With time, successful companies and businesses grow to create a network of partners and stakeholders that work very closely with them. The very survival and growth of these companies is dependent on this ecosystem network around them. The ecosystem thrives on stakeholders mutually benefiting...

This research analyzes how a telecommunications regulator can balance regulation with innovation, at a reasonable cost. This question has gained critical importance for telecom regulators as the unregulated Internet technologies such as voice and video over Internet disrupt the regulated...

In biotechnology, much focus is put on the science behind proteins and cells; less attention has traditionally gone to the raw materials used to produce medicines. However, in the recent past, internal and external drivers have prompted a change in the way biotechnology companies manage raw...

Understanding the overall impact of a decision in a manufacturing system can be challenging given the complex production and financial structures in today's companies. While knowing the direct result of a local change may be easy, anticipating the real impact to the rest of the business can be...

This thesis has explored a new idea: viewing standards as interdependent artifacts and studying them with network analysis tools. Using the set of Internet standards as an example, the research of this thesis includes the citation network, the author affiliation network, and the co-author...

Cyberspace is the most pervasive and rapidly adopted communication media and the most disruptive until date. It is now indispensable for almost every facet of modern society and touches, practically, everyone by providing a powerful platform for interaction and innovation. Given the widespread...

This research examines the impact of inventory pre-positioning on humanitarian operations. The study identifies optimal locations for warehousing non-consumable inventories required for initial deployment of aid. These facility location problems are geometric optimizations using mean annual...

Globalization increases product variety and shortens product life cycles. These lead to an increase in demand uncertainty and variability. Outsourcing to low-cost countries increases supply lead-time and supply uncertainty and variability. Coupled with the increase of mergers and acquisitions,...

The upstream petroleum supply chain is inefficient and uneconomical because of the independence of the four complex and fragmented functions which comprise it. Crude oil exploration, trading, transportation, and refining are functions which may be integrated through unified decision-making...

A convergence of factors including a strong economy, changing demographics and increased regulatory control has resulted in a U.S. For-Hire Truckload (TL) industry that is increasingly pressed to meet shippers' needs for freight services. As demand now exceeds supply, the buyer/seller...