MIT Sloan MOT Thesis Thursdays How to Make the Very Most of Your MIT Sloan Master’s Thesis Opportunity v 1.5
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MIT Sloan MOT Thesis Thursdays How to Make the Very Most of Your MIT Sloan Master’s Thesis Opportunity v 1.5 Making the Most of Your Thesis Opportunity • The Main Integrative Project throughout Year • Pick a compelling research theme • Advance your Career Interests – Reinforce Professional Strengths – Networking & Personal Visibility – Personal Exploration & Even Reinvention • Short & Long Term Professional Aspiration How weave the pieces together? • Case study on firm or industry of greatest interest • Aligning projects in classes with Thesis • Interviews on your class field trips • MIT $50K participation … Example Theses I • Sustainable Entrepreneurship – Amir Hasson w/ Pentland & Thurow • Neural Network Applications • RFID in Supply Chain – Jen Pararas w/ Brynjolfsson • Biotech Business Strategies – Sudhir Borgonha w/ Murray – Vishal Mehta w/ Gupta • Technology Waves in NTT – Masa Kawashima w/ Weil & Fine • Trust in Mobile Commerce – Damien Balsan w/ Weil • Open Architecture Spacecraft – Robert Caffrey w/ Henderson & Crawley • Advanced Tech for the Coast Guard – Ken Marien w/ Utterback Example Theses II • Singapore’s Urban Dynamics – Bernard Nee w/ Sterman • Pharmaceutical Technology Acquistion Strategies – Hiroya Muranishi w/ Roberts • HP’s IT Outsourcing – Carl Beckett & Waqas Khan w/ Bitran • Knowledge Management in Banking – Kazu Yamagata w/ Burton • Mass Customization – Joe Pine w/ Utterback • Organic Chemicals as Disruptive Technologies – Naoki Obi w/ Jacobson & Utterback • Wireless Value Chain Evolution – Dave Munsinger w/ Utterback & Weil Brainstorming Topics • Start with end in mind, e.g. – Seeking a job in X industry – Deep understanding of some sector – Working with a particular Professor • Aspire towards N-for-one … n-for-1: Seek Extreme Leverage • • • • • • • Recruitment – what’s your next job? Network building – who should you know? Idea seeking – what’s best opportunity? Boosting creativity – what’s most worth doing? Personal reinvention – where imagine self? Drill-down on some topic – always wanted to … Publication – propaganda & reputation Pitching Your Topic • Self-presentation & refinement • Float it by everyone in conversational way • Various levels of detail and abstraction • “ I’m interested in looking at how X does Y…” For example… – Disruptive Wireless Technology – Business Implications of the Semantic Web – Neuromedical Imaging Technology Roadmapping Time is Short • Summer & Early Fall – Investigate Potential Topics & Advisors • October / November – Proposal & Advisor • Winter & Early Spring – Data, Literature Review, Interviews • Spring – Progress Reports, Drafts • May – Finale! Types of Theses • Independent Project (w/ Advisor) – – – – – – – – – – Industry / Strategic / Competitive Analysis Company Business Plan Case or Historical Study Model Development & Testing Product Roll-out Analysis Problem Analysis Hypothesis Testing Technology Assessment Policy Study … • Structured Thesis Structured Theses • Faculty provides framework for project & contacts / sponsors • Aligns personal goals with larger faculty research agenda • Professors – Bitran – eBusiness & Supply Chains – Burton – Tech Venture Observatory, Talent Dynamics – Fine – Technology Roadmapping, Value Chain Dynamics • Potential publications – e.g. Fabozzi, Fine & Cusumano MIT Sloan Matrix Unifying Strategic Themes Example Sloan Faculty Strengths Global International Development Mgt Effective Financial Leadership Engineering, Management Transformative Innovations Innovation Leadership Venture Finance Finance, Accounting, & Economics Global Value Chains, TechMaps Entrepreneurial Policy Business Dynamics Tech-Biz Ventures Virtual Customer Tech Strategy Manag’nt Sci, Functional Disciplines Behavioral & Policy Science Strat & Org’ns Global Classic MIT Sloan Disciplinary Strengths Faculty Interests at Various Levels of Systems Analysis Economy Geography Global Development Business Dynamics Sector Firm Technology Roadmapping Technology & Entrepreneurial Strategy Group Venture Capital Emerging Technology Creative Ventures Communities, Virtual Customer Initiative Individual Market/Tech Organization Theme Social Networks Decision Psychology Idea Clusters of Interests At Various Levels of Analysis… Economy Sector Firm Group Individual Geography Technology Roadmap Technology Venture Observatory OpenSource Initiative Virtual Customer Initiative Emerging Tech-Biz Live Cases Market/Tech