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This study aims to address the critical challenge of implementing lean manufacturing (LM) in emerging economies, where sustainability complexities on the production floor hinder production efficiency and the transition towards a circular economy (CE). Addressing a gap in existing research, the paper introduces a path analysis model to systematically identify, prioritize and overcome LM implementation barriers, aiming to enhance performance through strategic removal.

The authors used a mixed-method approach, combining empirical survey data with literature reviews to pinpoint key LM barriers. Using the grey-based Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) along with the Network Knowledge (NK) method, they mapped causal relationships and barrier intensities. This formed the basis for developing a path simulation algorithm, integrating heuristic considerations for practical decision-making.

This analysis reveals that the primary barriers to LM adoption is the negative perception and inadequate understanding of lean tools and CE principles. The study provides a strategic framework for managers, offering new insights into barrier prioritization and overcoming strategies to facilitate successful LM adoption.

This research provides a strategic pathway for overcoming LM implementation barriers, empowering managers in emerging economies to enhance sustainability and competitive advantage through LM and CE integration. It emphasizes the significance of structured barrier management in the manufacturing sector.

This research pioneers a systematic exploration of LM implementation barriers in the CE context, making a significant contribution to the literature. It identifies, evaluates barriers and proposes a practical model for overcoming them, enriching sustainable manufacturing practices in emerging markets.

Substantial pressure from civil society and investors has forced governments around the world to take climate neutrality initiatives. Several countries have pledged their nationally determined contributions towards net-zero. However, there exist various obstacles to achieving the same and the agriculture sector is one of them. Thus, this study identifies and models the critical barriers to achieving climate neutrality in the agriculture food supply chain (AFSC).

Sixteen barriers are identified through a literature survey and are validated by the questionnaire survey. Furthermore, the interactions amongst the barriers are estimated through the application of the “weighted influence non-linear gauge system (WINGS)” method which considers the both intensity of influence and the strength of the barrier. To mitigate these barriers, a framework based on green, resilient and inclusive development (GRID) is proposed.

The obtained results reveal that lack of collaboration amongst AFSC stakeholders, lack of information and education awareness, and lack of technical expertise obtained a higher rank (amongst the top five) in three indicators of the WINGS method and thus are the most significant barriers.

This paper is the first attempt in modelling the climate neutrality barriers for the Indian AFSC. Additionally, the mitigating strategies are prepared using the GRID framework.

This study examines the importance of 25 barriers to market entry in industrial markets. A survey of 93 firms indicates that majority of business executives consider cost advantages and capital requirements to enter markets as the two most important barriers to entry followed by incumbents having a superior production process, capital intensity of the market, and customer loyalty. The least important barriers perceived by the executives in the study are government licensing requirements, followed by heavy advertising. In addition, the study investigates the underlying dimensions of barriers to entry in industrial market through a factor analysis. The results indicate that there are four major underlying dimensions of entry barriers in industrial markets.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of stator and rotor pole number combinations together with the flux-barrier layers number on the performance of synchronous reluctance machine with emphasis on output torque capability and torque ripple.

AC synchronous reluctance machine (SynRM) or permanent magnet assisted SynRM presently receives a great deal of interest, since there is less or even no rare-earth permanent magnet in the rotor. Most of SynRM machines employ a stator that is originally designed for a standard squirrel cage induction motor for a similar output rating and application, or the SynRM machine with 24-slot, four-pole are often directly chosen for investigation in most of the available literature. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the influence of stator and rotor pole number combinations together with the flux-barrier layers number on the performance of SynRM machine with emphasis on output torque capability and torque ripple.

The average torque decreases with the increase of the pole numbers but remain almost constant when employing different stator slot numbers but with the same pole number. In addition, the torque ripple decreases significantly with the increase of the stator slot number. The machine with double-layer flux-barrier in the rotor has the biggest average torque, while the machines with three- and four-layer flux-barrier in the rotor have almost the same average torque but their value is slightly smaller than that of machine with double-layer flux-barrier. However, the machine with three-layer flux-barrier has the lowest torque ripple but the highest torque ripple exists in the machine with double-layer flux-barrier.

The purely sinusoidal currents are applied in this analysis and the effects of harmonics in the current on torque ripple are not considered in this application.

