Thesis: M.B.A., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, in conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT, May, 2020 / Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, in conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT, May, 2020 / Cataloged from the official PDF of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 61-62). / The Cell Line Development group at Amgen is responsible for manufacturing and optimizing the cell lines utilized in production of Amgen's biologic drug portfolio. Traditionally, these cell lines are produced from mammalian host organisms, primarily Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells, due to their unique ability to secrete human-like glycosylated proteins. The CHO platform has undergone significant optimization throughout the industry over the past 30 years, however, productivity and efficiency improvements are now becoming harder to realize. Alternative hosts offer a unique opportunity to drive significant cost of goods improvements throughout the biologic drug manufacturing process. Microbial hosts benefit from low genomic complexity, fast doubling times, and can grow to high cell densities in low-cost media. The yeast strain, Pichia pastoris, combines these advantages with the ability to secrete glycosylated products at equivalent product quality levels as CHO-based processes. / The Alternative Host Consortium, an MIT-industry partnership, is focused on the advancement of Pichia and other alternative hosts to eventually drive broader commercial utilization and help curb the rising cost of biologic medicines. This project aimed to quantify the strategic advantage of the Pichia host in Amgen's pipeline, and determine when, why and how such a product would be manufactured. The first segment of the work presented here includes various bioprocess development experiments performed to establish proof-of-concept protein production data in Pichia. The results show successful production of two relatively simple proteins at concentrations similar to existing published results. Additionally, chemically defined media and controlled fed-batch fermentation experiments were run to better mimic manufacturing scale operations. The second segment of the project focused on quantifying the strategic cost advantage of the Pichia platform compared with CHO. / The business case analysis centered on potential raw material and plant time savings to determine the critical Pichia process features required to be cost competitive. / by Ellen Coleman. / M.B.A. / S.M. / M.B.A. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management / S.M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Thesis: M.B.A., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, in conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT, May, 2020 / Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, in conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT, May, 2020 / "May 2020." Cataloged from the official PDF of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 131-135). / Reverse engineering has the potential to be a strategic advantage for many engineering companies. As companies continuously look for new ways to improve their business and technical expertise, reverse engineering facilitates detailed knowledge capture for many possible applications. These applications open new channels of revenue, create more options in the market, and drive value to customers. Although reverse engineering is nothing new to industry and has been actively researched, this thesis seeks to understand the key enablers that promote successful reverse engineering at scale in a modern corporation. Given that many large firms are set up with the forward engineering process in mind, what are the differentiated characteristics of an effective reverse engineering organization? By treating reverse engineering as a system of interconnected dependent events, an organization can be shaped to build a workflow with the necessary linkages for successful execution and scaling. / This "pull" more than "push" process that establishes clear communication between functions is key to preventing rework, shortening flow time, and increasing quality. Reverse engineering, like traditional forward engineering, must be organized as an integrated multifunctional process with organized information sharing, compromise, and iteration. Additionally, the teardown process itself is a central piece of the puzzle for successful reverse engineering. This is due to the multiple strategic linkages associated and interconnectedness required by key stakeholders for understanding the investigated component. A teardown is defined as an observant disassembly of a component for information gain. This thesis focuses more deeply into the teardown process. By showcasing challenges that lead to common errors, teardown process recommendations are made for a more efficient way to reverse engineer. / A lack of early stakeholder engagement prior to teardown frequently leads to inefficient knowledge sharing. More active stakeholder participation is recommended to improve the overall quality of teardown reports and serve as an additional opportunity to discover a component's hidden complexities. It is also recommended that formal design tools, such as functional analysis, be utilized for truly understanding a component's physical behavior. Implementing these recommendations and tools will increase the efficiency and output quality of reverse engineering teams, reducing rework. / by Casey Alex Boyle. / M.B.A. / S.M. / M.B.A. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management / S.M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Thesis: M.B.A., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, in conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT, May, 2020 / Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, in conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT, May, 2020 / Cataloged from the official PDF of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 65-67). / The use of wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) as fabrication method for Iron-Nickel 36 (Invar36) alloy aerospace tooling is a growing area of interest for many tooling companies and composite aircraft manufacturers. However, the full adoption and utilization of WAAM techniques is hindered due to lack of industry experience and end-part quality precedent. For some tool makers, the feasibility of utilizing additively manufactured Invar components is still under investigation because key material characteristics of end-parts are not well understood. Further, the impact of implementing additive manufacturing on a manufacturer's internal operations is not widely documented. While much academic research has been conducted on WAAM technologies, Invar, and change management for new technology introductions, much of the available literature does not provide the specificity needed to supplant an aerospace toolmakers' need for hands-on experience. This research will investigate both the technical feasibility of using WAAM Invar components (with respect to end-part quality and performance) in aerospace tool fabrication, as well as the organizational feasibility and impact of adopting the technology. This thesis will describe the series of testing completed to evaluate WAAM Invar in the context of an aerospace toolmaker and will outline some of the key organizational impacts that must be acknowledged for adoption of additive manufacturing within an aerospace tool making company. Because of this research, we hope to demonstrate the viability of utilizing WAAM Invar for aerospace tooling applications. / by Jeffrey B. Chu. / M.B.A. / S.M. / M.B.A. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management / S.M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering

