Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Business Division'
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Boyle, Marc D. (Marc David) 1966. "Business-to-business marketplaces for freight transportation." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/9159.
Full textIncludes bibliographical references (leaves 52-54).
Business-to-business (B2B) marketplaces bring together buyers and sellers in different industries using the Internet to conduct or facilitate business transactions. Among these new intermediaries or "infomediaries" are several firms that address spot market transactions and long-term contract negotiations for truckload, airfreight, ocean and intermodal shipments. Most of the initial activity in freight transportation has focused on the highly fragmented truckload sector. Currently, none of these firms process enough shipments to constitute critical mass or a self-sustaining business model. Without liquidity, B2B marketplaces that rely solely on an exchange cannot present a viable alternative to existing transportation intermediaries, such as brokers and forwarders, since shippers' orders cannot be frequently matched with carriers' capacity. Channel mix and domain expertise are the critical strategic mobility barriers for B2B marketplaces. Firms must make strategic decisions early about whether to include or exclude existing intermediaries and also how carriers' direct sales forces may be displaced. The service offering must either reinforce or replace the basic functions of intermediaries. Technology leadership in applications critical to shippers (e.g., shipment consolidation, mode selection and combinatorial bidding) is a proxy for domain expertise and will largely determine a company's ability to differentiate its offerings and form a broad versus narrow line. Shippers will receive the greatest benefit from B2B marketplaces and Internet-based transportation management systems present the best opportunity for value creation. This research examines indirect channels for freight transportation and the specific functions performed by existing intermediaries. Trading models are categorized and four case studies of truckload marketplaces are presented. Frameworks are provided for channel structure and strategic groupings.
by Marc D. Boyle.
M.Eng.
Ransom, Jeffrey Wallace. "Assessing the value of sustainability initiatives in business-to-business relationships." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/77467.
Full textCataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 60-62).
Environmental sustainability initiatives have risen in popularity over recent decades. Companies are actively seeking to promote innovative practices to reduce environmental impact and attract the "green" shopper. The business-to-business (B2B) segment is no different, and many companies utilize proactive sustainability strategies. This thesis examines the important role that environmental sustainability plays within the B2B segment and makes recommendations on how to prioritize sustainability investments. RetailCo, a national provider of various material goods and services, provided data and support for analysis. Information was collected and analyzed from customer inquiries such as Requests for Proposals and Requests for Information. An online survey, constructed to determine customer sustainability priorities, was distributed to business customers. The results from both data sources were used to analyze customer preferences and priorities. Results were analyzed by industry type, company size, geographic region, and annual spend with RetailCo. Finally, interviews were conducted with select companies to compare survey results. Detailed analysis of all data sources shows that sustainable business customers are larger government or education organizations, and they appear to strongly favor electronics and paper product recycling initiatives. Although many companies show strong support for sustainability initiatives, price and quality continue to dominate purchasing decisions.
by Jeffrey Wallace Ransom.
M.Eng.in Logistics
Zhang, Daguang 1972. "China logistics review and business opportunity analysis." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/28522.
Full textSchrieber, Jared M. (Jared Martin) 1976. "The application of prediction markets to business." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/28514.
Full textIncludes bibliographical references (p. 47-48).
According to financial theory, open markets efficiently and effectively aggregate all available information about future events into their prices. Recent empirical evidence has shown that speculative markets, from gambling to web-games, are better at predicting the future than more commonly used statistical or survey-based forecasting methods. As a result, a number of companies have conducted experiments to evaluate the use of prediction markets as an alternative forecasting methodology. This paper offers a comprehensive framework for determining when and how prediction markets should be employed in a business context.
by Jared M. Schrieber.
M.Eng.in Logistics
Kalanidhi, Sanjeev 1970. "E-business strategy : an industry clockspeed perspective." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/8734.
Full textIncludes bibliographical references (leaves 67-68).
The Internet is a communications network that connects computers around the world. It has been around since 1960's. The Internet Phenomena - the recent upsurge in business use of the Internet can be attributed to the World Wide Web or the web. The web uses universally accepted communication protocol and presentation language (i.e. Internet Protocol and Hyper Text Markup Language) that makes it a standard interface - a ubiquitous interface. Businesses are leveraging the Internet to obtain a variety of business benefits. Based on an extensive literature review, this thesis presents a catalogue of 35 distinct business benefits. To obtain these benefits, businesses are undertaking a variety of projects and initiatives. The projects and initiatives, termed as E-business apply the Internet technologies for improving existing business processes, removing barriers within a business, and or among businesses in the supply chain. This thesis organized E-business projects into eight different areas. This thesis explores the Internet Phenomena - it attempts to understand the potential Impacts of the Internet on the supply chain, and proposes some guidelines for management teams interested in choosing E-business projects. By mapping E-business benefits along a typical supply chain, this thesis observes that the Internet is creating structural and operational impacts in the supply chain. The structural impacts appear to result from (a) the growth of a direct channel (b) the presence of new economic agents and (c) new marketplaces. The operational impacts appear to be that (a) the scope of supply chain operations change (b) the scale of supply chain operations are enhanced and (c) the speed of supply chain operations increase. The thesis suggests ten perspectives that may help a management team choose E-business projects. It examines one perspective in detail - the Industry perspective. The industry perspective suggests that differences in industry structures should lead to differences in business needs and requirements, and therefore lead to different e-business opportunities. A hypothesis, based on an industry classification system (proposed by Charles Fine of MIT), was developed. The Internet is a communications network that connects computers around the world. It has been around since 1960's. The Internet Phenomena - the recent upsurge in business use of the Internet can be attributed to the World Wide Web or the web. The web uses universally accepted communication protocol and presentation language (i.e. Internet Protocol and Hyper Text Markup Language) that makes it a standard interface - a ubiquitous interface. Businesses are leveraging the Internet to obtain a variety of business benefits. Based on an extensive literature review, this thesis presents a catalogue of 35 distinct business benefits. To obtain these benefits, businesses are undertaking a variety of projects and initiatives. The projects and initiatives, termed as E-business apply the Internet technologies for improving existing business processes, removing barriers within a business, and or among businesses in the supply chain. This thesis organized E-business projects into eight different areas. This thesis explores the Internet Phenomena - it attempts to understand the potential Impacts of the Internet on the supply chain, and proposes some guidelines for management teams interested in choosing E-business projects. By mapping E-business benefits along a typical supply chain, this thesis observes that the Internet is creating structural and operational impacts in the supply chain. The structural impacts appear to result from (a) the growth of a direct channel (b) the presence of new economic agents and (c) new marketplaces. The operational impacts appear to be that (a) the scope of supply chain operations change (b) the scale of supply chain operations are enhanced and (c) the speed of supply chain operations increase. The thesis suggests ten perspectives that may help a management team choose E-business projects. It examines one perspective in detail - the Industry perspective. The industry perspective suggests that differences in industry structures should lead to differences in business needs and requirements, and therefore lead to different e-business opportunities. A hypothesis, based on an industry classification system (proposed by Charles Fine of MIT), was developed.
by Sanjeev Kalanidhi.
M.Eng.
Koottatep, Pakawkul, and Jinqian Li. "Promotional forecasting in the grocery retail business." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/36142.
Full textIncludes bibliographical references (leaves 84-85).
Predicting customer demand in the highly competitive grocery retail business has become extremely difficult, especially for promotional items. The difficulty in promotional forecasting has resulted from numerous internal and external factors that affect the demand patterns. It has also resulted from multiple levels of hierarchy that involve different groups in the organization as well as different methods and systems. Moreover, judgments from the forecasters are critical to the accuracy of the forecasts, while the value of tweaking the forecast results is yet to be determined. In this business, the forecasters generally have a high incentive to over-forecast in order to meet the corporate goal of maximizing customer satisfaction. The main objective of this thesis is to analyze the effectiveness of promotional forecasting, identify the factors contributing to forecast accuracy, and propose suggestions for improving forecasts. In light of this objective, we used WMPE and WMAPE as the measures of forecast accuracy, and conducted analysis of promotional forecast accuracy from different point of views.
(cont.) We also verified our results with regression analysis, which helped identify the significance of each forecasting attribute so as to support the promotion planning without compromising forecast accuracy. We suggest several approaches to improve forecast accuracy. First, to improve store forecasts, we recommend three models: the bias correction model, the adaptive bias correction model, and the regression model. Second, to improve replenishment forecasts, we propose a new model that combines the top-down and bottom-up approaches. Lastly, we suggest a framework for measuring accuracy that emphasizes the importance of comparing the accuracy of forecasts generated from systems and from judgments.
by Pakawkul Koottatep and Jinqian Li.
M.Eng.in Logistics
Honstain, Christopher Michael. "Sales & operations planning in a global business." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/40106.
Full textIncludes bibliographical references (leaf 44).
