and barriers to involvement at national, institutional and individual levels. This study undertook to understand the perceptions of researchers of enablers and barriers to involvement in commercialisation at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. Researchers in the two faculties of Science and Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology were approached to anonymously complete an electronic survey, the questions for which were developed from literature. The results from the survey were analysed using descriptive statistics and hypothesis testing. This study finds that a combination of incentives is necessary to enable researcher involvement and to lower barriers to involvement in commercialisation research. A set of recommendations based on the study are put forward on how such recommendations can be implemented.

The assembly of the International Space Station opened a new era of space exploration. It also created new challenges for the lawyers that had to deal with new issues related to this endeavour. This study will focus on the prospect of commercialisation of the ISS and on the legal problems that could appear with respect to this undertaking. By examining available markets and managing structure of the ISS, this study will reveal the potential and the drawbacks of the international enterprise. Furthermore, the detailed analysis of the Intergovernmental Agreement signed by the State Partners to the ISS will describe the particularities of ISS' legal regime, especially emphasising on the Intellectual Property provisions and other issues not covered by the cross waiver of liability.

The impact of uncertainty in the commercialization lifecycle of new technologies is a complex phenomenon. Technologies are research intensive and exposed to uncertainty regarding their successful development and functionality. Further these technologies have to be absorbed by volatile markets in order to be commercialized. These different forms of uncertainty are of primary importance for decision makers but have not been thoroughly studied in previous technology commercialization research and put under one theoretical framework. The main focus of this thesis is to comprehend the recently growing trend among universities and public research organizations to commercialize their research activities from an empirical and theoretical perspective. More particularly the thesis focuses on the life cycle of two main commercialization streams namely the entry and exit of university spinouts, which are companies that evolve from intellectual property developed within academic institutions as well as the licensing and licensing termination of inventions. The main focus of the thesis therefore analysesmarket and technological uncertainty and explains the conditions under which spinout formation, spinout failure, licensing and licensing failure occur by putting them under the theoretical framework of real option theory.

Le commerce électronique a suscité une véritable révolution commerciale. En raison de sa nature dématérialisée et transfrontière, il a fait naître de nouvelles interrogations pour le juriste autour l'impact de ce type particulier de commerce sur les angles de la vie économique. Un de ces angles importants est le réseau de distribution qui organise une répartition géographique de la clientèle dans la mesure où le distributeur agréé bénéficie d'un monopole de commercialisation sur un territoire déterminé. Ainsi, la commercialisation en ligne peut constituer un frein puissant à l'exclusivité territoriale car elle constitue, par sa nature même, une distribution "sans ancrage". C'est la raison pour laquelle nous avons opté pour analyser l'impact de la commercialisation en ligne sur l'exclusivité territoriale en traitant les moyens suggérés pour contrôler celle-là afin de préserver les droits conférés par cette exclusivité territoriale. Nous étudierons dans une première partie l'impact de la commercialisation en ligne sur le respect de l'exclusivité territoriale par les parties de contrat de distribution exclusive. À un autre stade, on présentera dans une seconde partie une étude analytique de la situation juridique de tiers à l'égard de notre problématique, en distinguant entre la situation juridique des autres distributeurs agrées dans le même réseau d'une part, et la situation juridique des revendeurs parallèle sur l'Internet d'autre part
The E-commerce has caused a true commercial revolution. Due to its dematerialized and cross-border nature, it raises new interrogations in front of the lawyers about the impact of this particular type of commerce on the angles of the economic life. One of these important angles is the distribution network which divides the client on a geographical basis to the extent that the approved distributor has a monopoly of distributing the contracted products within a fixed territory. Thus, E-commerce may constitute a powerful barrier to the territorial exclusivity because it constitutes, by its very nature, a distribution “without boundaries”. This is why we went towards analyzing the impact of online sales on the territorial exclusivity. While treating this subject we will explore the means suggested to control the online sales in order to preserve the rights conferred by the territorial exclusivity. We will study in the first part the impact of online sales on the respect of the territorial exclusivity by the parties of exclusive distribution contract. At another stage, we will present in the second part an analytical study of the legal situation of third parties with regard to our subject, while distinguishing between the legal situation of the other distributors members in the same network on one hand, and the legal situation of the parties involved in online parallel sales on the other hand

The role of universities has evolved over the centuries. The most recent manifestation is the 'Entrepreneurial University' which engages with industry through various knowledge transfer practices and seeks to commercialise its research. First adopted by US universities this model has been replicated by universities in Europe, Australia and Asia. One of the consequences of this rise in the 'entrepreneurial university' has been a sharp increase in patenting by universities. However, both the number and proportion of exploited patents is small. Given the costs of patenting this represents a significant waste of resources. The primary aim of this thesis is to explain why some patents are exploited while others are not. This, in turn, involves exploring the actors who are involved in the decision to patent a scientific discovery and take it forward to exploitation. By identifying the factors that promote and hinder patent exploitation this will assist Technology Transfer Offices in deciding which inventions to patent. The study uses qualitative methods incorporating a case study approach. The patent portfolio from the University of Strathclyde is used as the case study. Interviews with six directors of technology transfer offices in universities in Scotland and England were undertaken to understand the general process of commercialisation. Two samples of patents from the University of Strathclyde's patent portfolio, one comprising patents that were commercially exploited, and the other comprising unexploited patents, were examined in order to understand the different outcomes. Exploited patents included both those that were licensed to established and those that were used to start new spin-off companies. The study finds that whether a patent is commercially exploited, and way in which it is exploited is influenced by three factors: (i) the entrepreneurs and the inventors, their characteristics and motivations. (ii) the characteristics and nature of the technologies (scope, stage) (iii) the TTOs' lack of resources and a due diligence system. The study concludes with proposals for how TTOs can enhance their decision-making process regarding which discoveries to patent in order to improve the overall effectiveness of the commercialisation process in universities.

