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 (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology, Management, and Policy Program, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 308-311). / Air Force development of new or evolutionary weapon systems is a complex endeavor due to the involvement of many stakeholders and the presence of considerable uncertainty in the acquisition environment. The ability to adapt a weapon system while it is still being designed affords a means to respond to this complexity. The fundamental motivation for this research is to discover how Air Force development programs, operating within established constraints, can improve their adaptability during the design phase to provide more value to the warfighter. The thesis of this research is that the quality and nature of collaboration between stakeholders during the design phase of weapon system development programs determines how effectively they share knowledge, which in turn drives the level of program adaptability. Eight case studies were conducted on Air Force development programs. Data were collected on collaborative practices and patterns of adaptability demonstrated during design. The research placed an emphasis on usage of "system representations" such as prototypes and beta software releases that acted as a form of boundary object to facilitate knowledge sharing across organizational boundaries. As programs used system representations to provide higher levels of knowledge sharing, they were found to be more adaptable. System representations were more effective at promoting adaptability when they represented the design with higher fidelity, providing system-level detail and covering stakeholder emphasis areas. Lastly, certain key stakeholder roles were found to contribute both flexibility and structure, facilitating a "zone of novelty" in which the stakeholders could exercise creativity and evaluate design options while still executing the program within established constraints. / (cont.) This research indicates that the pressing need for Air Force programs to be able to adapt in today's uncertain acquisition environment can be addressed to a significant degree through the usage of effective system representations in conjunction with supporting patterns of stakeholder interaction. Specific recommendations for Air Force acquisition policy makers and practitioners are provided. / by Robert E. Dare. / Ph.D.

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 (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology, Management, and Policy Program, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references. / This research demonstrates that sustainable development is a multidimensional concept that should be approached in a transdisciplinary manner. Its objective has been to synthesize and integrate disparate and currently unconnected lines of thought that have not yet been applied in a systematic way to promote sustainable development and sustainable transportation. The primary contribution of this research is the theoretical development of a decision-support framework that identifies the tools and approaches that decision-makers could/should use to create policies and programs that transition society towards sustainability. These tools and approaches are either articulated or developed by the author throughout the dissertation. Specific ideas explored include a Rawlsian/utilitarian decision-making philosophy; a hybrid trade-off/positional analysis framework that is presented as an alternative to benefit-cost analysis; ecological vs. environmental economics; participatory backcasting; and ways to stimulate disrupting and/or radical technological innovation. To identify gaps that exist between theory and practice, the approach embodied in the proposed sustainable transportation decision-support framework is compared with current metropolitan transportation planning and decision-making processes in the U.S. The framework is then used to consider how the U.S. federal government might move the nation's transportation system towards sustainability. / by Ralph P. Hall. / Ph.D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology, Management, and Policy Program, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references. / This study answers the question, "What has been the impact of the Information Age on the Air Force's doctrinal tenet of "centralized control and decentralized execution?" It traces the evolution of command and control of airpower through operations Desert Storm, Allied Force, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom and compares its practice with classic theories established by Huntington, Cohen, Van Creveld, and Air Force doctrine. In the absence of a peer superpower in the 1990s, U.S. decision-makers often resorted to the use of detailed constraints to gain direct influence on military operations. The more detailed the constraints from the strategic level, the closer the theater military commander held authority for planning air strikes, and the less proactive the air component was in coordinating with other components. The Air Force developed the Air Operations Center (AOC) to put together battlespace information; it is not yet possible to do this at lower levels, so the AOC has become dominant in controlling air operations. Initially resistant to get involved in ongoing missions, commanders found the AOC was needed to accomplish some "time-sensitive targeting" missions; however, they have also learn to delegate to speed up the processes. / (cont.) But the insertion of the AOC into ongoing operations also led to distribution of tasks-where before the aircrew had performed the whole "kill chain" sequence, now the aircrew often performed only the end game tasks. This distribution could increase the potential for system accidents because people tend to drift from