In this study, I was investigating the role of student leadership played in institutional transformation at the University of Pretoria (UP). In order to contribute to understanding, student leadership role played in institutional transformation at UP and also student leaders understanding of transformation following the #FeesMustFall protests. Hence much research focused on conflict, disruption, violence and closure of universities related to the #FeesMustFall; there are comparatively fewer studies about the role played by the student leadership in institutional transformation at universities. The study researched how student leaders’ voices and agency have been represented in the institutional transformation initiatives. A qualitative case study method was used, based on content analysis of transformation documents from social media and transformation and policy documents available at the UP portal. The documents revealed that the student leaders played important roles and negotiated with the university management and the government about tuition fees and demands for free education, as well as about the change of the language policy; the renaming of the university buildings, and balancing quotas to reflect the SA demographic at the university. Also discussed were the transformation of the curriculum and the institutional and residence culture. Student leaders played a significant role in drafting a policy for the renaming of university buildings and in drafting the four drivers for the proposed curriculum changes at UP and the self-reflection questions for faculties to interrogate their curricula. The documents reveal that, in response to these demands, there was a 0% increase at South African universities in 2016 for all of the tuition fees and full funding of education for poor students for the following three years was announced. The management changed the language of instruction policy as demanded. The Client Services Centre (CSC) was renamed to the Student Services Centre (SSC) while new buildings are now named after South African heroes. Most significantly, of the more than fifty thousand students now accommodated at the University, the majority are female and black and many black students are now accommodated in residences. Management also decided to integrate both Indigenous and Eurocentric knowledge in the curricula and eliminate all legacy systems leading to racial segregation at UP. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Education Management and Policy Studies / MEd / Unrestricted

The advent of democracy opened learning opportunities for all students and racial segregation no longer characterizes institutions of higher learning in South Africa. The racially diverse student body confronts universities with the challenge of racial tension amongst students as well as staff. Recent protest movements such as #Rhodesmustfall and #FeesMustFall have highlighted uneasy race relations in South African universities. Although such incidents are crucial, equally important are the everyday realities of race relations that continue to define the lives of students in these institutions. The purpose of this study was to provide an in-depth understanding of student leaders‟ experiences of race relations at a South African university. A qualitative research approach was adopted to shed light on these experiences. Purposeful sampling was employed to recruit six student leaders of various races. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants. The analysis of the interview material revealed that the history of South Africa as a racially segregated, unequal society affects race relations. Racial discrimination and distrust hamper racial integration in the student body and external factors such as politics also affect student leaders‟ experiences of race relations. Even though friendships afford opportunities for good race relations, they are largely class dependent. It is recommended that the university invest into personnel diversity training and the creation of platforms for intercultural and interracial exchanges within the university. / Dissertation (MA (Research Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Psychology / MA (Research Psychology) / Unrestricted

The transfer of power to African leaders, at the end of the colonial era gave birth to authoritarian regimes. African Nationalist leaders liberated the continent from the chains of colonialism and bound it in the stone walls of authoritarianism and dictatorship. This is because Africa inherited institutions that were meant to be oppressive of the colonised peoples. These institutions had no room for political pluralism, public participation, free speech, a free press, and free movement among other fundamental rights and freedoms that allow for democratic governance to flourish. Without undergoing major transformations, African governments remained a product of their colonial heritage naturally becoming totalitarian, oppressive and undemocratic. / Thesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa)) -- University of Pretoria, 2010. / A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Law University of Pretoria, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Masters of Law (LLM in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa). Prepared under the supervision of Dr. Girmachew Aneme of the Faculty of Law, University of Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia. 2010. / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/ / Centre for Human Rights / LLM