As companies become more global and begin to outsource manufacturing and other services, the uncertainty in the supply resource increases. Demand uncertainties increase as these same companies expand into new countries to serve new customers. The globalization of business has created problems that many companies do not know how to overcome. One way of overcoming these challenges is to implement a process called global sales and operations planning (S&OP). Sales and operations planning is a collaborative process that aligns the supply side of an organization with the demand side. Aligning the goals of the different departments eliminates the "silo" mentality and creates a streamlined organization. This streamlined organization works as one team with the goal of meeting the financial expectations set by the executive team. Global sales and operations planning is a process used to match supply and demand throughout the world. To do this effectively, the process must be divided into multiple processes based on the characteristics of the supply chain for the product, the business units within the company, and geography that the business unit is located in.
(cont.) When the S&OP process is divided correctly, it allows the executive members of the company to communicate financial expectations to each of the business units, while the individual business units can match the supply and demand characteristics of the product. Vascucorp. is a company that is facing the same problems that many other companies face when trying to implement an S&OP process into their company. This thesis will focus on trying to form a common platform that companies can use to implement a successful global sales and operations planning process.
by Christopher Michael Honstain.
M.Eng.in Logistics
Chee, Arthur K. L. (Arthur Kuan Loong), and Tzu-Hsueh Lee. "Business continuity planning for a U.S. supply chain." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/92108.
Full textCataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 79-80).
The research objective was to provide a directional sense of some key considerations for business continuity planning (BCP) specific to a company's downstream distribution operations in the U.S. This was achieved via a two-pronged strategy comprised of quantitative and qualitative elements to complement insights gained from the literature review. By quantitatively assessing the financial impacts arising from four hypothetical scenarios, the business impact analysis (BIA) showcased the merits of short time-to-recovery (TTR) in the event of a disruption. However, available information also appears to suggest that the estimated financial impact from carrying high-value inventory is not necessarily insignificant. Hence, a company may want to mitigate the likelihood of a scenario whereby large amounts of inventory become damaged. Qualitative information from industry participants in the study highlighted the importance of tailoring continuity plans to the unique supply chain needs of an organization.
by Arthur K. L. Chee and Tzu-Hsueh Lee.
M. Eng. in Logistics
Luo, Manqin 1976. "Logistics barriers for multinational corporations doing business in China." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/28509.
Full textIncludes bibliographical references (leaves 41-42).
With rapid economic growth, China attracts many multinational corporations (MNCs) as a manufacturing center with both its cheap labor cost and a huge consumer market. While doing business in China, most MNCs have faced logistical problems in connection with the transportation of their materials and the flow of information. The research objective of this paper is to describe the current state of Chinese logistics service and identify the logistics barriers that foreign firms have encountered in China. Dell and Wal-Mart are selected as case studies. The thesis analyzes their operating strategies and solutions to various problems they encountered in China and makes some recommendations.
by Manqin Luo.
M.Eng.in Logistics
Fleck, Jonathan M. (Jonathan Michael) 1974. "21st century reverse logistics : consumer to business space explored." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/8730.
Full textIncludes bibliographical references (leaves 58-64).
Despite a growing body of information about the importance of good logistics and supply chain management, there remains a dearth of research regarding consumer-to-business reverse logistics (the collection of processes required to move individual goods from individual end-consumers to the appropriate retailer, manufacturer, or third party). Indeed, there is not a comprehensive framework to assist enterprises in understanding, evaluating, creating, implementing, or changing a consumer-to-business reverse logistics policy of program. Given the growth of e-commerce and the Internet channel, where goods are often delivered to end-consumers in quantities of one and may likely be returned in quantities of one, this absence of a framework is peculiar. This thesis seeks to fill that gap by utilizing analysis of existing literature, as well as extrapolation of recent trends and developments in reverse logistics service offerings, technology, and last mile solutions. The results are that there is enough available information on the processes and issues surrounding consumer-to-business reverse logistics that a flexible and pragmatic framework can be proposed for use in the United States. This is accomplished by synthesizing results with original analysis, thought, and context. Though the framework cannot be considered comprehensive, it does provide an initial tool for critique and improvement.
by Jonathan M. Fleck.
M.Eng.
Khatun, Hosneara. "Business and business communities of Darjeeling sub-division from 1835 to 1962 : a historical study." Thesis, University of North Bengal, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/1473.
Full textBuelvas, Marcos 1976, and Sonita 1975 Lontoh. "A framework for business process integration to achieve fulfillment excellence." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/29521.
Full text"June 2004."
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 71-72).
Process integration has become more and more important in today's world where companies' supply chains have become more complex. Companies around the world are beginning to realize the importance of integrating their supply chain business processes to achieve fulfillment excellence. Unfortunately, process integration is still somewhat a novel concept and relatively little research has been conducted in examining how companies can effectively implement successful process integration across their supply chains. To complicate matters further, many companies still confuse the concept of business process integration with that of mere data integration. The primary motivation for this research study is to provide a framework on how best to implement process integration to achieve fulfillment excellence. The methodology employed in this particular study comprises the use of two case studies with real-life companies, which provide real-world examples of how companies try to "integrate" their complex supply chain processes. A deep and thorough analysis is then conducted to identify the challenges presented by the firm's current practices from a business process integration perspective. Further analysis then provides an overall view of what is done right and what could have been improved. Last but not least, a generalized framework of best practices and a prescription of how best to implement successful process integration to achieve fulfillment excellence are presented.
co-authored by Marcos Buelvas [and] Sonita Lontoh.
M.Eng.in Logistics
Zurcher, Jeffrey R. "Examining implicit leadership theories among NCAA Division I baseball programs." Thesis, Indiana Wesleyan University, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3615589.
Full textThis purpose of this mixed model study was to ascertain the implicit leadership theory (ILT) content held by National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I baseball teams. Data were collected during the 2012 baseball season from 34 Division I programs, and 1032 coaches and players participated in the research.
As an information-processing approach to understanding leadership, ILT is concerned with the knowledge structures persons maintain and utilize when identifying and interacting with leaders. Ample ILT research has examined such structures within the business context. This study, however, is believed to be the first in-depth exploration of ILT content within the sports domain.
Leadership categorization and connectionist architecture served as the theoretical bases for the study's four research questions, which addressed: the effect that the target cues leader and coach had on ILT (RQ1); the impact that team context (RQ2) and player tenure (RQ3) had on ILT; and whether a sports ILT existed—and if so, how it differed from a business ILT (RQ4). Research was conducted in four sequential steps using qualitative and quantitative methods. Importantly, no external or explicit measures were used to collect data, as such instruments can bias implicit perceptions. The primary tools for processing quantitative data were principal components analysis and confirmatory factor analysis.
A 21-item, 5-factor ILT model for NCAA Division I baseball was derived from factor analysis processes and generalized across two separate data sets. This model demonstrated the existence of a sports ILT, as it differed noticeably from models that explain ILT content within the business domain. Data also indicated that team context had some correlation with ILT differences, whereas player tenure did not. Furthermore, results showed that players do delineate between the targets leader and coach; that is, being perceived as a leader within Division I baseball may not correspond with holding an official organizational/team position.
This study's findings strengthen the idea that leadership is social-cognitive phenomenon that differs according to context. Implications for applying these findings within Division I baseball are discussed. Additionally, this research might be cause for revisiting some of the previous models of leadership within sports studies.
Adepetu, Adeyemi (Adeyemi Adetayo). "Exploring neighborhood power production technologies and business models for developing economies." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/100087.
Full text"September 2014." Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 46-47).
A Neighborhood Power Producer business solution, which aggregates customers and therefore employs economies of scale, is one solution to the energy access issue of most developing economies. In this approach, entrepreneurs contract with a group of colocated residents or businesses to provide modem energy services. This service can be grid-tied or off-grid, serving as either backup power to the central electricity grid or as primary power, depending on access to the electric grid and/or the quality and availability of power. These systems are essentially micro-grids with distributed generation. These developing world Neighborhood Power Producers will also benefit from the rising demand for a more distributed electric grid as a solution to the threat of adverse weather like hurricanes and super storms in developed economies. Cyber security threats are also leading to increased research into distributed power generation systems. This provides technological advances that are powered by investments in developed markets. The developing economies can essentially leapfrog their more developed counterparts with regards to grid-resiliency. The goal of this thesis is to examine broad trends in the Neighborhood Power Producer business model and what strategies are necessary for business sustainability in the short, mid, and longer term.
by Adeyemi Adepetu.
S.M.
Lozano, Pruneda Hector 1974. "Reverse logistics process identification in the business to consumer electronic commerce." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/8732.
Full textIncludes bibliographical references (leaves 60-66).
commerce will have to prove its reliability and convenience. Operational excellence and coordination among the supply chain will allow e-vendors to offer services like on-time delivery and simple return processes, vital factors for electronic vendors' success. The purpose of this thesis is to identify the differences across the reverse logistics process. To accomplish this, the return policies and procedures of ninety-three leading companies that sell products on the Internet directly to consumers were carefully studied. Seven different return processes and four main activities included in them were identified and formally described. Each process is designed to satisfy a specific set of needs, thus they differ considerably from each other. Since logistics is a major part of the cost structure of operating a virtual store (e-tailer) every aspect of it has to be carefully studied and efficiently performed. The author has selected this sole aspect of reverse logistics to focus the research of this thesis and identify and describe the different processes that are currently used by e-vendors.
by Hector Lozano Pruneda.
