Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Strategic power'

Background: 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”.

PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO
O objetivo desta pesquisa é compreender a dinâmica competitiva no setor elétrico brasileiro, especificamente no segmento de distribuição de energia elétrica. Buscaremos compreender como as empresas se posicionaram em seu ambiente competitivo, por meio da identificação de suas estratégias genéricas realizadas, e inferir quais destas estratégias apresentaram melhor desempenho. Esta análise foi feita tendo como base a tipologia de estratégias genéricas de Michael Porter, formando 5 grupos estratégicos. Para isto, selecionamos uma amostra de 45 distribuidoras de energia elétrica, das quais foram analisados detalhadamente, utilizando ferramentas de análise multivariada, o posicionamento estratégico e o desempenho no período de 2002 a 2004. Concluímos que a estratégia genérica de diferenciação é a que apresentou o melhor desempenho e confirmamos a hipótese de Porter que as empresas stuck in the middle apresentam o pior desempenho.
The aim of this research is to understand the competitive dynamics on the Brazilian power sector, focusing on the distribution segment. We will try to understand how distribution companies have positioned themselves on their competitive environment, by the identification of their generic strategies and analyzing which of these strategies yielded a better performance. This study was carried out utilizing Michael Porter´s generic strategies typology, used to form five strategic groups. Our sample consists of 45 power distribution companies, which we thoroughly analyzed their strategic positioning and perfomance for the years 2002 to 2004, using multivariate analysis tools. We have concluded that the generic strategy of differentiation is the one that yielded the best performance and confirmed Porter hypothesis that firms that are stuck in the middle have the worst performance.

Thesis (MDF)--Stellenbosch University, 2009.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The electricity crisis presently affecting Africa is forcing govenments in the region to increasingly consider independent power developers as a means to help mitigate the imbalance between the demand and the supply of electricity. However, the success of this initiative will depend entirely upon governments' ability to create an environment that is conducive to developing private electricity generation plants. This paper focuses on Africa's independent power producer (IPP) market, evaluating the context in which it would develop. It also assesses how issues such as the complexity and uncertainty surrounding power purchase agreements, the current level of electricity tariffs, the incompleteness of power sector refonn as well as risk-sharing agreements between IPPs and the utilities are affecting the electricity market in the region. The analysis has broader implications for potential independent power projects as it not only questions the longterm sustainability of these but also provides strategic recommendations as to how to best maneuver in an environment fraught with major challenges.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die huidige elektrisiteitskrisis wat Suidelike-Afrika affekteer veroorsaak dat owerhede in die streek al hoe meer die moontlikheid van onafhanklike elektrisiteit produsente ondersoek om die wanbalans tussen elektrisiteit aanvraag en lewering te beperk. Die sukses van die initiatief is egter totaal afhanklik van die owerhede se vermoe om 'n omgewing te skep wat aantreklik is vir die ontwikkeling van privaat sektor kragsentrales. Hierdie verslag fokus op die Suidelike-Afrika onafhanklike elektrisiteit produsente mark, met 'n fokus op die konteks waarbinne dit moet ontwikkel. Dit ontleed verder die kompleksiteit en onsekerheid van krag aankoop kontrakte, die huidige vlakke van elektrisiteitstariewe, die tekort aan elektrisiteits sektor hervorming asook risiko-delende kontrakte tussen onafhanklike elektrisiteit produsente en nasionale elektrisiteitsverskaffers in Suidelike-Afrika. Die analise het breer implikasies vir potensiele onafhanklike elektrisiteit projekte aangesien die lang-termyn volhoubaarheid van sulke projekte bevraagteken word, maar gee ook strategiese aanbevelings oor hoe om die mark te betree met vele uitdagings.

Omställningen mot fler förnyelsebara energikällor inom det svenska elsystemet innebär en större del variabel elproduktion. Detta ställer krav på en hög flexibilitet såsom att flytta energi i tiden där energilagring har en hög nyttjandegrad eftersom att det kan användas både för producent samt förbrukare. En lovande energilagringsenhet med hög flexibilitet är litium-jon batterier. Mycket tyder på att batterier kommer ha en stor roll för elsystemet kommande år då priset minskat avsevärt och efterfrågan ökat exponentiellt de senaste åren. I takt med en ökande spridning av batterier uppstår ett behov av att utreda hur de kan komma att förändra elmarknaden. Idag används modeller för att prognostisera elpriser för framtiden men med saknad av batterier.  Denna studie har gjorts på uppdrag av SWECO vars syfte var att undersöka hur de ska implementera batterier i deras elmarknadsmodell. Det innefattade att undersöka olika användningsområden för batterier och utreda varje enskilt falls operativa strategi i form av effektflöde till och från elnätet. I denna studie har tre fall med hög potentiell marknadsspridning analyserats;  • Användning av batterier för energiarbitrage. • Solceller i kombination med batterier för ett hushåll. • Vindkraftverk i stor skala i kombination med batterier. Metodiken i studien bestod av att genom linjär programmering ta fram en optimal strategi för användning av batteriet i varje enskilt fall. Genom att maximera lönsamheten eller minimera kostnaderna för en dag kunde batteriets effektflöde till och från elnätet fås fram. Simuleringen innefattade verklig historisk data samt SWECOs egna prognos för svenska elpriser år 2040. Därefter gjordes en känslighetsanalys för varje enskilt fall där vitala parametrars påverkan på resultaten undersöktes. Slutligen kombinerades de olika fallens resultat och deras samspel analyserades för att förstå den gemensamma påverkan på elmarknaden.  Resultaten visar att batterier i genomsnitt kommer att genomgå en fullständig cykel per dag medan det högsta antalet på en dag var två cykler. Särskilda mönster och trender på daglig samt säsongsbetonad skala upptäcktes där det mest anmärkningsvärda var att i framtiden har effektflödet till och från batteriet flyttats i tiden. Vitala parametrar som påverkade batteriets optimala strategi innefattade verkningsgrad, effektkapacitet per timme samt tariffstruktur. Det framgick även att varje enskilt fall påverkar balansen mellan produktion och efterfrågan av el olika men att den gemensamma effekten innebär att toppar och dalar av elpriser kommer att jämnas ut. Vidare upptäcktes en svag korrelationen mellan effektflödena för de tre olika fallen i nutid men att den kommer att bli större i framtiden i takt med att en större del av elen produceras av förnyelsebara energikällor.  Sammanfattningsvis drogs slutsatsen att batterier som energilagringssystem har vitala parametrar som måste väljas med försiktighet samt att batterier inte kan integreras som en aggregerad enhet i en prissättningsmodell utan att varje enskilt fall måste hanteras separat.  För framtida studier inom området rekommenderas att utveckla optimeringsmetoden till att inkludera probabilistisk prognostisering samt att undersöka fler fall än de tre som hanterats i denna studie. Vidare skulle det vara intressant att undersöka batteriers optimala strategier på andra marknader än dagen före-marknaden. I fallet med solceller i kombination med batterier skulle modellen kunna utvecklas till att inkludera en funktion för att minska på säkringsavgiften för fastigheten genom att minska på den maximalt använda toppeffekten.
Battery storage is most certainly going to play a key role in a future Swedish power mix with high shares of renewable sources. To incorporate this new form of storage into comprehensive power market models it is vital to understand their operating strategy in different use cases today and in the future. Three of the most promising cases were investigated: energy arbitrage, wind battery, and residential PV-BESS.  The optimal operating strategies were determined using linear programming, real-world data for the past and SWECO’s projections for the year 2040. The results were interpreted for each case separately before they were finally consolidated to evaluate their interplay.  It was found that batteries are used to perform on average one full cycle per day and never more than two cycles per day. Characteristic patterns were found for each case on both a daily and seasonal resolution. By 2040 charging is going to be shifted from early morning to midday and discharging from midday to evening. The three cases were found not to exhibit common operating patterns as of today, but to develop more similar patterns in the future scenario. It was hence concluded that it will not be possible to include battery storage systems on a highly aggregated level in power market models. Instead, batteries will have to be integrated as separate units with regards to their respective operating sites and applications.   For future studies, it is recommended to extend the model to include probabilistic forecasts as well as the ability to offer different services in different markets.

