Thesis (S.M.M.O.T.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Management of Technology Program, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 44-45). / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / In the technology centric businesses disruptive technologies displace incumbents time and again, sometimes to the extent that incumbents go bankrupt. In this thesis we would address the issue of what strategies are essential to prepare for and to manage disruptions for the affected businesses and industries. Specifically we will look at grid computing that is poised to disrupt (1) certain Enterprise IT departments, and (2) the software industry in the high-performance and web services space. In this thesis, we will present an analysis for addressing this disruption on a segment by segment basis across the distributed computing and application software value chain. / by Vidyadhar Phalke. / 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 146-148). / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Problems are occurring in the digital business economy as companies try to realize a tangible profit. As network infrastructures improve, the value of information becomes less and less since marginal costs for digital goods is practically zero and searching the cost of goods is also extremely low. How, then, can the media industry remain profitable in the digital business economy? One way to retain the value of digital goods is through the use of firm governmental regulations, but this is still insufficient because of the ever-expanding network infrastructure and the growing threat of piracy. This thesis discusses potential strategies to be used in today's digital business economy based on current difficulties. It proposes an integrated business model for an on-line contents distribution business and an electronic payment business which complement each other. It is well-known that content distribution businesses are facing severe threats from piracy. By providing content for free as a complementary service for profitable businesses, it will be shown that media distribution companies can maximize the value of their contents library, which would otherwise be worthless in face of growing piracy. The thesis also discusses the migration process in an integrated business model by utilizing a System Dynamics approach to the analysis. The electronic payments business is regarded as a profit driver that can be complemented by the attractive value proposition of free online contents distribution businesses. For an infrastructure-oriented business like electronic payments, broad acceptance of such a service is critical to reducing customers' perceived risk. By introducing free content downloads, a business strategy is proposed that accelerates customer penetration and rapid migration to a profitable and integrated business of online contents distribution and electronic payment. By combining these two potentially successful two business models, a profitable business integration is proposed in which each business supplements the other in the digital business economy. / by Hideaki Tomikawa. / 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 62-63). / This thesis explores the measures for the Japanese electric power utilities to meet the Kyoto Target, and the technological development of the coal thermal power generation to meet the further abatement of the carbon dioxide beyond Kyoto. To meet the Kyoto Target, the present measure by the Japanese government to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions in the energy sector relies much on the development of the nuclear power generation. Therefore, the current delay of nuclear power development, mainly due to the lack of public acceptance for the nuclear energy, and, consequently, the increase of the carbon dioxide emissions are crucial problems to be solved to the achieve the target. In this paper, possible measures to achieve the abatement target of the carbon dioxide emissions are examined. Among the five measures, changing dispatch from high carbon emitting capacity to low emitting one provides a sufficient abatement with relatively low cost. Other measures, like wind power or re-powering of existing thermal power plant require the higher abatement cost or fail to provide sufficient quantities. Looking at the scenario beyond the Kyoto Target after 2012, further reduction of the carbon dioxide emissions calls for the technological development. Since the uncertainty of the nuclear power development will still remain in the future, and other measures including re-dispatch and re-powering can not afford to provide further reduction, the development of the generating technologies is one of the crucial measures to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions. Especially, the technologies for coal thermal power, which are expected to be the most stable and inexpensive energy resources in a few decade, affect the strategy for the global warming. The developing technologies, the coal / (cont.) gasification and the carbon dioxide sequestration are examined in the latter chapter. / by Yasushi Furuyama. / S.M.M.O.T.