M.Eng.
Inada, Kenichiro. "Analysis of Japanese Software Business." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/59244.
Full textCataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 94-96).
Today, our society is surrounded by information system, computers, and software. It is no exaggeration to say that our daily life depends on software and its function. Accordingly, the business of software has made miraculous growth in the last two decades and is playing a significant role in various industries. In accordance with the growing business needs for effective software and information systems, various firms in various countries have entered the business of software seeking for prosperity. Some have succeeded, some have failed. What distinguishes these firms is its ability to manage and deliver quality products on demand, on time, at a low cost. To achieve such goal, software firms have thought out different methods and tools striving to establish its practice. Nevertheless, many software firms around the globe are struggling to satisfy its clients to achieve business success. With no exception, Japanese software firms are facing difficulties of managing software projects. While its ability to deliver high quality product is well acknowledged among software industry, its high cost structure and schedule delays are thought of as serious problems. Moreover, some of the transitions in the industry are forcing Japanese software firms to seek new opportunities. Therefore, it is important for Japanese software firms to establish more productive ways of developing software products and effective business strategies. Primal objective of this paper is to analyze the present conditions of Japanese software firms and to derive some recommendations which could enhance its current situation. It will also include the discussion of software development practices in US and India firms to better understand strength and weaknesses of Japanese firms and capture some important concepts which can be applied to improve current practice.
by Kenichiro Inada.
S.M.in System Design and Management
Zheng, Benjamin Yukai 1971. "Improving logistics and supply chain services for MNCs doing business in P.R. China." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/28523.
Full textIncludes bibliographical references (leaves 42-43).
by Benjamin Yukai Zheng.
M.Eng.in Logistics
Chen, Yan (Yan Henry) 1976. "Integrating Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) data with Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) business processes." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/33326.
Full textIncludes bibliographical references (leaves 42-46).
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, an important component in the enterprise IT infrastructure, must be integrated into the legacy IT system. This thesis studies how RFID technology can be integrated into the existing Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) infrastructure, particularly how RFID can be used in the current EDI exchange process to accelerate the receiving process. After detailed review of current receiving process and relevant data specification, the author finds it possible to replace the current manual receiving process by RFID enabled automatic receiving and reconciliation process. A middleware is proposed to implement this approach.
by Yan Chen.
M.Eng.in Logistics
Chan, Rida, and Sangeeth Ram. "RFID implementations : business process and technology lessons learned, recommendations and best practices for new adopters." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/36146.
Full text"June 2006."
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-118).
This thesis focuses on documenting learnings from a RFID data exchange pilot in the fast moving consumer goods industry. The pilot we studied is a collaborative effort between two of the largest retailers in the world and five of their major suppliers, facilitated by EPCglobal and the MIT Auto-ID labs. Currently, manufacturers and suppliers are building the infrastructure to exchange EPC data to validate standards and proof of concepts for RFID adoption. The outcome of these pilots will essentially set the stage for large scale RFID adoption worldwide. Our thesis attempts to document issues relating to data exchange from business process, organizational and technical perspectives. We have synthesized the findings and consolidated the lessons learned during the pilot in an attempt to form a set of actionable recommendations for new companies looking to start on RFID pilot projects.
by Rida Chan [and] Sangeeth Ram.
M.Eng.in Logistics
Krikos, Alexis Christopher. "Disruptive technology business models in cloud computing." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/59255.
Full textCataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references.
Cloud computing, a term whose origins have been in existence for more than a decade, has come into fruition due to technological capabilities and marketplace demands. Cloud computing can be defined as a scalable and flexible shared computing solution in which third-party suppliers use virtualization technologies to create and distribute computing resources to customers on-demand, via the Internet browser. Cloud computing is steadily replacing more rigid software and services licensing models in both small/medium business (SMB) and in the enterprise. This analysis poses a twofold examination of cloud computing as a disruptive technology. First, cloud computing has replaced existing software and services licensing business models, owing to its scalability, flexibility, and utility-based pricing. Second, as cloud computing takes hold as the prominent computing services business paradigm, other disruptive forces will surface to further integrate and differentiate the cloud computing landscape. These forces include the customer-driven need to create hybrid clouds between private and public cloud domains, vendor-agnostic solutions in the cloud, along with open standards to make cloud computing ubiquitous. Three criteria are assessed in characterizing cloud computing as a disruptive technology (Christensen, 2002).1 First, cloud computing as an innovation, must enable less-skilled and/or less-wealthy individuals to receive the same utility as only the more-skilled and/or more-wealthy intermediaries could formerly attain. Second, cloud computing must target customers at the low end of a market with modest demands on performance, but with a performance trajectory capable of exceeding those demands and thus taking over markets, tier by tier. As a corollary to this second criterion, the cloud computing business model allows the disruptive innovator to achieve attractive returns at prices that are unattractive to the incumbents. Third, an ecosystem in the form of a fully integrated single entity or a set of modular entities is required to successfully support the disruptive innovation. The analysis has shown that cloud computing is replacing traditional outsourcing and premise-based data centers for software applications and services delivery. Scalability, flexibility, virtualization, and cost are essential business drivers. However, current cloud computing solutions, especially in the enterprise, lack sufficient security and customer control. This gives rise to numerous subordinate disruptive business solutions which enable the enterprise and emerging demographics to develop and deploy their applications and services in a secure, controlled, profitable, and ubiquitous environment.
by Alexis Krikos.
S.M.in System Design and Management
Yildirim, Cem S. M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Data-Centric Business Transformation." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/107344.
Full textCataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 44-45).
Today's digital business environment is imposing a great transformation challenge on the enterprises to effectively use vast amount data in order to gain critical business insights to stay competitive. In their aim to take advantage of data many large organizations are launching data management programs. In these attempts organizations recognize that taking full advantage of data requires enterprise wide changes in organizational aspects, business processes, and technology. The lack of recognition of this enterprise-wide scope haunts most data management programs. Research shows that most of these programs fail and get abandoned after long efforts and investments. This study aims to highlight critical reasons why these programs fail and a different approach to address the fundamental problems associated with the majority of these failures. It is important to be successful in the data efforts due to the fact that data driven businesses are gaining significant competitive edge. Data Centric Business Transformation Strategy (DCBT) is a holistic approach for the enterprise to transform into a data driven and agile entity. DCBT is also away to achieve better alignment in the enterprises. DCBT aims to achieve two goals to transform the organization; become a smarter organization by instilling continuous learning and improvement culture in all aspects of the business and achieve agility in enterprise-wide organizational learning and technology. To achieve these two goals, understanding the current state of the organization in the tree fundamental DCBT areas of organizational learning capacity, business processes and technology is essential to incrementally and continuously improve each one in concert. Required improvements should be introduced to smaller parts of the organization delivering the value of data. Strategically chosen pipeline of projects would allow the ramp up of the organization to a continuously learning and changing organization. In the age of digital economy, agile organizations can learn quicker from large amounts of data to have the competitive edge. This study will also look into how a data management program relates to DCBT and can be used in concert to enable DCBT.
by Cem Yildirim.
S.M. in Engineering and Management
Shatzkamer, Kevin David. "Virtual mobile networking using always best connected business relationships." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/100385.
Full textCataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 93-99).
With the advent of smartphones and tablets, mobile networks are no longer luxuries in the communications industry. Mobile networking is paramount to meeting the need of corporate users and the desires of consumers. These users consume mobile data to reach content and services deployed on the Internet by way of cloud computing. Mobile networks have undergone a number of iterations, with the current state - 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) - providing a starting point for high speed, low latency mobile networking that meets the demands of bandwidth hungry applications and services. Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) have existed as a means to help Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) achieve meaningful market share in industry segments that have been harder, or more expensive, for the MNO to reach. In this way, MVNOs have remained niche providers to a highly segmented industry. In addition, a traditional 1:1 model of MVNO to MNO has left the MNO in dominant position to determine the extent to which the MVNO may be successful. This thesis explores the trends that are forcing business model disruption in the MVNO industry and proposes a technical solution, built around the systems engineering System of Systems (SoS) principles that may be leveraged to help transform the mobile industry into a more competitive environment in which MVNO and MNO compete on level playing fields for subscribers.
by Kevin David Shatzkamer.
S.M. in Engineering and Management
Thompson, Matthew Richard S. M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "The future of portable ultrasound : business strategies for survival." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/59271.
Full textCataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 63-68).