Thesis specially prepared to obtain the PhD degree in Social Sciences, specializing in Strategic Studies
Esta tese pretende identificar a relevância da economia nacional para a autonomia estratégica de um estado e, mais especificamente, responder à pergunta: em que medida a economia nacional é relevante para a autonomia estratégica de um estado? Durante a maior parte da História, a Estratégia preocupou-se com a guerra e o uso da força militar para resolver disputas interestaduais. A força militar também foi o principal instrumento com que os países poderiam expandir rapidamente a sua riqueza e protegê-la de ameaças predatórias de outros, pelo que, de certo modo, a riqueza dependia da capacidade de ganhar guerras. Mesmo quando na Era Moderna o comércio se tornou num potente instrumento para o enriquecimento rápido, como mostram as repúblicas marítimas italianas ou as subsequentes potências dominantes do comércio oriental, como Portugal, a supremacia militar, especialmente no mar, continuou a ser fundamental para adquirir e manter os monopólios comerciais que permitiam o enriquecimento desejado. Nos tempos mais recentes, a envolvente favorável às acções bélicas mudou consideravelmente. Por um lado, conquista e pilhagem deixaram de ser instrumentos a que os estados possam recorrer facilmente, pois terão pela frente toda a comunidade internacional. Por outro lado, as condições económicas evoluíram de uma maneira que permitiu aumentar rapidamente a riqueza apenas com um melhor uso dos recursos domésticos. E por fim, o potencial de destruição do mundo, resultante do armamento nuclear, juntamente com a menor vontade de lutar à medida que as sociedades se tornam mais afluentes, tornou paradoxalmente a guerra menos provável como modo de resolução de disputas internacionais. Neste novo contexto, o poder militar permanece importante e é garante da estabilidade necessária, nomeadamente para o bom funcionamento das economias. E continua sendo uma fonte determinante na formatação do poder nas relações internacionais. Mas esse poder é principalmente uma preocupação para os países que são, ou aspiram ser, potências mundiais ou regionais. Como tal, diz respeito a um pequeno número de estados. Para a maioria dos estados (incluindo potências económicas, como a Alemanha e o Japão) – que designamos por “estados comuns” por não serem ou não aspirarem a ser potências mundiais ou regionais e não terem a sua existência em risco –, e uma vez asseguradas condições de paz mundial pelas potências e pelas organizações para o efeito instituídas pela comunidade internacional, as suas aspirações – nas quais a prosperidade tem um lugar central – e os seus interesses disputam-se sobretudo no campo da economia. É nesse campo que os países se confrontam e competem entre si continuadamente. Não em confrontos diretos, como são os jogos de soma zero, mas em disputas indiretas, como se fossem corridas em que todos podem ganhar alguma coisa, ajustando as ambições às suas capacidades. Todavia, a competição económica, mesmo quando decorre em entornos cooperativos, não deixa de ser confrontadora, na medida em que os competidores disputam recursos mundiais – recursos produtivos e poder de compra – que são escassos por natureza. Só que essa disputa, mesmo sendo confrontadora, é um jogo de soma positiva, na medida em que o seu resultado amplia o conjunto dos recursos que disputa. Desta forma, a economia tornou-se um teatro estratégico relevante. É, pois, essa realidade que as teorias da estratégia devem reconhecer e incorporar, e é para isso que esta tese pretende contribuir. A autonomia estratégica é uma condição fundamental para as opções estratégicas na ação dos estados. Muito se fala dela em vários quadrantes políticos – nomeadamente em França, nas instâncias da União Europeia e na India –, mas o termo nunca foi bem definido. Nos documentos europeus, subentende-se que a autonomia pretendida, sobretudo no caso francês, é em relação aos Estados Unidos (o que não é partilhado por muitos outros estados, incluindo a Alemanha). E na Índia, a autonomia estratégica é uma adaptação do conceito de nãoalinhamento, usado durante a Guerra Fria, ao contexto subsequente ao seu fim. Neste caso, e para além da autossuficiência militar, o conceito de autonomia passou a estender-se também explicitamente ao campo económico.Sendo uma parte essencial do objeto da pesquisa, foi necessário avançar com uma definição clara e operacional do conceito, não apenas para o desenvolvimento da pesquisa, mas também para usos futuros. Uma definição que tivesse em conta os instrumentos de poder ao alcance do estado, a estrutura do sistema internacional e as circunstâncias históricas. Para esse efeito, e para orientar a procura da resposta à pergunta de pesquisa, foi desenvolvido um quadro analítico, assumindo que uma (grande) estratégia nacional, englobando todos os recursos do país e coordenando todas as políticas nacionais, é um instrumento estratégico fundamental de boa governação do estado. E para a eficaz afirmação do estado na esfera internacional, assim como para a promoção dos interesses fundamentais do país. Instrumento que terá que ter uma natureza determinada, mas dinâmica, ancorada num propósito claro que assegure o rumo, mas flexível o suficiente para atender aos desafios, muitas vezes inesperados, que o correr do tempo e a mudança de circunstâncias hão-de ir opondo no seu caminho. Sem um tal instrumento, o estado não terá um rumo definido e limitar-se-á a navegar as circunstâncias procurando delas tirar o melhor partido, mas sem a orientação necessária para atender rápida e eficazmente à mudança da sorte circunstancial e sem perder o sentido do caminho. E porque a incerteza é o que de mais certo e permanente se tem no caminho do porvir, a autonomia estratégica – a margem de manobra para escolher meios e destinos possíveis – torna-se na melhor salvaguarda para lidar com as surpresas estratégicas que o futuro inevitavelmente colocará no caminho estratégico do estado. E por isso, uma boa estratégia nacional deve sempre conter, juntamente com os objetivos finais que pretenda atingir, o objetivo instrumental de preservação e ampliação da autonomia estratégica do país. A autonomia estratégica depende dos instrumentos de poder de que o estado disponha ou a que possa recorrer e também da eficácia e eficiência de cada um desses instrumentos nas circunstâncias concretas em que o seu uso seja necessário. Isto porque certos instrumentos de poder são mais eficazes numas circunstâncias do que noutras, pelo que, por exemplo, uma potência económica pode, em tempo de paz, ter mais autonomia estratégica do que uma potência militar. O poder económico é, pois, um dos instrumentos que pode proporcionar autonomia estratégica e em graus variados, consoante as circunstâncias, e é aquele sobre o qual esta pesquisa se debruça, como resulta claro do seu objeto. Como fatores mais relevantes para a construção do poder económico de um país e, por conseguinte, para a sua autonomia estratégica, foram destacados a dimensão da economia, a inserção nas redes mundiais de comércio, de conhecimento e de tecnologia, a capacidade tecnológica, a poupança, a riqueza e a parcimónia no recurso a fontes externas de financiamento. A dimensão económica, em si, tem reduzida relevância estratégica se não for suscetível de poder variar em resultado de acções deliberadas dos decisores estratégicos dirigidas a esse objetivo. Assim, e relativamente a esta componente, o que se torna estrategicamente relevante são os fatores suscetíveis daquelas acções. O que não é (ou só o é em níveis muito limitados) o caso da população, que sendo uma âncora importante tem um reduzido potencial dinâmico. Mas é o caso do capital físico – dependente de investimento – e humano – dependente da formação – e da eficiência económica – dependente da organização no uso daqueles fatores e que se reflete na sua produtividade. O comércio com o exterior oferece aos países a oportunidade de expandir o seu potencial económico, proporcionando um mercado de dimensão mundial e dessa forma permite à economia especializar-se em segmentos nos quais possa ser mais eficiente ou desfrutar de vantagens particulares e, portanto, expandir o seu tamanho económico para além do que o limitado mercado doméstico poderia proporcionar. A tecnologia, sobretudo se dominada nas áreas de ponta, também é um gerador e um diferenciador de poder, do mesmo modo que o seu não comando acarreta dependências limitadoras da autonomia. E a poupança é crucial para a acumulação de riqueza, que é, em si mesmo, uma fonte de poder que permite realizar, influenciar, pressionar e coagir, ao mesmo tempo que permite preservar o controlo nacional das economias nacionais. Controlo sem o qual a economia se torna dependente de centros estratégicos alheios, quando não adversos, aos interesses do país. No entanto, há que ter em conta, que os processos de integração em cadeias globais, de comércio, tecnologia e finanças, ao mesmo tempo que criam oportunidades de expansão da autonomia estratégica, também podem criar dependências que, se não forem devidamente controladas, se podem tornar muito limitadoras da autonomia estratégica dos estados. Finalmente, para que o poder económico gerado pela sua economia, mas disperso por vários agentes independentes na sua propriedade e controlo, seja plenamente potenciado na autonomia estratégica do Estado, é necessário que o governo e a sociedade consigam articular os seus interesses e compartilhar uma visão comum. do papel do país no mundo. A China e a Alemanha representam dois casos paradigmáticos que validam as considerações teóricas avançadas pela tese.
The aim of this thesis is to identify the relevance of the national economy to the strategic autonomy of a state and, more specifically, to answer the question: To what extent is the national economy relevant to a state’s strategic autonomy? For most of History, strategy has been concerned with war and the use of military force to solve interstate disputes. Military force was also the main instrument by which countries could rapidly expand their wealth or protect it from predatory threats from others. In recent times, this underlying environment has changed considerably. Economic conditions have evolved in a way that has allowed wealth quickly to increase just by making better use of domestic resources, and war has become less and less seen as a way to solve international disputes. In this new context, it is essential to recognize the economy as a relevant strategic theater where countries confront and compete with each other on an ongoing basis. Furthermore, the economy is the theater where most states – not risking their existence or aspiring to become world or regional powers – can act strategically. Therefore, theories of strategy must acknowledge and incorporate this new reality, and it is to this area of research that the thesis intends to contribute.Strategic autonomy is a fundamental condition for the strategic options in the action of states. Much talked about in various political quarters, no one has managed to define the term well. Being an essential part of the research object, a clear and operational definition is therefore necessary, not only for the development of this research, but also for future uses by researchers and analysts. With the economy recognized as a relevant strategic theater and with a definition of strategic autonomy, the path was opened to seek the answer to the research question into the realm of the economy. The size of a state’s economy is a primary source of its economic power and this power is a source of strategic autonomy. Population size is both an anchor and a relevant scale variable, but its dynamic potential is limited. On the other hand, capital accumulation – physical and human, tangible and intangible –, together with the efficiency of its use, has far greater potential to change dynamically the size of an economy. Trade offers states an opportunity to expand their economic potential, providing the national economy with a world market and allowing it to specialize in segments where it can be more efficient or enjoy particular advantages. And, therefore, trade is the means to expand the economic size of the country beyond that which its limited domestic market could allow. Technology can also be a generator of state power, providing opportunities to seize competitive advantage, both directly in the economy and indirectly on other fronts of power. Savings are crucial to building wealth, offering the power to realize, influence, pressure, and coerce, while also ensuring the nation is able to preserve control of its economy. Finally, in order for the economic power generated by a country’s economy to be fully projected in the strategic autonomy of the state – not forgetting how ownership and control is dispersed among several independent agents – it is necessary to share a common vision of the country’s role in the world. This involves government, society in general, and its economic elite in particular being able to align private interest with the common interest of the country. China and Germany provide two paradigmatic cases that validate the theoretical considerations advanced by this thesis.
N/A

