Thesis: M. Eng. in Logistics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2015. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 78-79). / Non-asset backed third-party logistics companies provide shippers access to a flexible source of capacity through transportation carrier spot market. The increased volatility in the trucking spot market rates is turning the 3PL businesses more risky and complex. To maximize profitability, a better understanding of the risk and the volatility patterns across the different geographies, time periods and other factors are investigated based on three years of real spot market data from a major 3PL company in US. Throughout this research we investigate the nature of trucking spot market volatility to allow truckload service providers to reduce their risk when setting long-term contracts. Using three different measures of volatility we are able to assess the company's risk profile and arise with insights to improve truckload service providers' business. / by Sriram Kishore Chittella and Marcos Machado Teixeira. / M. Eng. in Logistics

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2008. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 101-105). / With advanced autonomy, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operations will likely be conducted by single operators controlling multiple UAVs. As operator attention is divided across multiple supervisory tasks, there is a need to support the operator's awareness of the state of the tasks for safe and effective task management. This research explores enhancing audio cues of UAV interfaces for this futuristic control of multiple UAVs by a single operator. This thesis specifically assesses the value of continuous and discrete audio cues as indicators of course-deviations or late-arrivals to targets for UAV missions with single and multiple UAVs. In particular, this thesis addresses two questions: (1) when compared with discrete audio, does continuous audio better aid human supervision of UAV operations, and (2) is the effectiveness of the discrete or continuous audio support dependent on operator workload? An experiment was carried out on the Multiple Autonomous Unmanned Vehicle Experiment (MAUVE) test bed with 44 military participants. Specifically, two continuous audio alerts were mapped to two human supervisory tasks within MAUVE. These continuous alerts were tested against single beep discrete alerts. The results show that the use of the continuous audio alerts enhances a single operator's performance in monitoring single and multiple, semi-autonomous vehicles. The results also emphasize the necessity to properly integrate the continuous audio with other auditory alarms and visual representations in a display, as it is possible for discrete audio alerts to be masked by continuous audio, leaving operators reliant on the visual aspects of the display. / by Hudson D. Graham. / S.M.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2012. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 173-179). / When making technology choice decisions, firms must consider technology costs over time. In many industries, technology costs have been shown to decrease over time due to (a) improvements in production efficiency and the accumulation of worker experience accompanying production, known as "learning-by-doing," and (b) firm investments in research and development, worker training and other process improvement activities, known as "learning-by-investing." Rapid technological progress may mean that new technologies become available while existing technologies still exhibit learning-related cost reductions. In these cases, switching to a new technology means giving up these ongoing benefits while also incurring new technology introduction costs. Additionally, In some industries, high switching costs, regulatory compliance and/or the risks associated with new technologies may require firms to continue allocating production volume and investments to an existing technology whether or not a new technology is introduced. In these cases, firms must decide how to allocate finite production volume and investment resources between technologies. Learning is driven by resource allocation. Therefore, sharing finite resources among multiple learning technologies may reduce the learning-related benefits associated with each. This may lead firms to underestimate technology costs, leading to sub-optimal technology choice and resource allocation decisions. A methodology is presented which couples technology costs over time via capacity and investment resource allocation to characterize the impacts of (1) learning in an incumbent technology, and (2) resource allocation constraints, on technology choice and resource allocation decisions. Case studies in the semiconductor and automotive industries are examined using this method in combination with process based cost modeling. We find that (1) when the existing technology is still learning, diverting resources to a new technology results in an opportunity cost in both technologies which diminishes the benefits of switching technologies; (2) this effect can persist over a wide range of learning rates and technology costs; (3) capacity allocation constraints can significantly change the conditions under which the firm should choose a new technology, and (4) cumulative production volume and investment based learning differentially impact technology costs, leading to different cost-minimizing resource allocation decisions. / by Thomas Rand-Nash. / Ph.D.