ITC/USA 2006 Conference Proceedings / The Forty-Second Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 23-26, 2006 / Town and Country Resort & Convention Center, San Diego, California
This paper presents a case study of the commercialisation of an ad-hoc wireless network technology from a subsidiary of a multinational company. The paper does not disclose any intellectual property specifics, the organisations or individuals involved. Instead the paper focuses on generic issues associated with technology transfer; exploration of market opportunities, market validation, the identification of a novel business model and economic validation. The paper wraps the case study within the academic context of commercialisation providing substantive literature sources, tools and techniques for readers faced with similar challenges; tools and techniques that can be applied irrespective of the underlying technology.

Cette thèse consiste en un ensemble de travaux, représentant l'équivalent de près de 3. 000 pages dactylographiées, et qui ont été réalisés sur une période de 16 ans, essentiellement au sein du service des études économiques du C. T. I. F. L. (Centre Technique Interprofessionnel des Fruits et Légumes). Cet organisme, de par son caractère interprofessionnel (les différentes familles professionnelles, depuis les producteurs jusqu'aux consommateurs, en passant par tous les "intermédiaires" et les pouvoirs publics, ont des représentants au conseil d'administration) est un excellent poste d'observation de l'ensemble de la filière fruits et légumes frais et secs. On peut ainsi prendre la mesure du rôle de l'aval de cette filière, c'est à dire de tous les opérateurs qui se situent après la production française ou bien qui animent les circuits d'importation. Deux aspects de ce rôle de l'aval ressortent particulièrement. En premier lieu, sa part dans la valeur ajoutée totale est presque toujours plus importante que celle de la production, et souvent beaucoup plus importante : il coûte plus cher de distribuer que de produire. En second lieu, l'aval joue souvent un rôle déterminant de locomotive - voire de freins pour les changements qui affectent la production. Ce sont les points centraux que les travaux présentés pour cette thèse, dans leur diversité, ont pour commune ambition d'éclairer, sous des angles variés. Une telle réflexion, par son objet même, se démarque d'une conception restrictive de l'économie rurale, qui s'idenfierait alors à l'économie des seules exploitations ou de leur aval immédiat. Elle semble utile au moment de l'élargissement des communautés européennes. La concurrence du "Sud", qui s'adjoint ainsi, pour maints produits, à celle du "Nord", ou encore a la concurrence franco-française, rend plus que jamais nécessaire la prise en compte du rôle central de la commercialisation dans la compétitivité de la filière fruits et légumes.

This short policy brief advocates for more attention to be paid to the potential of natural resource commercialisation as a means to livelihood security and poverty alleviation in rural South Africa. It is one of a set of four policy briefs based on the findings of several case studies across the country.

