Thesis (M. Eng. in Logistics)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 45). / Delivering cable television to college and university campuses is maintained by a highly specialized industry which involves significant technological and logistical challenges. As campuses continue to contribute financial resources into improving their data networks, companies that provide campus cable services will need to offer services over data networks comparable to the existing services they offer over dedicated co-axial cable networks. This paper explores the business of providing cable services to university communities, describes the challenges these providers face and offers a glimpse into the future of IP-based desktop television. / by Paul K. Harmeling. / M.Eng.in Logistics

Thesis (M. Eng. in Logistics)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2010. / Vitae. Cataloged from student submitted PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 85-89). / In times of disaster, demand for goods and services in affected areas spikes. Private companies generally have contingencies in place for business continuity; however, most lack a strategic approach to join the general population's relief efforts. Why are some companies more effective within disaster relief supply chains than others? How can a company approach this area of opportunity? This thesis explores what a disaster is and how disaster management works; recognizing what stakeholders participate during disaster recovery efforts; and extrapolating best practices applied during past disasters by companies that have been deemed successful. Based on the strategies identified during our research, we came up with a framework of nine best practices and suggest how to apply it across a range of ten industries. / by Karn Budhiraj and Gabriel de la Torre Castro. / M.Eng.in Logistics

Thesis (M. Eng. in Logistics)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2011. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 92-93). / Various industries employ risk sharing contracts to manage the risks and volatility associated with commodity prices, inaccurate customer demand forecasts, or unpredictable events. For example commodity futures that enable hedging, vendor buy-back programs, and insurance policies are examples of risk sharing contracts. The volatility in the price of fuel in the latter part of the twentieth century to the present has required the various parties involved in the trucking industry to employ risk-sharing contracts as an addendum to payment for services in the form of fuel surcharges. Fuel surcharges are effective in the sense that their structure transfers risk of fuel price volatility from carrier to shipper, and that industry participants typically understand the implications and reasoning behind the fuel surcharges. That said, there is no universal industry standard, and current fuel surcharge schedules remain based off of legacy diesel fuel prices in the range of $1.10-1.50 per gallon. Through mathematical analysis of a large shipper's annual costs, interviews with large shippers that have recently made transformations in their fuel surcharge schedules, a survey that gathered the thoughts and opinions of approximately one hundred motor carrier representatives, and multiple interviews with motor carrier representatives, the authors conclude that the fuel surcharge system can be improved for industry-wide benefit. Transition to a zero trigger point-based fuel surcharge schedule, the use of a carefully selected escalator, and the use of the national Department of Energy (DOE) retail price of diesel will prevent underbidding on lanes, increase transparency, reduce administration, and further increase the resilience of the United States truckload (TL) industry. / by Madhavi Kanteti and Jordan T. Levine. / M.Eng.in Logistics

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2012. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 89-95). / China has embarked on a massive expansion of nuclear power that may fundamentally change the global nuclear industry, for better or for worse. Some industry observers argue that the incumbent nuclear power companies are already losing their position of leadership to emergent Chinese actors. Others argue that the growing Chinese nuclear power industry creates more opportunities for all. In this thesis, I discuss Chinese nuclear power development in relation to the global nuclear power industry. I argue that understanding three aspects of the development of China's nuclear industry help understand the opportunities and threats that come with it: (1) common practices of the global nuclear industry in regard to technology transfer and localization (2) different global trends towards deverticalization and integration and (3) idiosyncrasies of the Chinese manufacturing ecosystem that affect global nuclear power supply chains. I argue that Chinese and foreign companies, and policy makers, need to comprehend these principles well as they inform corporate and national strategies, affecting the present and future competitiveness of nuclear power industry actors globally. / by Florian Metzler. / S.M.

Thesis: M. Eng. in Logistics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2015. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 70-72). / Promotions involve a complicated interplay of factors and are a result of a synchronized sequence of activities between manufacturers and retailers. The outcome of promotions pivot on several elements beyond the control of any one party in the supply chain. 'How' a promotion performed has a more straight forward answer than 'Why' a promotion performed a certain way. This research attempts to define a quantitative methodology to measure performance of promotions and reveal insights to consumer product manufacturers and retailers that will help answer the 'How' and the 'Why' of promotions. The measures used are simple, but the combination of analysis creates a complex structure of many dimensions that reveals intricate insights into the functioning of the supply chain, the most important asset in executing promotions. We present to you a three dimensional framework termed the 'Promotion Performance Cuboid' with structural elements consisting of three foundational supply chain measures, inventory, stockouts, and performance of sales against target forecasts. The measures when viewed together through the Promotion Performance Cuboid, tell a revealing story of the underlying dynamics of promotions and the elements that actually control promotional become lucid. / by Asen Kalenderski and Satya Sanivarapu. / M. Eng. in Logistics

