The Internet and e-business has had enormous impact on many companies in Nigeria and there has been much research on how e-business influences the environment, but little can be found on how the environment of a developing country like Nigeria influences e-business. In e-business, technology tells the business what can be done in smarter ways. Technology not only can make business more efficient but also can make business more effective in targeting and reaching markets, however technology cannot enhance business in isolation as there are other vital factors that equally impact business. This thesis presents an adapted version of the PESTEL (Political, Economic, Socio cultural, Technology, Environment, and Legal) framework so called e-business PESTEL framework, as a method for structural analysis of macro environment forces in the future. In addition to this PESTEL framework, the Porter’s five forces model was employed to analyse the industrial forces that also influence MTNN e-business strategy. The main goal of this research is to give an overview of industry and macro-environment forces influencing the e-business strategy MTN-Nigeria and the impact of future developments. The research methodology was explorative and descriptive. A further method for future analysis of the macro-environments influences and a suggestion on how to incorporate it in this research work is given. The e-business strategy of MTNN consists of four areas: E-procurement, E-collaboration (CRM), Supply chain management and E-commerce. The influences found on macro-environments level are political and sociocultural forces and in the industry levels are bargaining power of customers and suppliers of its products and services .The most recommendations are that MTN-Nigeria should add e-business PESTEL framework described in this thesis to its e-business strategy check. Furthermore MTNN should include environment analysis more extensively in their e-business strategy approach as the factors in this research work shape the environment in which it carries out its business. / toks_philip@yahoo.com,adac06@student.bth.se,++447976105543

La tendance à la miniaturisation des produits n'est pas sans influence sur l'évolution de leurs moyens de production et d'assemblage. En effet, dû à la réduction d'échelle, l'assemblage de petits composants (appelé microassemblage) est perturbé par les forces de surface comme les forces de capillarité. Ces forces, exercées par le pont liquide reliant manipulateur et composant, sont habituellement négligeables (et négligées) dans l'assemblage conventionnel dominé par les forces de gravité. L'approche originale suivie dans ce travail consiste à tirer parti de ces effets et à les utiliser pour la manipulation de microcomposants, c'est-à-dire de composants dont la taille va de quelques dizaines de microns à quelques millimètres. Ce travail tente donc d'apporter quelques réponses aux problèmes de conception posés par un tel choix: quels sont les avantages d'une telle approche? Comment ces forces `fonctionnent-elles'? Sont-elles suffisamment grandes pour manipuler des microcomposants? Comment, dans ce cas, relâcher le composant? Quel rôle la tension de surface joue-t-elle? En quoi le choix des matériaux est-il important? Comment optimiser la conception du manipulateur? Tout au long de ce travail, le lecteur trouvera un inventaire des principes de manipulation existants, les éléments nécessaires à la modélisation des forces de capillarité, ainsi que la description de la simulation et du banc d'essai développés par l'auteur dans le but d'étudier ces paramètres de conception. Les résultats présentés dans cette thèse recouvrent essentiellement deux thèmes: quelles sont les règles de conception à suivre pour maximiser les forces de capillarité (problème de la préhension) et comment choisir une stratégie de relâche adéquate (problème de la relâche)?

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Congress passed declaration of war language for World Wars I and II that provides the military with practically unlimited resources and relaxed accountability during times of war. This "lank check policy," while not an official policy, continued through twentieth-century wars. Toward the latter half of the twentieth century, the war powers struggle between the Legislative and Executive Branches resulted in instances of Congress under-funding war efforts and increased scrutiny of in-theater spending. In spite of the under-funding, the Defense Department continued to extend the blank check policy of spending to the combatant commander. The shortfall of funding was filled by reprogramming of annual appropriations for Vietnam, contingencies of the 1990s and the current war in Iraq. This thesis builds on the studies of Walter Rundell, Leonard Taylor and William Rogerson who pioneered the critique of financial management in combat. Building on these works, the resource management environment of Multi-National Force-Iraq is critically analyzed. The negative consequences of excessive spending are discussed. These consequences are linked to the strategic mission and the support of the American people, which ultimately determines the funding levels of the Defense Department. Benefits gained in the blank check policy are compared to the negative consequences.