This thesis examines the commercialisation of Chinese culture that has taken place over the past twenty years in mainland China. It explores the contribution of Wang Shuo, a cultural figure who straddles different fields of culture, moving from literature to the ultimate mass culture medium of television, this study plots Wang Shuo' s development from educational failure, to business failure, to fiction writer, film & TV editor, film director and cultural critic and analyst. His stories, films, TV series and articles have caused shock-waves throughout national cultural circles as he has transformed the terms of the debate from academic discourse to a validation of the role of the market in the culture field. Although Wang Shuo has not been labelled as a dissident, his approach to the culture market has had a more subversive effect on official ideology that those overt dissidents who have had to live in exile or have been imprisoned. He has utilised the language of official ideology to satirise the authorities, turning the ideology and its supporters into figures of fun. Yet his own goals have been strictly personal and economic ones. The authorities recognize the value of Wang Shuo's work in the cultural market but at the same time distrust his works and place him under strict censorship. Examining the way Wang Shuo and people surround him have succeeded in different fields of cultural achievement is a mirror to understanding the process of the transformation of contemporary Chinese culture from a socialist state-controlled culture to a market-oriented mass culture industry.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2002.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Most polypropylene copolymers commercially available have ethylene, and to a lesser degree t-butene as comonomers. Commercially available higher a-olefins, mostly even-numbered, are seldom used for the production of pp copolymers, probably due to cost. Sasol's Fischer- Tropsch oil-from-coal process produces many linear and branched a-olefins as by-products that can be isolated and purified by a relatively cheap refinery process, including the odd-numbered 1- pentene olefin. Sasol's gas-phase Novolen pp plant at Secunda, South Africa is ideally suited to the manufacture of high quality pp random copolymers. As such an opportunity was identified to research the use of higher a-olefins, and more specifically 1-pentene, in the gas-phase production of pp random copolymers. Different methods to produce propylene / 1-pentene random copolymers in the slurry phase on bench-scale were investigated. A procedure was subsequently developed to produce propylene / 1-pentene random copolymers in the gas-phase in 10 litre autoclaves. It was found that commercially available fourth generation supported catalysts successfully incorporated the bulky 1-pentene monomer into the propylene backbone, both during slurry and gas-phase polymerisations. Software modelling was employed to determine the dew points of selected gas mixtures typically found during the production of pp random copolymers. The results indicated that typical process conditions could be employed during the gas-phase polymerisation of propylene and 1-pentene without the risk of condensation taking place inside the reactor. Propylene / 1-pentene random copolymers were subsequently successfully produced on the 800 litre BASF pilot plant in Germany followed by the first commercial production of the copolymer on Sasol's 50m3 Novolen gas-phase plant at Secunda. Using commercially available software the impact of introducing 1-pentene as comonomer during the production of random copolymers on the condenser cooling capacity was evaluated. Feasible and safe plant operating conditions were established for the production of propylene / 1-pentene random copolymers. The relationship between operating pressure and powder morphology was investigated to optimise process conditions. Operating at higher pressure in the gas-phase increases the monomer concentration in the reactor and as such improves the space/time/yield ratio of the 50m3 reactors. It was shown that higher operating pressures could be employed through the introduction of 1-pentene as comonomer during the production of PP random copolymer. The dramatic increase in catalyst productivity observed during the 800 litre pilot plant trials, up to a comonomer ratio of about 5%, supported the results obtained from a kinetic study carried out in bench-scale autoclaves. A comprehensive study was undertaken to compare the rheological, thermal, crystallisation, physical and mechanical properties of propylene / 1-pentene random copolymers with those of commercially available pp random copolymers. A series of propylene homo- and random copolymers with 1-pentene and ethylene as comonomers respectively, was prepared. NMR and IR techniques were developed to facilitate the determination of copolymer composition for the new family of 1-pentene random copolymers. The effect of comonomer content, molecular weight and temperature on the properties of the series of polymers was investigated. The propylene / 1-pentene random copolymers show unique rheological behaviour associated with the short propyl branches in the polymer backbone with minimum zero shear viscosity at about 2% 1-pentene content. The effect of molecular structure changes with comonomer content were analysed by the calculation of square average end-toend distance, packing length, tube diameter, molecular mass between entanglements and critical molecular mass. The viscosity of the 1-pentene random copolymers shows higher shear and temperature sensitivity compared to propylene homo- and ethylene random copolymers. The thermodynamic melting point of the propylene / 1-pentene random copolymers showed a significant decrease with increasing comonomer content in the 0 to 5% range. A wider melting range and higher peak melting point depression rate was observed compared to ethylene random copolymers at similar and increasing comonomer content measured on a weight % basis. It was found that the crystal structure of the propylene / 1-pentene random copolymers contains both the Q- and the y-modifications with the ratio of the respective crystal forms a function of both comonomer content and crystallisation temperature. The glass temperature decreased slightly with increasing comonomer (1-pentene) content. It is proposed that the short branch (propyl) "defects" in the polymer backbone are .incorporated into the crystal lattice resulting in increased rate of melting point depression with increasing (wt%) comonomer content compared to other random copolymers while maintaining relative high stiffness. The propylene / 1-pentene random copolymers exhibit the lowest haze values compared to all commercially available pp random copolymers at corresponding levels of comonomer content on a wt% basis. The stiffness to haze ratio of propylene / 1-pentene random copolymers are unique for all the members of the pp family. An inverse relationship between comonomer content and the measured tensile yield strength and modulus is observed. Application studies conducted on the propylene / 1-pentene random copolymers highlighted several interesting characteristics. Films produced from these copolymers exhibited very low haze and xylene soluble values while maintaining mechanical integrity. In the BOPP application the combination of processability and premium film properties presents a unique opportunity for the family of propylene / 1-pentene random copolymers. Blow moulding and injection moulding trials highlighted several advantages of product properties manufactured with propylene / 1-pentene random copolymers if compared to other commercially available random copolymers. The 1-pentene randoms presented lower in-mould as well as total shrinkage than ethylene based random copolymers. Stabilisation and nucleation studies conducted on the propylene / 1-pentene random copolymers showed that a typical combination antioxidant package and nucleating agent, at normal loading levels, could be used. In the larger pp random copolymer family 1-pentene imparts a better balance of properties than other comonomers. The combination of low melting point and xylene solubles with high stiffness and clarity is unique to propylene / 1-pentene random copolymers.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die oorgrote meerderheid van kommersieel beskikbare polipropileen (PP) kopolimere het etileen, en tot 'n mindere mate buteen, as komonomeer. Die relatief hoë koste van kommersieel beskikbare hoër alfa-olefiene is moontlik die rede waarom hulle selde gebruik word vir die vervaardiging van PP kopolimere. Die Sasol Fischer-Tropsch proses, waartydens olie uit steenkool vervaardig word, lewer verskeie liniêre en vertakte alfa-olefiene as neweprodukte wat geïsoleer en gesuiwer kan word in 'n relatiewe goedkoop rafineringsproses. Dit sluit ook die onewe-koolstofgetal 1-penteen-olefien in. Sasol se gasfase Novolen PP aanleg in Secunda, Suid-Afrika, is besonder geskik vir die vervaardiging van hoë standaard PP statistiese kopolimere. Voortvloeiend hieruit is die geleentheid geidentifiseer om die gebruik van hoër alfa-olefiene, en meer spesifiek 1-penteen, na te vors tydens die gasfaseproduksie van PP statistiese kopolimere. Verskeie metodes om propeleen / 1-penteen statistiese kopolimere in 'n koolwaterstofoplosmiddel op laboratoriumskaal te produseer, is ondersoek. 'n Prosedure is daarna ontwikkel om propileen / 1-penteen statistiese kopolimere ook in die gasfase te vervaardig in 10-liter drukvate. Die bevinding was dat kommersieel beskikbare vierde-generasie ondersteunde kataliste die swaarder 1-penteenmonomeer suksesvol geïnkorporeer het in die propileenketting tydens beide die koolwaterstof oplosmiddel- en gasfase polimerisasiereaksies. Rekenaargebaseerde modellering is gebruik om die kondensasiekondisies van tipiese gasmengsels, teenwoordig tydens die produksie van PP statistiese kopolimere, te bepaal. Die resultate het aangedui dat normale proseskondisies tydens die gasfasepolimerisasie van propileen en 1-penteengeen risiko van kondensasie in die reaktor inhou nie. Propileen / 1-penteen statistiese kopolimere is gevolglik met groot sukses vervaardig by die 800-liter BASF loodsaanleg in Duitsland, gevolg deur die eerste kommersiële vervaardiging van die kopolimeer op die Sasol50m3 Novolen gasfase-aanleg in Secunda. Deur gebruik te maak van kommersieel beskikbare sagteware, is die impak van 1-penteen as komonomeer tydens die vervaardiging van statistiese kopolimere op die verkoelingskapasiteit van die kondensator bepaal. Veilige en uitvoerbare aanlegkondisies is uitgestip vir die vervaardiging van propileen /1-penteen statistiese kopolimere. Die verhouding tussen die reaktordruk en poeiermorfologie is ondersoek om die prosestoestande te optimiseer. Vervaardiging van kopolimere in die gasfase by hoër drukke lei tot verhoogde monomeerkonsentrasie in die reaktor en gevolglik hoër produksiedeursette. Daar is bewys dat tydens die produksie van PP statistiese kopolimere, met 1-penteen as komonomeer, hoër reaktordruk ingespan kan word. Die dramatiese toename in katalisproduktiwiteit waargeneem tydens die 800- liter loodsaanleg proefloop, tot en met 'n komonomeer inhoud van ongeveer 5%, word ondersteun deur die resultate van 'n kinetiese studie uitgevoer in laboriumskaal drukvate. 'n Omvattende studie, om die reologiese, termiese, kristallyne, fisiese en meganiese eienskappe van propileen / 1-penteen statistiese kopolimere te vergelyk met kommersieel beskikbare PP statistiese kopolimere, is uitgevoer. 'n Reeks propileen homo- en statistiese kopolimere, met 1-penteen en etileen as komonomere onderskeidelik, is berei. KMR- en IR- tegnieke is ontwikkel om die bepaling van komonomeersamestelling vir die nuwe familie van 1- penteen statistiese kopolimere te fasiliteer. Die invloed van komonomeersamestelling, molekulere gewig en temperatuur op die eienskappe van die reeks polimere is ondersoek. Die propoleen / 1- penteen statistiese kopolimere toon unieke reologiese eienskappe wat geassosieer kan word met die propielsykettings in die polimeerruggraat. Die viskositeit van die propileen / 1-penteen statistiese kopolimere toon 'n hoër wrywings- en temperatuursensitiwiteit in vergelyking met propileen homo- en etileen statistiese kopolimere. 'n Drastiese verlaging in die termodinamiese smeltpunt van die propileen / 1- penteen statistiese kopolimere met 'n toename in komonomeerinhoud is waargeneem tot en met 'n 5% komonomeerinhoud. Die propileen / 1-penteen statistiese kopolimere toon 'n breër smeltgebied en 'n hoër tempo in die piek smeltpuntafname in vergelyking met etileen statistiese kopolimere met soortgelyke komonomeer inhoud, gemeet op 'n massabasis. Daar is bewys dat die kristalstruktuur van die propileen / 1-penteen statistiese kopolimere beide die alfa en gamma modifikasies bevat. Die verhouding van die onderskeie kristalvorms is 'n funksie van komonomeerinhoud en kristalisasietemperatuur. 'n Afname in die glastemperatuur met verhoogde komonomeer inhoud is waargeneem. Die aanname dat die kort propielsykettings in die polimeerruggraat in die kristalstruktuur geïnkorporeer word, is gemaak. Dit verklaar die hoë afname in die tempo van die smeltpunt met toenemende komonomeer inhoud relatief tot ander statistiese kopolimere, met die handhawing van hoë moduluswaardes. Die besondere deursigtigheid van die propileen / 1-penteen statistiese kopolimere tesame met relatief hoë modulus waardes is uniek. 'n Omgekeerde verhouding tussen komonomeer inhoud en treksterkte asook moduluswaardes is waargeneem. 'n Toepassingstudie uitgevoer met die propileen / 1-penteen statistiese kopolimere het verskeie interessante resultate gelewer. Films vervaardig van hierdie kopolimere toon besonderse deursigtigheid en lae waarde van xileenoplosbaarheid, terwyl meganiese integriteit gehandhaaf word. Voordele in die vervaardigingsproses van BOPP-films asook bogemiddelde filmeienskappe hou unieke moontlikhede vir propileen / 1-penteen statistiese kopolimere in. Verskeie voordele tydens blaas- en spuitvormingsprosesse is waargeneem relatief tot ander beskikbare statistiese kopolimere. Die 1-penteen statistiese kopolimere toon 'n laer in-vorm sowel as totale krimping relatief tot etileen- gebaseerde kopolimere. 'n Studie het aangetoon dat tipiese bymiddelpakette by normale toevoegingsvlakke geskik is vir propileen / 1-penteen statistiese kopolimere. Gesien in die groter pp statistiese kopolimeer familie toon 1-penteen 'n beter balans van eienskappe as ander komonomere. Die kombinasie van laer smeltpunt en xileen-oplosbares met hoë moduluswaardes en helderheid is uniek aan propileen /1-penteen statistiese kopolimere.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2005.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Constant and aggressive change is a characteristic that has shaped our present day life and occurs at all levels of society. In a new South Africa, an entrepreneurial approach has become a means of survival. Modern day South Africans have been compelled to adopt an innovative and entrepreneurial mindset in order to function optimally. For the higher education sector, this has meant the commercialisation of many aspects of their operations due to yearly cuts in subsidy allocations. Stellenbosch University is not exempt from this and is also affected by these cuts. The goal of this study is therefore to provide an internationally researched conceptual model and process for commercialising academic research at Stellenbosch University. This will require the adoption of an entrepreneurial mindset which views research differently from its traditional mode. By moving away from an academic view of research, new partnerships, opportunities and outcomes become possible, from which new revenue avenues could be opened. The question arises as to what technological innovations are likely to result in commercial success and what route should a university then take to successfully commercialise their research findings? Finding practical answers to these questions could provide a platform from which a university can make accurate and timely decisions with regards to the commercialisation of its academic research. Accurate decision-making is therefore an essential tool in the management of this process. Commercialisation is not viable without first creating an innovative mindset and platform. These cannot be created without first understanding the concept of newness. Consistent newness requires continuous innovation, from which academic entrepreneurship then stems. The successful commercialisation of this entrepreneurship can then be understood by considering the various concepts and basic components involved in commercialisation. A broad look at literature provided the basis for this platform from which a model could then be constructed. In constructing the model, the key components were first identified. Secondly, a brief look at four different commercialsiation models provided an overview of the thought pattems involved in such a process. The synthesis of these components and models culminated in a conceptual model for commercialisation within the Stellenbosch University environment. This model included the tangible and intangible side of commercialisation, incorporating organisational mindset, attitudes and culture.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Konstante en omvattende verandering is 'n kenmerk van die eietydse samelewing en raak alle sosiale vlakke. 'n Entrepreneuriese benadering het in die nuwe Suid-Afrika 'n middel tot oorlewing geword. Eietydse Suid-Afrikaners word genoodsaak om innoverend en ondernemend te wees ten einde optimaal te kan funksioneer. Dit impliseer dat tersiere instellings byvoorbeeld baie van hul bedrywighede moet kommersialiseer, weens toenemende besnoeiings in subsidiering. Die Universiteit van Stellenbosch word insgelyks deur hierdie besnoeiings geraak. Die doel van hierdie studie is die ontwerp van 'n konsepsuele model en proses vir kommersialisering van akademiese navorsing vir die Universiteit van Stellenbosch, gebaseer op internasionale navorsing. Dit vereis 'n entrepreneuriese denkwyse wat navorsing anders benader as in die verlede. Deur weg te beweeg van 'n suiwer akademiese siening van navorsing, word nuwe vennootskappe, geleenthede en uitkomste moontlik, en skep sodoende ook nuwe bronne van inkomste. Tegniese innoverings wat prakties en uitvoerbaar is kan moontlik as platform dien vir hierdie kommersialisering. Dit veronderstel toepaslike besluitneming as noodsaaklike middel in die bestuur van die proses. 'n Nadere deurskouing van konsepte onderliggend aan suksesvolle kommersialisering van entrepreneurskap, tesame met 'n bree oorsig van navorsing in hierdie verband, het die basis gevorm vir die ontwerp van 'n model. Kernkomponente is eerstens identifiseer. Bestaande modelle het tweedens 'n oorsig van denkpatrone oor die ontwerp van so 'n proses gebied. 'n Sintese van hierdie komponente en modelle het kulmineer in 'n konsepsuele model vir kommersialisering binne die Universiteit van Stellenbosch omgewing. Hierdie model sluit die praktiese deel van kommersialisering, sowel as die ontasbare deel, naamlik organisatoriese denkwyses, houdings en kultuur in.

