Evolución de la visión sistémica en el pensamiento urbano del siglo XX. La integración de las disciplinas hacia la ciudad sustentable

La evolución del concepto de sistema promovió la consolidación de un enfoque que se comenzó a introducir en la revisión de diferentes objetos de estudio especialmente complejos, como los fenómenos sociales, gracias a sus características inter y trans disciplinarias. Este enfoque “sistémico” se promueve desde el campo de la biología y su metodología se incorporó al estudio de asuntos tan diversos como los temas ambientales, la ecología, la investigación en comunicaciones y muchos fenómenos sociales entre los que se encuentra el crecimiento de las ciudades. En el caso de los problemas urbanos, el enfoque sistémico surge como alternativa frente a la propuesta de la escuela funcionalista moderna. A partir de los años 60, las investigaciones urbanas comienzan a utilizar la visión sistémica como forma de aproximarse conceptualmente a lo físico urbano y avanzar en la comprensión de la complejidad de relaciones entre los componentes físicos de la estructura urbana, las racionalidades y acuerdos para el aprovechamiento del territorio natural de soporte, los bienes ambientales, los servicios públicos y los patrones de consumo, entre otros, una forma de metabolismo que permite asumir la ciudad como un ecosistema, soporte conceptual para la puesta en marcha de acciones que contribuyan a la sostenibilidad urbana. El seguimiento a esta visión sistémica y su incorporación como una herramienta de análisis e intervención urbana, sirve en primera instancia para llevar a cabo una reflexión crítica sobre la evolución del pensamiento urbano del siglo XX especialmente a partir de la segunda posguerra.

Padrões de produção e consumo de energia e a dinâmica territorial da indústria no Estado de São Paulo: 1980 – 2009

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

The changing nature of innovation networks in Taiwan: From imitation to innovation?

Taiwan is embarking on a new phase in its approach to building its national innovative capacity, through building the infrastructure for a biotechnology industry. Rather than acting as a “fast follower” of trends developed elsewhere, Taiwan is seeking to evolve the elements of a national innovation system, including upgrading the role of universities in providing fundamental R&D, in providing incubators for new, knowledge-based firms, in developing new funding models, and in establishing new biotech-focused science parks. This paper reviews the progress achieved to date, and the prospects for this new phase in Taiwan’s transition from imitation to innovation

Measuring globalisation: An evolutionary economic approach to tracking the evolution of international trade

Operationalising and measuring the concept of globalisation is important, as the extent to which the international economy is integrated has a direct impact on industrial dynamics, national trade policies and firm strategies. Using complex systems network analysis with longitudinal trade data from 1938 to 2003, this paper presents a new way to measure globalisation. It demonstrates that some important aspects of the international trade network have been remarkably stable over this period. However, several network measures have changed substantially over the same time frame. Taken together, these analyses provide a novel measure of globalisation.

Aspects of design for a spare parts provisioning system

This thesis describes an investigation by the author into the spares operation of compare BroomWade Ltd. Whilst the complete system, including the warehousing and distribution functions, was investigated, the thesis concentrates on the provisioning aspect of the spares supply problem. Analysis of the historical data showed the presence of significant fluctuations in all the measures of system performance. Two Industrial Dynamics simulation models were developed to study this phenomena. The models showed that any fluctuation in end customer demand would be amplified as it passed through the distributor and warehouse stock control systems. The evidence from the historical data available supported this view of the system's operation. The models were utilised to determine which parts of the total system could be expected to exert a critical influence on its performance. The lead time parameters of the supply sector were found to be critical and further study showed that the manner in which the lead time changed with work in progress levels was also an important factor. The problem therefore resolved into the design of a spares manufacturing system. Which exhibited the appropriate dynamic performance characteristics. The gross level of entity presentation, inherent in the Industrial Dynamics methodology, was found to limit the value of these models in the development of detail design proposals. Accordingly, an interacting job shop simulation package was developed to allow detailed evaluation of organisational factors on the performance characteristics of a manufacturing system. The package was used to develop a design for a pilot spares production unit. The need for a manufacturing system to perform successfully under conditions of fluctuating demand is not limited to the spares field. Thus, although the spares exercise provides an example of the approach, the concepts and techniques developed can be considered to have broad application throughout batch manufacturing industry.

Relacionamentos industriais como mecanismos de coordenação de competências : casos da indústria de moldes para plásticos.

Doutoramento em Ciências Empresariais.

The dynamics of industrial energy consumption in Latin America and their implications for sustainable development

Includes bibliography

The Diversity and Dynamics of Industrial Organisation: Transformation of Local Assemblers in the Vietnamese Motorcycle Industry

This paper focuses on an emerging arm's-length form of industrial organisation in the motorcycle industry, which had traditionally been characterised by tightly integrated form of organisation. By engaging in how this new form of organisation that emerged in China was transferred to Vietnam and evolved in the Vietnamese context, this paper seeks to illustrate how the rise of local firms in developing countries is driving the increased diversity and dynamics of industrial organisation in an industry that had previously been dominated by TNCs from developed countries.

DEVELOPMENT OF STATIC MIXERS FOR MISCIBLE FLUIDS IN LAMINAR FLOW WITH THE USE OF COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS (CFD)

Static mixers with improved performance were developed from CFD simulations in a stepwise approach. The relevant geometric features of simple mixer designs and the corresponding mixing mechanisms-laminar shear, elongational flow, and distributive mixing-were identified first. This information was used to formulate guidelines for the development of new geometries. The solid elements of the static mixer should: (a) provide restrictions to the flow; (b) deflect the flow; (c) be sequentially rotated around the flow direction to provide symmetry; (d) extend from the center of the pipe to the vicinity of the walls to avoid short-circuiting; and (e) distribute and remix the flow. Based on these guidelines, two improved mixer designs were developed: the DS A-I mixer has a good mixing efficiency and an acceptable pressure drop; the Fins 35 degrees mixer is more efficient and compact, but requires a larger pressure drop. Their performance indicates that their use is possible on industrial applications.