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The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the operational performance of industrial park infrastructures in Germany to find first indications for cost saving potentials.

Between 2006 and 2007, six chemical parks and chemical related industrial parks in Germany participated in a benchmarking study with focus on operation and maintenance of buildings, communication infrastructures and traffic infrastructures. Based on data analysis in combination with workshops, numerous key performance indicators were defined and calculated.

To compare the different complexities of the analysed infrastructures, the most important key performance indicators were adjusted using correction factors defined and verified during the workshops. This made a discussion based on comparable and comprehensible figures possible which increased the acceptance and applicability of the benchmarking methodology. The benchmarking results showed large differences in performance levels, indicating that there are significant cost saving potentials in some industrial parks.

The comparability may remain limited due to the partly insufficient availability of data from the participants. Other limitations are due to the small number of investigated industrial parks and the focus of the benchmarking study on Germany.

The developed benchmark and best practice methodology is well suited to evaluate best practice in the field of industrial park infrastructures. It is important for industrial parks to understand the individual performance level and to adapt best practice in all areas.

Drawing on institutional complexity, this study aims to explore the interaction effect of formal and informal institutional forces on the adoption of green supplier collaboration (GSC) practices by Chinese manufacturing firms.

The paper hypothesises that the effect of the formal institutional forces on GSC in China is influenced by an informal institutional variable, guanxi, which is the interpersonal relationship between employees of the supplier and the manufacturer. To test the conceptual framework, hierarchical moderated regression analyses are conducted using multi-respondent data from 408 randomly sampled manufacturing companies in China.

Guanxi has a double-edged sword effect on the adoption of GSC practices. Specifically, guanxi reduces the negative impact of the perceived costs and the complexity of regulations on the adoption of GSC practices, but it also weakens the positive effect of suppliers’ advice and community pressures on the adoption of GSC practices.

Results contribute to supply chain management literature by offering novel theoretical and empirical insights on the Chinese institutional environment governed by both formal and informal institutional variables.

Considering guanxi’s double-edged sword effect on the adoption of GSC, manufacturing companies are advised to carefully leverage their guanxi to maintain an institutional and contingent view of the environmental consequences in China.

This study empirically examines the effect of formal and informal institutional environments on the adoption of GSC practices in emerging economies.

The contradiction between economic development and resource environment has become increasingly acute with the continuous societal and industrial development. The implementation of waste and renewable resource recycling can alleviate the conflict. The multi-project management theory was applied to the construction of an industrial park based on the characteristics of the circular economy theory. In this paper, the basic definition of circular economy and industrial parks was expounded, and the application of circular economy in the planning of parks was studied from five major aspects. From industrial selection, property function and volume allocation planning, industrial park planning and design were studied. Starting from the function structure of the park, the setting of the slag yard outside the park, the green land and the landscape, the road planning of the park, the planning of industrial parks of chemical recycling economy in Gansu was studied. Through empirical analysis, theoretical support and model reference were provided for the construction of circular economy in other industrial parks.

In the German automotive industry the supplier park concept is one of the new concepts in procurement logistics, evolved in the last years. To understand the spreading of supplier parks, it is necessary to look at actual requirements in procurement logistics in the German automotive industry and find out how supplier parks can be an answer to those requirements. For this purpose it is necessary to identify indicators describing this logistics platform. The objective of this paper is the demarcation of the supplier park concept against the concept of a freight traffic center and the concept of a distribution center. Thus, suggestions for improvements of supplier parks and first impacts for new concepts in procurement logistics can be dedicated.

The approach of this paper is to develop a descriptive model of supplier parks. The description of concepts with specific indicators has to be always the first step in dealing scientifically with new concepts emerging in practice. The paper outlines the supplier park concept in the German automotive industry with these indicators. First recommendations for the practical application of this concept are made by designing the indicators. The findings of this paper are based on an empirical investigation of the years 2000‐2002.

The findings are indicators which are useful for a description and demarcation of the supplier park concept. With these indicators the supplier park concept can be characterized and demarcated against the concept of a freight traffic center and distribution center. The description model of a supplier park delivers the theoretical framework for the development of explanation and decision models.

The indicators “objectives, participant, location, formation and operation” allow one to describe the features of supplier parks. Thus, the decision field for introducing and improving the supplier park concept is found.

The purpose of this paper is to review and update Devens eco-industrial park sustainability indicators and benchmark progress made since 2000 in the seven key areas of its sustainability vision.

The authors examined publicly available data for Devens, Massachusetts, and obtained additional data from Devens Enterprise Commission and a survey of 29 local organizations.

Of the 43 indicators adopted by Devens eco-industrial park in 2012, 29 demonstrate progress, seven show lack of progress, six point to a potential progress, and for one no information was available in 2000 to evaluate progress. Most progress has been made in the areas of transportation, business and economic sustainability, governance and natural resources.

For some proposed indicators no data were available to evaluate progress (e.g. waste generation, recycling, compositing, and landfill diversion) yet these are among the key measures for an eco-industrial park.