L'investissement immateriel progresse, en france, de 1973 a 1993 de maniere plus rapide que l'investissement materiel. Cette evolution conjugue a la fois investissement immateriel et depenses immaterielle actuellement l'absence d'indicateu rs d'evaluation financiere pertinents de l'investissement immateriel a caractere commercial ne permet pas aux entreprise s de mesurer les enjeux que representent ces engagements intangibles a court, moyen et long terme. Il s'agit tout d'abord de definir l'investissement immateriel dans le processus de commercialisation de l'entreprise compte tenu des interrelations economiques, financieres, comptables, fiscales et strategiques. Ensuite, il s'agit d'expliquer la contribution de l'investissement immateriel en commercialisation a la fois a la competitivite et a la valeur de l'entreprise. Enfin, il convient de presenter les resultats d'une validation empirique des hypotheses formulees, qui porte sur 8213 entreprises industrielles, et les resultats d'une comparaison de 1109 entreprises qui appartiennent a quatre secteurs d'activite industriels differents. En conclusion, il s'agit de proposer une autre architecture de gestion financiere de l'immateriel et une nouvelle vision patrimoniale de l'investissement immateriel en commercialisation
In france, intangible investment progressed more rapidly than tangible investment between 1973 an 1993. This change draw s together intangible investment and intangible expenditure. At present, for lack of relevant financial indicators to evaluate intangible investment of a business nature, companies are not able to asses the implications involved in these intangible commitments in the short, middle and long ter. . Primarily, it is important to define intangible investment in the company's marketing procedure, given the economic, fin ancial, accounting, fiscal and strategic inter-relationships. There follows an explanation of the contribution of intangible investment in marketing, both to the competitiveness and the value of the company. At this point, an appropri ate presentation is made of the results of an empirical validation of the hypotheses raised; this validation deals with 8213 companies and the results of a comparative study of 1109 companies which belong to four different industrial sector s. The conclusion proposes another framework for financial management of the intangible and a new patrimonial perspectiv e for intangible investment in marketing