This inquiry was prompted by the resurgence of the phenomenon of coups in Africa in the recent past. The most recent wave of coups has brought the phenomenon under the scrutiny of continental and international bodies. Unlike in the first three decades after independence, which were characterized by inaction and indifference in the face of coups, in recent times African leaders are determined to stem the tide of coups through an unprecedented set of continental and sub-regional norms and collective action. The mini-thesis analyses traditional, and modern security paradigms, as well as comparative politics in order to understand and situate African coups. It argues that the African coup oscillates between the realist, organizational and praetorian paradigms of civil-military relations. Unlike its predecessor, the moribund Organisaton of African Unity (OAU), the African Union (AU) through normative instruments has demonstrated greater enthusiasm not only in reversing the coup tide, but more fundamentally in entrenching a culture of democracy and good governance. Its pronouncements and active engagement in coup-affected countries have been consistent, unambiguous and forthright. In conclusion, the mini-thesis identifies and assesses a myriad of factors at state and regional levels, as well the interests of foreign actors which have over the years conspired to limit the ability of continental bodies to deal effectively with unconstitutional changes of government. These factors, which are largely located at state level, at the core of which is the nature and form of the African state, need to be addressed first in order to rid the continent of the coup contagion. / Dissertation (MDiplomatic Studies)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Political Sciences / unrestricted

Intergenerational influence is the transmission of information and beliefs from one family generation to the next. Intergenerational influence is at work whenever older generation seek advice from younger generation, or vice versa. The study investigated the influence of young opinion leaders on older generation regarding mobile internet usage.The study followed a convenience research design. A total of 597 online questionnaires were sent to Nedbank Group Technology employees aged over 44 via email. A total of 66 complete, complete, usable, online questionnaires were completed. The key finding was that young opinion leaders are likely to positively influence older generation regarding mobile internet usage. The finding is consistent with previous studies. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

