Thesis (S.M.M.O.T.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Management of Technology Program, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 75). / The recent progress of the 3G technology and the up-coming 3G mobile telecommunication market environment of Korea were reviewed. On the basis of this knowledge, a simple system dynamics model was constructed. From the analysis of previous Korean mobile plethora, the model found that the network effect was the most important factor for the diffusion of mobile service in Korea. To investigate the competition on of 2G and 3G businesses, a more complicated model was designed. After its results, the initial large number of service contents of 3G will be helpful for expanding its market share for a short term, and the degree of technology performance and social demand is more helpful for a long term business. The model says the success of 30 businesses is quite dependent on how to quickly and effectively switch 2G subscribers into 3G subscribers. To do that just early entree to the market is not going to make a difference from 2G services. The 3G service providers have to decide whether it is right time to start the business by considering the technology performance differentiation from existing technology and the social need for bandwidth simultaneously. / by Jae Hwang Yi. / S.M.M.O.T.

Thesis (S.M.M.O.T.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Management of Technology Program, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 120-121). / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Developed countries are increasingly using information technology to access and deliver information across all the organizations that comprise the government. Argentina is in the first stages of adopting Internet technology for the government. This thesis proposes that Argentina's e-government construction can be optimized if a good foundation for systems connectivity is put in place first. The author argues that the current time lag in the construction of Argentina's e-Government can be used in a positive way if experience from more developed countries is used. Chapter 1 provides a strategy for building e-Government in Argentina using standardization and connectivity. In Chapter 2, a theoretical analysis about the economics of systems integration is presented. In Chapter 3 the importance of standardization and specially the use of XML are outlined. Chapter 4 develops the basis of IT infrastructure and its importance to enable e- Government. Chapter 5 evaluates the current state of e-Government in three developed countries. Chapter 6 and 7 provide a potential framework for building the e-Government in Argentina based in the ideas of the previous chapters. The author has found that developed countries are defining standard connectivity based on XML and that they are in the process of becoming a full e-government by 2005. At the same time Argentina is lacking a coherent plan to enable the creation of the e-Government in the near future. Finally, the thesis proposes the standardization of systems interfaces using XML and the definition of standard XML data schemes to facilitate connectivity. At the same time the thesis encourages building an IT infrastructure and the use of standard applications to gain efficiency and lower the cost of e-Government. / by Emilio José Pellet-Lastra. / S.M.M.O.T.

Thesis (S.M.M.O.T.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Management of Technology Program, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 60-62). / This thesis analyses the historical development and deregulation of the U.S. Electrical Power Industry and its impact on the structure of Transmission System. The results of introducing competition in generation and creating wholesale market for electricity are evaluated. The problems in the U.S. Electrical Transmission System are identified; existing pricing models and investment mechanisms are evaluated. Positive and negative outputs are described and analyzed - including existing problems in the transmission system and different pricing models and their effect on investment in transmission system. The importance of regulatory factors is evaluated, the limitations and advantages of pricing models are described and investment mechanism is chosen. Possible perspectives of the development of Transmission System are analyzed from technical and economical perspectives. Based on evaluation of existing financial tools and current problems in operating of the GRID, optimal structure and investment solutions for Transmission System are proposed. / by Alexander Okunev. / S.M.M.O.T.

Thesis (S.M.M.O.T.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Management of Technology Program, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-75). / This thesis is an investigation of the strategic impact of Web Services on the firm. A literature review was conducted to gain a broad understanding of the research previously done on various related subjects. The core of this thesis is focused on looking at Web Services using time-tested, generally-accepted strategic management frameworks in order to better understand the true potential impact of Web Services. Utilizing in-depth interviews with industry leaders, comprehensive knowledge of Web Services technology, and seminal academic research where appropriate, the author has attempted to derive the strategic implications of Web Services over a three- to five-year horizon. / by William T. Shelton, Jr. / S.M.M.O.T.