La commercialisation des produits agricoles au congo obeit a deux logiques : celle de la societe traditionnelle dont les valeurs guident les actes economiques et celle des pouvoirs publics qui centralisent les decisions sans guere tenir compte de la realite profonde des communautes villageoises commande de la production agricole. Des lors, le role de la commercialisation dans l'agriculture se trouve reduit, la production agricole chute et le recours aux importations alimentaires devient courant. Le dogme politique congolais du "tout est a l'etat" a decourage les producteurs et les intermediaires. L'ouverture du pays a l'economie de marche, au lieu de favoriser l'accroissement de la production agricole, ne fait qu'aggraver la situatiion. Nous mettons en exergue le positionnement intellectuel base sur les aptitudes des systemes de commercialisation a faire evoluer l'agriculture, ainsi que sur les conditions de l'approvisionnement du pays en produits agricoles. Cependant, les limites que presentent les operateurs prives dans le fonctionnement des circuits commerciaux, appellent a une nouvelle forme d'intervention des pouvoirs publics. Ce qui, par ailleurs, pose la question du role de l'etat dans le developpement agricole des pays du tiers-monde
The marketing of agricultural goods in the republic of congo are subject to two main parameters which are the traditional circle whose principles still have a significant impact on the economic enterprise on the one hand, and the government authorities whose decisions usually overlook the deep reality of the village communities who are nevertheless the main consumers of the agricultural goods on the other hand. Enterprise declines, the activity decreases while the resort to foof import tunrs a common practice. The congolese political tenet of "all for the government" has significantly discouraged both the producers and their intermediaries. Instead of stimulating the agricultural production, the country's yielding to market economy becomes a handicap instead