DAdmin / Department of Public and Development Administration / This study focussed on the roles of traditional leaders in the promotion of Local Economic Development (LED). This study focused on Limpopo Province but for this study, the research study was conducted in Vhembe District which consists of four (04) local municipalities which are Makhado, Thulamela, Musina and Collins Chabane local municipalities under Limpopo Province. Chiefs as traditional leaders are expected to play an active role in local development, on the day-to-day administration of their areas and the lives of people in their jurisdiction. One of the roles of traditional leaders is to promote socio-economic development and service delivery. The new government is trying to bring economic development to all areas, especially rural areas which were left out in the previous regime. The researcher chose a mixed research method in which both quantitative and qualitative research approaches were used. The reason for using a mixed research method is because it can be integrated in such a way that qualitative and quantitative methods retain their original structures and procedures. A qualitative approach is applicable in this study, because it allows openness to ideas, experiences, opinions, feelings and perceptions expressed by the research participants to the researcher. The researcher also applied a quantitative study for which would enable him to get results from many respondents. The researcher used a field research study as a research design. For this study, the researcher used a non-probability sampling and its subtype purposive sampling method to select the respondents for this study. The researcher chose purposive sampling method which is based entirely on the judgment of the researcher regarding the characteristics of the participants. Two data collection instruments were used, namely; research questionnaire and interview. The reason for selecting structured questionnaire and open-ended interview schedule is because the researcher wants to get relevant information about the study. Two methods of data analysis were used, namely descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The findings of the research study were:  The study findings revealed that majority of the respondents at 155 (74.3%) agreed that traditional leaders participate in approving Local Economic Development (LED) initiatives/projetcs. The study further affirms that most of the respondents at 178 which constitute 84.8% confirm that traditional leaders influence community members to participate in economic development projects in their communities.  Majority of the respondents at 147 (70.0%) agreed that traditional leaders are effective instruments to initiate LED and the researcher discovered that participation by traditional leaders promotes community development. vi  The findings revealed that there is a lack of co-operation between the traditional leaders and the municipalities. Poor working relationship between traditional leaders and the municipalities was revealed that it hampers the implementation of economic development projects in the municipality.  The study findings revealed that the LED in the municipality fails to create job opportunities and these result to an increase in crime rate. The study findings also revealed that poor planning, communication break-down; lack of common interest; poor management by the municipalities exacerbate the challenges facing traditional leaders in the implementation of local economic development.  The study findings revealed that traditional leaders lack knowledge, skills, capacity and resources in orders to promote LED. The study also discovered that due to the educational level of traditional leaders, it makes it difficult for them to understand the concepts and developmental projects.  The study findings discovered that traditional leaders only get involved in policy-making for IDP programmes wherein community stakeholders participate by providing the development projects that they require in the areas.  The researcher found that the role of traditional leaders in the promotion of LED is minimal because the only role of traditional leaders in the promotion of LED is mainly the allocation of land for LED projects. The recommendations of the research study are:  The researcher recommends that traditional leaders should actively participate in the decision-making to the implementation of LED. There is a greater need to ensure that the traditional leaders are made aware about the concept − LED. Traditional leaders should influence community members to participate in economic development projects. Traditional leaders should encourage community members to actively participate in economic development projects.  The study found that traditional leaders have development skills to benefit the community’s future and the researcher recommends that traditional leaders should be granted an opportunity on LED projects, as they are having development skills that can benefit the community. If traditional leaders are given a chance to participate in decision-making processes regarding issues that relate to and affect them, they will become part of the initiatives and this sense of ownership will encourage them to participate fully in the LED. vii  It is recommended that the culture of consultation and communication between traditional leaders and the municipalities should be promoted to enhance a good working relationship. Good working relationship between the traditional leaders and municipal councillors should be encouraged as it is very critical in enhancing the provision of services in the communities. The municipalities should improve their systems of communication to promote effective involvement of traditional leaders in LED. It is suggested that openness between community structures and the municipality should be encouraged.  The researcher recommends that the municipalities should provide enough budget to improve the implementation of LED in order to bring the communities and the government together in working towards the improvements of the LED projects. The findings suggested that in order for the municipalities to implement LED projects there should have well trained personnel and enough funding and be in a position to attract investors in order to implement the LED projects accordingly.  Supporting traditional leaders with training will enhance good governance, performance and accountability. The institution of traditional leaders should be trained about economic development as most of the respondents asserted that training on economic development is not given to traditional leaders. The researcher recommends that traditional leaders should be trained on economic development activities, as training is one form of communication which promotes the realisation of improved development. The researcher recommends that there should be a school that will educate traditional leaders to gain knowledge and skills which will result in a better community development.  It was stated that the municipality should involve traditional leaders in LED by clearly adding and stipulating out the roles of traditional leaders in the promotion of LED. The researcher recommends that the municipalities should involve the traditional leaders in LED as it encourages community ownership. The researcher recommends that LED meetings should be done regularly to give traditional leaders a better understanding of what is LED and what the municipalities is doing concerning job creation, eradication of poverty and other municipal matters.  The findings suggested that the traditional leader should be part of the LED by playing a meaningful role in the decision-making body (formulation stage) to implementation and have a voice in the LED council. / NRF

Thesis: M.B.A., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2019, In conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT / Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2019, In conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (page 69). / SHAPE Technologies is the world leader in ultra high pressure industrial waterjet systems for cutting and cleaning with applications from metal to food. Although SHAPE is the technological leader in this space, SHAPE must continuously look toward developing new capabilities to differentiate its products. SHAPE has historically outfitted its machines with a suite of sensors, however these systems in the field do not store the data, thereby losing the time series relationships and historical log of machine health. One opportunity is to create a connected platform that leverages this data to help SHAPE's customers move away from a break fix model to a predictive maintenance program. This project seeks to expand on a sensor connectivity proof of concept ("POC"), which the team successfully built on a prototype grade Raspberry Pi, and make the platform ready for customer beta trial. First, this project explores important infrastructure, legal, and supply chain challenges that impact the commercial business when connecting industrial equipment to the internet as well as the technological considerations to make the platform both backwards and forwards compatible. Second, this project helps define the minimum viable product requirements for industrial infrastructure and devices configuration. Third, this project merges the POC captured data and lab data to train and validate supervised machine learning models to predict failures several days in advance and demonstrates how such a system can help customers mitigate unplanned downtime. / by Jessica Madison Wu. / M.B.A. / S.M. / M.B.A. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management / S.M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering