Argentina: Province of Mendoza

Duration: October 1994 - August 31, 1998

Overview and Impact

The Province of Mendoza in Argentina sponsored this program to develop technologies for its socio-economic development to expedite the transfer and adaptation of technology and management skills to public and private sectors.

To meet these objectives, the Fundación Centro de Innovación Tecnológica (CIT) was established within the state university in Mendoza in 1995 and its focus was to:

• Improve the quality of research and graduate education
• Begin a new research tradition imbedded in regional needs
• Create a research environment attractive to young, ambitious faculty and to government and/or industry, and
• Establish a favorable context for developing a rich reciprocity between academia, industry, and government.

Research

Joint research projects involving faculty from MIT, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, and other regional and national research and academic institutions, as well public and private organizations contributed to the following research projects. For more information, click on a research project title below.

Research Projects

Fiber-Reinforced Metal Matrix & Ceramic Matrix Composites
Information Technology - Seed Funding for Junior Faculty
Internationalization & Competitiveness: The Case of Mendoza
Multi-Attribute Evaluation of Water & Energy Resources in Mendoza
Regional Planning for Intermodal Transportation in Mendoza
Remediation of Organic Contaminants Using In-Situ Air Sparging
Technological Learning & Regional Competitiveness in Mendoza

Links between Research and Education

Consistent with TDP's mission, the CIT-MIT collaboration emphasized the link between research and education. Visiting researchers and students participated in:

• a privatization symposium sponsored by MIT's Center for Transportation Studies,
• logistic games illustrating supply chain management concepts and the relationship between transportation and manufacturing,
• MIT research meetings in their fields of study,
• academic classes and field visits, and
• short courses in advanced executive training

One student was awarded a fellowship under the auspices of the program to attend the master's program at MIT's Sloan School of Management.

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Outreach

MIT presented several short courses in construction at TECHINT in Buenos Aires and conducted several workshops in Mendoza and in Buenos Aires.

Sampling of Faculty Involved

Alice Amsden	Professor, Urban Studies and Planning
Cynthia Barnhart	Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Systems
Rafael L. Bras	Edward A Abdun-Nur Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Donald R. Lessard	Epoch Foundation Professor of International Management, Sloan School of Management.
Stephen R. Connors	Director, Analysis Group, Regional Elec. Alternatives, MIT Energy Initiative
Joel P. Clark	Professor, Materials Science and Engineering and Engineering Systems
Patricia J. Culligan-Hensley	Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering & Engineering Mechanics, Columbia University
Dara Entekhabi	Bacardi Stockholm Water Foundations Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Lorna Gibson	Associate Provost
Mauro F. Guillen	MIT Affiliate
Christopher K. Y. Leung	MIT Affiliate
David H. Marks	Professor of Civil Environmental Engineering & Engineering Systems Division
Carl D. Martland	Senior Research Associate, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Fred Moavenzadeh	Director, TDP, James Mason Crafts Professor of Engineering
Feniosky Pena-Mora	Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University Illinois, Champaign Urbana
Frank E. Perkins	Professor Emeritus, Office of the Provost
Richard Roth	Research Associate, Center for Technology, Policy, and Industrial Development
Frederick P. Salvucci	Senior Lecturer, Center for Transportation and Logistics
Joseph M. Sussman	JR East Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Systems
Richard E. Tabors	MIT Affiliate
Thomas A. Weber	Assistant Professor of Management Science and Engineering, Stanford University

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RESEARCH PROJECTS

Fiber-Reinforced Metal Matrix and Ceramic Matrix Composites

Professor Christopher Leung received seed funding to develop a proposal for collaborative research with Centro Atomico Bariloche on fiber reinforced metal matrix and ceramic matrix composites. These composites have a large potential market in high temperature components, such as engine parts and turbines.

Information Technology - Seed Funding for Junior Faculty

Professor Feniosky Pena-Mora and James Kennedy received seed funding to work with Instituto Balseiro in developing an information technology proposal to CIT for distribution to IMB, UNISYS, NEC, Startel, and IMPSAT for possible funding. The proposal, entitled "Information Technology for the Production Sector of the Province of Mendoza," was submitted to CIT.

As information technology makes business more efficient and productive in Mendoza, the proposed project

• sought to help companies in the Province of Mendoza to use and value information technology for internal and external processes,
• suggested an innovative technology transfer technique, involving in-situ analysis of the internal and external processes of these companies, and
• proposed to focus on two key production sectors in the Province of Mendoza, including companies from remote regions that sell products to the rest of the world.