In this thesis, I performed a strategic analysis of the corporation including the analysis of its micro and macro region, financial analysis and the analysis of the value creation process. Considering the analysis of strategic milestones beginning in 2006, I put together a SWOT analysis which became the foundation of the strategical advises stated as a result of this paper.

Space power, unlike land, sea, and air power, lacks a coherent strategic theory with which its nature and character as a form of military power can be understood. Many attempts at developing such a theory use what this thesis calls strategic analogies, from established sea and air power theory in the belief that if one or more points in sea/air power find a match in space power then other points of similarity can therefore be extrapolated. The result of this process ofreasoning by strategic analogy is that sea .' and air power theory are literally applied to space power. This thesis questions the use ofstrategic analogies by developing a methodology that breaks down the process of reasoning by analogy into its constituent parts, and using the prism provided by the dimensions of strategy, compares and contrasts sea and air power with what is actually known about space power. The results ofthis process help elucidate the true character of space power as it really is, and foundation elements ofwhat a theory of space power might look like are set out. Thus, the dissertation provides a more rigorous basis from which strategic theorists can leave behind the unsound method of reasoning by strategic analogy and start the process of inductive creativity in theory making for space power.

Tidal current and wave power, as emerging forms of renewable generation, represent innovations that are confronted by significant technological and financial challenges. Currently, the marine energy sector finds itself in a decisive transition phase having developed full-scale technology demonstrators but still lacking proof of the concept in a commercial project environment. After the decades-long development process with larger than expected setbacks and delays, investors are discouraged because of high capital requirements and the uncertainty of future revenues. Although ideas for improving the investment climate can be found, there is a lack of well-founded arguments and coordinated strategies to work towards a breakthrough in the marine energy market. The objective of this research is to provide stakeholder-specific prioritised strategy options for de-risking the commercialisation of tidal current and wave power technologies. A key principle applied is to integrate a wide knowledge spectrum comprising the technology, policy and financing sectors and to compile the information in a holistic and transparent manner. To gain a broad understanding of the characteristics of presently ongoing marine energy activities and the correlated strategic planning, a comprehensive survey was conducted. Based on this multidisciplinary attempt, an all-encompassing appraisal was possible by avoiding over-concentration on stakeholder-specific views or interests. System dynamics modelling was employed to develop a series of cause-effect relationship diagrams of the key interactions and correlations in the field. It was revealed that the circular relationship between two major risks for array-scale projects - reliability and funding - requires coordinated action to overcome. As funding is necessary for improving system reliability (and vice-versa), showcasing 'array-scale success' was identified as the game-changing milestone towards commercial generation. Furthermore, it was found that a number of comparably competent manufacturing firms is required to implement major marine energy projects. This would result from fostering a multi-company market breakthrough concept, based on intensified knowledge sharing and trustful collaborative interaction between competitors. Additionally, effective separation of complexity into 'detail' and 'dynamically complex' constituents was found to be fundamental for identifying long-term, effective solutions. It is decisive to accept this primary classification, as measures appropriately applied on one type of complexity can be counterproductive if applied on the other. Most of the available planning tools and analytical methods do not address the management of dynamic complexity, necessary in innovative environments where flexibility and tolerance of vagueness are indispensable. Successful application of several strategies to deal with both types of complexity in comparable innovation-driven environments was considered suitable for de-risking the commercialisation of marine energy. The challenges for strategy-finding in a demandingly complex and increasingly dynamic environment are addressed in this research by exploiting a case-specific expert knowledge database. The structured information compression and subsequent strategy-finding process is realised based on calculated rankings of impact factors by systems dynamics software and substantiated by representative interview statements. The analysis makes use of multi-level expert knowledge and the application of a control-loop-based methods. The systems approach as applied in this research comprises the combination of interview-based (bottom-up learning) processes and the application of prioritised strategy options in the form of concerted management action (top-down planning). The approach of processing multi-level interview data by system dynamics modelling represents a powerful method to detect and assess ongoing developments and thus to advance strategy-finding. The systematic and unbiased approach to identify the top-level drivers for commercialising marine energy supports the long-term creation of investor confidence, based on a concept of transparency and credibility.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007.
The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on March 12, 2009) Includes bibliographical references.