Thesis (M. Eng. in Logistics)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 73-75). / Globalization increases product variety and shortens product life cycles. These lead to an increase in demand uncertainty and variability. Outsourcing to low-cost countries increases supply lead-time and supply uncertainty and variability. Coupled with the increase of mergers and acquisitions, which increase supply chain complexity, and the unforgiving nature of having too little or too much inventory, these factors have accelerated the importance and adoption of the Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process. S&OP is driven by a cross functional team, with the purpose of balancing supply and demand with the objective of maximizing a company's goals. It manages the supply and demand uncertainties, balances the different internal and external stakeholders' interests, and aligns the operations towards its strategy and vision. In support of the Supply Chain 2020 Project at MIT, this thesis focuses on analyzing the S&OP function across industries. Using the Phase I SC 2020 theses, literature, white papers, and interviews with industry experts, this thesis compares and contrasts the S&OP practices across nine industries. / (cont.) It examines their best practices and underlying principles, as well as the macro factors that have shaped the practices for the last ten to fifteen years, as well as what is expected in the future. Companies with the "best" S&OP processes collaborate internally to balance sales and operations, and align all internal stakeholders' interests. Furthermore, they collaborate externally with suppliers and customers to reduce supply and demand uncertainties. They also understand and manage demand and supply uncertainties, and align their effort towards their goals. These companies synchronize operations and are agile to changing environments. / by Peng Kuan Tan. / M.Eng.in Logistics

Thesis (S.M. in Engineering and Management)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, System Design and Management Program, 2010. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 97-99). / Enterprise transformation is a dynamic process that builds upon and affects organizational processes. Organizational assessment plays critical role in planning and execution of enterprise transformation. It allows the assessment of an enterprise's current capabilities as well as for identification and prioritization of improvements needed to drive the enterprise transformation process. Despite the benefits that organizational assessment has to offer, many organizations fail to exploit them due to unfavorable organizational culture, unsatisfactory assessment processes or mismatch between assessment tool and broader transformation approach. This thesis focuses mainly on a model of organizational assessment and how it can be improved to better support enterprise transformation. We argue that the assessment process spans beyond performing the assessment itself. For the assessment to provide the expected benefit, organizations must first of all create an environment ensuring a clear understanding of the role assessment plays in the enterprise transformation process. To this end they must promote open and frequent discussion about the current state of the enterprise and future goals. The assessment process must be carefully planned to ensure it runs effectively and efficiently and that assessment results are accurate and reliable. Assessment results must be analyzed and turned into specific recommendations and action plans. At the same time, the assessment process itself must be evaluated and adjusted, if necessary, for the next assessment cycle. Based on literature review and case studies of five large aerospace companies, we recommend a five-phase assessment process model that includes mechanisms to change organizational behavior through pre-assessment phases. It also allows for adjustment of the assessment process itself based on the results and experience of participants so that it better suits the organization's needs and practices. / by Leyla Abdimomunova. / S.M.in Engineering and Management

Thesis (M. Eng. in Logistics)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2011. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 82-83). / Corporations are increasingly looking at ways to incorporate environmental sustainability initiatives into their businesses to lower operating costs and improve the value of their brands for customers that expect higher social responsibility from corporations. These environmental initiatives, often called "win-win" for their dual effect on long-term shareholder value, are easy to identify but often hard to incorporate into existing operations. One such initiative in the retail industry involves delivering products to customers in reusable plastic cartons, rather than corrugated cardboard. One of the largest challenges when designing and implementing this type of supply chain system is developing a reverse logistics strategy that ensures carton return by the consumers, whom the corporation must convince to participate in closing the logistics loop. This thesis analyzes a pilot program conducted by a consumer products company, referred to as the Sponsor, where reusable plastic cartons were used to deliver orders to one of their corporate customers. Process mapping, qualitative interviews, and data analysis were utilized to understand factors contributing to the unacceptably high rate of carton attrition. Using the results of this analysis, two new design tracks are proposed for the delivery of the Sponsor's products at MIT. One design relies on the current operating systems and structures to minimize investment by the Sponsor, while the other design is aimed at maximizing effort to optimize the system. The proposed programs consider both operational practicalities in the logistical design and communication and incentive efforts that are needed to drive consumer behavior to maximize carton return and lower attrition rates. We believe the recommended implementation of the maximized effort design will result in lower carton attrition, which will provide the necessary proof of concept for the Sponsor to roll the program out to additional customers. / by Erin Mulvey Connolly and Emily Keane. / M.Eng.in Logistics