The growth of healthcare costs in the USA, coupled with the desire for access to care in the developing world, is driving the need for low cost, high quality imaging services. The miniaturization of signal processing electronics continues to reduce the size and cost of ultrasound devices. This convergence of demand and technology has led to the rise of portable ultrasound products, disrupting the entire industry. Market share for conventional cart-based systems is being eroded by compact mobile devices. This threatens the large, multi-modality imaging companies as more focused competitors, such as SonoSite, rise to dominate the portable market. New companies continue to arrive with innovative portable products, while domestic companies in emerging markets arise with low cost devices targeting local demand. In the face of these changes, what should companies do to adapt their business strategies and compete? In short, the established companies need to disrupt themselves and develop a portfolio of portable products. GE seems to have already acknowledged this reality and embraced the disruptive trend. Products with modular architectures will help companies reduce product cost and increase cycle times, improving their competiveness in an increasingly crowded space. SonoSite will need to find a wealth of resources to maintain its advantage, ideally leveraging the strong brand name that it has established. Looking to the future of this disruptive cycle, companies need to embrace new business models for low cost products. Verathon's line of application specific products may be a glimpse into the future. In addition, in response to this need for, and trend towards, low cost devices, some companies, such as GE, have created a new segment of pocket portable ultrasound devices: a "visual stethoscope" that could be in the hand of every doctor. Will this type of device succeed? The reality is that they will find mixed success. Disintegrated health systems, the predominant type in the USA, present a challenging environment for value capture and will only embrace these products once they become significantly cheaper and demonstrate success as a process improvement tool. Integrated health systems, more common globally, will slowly embrace them as a screening tool. Companies in this product category need to be in it for the long haul and focus on the compelling applications in the EMT/paramedic market segment to achieve short-term success.
by Matthew Richard Thompson.
S.M.in System Design and Management
Robles, Sebastian. "Business intelligence in Chile, recommendations to develop local applications." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/70831.
Full text"February 2010." Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 60).
The volume of information generated from enterprise applications is growing exponentially, and the cost of storage is decreasing rapidly. In addition, cloud-based applications, mobile devices and social networks are becoming relevant sources of unstructured data that provide essential information for strategic decisions making. Therefore, with time, enterprise databases will become more valuable for business but also much harder to integrate, process and analyze. Business Intelligence software was instrumental in helping organizations to analyze information and provide reports to support business decision-making. Accordingly, BI applications evolved as enterprise information grew, hardware-processing capacities developed, and storage cost is being reduced significantly. In this paper, we will analyze the current BI world market and compare it with the Chilean market, in order to come up with business plan recommendations for local developers and systems integrators interested in capitalizing the opportunities generated by the global BI software market consolidation.
by Sebastian Robles.
S.M.in Engineering and Management
Piepenbrock, Theodore F. (Theodore Frederick) 1965. "Toward a theory of the evolution of business ecosystems : enterprise architectures, competitive dynamics, firm performance & industrial co-evolution." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/57976.
Full textCataloged from PDF version of thesis. Vita.
Includes bibliographical references (v. 4, p. 698-745).
This dissertation contributes toward the building of a theory of the evolution of business ecosystems. In the process, it addresses a question that has been posed by evolutionary theorists in the economics and sociology literatures for decades: "Why do firms in the same industry vary systematically in performance over time?" Seeking a systematic explanation of a longitudinal phenomenon inevitably requires characterizing the evolution of the industrial ecosystem, as both the organization (firm) and its environment (industry, markets and institutions) are co-evolving. This question is therefore explored via a theoretical sample in three industrial ecosystems covering manufacturing and service sectors, with competitors from the US, Europe and Japan: commercial airplanes, motor vehicles and airlines. The research is based primarily on an in depth seven-year, multi-level, multi-method, field-based case study of both firms in the large commercial airplanes industry mixed duopoly as well as the key stakeholders in their extended enterprises (i.e. customers, suppliers, investors and employees). This field work is supplemented with historical comparative analysis in all three industries, as well as nonlinear dynamic simulation models developed to capture the essential mechanisms governing the evolution of business ecosystems.
(cont.) A theoretical framework is developed which endogenously traces the co-evolution of firms and their industrial environments using their highest-level system properties of form, function and fitness (as reflected in the system sciences of morphology, physiology and ecology), and which embraces the evolutionary processes of variation, selection and retention. The framework captures the path-dependent evolution of heterogeneous populations of enterprise architectures engaged in symbiotic inter-species competition and posits the evolution of dominant designs in enterprise architectures that oscillate deterministically and chaotically between modular and integral states throughout an industry's life-cycle. Architectural innovation - at the extended enterprise level - is demonstrated to contribute to the failure of established firms, with causal mechanisms developed to explain tipping points.
by Theodore F. Piepenbrock.
Ph.D.
Downen, Troy Douglas. "A multi-attribute value assessment method for the early product development phase with application to the business airplane industry." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/28839.
Full textIncludes bibliographical references (p. 327-339).
(cont.) market. The method is also used to extract quantitative evidence indicating the existence of enterprise-related attributes for consumer value in products. Marking the first independent review of the loss function-based value method, this study finds that the Relative Value Index is superior to existing value methods at retaining simplicity of implementation and minimal data requirements while maintaining a firm grounding in economics and consumer choice theory. The method is shown to be useful for estimation, though robustness of the results is not certain when used in this manner, and may also be extended to the analysis of large-scale engineering systems and their value to society.
The early phase of product development, sometimes referred to as the fuzzy front-end, is critical to the success of enterprises and plays a dominant role in the formation and execution of corporate strategy. In addition, it has been argued that the concept of consumer value is central to effective product development. In this research, a new product value assessment method is established for the fuzzy front-end of business airplane development. Existing value assessment techniques used in the business aviation industry are found to poorly balance the theoretical rigor of the method with the ease of use and accuracy required by practitioners in early product development. A recently-developed multi-attribute value method, based on Taguchi's loss function approach to quality assessment, is modified and extended in this study and applied for the first time to the domain of business aviation. A comprehensive 40-year historical product database is developed for use in testing and evaluating the method, referred to as the Relative Value Index (RVI), enabling the scope of value method appraisal to be expanded to an industry-wide examination over a significant time span. A top-down approach is developed for calibrating value models to empirical market data via attribute weighting factors. Sensitivity analyses and Monte Carlo simulations are developed to test the RVI method's robustness and the reliability of the results, enabling a rigorous definition of the determinants of product competition in this industry. This methodology is a useful advance in the methods to extract objective findings from historical industry market activities. The RVI approach is used to develop evidence in support of a ratio theory of product price and value differentiation in the business airplane
by Troy D. Downen.
Ph.D.
Johnson, David. "Business Process Outsourcing: An Exploratory Study." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2005. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/283.
Full textMokhtari, Dizaji Reza 1968. "Business model transformation for the international division of a fortune 100 high technology company." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/43116.
Full textIncludes bibliographical references (p. 123-127).
Raytheon Canada in Waterloo, Ontario offers a very interesting but challenging research case. As one of the international divisions of Raytheon Corporation, the company has a business model similar to its parent company. The company however is facing new trends in its business environment which have characteristics different than those of its parent company. The main focus of this thesis is to identify the key missing elements in the company's current business model and propose solutions in order to assist the company to adopt the best strategy to successfully operate in this evolving market.The company's interactions with the rest of Raytheon are limited due to the recent tightening of ITAR regulations. Although the company's organization structure is still tightly integrated to the rest of Raytheon, Raytheon US restricts the company's access to the best practice from the rest of the corporation in US. Another interesting observation relates to the company's two major product lines. ATM, Raytheon Canada's legacy product line is being disrupted by the recent arrival of ADS-B technology. This new technology has the potential of providing a major threat to company's sustainability. At the same time Raytheon Canada is introducing HFSWR, which is a disruptive technology, to maritime surveillance market. The company is facing the challenges of commercializing this breakthrough technology to a highly regulated and fragmented market. Raytheon Canada needs to operate in this complex business environment. This makes the company a remarkable research case for analyzing its current business model and ways to improve it through integrating the latest business knowledge from both industry and academia.
(cont) The goal of the thesis is to assist Raytheon Canada to transform its business model by determining the key characteristics of its future business model through detailed assessment of the company's current business model and study of the enterprise future business environment. This is obtained by studying the market research data, the strategic goals of parent company, trends in the technology and product landscape, and the customer behavior. Solutions are proposed for developing a realistic roadmap to transform the current business model of the company to address the future business environment challenges.
by Reza Mokhtari-Dizaji.
S.M.
VanDeWoestyne, Jennifer Marie. "Assessing Achievement Outcomes and Student Engagement Perception in an Upper Division Business Management Course." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2016. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/420767.
Full textEd.D.
