Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2008. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 122-128). / Geothermal district heating experience in the U.S. is reviewed and evaluated to explore the potential impact of utilizing this frequently undervalued renewable energy resource for space and hot water heating. Although the first U.S. geothermal district heating system (GDHS) was constructed in the 1890s in Boise, Idaho, growth in the sector has been slow. Currently there are only twenty-one operating GDHS in the U.S. with a capacity of about 100 MW thermal. In this study the main barriers and enablers to the growth of district heating were identified and investigated. Initially a literature review and interviews with current U.S. district heating operators were used to collect data on various aspects of the systems and their development. Based on analysis of the data and the current structure of the geothermal district heating regulatory and market environment in the U.S. recommendations on how to advance geothermal district heating in the U.S. are developed. Technical feasibility of increasing the geothermal district heating capacity to 10,000 MWt was established by identifying the available resource and technology for utilization. Furthermore, the opportunity presented by Engineered Geothermal System (EGS) was briefly explored. Social feasibility was analyzed and the need for geothermal energy education and expanded resource exploration was recognized. Furthermore, it is hypothesized that most government support for GDHS will come from state governments in the future and the importance of well structured incentives that support the growth of sustainable GDHS emphasized. Legal and regulatory barriers were reviewed along with the economic feasibility of GDHS. The economic analysis revealed competitive levelized energy costs and that rising drilling costs might be a barrier to GDHS development. A modest investment of about five billion dollars is needed to increase U.S. GDHS capacity to 10,000 MW thermal. / by Hildigunnur H. Thorsteinsson. / S.M.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Science, Technology and Society, June 2003. / "May 2003." / Includes bibliographical references (p. 268-290). / Fighting Engineers examines social conflict as the cause of the formation of professional mechanical engineering in the nineteenth century U.S. Navy. In the middle of that century, the Navy began to utilize steam engines for motive power. Navy administrators recognized the need for engineering officers to design and operate ships' steam power plants, but the social and political status of staff engineering officers was unclear. Their rank was relative to line officers, the men who navigated the ship and commanded the crew. Engineers possessed no legal command authority. This created problems as engineers' responsibilities increased during the Civil War. In response to shortcomings evident in the training of the engineer corps during the Civil War, the U.S. Naval Academy in the postwar period designed an unprecedented technical curriculum. Through this program, the Navy trained the nation's first group of modern mechanical engineers. As Navy engineers built their profession after the war, they attempted to redefine what it meant to be a naval officer. The officer ideal moved from the aristocratic warrior of the antebellum period to a college educated, scientifically minded professional late in the century. To maximize the political utility of their technical expertise, Navy engineers had to spread their idea of mechanical engineering and engineering education to a broader audience. In the 1880s, they chose to do so in an unprecedented way. They promoted legislation that allowed them to serve as engineering professors at American universities. This foray into academia was a continuation of the long-standing government policy of internal improvements and federal technology sponsorship. / (cont.) The U.S. Navy developed a distinct form of professional mechanical engineering practice in the late nineteenth century. As Navy engineers became professors and industrialists, they transmitted Navy engineering throughout the nation. The human products of that engineering style were a new generation of professional engineers. They were the foundations upon which America erected the modern industrial economy. / Brendan Patrick Foley. / Ph.D.