Thesis (S.M.M.O.T.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Management of Technology Program, 2004. / "June 2004." / Includes bibliographical references. / High-performance teams can be used to achieve strategic high pay-offs for an organization. The aim of this paper is to study fundamentals key to the success of high performance teams and to examine the application of these fundamentals in an inherently multicultural international organization, such as the United Nations. The approach is to first review and to discuss relevant articles of work on high performance teams. As far as is possible, the most updated papers and books with a strong focus on both theory-driven approach and research, and which make good use of case studies with ample examples and illustrations are used. The output is the derivation of perspectives and frameworks which will then be used as guides to understanding the case for the United Nations. Following an overview of the United Nations history and current operations, a series of interviews with its key individuals is then conducted, with the aim to learning and making credible hypotheses and meaningful analysis. Towards this end, a good representation across the UN agencies is sought to ensure the necessary depth and breadth. The paper then considers what lies in the way ahead and finally concludes with recommendations for the United Nations and relevant key lessons learnt for the Civil Service of Singapore. / by Tan Wee Beng. / 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 93-94). / Innovations can be the single source of industry's growth. How innovations themselves grow or decline also has a direct affect on the health of the industry in which they play. This thesis looks at fiber optic technologies and their impact on the communications industry. The relative importance of the fiber optic technology is evidenced by its speed and effectiveness in shaping the communications infrastructure in a short period of the recent years. Advent of this relatively new technology, coupled with deregulation policies and the changes in the nature of the network traffic, has caused several disruptions to the communications value chain. Effects of these disruptions and their eventualities are the focus of this thesis. To study these effects, this thesis looks in detail at the interplay of various life cycle stages of innovations and industry. The innovation stages are classified as: Fluid, Transitional, and Specific. Each of these three stages affects the dynamics value chain of the industry in different ways. The characteristics of each stage are studied in detail. There are few innovations that can bring about an impact as extensive as the advent of fiber optics communications has. The review of the processes in the evolution of innovation from birth to potential re- birth provides great insights on the industry's life cycle. The study is based on current theories on the subject of management of technology applied to the communications sector. Most examples and data are based on the telecommunication networks in North America; the timeline of the study is the decade from mid 1990's to present. In closing various strategies in treading the evolution of innovation are described. The evolution life cycle / (cont.) model can be used in several other industries for managing innovation and technologies. Several related research topics are described, and citations for further suggested readings on the topic are provided. / by Rodan Zadeh. / 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 151-152). / The banking industry is known to have certainty only about uncertainty, change is only constant in adopting the technologies for developing innovative products and services, and yet the opportunities of arbitrage are everywhere including in economical settings and business strategies. The retail banking industry will be analyzed to understand why some banks make sustainable profits while others are less successful. We will analyze what business strategies would best work for such dynamic industry even as banking appears to be a commodity business. A systematic study will be set out to model the dynamics of different positioning of Delta Model and the effect of the underlying interactions. We will walk through the analysis of why the innovation along with the customer targeting and the operational effectiveness are crucial to implement the right business strategies. We also study banking case studies relevant to the business strategies. Finally, we present the conclusions with some recommendations in order for banks to thrive in the industry for years to come during both war times and peace times. / by Harry Reddy. / S.M.M.O.T.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology, Management, and Policy Program, 2005. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Page 244 blank. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 241-243). / A system dynamics model is developed and run to study the adoption of fiber-to-the-home as a residential broadband technology. Communities that currently do not have broadband in the United States are modeled. This case is of particular interest to U.S. policymakers, but also relevant to other regions concerned with economic development in rural areas. The model is used to explore the effects of government policy on fiber-to-the-home deployment and on the telecommunications supply chain. The research finds that government policy relating to broadband deployment has been based on a weak understanding of the dynamics involved, resulting in trial and error policy making that has unintended consequences. The thesis shows that the current monitoring of broadband deployment by the Federal Communications Commission is inadequate to contribute to the formation of reasoned policy decisions. The model is used to explore the consequences that different regulatory scenarios have on fiber-to-the-home deployment. Among the policy choices considered are: resale of fiber-to-the-home lines to competitive providers; low cost government loans for commercial deployments; rapid deployment to all communities currently without service; and a ban on municipal deployments. The current Rural Utilities Service loan program is also included in the model and its effects are analyzed. The model is used to examine the consequences for the optoelectronics industry of different deployment scenarios. It shows that the interests of consumers, regulators, and even service providers are in conflict with the interests of the optoelectronics industry which provides a critical component necessary for the service. / (cont.) Strategies to help mitigate that conflict and to promote the health of the components industry are explored. Deployment of fiber-to-the-home is costly, and cost recovery is difficult for both incumbent and competitive service providers, especially in rural and suburban regions that do not currently have service. The interests of policy makers, service providers, and component suppliers need to be aligned to implement effective policy that encourages the deployment of broadband to unserved regions. The Federal Communications Commission needs to rearchitect its monitoring of service providers and their activities to better understand the status of deployment and how its policies can help or hinder. / by Andjelka Kelic. / Ph.D.