This study examined differences in achievement outcomes among undergraduate business students enrolled in an online and face-to-face upper division business management course. Proponents of online education support the argument that there are no differences in outcomes between students who take online courses, and much of the literature supports this position. The purpose of the current study was to ascertain whether that belief is supported at the university where the study was conducted using a specific course from the Business School. The course that served as the focus of this study is Finance 3000 (FIN 3000). It is a quantitative course, and one that is a prerequisite to other upper division courses in the core degree requirements. Failure to complete this course in the allotted three attempts results in students having to change their major out of the college. The two units of analysis for this particular study consisted of students who completed the Finance 3000 (FIN 3000) course via online delivery and the traditional face-to-face classroom setting on the university’s Main campus between fall 2012 and fall 2015. These students were all declared Business majors (specific major will vary) at the university’s Business School. A demographic profile of the students registered for these sections was constructed using data that are available through Self-Service Banner. The information gathered included: ethnicity (using categories defined by the university), major, academic classification (such as sophomore, junior or senior), and final grade earned in the course. The purpose behind this information is to determine whether there is any relationship between grades earned in this course and the grades earned in FIN 3000, as well as to make sure that the online and face-to-face students are comparable. Finally, a voluntary survey was administered to those students who completed the online version of FIN 3000 in fall 2015, in order to assess perceived levels of engagement. Results of this study revealed that, overall, students who enrolled in the online section of FIN 3000 performed worse than those in the face-to-face section. Further analysis indicated that while there were no significant differences in factors such as major and gender, seniors registered more frequently in the online section and had lower achievement results. The results of this study contradict the literature that suggests there are no differences in achievement outcomes.
Temple University--Theses
Ivanisevic, Paunovic Jelena. "From Low Budget to Big Business : Releasing Strategies for Indeoendent Films and Industry Division." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Filmvetenskap, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-181523.
Full textPatil, Devadas V. "Business development trends and analysis for the data networking market." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/70804.
Full textCataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 89-96).
The Internet has come a long way after the widely reported invention by Sandra Lerner and Leonard Bosack of the router, a device that can transmit data from one network to another based on certain protocols and principles. Despite a slow start in the mid 1980s, the Internet has emerged as one of the primary means of communication for people of all walks of life. Sophisticated, network-aware applications that integrate data, voice and video have helped fuel this growth. This thesis examines the latest technology trends and historical developments in various market segments of the Internet. Using technology trends as a backdrop, it analyzes business development at Cisco Systems, Inc., a major player in all Internet market segments. Well-known tools and concepts such as the Familiarity Matrix and Technology S-curve are used for case studies of business development at Cisco. Business Development is almost always a high-stakes endeavor requiring keen insight on both financial and strategy fronts. What are good strategies for corporate entrepreneurship? What are the challenges in business development by way of acquisitions? Will cyber anonymity continue to make us lonely and distanced, or will there be a new breed of Internet applications that will genuinely bring people closer? These are some of the questions this thesis explores, drawing on the wisdom and experience of industry experts.
by Devadas V. Patil.
S.M.in Engineering and Management
Paccot, Olivier (Olivier Marc Paccots Burnens). "Understanding business replication : impacts and best practices for developing countries." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/90720.
Full textCataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 84-85).
by Olivier Paccot.
S.M. in Engineering and Management
De, los Ríos Vergara Andrés, and Kristen E. Nordstrom. "Building a business case for corporate fleets to adopt vehicle-to-grid technology (V2G) and participate in the regulation service market." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/68822.
Full textCataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 95-98).
Electric (EV) and Plug-in Hybrid Electric vehicles (PHEV) continue to gain attention and market share, not only as options for consumers but also for corporate fleets. EVs and PHEVs can contribute to lower operating costs through reduced maintenance requirements and enhanced fuel economy. In addition, a fleet of EVs or PHEVs, when parked and aggregated in a sizeable number, can provide regulation services to the grid through the electricity stored in the vehicle's batteries. This opportunity is known as Vehicle-to-grid technology (V2G). This thesis evaluates the economics for V2G-enabled fleets to participate in the regulation services market. In order to build a business case for fleet managers, we constructed a 10-year cash flow model that compares the operating, infrastructure, and capital costs, as well as the revenue opportunities for EVs, PHEVs, and ICEs. To quantify potential revenues, we adapted a tool that the ISO New England has used to simulate the revenues of participants in the regulation market for an alternative energy pilot. We show that ICEs, while having the lowest retail value, actually have the greatest NPV due to their high operating costs and inability to participate in the regulation services market. EVs have the highest retail value, but due to their large battery size are able to provide the most regulation services. The opportunity for V2G is critical for the attractiveness of the EV. PHEVs offer lower V2G revenue opportunity than the EVs but have greater operational flexibility. We determined that V2G revenue potential is driven by the charger capacity and battery size and there are tradeoffs associated with these components. A larger battery and charger will generate more money from regulation services, but their high investment cost may outweigh these benefits. The correct combination of charger capacity, battery size, and state of charge (SOC) is important. If the charger capacity is too large and SOC too high or low, a small battery can be charged or depleted too quickly, hindering its ability to provide regulation services.
by Andrés De los Ríos Vergara and Kristen E. Nordstrom.
M.Eng.in Logistics
Claxton, Lawrence J. "Factors that Motivate Attendance At NCAA Division II Football Games| A Multiple Case Study." Thesis, Northcentral University, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3623287.
Full textGovernment funding shortages are changing the financial landscape of collegiate athletic programs. Athletic administrators struggling to discover alternative financial sources have frequently focused their efforts on increasing home game attendance, which leads to increased concession and licensing revenues. The problem is that schools sporting programs will continue to lose funds if schools do not attract and maintain a larger fan base at athletic events. The purpose of this multiple case study is to identify and explore the factors that motivate fans attendance at NCAA Division II football games using both a survey and interviews at four universities within the Great American Conference, the Lone Star Conference, and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. The research study that is employed is based on multiple case study and triangulated data collected from a small sample group at four universities: Northeastern State, Southeastern Oklahoma State, Southwestern Oklahoma State, and West Texas A & M. Data collection methods included the administration of a Sport Fan Motivation Scale survey to fans at a home game for each university, individual interviews of the sample group athletic directors, and review of online sources. Key results of the study yielded significant insight into optimal methodologies athletic administrators can employ to increase program revenues by increasing home game attendance. The findings were evaluated based upon the data collected utilizing four research questions. Economic factors were most likely to affect motivation of fans to attend home football games. Game attractiveness factors have a positive effect on fans at home football games. Demographic factors affect the motivation of fans to attend home football games. Residual factors affect the motivation of fans to attend football games. Many commonalities were found in the collected data that helped to identify themes and connect this information to previous research described in the literature review. A review of economic, team oriented, demographic, and ancillary factors yielded results indicating that integration of promotional activities, ensuring ample parking space for non-tailgaters, and a feeling of commitment or identification with the team are means to increase attendance.
Jog, Chetan R. (Chetan Ravindra). "Healthcare technology, patient engagement and adherence : systems and business opportunity analysis." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/76493.
Full textCataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 63-64).
In the current shift in the US healthcare system, lower cost, higher quality of care, access and safety are the main drivers that are effecting changes. Patient compliance with medication and technology enabled wellness and engagement programs play an important role in ensuring the cost and quality of care is reduced. In a recent study, the overall cost of poor medication adherence, measured in otherwise avoidable medical spending, is close to $310 billion annually, representing approximately 14% of total healthcare expenditures. There have been several studies analyzing the reasons for and impact of non-adherence and solutions to achieve increasing compliance. With the recent wave in healthcare technology, the scope of prescription medication adherence needs to be expanded to include patient engagement and their awareness towards lifestyle changes and managing their own health. This thesis engages in an analysis of these compliance issues and in understanding the relationships among the various stakeholders involved. It also analyses the several technology platforms and solutions from mobile health to "gamification" and social networks from a business, user and regulatory standpoint. It looks into how these newer health technologies helps the individual in adhering and realizing novel insights into their own patterns related to medication, lifestyle and general health. Further, working with a health technology startup catering to the behavioral care market, a real world application of a health technology product that utilizes technology based patient assessment, decision support and patient communication, will be evaluated to explore how it will help in delivering value to several stakeholders.
by Chetan R. Jog.
S.M.in Management and Engineering
Mathur, Akshat. "The evolution of business ecosystems : interspecies competition in the steel industry." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/59258.
Full textCataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 101-104).