Thesis (S.M.M.O.T.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Management of Technology Program, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 110-113). / The Colombian government is working on solutions to widen the coverage of higher education which is currently around 21%. One of the solutions to handle this major problem in rural and remote areas, but also in some towns and cities where there is either not enough capacity in the current traditional higher institutions, or its quality is poor, or there is little to no supply is Virtual Education. The current stage of higher distance education in Colombia is characterized by a fragmented supply with weaknesses in defining and adopting a pedagogical model, the use of technology capabilities, the organizational structure to support virtual education, and the planning and quality assurance processes. Institutions offering distance services have opportunities for improvement and innovative developments but they lack the necessary resources. Based on this diagnosis, our challenge in coverage of higher education, and the elements identified from seven international experiences studied, a Virtual University is proposed with the purpose of being an 'Open and distance learning university' with "open" meaning access to everybody and "distance" including the appropriate technologies and pedagogical models to offer distance education. The Virtual University is set up primarily to serve young students and adults from the lowest income levels who have finished their high school education. Three alternatives are described to implement the virtual university: i) a new centralized and autonomous organization, ii) a network of universities under an umbrella of a Virtual University, and iii) free competition among institutions. Finally, the role of the Ministry of Education in higher distance education is developed. The Ministry plays the roles of policy maker, accreditation / (cont.) and funding in distance higher education and a leading role in helping in the development of a market of good quality distance programs and creating the conditions for the demand to get access to the new offering. In addition, the Ministry should strengthen institutions to face properly distance education and create the mechanisms for cooperation with international governments and organizations. / Luz Stella Garcia. / S.M.M.O.T.

Thesis (S.M.M.O.T.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Management of Technology Program, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-87). / The purpose of this thesis is to provide a new and practical framework for corporate social responsibility analysis. The increasing importance that this subject is acquiring in our current society can be observed from many perspectives. First, changes have been introduced in corporate governance in the last few years. Second, the number of courses related with social issues in the most important business schools and finally, the increase amount of scientific papers related to this topic. At the same time, being able to have a quick snapshot of the possible issues that any company can face in this subject can be extremely useful. The different stakeholders and the complex relationships and trade-offs are analyzed in this thesis. / by Benjamin Estevez. / S.M.M.O.T.

Thesis (S.M.M.O.T.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Management of Technology Program, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 49-50). / To examine today's state of developing nation real estate markets is to gain insight into the evolutionary process of a new market in today's world. Real estate represents a considerable percentage of the wealth of individual nations. As a tradable asset capable of providing leveraged financing, or as the property behind mortgage backed securities, real estate can be worth far more than its face value. For the citizens of developing nations, open real estate markets bring increasing social and financial stability. Nonetheless, to the detriment of the developing world, the power of tradable real estate in developing nations remains largely untapped. Real estate markets are not widely open or functional. For the investor, the volatile and growing economies of developing nations represent opportunities for returns and portfolio diversification. Real estate markets in these regions are in the process of transforming in a way that will render them as easily accessible as domestic real estate or securities traded on foreign exchanges. The evolution of this market takes place on several independent but essential fronts including the public, private, and multi-national organizations as well as individual and institutional investors. Based on current literature research, a series of interviews, and a survey of organizations in the field, this paper documents the major issues involved with the evolution of this market, establishes a framework for evaluating progress, and places participating organizations within that framework. This analysis makes it possible to make an assessment of the current and future state of real estate markets on a global basis as well as in individual countries. / by Kevin Knai Chester. / S.M.M.O.T.