Thesis (Ph. D. in Environmental Systems Design)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology, Management, and Policy Program, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 143-150). / This thesis develops an approximate, analytically based environmental assessment method that provides fast evaluations of product concepts. Traditional life-cycle assessment (LCA) studies and their streamlined analytical versions are costly, time-consuming, and data intensive. Thus, they are not practical to apply during early concept design phases where little information is available and ideas change quickly. Alternatives currently used are mostly qualitative, ad-hoc approaches that often provide overly simplistic assessments difficult to trade-off with other design objectives. The Learning Surrogate LCA method is an alternative approach that uses simple, high-level, and accessible descriptive information about a product to provide approximate, yet useful, analytical LCA results during early concept design stages. The method relies on a general artificial neural network (ANN) trained on high-level product descriptors and environmental performance data from pre-existing detailed life-cycle assessment studies or related data. To quickly obtain an approximate environmental impact assessment for a product concept, the design team queries the trained artificial model with new set of descriptors, without requiring the development of a new model. The predicted environmental performance, along with other key performance measures, can be used in tradeoff analysis and concept selection. Foundations for the approach were established by investigating: (1) model inputs in the form of a compact, and meaningful set of product concept descriptors; (2) ability to gather data and appropriately train an ANN-based surrogate LCA model. / (cont.) Proof-of-concept tests on life-cycle energy consumption showed that ANN-based surrogate models were able to: (a) match detailed LCA results within the accuracy of typical LCA studies; (b) predict relative differences of distinct product concepts; (c) correctly predict and generalize trends associated with changes for a given product concept. A product classification system based upon concept descriptors was developed to improve performance. The method was then applied to a case study with a heavy truck manufacturing company. A demonstration example was used to illustrate application scenarios for tradeoff analysis within DOME (Distributed Object-based Modeling Environment). The study suggested that high-level, customizable simulation interfaces of learning surrogate LCA models are likely to have a significant practical impact in the early decision making process. / by Inês Sousa. / Ph.D.in Environmental Systems Design

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology, Management, and Policy Program, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 419-466). / Methods are presented to assess the global risk of nuclear theft and nuclear terrorism, to identify the nuclear facilities and transport legs that pose the highest-priority risks of nuclear theft, and to evaluate policy approaches to strengthening security and accounting for nuclear stockpiles worldwide. First, a qualitative assessment outlines the demand for black-market nuclear weapons and materials; the plausibility of terrorist construction of an improvised nuclear device; the global stocks and flows of nuclear weapons, plutonium, and highly enriched uranium (HEU), with the global distribution of facilities where they exist; and the widely varying standards of physical protection, control, and accounting in place to prevent theft. Particular dangers of nuclear theft in Russia, Pakistan, and from HEU-fueled research reactors are highlighted. Second, a mathematical model of the global risk of nuclear terrorism is presented, with detailed assessments of what is known about the values of each of the parameters, and of policies that could change each of the parameters to reduce risk. / (cont.) Third, a methodology for identifying the nuclear facilities and transport legs posing the highest risks of nuclear terrorism is presented, combining the security levels for each facility or transport leg, the levels of threat they face, and the quantity and quality of nuclear weapons or weapons-usable material they contain. Fourth, the global nuclear security system is described and assessed as a complex, large-scale, integrated, open system (CLIOS). Based on past experiences with different policy tools from negotiated international standards to on-the-ground technical cooperation to install improved security equipment, options to improve system performance in reducing the risk of nuclear terrorism are assessed. A final chapter offers conclusions and recommendations. / by Matthew Bunn. / Ph.D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Technology, Management, and Policy Program, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 224-235). / The main objective of this research was to articulate the processes and factors of technological change that promote environmental improvement while contributing to development goals in the Mexican automobile sector. The motivation stemmed from the need for air pollution mitigation in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA). The research analyzed three cases of environmental technology introduction in passenger vehicles, and synthesized the case findings into a conceptual model. The case studies were complemented with quantitative analyses of parameters of national technological capability acquisition, and scenario analysis of emission mitigation potential. The research showed that environmental technological change in the Mexican auto sector is increasingly influenced by external factors, specifically global sector development and conditions in countries with major auto producers and export markets. Environmental technological change could be articulated within the framework of conventional technological change, with some differences, such as: the need to account for environmental policy as a distinct factor, different motivations of private sector actors in acquiring technological capabilities and deploying technology, and interactions and conflicts between environmental policy and other factors, which can create barriers. The research found that environmental policy is a necessary but not sufficient factor to induce environmental technological change in Mexico. Environmental policy did and does influence environmental technological change by specifying the time and pacing of technology introduction. The scenario analysis showed the projected effectiveness of technology options. / (cont.) Recommendations for the Mexican policymakers include: (1) the role and limitations of environmental policy in the process of environmental technological change should be recognized; (2) policymakers should strive to minimize institutional fragmentation, which undermines policy implementation; (3) vehicle technology options should be considered further, due to their effectiveness, and political and institutional feasibility; (4) the environmental authorities are likely to encounter opposition to Mexico-specific technology requirements, particularly if they are more stringent than in the US or Europe; and (5) the authorities' ability to benefit from the export platform to introduce advanced technologies in Mexico will be diminished if export markets shift towards markets with less stringent emission standards than the US and Europe. / by Chizuru Aoki. / Ph.D.