This short policy brief advocates for more attention to be paid to the potential of natural resource commercialisation as a means to livelihood security and poverty alleviation in rural South Africa. It is one of a set of four policy briefs based on the findings of several case studies across the country.

This research examines the process of knowledge commercialisation in a fledging national innovation ecosystem. The thesis investigates the Omani biosciences sector and its attempts to leverage its contribution to the national economy through knowledge-based activities. It focuses on the commercialisation actors and the transformation to the entrepreneurial paradigm since mid-1990s. More specifically, it seeks to understand the knowledge commercialisation in the context of the national systems of innovation and considers three main components: actors and institutions, networks, and the national support mechanisms. Theoretically, this study draws on three strands of theory, which are the National Innovation Systems (NIS), the Triple Helix (TH) model of innovation and Network Theory (NT). These theories are advanced by considering the institutional setting of the bio-sector and the social and cultural dimensions of the actors. Empirically the thesis is informed by mixed methods of questionnaire, semi-structured interviews that were conducted in Muscat in 2014, and the analysis of policy documents. This thesis indicates that the Omani bio-sector represents a significant emerging setting for knowledge commercialisation process that involves the connection and co-development of actors, knowledge, and networks between the existing domains of practice (academia, government and industry). It contributes to understanding the extent of the influence of the entrepreneurial culture and the social dimension of the actors. It shows that the locus of innovation and knowledge production is the academic sphere and knowledge exchange between the actors is phase-dependent. The thesis suggests that geographic co-location is not the key prerequisite for effective interaction whereas innovation intermediaries play an important role based on their position and situation. Within the embryonic setting of knowledge entrepreneurship in the bio-sector, small-scale government initiatives have proven to be more efficient. Finally, the thesis concludes that the actors for commercialisation should develop a more sophisticated understanding of the concept and settings in which technical and tacit knowledge is formed, and of the means and mechanisms through which commercialisation practices might be enhanced.

Empirical evidence has shown that goats are of significance in marginalised, poor, and rural economies and this information has been well documented in scholarly research. Despite its importance and potential contribution, goat farming remains underutilised and undeveloped in the rural economy - particularly in South Africa. Developmental intervention has focused on improving productivity with minimal effort aimed at the integration of key role players in the value chain, and even less emphasis on improving farmers' attitudes. The largest goat population in South Africa is found in the Northern Cape where there is great potential to be realised for goat farming. The main objective of this study was to identify supply side (production) factors constraining subsistence goat production in South Africa, with the view of identifying key actors to establish an innovation platform through vertical integration. By transforming the subsistence farming orientation of goat farmers into a commercial (market) orientation, the welfare of communities can be improved through the commercialisation of smallscale goat farmers. Studies highlight the need to enhance goat production beyond subsistence goat rearing and towards commercialisation through access to markets, veterinary services, credit facilities, and government support. Furthermore, a focus on market development, value chain integration and innovation platforms can improve the efficiency of the goat farming sector. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on goat farming in South Africa and offers an innovation platform to foster partnerships among the actors along the value chain, creating an enabling environment for the easy flow of market information and infrastructure development. A praxis model is incorporated into this research. This takes the form of a business model and is provided in Appendix B as a practical way of applying the knowledge gathered in this research.

Il existe une grande disparite dans la repartition des gisements de minerais argentiferes au quatorzieme siecle. L'europe centrale est alors de loin la principale region productrice et distribue le metal blanc dans tout le reste du monde. Cette detention d'un metal strategique pour l'activite economique de des societes est l'un des vecteurs de l'affirmation des europeens qui progressivement dominent les echanges commerciaux et monetaires. Deux faits majeurs sont mis en evidence : - le role premier tenu par les italiens qui deviennent les principaux intermediaires dans la commercialisation de l'argent vers les mondes musulman et asiatique. - l'incapacite des detenteurs d'or soudanais au maghreb et en egypte a s'affirmer dans les echanges avec les europeens, alors que les besoins monetaires en metal jaune augmentent fortement
There is a great disparity in the distribution of the deposits of silver - bearing ore at the fourteenth century. The centrale europe is at that time the main producing area and distribute silver in the others parts of the world. This possession of a strategic metal for the economic activity of the societies is one fo the vector of the affirmation of the europeans who, progressively, dominate the market and monetary exchange. Two major occurentes are examinated : - the first role of the italians who become the main middlemen in the marketing of silver towards the islamic and asiatic worlds. The incapability of the possessors of sudanese gold in maghreb and egypt to assert their position in the exchanges with the europeans, while the needs in gold increase strongly