Internationalization and Competitiveness: The Case of Mendoza

Based on information gathered through field case studies and a broad survey of Argentine firms, this project developed models for home companies to partake in international business. The classic definition of internationalization was revised to include indirect as well as direct forms, and intangible as well as tangible measures because the real impact of internationalization on competitiveness is best captured through the relationship with intangible measures of internationalization. This study showed that one can participate in the internationalization process and become intangibly internationalized without directly participating in foreign markets.

By broadening the concept of internationalization, there would be an increase in the number of firms that fall under its rubric; and thus greater attention would be cast on the internationalization of the entire value-chain as opposed to simply the end-product. This is particularly important in emerging markets such as Latin America , in which successful adaptation to market liberalization requires dramatic changes not only on the part of final goods producers, but also on the part of their suppliers.

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Publications

• "Beneath the Surface: The Impact of Radical Economic Reforms on the Outward Orientation of Argentine and Mendozan Firms, 1989-1995." Toulan, Omar N. and Guillen, Mauro F., (English Version) Cambridge University Press, 1997.
• "New Organization Forms of Internationalization in Latin America : The Experience of Argentine Firms." Guillen, Mauro F.; Toulan, Omar N., (English Version) Organization: Special Issue on Organizations in Latin American, 1997.
• "Informe De La Segunda Etapa Del Convenio, CIT/MIT." Lessard, Donald and Retamales, Horacio, (Spanish Version) August 1997.
• "Integracion y Nuevas Formas de Organizacion." Retamales, Horacio; Lessard, Donald; Cuervo-Cazurra, Alvaro; Bengochea, Carolina, (Spanish Version) August 1997.
• "Access to External Finance for Firms in Argentina." Cuervo-Cazurra, Alvaro and Lessard, Donald R., (English Version) July 1997.
• "Information Technology Strategy in the Province of Mendoza: Case Studies and Modeling Framework." Weber, Thomas A., Pena-Mora, Feniosky. Working Paper (English Version) June 1997.
• "Internacionalizacion del Sector Vinicola En Mendoza, Argentina." Linares, Veronica and Toulan, Omar, (Spanish Version) June 1997.
• "Finance and International Competitiveness: The Incomplete Transformation of Argentinean Firms." Cuervo-Cazurra, Alvaro and Lessard, Donald, (English Version) January 1997 and (Spanish Version) March 1997.

Multi-Attribute Evaluation of Water & Energy Resources in Mendoza

The Evaluacion por Multi-Atributo de los Recursos Hidricos y Energencos de Mendoza (EMARHE) project developed a simulation tool for analyzing the benefits of exploiting river and ground water resources in Northern Mendoza and facilitating the presentation of results to a diverse group of Mendozan stakeholders.

The MIT-Mendoza agreement provided fertile ground for the implementation of a Multi-Attribute Trade-Off Analysis (MATA) to evaluate a combined electricity supply and water resource planning problem. Through the emphasis on electricity, MATA was reduced in September 1996. After reviewing preliminary results, the water resource MATA was enhanced and extended in an attempt to respond to stakeholder concerns. Critical insights were uncovered delineating the responses of the Northern Basin hydrological system with two distinct, connected water sources; river water and groundwater.

In addition to the global findings of this project, there were a myriad of detailed results related to individual strategies. The final report recommended a combination of infrastructure additions and sound water management policies and warned that forging ahead without adequate comprehension of certain critical details could result in little improvement in future water supply at great expense for the province.