Thesis (S.M.M.O.T.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Management of Technology Program, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references. / The Internet has becoming an increasingly important channel for both business-to-consumer and business-to-business e-commerce. It has changed the way many companies do business. Every day, more and more companies worldwide are being linked electronically. But the success rate in terms of profitability for these startups is low. This thesis focuses on business-to-consumer aspect of e-commerce. My research is to study the models from a set of online merchants and see how these companies translate their companies' e-business vision into reality. What are the critical factors these online merchants considered as they transform their companies into an e-commerce? This thesis identifies the key success factors of this technology strategy and model as well as helps understanding to what extent this success can be replicated in other markets and industries. Through detailed case studies on Amazon and Dell, we will analyze their strategies and identify the success factors that make them unique to thrive on this competitive landscape of the Digital Economy. / by Le Kha. / S.M.M.O.T.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology, Management, and Policy Program, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 210-216). / This dissertation addresses the issue of performance standards in developing nations, focusing on the role of local content requirements. It proposes a theoretical framework to understand the impact of this policy on the decisions of firms and the welfare of the domestic economy, and offers a methodology to apply the analysis to the context of the automotive supply chain. The central conclusion of the thesis relates to the existence of a gap between private and social opportunity returns and costs, an aspect that has been overlooked by previous literature. In a developing country, resources employed by foreign investors and their local suppliers often generate spillovers and learning effects that are not accounted for in the valuations of private economic agents. This creates an externality-from-entry, whereby positive economic effects of new domestic suppliers are overlooked in the sourcing decision of the foreign firm. This dissertation proposes a model to illustrate how this gap between social and private valuations justifies the enactment of domestic content requirements, which become welfare enhancing. The analysis also reveals that content requirements are a preferable policy to tariffs and subsidies as a means to increase domestic purchases and discusses the use of subsidies and requirements as incentive mechanisms to align firm decisions with government objectives. A case study of the automotive industry, where content restriction policies are extremely active, is used to demonstrate the applicability of the model. This entailed the development of a new methodology, called Systems Cost Modeling (SCM), which uses simple metrics and rules to build bottom-up cost structures where estimates for large number of components have to be considered. Detailed empirical data from a particular car is then used to build a sourcing cost structure. / (cont.) These costs are integrated with the domestic content model to show how, for existing market and policy conditions; there can be value to the enactment of modest levels of domestic content requirements in the auto industry. It also explains that the impact of the policy is very sensitive to project characteristics and that this should be factored into national decisions. / by Francisco Veloso. / Ph.D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology, Management, and Policy Program, February 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 227-239). / Technology plays an important role in dealing with air pollution and other environmental problems faced by developing and developed societies. This research examines if technological solutions alone, such as end-of-pipe and process control technologies, can achieve substantial and sustained emissions reduction from the industrial sector in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA). Environmental standards for most of the criteria pollutants have frequently been violated in the MCMA. Severe air pollution in the MCMA, and the roles of point and area sources, particularly industrial sector, are the prime motivating factors for this research. Industrial sources of air pollution play a significant role in aggravating the air pollution problem in the MCMA. This research focuses on a 25-year horizon for socio-economic growth of the MCMA, and its implications on industrial energy demand, and pollutant emissions. I develop a simulation model to estimate industrial energy demand and emissions from the MCMA industrial sector. The model incorporates industrial growth rate, changes in the structure of industry and energy intensity, pollution control technologies, fuel-switching, technological progress, etc. I find that the level of industrial activity, driven by the macroeconomic environment, plays a significant role in shaping the long-term industrial air-pollution trajectory in the MCMA. I use two cost measures for evaluating cost-effectiveness of various strategies. First, the direct cost, which includes capital, operation & maintenance cost. Second, the policy cost includes direct cost and the cost of foregone production due to policy of deindustrialization. / (cont.) Performance of a strategy is highly dependent on which measure of cost is chosen for the decision-making process. The abatement strategies which look attractive when only capital cost of the control technologies and investment in renewal of the production stock is considered, are no longer preferred when the policy cost is used. When only direct cost is considered, deindustrialization dominates the list of cost- effective options. However, when total policy cost of options is considered, reducing the structure adjusted energy intensity (SAEI) emerges as most dominant option. Further, I use a sectoral abatement approach to look at.the cost-effectiveness and estimate the potential cost savings from market-based regulatory instruments in achieving emission reductions. I find that the savings from using flexible, market-based mechanisms are large enough to warrant a serious consideration in environmental policymaking to achieve air-pollution abatement goals. On basis of the scenario analysis, I conclude that technology options alone are not sufficient to meet the industrial air pollution abatement goals in the MCMA. However, an aggressive implementation of technology and policy options can result in achieving sustained and substantial emissions reduction. The structural shift from high energy intensity industries to low energy intensity industries, and deindustrialization, moving the industrial activity away from the MCMA, should form an integral part of the policy making process. The current institutional framework in the MCMA to manage the environment is not geared to integrate the technology and policy options. / (cont.) A paradigm shift -- from environmental policymaking for industrial sector to industrial-environmental policymaking -- is needed for attaining substantial and sustained emissions reduction, so that policy options such as deindustrialization and structural shift can be incorporated in the environmental policy making for the industrial sector. / by Samudra Vijay. / Ph.D.