Technology transfer from NASA to targeted industries, volume 2

This volume contains the following materials to support Volume 1: (1) Survey of Metal Fabrication Industry in Alabama; (2) Survey of Electronics Manufacturing/Assembly Industry in Alabama; (3) Apparel Modular Manufacturing Simulators; (4) Synopsis of a Stereolithography Project; (5) Transferring Modular Manufacturing Technology to an Apparel Firm; (6) Letters of Support; (7) Fact Sheets; (8) Publications; and (9) One Stop Access to NASA Technology Brochure

Mobile Communications Industry Scenarios and Strategic Implications for Network Equipment Vendors

Mobiili-infrastruktuurimarkkinat ovat muuttuneet dramaattisesti viime vuosien aikana. Verkkolaitemarkkinat kokonaisuudessaan ovat pienentyneet operaattoreiden vähentäessä investointejaan. Tämä on edistänyt liiketoimintamallien muutosta tavanomaisista laajamittaisista laitetoimituksista kohti ohjelmisto- ja palvelukeskeisiä liiketoimintamalleja. Samanaikaisesti operaattorit modernisoivat verkkoinfrastruktuuriaan IP-pohjaiseksi kasvattaen IT-orientoituneiden toimittajien mahdollisuutta astua mobiiliinfrastruktuurimarkkinoille. Loppukättäjille tarkoitettujen sovellusten ja palveluiden alueella operaattorit kokevat internet-pohjaiset palvelut kasvavana uhkana tavanomaisten puhe- ja viestintäpalveluiden korvaajina. Tämän diplomityön tarkoituksena on valmentaa perinteisiä mobiili-infrastruktuuritoimittajia mahdollisten mobiili-liiketoimintaskenaarioiden ja niissä vallitsevien arvokonfiguraatioiden varalle. Ennen kuin mahdolliset tulevaisuuden skenaariot rakennetaan, mobiililiiketoimintaympäristön taustaa esitellään. Tässä yhteydessä olennaiset teknologiset ja liiketoiminnalliset näkökulmat tuodaan esille. Skenaariosuunnittelu aloitetaan tutkimalla ensin nykyisen liiketoimintaympäristön rakennetta mobiili-infrastruktuurimarkkinoilla. Tämän jälkeen PEST analyysiä hyödyntämällä kerätään joukko makro-tason voimia, joilla todetaan olevan vaikutus mobiili-liiketoiminnan tulevaisuuteen. Asiantuntijahaastatteluja hyödyntämällä kerättyjä voimia arvioidaan tärkeyden ja epävarmuuden perusteella. Tärkeimpien epävarmuuksien perusteella kehitetään neljä skenaariota kuvaamaan mahdollisia arvojärjestelmiä tärkeiden osapuolien keskuudessa. Lopuksi skenaariokuvauksia ja Michael Porterin teorioita hyödyntämällä tehdään strategisia johtopäätöksiä mobiili-infrastruktuuritoimittajien näkökulmasta. Kehitettyjen mobiili-liiketoimintaympäristöjen arvojärjestelmiä kuvaavien ääriskenaarioiden odotetaan avustavan liiketoiminnan osapuolia ottamaan vallitsevat epävarmuudet paremmin huomioon. Diplomityössä korostetaan välttämään implisiittisiä odotuksia tulevaisuudesta sekä varomaan mullistavien ja liiketoimintaympäristöä merkittävästi muuttavien muutosten aliarvioimista strategisen suunnitteluprosessin yhteydessä. Viisi kehitettyä strategista lähestymistapaa antavat ymmärtää, että mobiili-infrastruktuuritoimittajilla on useita toisistaan eriäviä mahdollisuuksia varautua liiketoimintaympäristön epävarmuuksiin ja kehitykseen. Kehitetyt skenaariot ja strategiset johtopäätökset voivat auttaa yrityksen johtohenkilökuntaa tekemään tietoisia päätöksiä, jotka pohjautuvat selkeästi esitettyihin näkemyksiin mahdollisista liiketoimintaympäristön tulevaisuuden etenemissuunnista.Mobile infrastructure markets have changed dramatically during the past years. Overall network equipment markets have declined gradually as operators have reduced capital investments. This has driven the shift from traditional large-scale, hardware-driven system roll-outs to software and services -driven business models. At the same time operators modernize their networks to IP-based solutions decreasing the barriers of IT and computeroriented vendors to enter the telecom-specific equipment markets. In applications and service domain internet service players are gradually taking over the traditional businesses of mobile operators by offering a variety of disruptive services accessible via a simple internet connection. The objective of the thesis is to prepare established telecom vendors for possible future mobile communications industry scenarios of different value configurations. Mobile communications industry background is introduced before possible future scenarios are constructed. Industry background chapter discusses relevant technological and economical aspects of today's mobile communications industry. The scenario construction process is initiated with a study of the current mobile infrastructure market structure. After that the most important forces shaping the markets are gathered using PEST analysis and assessed in terms of importance and uncertainty utilizing data from expert interviews. Based on key uncertainties four scenarios are constructed describing possible value systems between stakeholders involved in mobile industry. Finally, based on the scenarios strategic implications for established telecom vendors are discussed utilizing Michael Porter's framework of strategic approaches under industry uncertainty. The four boundary scenarios of mobile communications industry are intended to help the stakeholders involved to address the industry uncertainties in a new manner. It is emphasised that implicit forecasts about the future and the underestimation of radical or discontinuous changes should be avoided when conducting strategic planning in organizations. The formulated five strategic approaches imply that telecom vendors have several choices to prepare for possible futures of industry evolution. Constructed scenarios and strategic frameworks may assist managers to make informed decisions based on explicit views about the future and be aware of the set from which the selected approach or a set of approaches is chosen

