Crisi global i ecologia

Des que es va fer públic el problema de les hipoteques d'alt risc als EUA, els analistes adverteixen de la possibilitat d'una recessió econòmica, la qual es comença a fer evident en el descens en les vendes d'automòbils, la baixada dels preus dels pisos de segona mà, l'augment excessiu de la inflació i el creixement del nombre d'aturats, que la Fundació de les Caixes d'Estalvis Espanyol es preveu que arribi al 9,5% l'any que ve [...].

Resíduos de agrotóxicos em alimentos: uma preocupação ambiental global - Um enfoque às maçãs

This paper describes the use of pesticides in agriculture. Research has shown that significant quantities of pesticide residues have been found in many types of foods. Thus, an overview is given of pesticide residue determinations in fruits and vegetables, with special attention to apples. The toxicity and the adverse effects possibly caused by the exposure of these compounds are alerting the scientific community to develop studies about the validation of analytical methods for multiresidue pesticide determination in these samples. This review shows that pesticide-residue determination in apples is becoming a very important and challenging issue.

Sustainable drugs and global health care

Each day, Earth's finite resources are being depleted for energy, for material goods, for transportation, for housing, and for drugs. As we evolve scientifically and technologically, and as the population of the world rapidly approaches 7 billion and beyond, among the many issues with which we are faced is the continued availability of drugs for future global health care. Medicinal agents are primarily derived from two sources, synthetic and natural, or in some cases, as semi-synthetic compounds, a mixture of the two. For the developed world, efforts have been initiated to make drug production "greener", with milder reagents, shorter reaction times, and more efficient processing, thereby using less energy, and reactions which are more atom efficient, and generate fewer by-products. However, most of the world's population uses plants, in either crude or extract form, for their primary health care. There is relatively little discussion as yet, about the long term effects of the current, non-sustainable harvesting methods for medicinal plants from the wild, which are depleting these critical resources without concurrent initiatives to commercialize their cultivation. To meet future public health care needs, a paradigm shift is required in order to adopt new approaches using contemporary technology which will result in drugs being regarded as a sustainable commodity, irrespective of their source. In this presentation, several approaches to enhancing and sustaining the availability of drugs, both synthetic and natural, will be discussed, including the use of vegetables as chemical reagents, and the deployment of integrated strategies involving information systems, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and detection techniques for the development of medicinal plants with enhanced levels of bioactive agents.

Uso de perfis cromatográficos de voláteis de cafés arábicas torrados para a diferenciação das amostras segundo o sabor, o aroma e a qualidade global da bebida

In this work, the volatile chromatographic profiles of roasted Arabica coffees, previously analyzed for their sensorial attributes, were explored by principal component analysis. The volatile extraction technique used was the solid phase microextraction. The correlation optimized warping algorithm was used to align the gas chromatographic profiles. Fifty four compounds were found to be related to the sensorial attributes investigated. The volatiles pyrrole, 1-methyl-pyrrole, cyclopentanone, dihydro-2-methyl-3-furanone, furfural, 2-ethyl-5-methyl-pyrazine, 2-etenyl-n-methyl-pyrazine, 5-methyl-2-propionyl-furan compounds were important for the differentiation of coffee beverage according to the flavour, cleanliness and overall quality. Two figures of merit, sensitivity and specificity (or selectivity), were used to interpret the sensory attributes studied.

GLOBAL AND LOCAL REACTIVITY DESCRIPTORS FOR PICLORAM HERBICIDE: A THEORETICAL QUANTUM STUDY

In this work, we studied the reactivity of picloram in the aqueous phase at the B3LYP/6-311++G(2d,2p) and MP2/6-311++G(2d,2p) levels of theory through global and local reactivity descriptors. The results obtained at the MP2 level indicate that the cationic form of picloram exhibits the highest hardness while the anionic form is the most nucleophilic. From the Fukui function values, the most reactive site for electrophilic and free radical attacks are on the nitrogen in the pyridine ring. The more reactive sites for nucleophilic attacks are located on the nitrogen atom of the amide group and on the carbon atoms located at positions 2 and 3 in the pyridine ring.