This paper has analyzed the torque ripple and average torque of SynRMs with considering slot/pole number combinations together with the flux-barrier number.

Numerical and analytical solutions of the carrier continuity equation are found for the problem of charge transfer in charge‐coupled devices in the presence of potential barriers. The analytical solution is for a rectangular potential barrier and is useful for obtaining a qualitative understanding of charge transfer over a potential barrier. Numerical results show that the charge transfer inefficiency is strongly affected when the shape of the potential barrier is varied and the height of the potential barrier remains fixed.

The purpose of this paper is to present research findings on the experience of career barriers by women who have changed career, and to suggest the practical implications of these findings for career management.

An established, qualitative methodology, interpretative phenomenological analysis, was used to explore participants' experiences. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with eight women who had changed careers and were analysed to identify the salient themes.

Participants experienced career barriers, but their subjective experience did not necessarily match objectively defined barriers. One participant, for example, experienced redundancy not as a barrier to her career path but as an opportunity. It was only when situations or events threatened the self‐concept that problems were experienced as barriers. These barriers were not insurmountable and participants used a number of strategies to overcome potential barriers.

The findings suggest that career management or counselling should acknowledge and explore the client's subjective experience of career barriers. Strategies such as challenging or reframing potential barriers can be effective methods for helping clients to dismantle them.

This research points to the gap in career theory and research on the experience of barriers in adult careers. It presents evidence on the subjective nature of barriers and on strategies used to overcome them.

The aim of this paper is to describe the Polish empirical studies of information barriers. The focus is to highlight the hierarchy of barriers, and the relation between demographic variables (sex, age, discipline etc.) and perception of barriers.

After a deep literature review some empirical studies have been conducted. Respondents were divided into groups in terms of: sex, field of study (social sciences, human sciences, natural sciences and technical sciences), age, science degree and year of study. In analysis of data two statistical methods: analysis of variance (ANOVA) and a chi‐square test (χ²) were used.

The phenomenon of information barriers is very common, encountered by around 80 per cent of users. The most troublesome barriers were barriers connected with libraries. The study showed that the sex variable had varied the respondents' answers to the greatest extent. The women perceived information barriers as a more serious problem than men (p<0.001). With regard to types of discipline, the faculty group found information barriers more troublesome in such disciplines as humanities and social sciences than in natural or technical sciences (p=0.001).

The hierarchy of barriers obtained from the study is related to a particular environment, a given group of users, the equipment of home library.

Studies of this subject may prove valuable in identifying people that are likely to experience difficulties in access to information.

The knowledge of the relation between demographic variables and perception of barriers, in earlier literature, was fragmentary. Findings may lead to a better understanding of the information barriers phenomenon by librarians and library users as well.

The purpose of this paper is to reduce the torque ripple but not to decrease the average torque of synchronous reluctance machines by using one step or more than two axially laminated rotors with asymmetric flux-barrier.

A 24-slot four-pole synchronous reluctance machine with overlapping windings and asymmetric flux-barrier in the rotor is, first, described and designed by finite element (FE) method for maximizing average torque. The dimensions of asymmetric flux-barrier including the pole span angle and flux-barrier angle will be optimized to minimize the torque ripple and its influence on the average torque is also investigated by FE analysis. The impact of current angle on the average torque and torque ripple are also analysed. The step laminations together with the asymmetric flux-barrier are employed for further torque ripple reduction which can consider the both rotation directions.

The torque ripple of synchronous reluctance machine can be significantly reduced by employing asymmetric flux-barrier but the average torque is not reduced.

The purely sinusoidal currents are applied in this analysis and the effects of harmonics in the current on torque ripple are not considered in this application. The 24-slot/four-pole synchronous reluctance machine with single-layer flux-barrier has been employed in this analysis, but this work can be continued to investigate the synchronous reluctance machine with multilayer flux-barrier. This asymmetric flux-barrier can be easily applied to permanent magnet (PM)-assisted synchronous reluctance machine and the interior PM machine with flux-barrier in the rotor, since the space which is used for PM insertion is the same as the SynRM machines.

This paper has analysed the torque ripple and average torque of synchronous reluctance machines with asymmetric flux-barrier and step laminations with asymmetric flux-barrier. The torque ripple can be reduced by this flux-barrier arrangement. The difference of this technique with the other techniques such as stator/rotor skew is that the average torque can be improved.

