Matching Items (8)
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- Creators: Department of Supply Chain Management
- Member of: Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Description
For our collaborative thesis we explored the US electric utility market and how the Internet of Things technology movement could capture a possible advancement of the current existing grid. Our objective of this project was to successfully understand the market trends in the utility space and identify where a semiconductor manufacturing company, with a focus on IoT technology, could penetrate the market using their products. The methodology used for our research was to conduct industry interviews to formulate common trends in the utility and industrial hardware manufacturer industries. From there, we composed various strategies that The Company should explore. These strategies were backed up using qualitative reasoning and forecasted discounted cash flow and net present value analysis. We confirmed that The Company should use specific silicon microprocessors and microcontrollers that pertained to each of the four devices analytics demand. Along with a silicon strategy, our group believes that there is a strong argument for a data analytics software package by forming strategic partnerships in this space.
ContributorsLlazani, Loris (Co-author) / Ruland, Matthew (Co-author) / Medl, Jordan (Co-author) / Crowe, David (Co-author) / Simonson, Mark (Thesis director) / Hertzel, Mike (Committee member) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
As the IoT (Internet of Things) market continues to grow, Company X needs to find a way to penetrate the market and establish larger market share. The problem with Company X's current strategy and cost structure lies in the fact that the fastest growing portion of the IoT market is microcontrollers (MCUs). As Company X currently holds its focus in manufacturing microprocessors (MPUs), the current manufacturing strategy is not optimal for entering competitively into the MCU space. Within the MCU space, the companies that are competing the best do not utilize such high level manufacturing processes because these low cost products do not demand them. Given that the MCU market is largely untested by Company X and its products would need to be manufactured at increasingly lower costs, it runs the risk of over producing and holding obsolete inventory that is either scrapped or sold at or below cost. In order to eliminate that risk, we will explore alternative manufacturing strategies for Company X's MCU products specifically, which will allow for a more optimal cost structure and ultimately a more profitable Internet of Things Group (IoTG). The IoT MCU ecosystem does not require the high powered technology Company X is currently manufacturing and therefore, Company X loses large margins due to its unnecessary leading technology. Since cash is king, pursuing a fully external model for MCU design and manufacturing processes will generate the highest NPV for Company X. It also will increase Company X's market share, which is extremely important given that every tech company in the world is trying to get its hands into the IoT market. It is possible that in ten to thirty years down the road, Company X can manufacture enough units to keep its products in-house, but this is not feasible in the foreseeable future. For now, Company X should focus on the cost market of MCUs by driving its prices down while maintaining low costs due to the variables of COGS and R&D given in our fully external strategy.
ContributorsKadi, Bengimen (Co-author) / Peterson, Tyler (Co-author) / Langmack, Haley (Co-author) / Quintana, Vince (Co-author) / Simonson, Mark (Thesis director) / Hertzel, Michael (Committee member) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
The purpose of this thesis was to design a market entrance strategy for Company X to enter the microcontroller (MCU) market within the Internet of Things (IoT). The five IoT segments are automotive; medical; retail; industrial; and military, aerospace, and government. To reach a final decision, we will research the markets, analyze make versus buy scenarios, and deliver a financial analysis on the chosen strategy. Based on the potential financial benefits and compatibility with Company X's current business model, we recommend that Company X enter the automotive segment through mergers & acquisitions (M&A). After analyzing the supply chain structure of the automotive IoT, we advise Company X to acquire Freescale Semiconductor for $46.98 per share.
ContributorsBradley, Rachel (Co-author) / Fankhauser, Elisa (Co-author) / McCoach, Robert (Co-author) / Zheng, Weilin (Co-author) / Simonson, Mark (Thesis director) / Hertzel, Mike (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
The purpose and goal of this project is to pinpoint a potential use case for Company X to invest in to sell their 5G modems. As 5G technology is growing to be a dominant force in global markets, Company X is looking to capitalize on the emerging technology by selling their 5G modems for Internet of Things applications. Research and gathering of information involved understanding cellular connectivity, modem operations and applications, companies in related industries, the history of the wireless spectrum, the pillars of 5G technology, and the plethora of use cases enabled by 5G. Looking at smart street lights as a potential use case for Company X, analyses were conducted to recommend whether Company X should invest in smart street lights. These analyses ranged from researching Company X’s competitors to performing a pro forma financial analysis to see if it is financially viable for Company X to enter the smart street light industry. The final recommendation is for Company X to not invest in smart street lighting.
