Thesis defence

This study examines how duration of patent examination is affected by technological diversity of patent applications, using a sample of all pharmaceutical patent applications filed between 1985 and 2017 at China’s State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO). Patent examination is a crucial process to evaluate the patentability of technological inventions. To understand what factors influence patent examination duration can offer strategic insights for both patent applicants and patent system designers.

Supervisors

Mark Hancock, Management Sciences

Miguel Nacenta, Management Sciences

Supervisors

Frank Safayeni

Selcuk Onay

A Cross-Dock (CD) is a synchronized unit of a supply chain network, used to sort the goods received from inbound trucks (from a warehouse or factory), and load those products to outbound trucks (for delivery of the goods to retail stores in the supply chain network). Most cross-docks use forklifts, and other manual material handling equipment (MHE) to process the goods on pallets received from inbound trucks. Those pallets are sorted and loaded onto outbound trucks.

The transportation of hazardous materials (hazmat) has drawn significant attention from various stakeholders due to the undesirable impacts on the environment and public health. Focusing on the connection between the traffic and the risk associated with the hazmat shipments, the present research aims to assist the regulator in designing a policy of dual tolls, imposed on both hazmat and non-hazmat shipments, to mitigate the hazmat risk in a road network.

International airfreight forwarders are faced with the problem of consolidating shipments for effcient transportation by airline carriers. The use of standard unit loading devices (ULDs) is a solution adopted by the airfreight industry to speed up cargo loading, increase safety, and protect cargo. We study the airfreight consolidation problem from the forwarders perspective where a decision on the number of ULDs used and the assignment of shipments to ULDs is optimized. The cost of using a ULD consists of a fixed charge and depends on the weight of the cargo it contains.

Supervisor

Jatin Nathwani

Supervisors:

Samir Elhedhli

Fatma Gzara

Existing leadership theories tend to explain that leaders induce others to follow as a function of one or more of the following:

i) A specific set of traits possessed by the leader (e.g., charisma);

ii) Different types of behaviours the leader exhibits depending on the situation (e.g., a focus on tasks or a focus on relationships);

iii) Specifics relating to the structure and dynamics of the leader-follower relationship (e.g., economic, social, or psychological exchange, or a 'customized' focus on the 'follower').

Supervisor(s):

Fatih Erenay, Management Sciences

Osman Yalin Ozaltin (remote), Management Sciences