15.871  Introduction to System Dynamics (H1)

Thank you. Grades.

First, I want to thank all of you for your hard work this semester. As most of you know, this was my last semester at Sloan. I really enjoyed working with all of you. Thanks for making it a great final term. Second, I want to send you some information regarding your grade. This course is very competitive and, no doubt, some of you will be disappointed in the grade you received (especially in light of the course workload). Below, you will find a description of exactly how your grade is calculated.

Sloan has a strict policy against grade inflation that requires the average grade point in the class to be no higher than 4.6 (A=5, B=4,..., +'s and -'s do not contribute to the average). This means that if all of the grades in the course are As and Bs, only 60% of the students will receive As. I give as many As as possible while adhering to this rule.

Your grade is based entirely on your homework assignment and quiz scores. The homework scores are adjusted depending on the TA that graded the assignment so that the average score for each TA is the same (this is to account for the fact that one TA may grade more strictly than another). These adjusted homework scores are then averaged to form a final homework average. Your lowest quiz score is dropped and the remaining two quizzes are averaged (based on the percent correct on each quiz, not the total points on each quiz, so each quiz receives equal weight) to form a final quiz average. The resulting homework average and quiz average are then combined with 85% of the weight on the homework and 15% of the weight on the quizzes, as stated in the syllabus. This results in a single final score for each student, which determines your grade in the course. The cutoff for receiving an A is chosen to give the maximal number of As that still satisfies Sloan’s grading requirements.

The official description of grades (http://web.mit.edu/academic-guide/section_06.html) is as follows:
A - Exceptionally good performance, demonstrating a superior understanding of the subject matter, a foundation of extensive knowledge, and a skillful use of concepts and/or materials.
B - Good performance, demonstrating capacity to use the appropriate concepts, a good understanding of the subject matter, and an ability to handle problems and materials encountered in the subject.
C - Adequate performance, demonstrating an adequate understanding of the subject matter, an ability to handle relatively simple problems, and adequate preparation for moving on to more advanced work in the field.

Announced on 19 May 2011  12:00  p.m. by Peter John Lamberson

Reminder: Quiz 3 tomorrow

Just a quick reminder that we will start class tomorrow with quiz 3. Like quiz 2, it will focus on causal loop and stock/flow diagrams.

Announced on 09 March 2011  9:10  p.m. by Peter John Lamberson

Assignment 5 Questions

Announced on 07 March 2011  9:44  p.m. by David Segrera

People Express Flight Simulator Unlock Code

Several students have asked for the unlock code. Here is the repost:

The flight simulator is at:
http://www.strategydynamics.com/z/peopleexpress/
Name MIT
Code 021J234821045330000
To use this code, first install the software and open it from Start | Programs | Strategy Dynamics...
Select the 'Unlock now' OR click though any opening screens then go to File, Unlock and enter the name and code as shown here.

Announced on 07 March 2011  8:13  a.m. by Brad Geswein

RA oppurtunity

See the announcement below forwarded from John Sterman.

Hello John,

I am following up on our recent discussions about a RA opportunity. Charlie Cooney and I are directing an on-gong research program supported by BP. The current phase of research focuses on the dynamics through which standards and dominant designs for a new technology are established and their effects. We are seeking a RA with System Dynamics skills to work with us on this phase. A description of the research objectives and RA’s role is attached. Charlie and I would be most grateful if you publicized the opportunity and for any recommendations you might provide. Interested students should contact me by e-mail.

Many thanks for your assistance,

Henry Weil

1 March 2011

RESEARCH ASSISTANT POSITION

Managing Technology in Innovation Ecosystems

This is an on-gong research program supported by BP. Prof. Charles L. Cooney, Robert T Haslam (1911) Professor of Chemical Engineering and Faculty Director, Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation, is Principal Investigator. Henry Birdseye Weil, Senior Lecturer, MIT Sloan School, is co-Principal Investigator and will supervise the work of the RA.

Objectives of the Research

The current phase of research focuses on the dynamics through which standards and dominant designs for a new technology are established and their effects. The objectives are to:

Contribute to our understanding of multi-user innovation ecosystems and lead to management strategies for enhancing the competitive position and value realized by a major participant; and

Illuminate how to effectively influence and manage innovation for competitive advantage in a world where the innovation capacity is shared by competitors –

How are standards and dominant designs established in ecosystems?
What effects do they have on the dynamics of technology selection and adoption?
How can the process be influenced?
How does the emergence of standards affect value creation and capture?

These questions are especially important as firms enter new technology arenas and seeking new technological solutions to complex problems.

Research Approach

The research involves a combination of approaches:
:
Literature review – path dependency, dominant designs, technology standards; business ecosystems;

Case studies – biofuels, wind, shale gas, geothermal;

System Dynamics – technology selection and adoption, emergence of standards, value generation and capture;

Scenario development – objectives and behaviors of market participants, new entrants, factor costs and constraints, effects of regulation,

Ecosystem mapping – the network of sources and users of technology, linkages among the participants;

Ecosystem mapping was developed in an earlier phase of the research. In its current form mapping produces a series of “snapshots” of the ecosystem architecture. This technique can both illuminate the historical development of a technology ecosystem and illustrate possible future scenarios’.

The New RA Role

This will be a new Research Assistant position in the program, joining Katherine Dykes, PhD Candidate in the Engineering Systems Division, who has been the RA since mid-2010. The new RA will take the lead in making ecosystem mapping a dynamic framework. This will involve:

Reviewing literature on dynamic network and ecosystem mapping;

Linking a System Dynamics model to a dynamic mapping application;

Applying the combined framework to a historical case study; and

Writing a report that describes the results of the above three tasks.

Then this RA will collaborate with Katherine to apply dynamic ecosystem mapping to geothermal energy.

Terms of the Position

The RA position can be in the range of half-time to full-time. It can start immediately, but do so not later than 1 July 2011. Current funding runs through 31 December 2011.

Interested students and faculty with recommendations should contact Henry Birdseye Weil hbweil@mit.edu.

Announced on 06 March 2011  6:39  p.m. by Peter John Lamberson