Corporate Social Responsibility in Global Mining Industry

Corporate Social Responsibility is company’s interest and actions towards its environment and the society that the company takes from its free will, to give back to the community and environment. Corporate Social Responsibility is current topic as companies are challenged to take responsibility for their action, due to the constant tightening environmental legislations and raising pressure for transparency from the public. The objective of this Master’s Thesis research is to study if Corporate Social Responsibility affects suppliers’ brand image and mining companies’ buying decisions within global mining industry. The research method is qualitative and the research is conducted with secondary and primary research methods. The research aims to find out what are the implications of the research for the case company Larox. The objective is to answer to the question; how should case company Larox start to develop Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program of its own, and how the case company could benefit from CSR as a competitive advantage and what actions could be taken in the company marketing. Conclusions are drawn based on both the secondary and primary research results. Both of the researches imply that CSR is well present in the global mining industry, and that suppliers’ CSR policy has positive effect on company image, which positively affects company’s brand, and furthermore brand has a positive effect on mining companies buying decision. It can be concluded that indirectly CSR has an effect on buying decisions, and case company should consider developing a CSR program of its own.

Sukupolvenvaihdos yrityskauppana Case: Global Research & Data Services

Sukupolvenvaihdoksella tarkoitetaan yrityksen omistajasuhteiden muutoksia. Siinä yritys siirretään omistajan elinaikana tai se siirtyy hänen kuoltuaan henkilölle, joka jatkaa yrityksen toimintaa. Suomessa on lähivuosina odotettavissa 60–80.000 sukupolvenvaihdosta. Vaihdosten onnistuminen ei ole itsestäänselvyys, sillä yleinen ongelma näyttäisi olevan, että sukupolvenvaihdosta tarvitsevia yrityksiä on enemmän kuin sopivia jatkajia. Sukupolvenvaihdosten onnistuminen on merkittävä lähivuosien yhteiskunnallinen kysymys sekä yritysten liiketoiminnan jatkuvuuden että työpaikkojen säilymisen kannalta. Tällä hetkellä epäonnistuneet sukupolvenvaihdokset maksavat valtiolle noin 1,25 miljardia euroa eikä Suomella ole varaa menettää yhtään yritystä. Sukupolvenvaihdos on ajankohtainen asia myös tämän tutkimuksen case-yrityksessä, Global Research & Data Services:ssa. Yrityksen toimialana on markkinatutkimus. Tutkimuksia tehdään eri toimialoilta ja eri maista. Vaihdos on tarkoitus suorittaa kevään/kesän 2010 aikana ja se on tarkoitus toteuttaa yrityskauppana. Tässä tutkimuksessa on tarkoituksena selvittää mm., mitä eri vaihtoehtoja yrityksellä on toteuttaa sukupolvenvaihdos yrityskauppana, mitä tulee ottaa huomioon, miten kauppaa tulisi valmistella ja mitkä ovat mahdolliset rahoituslähteet. Tutkimuksen laatimisessa käytettiin apuna valmiina olevaa materiaalia, niin kirjoja kuin Internet-lähteitäkin. Tutkimuksen toisessa luvussa on käsitelty sukupolvenvaihdosta yleisesti käsitteenä sekä tämän hetkistä tilannetta Suomessa. Kolmannessa luvussa on esitelty tutkimuksen case-yritys. Neljännessä luvussa on esitelty sukupolvenvaihdoksen juridiset toteutusmallit lyhyesti. Tutkimuksen viidennessä luvussa on keskitytty tutkimuksen ydinasiaan eli sukupolvenvaihdoksen suorittamiseen yrityskauppana. Käsiteltyjä aiheita ovat mm. yrityksen valmistaminen vaihdosta varten, yrityksen arvon määritys ja yrityskaupan rahoitusvaihtoehdot. Asioita on käsitelty niin yleisesti kuin case-yrityksen tilanne huomioiden. Viimeisessä luvussa on tutkimuksen yhteenveto.