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2007. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Includes bibliographical references. / Using partnerships between the public and private sectors to provide emergency preparedness and response (EPER) functions has become a useful and necessary tool for improving overall emergency management in the United States. Privatization has been studied comprehensively in many areas that are ripe for partnerships, but not in the field of emergency preparedness and response. Thus, this research fills that gap and advises both the architects of EPER partnerships and the policy makers that influence them, how to design partnerships based on the experience of former and existing EPER partnerships. In order to learn from existing partnerships, this research uses a case study method. After identifying and interviewing representatives from 16 EPER partnerships, this research classifies those partnerships based on several attributes. There are three general categories for those descriptive attributes: structural, functional and event. The structural attributes represent characteristics of a partnership that an architect has decision making power over. Functional and event attributes, on the other hand, are dependent on the EPER function being provided and are thus largely pre-defined for an architect. / (cont.) This research identifies links between the independent variables -- the functional and event attributes -- and the dependent variables -- the structural attributes -- that will guide architects and policy makers in their decision making processes. In general, this research found that there are several event and functional attributes of successful past EPER partnerships that can inform the structural decisions of the architect. Also, this research finds that there are several lessons the policy maker can take from past EPER partnerships, including the importance of allowing and encouraging flexibility in the partnership design process. / by Jennifer L. Gustetic. / S.M.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 114-115). / This thesis focuses on determining the cost of customization for different components or groups of components of a car. It offers a methodology to estimate the manufacturing cost of a complex system such as a car. This methodology includes specific consideration of how costs change as customized variants of each component or grouping of parts are included. The central conclusion of the thesis is some recommendations for the automakers when they are facing customization decisions. The automotive industry has reached a mature state, as is evidenced by its growth and by the nature of competition and industry consolidation. Consumers are no longer satisfied with the models that are not individualized and demand a greater variety and individuality. Consequently the automakers are moving towards custom-made cars by customizing the shape and style of components; and this at a certain price. While product variety enables the firm to charge higher prices, automotive customization means also producing at lower production volumes, thereby increasing manufacturing costs and eroding profits. Understanding the cost of customization depends heavily on component cost structures. It is considered that this cost is equal to the difference between the price of a baseline and customized product. A methodology, called Systems Cost Modeling (SCM), is developed in the thesis to build cost structures when estimates for a large number of components have to be considered. After gathering detailed empirical data and considering the eventual changes in the processing conditions of all parts due to customization, the tooling and equipment investment as well as the labor and energy cost are estimated for both the standard and customized car. / (cont.) After determining the drivers of the customization cost, a sensitivity analysis is done to understand the variations of this cost under different operating conditions. Finally these results explain that the cost of customization is very sensitive to part and process characteristics. / by Laëtitia Fournier. / S.M.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 89-92). / In China, elevated levels of urban air pollution result in significant adverse health impacts for its large and rapidly growing urban population. An expanded version of the Emissions Prediction and Policy Analysis (EPPA), EPPA Health Effects China (EPPA-HEC), was used to evaluate air pollution-related health impacts on the Chinese economy. EPPA-HEC, a computable general equilibrium model, was expanded to endogenously estimate the economy- wide impacts of air pollution. The effects of particulate matter (PM 10), sulfur dioxide (S02) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) were evaluated for 1970 to 2000, based on a set of epidemiological estimates of the effects of exposure to these pollutants. The estimated GDP impact to the Chinese economy of pollution levels above the WHO's recommended thresholds (ambient levels) increased from $15 ($23) billion in 1970 to $50 ($79) billion in 2000 (1997 $USD), despite improvements in overall air quality. This increase was caused by the growing urban population and rising wages that thus increased the value of lost labor and leisure. The benefit Damages as a percent of GDP decreased from a peak of 16% (10%) in 1975 to 7% (4%) in 2000 because the total size of the economy grew much more rapidly than the absolute air pollution damages. Forward simulations considered a cap on pollution, a greenhouse gas policy, and the two policies combined. The ancillary benefits from air pollution control resulting from the climate policy resulted in an increase in China's GDP of $2.4 billion in 2010. A scenario that caps air pollutant emissions at 2005 levels results in a $3.9 billion benefit to China's GDP in 2010, and the implementation of both policies results in a $5.8 billion benefit to China's GDP in 2010. / (cont.) The simulations extended to 2025, and the beneficial effects of these policies increased over the period to $17.1 billion, $37.4 billion and $43.8 billion respectively. Taking both the future and the historical analyses together, it is clear that the size of the urban population, as well as the increasing value of time due to rising wages are two of the major drivers of the increasing absolute costs of pollution-related health impacts to the Chinese economy. Thus, urbanization and rising incomes and wage rates over time imply a rising marginal benefit to pollution control. / by Kira J. Matus. / S.M.