Proposed framework, indicators and lessons learned are of value for researchers and practitioners at other eco-industrial parks (EIPs) interested in benchmarking progress toward sustainable local development.

The case provides insights on integrating sustainability in local economic development.

The study is paving the way toward development of a standardized set of sustainability indicators for EIPs in the USA.

The purpose of this paper is to categorize industrial clusters, and then compare three industrial clusters of three countries from the perspectives of hard environment, soft environment, factors from supply and demand sides, and the network mechanism.

Data were collected through interview with cluster coordinators. Qualitative case studies were conducted.

The center of excellence behaves well in nearly all aspects, while the spatially narrowly distributed specific center of innovation mainly exploits benefits from its concentrated sector. For the Chinese comprehensive technology incubator, relatively limited geographical space and broad sectorial distribution endow it with unclear strengths, implying the inadequacy of interconnectedness and industry relatedness mentioned by Porter.

Data were collected mainly from cluster coordinators, implying further data collecting and more comprehensive analysis.

It only makes sense to compare industrial clusters that are comparable with each other. Elements must be matched to facilitate the network interactions, and hence the innovation performance of clusters.

This paper contributes to the theoretical basis through it analyzing and clarifying the scales to measure industrial clusters, and answers the question: what is the situation of industrial clusters behaving in several aspects including hard environment, soft environment, supply, demand, network interactions and innovation performance?

It has been long debated whether the three bottom lines of sustainability (economic, environmental and social) can be achieved simultaneously or whether achieving one adversely affects the others. This paper analyses the economic sustainability of an environmental initiative, namely, effluent treatment plant (ETP), adopted by an Indian textile industry.

Two situations have been considered for the analysis. First, pure economic view with the operating and installed capacities has been considered. Second, combined economic-environmental view using shadow prices of undesirable outputs (biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, total phosphorous, etc.) has been analysed.

It has been found that when pure economic view is considered, the net present value (NPV) of the ETP with present operating capacity (10,200 kL/day) is negative, implying that it is not economically sustainable. However, if the ETP is operated with the full installed capacity (17,000 kL/day), it becomes economically sustainable except in the case of very high cost of capital (13%). Finally, when shadow prices of undesirable outputs are considered, the NPV becomes positive, bolstering the economic-environmental sustainability of ETP.

In future, multiple case studies should be conducted in similar organisations to extend the general applicability of the outcome of this study. This research considers the economic and environmental aspects of ETP. However, social benefits have not been considered in this research work, which can definitely be addressed in future endeavours.

Though very high capital investment of ETP acts as a barrier, the results of this study imply that the top management of textile and clothing organisations should look at it from the holistic economic-environmental viewpoint. The use of ETP also leads to social benefits by improving the health of local community and by reducing their hospitalisation, medical expenditure and absenteeism from school and workplace. The outcome of this research may enthuse the entrepreneurs to adopt environmental initiatives.

The paper provides a framework to evaluate the economic feasibility of ETP by considering the time value of money. It is demonstrated with a real case that the environmental initiatives can be economically rewarding.

The purpose of this paper is to promote better understanding of different women entrepreneurs and self-employed women with regard to their educational level and field of study. Foremost, the aim is providing detailed knowledge about the phenomenon of women self-employed chemists in R & D sectors and throwing light not only on the single women but also on the general conditions they are working in and their opportunities to get ahead.

The interdisciplinary research team followed an integrated research approach and combined qualitative with quantitative methods. By focussing on motives and causes of women self-employed chemists, this paper refers to the findings of two sub-studies, an online survey on self-employed (female and male) chemists in Germany and a qualitative study on the basis of biographical interviews tracing the professional biographies of women self-employed chemists. Moreover, the findings are analysed based on other sub-studies, like the analysis of the (start-up) conditions within the chemical industry and a discourse analysis of a well-known chemical periodical.

It was found that the differences between female and male chemists turning self-employed or starting a business are less pronounced than the differences between male and female founders, in general. Research demonstrates that women chemists do have high qualifications and if they become entrepreneurs, the main cause for that is escaping their organisational employment. Being entrepreneurially active, women chemists might work more satisfactorily, at least they are able to surround the glass ceiling.

This paper seeks to fill the gap of limited in-depth information on knowledge about female entrepreneurs and self-employed women with an academic background in chemistry. Focussing on one single field of study and profession of female entrepreneurs is, in that way, unique, as the research has looked on professionals who are not predestined for entry in entrepreneurship.

THE Industrial Chemicals Division of Geigy (U.K.) Ltd, has brought into production a new £3 million multipurpose plant at their works at Trafford Park, Manchester and we were recently privileged to see this in operation. This follows the £1½ million plastics chemicals plant which started production in 1964 and is part of Geigy's continued expansion and modernisation in Trafford Park. The new building is currently only 40% occupied with plant, but it is envisaged that when the further 60% capacity has been filled with equipment, the plant will represent an investment of about £5 million.