This study presents a multi-attribute decision making (MADM) framework in support of strategic resource planning of electric utilities. Study efforts have focused on four technical issues identified to be essentially important to the process of strategic resource development, i.e., decision data expansion, MADM analysis with imprecise information, MADM analysis under uncertainty and screening applications. Main contributions from this study are summarized as follows. First, an automatic learning method is introduced for decision data expansion aiming at reducing the amount of computations involved in the creation of decision database. Test results have shown that the proposed method is feasible, easy to implement, and more accurate than the techniques available in the existing literature. Second, an interval-based MADM methodology is developed, which extends the traditional utility function model with the measure of composite utility variance, accounting for individual errors from inaccurate attribute measurements and inconsistent priority judgments. This enhanced decision approach would help the decision-maker (DM) gain insight into how the imprecise data may affect the choice toward the best solution and how a range of acceptable alternatives may be identified with certain confidence. Third, an integrated MADM framework is developed for multi-attribute planning under uncertainty which combines attractive features of utility function, tradeoff/risk analysis and analytical hierarchy process and thus provides a structured decision analysis platform accommodating both probabilistic evaluation approach and risk evaluation approach. Fourth, the application of screening models is investigated in the context of integrated resource planning of electric utilities as to identify cost effective demand-side options and robust generation expansion planning schemes.
Ph. D.

This study addresses the mechanisms and consequences of shifts and transitions at the apex of the international hierarchy of power. It begins with the assessment that in spite of recent advances, progress in this area has been limited by lack of theoretical consistency and rigor. To remedy this problem, a game-theoretic model is developed which conceives of power shifts as transitions in preferences and learning processes. The model is then tested against the case of the pre-World War I British-German power shift. Findings provide new insight into the dynamics of prewar European diplomacy, and suggest that the war fundamentally resulted from a German challenge to the British-led international order. As regards the current Sino-American power shift, this study suggests that relations between China and the U.S. are headed towards a Cold War-like pattern, the severity of which could be alleviated by a successful U.S. policy of engagement towards Beijing.

Thesis (M.M.A.S.)--School of Advanced Airpower Studies, 1995.
Subject: The analysis presented in this thesis evaluates the contents of past air force strategic vision documents and studies the process used to create such documents. Cover page date: June 1995. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Conventional wisdom suggests that weak international actors should avoid concluding ambiguous agreements with much stronger partners because this increases their vulnerability to subsequent exploitation. Why then do we observe so many instances of just such agreements signed under conditions of extreme power asymmetry? I answer this question by emphasising an underappreciated factor shaping the agreement design strategies of actors: Power trajectory. Focusing on international trade, I develop a three-part framework which demonstrates first, that powerful but rising states gain from securing narrow agreements because as the scope of these agreements is broadened, they are provided with more opportunities to use their growing power to secure increasingly favourable deals. Conversely, powerful but declining states are incentivised to conclude broad agreements as a way to lock-in an advantage that will decline over time. Second, I demonstrate that because of the particular vulnerabilities faced by weak states as a result of these narrow agreements, strong but rising powers are often required to make up-front concessions in order to secure their preferred contract and overcome the fears of their weaker counterparts. Third, I show that powerful but rising states can reap the benefits of subsequent rounds of bargaining because the initial agreement has induced the weaker party to make transaction specific investments which serve to drastically reduce its exit options. In developing this framework, I make three contributions; first, from a theoretical standpoint I specify more precisely the conditions under which powerful states choose to tie their hands and so qualify both the liberal claim that powerful states must always do so, and the realist suggestion that they strive to maintain freedom of action. Second, I make an empirical contribution by placing the trade policies of four major economic powers in detailed comparative perspective. Finally, I make a substantive contribution by demonstrating yet another mechanism by which the strong secure their preferences at the expense of the weak in international affairs.

An examination of the stationary power sector is performed using The Natural Step framework and Sustainability Principles (SP), in order to aid decision makers in developing policy to balance energy needs while reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in order to address climate change. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is evaluated for its sustainability aspects, and is found to be a potentially sustainable approach which can be a bridging technology to a more sustainable energy mix, as well as a remediation technology which can remove CO2 from the atmosphere when utilized in combination with biomass fuel. Initial actions for restructuring the stationary power sector should emphasise demand reduction and efficiency efforts, followed by switching to renewable energy sources. If the first two strategies can not provide sufficient CO2 reductions, then investments in CCS technology may be an appropriate choice. CCS with coal-fired power can be a means to decouple CO2 emissions from fossil fuel use, but other SP violations associated with coal use must also be fully addressed before this strategy can be considered a truly sustainable option.

Personnel departments in general have a poor reputation for power and influence, although little is known empirically about their position in Higher Education institutions (HEI). There are various factors in the HEI context that suggest that the department should be important but not necessarily powerful. Therefore, by applying existing theory (strategic contingencies theory) to examine the determinants of power and the perceived level of power of the department, a more detailed view of the power of the Personnel department in Higher Education (HE) can be observed. The strategic contingencies theory model proves to be a reliable approach to apply in this context, and demonstrates clearly how the Personnel department is consistently rated lower than other administrative departments on the indicator variables. However, in order to go beyond the static picture of structural power sources sketched from strategic contingencies theory, institutional theory is drawn upon to try to understand how the current situation of low power has arisen. Particular elements of the institutionalised HEI context are explored to discover their effect on both the determinants and levels of power. These elements include the historical status of institutions, eth extent of professionalism in departments, and the sophistication of use of information systems in service delivery; all factors discussed in existing institutional theory arguments. Based on 144 questionnaire responses from a total of 73 HEIs across the UK, the quantitative analyses show differences in the power of Personnel departments in institutions with different historical characteristics, however professionalism and the use of information systems do not show clear relationships with power. Further qualitative data collection from seventeen interviews with HEI senior managers highlights how professionalism in the HEI context has a much broader definition than professional qualification and identity for the Personnel department. the use of information systems is also shown to be equally primitive across institutions in the current HEI context, preventing an evaluation of sophistication of use from yielding conclusive results.