This thesis contributes toward the building of a theory of the evolution of business ecosystems by exploring the applicability of Piepenbrock's' theoretical framework to a commodity industrial setting, namely the U.S. steel industry from 1860-2010. As the evolution of business ecosystems framework posits the emergence of symbiotic inter-species competition between heterogeneous inter-organizational architectures, this thesis builds grounded theory by expanding Piepenbrock's original theoretical sample to include the following dominant firms in the U.S. steel industry: United States Steel and Bethlehem Steel, representing incumbents and Nucor and Arcelor-Mittal, representing late-entrants. Comparative historical analyses are performed to determine the evolution of the firms' form, function and fitness: specifically their inter-organizational architectures, their strategic choices in both market quantity and technological quality, and the maturity of the steel industry environment in both market quantity and technology quality. The U.S. steel industry is demonstrated to currently be in a mature state, with slowing rates of growth in terms of both market quantity and technology quality (i.e. performance improvement trajectories of products and production processes). During the growth and maturing of this market environment, the inter-organizational architectures of the dominant incumbent firms of United States Steel and Bethlehem Steel appear to have evolved from integral to modular forms. As the market became mature, late-entrant firms of Nucor and Arcelor-Mittal appear to have entered with integral inter-organizational architectures, in which they compete on quality, cost and delivery dimensions enabled through stable long-term growth. The findings of this thesis demonstrate that the evolution of business ecosystems appears to be a reasonably robust theoretical framework, which is useful in explaining why firms in the same industry vary systematically in performance over time. The investigation of inter-species competition in the U.S. steel industry expands the external validity or generalizability of the framework to include commodity industrial settings. The framework captures the evolution of dominant designs in enterprise architectures that oscillate between modular and integral states throughout an industry's life-cycle. Architectural innovation at the extended enterprise level in Nucor and Arcelor-Mittal is demonstrated to contribute to the failure of established firms United States Steel and Bethlehem Steel.
by Akshat Mathur.
S.M.in System Design and Management
Pullokkaran, Laijo John. "Analysis of data virtualization & enterprise data standardization in business intelligence." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/90703.
Full textCataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (page 59).
Business Intelligence is an essential tool used by enterprises for strategic, tactical and operational decision making. Business Intelligence most often needs to correlate data from disparate data sources to derive insights. Unifying data from disparate data sources and providing a unifying view of data is generally known as data integration. Traditionally enterprises employed ETL and data warehouses for data integration. However in last few years a technology known as "Data Virtualization" has found some acceptance as an alternative data integration solution. "Data Virtualization" is a federated database termed as composite database by McLeod/Heimbigner's in 1985. Till few years back Data Virtualization weren't considered as an alternative for ETL but was rather thought of as a technology for niche integration challenges. In this paper we hypothesize that for many BI applications "data virtualization" is a better cost effective data integration strategy. We analyze the system architecture of "Data warehouse" and "Data Virtualization" solutions. We further employ System Dynamics Model to compare few key metrics like "Time to Market" and "Cost of "Data warehouse" and "Data Virtualization" solutions. We also look at the impact of "Enterprise Data Standardization" on data integration.
by Laijo John Pullokkaran.
S.M. in Engineering and Management
Porter, Christopher Vernon. "Applying enterprise architecting to the business acquisition process." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/39679.
Full textIncludes bibliographical references (p. 98).
Background: Since the 1980s, the pace and dollar value of acquisitions in the US have grown at an astounding rate (Hitt, Sirower). The benefits from many of these acquisitions are elusive, with 60% of recent acquisitions showing negative return for the acquiring company (Hitt et. all, 5). Expected synergies are not realized despite the valiant efforts of the integration team who struggle with implementing the plans developed prior to deal close. Correlations can be drawn to the field of systems engineering, where specific processes and tools are employed to understand the interactions of various functional areas and avoid such implementation difficulties. Enterprise Architecting (EA) is one such framework that has shown promise in analyzing complex enterprises. Results: The thesis shows that all currently analyzed aspects of a potential acquisition are evaluated if the EA framework is used. It also shows that enough information is available prior to closing to use the EA framework to understand the potential enterprise. Further, it shows that the EA framework is flexible enough to accommodate the unique aspects of an acquisition analysis. Finally, the thesis shows a definite qualitative benefit from applying the EA framework.
(cont.) Conclusions: Despite the fact that one of the aspects of the hypothesis was not met, EA is still a valid and beneficial framework to apply to the acquisition process. It provides a sound process framework that should be used to design and implement robust acquisition analysis processes. This will enable greater process efficiency, quality, and consistency.
by Christopher Vernon Porter.
S.M.
M.B.A.
Dlamini, Joe. "Framework for identifying areas in the operations division of Vodacom that could be outsourced." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/80787.
Full textENGLISH ABSTRACT: Telecommunication operators are faced with the challenges of rising upward pressure by the competition; this is mainly due to the saturation of subscribers and the aggressive battle for a share of the customer wallet. This has forced mobile network operators to look for new opportunities to drive growth and to cut costs in business operations. The battleground rules are mainly defined by the speed with which new technologies are introduced, customer perception of the quality of the network, and site planning. The purpose of this study is to identify a framework to help the company identify activities which, due to their level and quality of performance, either help or hinder the performance of critical success factors. The starting point for this process is defining the critical success factors based on the company‟s high level priorities. Thereafter, activities that are critical or non-critical, based on their influence on each critical success factor, are identified. Finally, Vodacom‟s operations group activities in a value chain are analysed. The framework is applied to analyse Vodacom‟s operations group activities in a value chain with a view to improve sustainable execution of critical success factors. The report concludes with a decision to outsource activities that are non-critical and are being performed poorly, and the strategic outsourcing of those critical activities which require specialised skills easily sourced outside the company instead of Vodacom spending huge amounts of money in attracting and retaining such specialised skills.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Telekommunikasie-ondernemings staan voor die uitdaging om toenemende opwaartse druk van hul mededingers doeltreffend aan te spreek, hoofsaaklik as gevolg van die oorversadigde intekenaarmark en die agressiewe stryd om 'n aandeel van die kliënt se beursie. Dit noop selfoonnetwerkondernemings om te soek na nuwe geleenthede om groei te dryf en om die bedryfskostes van die onderneming te besnoei. Die reëls op die gevegsfront word neergelê deur onder andere die tempo waarteen nuwe tegnologie bekend gestel word, die kliënt se persepsie van die netwerkkwaliteit, en terreinbeplanning. Hierdie studie het ten doel om 'n raamwerk te identifiseer wat die onderneming kan gebruik om te help met die identifisering van aktiwiteite wat as gevolg van hul vlak en gehalte van prestasie die kritiese suksesfaktore óf positief óf negatief beïnvloed. Die vertrekpunt in hierdie proses is die bepaling van kritiese suksesfaktore gegrond op die maatskappy se hoë-vlak prioriteite, en daarna moet aktiwiteite wat kritiek of nie-kritiek is op grond van hul invloed op elk van die kritiese suksesfaktore, geïdentifiseer word. Daarna word Vodacom se operasionele groepsaktiwiteie in 'n waarde-ketting ontleed. Die raamwerk word gebruik om Vodacom se operasionele groepsaktiwiteie in 'n waarde-ketting te ontleed met die oog op die verbetering van die volhoubare uitvoering van die kritiese suksesfaktore. Die verslag sluit af met 'n aanbeveling dat nie-kritiese aktiwiteite wat swak verrig word, uitgekontrakteer moet word; en dat ook daardie kritiese aktiwiteite wat gespesialiseerde vaardighede vereis en waarvan daar 'n oorvloed buite die onderneming bestaan, uitgekontrakteer moet word eerder as wat Vodacom groot bedrae geld spandeer aan die werwing en instandhouding van sulke gespesialiseerde vaardighede.
Ekman, Sofie, and Rita Razifar. "Power Division in Strategic Alliances : How to be Successful despite Power Asymmetry." Thesis, Linköping University, Department of Management and Economics, 2005. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-2825.
Full textBackground: In resent years, the number of alliances has increased rapidly. Through collaborating with other firms, companies hope to gain certain benefits that they cannot reach on their own. However, the division of power in strategic alliances can be asymmetric, endangering the achievement of goals and objectives in the alliance for the less influential party.
Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to identify success factors for companies with less influence and power than their collaboration partner/s in a strategic alliance.
Delimitation: This study concerns strategic alliances characterised by one party making an equity investment in the other party. The study is, furthermore, conducted from the perspective of the less influential party with relatively less power in the alliance.
Realisation: A case study was conducted based on six interviews and a questionnaire among employees at the mobile operator Swisscom Mobile. The company is involved in a strategic alliance with Vodafone and is part of the world leading Vodafone Group.
Results: The main findings of this thesis show that power asymmetry in an alliance originates from factors both on a dyadic level and on a network level and that these levels affect each other. Companies with a weaker power position must strive for counteracting the existing power asymmetry in order to secure their goals and objectives in the alliance. This study shows that this can be achieved through, for instance, partly having different goals than the partner/s, increasing the dependence of the partner/s on the own resources, absorbing information and know-how and learning from the partner/s, building trust in the relationship through personal contacts and safeguarding goals and objectives through a written contract and “economic hostage”.
Reyes, Eumir P. (Eumir Paulo Reyes Morales). "A systems thinking approach to business intelligence solutions based on cloud computing." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/59267.
Full textCataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 73-74).