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Science, Technology, and Society, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 88-108). / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Intellectual Property is an ideology of the late Twentieth Century which reserves property-like rights in information, so that creators may extract its economic value. Current American copyright law draws mainly from this concept; it has been constructed through history by negotiation between various established economic interests. Information Freedom is a competing ideology which has been successful in the software community. It emphasizes the dangers of over-propertization and the benefits of freely accessible resources, especially non-depletable information resources. Compromise must be reached in a practical (non-ideological) fashion in order to achieve the social goals of: production of creative content (encouraged by fair but not excessive compensation for creators); promotion of scientific, political, technical, artistic, cultural, and economic progress by removing obstacles to accessing content and taking advantage of innovations which change the status quo; protection of creative freedom; and ensuring quality and diversity in the content which is created. Civil disobedience as a means to achieve these goals may be counterproductive if it results in tighter technological restrictions on content availability or stricter legal mechanisms; legal reforms proposed by Lawrence Lessig and Jessica Litman are unlikely to be enacted. Internet-based technologies have strong potential to increase exposure to diversity, decrease costs, and improve the subjective experience for music consumers. Cheaper film-making equipment may have similar positive effects for motion pictures to a lesser degree. Internet bandwidth and other practical limitations suggest that immediate changes in video distribution and consumption patterns are more likely to be driven by the availability of Digital Video Recorders, or perhaps competing Video On Demand services. Different economic models which fund content creation may be appropriate for different applications, and may in some cases further social goals better than strong propertization. Alternative models include voluntary contributions (either from creators or consumers); indirect benefit by establishing reputation, selling related services, cross-promotion, or selling advertising; and public funding. The history of telecommunication, including the telegraph, radio, television, and the Internet, provides evidence that important uses for new technology may not be initially obvious, that the maturation of digital information technology and related economic models is just beginning. / by Christopher D. Beland. / S.B.

Thesis (S.M.M.O.T.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Management of Technology Program, 2000. / Also available online at the MIT Theses Online homepage <http://thesis.mit.edu>. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 64-67). / This thesis focuses on an analysis of strategy in the prescription drug industry. For prescription drug companies, the ultimate consumers are patients, but intermediate customers are physicians. Because of regulations and the particular decision making process of choosing pharmaceuticals, the marketing activity of drug companies have focused on physicians and introduced their products to them. However, because of deregulation, the emergence of health maintenance organizations (HMOs), which aim to reduce health care costs, the value chain of prescription drug industry has been changing. Accordingly, prescription drug companies have been re-evaluating the traditional value chain of the industry. They have to invest in a more important part, and to establish a new business model. This paper will focus mainly on a prescription drug market, discussing a new value chain and its demand for change. This paper explains the increasing need for direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising, which includes information technology and e-commerce, in contrast to the industry's traditional marketing. / by Yoshihito Takahashi. / S.M.M.O.T.