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This paper seeks to examine the case of the multi‐period optimisation problem where decisions are obtained from a finite horizon model and will be implemented in a situation in which the system will operate indefinitely.

The production planning problem is addressed in which the quantity of the product required (demand) in future periods is being forcast, from which one must decide when and how much to produce.

Finds that a regeneration set is key for finding forecast horizon (FH) and decision horizon (DH) in the dynamic lot size model (DLSM). A regeneration set contains the optimal regeneration points in some conceivable future horizon.

This paper extends the research on horizons which has accumulated in the literature over the last 40 years.

The aim of this paper is to develop an efficient analytical procedure to evaluate performance of the most general pull production systems particularly when multiple‐part‐types are involved. The authors consider a kanban controlled production system that can be modelled as a closed queuing network with different product classes. The production line is decomposed into stages which consist of one or several stations and an output buffer. Each stage is associated with a given number of kanbans. The main idea of this analytical algorithm is to analyze each subnetwork individually using a product form approximation technique. The iterative procedure is used to find the unknown parameters.

The authors design a multiclass queuing network that can be used to represent kanban controlled production systems. To solve this model, three procedures are used: decompose the original network into M subnetworks, convergence of unknown parameters in each subnetwork, and convergence of unknown parameters in the original network. The authors now describe these procedures separately.

The main contribution of this paper is the formulation of the problem of kanban controlled production systems with several part‐types. The methodology is based on approximate formula with decomposition and is applicable to more general manufacturing environments. The authors' method can be applied to both limited and unlimited demands. The analytical algorithm designed in this work has demonstrated excellent performance in analyzing kanban controlled production systems.

The methodology of this algorithm is based on approximate formula and is applicable to more general manufacturing environments.

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the formation of industrial clusters on the obtainment of professional human resources, to verify the impact of human resources on clustering relationships and firm’s performance and to understand whether the formation of clusters can contribute to the obtainment of professional human resources and the improvement of competitiveness of enterprises. It was expected that solutions could be found to make new contributions through the verification of special economic zones (SEZs).

Using manufacturers in Taiwan’s SEZs as the subjects, this study explored the impact on the obtainment of professional human resources after the formation of industrial clusters in SEZs, through conducting and empirical study with a questionnaire survey.

The professional human resources are the essential factor for the formation of industrial clusters and the improvement of competitiveness. This study also confirmed that industries can have professional human resources by industrial clustering and that this will produce a positive impact on the enterprise clustering relationships, which can also have a positive impact on firm’s performance and can enhance the enterprise’s competitive advantage.

Industrial clustering is the key factor to attract professional human resources; industrial clusters can enhance firm’s performance; and professional human resources affect firm’s performance of enterprises.

No study has discussed the topic of clusters from the perspective of SEZs also including six export processing zone (EPZ) parks in Taiwan. This study discussed the topic using theories relating to clustering and human resources. The formation of industrial clusters can result in higher competitiveness in the face of the global market. The EPZ industrial cluster provides an excellent investment environment. Coupled with one-stop express services and geographic advantage, the land-use rate is up to 97 per cent and the per hectare output value amounts to NTD 3.2 billion, setting a successful example of an industrial cluster.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between product innovation and network and their export performance, particularly in trade fair context. Moreover, this paper conducts a comparative study among services/industrial small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and considers the home-country context. Innovation and internationalization are stagnant themes in the recent literature on trade fairs, so they require to be renewed.

The empirical study includes a survey with 341 SMEs’ respondents separated into both industrial/producer and service/other. A conceptual model was developed and examined from three different perspectives: Model A encompasses all surveyed SMEs, Model B includes only industrial/producer SMEs and Model C comprises service/other SMEs. Data analysis happened in two steps. The first step included the structural equation model (SEM) and the assessment of hypotheses (from three different perspectives). Thus, it was possible to make a comparative analysis between the models. In the second step, the ordered logit model (OLM) is used to study relationships between control variables and the criteria variable export performance.

The SEM’s results confirm a conceptual model about a dynamic trajectory that SMEs, mainly industrial/producer, can take advantage of: innovate to networking and networking to export. The results allowed to verify when comparing services/industrial SMEs that the tangibility which characterizes the innovation of industrial SMEs' products contributed significantly to the performance of business networks and exports. The study also reveals, through the OLM, two catalysts for the success of the SME’s export performance: export experience and continued participation in trade fairs. The OLM results also reveal that the size of the companies is not relevant, so trade fairs are marketing tools accessible to any company, regardless of their size. Finally, the study considered home-country context of the surveyed SMEs, which allowed additional interpretations to be drawn.

The study does not reflect the individual's personality in his network capacity and the export performance was measured based on the level of satisfaction and not on real sales results. However, the study provides relevant practical implications and can support future studies.

The study offers important implications for SME. The results reveal that presenting product innovations at trade fairs is a useful tool for SMEs to create networks, which facilitates their export performance, especially for industrial SMEs residing in small economies such as Portugal. This study is also relevant for business associations of industrial SMEs and/or public or semi-public SME promotion agencies.

This paper contributes to the literature on trade fairs, suggesting a new innovation, networking, export (INE) framework to reflect on the participation in international trade fairs. So, this research especially combines product INE performance in a particular context – international trade fairs for SME. It also considers the home-country context of the SMEs, which adds depth to the study. Finally, the comparative study also provides insightful implications for industrial SMEs on how to improve the export performance from trade fairs by leveraging innovation and networking.