La présente recherche étudie la production du sucre, sa commercialisation et ses usages dans la Méditerranée médiévale. La première partie analyse les facteurs de diffusion de la canne à sucre d'Est en Ouest, la géographie de son établissement dans l'espace méditerranéen, et reconstitue le processus de production et l'organisation sociale du travail dans les plantations et les raffineries médiévales. La deuxième partie s'interroge sur les qualités de sucre et l'évolution des prix sur les marchés méditerranéens; elle détermine sa place dans le commerce international, les conditions de son transport, les techniques de son échange et les acteurs de ce trafic très lucratif Quant à la dernière partie, elle étudie les différents usages de ce produit et comment les médecins et les pharmacologues l'ont adopté et intégré pour en faire une composante essentielle dans la préparation des médicaments. Le sucre perce aussi le domaine alimentaire et triomphe dans la cuisine ; il devient un ingrédient indispensable dans la confiserie et la pâtisserie, qui agrémentent les tables des cours princières. Il n'en demeure pas moins un produit de luxe réservé à la consommation des catégories sociales les plus élevées

Celebrities' prominence in our daily lives cannot be underestimated. It is therefore quite hard to imagine that little has been written about the confluence of celebrity and the law. Celebrity law, particularly the mercantile element thereof, deserves greater attention. Celebrity's freely use their image to make money - these actions must be governed by an established body of law. The law must assist the celebrity in his commercial activities and must offer safety nets for when others unfairly exploit his celebrity brand. The topic will be divided into five points of discussion. First, the commercialisation of the celebrity brand will be discussed. Secondly, we will take a closer look at image rights. Thirdly, the delictual claim of passing off as it pertains to celebrities will be discussed. Fourthly, trade marked celebrities will be considered. And finally our focus will be drawn to the personality right of reputation and how it can be influential for the capitalist celebrity's sake. It is imperative to fully understand the celebrity phenomenon. Through the ages humankind has naturally sought out leaders in an array of fields. We need to grapple with the oddity of this phenomenon to understand the position of these modern societal leaders. The commercialisation of the celebrity brand will be explored. As societal leaders, celebrities are in the remarkable position to utilise their renown for their own benefit. Attention economy is a concept relating to the celebrity's ability to exploit his fame for commercial gain. This theory deals with the association of capital gain with broad-based, far-reaching image recognition. The niceties of attention economy will be explored to offer us insight into the ability of a celebrity to use his fame to make a profit. Attention economy is a theory aligning itself with image rights. Image rights are the commercial sales aspect of the celebrity entity, offering it legal security and a reactionary arsenal.

La commercialisation des produits financiers est au cœur des préoccupations des pouvoirs publics. L'augmentation de la concurrence dans le cadre de la commercialisation, la transformation des systèmes financiers marquée par un transfert des risques d'investissement aux épargnants, la complexité des produits financiers, la crise financière de 2008 et la judiciarisation croissante de la relation client-prestataire de services d'investissement (PSI), ont toutes éveillé les autorités sur la nécessité de renforcer la protection du consommateur. L'Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), dont la protection de l'épargne est une mission principale, renforce le contrôle de la commercialisation et tend vers une harmonisation de ses règles. Elle entend améliorer l'éducation financière des épargnants, leur facilitant la prise de décision d'investissement en toute connaissance de cause. Les législateurs français et européen renforcent la réglementation de la commercialisation. Une bonne conduite, est imposée aux PSI, dont les règles sont renforcées par la directive MlF et consacrées par le Code monétaire et financier, le Règlement général de l'AMF et dans des codes de bonne conduite professionnels. Le principe de bonne conduite relatif au respect de la primauté des intérêts des clients, impose aux PSI de respecter la règle de la meilleure exécution des ordres et la réglementation des conflits d'intérêts. Une réglementation spécifique aux voies de commercialisation risquées (commercialisation à distance et démarchage) est introduite. Enfin, les obligations, de mise en garde et de conseil des PSI, qui constituent un pilier dans le dispositif protecteur, sont renforcées.

[From Introduction] The majority of households in South Africa, especially those in the rural communal areas, live in abject poverty. Some 70% of rural households can be classified as poor, while 18-24% fall into the chronically poor category. Unlike many other developing nations, South Africa's rural communal areas are characterised by relatively poor availability of agricultural land, with only about 40% of rural households involved in field cropping. This results in high levels of integration and dependence on the cash economy. Unemployment levels are amongst the highest in the world at about 30%. Unemployment amongst women tends to be greater than amongst men resulting in a poverty rate amongst rural female-headed households of over 60%; double that of male-headed households. The scourge of HIV/AIDS is devastating already poor households' ability to cope. More than half of HIV/AIDS affected households have insufficient food (UNDP 2003). Impacts of the pandemic include not only the loss of income, but also increased expenditure particularly on medical care and funerals. The need to care for ill household members or orphaned children also limits the choices of occupation that other household members can pursue, and may restrict labour availability for food production. Household assets are often sold for cash eroding the few safety nets people have. HIV/AIDS is expected to contribute to a chronic impoverishment of 26-33% more households than would be the case in its absence (Aliber 2003).
Endnote: This policy brief is based on the original brief made available for a workshop in August 2006. It is derived, amongst other sources, from the findings of nine case studies of local natural resource commercialisation undertaken as part of a project funded by the South Africa-Netherlands Programme on Alternatives in Development (SANPAD), BP South Africa and the National Research Foundation (NRF). Case studies on woodcraft, furniture production, weaving, broom production and the sale of wild foods and traditional marula beer were completed by Zwoitwa Makhado (UWC), Sibongile Mavimbela (Rhodes), Taryn Pereira (Rhodes), Sheona Shackleton (Rhodes) and Jabulile Sithole (WSU). CIFOR with support from SIDA, provided the funding to share these findings with key stakeholders. The opinions expressed in these policy briefs are those of the author and research team and should not necessarily be attributed to funders and partner institutions.