ContributorsPannala, Ishan R (Co-author) / Alcaron, Sandra (Co-author) / Nilles, Robert (Co-author) / Wells, Dwight (Co-author) / Simonson, Mark (Thesis director) / Reber, Kevin (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Smart cities ""utilize information and communication technologies with the aim to increase the life quality of their inhabitants while providing sustainable development"". The Internet of Things (IoT) allows smart devices to communicate with each other using wireless technology. IoT is by far the most important component in the development of smart cities. Company X is a leader in the semiconductor industry looking to grow its revenue in the IoT space. This thesis will address how Company X can deliver IoT solutions to government municipalities with the goal of simultaneously increasing revenue through value-added engagement and decreasing spending by more efficiently managing infrastructure upgrades.
ContributorsJiang, Yichun (Co-author) / Davidoff, Eric (Co-author) / Dawoud, Mariam (Co-author) / Rodenbaugh, Ryan (Co-author) / Sinclair, Brynn (Co-author) / Simonson, Mark (Thesis director) / Hertzel, Mike (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the system of 'smart' inter-connected networked devices that contain sensors to communicate information to the Internet. Due to the complex and intricate nature of IoT technologies, in addition to the many applications of IoT, the IoT has the potential to revolutionize how we interact and work every day. The information gathered through IoT is aggregated and can be used to improve business decision making, as well as contribute to a greater society. IoT spans various market sectors including retail, energy, and transportation. IoT can also be used to improve efficiencies within the supply chain. By increasing the transparency of items in-transit, in addition to providing greater visibility about inventory usage and consumer consumption habits, there are many implications of IoT that can be utilized to transform logistical processes. While some literature exists that discusses the impact of the IoT on the supply chain, the findings are limited in size and scope and tend to focus on particular implementations of IoT technologies. Further research is necessary to evaluate the impact of IoT to advance supply chain best practices and to understand the potential implications of the IoT in improving supply chain planning and distribution. This thesis aims to address this gap in the literature. By focusing on supply chain management, the thesis will look at the context in which the IoT operates, the market and implications of IoT devices, current logistics processes, the capabilities of IoT, as well as the potential problems and weaknesses with the implementation of the IoT.
ContributorsBentley, Garrett Burton (Author) / Rabinovich, Elliot (Thesis director) / Kellso, James (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Supply chain sustainability has become an increasingly important topic for corporations
due to consumer demands, regulatory requirements, and employee retention and productivity.
Since more and more stakeholders are beginning to care about sustainability, companies are
looking at how they can reduce their carbon footprint without it leading to higher costs. Although
sustainable supply chain operations are often associated with higher costs, new technology has
surfaced within the last decade that makes this association come into question. This paper serves as an investigation on whether or not implementation of recent technology will not only make for more sustainable supply chains, but also bring cost savings to a company. For the sake of simplicity, this paper analyzes the topic within the context of the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. The three categories of technology that were evaluated are artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, and data integration systems. Internship projects and/or published case studies and articles were examined to explore the relationship between the technology, supply chain sustainability, and costs. The findings of this paper indicate that recent technology offers companies innovative sustainability solutions to supply chains without sacrificing cost. This calls for CPG companies to invest in and implement technology that allows for more sustainable supply chains. Shying away from this because of cost concerns is no longer necessary.
ContributorsDixon, Logan (Author) / Printezis, Antonios (Thesis director) / Macias, Jeff (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
While a fairly new concept, Internet of Things (IoT) has become an important part of the business structure and operating segments of many technology companies in the last decade. IoT refers to the evolution of devices that, connected to the internet, can share and integrate information, becoming an always-growing intelligent system of systems. As a leader in the semiconductor industry, Company X and its growing IoT division, have constant new challenges and opportunities given the complexity of the IoT field. The business model employed by the IoT division includes adopting and modifying existing technologies and products from its sister groups within Company X. Since these products are being leveraged by the IoT division, it makes indirect research and development allocation for said products much more complex. This thesis will address how the IoT division at Company X can approach this problem in the most beneficial way for the division and company as a whole through the analysis of two allocation methodologies: percentage of revenue (Allocation Basis 1) and percentage of direct research and development (Allocation Basis 2).
ContributorsStanek, Christopher (Author) / Jerez Casillas, Diana (Co-author) / Abang, Joycelyn (Co-author) / Simonson, Mark (Thesis director) / Hertzel, Michael (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor)
Created2022-05