Business intelligence is the set of tools, processes, practices and people that are used to take advantage of information to support decision making in the organizations. Cloud computing is a new paradigm for offering computing resources that work on demand, are scalable and are charged by the time they are used. Organizations can save large amounts of money and effort using this approach. This document identifies the main challenges companies encounter while working on business intelligence applications in the cloud, such as security, availability, performance, integration, regulatory issues, and constraints on network bandwidth. All these challenges are addressed with a systems thinking approach, and several solutions are offered that can be applied according to the organization's needs. An evaluations of the main vendors of cloud computing technology is presented, so that business intelligence developers identify the available tools and companies they can depend on to migrate or build applications in the cloud. It is demonstrated how business intelligence applications can increase their availability with a cloud computing approach, by decreasing the mean time to recovery (handled by the cloud service provider) and increasing the mean time to failure (achieved by the introduction of more redundancy on the hardware). Innovative mechanisms are discussed in order to improve cloud applications, such as private, public and hybrid clouds, column-oriented databases, in-memory databases and the Data Warehouse 2.0 architecture. Finally, it is shown how the project management for a business intelligence application can be facilitated with a cloud computing approach. Design structure matrices are dramatically simplified by avoiding unnecessary iterations while sizing, validating, and testing hardware and software resources.
by Eumir P. Reyes.
S.M.in System Design and Management
Speller, Thomas Hughes III. "The business and dynamics of free-to-play social-casual game apps." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/70824.
Full textCataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 95-100).
The rapid growth of social media platforms, specifically Facebook, has caused startup firms to develop new business models based on social technologies. By leveraging the Facebook platform, new entertainment companies making free-to-play social-casual games have created a multi-billion dollar market for virtual goods, a revenue model in which the core product is given away for free and ancillary goods are sold on top of it. Zynga, the most successful firm in this space, held the largest initial public offering for an Internet-based company since Google in 2004. However, concerns about Zynga's longevity (as well as the longevity of other social-oriented firms, including Groupon) persist for a variety of reasons, including the novelty of its business model, the dependence on hit products with short lifecycles, and the stress placed on internal development teams. This thesis analyzes some of the key problems faced by Zynga and its competitors, including how to monetize free products, how to maintain a user base over time (using platform strategy concepts), and how to develop short and long-term product management and new product development policies (using System Dynamics). An additional chapter develops principles for launching social platforms and products by comparing and contrasting key factors that influenced the growth of five major social media websites. The principles are then discussed as they pertain to Zynga and social-casual gaming, in which case there are notable applications and key exceptions based on Zynga's circumstances. The thesis concludes by discussing several future areas of research that pertain to the socialization of products and technology.
by Thomas Hughes Speller, III.
S.M.in Engineering and Management
Dubal, Atul. "Abraham Lincoln : His leadership qualities and their relevance to today's business leadership." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/100362.
Full textPage 52 blank. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 50-51).
It has been almost 150 years since the great civil war was fought in the United States and in this bloody civil war which killed more than 600.000 soldiers Abraham Lincoln emerged as a statesman who preserved the Union and abolished slavery. Lincoln's journey from a country lawyer in Illinois to the greatest U.S. presidents has been well documented. However, there is not a lot of literature around his distinctive leadership qualities and how they shaped the future of America. Lincoln was not the primary choice of the Republican Party as a nominee in the Presidential election of 1860. In fact he was the fourth choice. In spite of this, his supporters managed to nominate him as the party's candidate and he won the election. Lincoln's generosity and kind heartedness are legendary. With these traits he changed the hearts of many of his political enemies some of whom eventually helped elect him to the Presidency. His Presidency faced some of the biggest crises the US has ever seen and through his leadership the country was able to stay united in extremely delicate circumstances. He achieved seemingly impossible feats in the four years of his Presidency. This work explores the qualities which made him a great leader and how they can help today's business leaders surmount the massive problems they face.
by Atul Dubal.
S.M. in Engineering and Management
Goswami, Debangshu. "How successful firms go beyond aligning their IT strategy with business objectives." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/59235.
Full textCataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 68-71).
Information technology (IT) is vital to growth of all organizations. But getting value out of IT has been challenging. The companies, which fail to align their IT strategy with business objectives struggle with low or mediocre return on their IT investment. On the other hand, the companies that achieve strategic alignment realize higher economic benefits. Successful companies go one step further and use IT to enable business. They differentiate themselves from their competitors using IT and forge alliances. But is there any formula for achieving strategic alignment? The research of past decade seem to suggest that there indeed is a trend among companies, who manage to achieve strategic alignment. The successful companies recognize IT's unique value and ensure that it generates value like other assets do. IT is not a mere support function in such organizations. IT not only serves the internal businesses of the company but it acts like a business in dealing with suppliers. The framework of Strategic Alignment Model (SAM) identifies this as the balance of internal and external domain. The model asserts that IT should be judged both in terms of external domain, which determines how the firm as whole is positioned in the market place and internal domain, which constitutes IT's internal policies and structures. In the internal domain, the emphasis is more on technology than on business, management or organizational issue. The effective utilization of IT requires alignment of IT strategy with business objectives. This assertion is validated by a case study of a three companies, who successfully achieved strategic alignment.
by Debangshu Goswami.
S.M.in System Design and Management
Reuterskiöld, Hedlund Marie, and Katia Rigbrant. "Verksamhetsledningssystem - svårigheten att arbeta med ständiga förbättringar : En fallstudie på Saab Aerotechs division Ground Support Services." Thesis, Stockholm University, School of Business, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-6297.
Full textSyftet med projektet är att analysera hur division Ground Support Services på SAAB Aerotech arbetar med processledning för att verka för ständiga förbättringar. Syftet kan brytas ned i följande två huvudpunkter: • Kritisk utvärdering av ledningsprocessen inom verksamhetsledningssystemet. • Identifiera förändringar som krävs för att division Ground Support Services ska kunna verka för ständiga förbättringar och därmed bli bättre ur ett kund respektive kvalitetsperspektiv. Projektet är en fortsättning på ett tidigare utfört arbete vilket bidrog till att en stor mängd av projektets empiriska material redan fanns tillgängligt. Detta sekundära material har under projektets genomförande kompletterats med intern företags dokumentation, upprättade av divisionen, samt att en intervju har genomförts i syfte att verifiera och komplettera materialet. En av de två författare som utförde examensarbetet har även varit medförfattare i detta projekt, Katia Rigbrandt. Den forskningsansats som valdes för studien var av deduktiv - kvalitativ karaktär. Den bakomliggande orsaken till att verksamhetsledningssystemet utvecklades och uppkom tar sin grund i divisionens mål att arbeta mot certifiering inom ISO9001. Det har under projektets genomförande konstaterats att division GSSs verksamhetsledningssystem är mycket ambitiöst realiserat och dokumenterat enligt konsten alla regler. Men trots detta har det inte räckt till för att medarbetarna verkligen ska arbeta och använda sig av verksamhetsledningssystemet. Varför det kan vara på detta sätt inom divisionen, har sammanfattats i följande nedanstående punkter. • Ledningen har inte varit tillräckligt involverade • Medarbetarnas brist på deltagande och motivation • Arbetsfördelningen kring processarbetet • Brist på mått att följa upp processerna • Gammal traditionell linjeorganisation Författarna har identifierat ett antal rekommenderar för att division Ground Support Services skall genomföra för att skapa de rätta förutsättningarna för integrera verksamhetsledningssystemet och ett flödes- och processtänkande samt att verka för ständiga förbättringar; Förankring av ett processtänkande – För att det ska vara möjligt att skapa ett flödestänkande och processtänkande inom division GSS behöver detta tänkande förankras väl hos alla medarbetare. Detta bör framförallt startas i ledningsgruppen hos divisionen, eftersom det är denna som har mandat att arbeta fram samt fastställa mål och handlingsplaner för att genomdriva detta hos de övriga medarbetarna. Ledningen kan även genom detta skapa de rätta förutsättningarna för att skapa förståelse och inblick för hur processarbete ska ledas och hanteras. Involvera alla medarbetare – För att divisionen ska kunna arbeta processbaserat är det viktigt att alla medarbetare förstår vad processledning är, vad det syftar till och om de olika handlingsplanerna. För att detta ska vara möjligt behöver divisionen skapa engagemang genom att motivera sina medarbetare att förändra sitt nuvarande arbetssätt och sitt sätt att tänka. Grunden till detta ligger mycket i att divisionen behöver förändra sin rådande kultur, men detta är inte något som görs över en natt, men om det ska vara möjligt behöver alla medarbetare vara delaktiga och att de verkligen förstår varför detta är viktigt för en själv samt för hela divisionen. Kartlägg och utvärdera processerna – Framtagningen av processerna utfördes av kvalitetschefen inom divisionen, detta är ett arbete som borde utföras av de medarbetare som arbetar i och med denna. Divisionen, det vill säga medarbetarna, borde utvärdera de befintliga processerna och kartlägga nya processer. Detta kan utföras genom att sätta ihop team för att bidra till att medarbetarna erhåller förutsättningar för att lära sig kartläggnings metodik och förstå innebörden av processer och processledning. Genom att göra detta kan även problemområden och förbättringsområden identifieras, som i sin tur leder till att skapa en förändringsbenägenhet. Uppföljning och åtgärder – Det kontinuerliga lärandet kan ökas inom divisionen genom att tillvara ta erfarenheter, identifierade problemområden och att ha rutin för att dessa följs upp och åtgärdas. Det som inte finns med i det dagliga arbetet löper en stor risk att läggas åt sidan och glömmas bort samt om det löper parallellt med det dagliga arbetet kan det istället bli tidsbegränsade projekt som lätt rinner ut i sanden. Istället bör uppföljning och åtgärder integreras i det dagliga arbetet och i tänkandet hos medarbetarna. Genom att arbeta med ständiga förbättringar bidrar det till att verksamheten ständigt utvecklas och förbättras samt att det genererar och skapar förutsättningar för att ta fram metoder för problemlösning. Dokumentation och kommunikation – Det nya tänkandet och visionen behöver kommuniceras ut på ett sådant sätt att medarbetarna tar till sig denna och att det bidrar till att förändra organisationskulturen. Ett bra medel för att kommunicera ut processtänkandet är att använda sig av möten men det viktigaste är att det nya tänkandet är att det upprepas, det räcker inte med att det endast tas upp på ett möte för att det ska var möjligt att förankra det inom divisionen. Dokumentationen är även en viktig aspekt och idag finns det en bra dokumentering av verksamhetsledningssystemet och detta ska divisionen fortsätta med. Att arbeta med ständiga förbättringar och att förändra en ett företags kultur är något som kräver kraftfulla åtgärder och uthållighet, det nya processtänkande måste integreras i divison GSSs verksamhet och i den nya kulturen. Det är även viktigt att medarbetarna förstår och ser fördelarna av det nya tankesättet eftersom det är medarbetarnas handlingar som leder till att förändra divisionen. Detta kräver även att det finns ett starkt ledarskap för att detta ska var möjligt att genomföra förändringar – tankesättet behöver spridas inifrån och ut i divisionen. Ledningen behöver verkligen vara tydliga i sitt handlande och engagerade för att det ska vara möjligt för ledningen att genomdriva processledning. Det kommer, från alla medarbetare, att krävas tid, engagemang och delaktighet för att divisionen ska kunna verka för ständiga förbättringar och därmed bli bättre ur ett kund respektive kvalitetsperspektiv.
