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The authors estimated the hidden overhead (capital diversion or wasteful use of capital) of Vietnam state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

The authors used a panel data set of 10,200 Vietnam SOEs observed over the period 2010–2018. The authors modeled and estimated the hidden overhead by using a stochastic production frontier. The hidden overhead parameter is modelled as the technical inefficiency in the production function.

Vietnam SOEs are very capital intensive. The hidden overhead (or the wasteful use of capital) is very high with an average rate of 69%.

Alternative estimation methods should be used to account for endogeneity in production inputs. Lack of comparison with the Vietnam private firms.

The paper proposes an original way to quantify hidden overhead (or capital diversion) in the Vietnam SOEs. The finding (a capital diversion rate of 69% on average) is astonishing. It calls for an urgent and profound reform of the Vietnam SOEs.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight about factors affecting Big Data Analytics (BDA) utilization and adoption in Indian firms. Research studies have so far focused on BDA adoption in developed economies. This study examines the factors that influence BDA usage and adoption in the context of emerging economies.

This study proposed a theoretical model of factors influencing BDA utilization and adoption. Two independent research streams – first, the top managers’ perceived strategic value (PSV) in BDA and second, the factors that influence the adoption of BDA theoretically – have been integrated with the technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework. In the BDA context, there was a theoretical necessity to identify the driver and barriers of BDA from the TOE framework on PSV and adoption of BDA. A qualitative exploratory study using face-to-face semi-structured interviews was carried out to collect data from 22 different enterprises and service providers in India. India was selected as the context as it is one of the fastest growing large economies of the world with huge potential of BDA to improve the business landscape.

The results showed that the major reason behind BDA non-adoption is that the organizations did not realize the strategic value (SV) of BDA, and they were not ready to make the changes because of technological, organizational and environmental difficulties. The findings corroborate previous results about significant factors affecting IT adoption and implementation and provide new and interesting insights. The main factors identified as playing a significant role in organizations’ adoption of BDA were SV of BDA, complexity, compatibility, IT assets, top management support, organization data environment, perceived costs, external pressure and industry type.

The main limitation related to this study is the difficulty in generalizing the findings to a larger population of enterprises. To overcome this, a statistical survey has been planned to be conducted in the future.

The BDA adoption model in this study will have both managerial implications for practitioners in India, as well as those in other developing countries, and academic implications for researchers who are interested in BDA adoption in developing counties, in terms of formulating better strategies for BDA adoption. For managers, using the research model of this study could assist in increasing their understanding of why some organizations choose to adopt BDA, while similar ones facing similar conditions do not. Also, the understanding of the strategic utilization of BDA in different business processes may improve the adoption of BDA in organizations.

This paper contributes in exploring and enhancing the understanding of the factors affecting the utilization and adoption of BDA in organizations from an Indian perspective. This study is an attempt to develop and explore a BDA adoption model by the fusion of PSV and TOE framework. The effect of the three contexts of this framework (technological, organizational and environmental) on the strategic utilization of BDA has been studied for the first time.

In high-temperature regions (tropical regions) temperatures rises in summer, which affects the performance of asphalt pavement. Therefore, we must consider the conditions of asphalt pavement, especially in these regions. This study aims to investigate the influence of high temperature on the stability performance of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and crumb rubber powder (CRP) modified hot mix asphalt (HMA) using Marshall design parameters and rutting test.

In this study, three HMA mixtures with 4 per cent HDPE and 15 per cent CRP, 5 per cent HDPE and 10 per cent CRP, and 6 per cent HDPE and 5 per cent CRP concentrations were used for the Marshall stability test and dynamic stability (rutting test) at 60-75°C, and water stability test at 60°C.

The results showed that when test temperature was increased from 60°C to 75°C, the Marshall stability and dynamic stability of three HDPE- and CRP-modified HMA mixtures decreased, and these three HDPE- and CRP-modified HMA mixtures have a good moisture damage resistance. Of the three HMA mixtures with different HDPE and CRP concentrations, HMA mixtures with 5 per cent HDPE and 10 per cent CRP concentration exhibit optimal Marshall stability, dynamic stability and water stability.

This study showed the effects of high-temperatures changes on the stability performance of HDPE- and CRP-modified HMA mixtures.