This thesis contributes to the field of strategy-as-practice by developing understanding of the enacted performance of power within strategic interactions, an area that is underdeveloped. This is addressed by voicing the silences within the field of strategy-as-practice using an organisational studies lens. The study investigates the macro-influences of power, gender, body, culture, and Westernisation on micro-strategising activities and is based on an empirical cross-cultural study of a Saudi Arabian business college. The strategy-as-practice approach faces the challenge of balancing a focus on the specified actions of individuals and remaining aware of the social influences that govern them. This study complements linguistic approaches to understanding strategy with an embodied socially enacted dramaturgical approach to strategy analysis. Dramaturgy is the theoretical and methodological framework used to focus on micro-face-to-face interactions of strategists, complemented by frame analysis which enables invistigation of macro-level aspects of analysis at the meso-organisational level. The analysis focuses on two main areas: first it explores the embodied gendered aspects of strategising, which have previously been marginalised within the field. This analysis shows how the doing and undoing of gender on a managerial level in mixed-gender strategic interactions reflects the values that govern the family context, maintaining traditional values and often constraining women from assuming active roles as participants in strategising. Second, it analyses the tensions that arise between the clash of modernity and tradition by the adoption of international/Western management practices. These institutional influences create conflicts within strategists’ scripts when tradition encounters modernity in confronting a significant aspect of the Arab struggle. This analysis focuses on the importance of adopting a multi-level of analysis that aknowledges both structure and agency within strategising contexts. It also considers the importance of adopting a different type of ethics that is more sensitive to the particularities of caring for the ‘other’.

Thesis (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2010.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 79-81).
The purpose of this study is to develop a strategy for investment in power generation technologies in the future given the uncertainties in climate policy and fuel prices. First, such studies are commonly conducted using deterministic methods which assume a given likelihood of the carbon and gas price levels. In this study a probabilistic approach is used to address these uncertainties. Secondly, capacity expansion models conventionally apply average estimates to predict the amount of power that each generator will produce based on the technology chosen. I propose an alternate method which determines the actual generation hour-by-hour of a generator. Using this method, I also capture the variability of wind generation across the year. To accomplish this goal, I used the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) as a case study. I investigated the effect of different scenarios of generation technology investments projected over a period of twenty years. I conducted two sets of analysis; first assuming that Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies will be available after 2020, then assuming that they will not. Using a dispatch model, I simulated the hours of a load duration curve for 2020 and 2030. In the first period 2010-2020, I assumed the price of carbon to either be $0 or $50/ton CO2. In the second period, I take the carbon price to be at either a low of $25/ton of CO2 or a high of $100/ton of CO2 . The price of natural gas used was either a high of $15/MMBtu or a low of $3/MMBtu in both periods. Using a Monte Carlo, I sample the wind generation based on the season and the time of day. The system costs with the new investment scenarios were then evaluated in a decision tree to establish the socially optimal solution. I find that the optimal strategy to be taken today depends on the availability of CCS technologies in 2030. Assuming that there is CCS in 2030, the more dominant strategy would be to build natural gas generators today. If we assume that there is no CCS in 2030, the strategy would depend on the probabilities of the levels of gas and carbon prices in 2020.
by Diana Kudakwashe Chiyangwa.
S.M.in Technology and Policy

During World War II, the Army Air Force waged three strategic air offensives in and from China against Japan. At first, the Flying Tigers and 10th Air Force constituted the whole of American aid to China, but the effort soon expanded. Supported by Chiang Kai-shek, Claire Chennault and his 14th Air Force waged an anti-shipping campaign, to which the Japanese Imperial Army responded with Operation Ichigo and against which Joseph Stilwell accurately warned. 20th Bomber Command used B-29s to wage Operation Matterhorn, failed, and later conducted PACAID missions. 14th Air Force then waged a counterproductive transportation campaign as The Pacific War, also known as the Greater East Asian War, ended. Events in the China-Burma-India and China Theaters provide lessons in logistics, targeting, training, and air-ground cooperation that are applicable in the post-Cold War era.

The thesis focuses on a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) formulation for a bi-level mathematical program with equilibrium constraints (MPEC) considering chance constraints. The particular MPEC problem relates to a power producer’s bidding strategy: maximize its total benefit through determining bidding price and bidding power output while considering an electricity pool’s operation and guessing the rival producer’s bidding price. The entire decision-making process can be described by a bi-level optimization problem. The contribution of our thesis is the MILP formulation of this problem considering the use of chance constrained mathematical program for handling the uncertainties. First, the lower-level poor operation problem is replaced by Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) optimality condition, which is further converted to an MILP formulation except a bilinear item in the objective function. Secondly, duality theory is implemented to replace the bilinear item by linear items. Finally, two types of chance constraints are examined and modeled in MILP formulation. With the MILP formulation, the entire MPEC problem considering randomness in price guessing can be solved using off-shelf MIP solvers, e.g., Gurobi. A few examples and a case study are given to illustrate the formulation and show the case study results.

