In maritime transportation, liner shipping accounts for over 60\% of the value of goods shipped. However, very limited literature is available on the study of various problems in liner shipping. In this thesis we focus on problems related to this industry. Given a set of cargo to be transported, a set of ports and a set of ships, a common problem faced by carriers in liner shipping is the design of their service network. We develop an integrated model to design service network for the ships and to route the available cargo, simultaneously. The proposed model incorporates many relevant constraints, such as the weekly frequency constraint on the operated routes, and emerging trends, such as obtaining benefits from transshipping cargo on two or more service routes, that appear in practice but have not been considered previously in literature. Also, we design exact and heuristic algorithms to solve the integer program efficiently. The proposed algorithms integrate the ship scheduling problem, a tactical planning level decision, and the cargo routing problem, an operational planning level decision, and provide good overall solution strategy. Computational experiments indicate that larger problem instances, as compared to the literature, can be solved using these algorithms in acceptable computational time. Alliance formation is very common among global liner carriers however a quantitative study of liner alliances is missing from literature. We provide a mathematical framework for the quantitative study of these alliances. For the formation of a sustainable alliance, carriers need to agree on an overall service network and resolve issues concerning distribution of benefits and costs among the members of the alliance. We develop mechanisms to design a collaborative service network and to manage the interaction among the carriers through the allocation of profits in a fair way. The mechanism utilizes inverse optimization techniques to obtain resource exchange costs in the network. These costs provide side payments to the members, on top of the revenue generated by them in the collaborative solution, to motivate them to act in the best interest of the alliance while satisfying their own self interests.

published_or_final_version / Politics and Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

published_or_final_version / Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering / Master / Master of Philosophy

Archaeological fieldwork at the William Conner House Site, home of an early 19th century entrepreneur, was performed in 1990 by Ball State University. The house, listed in the National Register, was built in 1823, occupied until ca. 1916, restored in 1934, and has since functioned as a house museum. Although restoration disturbed portions of the site, substantial undisturbed remains were found to exist on-site. Archaeological testing yielded 26,000+ archaeological specimens and revealed 22 features, including a possible outbuilding, cobble walk, brick pad, fire pit, small refuse pit, and post holes/molds. Herein, the Conner House is described and the history of its usage is recounted. The archaeological research design and methods are explained. Results of investigation are presented. Socioeconomic status theory and indicators are identified, and the site is compared to other 19th century residential sites, socioeconomically. Conclusions are stated. Sites to which the Conner Site is compared are described in an appendix. A glossary is provided. / Department of Journalism

This thesis examines a comprehensive planning model to determine the level of citizen participation The purpose of this thesis was to document ways in which a local government can be a partner with its community development corporations (CDCs) rather than an obstacle. The paper used Indianapolis' CDCs and their support network as a case study. The research identified four needs of a CDC to build capacity: funding, technical assistance, political networking, and internal management. This document intended to find the sources of support to meet these needs in Indianapolis. In the end, the primary focus was not necessarily what local government gave to the CDCs, but how they delivered the needed resources.Interviews were conducted with several individuals in Indianapolis to explore the support network available to CDCs. Members of the Indianapolis support network included the Department of Metropolitan Development--Division of Community Development and Financial Services, the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership (INHP), the Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC), and the Indianapolis Coalition for Neighborhood Development (ICND). The questions asked of these individuals focused on how they fulfill the needs of the CDCs, and their perspective on the efforts of the local government.There are several characteristics and components to this support network in which another city could learn from or replicate. For instance, the local government should not be a reluctant supporter of it's CDCs. Building trust and long term relationships benefits the partnership between the city and CDCs. It is in the best interest of the CDCs if a local government encouraged a charitable environment. The local government needs to realize that the partnership with a CDC only works if there is a shared vision between the two. Finally, each member of the support network for the CDCs need to define what is really meant by the concept of partnership. / Department of Urban Planning

Objective: To understand the use of evidence-informed decision-making within an interorganizational network, and identify the facilitators and barriers to achieving network goals. Design: Case study. Setting: Rural health district in Nova Scotia, Canada (2006 to 2011). Participants: Members from 4 organizations representing community and hospital groups participating in a regional Baby Friendly Initiative network. Methods: A descriptive mixed methods study using focus group and questionnaire methodology. Data were analyzed using framework analysis and social network analysis (SNA). Results: The SNA results highlighted the role that relationships have on the sharing of knowledge among network members. The findings highlight the need for leadership at multiple levels (community, network members, primary organizations, and the provincial government). A lack of resources to achieve the network’s goals was a key barrier. Conclusions: The role of multi-level leadership is important for future network development and community consideration. The case study methodology facilitated momentum towards the network’s goals.