Thesis (S.M.M.O.T.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Management of Technology Program, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-66). / A major element of mobile multimedia, telematics is the convergence of telecommunication and information technology which provides various services to and from the vehicle or mobile communication devices. Telematics is also a new technology which accelerates the rate of technological evolution in the automotive electronics industry. Similar to the United States and Europe, Japan is one of the nations which have advanced automotive technologies. Japanese telematics, however, doesn't have a long history. On the other hand, Japan has unique business circumstances such as highly developed mobile communication technology and contents business. The purpose of this study is to unlock the industrial structure and dynamics of the telematics industry in Japan. In addition, providing indications for building business strategies for telematics players such as automakers, auto suppliers and other industries is another objective. According to the "clockspeed" analysis, telematics clockspeed is much faster than that of automobiles. This situation creates a boundary called clockspeed collision between these two industries. Clockspeed collision will increase market pressure on automakers to provide updated electronic features and to reduce exposure of obsolescence. Clockspeed collision will also significantly affect the business strategies that each player involved in the telematics industry must consider. Value chain analysis illustrates that the telematics industry has a horizontally disintegrated structure. Also the fact that automakers have advantages in the industry is presented. In such situation, the "business double helix" explains that automakers' advantages will be unstable in the future. Namely, the supplier sector in the industry will have significant / (cont.) power. My research shows that telematics industry has already started to move toward a much more vertically integrated structure. These analyses lead to conclusions that each player in the telematics industry must recognize a principle of temporary advantage and that the automotive industry is moving from automobile production to maximizing customer's LTV (Life Time Value). / by Norihito Shimizu. / S.M.M.O.T.

Thesis (S.M.M.O.T.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Management of Technology Program, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 85-89). / This thesis examines the relationship between the semiconductor industry and venture capital ("VC") industry in China and Taiwan. Taiwan has established an impressive semiconductor industry by encouraging high technology investment for the past two decades; on the other hand, Mainland China is currently emerging as a new and strong entrant with a huge domestic market and resourceful human capital as its support. In the past few years, most of the Taiwanese and Chinese companies were funded by the VC industry that fueled their expansion. Lots of successful investments were made and enormous profits were realized. Nevertheless, the industry environment remains very capital intensive and technology can be easily disrupted by new generations of wafer fabs, making intelligent investments in the semiconductor industry is unpredictable. From the perspective of the VC firms, this thesis first provides a general description of the semiconductor industry, its historical development, the current state of Taiwanese IC Design Industry and a Porter's analysis of the industry outlook. By interviewing the venture capitalists in the Asia-Pacific region, the thesis analyzes what decision factors VC firms must consider in investing in the semiconductor industry in China Lastly, the thesis analyzes which characteristics of the Semiconductor Industry/IC Design sector affect how VC firms invest, how the investment process differs when investing in a semiconductor case and how different members of the VC team affect the investment process. By comparing between a generalist VC and a specialist VC, this thesis seeks to determine which firm has a long-term competitive advantage. / by George Kuo-Liang Hsieh. / S.M.M.O.T.

Thesis (S.M.M.O.T.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Management of Technology Program, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-88). / This thesis explores the potential application of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology as an AIDC (Automatic Identification and Data Capture) mechanism in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry. MIT's Auto-ID Center is coordinating a consortium of CPG industry players, channel partners. RFID technology vendors, and consulting firms to encourage the widespread adoption of this technology through collaboration and shared development. Unilever Home and Personal Care, North American Division, is a sponsor and active participant in Auto-ID field tests. In an industry characterized by intense rivalry and formidable buyer power, Unilever HPC recognizes that cost savings enablers are key to survival. Additionally, the information transparency available through the RFID hardware and software infrastructure could mitigate the bullwhip effect, reducing inventory and improving on-shelf availability rates throughout the entire supply chain. Since this technology is still in the ferment stage of its AIDC lifecycle, Unilever and other industry players are unclear about the value creation and capture potential of RFID. This thesis attempts to highlight potential implementation benefits and challenges to enable more informed decisions. Additionally, it discusses how Unilever can leverage the dramatic improvement in information flow to drive paradigmatic change in its supply chain, providing a clear competitive advantage in the CPG industry. / by Jennifer Pararas-Carayannis. / S.M.M.O.T.