Preconditions for Successful Global Sourcing and Production Ramp up

Työn tavoitteena oli tutkia The Switch Drive Systems Oy:n edellytyksiä globaalille hankintatoiminnalle ja tuotannon aloittamiselle Kiinassa. Lisäksi pyrittiin keräämään empiiristä tietoa ja palautetta yrityksen prosesseista niiden kehittämistä varten. Yrityksen tuotantostrategia perustuu mallitehdaskonseptiin ja yrityksellä on kaksi mallitehdasta Suomessa. Työ keskittyy tutkimaan näiden mallitehtaiden valmiuksia aloittaa globaali ja ulkoistettu sarjatuotanto. Tutkimus suoritettiin empiirisenä tutkimuksena haastattelemalla yhteensä yhdeksää edustajaa yrityksen kolmesta yksiköstä Suomessa. Empiirinen tutkimus perustui riskienhallinnan keinoihin. Kvantitatiivisen tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli kartoittaa merkittävimmät riskit tarkempaa tarkastelua varten. Kvalitatiivisen tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli löytää syitä merkittävimmille riskeille. Tutkimuksen keskeisimmäksi tulokseksi on saatu lista merkittävimmistä syistä, jotka vaikeuttavat yrityksen tuotantostrategian toteuttamista. Lisäksi tuloksia ovat kvantitatiiviset tulokset merkittävimmistä riskeistä ja niihin liittyvät syyseuraussuhteet.

Production planning development in global manufacturing company

Larox Corporation is a provider of full service filtration in solid and liquid separation. Larox develops, designs, manufactures and supplies industrial filters. By Larox’s continuous development principle, a project for more efficient production was started. At the same time production planning was taken under review. Aim for this Master’s thesis was to find software designed for production planning purposes replacement for old Microsoft Excel based method. In this Master’s thesis current way of production planning was thoroughly analyzed and improvement targets were specified and also requirements for new software were assigned. Primary requirements for new software were possibility to production scheduling, planning, follow-up and also for long-time capacity planning and tracking. Also one demand was that new software should have data link to Larox’s current ERP-system. Result of this Master’s thesis was to start using Larox’s ERP-system also for production planning purposes. New mode of operation fulfils all requirements which were placed to new system. By using new method of production planning, production planners can get more easier and reliable data than from current system.

Distribution development in global business environment

The purpose of this master’s thesis was to analyze a case company’s distribution and its elements. With different distribution structure options a customer can be served with different ways. However, cost elements and service elements create different trade-offs. In this work the case company’s distribution’s present state was analyzed and conclusions were made. Based on these conclusions different alternatives for distribution were created. These different alternatives were analyzed through simulations and with more traditional calculations to compose the total operative costs of each alternative. Also other aspects were considered, such as required organizational changes and the possible better customer service. With the suggested 3-stock distribution structure shorter delivery times and possibly more punctual deliveries for products kept in stock could be achieved with the same operative costs as in current direct delivery model. Also, similar benefits could be achieved with other products with the 3-stock model.

Autonomy and islands: a global study of the factors that determine island autonomy

Att ett geografiskt territorium uppnår autonomi förklaras ofta av skillnad I etnicitet, språk eller religion. En region som skiljer sig i någon av dessa kulturella aspekter från övriga regioner i ett land anses därför ha större sannolikhet att utveckla autonomi. Pär M. Olausson visar i sin avhandling att kulturella aspekter inte är den viktigaste förklaringen till att vissa öar utvecklar autonomi. Kulturella aspekter är bara en del i förklaringen till varför vissa öar utvecklar autonomi medan andra förblir en integrerad del av moderlandet. Kulturella aspekter måste kombineras med andra aspekter för att utgöra en tillräcklig förklaring till skillnaden i autonomi. Bland de autonoma regionerna i världen idag utgör öar en klar majoritet. Öar anses ofta ha speciella egenskaper som gör att de skiljer sig från fastlandet. Känslan av samhörighet och gemenskap är ofta starkare på öar pga deras ofta isolerade läge vilket i sin tur anses förklara varför många öar utvecklar autonomi. Genom att studera både autonoma och icke-autonoma öar visar Olausson att autonomi kan förklaras av att ön ligger längre än 1 000 km från fastlandet eller att den skiljer sig från fastlandet i någon av de kulturella aspekterna, att den har varit ockuperad av främmande stat och därmed avskiljd från övriga landet eller utgjort en egen stat. Den viktigaste förklaringen till varför vissa öar utvecklar autonomi men inte andra är emellertid öns strategiska betydelse.