Organization Theme Idea 15.795 Technology Roadmapping (An example Masters Research Seminar) Professor Charlie Fine, TA Joost Bonsen Fall 2002 This seminar will explore the purposes and development of Technology Roadmaps for systematically mapping out possible development paths for various technological domains and the industries that build on them. Data of importance for such roadmaps include rates of innovation, key bottlenecks, physical limitations, improvement trendlines, corporate intent, and value chain and industry evolutionary paths. The course will build on ongoing work on the MIT Communications Technology Roadmap project, but will explore other domains selected from Nanotechnology, Bio-informatics, Geno/Proteino/Celleomics, Neurotechnology, Imaging & Diagnostics, etc. Thesis and Special Project opportunities will be offered. International Development • Amir Hasson, MOT 2002 • MediaLab Asia connection via Developmental Entrepreneurship Class • Global E-Lab Case • MIT $50K entry • Thesis • Employment! Faculty Interests: Further Possibilities Economy Sector Firm Group Global Development Observatory Technology Roadmap Venture Capital Observatory Technology Venture OpenSource Observatory Initiative Creative Communities Observatory Virtual Customer Initiative Social Network Observatory Emerging Tech-Biz Live Cases Decision Neuropsychology Lab Individual Geography Market/Tech Organization Theme Idea 5 Strategic MIT Technology Thrusts 1. Information Technologies = Ever more sophisticated computation & communication, leveraging mind & media. 2. Biomedical Technologies = Medical engineering, perfecting the health & life sciences. 3. Tiny Technologies = Investigating and fabricating ever smaller systems, at scales from micro thru nano 4. Complex Systems = Large scale, socio-political & econo-technological systems. 5. Developmental Innovations = Appropriate and leapfrog technologies for tackling challenges in developing & emerging regions Mapping Sloan Faculty to MIT’s Emerging Strategic Tech Sectors Info Tech Strategy MTIE Org/HR Finance Marketing Operat’ns Prod Dev Bio Tech Tiny Tech Complex Systems Develop’t Innovations Mapping Faculty in Disciplines to Phases of Venture Development Strategy MTIE Org/HR Finance Marketing Operat’ns Prod Dev Ideation Invention Incorporation Investments Sales Profitability Escalation Big Themes • • • • • Tech Roadmapping Developmental Innovation Disruptive Technologies Cross-National Comparisons Corporate Venturing … Practical Tips • Write thesis over time, incremental escalation • Recruit or hire some editor • Think carefully about readers • Write a one-pager and a one-paragraph version ASAP, iterate • Beware of confidentiality & data access time constraints Best Practices • Network Building -- Be in touch with people important to your future • Career Connection -Intimately relevant to career • Access -- Research gives you access to people you wouldn’t otherwise get to • Prototyping – repeat question testing, on classmates, faculty, friends • Tangible Deliverable – build your portfolio • Get Access by seeking answers to really interesting questions, to you and them! • Broad Links – go beyond those you already know, beyond your company, for example • Know your Interests but be flexible in your approach • Faculty as Method Experts not necessarily industry experts Aspire towards Publications • Mick Bass with Professor Clay Christenson in IEEE Spectrum • Various students with Professors Ed Roberts, Cusumano, Fine, et al • Books, e.g. Joe Pine’s Mass Customization How to attract industry & faculty interest? • What questions appeal to them? • Is there an intersection? • Does it reinforce a traditional interest or stretch them in an interesting new direction? • Faculty interests vs knowledge – you educate each other Potential Advisors • • • • • • • • • Burton Fine Weill Bitran Murray Locke Johnson Shoar De Figueiredo Go to the MIT Sloan Expertise Guide! • • • • • • • • • • • • Cusumano Utterback Hauser Urban Thurow Sterman Hunter Olive Short Pentland Von Hippel Allen http://sloancf.mit.edu/vpf/facstaff.cfm?sortorder=name Seeking Students & Alums with Both Depth & Breadth Breadth Narrow Wide Deep Depth Shallow I . T – “T” Individuals Unifying Sloan Themes Leadership Effective Organizations, Entre- & Intrapreneurial Leadership Technology Entrepreneurship & Strategy Dynamics Dynamic, Networked Organizations Innovation Transformative Innovations, Emerging Hard & Soft Technologies, Disruptive Challenges Developmental Innovations, MicroFinance Global Business Strategy, International Development Global