Thesis (M. Eng. in Logistics)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references. / Various retailers like Wal-Mart, Target, and Albertsons have announced their mandates asking their top suppliers to become RFID enabled beginning 2005. Meeting the mandate has become a sort of cost of doing business with Wal-Mart for suppliers. The objective of this thesis is to look for ways of meeting the mandate and preventing it from just becoming a cost of doing business with Wal-Mart. The thesis explores the various options available to suppliers and identifies the cost and benefit associated with each option and develops an evaluation methodology for the various options. / by Kapil Dev Singh. / M.Eng.in Logistics

Thesis (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2013. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 191-198). / This thesis considers ways in which humanitarian organizations can evaluate their performance internally, signal their performance to others, and what this might mean for the humanitarian relief community as a whole. Part I demonstrates an approach by which humanitarian organizations can develop key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the performance of their logistics and supply chain activities, using a nonprofit specializing in the provision of medical relief as a case study. This thesis argues that a system of KPIs developed and analyzed by the organization can help improve operational performance, establish goals, and guide strategy. Part II then examines high-level organizational trends in the United States international relief sector, and questions whether contemporary literature on such trends find support in data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This thesis argues that the humanitarian "market" today exists in a newly competitive state defined by this paper as "response-leadership." The humanitarian sector thus mirrors concentrated for-profit markets that embody the price-leadership model. This thesis finally suggests governmental and institutional policies concerning performance measurement that, given the competitive nature of the humanitarian marketplace defined in Part II, may improve market mechanisms in this sector. / by Thomas Henry Marcil. / S.M.in Technology and Policy

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2012. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 273-293). / In the near term, efficiency improvements represent a key option for reducing the impacts of climate change. The growing awareness of climate change has increased the attention regarding the carbon emissions "embedded" in the products we consume. This increased attention creates a need to measure and improve the carbon efficiency of the supply chains that produce those goods. In this thesis we present a method for measuring the carbon efficiency of a supply chain that recognizes the decentralized nature of supply chains. First, drawing from concepts in supply chain performance measurement and eco-efficiency we propose a definition of supply chain carbon efficiency that is consistent with the idea of a product's carbon footprint. We present Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), a method for quantifying the environmental impact of a product or service, as the appropriate method of measuring a product's carbon footprint and demonstrate the use of LCA through a case study involving the supply chain of bananas. Next, we characterize the difficulty and uncertainty in performing an LCA of a supply chain through an analysis of our case study of bananas. We present a framework to reduce the uncertainty though the concept of a carbon label. The carbon label provides a system where firms can measure the carbon footprint of their activities and share this information with their supply chain partners. We identify the role of third parties in facilitating information sharing and define the characteristics that describe the carbon label. Finally, we demonstrate how the carbon label works in the context of the supply chain. Through an analysis of the mode and carrier assignment steps in an integrated supply chain we develop new metrics that show how sharing information can increase the accuracy of the measured carbon footprint and improve decision-making. We provide incentive for firms to share information through the development of a vertical differentiation model of product carbon labels. Our model shows how consumer demand for lower carbon products drives reductions in the carbon footprint throughout the supply chain and induces firms to voluntarily disclose their carbon footprint. / by Anthony J. Craig. / Ph.D.

Thesis (M. Eng. in Logistics)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2004. / "June 2004." / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 87-88). / While companies are looking for a single solution or a set of metrics that they can apply to measure their supply chain performance, it is clear that such a single solution does not exist. An effective supply chain performance measurement system has to align with a company's own supply chain processes. This thesis, based on the research of several established performance measurement models including the Balanced Scorecard and the SCOR Model, provides a framework for companies to build their supply chain performance measurement systems in-house. This thesis recommends a roadmap consisting of eight steps for companies to follow in the design and implementation phases of establishing a supply chain measurement system. The result is a set of 21 performance metrics is proposed that can be used by a company in the grocery retail industry to measure the efficiency of its supply chain. This metric set is well balanced because it encompasses six different criteria: comprehensive, causally oriented, vertically integrated, horizontally integrated, internally comparable, and useful. In conclusion, it is critical for companies from different industries to custom-tailor their own set of performance metrics, based on a careful evaluation of their individual business processes and supply chain performance objectives, that will allow management to do a better job utilizing existing capital resources and planning for strategic change and business development. / by Chih-Fen (Amy) Chou. / M.Eng.in Logistics

