Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 66-69) Also available in print.

Asset Management, which evolved from maintenance management, is a set of processes, tools and measures that provide a shared understanding of an organisation’s physical assets. The process of asset management involves creation of a register of assets and recording of details of planned work. It also covers scheduling and recording of work done in order to create financial and technical history of assets. The life cycle of an asset consists of the acquisition operation, maintenance and disposal phases. These four aspects of an asset’s life represent the high level framework for asset management. This framework is crucial in development of asset management plans. The plan in turn, creates a road map for asset management excellence. By optimising the performance of asset management practices and processes a positive contribution can be made to the profitability of an organisation. The objective of this study was to develop a plan for the Coega Development Corporation (CDC) that would assist in management, maintenance, tracking and replacement of assets. The research primarily focused on the asset management requirements within the organizational context. The methodology employed in the study included a review of the relevant literature and case study conducted at CDC. The case study approach was very appropriate as it dealt with the current situation at CDC. Primary data was collected through interviews. Secondary data was collected from books, journals and other sources. Data was collected in words instead of numbers. The findings show that the CDC does not have an Asset Management Plan which results into the lack of information in the current asset register, a lack of specialist information systems, a lack of resources and an absence of a planning function in the skills sets of various units within the organisation. The Asset Register should work as a basic system for management of assets. The findings show that asset management can be used to comprehensively address the relevant elements of the organisations’ assets framework.

No description available.

Purpose This study explores the internationalization pathway of the Born Global, The Company, when entering the Mexican market. Background Companies have recently started realizing the importance of “being green” for their customers. Market demand shifts towards more natural and renewable materials that can prevent damage and enhance the well-being of individuals and societies.  Therefore, the market for biodegradable materials is growing and is full of possibilities. Today, many additives suppliers operate globally. Born Global firms stand out with their approach to the internationalization process. It is interesting to find out the uniqueness of the Born Global firm’s internationalization pathway, their motivation and behavior. Method  Qualitative data was collected through two in-depth semi-structured interviews with two top management team members of The Company behind the case study. Before the two main interviews, 4 pre-interviews took place, which helped the authors to become familiar with the environment and operations of the company.  This data was complemented with secondary data obtained though literature reviews.   Conclusion The authors were able to find several gaps in the Integrative Model of Small Firms Internationalization, by Bell et al. (2003). Firstly, they found that not all Born Global firms have a Home market to return to. Secondly, it was clear that the model was too rigid in its segmentation of types of Born Global firms. According to the research done by the authors, a firm can act as both an innovator and adopter, as a “Knowledge-intensive” and “Knowledge-based” firm, and can target both a niche and a mass market simultaneously.

Thesis (DBA)--City University of Hong Kong, 2009. / "Submitted to College of Business in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Business Administration." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 138-153)

Sustainability is a hot topic for years and sustainability assessment has been generally used as an approach to assess the level of sustainability. For the effect of general products to the development of sustainability, there are existing assessment frameworks in use. However, they are either environmental-focused, or relied mainly on life cycle assessment approach, which has many deficiencies especially in the social aspect. In this paper, history of development of sustainability and relevant principles related to sustainability are extensively reviewed. Those relevant in the context of product assessment, like the nested model of sustainability, strong sustainability, precautionary principle, design of environmental sustainability and sustainability assessment and measurement principles (BellagioSTAMP), are chosen as the foundation theories of development of the new product sustainability assessment framework. Even though the focus is put into assessment of social aspect of sustainability, the framework is designed for the assessment of overall sustainability. The framework comprises of a list of guiding principles, vision and goals and an assessment process. It is suitable for the evaluation of any product, no matter it is in conceptual stage, design stage or already in the market. It can be used for company in any level of maturity in sustainability assessment through allowing them to define their own position and targets. A standard list of measurement is defined and can be used for any product, while product-specific measurement can be defined within the process. A case study is done using iPad2and every step in the process is gone through. The pilot study proves that the framework is logical, easy to use and practical enough to help identifying what needs to be done to contribute into sustainability. Issues are identified in the process of pilot study, including the lifecycle for some products is too short for a meaningful review and remediation follow up; social impacts could be associated with the whole series of product or the general technology instead of specific product under assessment; the comment given by participants in survey or focus group meeting may come from perceived impact instead of actual impact; knock-on effect to other existing products and services may be neglected; and the potential for companies to pretend they are contributing to sustainability but actually not. Nevertheless, these issues are not difficult to be resolved. Future research agenda includes handling of cumulative effect from sales of the product, formalizing the professional qualification of sustainability assessor and improving the practicality of economic and environmental sustainability assessment through the proposed framework. Through this paper, with the creation of a new and practical product sustainability assessment framework, it is believed that the effect of products on sustainability can be evaluated and actions can be identified for them to contribute into sustainability development. / published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

No description available.

Thesis (MEngineering)--University of South Australia, 2003.

Thesis (M.S. in Management of Technology)--Vanderbilt University, Aug. 2004. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. S.)--Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Chair: Mavris, Dimitri; Committee Member: Bishop, Carlee; Committee Member: Costello, Mark; Committee Member: Nam, Taewoo; Committee Member: Schrage, Daniel.