This study develops and tests a methodology that can be utilized for a reconnaissance level assessment of electric power supply alternatives for medium-scale mining in northwestern British Columbia. The study is organized into four parts. Part one characterizes the public planning framework of the study area. Present and future use trends of the region's natural resources, in particular minerals and energy, are reviewed, and a typology of public preferences for their development is established. Part two carries out a literature-based review of the conceptual basis of normative decision-making. Specific energy project evaluation approaches are introduced. This establishes a theoretical framework for constructing the methodology. Part three presents the energy project assessment methodology. Part four applies the methodology to the RED-CHRIS deposit. Salient features of parts three and four which form the core of the study, are outlined below. Energy Project Assessment Methodology The central part of the study proposes a strategic, reconnaissance-level methodology for evaluating energy supply alternatives for medium-scale mining. Its scope is defined by; a) inclusion of strategic elements such as emphasis on priorities, analytical continuity, robustness, and adaptiveness, and b) adoption of a reconnaissance approach which reflects an intention to accommodate preliminary information at an appropriate level of complexity and comprehensiveness. The essence of the methodology entails three inter-related components: 1) Core Information Environment - Identifies and focuses on defining the energy supply issues for a particular undeveloped mineral deposit. 2) Basic Evaluation Environment - Assesses the viability of potential alternatives through the application of multiple criteria and formal decision-making procedures. 3) Peripheral Evaluation Environment - Assesses strategic information which is independent of the focused problem, but can exert an influence on the outcome of both the core and basic environments. Each component contains strategic data bases and analytical processes that assist the analyst to proceed from initial problem identification to selection of alternatives. Within and between the three structural component information is refined in an iterative fashion. This maintains a current perspective on the problem environment and leads to a more confident appraisal of the favoured energy alternatives for a mineral deposit. Case Study Analysis: RED-CHRIS copper-gold deposit situated southeast of Iskut was selected for a case study application of the methodology. Typical production schedule ranging from 8 to 20 years would require corresponding installed electrical capacity of 7.5 to 23.5 Megawatts. Key points which emerged from an analysis of this deposit's energy supply alternatives form the mine planner's perspective are: 1) Interest groups concerned with planning, developing, or regulating energy supply for RED-CHRIS include: a) Mineral deposit owners whose objective it is to maximize profit b) Societal interests whose objective it is to maximize economic, social and environmental well-being aspects of the project. c) Public policy interests whose objective it is to maximize economic, political, and social welfare within national and provincial energy policy. 2) Energy supply candidates identified and examined, include: diesel-electric, high voltage grid extension, small-hydroelectric, coal and biomass-fired generation, natural gas, peat, geothermal, wind and solar. 3) Comparison of different small-scale energy applications for remote areas is made difficult because of technical, political, and environmental uncertainties. 4) Satisficing and Dominance can be successfully applied from the mine planner's perspective to key decision criteria to narrow the various energy supply alternatives. 5) Small-hydro is the most favourable alternative at this juncture, followed by diesel. Coal-fired generation and biomass are comparable, and may be more favourable than diesel under certain circumstances. Other alternatives are presently unsuitable. General Conclusions: Application of the methodology is limited by the interaction between analytical design, available physical resources, and uncertainty in the operating environment, human values and external decisions. The methodology appears sufficiently robust and comprehensive to be adapted to other deposits in the region. Commonly shared information requirements combined with the iterative nature of information processing, can be used to reduce the resource demands and improve the efficiency of subsequent applications. Finally, it is recommended that the value sensitivity of the methodology be tested by applying it from more than one perspective to the same deposit.
Applied Science, Faculty of
Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of
Graduate

Thesis (M.S. in National Security Affairs)--Naval Postgraduate School, September 2007.
Thesis Advisor(s): Giraldo, Jeanne. "September 2007." Description based on title screen as viewed on October 25, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 67-71). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.A. in Security Studies (Homeland Security and Defense))--Naval Postgraduate School, December 2008.
Thesis Advisor(s): Bellavita, Christopher. "December 2008." Description based on title screen as viewed on January 28, 2009. Includes bibliographical references (p. 277-300). Also available in print.

Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2014.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 111-121).
The naval warfare environment is rapidly changing. The U.S. Navy is adapting by continuing its blue-water dominance while simultaneously building brown-water capabilities. Unmanned systems, such as unmanned airborne drones, are proving pivotal in facing new battlefield challenges. Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) are emerging as the Navy's seaborne equivalent of the Air Force's drones. Representing a low-end disruptive technology relative to traditional shipborne operations, UUVs are becoming capable of taking on increasingly complex roles, tipping the scales of battlefield entropy. They improve mission outcomes and operate for a fraction of the cost of traditional operations. Furthermore, long-term underwater power sources at currently under development at MIT will extend UUV range and operational endurance by an order of magnitude. Installing these systems will not only allow UUVs to complete new, previously impossible missions, but will also radically decrease costs. I explore the financial and strategic implications of UUVs and long-term underwater power sources to the Navy and its future operations. By examining current naval operations and the ways in which UUVs could complement or replace divers and ships, I identify ways to use UUV technology to reduce risk to human life, decrease costs, and leverage the technology learning curve. I conclude that significant cost savings are immediately available with the widespread use of UUVs, and current research investment levels are inadequate in comparison with the risks and rewards of UUV programs.
by Richard Winston Larson.
S.M.

It is likely that in the near future, energy engineering will be required to help society adapt to permanently constrained fuel supplies, constrained green house gas emissions, and electricity supply systems running with minimal capacity margins. The goal of this research is to develop an analytical approach for adaptive energy systems engineering within the context of resource and environmental constraints. This involves assessing available energy resources, environmental and social issues, and economic activities. The approach is applied to a relatively simple case study on Rotuma, an isolated Pacific Island society. The case study is based on new data from field work. A spectrum of development options is identified for Rotuma and a reference energy demand is calculated for each representative level. A spectrum of conceptual reference energy system models is generated for each energy service level with a range of renewable energy penetration. The outcome is a matrix of energy system investment and resource utilization for the range of energy service levels. These models are then used for comparative risk assessment. The result is an easily understood visual based investment and risk assessment for both development and adaptation to constrained resource availability. The results show a clear development opportunity space for Rotuma where needs and services are in balance with investment, local resource availability and environmental constraints.

Thesis: S.M. in Management of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2018.
Page 94 blank. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 80-84).
The Japanese electric power industry is undergoing drastic reform since a devastating earthquake struck Japan on March 11, 2011. This disaster triggered a tsunami, which caused major damage to the nuclear power plants in Fukushima and led to the shutdown of all the nuclear power plants in the country. This incident facilitated deregulation of the Japanese electric power industry. Japan's electricity retail market became fully liberalized in 2016 and vertically integrated electric utilities are required to unbundle their organization by 2020 under the law. Furthermore, we are seeing external drivers reshaping this industry that were not concerns decades ago. This ever-evolving environment is pushing Japanese electric utilities to urgently change their traditional business model in order to outpace the competition while maintaining an affordable and reliable supply of electricity. This thesis discusses dynamics that will be shaping this industry in the next few decades by focusing on electric utility companies' perspective. In this regard, I identified drivers impacting the industry and developed a system dynamics model to understand the dynamics. After running simulations to see how those drivers identified would impact the future business of electric utility companies in Japan, it can be concluded that if electric utilities do not respond strategically in today's rapidly evolving business environment, the reserve margin will go below the required level starting in 2025 and they will decline by losing more than half of their existing customers by 2040. And the most effective approach to prevent themselves from taking this path is to focus on creation of new energy technologies and services based on research and development. The conclusion drawn from this thesis requires Japanese electric utilities not only to focus on building a risk-taking and innovative culture in their organization but also to collaborate with their stakeholders as necessary to create a sustainable business environment for the industry as a whole. To achieve this, it is imperative for the management of electric utilities to have a notion of stepping up and driving the industry instead of being driven by their environment.
by Masakazu Kimura.
S.M. in Management of Technology