Le modèle de potentiels effectifs d'interactions interatomiques (champ de forces) pour la modélisation d'oxydes a été développé avec l'utilisation de calculs ab initio basés sur la théorie de la fonctionnelle de la densité. Le champ de forces décrit l'énergie potentielle totale du système par la somme de l'énergie électrostatique, celle de dispersion, et l'énergie d'interactions à courte portée. L'énergie électrostatique a été décrite par le modèle d'équilibration des tranferts de charge (SQE) basé sur l'approche d'égalisation du potentiel chimique (CPE). Le calcul de coefficients de dispersion, qui déterminent les interactions de dispersion, a été réalisé avec l'utilisation de fonctions Wannier maximalement localisées (MLWF). Dans les oxydes la position des centres des MLWF près d'atomes permet de calculer les coefficients de dispersion pour chaque atome. Les calculs de ces coefficients ont montré que leur valeur dépend du nombre d'atomes et du rayon de la première sphère de coordination. Le développement de potentiels d'interactions à courte portée a été réalisé avec l'utilisation de la méthode "force-matching", ce qui a permis de choisir la forme analytique des potentiels. Les paramètres des composants du champ de force ont été obtenus sur la base de calculs de chimie quantique de systèmes isolés et périodiques de structures de silicates. Les paramètres du modèle SQE on été calibrés en utilisant le potentiel électrostatique comme la grandeur de référence. Le champ de forces complet a été testé par simulation de polymorphes cristallins de la silice par la méthode de la dynamique moléculaire. Les résultats des calculs ont permis de choisir le meilleur modèle. Le champ de forces sélectionné reproduit bien les caractéristiques structurelles de α-quartz et α-cristobalite. Le calcul de spectres vibrationnels des systèmes montre que le champ de forces sous-estime les constantes de forces Si-O, ce qui conduit à un déplacement de spectres vibrationnels vers les basses fréquences par rapport aux spectres expérimentaux. Des voies visant l'amélioration de la performance du champ de forces sont proposées. / The effective interatomic potential model (force field) for the atomistic modeling of oxide materials was developed with the extensive use of ab initio density functional calculations. The force field represents the total potential energy of system as a sum of the long-range electrostatic, dispersion, and short-range energy contributions. The long-range energy electrostatic energy was described with the use of split-charge equilibration (SQE) model based on the chemical potential equalization (CPE) approach. The electrostatic potential was used as the reference quantity for the calibration of parameters of the SQE model. The computation of dispersion coefficients, which determine the magnitude of the dispersion interactions, was carried out with the use of maximally localized Wannier functions (MLWF). The position of MLWF centers close to the nuclei in oxides permits the computation of the dispersion coefficients in an atom-wise manner. The values of the dispersion coefficients were found to be affected by the coordination number and the radius of the first coordination sphere of atom. The short-range (SR) interaction potentials were designed with the use of force-matching method, which has allowed a judicious choice of the functional form of the SR potentials. The parametrization of the force field components was performed on the basis of extensive quantum-chemical calculations of isolated and periodic silicate systems. The complete force field was tested in the molecular dynamics simulations of crystalline silica polymorphs. Results of the calculations allowed to choose the best model. The selected force field well reproduces structural characteristics of the α-quartz and α-cristobalite polymorphs. The calculation of the vibrational spectra of the systems has shown that the model underestimates the Si-O force constants that leads to a downward shift of the vibrational spectra in comparison with the experimental data. A number of ways aimed at improving the force field's performance are suggested.

Approved for public release: distribution unlimited / This thesis identifies and analyses the main aspects and challenges that have occurred to Georgia's National Security after regaining independence. Economic Security is the initial subject of analysis. The thesis examines the Ministry of Defense as a public sector agency; the problems in government institutions resulting from the old Soviet mentality and the lack of leadership skills in a democratic society which led to Georgia's political crisis and economic decline, as occurs to most countries in transition; specifics about the distribution of financial power in an unstable economic environment decline and the negative effects of instability on defense reform processes, particularly in the implementation of the PPB(E) System. The intent of this research is to explain the interrelationships of harmonious, sustainable growth and PPB(E) as an established system for transparency. The thesis provides a record and explanation of events that caused the current problems in defense planning and the budgeting process as well as recommendations for future improvements to the PPB(E) System in the Georgian Armed Forces (GAF). The main focus is on policy formulation and budget execution; performance; accountability; fiscal discipline; and transparency. The conclusion summarizes the paper, which presented the arguments for successful reforming processes in the GAF, particularly in its medium-term budgeting cycle. / Major, Georgian Army

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