Montoya, Mario 1978. "On developing business architectures : a multi-framework evaluation of an early-stage enterprise." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/59261.
Full textCataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 193-196).
Early-stage enterprises are characterized by leveraging limited resources during periods of accelerating industry growth and relatively high uncertainty. This thesis is an examination of an early-stage enterprise within the medical technology industry using multiple frameworks. In addition to the standard Lean Advancement Initiative (LAI) suite of tools, the enterprise will be evaluated using Nightingale and Rhodes' eight Enterprise Architecture (EA) views, Kaplan's Balanced Scorecard (BSC), McKinsey's 7S framework, and Grave's Spiral Dynamics. Moreover, this thesis includes a practical examination of the current state using the framework developed by Piepenbrock's doctoral thesis that introduced the notion of modular versus integral enterprise architectures. A transformation plan is proposed based on the firm's current state and preferred future state based on insights from the various self-assessments and prevailing corporate strategy. The transformation plan is also informed by the author's perceived receptivity, commitment and need for change of the organization. The case organization's current state is described in general terms to protect the company's identity since the material presented includes portions of their corporate strategy and source of competitive advantage. Recognizing that all competitive advantage is temporary, considerable care has been exercised to balance the relevance of the research with the privacy needs of the organization.
by Mario Montoya, Jr..
S.M.in System Design and Management
Perumal, Palani. "Business model and strategy analysis for radiologists to use electronic health records (EHR)." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/76928.
Full textCataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 90-94).
Radiology is a medical specialty that employs imaging to diagnose and treat disease. It has long been an advance user of technology to capture, store, share, and use images electronically. In 2009, President Obama signed into law a measure, the HITECH Act (part of the stimulus package), that incentivizes healthcare providers to use electronic health records (EHR) in care delivery to improve quality, efficiency, safety, and reduce cost. The meaningful use (MU) program's Stage 1 requirements (part of HITECH Act) did not include imaging requirements, leading to confusion among radiologists and other specialties with regard to what MU offers to and requires of them. This thesis attempts to clarify the contribution radiology can make to MU by understanding radiology as a system, including its surrounding issues and its drivers, using Stage 1 MU requirements, data from qualitative research, and results from analysis. It answers the following question: Should Radiologists be considered part of the care team, leveraging EHR for meaningful use and hence eligible for incentive payments? It does so via the following methods: a) Discussing in detail current issues surrounding radiology systems from quality, safety, efficiency, and cost perspectives; b) Discussing MU in the context of radiology and reviewing what is missing in it for radiologists; c) Providing deeper systems analysis of current behaviors and why they have this form at this time; and d) Explaining how MU objectives can help to overcome many current issues and ultimately help to improve health outcomes. Specific changes to MU criteria to achieve these benefits are recommended. This thesis employs systems concepts and tools including system architecture and system dynamics for research and analysis to understand the system and derive hypotheses. A system dynamics model is used to analyze current drivers in imaging and to clarify the impact MU can have on these drivers. Thesis conclusions are supported by the analysis performed using the model as well as information gathered through industry interviews, online articles, academic and industry journals, and blogs.
by Palani Perumal.
S.M.in Engineering and Management
Livingston, Suzanne O. "A framework for understanding the adoption and impact of socially focused business practices." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/100379.
Full textCataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 96-99).
Two trends have emerged where technology plays a dominant role in aiding organizations to meet their goals. The first is a trend where organizations are engaging customers in developing business strategy. The second is a trend where organizations are discovering, promoting, and adapting to process efficiencies. These two trends have influenced the creation of new collaborative technologies that encourage knowledge sharing. Also known as social software, these technologies have been adopted by organizations aiming to better connect with external stakeholders and communicate business practices organization-wide. Organizations have also invested in their own social platforms, enabling them to host conversations, gather ideas, and communicate messages, among other capabilities. Organizations are making investments in social technologies to support their goals. However, many organizations struggle to understand the impact of these investments in practice. There are two challenges that organizations typically face when understanding the impact of social technology. One challenge is that they often struggle with user adoption, and as a result, there is insufficient usage to demonstrate improvement or impact. Another challenge is that there is no existing basis upon which the organization can compare performance with and without social technology.
by Suzanne O. Livingston.
S.M. in Engineering and Management
Stanchik, Anna. "The effect of supply chain visibility systems on business processes : a multi-case study analysis." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/107508.
Full textCataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 72-73).
As supply chains become more global and complex, it increases the importance of end-to-end visibility into the material, information, and financial flows of a firm. This work covers various aspects of supply chain visibility such as current status, its benefits, and the benefit-enabling mechanisms, traced through multiple stages of research, including a survey, round- table, and detailed interviews. Specifically, we developed a multi-case study analysis of supply chain visibility solutions (SCVS) and analyzed its effect on key supply chain processes. A qualitative "with and without SCVS" framework was employed to understand the changes observed in key business processes at several companies that recently implemented SCVS. This was combined with a cross-case study analysis to evaluate the effect of SCVS on the efficiency and effectiveness dimensions of process performance. We found that SCVS has a direct positive effect on data management processes via benefit-enabling mechanisms such as automation, standardization, and better raw data. Key operational processes, such as shipment and inventory management, risk management, and procurement and partner collaboration, were affected positively by SCVS via the antecedent data management process. The strength of impact of SCVS on key operational processes varies by company characteristics and the stage of implementation of SCVS. This research is most useful to companies considering implementing an SCVS to understand the potential benefits of SCVS and the underlying mechanisms. Managers can increase the relevance and robustness of results by extending the case-study analysis to include more companies with similar operating characteristics.
by Anna Stanchik.
M. Eng. in Logistics
Zhang, Xiaoming S. M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "The state of digital marketing -- technology and business landscape." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/107586.
Full textCataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 87-92).
Digital marketing has grown rapidly over the last two decades into a multi-billion dollar industry with thousands of companies operating in the space. Its' digital advertisement model has provided crucial economic backbone to support the proliferation of free digital content around the world. However, the industry is now facing significant challenges and controversy around Ad Blocking. The rapidly rising adoption of Ad Blocking is threatening the fundamentals in the digital advertisement model, and could have a profound impact on digital marketing and Internet content consumption. In this thesis, we research online resources to describe the latest technology and business landscape for the digital marketing industry, including the main digital marketing platforms, and system decomposition for its key subsystem Ad Tech industry. We then introduce the Ad Blocking controversy. We use stakeholder value network analysis to analyze how various market responses to Ad Blocking satisfy the system stakeholder values, hoping to shed lights on possible directions for solving the challenge systematically.
by Xiaoming Zhang.
S.M. in Engineering and Management