有關策略管理領域中，合作策略已漸成為競爭策略的另一選擇，同時在資源統治結構方面，介於市場結構與層級結構間的跨組織合作關係，為近年來組織理論中的重要研究議題。本研究主要探討跨組織合作關係類型及所採用的管理機制，並選定以醫療產業進行研究，限定以醫院評鑑合格之不涉及股權的跨組織合作關係，採實證方式來驗證理論觀點。 解釋跨組織合作關係之理論觀點，最常見者有資源依賴理論及交易成本理論，而此理論皆從經濟觀點出發，由於本研究所探討之醫療產業，其跨組織合作關係中多數係非以經濟觀點為考量，因此本研究補充社會交換理論加以闡述，期能從合作關係中投入與產出之明確性來區分經濟交換關係及社會交換關係。另因過去對於國內醫院間互動之相關研究指出，從醫院等級來看，發現醫院間的互動多為不同級之單向支援關係，同級醫院之合作很少，因此本研究捨棄醫院層級性角度，另外從每個合作關係之權力及互惠等實質面來觀察合作關係之對等性。 另外對於跨組織合作關係之管理，一般多沿用組織內的管理控制方式。而文獻指出組織間的管理機制包括市場機制、科層機制及關係機制，此三種機制係採結合方式加以應用。 本研究依文獻探討建立初步的研究架構，再經由個案實務分析加以修正，將跨組織合作關係依投入可明確衡量程度、產出可明確衡量程度及合作關係對等性三構面分成八類。另提出四種管理機制組合方式，包括：1.結合市場機制與科層機制。2.結合關係機制與科層機制。3.結合市場機制、關係機制與科層機制。4.單採用關係機制。 本研究採問卷調查方式，針對八十六年度評鑑合格醫院之不涉及股權合作關係進行研究，採分層抽樣，其中醫學中心（10家）及區域醫院（38）全部抽樣，地區醫院（166家）抽樣30家，問卷寄發單位以醫院之科別部門為單位，共計回收有效樣本155筆。 另外分別從理論推導及個案觀察提出六個研究假設，其中假設一至假設五為原理層次，主要從理論推導而得，採用多變量變異數分析法加以檢定，結果顯示假設一至假設五皆獲得支持；假設六為應用層次，又包括八個子假設，主要從個案實務觀察再配合理論推論而得。採用樣本比例分析法檢定，結果顯示八個子假設中，有三個得到支持，其他五個則未獲支持。依實證調查發現結果，對於跨組織合作關係類型及管理機制之關係，提出下列結論： 1.當跨組織合作關係的投入可衡量程度愈明確時，對於選擇市場機制的傾向大於選擇關係機制。 2.當跨組織合作關係的產出可衡量程度愈明確時，對於選擇市場機制的傾向大於選擇科層機制。而對於選擇市場機制的傾向亦大於選擇關係機制。 3.當跨組織合作為不對等關係時，對於選擇關係機制的傾向大於選擇市場機制。而對於選擇關係機制的傾向亦大於選擇科層機制。 4.當跨組織合作關係之投入與產出皆可明確衡量，且為不對等合作關係時，會傾向同時結合併用市場機制、科層機制與關係機制來管理。 5.當跨組織合作關係之投入不可明確衡量而產出可明確衡量，且為不對等合作關係時，會傾向同時結合併用市場機制、科層機制與關係機制來管理。 6.當跨組織合作關係之投入與產出皆不可明確衡量，且為不對等合作關係時，傾向單採用關係機制來管理。

Omvandlingar, såsom den digitala revolutionen, IT-utvecklingen och internationell integration i form av t ex EU har utmanat såväl företagande som politik och satt etablerade teorier och modeller om företagande och politik på prov. En longitudinell studie av Televerkets/Telias strategiska utveckling, med speciell inriktning på Televerkets/Telias interorganisatoriska strategier, telepolitikens framväxt samt den allmänna politikens utveckling sedan 1960-talet visar att: Företagande och politik är beroende av varandra även när de strävar mot oberoende. Det finns skillnader mellan hur statligt ägda företag och privatägda företag hanterar förhållandet mellan företagande och politik. Studien identifierar strategiska och politiska faser och analyser hur dessa påverkar förutsättningarna för strategiskt handlande. / Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögsk.