procedures during slack times and thus to be disintegrated when the system becomes tightly coupled. Technology has not changed the fundamental principles of command and control. The information, telecommunications, sensor and weapons technology have altered the way these humans perform their jobs, and even the jobs they perform. But commanders still need to cultivate a learning organization. Uncertainty and the coupling of diverse organizations still require that they balance empowerment with accountability by developing depth in the command relationships among their subordinates. Commanders can best gain this depth through deliberate delegation, a bruising debate, and assessment of results rather than management of specific details. / by Michael W. Kometer. / Ph.D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology, Management, and Policy Program, 2007. / "June 2007." / Includes bibliographical references (p. 245-250). / Clean energy technologies lower harmful emissions associated with the generation and use of power (e.g. CO2) and many of these technologies have been shown to be cost effective and to provide significant benefits to adopters. Examples of clean energy technologies include renewable and/or efficient distributed generation (e.g. solar, wind, geothermal, fuel cells, cogeneration); energy efficiency technologies; intelligent energy management; efficient energy storage; green building technologies; biofuels; and ancillary products and services that reduce emissions associated with power generation, transmission and distribution. This thesis examines why new ventures founded to commercialize these technologies have failed to achieve widespread adoption. Based on interviews with clean energy entrepreneurs and other stakeholders and on case studies of clean energy technology ventures, a new venture simulation model was developed that models the cash flow, labor force, market, competition, and product development for a prototypical clean energy technology venture. When the model is parameterized to correspond to a venture that starts with superior technology at an attractive price its behavior corresponds to the experience of many of the companies interviewed. / (cont.) The modeled venture takes many years to achieve profitability due to long sales cycles, limits to market growth, and the time needed to gain experience producing and selling its products, and therefore has a high probability of failure. Analysis of the model results in a set of guidelines for what these ventures, investors, and policy makers should do to increase their odds of success. The venture is better off starting with more sales and marketing personnel and expertise rather than engineers, and should develop no more product features than are necessary to sell the product. The venture should forego recurring revenue and instead receive payments up front whenever possible. A single initial equity investment in the venture is considerably more valuable than a series of investments. Government policies that raise the cost of carbon emissions; reduce barriers and increase incentives for adoption of clean energy technologies; and subsidize the development of these technologies can greatly increase the growth of these ventures and the odds of success. / by David S. Miller. / Ph.D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Technology, Management, and Policy Program, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 193-209). / Modem society requires reliable and safe operation of its infrastructure. Policymakers believe that, in many industries, competitive markets and regulatory incentives will result in system performance superior to that under command-and-control regulation. Analytical techniques to evaluate the reliability and safety of complex engineering systems, however, do not explicitly account for responses to market and regulatory incentives. In addition, determining which combination of market and regulatory incentives to use is difficult because policy analysts' understanding of complex systems often depends on uncertain data and limited models that reflect incomplete knowledge. This thesis confronts the problem of evaluating the reliability of a complex engineering system that responds to the behavior of decentralized economic agents. Using the example of restructured and partially deregulated electric power systems, it argues that existing engineering-based reliability tools are insufficient to evaluate the reliability of restructured power systems. This research finds that electricity spot markets are not perfectly reliable, that is, they do not always result in sufficient supply to meet demand. General conclusions regarding the reliability of restructured power systems that some economic analysts suggest should be the basis of reliability policies are either verified or demonstrated to be true only when applied to extremely simple and unrealistic models. New generation unit and transmission component availability models are proposed that incorporate dependent failure modes and capture the behavior of economic agents, neither of which is considered with current adequacy techniques. / (cont.) This thesis proposes the use of a probabilistic risk analysis framework as the foundation for bulk power-system-reliability policy to replace existing policy, which is an ad hoc mixture of deterministic criteria and risk-based requirements. This thesis recommends distinguishing between controlled, involuntary load curtailments and uncontrolled, involuntary load curtailments in power system reliability modeling. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Reliability Test System is used to illustrate the possible impact that dependent failure modes and the behavior of economic agents have on the reliability of bulk power systems. / by Frank A. Felder. / Ph.D.

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.