During the recent past there have been two successive and successful takeovers of Telecom Italia, in both cases by other Italian companies and employing the device of “Chinese boxes” to secure control without the need either to hold a majority stake in the acquired company or to pay much regard to the interests of minority shareholders. This raises into question the extent to which “Anglo‐Saxon” attitudes in financial markets are making inroads in continental Europe; the willingness of continental European governments to permit foreigners to acquire control of the “commanding heights” of their economies; and the manner in which the European telecommunications sector is being restructured.

While computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologies are highly commendable for their applications and usage, sometimes cases involving facial anatomy restoration may not necessarily require these highly sophisticated technologies. A suitable replacement that is also non‐contact and allows fast image capture is the laser digitizer surface scanner. This scanner takes only seconds to capture an image of the patient’s sound or healthy facial anatomy. By using the captured image data, it is possible, with the help of a surface data modeller rapid prototyping (RP) machine and vacuum casting machine, to manufacture the prosthesis for implant. Presents a novel approach for facial prosthesis fabrication through a case study of a prosthetic ear model using an integrated manufacturing system comprising the laser surface digitizer, surface data modeller, rapid prototyping system and vacuum casting system.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the direct and exclusive effects of this rather unconventional monetary policy on financial markets, economic activity and labor markets across the Eurozone.

Using a range of variables, the analysis employed the Markov-switching dynamic regression methodological approach.

The findings provided evidence in favor of the reduction of short- and log-term credit spreads, increased stock prices, improved market expectations, recovered labor market conditions and economic productivity, while the primary transmission channel of the quantitative easing policy is the expectations channel.

The novelties of this paper are twofold: it makes use of a wide data set to investigate the effect of economic and financial variables on productivity, labor markets, bond markets and equity markets in the Eurozone; and the analysis focuses on the direct effects of monetary base increases on the Eurozone economy, as well as on Eurozone financial markets.

Working time accounts (WTAs) allow firms to smooth hours worked over time. The purpose of this paper is to analyze whether this increase in flexibility has also affected how firms adjust employment in Germany over the business cycle.

This paper uses rich microeconomic panel data and fixed effects estimations to compare the employment adjustment of firms with and without WTAs.

The authors show that firms with WTAs show a similar separation and hiring behavior in response to revenue changes as firms without WTAs. One possible explanation is that firms without WTAs used short-time work (STW) to adjust hours worked instead. However, the authors find that firms with WTAs use STW more than firms without WTAs.

These findings call into question the popular hypothesis that WTAs were the key driver of the unusually small increase in German unemployment in the Great Recession.

This paper investigates the lean enabling human capacities and develops a framework integrating individual, organisational and environmental level strategies to build human capacities for successful lean implementation of small and medium contractors (SMCs) in Sri Lanka.

An interpretivism stance is adopted, and a qualitative research approach is used. The data collection technique adopted is semi-structured interviews. In total, 24 experts with experience in lean implementation of SMCs were interviewed, and data were analysed through code based content analysis using NVivo10.

Team working skills, critical thinking, leadership, communication skills, work ethics, knowledge and positive attitudes were identified as lean enabling human capacities for SMCs. The framework developed in this study provides individual, organisational and environmental level strategies that can be used to build human capacities necessary for enabling lean in construction SMCs.

The study will be beneficial to construction SMCs, academics, researchers and government institutions in developing countries, which share socio-economic, demographic or cultural traits similar to Sri Lanka.

A novel lean enabling human capacity building framework is developed with the strategies required for building those capacities in order to accelerate the lean implementation in construction SMCs. This contributes to the body of knowledge as it uncovers individual, organisational and environmental level strategies for enabling lean through human capacity building in Sri Lankan SMCs.

This article discusses briefly the framework of system design, interrogation procedures and features of the Iron and Steel Online (Isoline) search system developed with the goal of providing nationwide information services in the field of iron and steel. Isoline operates on Metadex and incorporates a variety of interrogation facilities ranging from assisting novice users to instantaneous performance evaluation and search request reformulation. The methodology adopted for the problem identifies component processes and prescribes sixteen commands as an approach to these processes. The system is in‐built with extensive diagnostic error analysis and control abstraction as well as with enhanced versatility and flexibility that provide an effective user interface.