Aim – The aim of this study is to explore how Management accountants (MAs) participate in strategic management processes nowadays and to explain reasons for potential differences in involvement of MAs in strategic management processes between different organizations.Method - The study is based on a multi-case study approach conducted among three independent companies in Sweden. The information from semi-structural interviews with MAs and archival data in form of job announcements for Senior MAs positions is used to analyze and cross-check the relationship. The time-horizon is cross-sectional.Findings - The study shows that involvement of MAs in strategic management processes varies a lot within organizations being influenced by the following factors: personal traits, business knowledge, relationship with management and established role. Some major variations on cross-company level are identified between subsidiary and HQ, and between representatives of different capital ownership forms.Conclusions - The study suggests that power imbalance in organizations hinders applying critical thinking and expressing objective opinion by MAs, that makes it difficult to claim a fully explicit business-partner role. Process of MAs’ involvement in the strategic management decision making presents a product of interrelation between two strategies for legitimizing of truth claims proposed by Heizmann and Olsson (2015): executing power of authority and executing power of expertise.

The Strategic Planning tool is widely known in the management of the most varied types of organizations, being these private or public. However, in its second phase, the implementation has not obtained the expected success. As stated by Kaplan and Norton (2001), only 10% of the formulated strategies are successfully implemented, what makes evident that the large bottleneck of Strategic Planning is found in its implementation phase. This tool is, in essence, a change process and so should be treated since it could result in the necessity of changes in the organizational structure, in internal processes, in the way of conducting formal and informal interpersonal relations in the organization. Due to these possible changes, to begin a strategic planning process, a good formulation of strategies and an effective strategic implementation is necessary in order to reverse the situation presented by Kaplan and Norton. Aware of this fact and as a way to strengthen the Strategic Planning implementation, the aspects related to the relation of power in the organizations, organizational culture and evaluation should be taken into account, because in the same way that these aspects are influenced by the process of changes, they influence the strategic decisions. This study aims to identify and report the aspects that involve the relations of power and that influence in the implementation of Strategic Planning. To achieve the proposed objective, a case study methodology of qualitative nature and of exploratory and descriptive character was used. Based on the bibliographical data found, a diagnosis model of the relation of power in the organizations was developed and was composed of four dimensions: contextual power, personal power, managing power and leading power. To test the model, a semi-structured interview was applied to four pro-rectors and five teaching unit directors of the Federal University of Santa Maria. Data was collected and analyzed, and the results obtained showed that the aspects related to the relations of power compose an important variable of study when the implementation of a change process, such as the strategic planning in a successful way is intended. The model demonstrated how the studied unit is more focused on the power of position and on bureaucratic managing.
A ferramenta Planejamento Estratégico está fartamente difundida na gestão dos mais variados tipos de organizações, sendo estas privadas ou públicas. Porém, a sua segunda fase, a implementação,não tem obtido o êxito esperado; e, como afirma Kaplan e Norton (2001), apenas 10% das estratégias formuladas são implementadas com êxito, o que torna evidente que o grande gargalo do Planejamento Estratégico encontra-se em sua fase de implementação. Esta ferramenta é, por essência, um processo de mudança e assim deve ser tratada, pois poderá acarretar necessidades de mudanças na estrutura organizacional, em processos internos, na forma de condução das relações interpessoais formais e informais na organização. Em função dessas possíveis mudanças, para iniciar um processo de planejamento estratégico, será necessário uma boa formulação das estratégias e uma implementação estratégica eficaz, de forma a reverter o quadro apresentado por Kaplan e Norton. Cientes desta realidade, e como forma de fortalecer a implementação do Planejamento Estratégico, deve-se levar em consideração os aspectos relacionados a relações de poder nas organizações, cultura organizacional e avaliação organizacional, pois, da mesma forma que esses aspectos são influenciados pelo processo de mudanças, eles influenciam nas decisões estratégicas. Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo identificar e descrever os aspectos que envolvem as relações de poder e que influenciam a implementação do Planejamento Estratégico. Para alcançar o objetivo proposto utilizou-se a metodologia de estudo de caso, de natureza qualitativa e caráter exploratório e descritivo. A partir dos dados bibliográficos encontrados, foi desenvolvido um modelo de diagnóstico das relações de poder nas organizações composto de quatro dimensões: poder contextual, poder pessoal, gerenciamento e liderança. Para testar o modelo, foi aplicada uma entrevista semi-estruturada junto a quatro pró-reitores e cinco diretores de unidades de ensino da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria. Coletados e analisados os dados, os resultados obtidos evidenciaram que os aspectos relativos às relações de poder constituem uma importante variável de estudo quando se pretende implementar um processo de mudança como o planejamento estratégico de forma exitosa. O modelo demonstrou o quanto a unidade estudada encontra-se mais voltada ao poder de posição e ao gerenciamento burocrático.

This Master's thesis sets out to learn why internal strategic communication is not improving as quickly as one might hope in one office of the Department of Defense. Many articles support the need for improved internal strategic communication. But during the author's summer internship, she noted the communications team struggled to make this happen. The author therefore wondered why these communication professionals were not successful. What is hindering their success? Two earlier research papers showed trust, transparency, leadership, diversity and conflict were all connected to internal strategic communication- either positively or negatively. But one new theme arose from these studies: that of power. The current study employs an exploratory case study to look more closely at why power may be a factor- as well as exploring any other possible reasons in order to answer why internal communication is not improving very quickly in this one office. Current and former members of a strategic communication team were asked for their opinions through open ended survey questions about experiences they had illuminating these concepts. Those responses were triangulated with documents and participant observation. This study illustrates that themes including lack of trust, transparency, empowerment, and inappropriate use of power, all play a role in the success or failure of internal strategic communication. The literature helps explain why these themes are having such an impact.