Cette thèse se situe au croisement de la sociologie économique, de la sociologie du droit et de la sociologie rurale. Dans la première partie sont étudiés les acteurs du marché à partir des dispositifs de couplage qui les mettent en relation. Le marché est ainsi approché comme une chaîne d'interrelation entre acteurs situés sur des scènes sociales différenciées. Tandis que le circuit organisé autour des Marchés d'Intérêt National met en œuvre une véritable « économie de la variabilité » misant sur la réactivité, l'interconnaissance et la variété des produits, la grande distribution a tenté de mettre en place des circuits d'approvisionnement centralisés. La pluralité des circuits et leur enchevêtrement permet d'expliquer pourquoi et comment une relative pluralité des modèles productifs s'est maintenue jusqu'à aujourd'hui. La seconde partie est consacrée aux produits et modes de productions (c'est à dire aux façons de produire). Ceci appelle un examen de la politique des produits. Cette politique fait apparaître de nouveaux enjeux (innovations variétales, classification des produits,) et de nouveaux acteurs (obtenteurs, organismes de certification) et donc des tensions dans la capacité des acteurs du marché à maîtriser un produit. Les normes de qualité dans l'OCM fruits et légumes ainsi qu'à une époque l'innovation variétale visent à construire des commodities dépourvues d'attaches et permettant un fonctionnement marchand de la filière. Les raisons qui vont pousser les acteurs à essayer de réintroduire des processus et des attaches dans la qualification des produits sont analysées pour déboucher sur une analyse de la controverse actuelle autour des enjeux environnementaux
This study addresses the history of the fruit and vegetable market in France and it raises both empirical and theoretical issues. In the first part I study the coupling of the professional actors of the market. Hence, the market is envisioned as a set of relations between heterogeneous social scenes. Referring to Weber's sociology of law, I approach these relations through the implementation of law, which are seen as references for action. The history of wholesale marketplaces and their institutions is given special attention. While retailers bet on the centralization of food supply and the economies of scales it provides, wholesale markets enact what I call an "economics of variability", based on the management of goods differentiation, the variety of supply and arbitrage. Different farming models correspond to the trade models. The French fruit and vegetable sector has not been drawn towards a single mass production model, but a plurality of farm and business models still remains. The second part is dedicated to product policy. I assume it follows a logic of its own which may trouble actors' ability to control the product. The main type of classification available on this market is the division among varieties which entails no hierarchy. This is why historically, the differentiation of fruits and vegetables mainly occurs through interpersonal networks rather than collective objective signals. The raise of food safety and environmental issues causes shifts classification to the production process and the environment. This situation makes the market modelling more complex, since arenas such as science or the pest control industry must now be integrated in the market

The future complexity of strategic issues in international structural change was demonstrated by UK and SA ports. This arose from the likely extent of structural constraints and the effects of stakeholder power. From a review of emerging Advanced Systems Theory a new Boundary -spanning perspective of strategy was developed, that led to the specification of conceptual circumstances of potential outcomes of change. Since existing systems methodologies could not accommodate future power relationships, a new methodology and data collection technique was developed. The circumstances were developed into multiple scenarios which were judged by international decision-makers. These judgements were subjected to quantitative and qualitative analysis from a Strategic Choice Perspective. The outcome was a Boundary -spanning 'Long-term Strategic Service Industry' model which proposed the outlines of the future strategy and organisational structure that ought to be adopted to meet 'public interest' constraints. A dual subject and methodological contribution was made.

Thesis (MTech (Design))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2015.
Design as a field of practice is constantly evolving and has predominantly been used to stimulate and facilitate the humanisation of new technologies, so that they are usable and desirable for the capitalist economy (Boehnert, 2013, p. 14). With the evolution of the commercial and economic systems, the role of the designer now needs a shift so that it is able to facilitate new and appropriate interactions (Manzini, 2015, p. 180). This thesis explores what some of those interactions may look like and the role that design may be able to play in assisting them. Enabling society to be better equipped to communicate and collaborate with industry and academia, and vice versa, may be beneficial. The more society’s contributions can be heard, acknowledged and implemented, the better the economy may function. Increasing the transparency and understanding of these systems would potentially allow for less corruption and greater collaboration within and between them, possibly allowing for improved innovation. Once entrepreneurs are better equipped to integrate and take advantage of the institutional structures that are in place, this could drive economic development forward, and more informed and effective decisions might be implemented. Institutionally, through a better understanding of their resources and networks, such research could also lead to the implementation of better management and leadership strategies. This thesis focuses on the role of design as a catalyst for product development in the Western Cape. The concept of enabling innovative product ideas through design is analysed through an examination of three current case studies being developed in this region. To contextualise this a bit further, what is examined are the processes, developments and relationships, within and across the structures of the university, civil society and the design industry. This is explored to identify how each of these groups may support the design process, and where they may inhibit it. The primary objective is to provide a foundational road-map to enable innovative ideas from which citizen projects, universities and the design industry may benefit and continue to build upon. In this way, it may be possible to create a more synergetic relationship between universities, the design industry and civil society, or at least to make that relationship more transparent and mutually beneficial.

Mettre en place une politique étatique de commercialisation du café et du cacao a toujours été la grande préoccupation des pouvoirs publics du Congo, depuis l'indépendance du pays (1960) jusqu'à nos jours. Parmi les différents moyens mis en oeuvre pour y aboutir, il y a eu d'abord l'Office National de Commercialisation des Produits Agricoles (O. N. C. P. A. ) et ensuite l'Office de Commercialisation du Café et du Cacao (O. C. C. ). Pour réaliser l'étude de la politique de commercialisation du café et du cacao au Congo, nous avons distingué quatre parties essentielles: 1) - l'analyse des rapports entre les structures d'encadrement et celles de production; 2) - l'analyse de la fonction de vulgarisation; 3) - l'analyse de la fonction de commercialisation; 4) - l'avenir de l'économie paysanne du café et du cacao.