Both practice and theory present good reason to believe that collaborative interorganizational relationships have become particularly important for innovation and new product development in industries characterized by rapid technological change and dynamic competition. Even though collaboration across organizational boundaries represents an important change in the way companies innovate and develop new products (services and processes), it appears as if the process and practical steps of such arrangements are scantly explored.   The thesis Dating for Innovation addresses this gap by empirically studying a focal company’s attempts to bring new opportunities into the world through collaborative interorganizational relationships under conditions marked by fluid change. A diverse set of research methods ranging from an insider action research approach to more conventional case study methods were applied to shed light on contingencies that may play a role in influencing the process and practical steps.   The result suggests an explorative logic and process, where the partners make use of interorganizational relationships as a means to explore the knowledge necessary for creating, recognizing, and, eventually, developing future opportunities. Not only interest and continued motivation, but also calculated costs and perceived risks, were thus outcomes of the collaboration rather than prescribed beforehand. Furthermore, the empirical findings suggest that corporate entrepreneurs at lower levels in the organization have a more significant influence than previously assumed. From a general point of view, these results imply that parts of the process can be facilitated, but not all initiatives or activities can be directed. Managers are thus challenged to reflect on how to productively deal with interorganizational innovation activities without adapting a classical linear and/or hierarchical monitoring of interorganizational innovation initiatives. / Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Handelshögskolan, 2004 [10], iii, [1], 107 s.: sammanfattning, s. 108-265, [6] s.: 5 uppsatser

[Truncated abstract] This thesis investigates the influence the interpersonal relationship between the venture capitalist and the entrepreneur has upon the performance of the venture capitalist's investment. Its aim was to explore how venture capitalists add value (as opposed to what they do) to their investments in order to arrive at a fuller explanation of investment performance than that offered by agency theory – the current paradigm for the value adding relationship. The qualitative study that underpins this thesis found that in Australia, the quality of the interpersonal relationship between the venture capitalist and the entrepreneur during the value adding phase of the venture capital investment cycle positively predicts the performance of the venture capitalist's investment. The study was prompted by the researcher's personal experiences (as both a venture capitalist and as an entrepreneur in Australia) which suggested that the interpersonal relationship may influence the effectiveness of the venture capitalist's attempts to add value. Whilst the prior research had explored in depth the provision of value adding services (e.g. strategic advice, recruitment of key personnel, board participation), less progress appears to have been made in understanding the role of the interpersonal processes. Although several studies have attempted to fit an established social exchange theory to the value adding process, a published explanation of investment performance (process outcome) that includes interpersonal processes has not been identified. ... The exercise of power was found to be a negative predictor of investment performance. Power was typically exercised as the last resort measure in a failed interpersonal relationship and either precipitated or consolidated inferior investment performance. The failure of the venture capitalists to exercise their formal power in time to arrest underperformance was often due to their fear of the 'hold up' power of (threat of abandonment by) the entrepreneur. Agency theory's contribution to the explanation of investment performance was limited to (adverse) selection, at which point the combined competence of the dyad was determined. In addition to the new explanatory theory, some other insights into value adding were provided, including the key role of mutuality and the lack of explanatory power of the contract, information asymmetry, or goal alignment. The thesis offers contributions to knowledge and practice. Its contributions to knowledge include: the generation of new theory about value adding and investment performance in venture capital deals and some new theoretical concepts, the application of a methodological approach that is new to the area of interest, and a new insight into the Australian venture capital sector. It outlines the implications of the study findings for venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and policy makers, providing some fresh ideas for their consideration. It particularly highlights the need for cultural change in value adding relationships and the influence of heritage on the likelihood of the venture capitalist being successful.