<p>Purchasing is a function that has developed form a more clerical function to a function of strategic importance over the last 20 years. As a result of this development we have observed that many fi rms engage in supplier development activities as a part of their purchasing strategy.</p><p>This thesis consists of four different essays describing various aspects of supplier development and an essay that summarise and connects the four essays as well as giving a broad introduction to the fi eld of research.</p><p>Small and medium sized firms are of special interest when studying supplier or supply chain since they are important links in their supply chains but have fewer resources and therefore limited possibilities to develop by themselves. In the thesis three of the essays describe different ways in which this can be conducted.</p><p>Positive benefits from supplier and supply chain development reported in the thesis are lower costs, shorter lead times, increased competence and an overall improved competitiveness.</p>

Thesis (M.S. in Defense Analysis)--Naval Postgraduate School, December 2009. / Thesis Advisor(s): Berger, Marcos (Mark T.) ; Sepp, Kalev I. "December 2009." Description based on title screen as viewed on January 27, 2010. Author(s) subject terms: Foreign Internal Defense (FID); Military Traditions; Meritocracy; Nation-building; State-Building; Vietnam; El Salvador; Colombia. Includes bibliographical references (p. 57-59). Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--York University, 1998. Graduate Programme in Political Science. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 655-677). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pNQ27319.

Thesis (M.S. in Operations Research)--Naval Postgraduate School, September 1990. / Thesis Advisor(s): Parry, Samuel H. Second Reader: Caldwell, William J. "September 1990." Description based on title screen as viewed on December 18, 2009. DTIC Descriptor(s): Air Defense, Artillery, Simulation, Warfare, Theater Level Operations, Aircraft, Strategy, Defense Systems, Point Defense, Loads(Forces), Attack, Theses, Missions, Army, ADA Programming Language, Bombing, USSR, Computerized Simulation, Models. DTIC Identifier(s): Belt Defense. Author(s) subject terms: JTLS, ADA strategy, point defense, belt defense. Includes bibliographical references (p. 56). Also available in print.

Thesis--School of Advanced Airpower Studies, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., 1998-99. / Title from title screen (viewed Oct. 29, 2003). "February 2001." Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A. in National Security Affairs)--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2003. / Thesis advisor(s): H. Lyman Miller, Edward A. Olsen. Includes bibliographical references (p. 87-91). Also available online.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the Duhok region’s innovation strategy and to be able to see how regional development and the entrepreneurial development tackle the innovation and innovation strategy in everyday life. Theory: The starting point for the theoretical framework for this study is the concept of innovation – what is it and why is it valuable to an organization? But the focus of the study is to compare the Sörmland region innovation strategy with the Duhok region innovation strategy, if Duhok has an innovation strategy. The theoretical description that follows in this chapter is based mainly on secondary data in the form of scientific papers and books in the areas mentioned above. Great emphasis has been placed on the source-critical criteria mentioned in chapter two in both the selection and review. Method: This second chapter provides a detailed description of the approach used in the study. Selection of the research approach and perspective on the interpretation and analysis, and it will give the reader an understanding of the study process. Empirical Result: In the empirical chapter, the researcher has transcribed the interviews and made it clear they were interviewed response and summarized the text out of them replies received from persons interviewed. Analysis: The researcher will analyze what he thinks is the most important for the research. The analysis chapter is an important chapter because of the result and the discussion. Discussion: In this chapter there would be discussion about regional innovation for Duhok region. In the Discussion chapter the researcher talks about implementation of innovation strategy with help from a model called The Strategy Planning (TSP) model. The creation of TSP and further researcher are also included in discussion chapter.

Purchasing is a function that has developed form a more clerical function to a function of strategic importance over the last 20 years. As a result of this development we have observed that many fi rms engage in supplier development activities as a part of their purchasing strategy. This thesis consists of four different essays describing various aspects of supplier development and an essay that summarise and connects the four essays as well as giving a broad introduction to the fi eld of research. Small and medium sized firms are of special interest when studying supplier or supply chain since they are important links in their supply chains but have fewer resources and therefore limited possibilities to develop by themselves. In the thesis three of the essays describe different ways in which this can be conducted. Positive benefits from supplier and supply chain development reported in the thesis are lower costs, shorter lead times, increased competence and an overall improved competitiveness.

The end of the Cold War was briefly followed by many indications and hopes that the salience of nuclear weapons in national security strategies was in decline. However, there was soon a growing realisation in policy-making and academic circles that although the Soviet Union had disintegrated, the nuclear threat had not gone away. During this period the concepts of a ‘Second Nuclear Age' and ‘New Terrorism' entered the rhetoric of the academic and policy-making strategic community. Central themes of both of these concepts were that nuclear issues persisted in the post-Cold War world, albeit in a new format, and that reliance on nuclear deterrence as a means of maintaining peace was increasingly hazardous and decreasingly effective. The orthodox negative hypotheses regarding (i) the continuing reliability of nuclear deterrence, and (ii) the management and deterrence of the threat of nuclear terrorism, can be challenged on a number of levels. Despite frequent claims to the contrary, nuclear deterrence has never been viewed as infallible and, since the 1949 Soviet atomic test, policymakers and strategic thinkers have consistently refined deterrence strategies to ensure their relevance with regards to evolving threats. Furthermore, closer examination of the various historical tensions from the first nuclear age demonstrates that the challenges of the second nuclear age, at both the state and non-state level, are not necessarily as unique as many analysts assumed. Examination of contemporary nuclear-related issues, not least the implications of horizontal nuclear proliferation, and a comparison against the Cold War historical record indicates that the concepts of the ‘Second Nuclear Age' and ‘New Terrorism' can be found wanting when measured against empirical evidence. Defence of, and over-reliance on these artificial intellectual constructs could result in a number of negative political consequences. Those stressing the uniqueness of the post-Cold War strategic environment also encourage policymakers to view the turbulence of current affairs as posing unique challenges that require entirely new approaches and modes of thinking. In doing so they are likely to iii underestimate the value and relevance of many similar Cold War experiences and lessons; the most important lesson being the enduring importance of nuclear weapons and the concomitant deterrence strategies designed to inhibit their physical use while fully utilising their physical presence.

This multi-site case study is really the story of three same-state community colleges (Bridge and Buffer Community College, Grants and Reserves Community College, and Crystal Ball Community College) two years after they suffered a potentially catastrophic 50% reduction in state allocations. This study examined their responses to those reductions and attempted to frame those responses according to existing research on strategic activity and strategic positioning. The theoretical framework used, referenced as a theoretical mesh, consisted of academic capitalism (Slaughter & Leslie, 1997; Slaughter & Rhoades, 2004), resource dependence theory (Pfeffer & Salancik, 1978), state relative autonomy perspective (Dougherty, 1994), and neo-institutional theory (DiMaggio & Powell, 1983). The synthesis of these theories facilitated the analysis of the findings of this study. This study identified three key phenomena: The Quartering of Community Colleges to conceptualize and organize the abundance of external pressures facing community colleges, Mandates to Neutralize to explain the importance of an aggressive and formal approach to neutralizing external pressures, and Embedded Community Colleges whose strategic positions are strengthened through a deliberate, committed approach to fostering close relationships with their local communities.