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Publications

• "Analisis del Uso de Los Derechos de Agua - Su Reasignacion - Departmento General de Irrigacion, Mendoz." Satlari, Ing. Agr. Juan Gustavo, 1994.
• "Fundacion de le Regulacion del Rio Mendoza en Uspallata, Nivel Esquema." Convenio Universidad Nacion de Cyo - Instituto de Political Energetica, 1994.
• "Consorcio Empresas Medocinas para Potrerillos Sociedad Anonima." (CEMPPSA), 1995.
• "Evaluacion Catastro del Potencial Hidroelectrico de la Provincia de Mendoza, Primera Etapa: Cuenca del Rio Mendoza." Consejo de Investigaciones de la Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, DiLello, Federico Antonio, et. al. 1995.
• "Dirreccion de Ingeneria Aprovechamiento Integral del Rio Mendoza Proyecto de Potrerillos." Movimiento de Embalse, p. 25, Gobierno de Mendoza, Departemento General de Irrigacion, 1995.
• "Evaluacion Socio-Economica del Proyecto de Aprovecharniento Integral del Rio Mendoza en Potrerillos, INCYTH." Llop, Armando and Coloma Ferra, October 1995.
• Amplacion de la Oferta do Agua Potable-Gran Mendoza-Evalucion Economica, Obras Sanitarias Mendoza." Mendoza, Maria Valeria, June 1995.
• "Mejoramiento Tramo Inferior Rio Mendoza, Departmento General de Irrigacion, Mendoza." Montanes, Ing. Jose Liria, April 1995.
• "Calculo de Costo de Bombeo de Agua Subterranea (Provincia de Mendoza)." Pizzi, Daniel Ricardo and Kioe Hiramatsu de Carballo, UNC, May 1995.
• "Multi-Attribute Evaluation of Water and Energy Resources in Mendoza - Progress Report." Perkins, Frank, et.al. March 1996 - August 1996.
• "A Multi-Attribute Tradeoff Analysis in Water Resources Planning: A Case Study of the Mendoza River." Allan Joseph Cavicchi (MSCE) May 1997.
• "Multi-Attribute Tradeoff Analysis in Water Resources Planning." Cavicchi, J.D., Entekhabi Dara, and Connors, S. Submitted to ASCE Journal of Water Resources Planning, 49 pp., 1998.

Regional Planning for Intermodal Transportation in Mendoza

The goal of this research project was to advance the effort of the Province of Mendoza toward the development of a Strategic Transportation Plan. This plan was to be a regional intermodal freight strategic transportation plan that also would consider passenger issues. The strategic planning process helps to define a vision for the future and develop plans to accomplish goals.

Publications

• Montana, Elma, Oscar Rasquin, Berta Maria Emma Fernandez, Jose Guinta, Lisi Pasteris, and Edgardo Espinoza. "Issues, Databases and Facility Inventory for Multimodal Transportation in Mendoza: the Central BI-Oceanic Corridor."
• Sussman, Joseph M., Xing Yang, and Carl D. Martland, "Toward the Development of a Strategic Plan for Mendoza."
• Sussman, Joseph M. "Transportation Education at MIT."
• Martland, Carl D. "Technological Options for the Intermodal Transportation."
• Sussman, Joseph. "Selected Articles."
• Koehne, Tim. "On Projects, Transportation Projects and the Mendoza (Argentina) - Los Andes (Chile) Transportation Center." MIT Graduate Thesis.
• Yang, Xing. "Designing a Transportation Network for Mendoza, Argentina : A Strategic Approach." MIT Graduate Thesis.
• Munoz-Loustaunau, Abel. "Strategic Transportation Planning for Mendoza: Frameworks, Concepts and Scenarios." MIT Graduate Thesis.

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Remediation of Organic Contaminants Using In-Situ Air Sparging

Professor Patricia Culligan-Hensley received seed funding to develop a proposal with Professor Eduardo Carlos Ercoli of UNC.

The proposal submitted to CIT called for investigation into the flow regime of sparged air through a saturated porous medium. Culligan-Hensley would conduct the fundamental investigation at MIT, while Ercoli would initiate a parallel investigation into applying this technique to cases in Mendoza and la Patagonia .

In-situ air sparging technology (also called soil or groundwater aeration) uses circulated air to remove volatile contaminants. Air sparging, based upon principles similar to those for soil vapor extraction, involves a system that injects air into the contaminated aquifer formation under pressure, where it displaces pore water and rises through the saturated zone into the vapor zone. The air stream must then be captured by a soil vapor extraction system and treated before release.

Technological Learning and Regional Competitiveness in Mendoza

At the time of this project, macroeconomic restructuring was most intense in countries such as Argentina that felt the greatest loss of international competitiveness. Mendoza needed to invest much more in technological restructuring. This project assessed how firms acquire technological and organizational capabilities, including public interventions. Case studies focused on how "technical catching up" takes place in other late-industrializing economies.

Publications

• "Technological Leaning and Regional Competitiveness: The Case of Mendoza," Amsden, Alice, and Alejandro Walters, (Spanish Version) Sept. 1997.
• Re-estructruracion Vitivinicola Chilensa y Mendocina: Lecciones Para Los Agroprocesadores Mendocinos," Walter, Alejandro, (Spanish Version) June 1997.

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