Semantic discovery and reuse of business process patterns

Patterns currently play an important role in modern information systems (IS) development and their use has mainly been restricted to the design and implementation phases of the development lifecycle. Given the increasing significance of business modelling in IS development, patterns have the potential of providing a viable solution for promoting reusability of recurrent generalized models in the very early stages of development. As a statement of research-in-progress this paper focuses on business process patterns and proposes an initial methodological framework for the discovery and reuse of business process patterns within the IS development lifecycle. The framework borrows ideas from the domain engineering literature and proposes the use of semantics to drive both the discovery of patterns as well as their reuse

THE ROLE OF UNDERLYING MECHANISMS IN ACHIEVING CONSISTENT HYBRID COMBINATIONS OF COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES

This thesis takes a step beyond the current discussion on hybrid competitive strategies (HS) by identifying the underlying mechanisms and common elements of successful hybrid strategies. Reviewing empirical and theoretical literature revealed a significant gap in this respect. Therefore, the activity-based view of strategy is introduced to the discussion on HS. In a first step, four consistent and sustainable HS concepts are developed providing the basis for deriving specific HS models. A second step identifies commonalities among these HS types and theoretically derives a synthesized, common HS model. Thirdly, the critical realist stance was selected for answering this thesis’ research questions addressing consistent HS concepts, implementations, common activities achieving external and internal fit, as well as common capabilities and resources supporting these activities. In a case study approach, semi-structured, open ended interviews combining appreciative and laddering methods are conducted with twelve interviewees from five firms. The separate analysis of ladder elements and ladders allowed distinguishing constitutional from relational elements. Based on this, fourth, an empirically revised research construct is substantiated. This research finds HS firms applying intended and consistent, but mixed strategy concepts based on generating high customer benefits through combining competitive weapons of differentiation and price or total customer cost. Moreover, HS concepts centre on three strategic building blocks: customer centricity, fulfilment of customer needs and employee orientation. Additionally, the research indicates that firms apply activities primarily for achieving fit. While all firms combine both views, no activities are directed to both fit types simultaneously. Activities deploy capabilities and resources in general on two adaptive and two absorptive mechanisms. Several practical implications derive from this thesis. First, firms can apply the synthesized model as a kind of ‘blueprint’ providing orientation for how to combine competitive advantages. Second, policy makers can apply the outcomes as principles steering firms or industries to ‘higher’ levels of performance. Last, firm managers can adapt their own as well as their firm’s behaviour accordingly

Bricks Plus Bytes: How Click-and-Brick Will Define Legal Education Space

Herein, I present a number of technological, commercial and profes- sional scenarios that cumulatively suggest that the law school of the near future must be re-engineered and become what is known in e-commerce as "click-and-brick" or "click-and-mortar.' In a click-and-brick law school, distributive learning techniques will fill much of the space, supplementing traditional class experiences and substituting for many others. But a true click-and-brick will also integrate distance learning methodologies, reach- ing out to remote students, enabling collaboration with off-campus faculty and consuming remote content. I draw this not entirely happy conclu- sion from analyzing the commercial and technological forces that are si- multaneously energizing and threatening traditional legal education, and from my belief that, properly re-engineered, the traditional law schools can retain their relevance and continue in their role as the guardians of the intellect of the law. In the sections that follow, I first address the qualitative and institu- tional arguments frequently raised against such non-traditional legal edu- cation (Part II). I then suggest that the law school of the future will be quite a different place from the one we are familiar with, both because of the implications of the new enabling technologies (Part III) and because law school space is no longer a self-contained, autonomous and insulated environment (Part IV). I argue that, before we can aspire to a sustainable click-and-brick model, we will be forced to make some significant changes to how we fill our virtual and physical law school space (Part V). Finally, I suggest that, in designing our click-and-brick model, we pay particular at- tention to the ways in which law practice is being reshaped, and suggest other areas where the law school curriculum will require major re-tooling to be relevant to the Information Age (Part VI)