Convergence and divergence in global economy and social development : global perspectives on the contents of economic and soical development policy and its effects on rich and poor countries

The study of convergence and divergence in global economy and social development utilises comparative indicators to investigate the contents of economic and social development policy and their effects on the global samples that represent the rich industrial, semi-industrial and the poor developing nations. The study searchesfor answers to questions such as "what are the objectives of economic growth policies in globalisation under the imperatives of convergence and divergence, and how do these affect human well-being in consideration to the objectives of social policy in various nations?" The empirical verification of data utilises the concepts of the `logic of industrialism´ for comparative analysis that focuses mainly on identifying the levels of well-being in world nations after the Second World War. The perspectives of convergence and divergence in global economy and social development critically examine the stages of early development processes in global economy, distinguish the differences between economy and social development, illustrate the contents of economic and social development policies, their effects on rich and poor countries, and the nature of convergence and divergence in propelling economic growth and unequal social development in world nations. The measurement of convergence and divergence in global economy and social development utilised both economic and social data that were combined into an index that measures the precise levels of the effects of economic and social development policies on human well-being in the rich and poor nations. The task of finding policy solutions to resolve the controversies are reviewed through empirical investigations and the analyses of trends indicated within economic and social indicators and data. These revealed how the adoption of social policy measures in translating the gains from economic growth, towards promoting education, public health, and equity, generate social progress and longer life expectancy, higher economic growth, and sustain more stable macro economy for the nations. Social policy is concerned with the translation of benefits from objectives of global economic growth policies, to objectives of social development policy in nation states. Social policy, therefore, represents an open door whereby benefits of economic growth policies are linked with the broader objectives of social development policy, thereby enhancing the possibility of extending benefits from economic growth to all human being in every nation.

Potential impact of the global climate changes on the spatial distribution of areas of risk for the occurrence of eucalyptus rust in Brazil

Rust, caused by Puccinia psidii, is one of the most important diseases affecting eucalyptus in Brazil. This pathogen causes disease in mini-clonal garden and in young plants in the field, especially in leaves and juvenile shoots. Favorable climate conditions for infection by this pathogen in eucalyptus include temperature between 18 and 25 ºC, together with at least 6-hour leaf wetness periods, for 5 to 7 consecutive days. Considering the interaction between the environment and the pathogen, this study aimed to evaluate the potential impact of global climate changes on the spatial distribution of areas of risk for the occurrence of eucalyptus rust in Brazil. Thus, monthly maps of the areas of risk for the occurrence of this disease were elaborated, considering the current climate conditions, based on a historic series between 1961 and 1990, and the future scenarios A2 and B2, predicted by IPCC. The climate conditions were classified into three categories, according to the potential risk for the disease occurrence, considering temperature (T) and air relative humidity (RH): i) high risk (18 < T < 25 ºC and RH > 90%); ii) medium risk (18 < T < 25 ºC and RH < 90%; T< 18 or T > 25 ºC and RH > 90%); and iii) low risk (T < 18 or T > 25 ºC and RH < 90%). Data about the future climate scenarios were supplied by GCM Change Fields. In this study, the simulation model Hadley Centers for Climate Prediction and Research (HadCm3) was adopted, using the software Idrisi 32. The obtained results led to the conclusion that there will be a reduction in the area favorable to eucalyptus rust occurrence, and such a reduction will be gradual for the decades of 2020, 2050 and 2080 but more marked in scenario A2 than in B2. However, it is important to point out that extensive areas will still be favorable to the disease development, especially in the coldest months of the year, i.e., June and July. Therefore, the zoning of areas and periods of higher occurrence risk, considering the global climate changes, becomes important knowledge for the elaboration of predicting models and an alert for the integrated management of this disease.