http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/7612 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/9299 Bidding strategies in reverse auctions for the automotive industry procurement Galland Lopez, Michel, 1973- Thesis (M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2000. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 48-51). http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/41768 TransformScout : finding compositions of transformations for software re-use Pamuk, Mujde As organizations collect and store more information, data integration is becoming increasingly problematic. For example, nearly 70% of respondents to a recent global survey of IT workers and business users called data integration a high inhibitor of new application implementation. A number of frameworks and tools have been developed to enable data integration tasks. The most prominent include schema matching, use of ontologies and logic-based techniques. A joint project by UFL and MIT, Morpheus, has attacked the same problem with a unique emphasis on re-use and sharing. In the first part of the thesis, we try to define software re-use and sharing in the context of data integration and contrast this approach with existing integration techniques. We synthesize previous work in the field with our experience demoing Morpheus to an audience of research labs and companies. At the heart of a system with re-usable components is browsing and searching capabilities. The second part of this thesis describes TransformScout, a transform composition search engine that automates composition of re-usable components. Similarity and quality metrics have been formulated for recommending the users with a ranked collection of composite transforms. In addition, the system learns from user feedback to improve the quality of the query results. We conducted a user study to both evaluate Morpheus as a system and to assess TransformScout's performance in helping completing programming tasks. Results indicate that software re-use with Morpheus and TransformScout has helped the user perform the programming tasks faster. Moreover, TransformScout was useful in aiding the users with completing the tasks more reliably. Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-83). http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/41767 Radio Frequency Identification : regulating information privacy protection Laufer, Deanna (Deanna Raquel) As applications of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) become more profuse, the technology itself is stirring up some controversy. Due to its potential for amassing large amounts of information about both people and things, and the possibility of using the information for marketing, tracking, or even spying, numerous consumer groups are spearheading efforts to ensure that RFID does not breach their privacy rights. While there are some privacy laws regulating specific aspects of commerce, there are no laws which currently apply to the collection and use of information as it pertains to RFID. This lack of formal regulation allows companies to legally engage in practices which may encroach on consumers' privacy. However, RFID has the potential to optimize supply chain practices as well as provide other benefits to both consumers and businesses. As RFID use becomes more widespread, regulatory strategies should be considered to protect consumers' right to privacy while obtaining the benefits of using the technology. This thesis explores consumer and industry opinion of RFID through a customized survey. Results of the survey found that consumer and industry opinion are similar in many aspects, especially in the concern for protecting privacy and the desire for a regulatory mechanism to enforce those privacy rights. This thesis addresses the question of whether market-based solutions, self-regulation, or government regulation is the best option for addressing consumers' legitimate concerns of privacy while allowing businesses to reap the benefits of using the technology. (cont.) The regulatory options are compared and then discussed based on the needs of consumers and industry members as determined by the survey. Finally, four recommendations are suggested to provide guidance for ensuring a positive acceptance of RFID while acknowledging the privacy rights of consumers. Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 82-87). http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/41766 Environmental technology and policy development in a regional system : transboundary water management and pollution prevention in southeastern Europe Electris, Christi In order to surmount the barriers to transboundary integration and coordination of environmental technology and regulatory policy in Southeastern Europe, the environmental capabilities and needs of the region are discussed, and a regional cooperation and coordination systems framework is developed. The thesis focuses on a case study of transboundary water resource management of the Mesta/Nestos River Basin between Bulgaria and Greece is presented in order to understand the coordination problems between a particular locality's level of integration in environmental technology development and use, and environmental regulatory policy, as well as the barriers to cooperation between two localities sharing a transboundary resource. For the case study, the physical characteristics and environmental stresses on the basin are described in detail. Next the policy governing local water resource management and environmental technology development is reviewed in terms of national laws and regulations, the bilateral diplomatic agreements, and the EU framework that drives much of the current activity in the basin today. Finally, the gaps in current policy and the barriers to coordinating water resource-related technology policy and environmental regulatory policy development are analyzed. The end result is a set of recommendations pertaining to the particular basin, but which can be generalized to other basins in the region. The focus is primarily on the coordination in both countries at the local and transboundary levels, but will also be explored within the context of the nation-wide and region-wide levels. (cont.) Through this narrow case study, insight is gained as to how environmental technology policy can be coordinated with regulatory policy to surmount the obstacles faced in water resource management and the broader context, and how the institutional and legal framework in place affects the regulatory scheme and in turn the technology placement in both countries. Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 256-270).