Manufacturing companies continue to encounter a diverse set of obstacles while embracing sustainable development goals. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to explore critical sustainable development-related barriers to flexible packaging manufacturing companies in the New Zealand context.

Drawing on a qualitative multiple case studies approach, the authors collected data from the New Zealand flexible packaging industry. Semistructured interviews were conducted with the senior corporate managers in two large flexible packaging companies. Following the thematic analysis approach, the authors analyzed the information collected from the participants and synthesized our findings under the key dimensions of internal and external barriers to sustainable development.

The findings revealed that internal barriers to sustainable flexible packaging are linked to economic, operational and technical issues. Conversely, external barriers include global crises and disruption, customer behavior and preferences and institutional and infrastructural-related aspects. Based on the analysis of empirical findings, the authors further identified the underlying reasons for sustainable flexible packaging barriers and recommended guidelines that could assist corporate managers and policymakers in addressing obstacles inhibiting the flexible packaging industry from adopting sustainable business practices.

The authors argue that this study is one of the early studies to consider inhibiting factors to incorporate sustainable development into the New Zealand flexible packaging industry context. Building on a range of theoretical perspectives, the authors extend the current body of knowledge seeking to advance the sustainable development agenda in the New Zealand flexible packaging industry and offer recommended pathways fostering sustainable development in a distinctive manufacturing context.

The research explores the shift to Quality 4.0, examining the move towards a data-focussed transformation within organizational frameworks. This transition is characterized by incorporating Industry 4.0 technological innovations into existing quality management frameworks, signifying a significant evolution in quality control systems. Despite the evident advantages, the practical deployment in the Indian manufacturing sector encounters various obstacles. This research is dedicated to a thorough examination of these impediments. It is structured around a set of pivotal research questions: First, it seeks to identify the key barriers that impede the adoption of Quality 4.0. Second, it aims to elucidate these barriers' interrelations and mutual dependencies. Thirdly, the research prioritizes these barriers in terms of their significance to the adoption process. Finally, it contemplates the ramifications of these priorities for the strategic advancement of manufacturing practices and the development of informed policies. By answering these questions, the research provides a detailed understanding of the challenges faced. It offers actionable insights for practitioners and policymakers implementing Quality 4.0 in the Indian manufacturing sector.

Employing Interpretive Structural Modelling and Matrix Impact of Cross Multiplication Applied to Classification, the authors probe the interdependencies amongst fourteen identified barriers inhibiting Quality 4.0 adoption. These barriers were categorized according to their driving power and dependence, providing a richer understanding of the dynamic obstacles within the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework.

The study results highlight the lack of Quality 4.0 standards and Big Data Analytics (BDA) tools as fundamental obstacles to integrating Quality 4.0 within the Indian manufacturing sector. Additionally, the study results contravene dominant academic narratives, suggesting that the cumulative impact of organizational barriers is marginal, contrary to theoretical postulations emphasizing their central significance in Quality 4.0 assimilation.

This research provides concrete strategies, such as developing a collaborative platform for sharing best practices in Quality 4.0 standards, which fosters a synergistic relationship between organizations and policymakers, for instance, by creating a joint task force, comprised of industry leaders and regulatory bodies, dedicated to formulating and disseminating comprehensive guidelines for Quality 4.0 adoption. This initiative could lead to establishing industry-wide standards, benefiting from the pooled expertise of diverse stakeholders. Additionally, the study underscores the necessity for robust, standardized Big Data Analytics tools specifically designed to meet the Quality 4.0 criteria, which can be developed through public-private partnerships. These tools would facilitate the seamless integration of Quality 4.0 processes, demonstrating a direct route for overcoming the barriers of inadequate standards.

This research delineates specific obstacles to Quality 4.0 adoption by applying the TOE framework, detailing how these barriers interact with and influence each other, particularly highlighting the previously overlooked environmental factors. The analysis reveals a critical interdependence between “lack of standards for Quality 4.0” and “lack of standardized BDA tools and solutions,” providing nuanced insights into their conjoined effect on stalling progress in this field. Moreover, the study contributes to the theoretical body of knowledge by mapping out these novel impediments, offering a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced in adopting Quality 4.0.