M.Comm. / Changes occur rapidly in the Information Technology (IT) environment. It can be very costly to keep up with these rapid changes and at the same time specialist IT skills are hard to come by. Companies have to re-strategize to maintain their competitive advantages. This strategic business concept suggests that management must focus on specialisation, expertise and excellence. In an increasingly competitive and technological advanced world, business focus has shifted from simply minimising costs to maximising revenue. Companies are now focussing on their core competencies and are sourcing their non-core competencies to external providers (vendors). By distancing themselves from these non-core competencies, companies can focus their energy on areas where they have a competitive advantage. Companies enter into outsourcing arrangement's because they believe a vendor is better equipped to perform their IT functions. Outsourcing has become one of the most powerful, organisation-shaping management tools. For the customer outsourcing involves a proper definition of requirements, a detailed analysis and evaluation of potential vendors, developing the pricing structure and managing the outsourcing arrangement. The vendor needs to deliver a service according to specified service levels to which penalties and rewards are tied. An interdependency exists between the customer and the vendor. Change in the one affects the other. One of the key components for a successful outsourcing arrangement is that a company must never outsource the management of their Information Technology processes.

Typescript, etc.

Wong Wai Chi Mavis. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-112). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / List of Tables --- p.x / List of Figures --- p.xiii / Chapter 1. --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Research Focus --- p.4 / Chapter 2. --- Literature Review --- p.6 / Chapter 2.1 --- Theoretical Models --- p.10 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Transaction Cost Theory --- p.11 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Limitations of the TCT --- p.14 / Chapter 3. --- Outsourcing Framework --- p.17 / Chapter 3.1 --- Motivation --- p.18 / Chapter 3.2 --- The Infrastructure --- p.19 / Chapter 3.3 --- Implication --- p.29 / Chapter 3.4 --- Limitations of the framework --- p.29 / Chapter 3.5 --- Concluding Remarks --- p.31 / Chapter 4. --- Single Vendor Approach --- p.33 / Chapter 4.1 --- Modeling Considerations --- p.35 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- Fixed cost for insourcing and outsourcing jobs --- p.36 / Chapter 4.1.2 --- Expected extra manufacturing costs --- p.37 / Chapter 4.1.2.1 --- Vendor Performance Matrix --- p.37 / Chapter 4.1.3 --- Coordination costs among the jobs --- p.39 / Chapter 4.1.4 --- Independence of the terms --- p.40 / Chapter 4.2 --- Quantitative Model --- p.41 / Chapter 4.3 --- Numerical Example --- p.44 / Chapter 4.4 --- Managerial Implications --- p.48 / Chapter 4.4.1 --- The importance of the co-relation parameter --- p.48 / Chapter 4.4.2 --- Penalty Scheme --- p.48 / Chapter 4.4.3 --- Price Changes --- p.50 / Chapter 4.5 --- Concluding Remarks --- p.54 / Chapter 5. --- Multiple Vendor Approach --- p.56 / Chapter 5.1 --- Modeling Considerations --- p.57 / Chapter 5.1.1 --- Fixed cost for insourcing and outsourcing jobs --- p.57 / Chapter 5.1.2 --- Expected extra manufacturing costs --- p.58 / Chapter 5.1.2.1 --- Vendor Performance Matrix --- p.58 / Chapter 5.1.3 --- Coordination costs among the jobs --- p.60 / Chapter 5.1.4 --- Independence of the terms --- p.61 / Chapter 5.2 --- Quantitative Model --- p.62 / Chapter 5.3 --- Numerical Example --- p.66 / Chapter 5.4 --- Managerial Implications --- p.70 / Chapter 5.4.1 --- Penalty Scheme --- p.70 / Chapter 5.4.2 --- Limited resources of the vendors --- p.71 / Chapter 5.4.3 --- Limiting the power of the vendors --- p.74 / Chapter 5.4.4 --- Competitive market --- p.76 / Chapter 5.4.5 --- The same purchasing prices --- p.79 / Chapter 5.4.6 --- Evaluation of vendors' performance --- p.82 / Chapter 5.4.6.1 --- Data Envelopment Analysis --- p.82 / Chapter 5.4.6.2 --- Vendor selection problem --- p.83 / Chapter 5.4.7 --- Make the unfair fair --- p.84 / Chapter 5.4.8 --- Applications --- p.84 / Chapter 5.5 --- Concluding Remarks --- p.85 / Chapter 6. --- Future Directions --- p.87 / Chapter 6.1 --- Extension to heuristic method --- p.87 / Chapter 6.2 --- Economy of scales --- p.88 / Chapter 6.3 --- Data Envelopment Analysis --- p.89 / Chapter 6.3.1 --- Vendor selection process --- p.89 / Chapter 6.3.2 --- Outsourcing decisions --- p.90 / Chapter 6.4 --- Vendors' point of view in winning the contracts --- p.90 / Chapter 6.4.1 --- Do not know the model formulation --- p.90 / Chapter 6.4.2 --- Know the model formulation --- p.91 / Chapter 6.5 --- Risk Analysis --- p.91 / Chapter 6.6 --- Outsourcing failure --- p.92 / Chapter 7. --- Conclusion --- p.96 / Appendix A --- p.101 / Appendix B --- p.103 / Appendix C --- p.104 / Bibliography --- p.106

Thesis (B.Sc)--University of Hong Kong, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references.

The effect of Ni and Ni(Pt) alloy with ~5 and 10 at. % Pt on the agglomeration and Ge out-diffusion in Nickel germanosilicide formed on Si₀.₇₅Ge₀.₂₅(100) has been studied. A remarkable improvement in the agglomeration behavior with increasing Pt atomic percentage is observed by sheet resistance measurements and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, x-ray diffraction (XRD) shows that only NiSiGe or Ni(Pt)SiGe phase exists from 400 to 800°C. However, Ge out-diffusion from the monogermanosilicide grains is obvious at 600°C and 700°C for Ni/SiGe and Ni(Pt)(Pt at.%~10%)/SiGe, respectively, evident by XRD and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The improved melting temperature of Ni(Pt)SiGe solution compared to that of NiSiGe is the likely reason of seeing better surface morphology and suppressing Ge out-diffusion of the germanosilicide grains observed. / Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 1985. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-70). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Harold Pinter’s A Night Out is a significant but rarely produced piece of drama. Therefore, there is very little criticism to support or contradict my argument. The reason why I chose to do my essay on this particular play is to open doors for academic research and to try and make it an equal to its sister plays. I will raise questions and topics to prove the play is worth the readers’ time and effort and that A Night Out is a sharp piece of political theatre. Although at first glance it is a simple enough story, a straightforward tale of the nasty consequences of motherly love when it is pushed to the limit, on deeper inspection, a more far reaching and complex analysis of the abuse of power can be observed. The play offers a variety of themes, including: interpersonal power struggles, failed attempts at communication, antagonistic relationships, the threat of impending or past violence, the struggle for survival or identity, domination and submission, politics, lies and verbal, physical, psychological and sexual abuse. The prevailing theme in the play is the abuse of power: powerful parties oppressing weaker ones, and the results of the oppressed party looking for a vent in someone even weaker than themselves.

Thesis (doctoral)--European Business School, International University Schloss Reichartshausen, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Naval Postgraduate School, 2002. / Thesis advisor(s): Raymond E. Franck, Francois Melese. Includes bibliographical references (p. 43-45). Also available online.

Thesis (M.P.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-106).