Thesis (M. Eng. in Logistics)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-85). / Predicting customer demand in the highly competitive grocery retail business has become extremely difficult, especially for promotional items. The difficulty in promotional forecasting has resulted from numerous internal and external factors that affect the demand patterns. It has also resulted from multiple levels of hierarchy that involve different groups in the organization as well as different methods and systems. Moreover, judgments from the forecasters are critical to the accuracy of the forecasts, while the value of tweaking the forecast results is yet to be determined. In this business, the forecasters generally have a high incentive to over-forecast in order to meet the corporate goal of maximizing customer satisfaction. The main objective of this thesis is to analyze the effectiveness of promotional forecasting, identify the factors contributing to forecast accuracy, and propose suggestions for improving forecasts. In light of this objective, we used WMPE and WMAPE as the measures of forecast accuracy, and conducted analysis of promotional forecast accuracy from different point of views. / (cont.) We also verified our results with regression analysis, which helped identify the significance of each forecasting attribute so as to support the promotion planning without compromising forecast accuracy. We suggest several approaches to improve forecast accuracy. First, to improve store forecasts, we recommend three models: the bias correction model, the adaptive bias correction model, and the regression model. Second, to improve replenishment forecasts, we propose a new model that combines the top-down and bottom-up approaches. Lastly, we suggest a framework for measuring accuracy that emphasizes the importance of comparing the accuracy of forecasts generated from systems and from judgments. / by Pakawkul Koottatep and Jinqian Li. / M.Eng.in Logistics

Thesis (M. Eng. in Logistics)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 131-135). / This thesis presents a roadmap for companies to follow as they manage multi-tiered suppliers in the high-tech industry. Our research covered a host of sources including interviews and publications from various companies, consulting companies, software companies, the computer industry, trade associations, and analyst firms among others. While our review found that many companies begin supplier relationship management after sourcing events, we show that managing suppliers should start as companies form their competitive strategy. Our five step roadmap provides a deliberate approach for companies as they build the foundation for effective and successful multi-tiered supplier relationship management. / by Charles E. Frantz and Jimin Lee. / M.Eng.in Logistics

Thesis (M. Eng. in Logistics)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 94-97). / Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) within the automotive industry is largely based on combining lean manufacturing with mandated supplier adoption of ISO 14001-compliant Environmental Management Systems (EMS). This approach evolved from automotive manufacturers seeking to expediently expand green practices within existing lean supply chains. However, a new automotive enterprise, without the legacy issues of an existing supply chain, has the opportunity to customize its supply chain from scratch, to comprehensively achieve both financial and green objectives. This thesis investigated a more holistic approach to creating a financially-viable green automotive supply chain for the MIT Vehicle Design Summit (VDS) - a start-up enterprise planning to enter the Indian emerging market with a new type of eco-friendly automobile. First, a hypothetical VDS supply chain was postulated by analyzing the contextual challenges of the Indian emerging economy, so as to optimize the location, supplier selection and manufacturing models within its business context. To ensure that the capital investments needed to fulfill the supply chain's green objectives do not compromise its primary purpose of value creation, a Triple Bottom Line technique called Environmental Cost Accounting was used as a managerial decision tool, which demonstrated the financial viability of GSCM for VDS. Next, green solutions for each supply chain function were identified for integration into the hypothetical supply chain. It was found that many important green solutions for an automotive supply chain like supplier selection, concurrent engineering, cascading of lean production best practices to the extended supply chain, fuel-efficient transport practices and green infrastructure design, have already been developed by various governmental and non-governmental agencies. / (cont.) Also, product recovery through End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) processing was identified as a vital green supply chain function required for closing the loop between sales and sourcing. The key issue was integrating these disparate solutions into a holistic environmental management framework for VDS to implement and sustain. This was accomplished using an IS014001-based EMS as the master plan. The developed EMS Manual is a pioneering document that leverages chain-wide participation in existing green initiatives like the Green Suppliers Network, SmartWay Transport Partnership and LEED Green Building Rating, to realize a green supply chain by ensuring continuous monitoring and improvement of the implemented initiatives. / by Gene Fisch, Jr. [and] Tien Song Paul Neo. / M.Eng.in Logistics