Thesis: M. Eng. in Logistics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2015. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 50-52). / Natural disasters such as the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit Japan in 2011 can have catastrophic effects on businesses. This type of unexpected event can cause millions of dollars in damages, lost sales and can impact company stock performance. With 39% of supply disruptions occurring at indirect suppliers, companies can no longer ignore their supply networks when determining supply chain risk. Unlike measuring risk within a single company, measuring the risk of a network requires collaboration amongst all players. This research aims to mitigate the complexity of data collection through the understanding of the factors that influence supply chain risk data collection. Factors vary throughout different players in the networks. Internally, supply chain transparency must be indoctrinated in the culture of the executing company. Necessary parties must be well informed and incentivized to take part in this labor intensive exercise. By indoctrinating transparency into the culture, companies legitimize this initiative to both employees and suppliers. Through a series of conversations held with suppliers, the research conducted in this thesis identifies the internal and external factors that determine success in supply chain risk data collection. Keywords: Supply chain risk management, supply chain transparency, data collection, vendor collaboration. / by Stephanie Ann Buscher and Angel Poyato Ayuso. / M. Eng. in Logistics

Thesis (Ph. D. in Technology, Management, and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2013. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 280-302). / A critical element of the challenges and opportunities for today's large engineering projects are associated with the multi-type and networked relationships between these projects and their various stakeholders. This dissertation advances a multidisciplinary approach-Stakeholder Value Network (SVN) analysis-as a unique lens to examine, understand, model, and manage these stakeholder relationships. The SVN approach, based on the Social Exchange Theory (SET), unifies both social and economic relationships into a common framework, under which all the stakeholder relationships are formed by the use of subjective utility analysis and the comparison of alternatives. Next, restricted and generalized exchanges are identified as two basic patterns for stakeholders to exchange both tangible and intangible value, and from this, the missing links between relationship types and exchange patterns are also discovered. In the end, the network implications, such as stakeholder importance or salience, are inferred as the outcome of both value exchanges and the structural properties of the network consisting of stakeholders and their exchange relationships. According to the above theoretically grounded assumptions, a four-step methodological framework (viz., Mapping, Quantifying, Searching, and Analyzing) is developed for the SVN analysis. As part of this development, a network utility model is built to quantify the value delivered to the focal organization (viz., the large engineering projects) through the channel of generalized exchanges. Meanwhile, the benefits from as well as a feasible way for the integration of stakeholders and strategic issues are explored under the SVN framework. In addition, for the purpose of reducing the egocentric bias associated with the pre-selection of a focal organization, the four-step framework is further developed to interpret the implications of the SVN from the perspective of the whole network. The computational challenges arising from this new development are met by the construction of a dedicated mathematical tool for the SVN analysis, namely, the Dependency Structure Matrix (DSM) modeling platform. Corresponding to the two-stage development of the methodological framework, two large real-world engineering projects are studied respectively: The first one, Project Phoenix, is a retrospective case and applies the SVN analysis from the focal organization perspective. Based on this case study, the descriptive accuracy of the SVN analysis is validated, through a comparison of important stakeholders derived from Mangers' Mental Model, the "Hub-and-Spoke" Model, and the SVN Model. Specifically, it is found that Managers' Mental Model is similar to the "Hub-and-Spoke" Model, and both models miss the Public Media and the Local Governments as important stakeholders at the beginning of the project. On the contrary, even with only prior information, the SVN Model identifies the importance of these two stakeholders by capturing the impacts of indirect stakeholder relationships as generalized exchanges. The reasons why generalized exchanges matter for today's large engineering projects are further examined from psychological, sociological, economic, and managerial aspects. The second one, China's Energy Conservation Campaign, is a prospective case and applies the SVN analysis from the whole network perspective. In this case study, five basic principles are first proposed for modeling the intraorganizational hierarchies of large and important stakeholders, and then these principles are tested as an effective means to manage the structural complexity of the SVN in the modeling process. During this process, the instrumental power of the SVN analysis is demonstrated. The SVN approach becomes complete with the above theory, methodology, tool, and meaningful findings from two representative case studies. At the end of this dissertation, two conceptual innovations are conceived to bridge the gap between the SVN analysis and systems architecting, and the theoretical, methodological, as well as empirical directions of future research on the SVN approach are also discussed. / by Wen Feng. / Ph.D.in Technology, Management, and Policy