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The US-China trade war has brought forth the problem of balance of trade not only for them, but also for many other economies in the world. However, all the commodity segments are not equally affected and thus, the segment-wise trade analysis of commodities can bring up many valuable insights, vital for policy formulation process. Despite this, existing literature barely covered this aspect as a focal research. Therefore, this chapter has carried out segment-wise analysis of commodity classes popular in international trade discussions for the United States and China since the trade dispute intensified between them. In this chapter, we have built an argument around three commodity-segments which are popular in international trade studies namely, the raw material segment, semi-finished goods segment, and finished goods segments. While doing this analysis, we majorly focused on monopolistic power of economies in different commodity segments. We found that while in the segment of raw material, mostly cost is driving the trade, in the finished goods segment, variety and innovations are the key drivers that can boost trade by discovering new consumption spaces.

The Profit Impact of Marketing Strategy (PIMS) database was used to test the relationship between production process type (small batch, large batch/assembly, and continuous) and eight organizational policy decisions (new products, new plant and equipment, finished goods inventory, raw materials/work‐in‐process inventory, capacity utilization, fixed capital assets, manufacturing costs, gross margin). In addition, the effect of six broad industry types on the proposed relationships was also investigated. Overall industries, raw materials/work‐in‐progress, capacity utilization, manufacturing costs, fixed assets, and gross margin varied with production process type while new products, new plant and equipment, and finished goods inventory did not vary. Within each industry, the findings showed less support for the relationships between production process type and the eight organizational policy decisions. Further analysis showed that most of the industries are dominated by a production process type. Suggests a movement away from the traditional differentiation of production process technologies and a shift of research emphasis to the differing uses of a particular production process technology within an industry.

The purposes of this study are to examine the standard operating procedure (SOP) on inventory management practices, identify any weaknesses in inventory management and examine its impact on the performance of the company. Inventory management is important because it ensures smooth production and prevents loss of sales because of stockout and/or customer dissatisfaction.

This study selects one manufacturing company as a case study and uses the mixed data collection method of document analysis and observation. The research analysis was conducted by using COSO Internal Control – Integrated Frame work 2013 as guidance.

It is revealed that a company practices risky inventory management in keeping stock, as it relies heavily on third-party warehousing services beyond the control of the company. This study also reveals that the SOPs are too general and lack specificity. However, poor inventory management has a modest influence on the financial performance of the company.

In completing this study, some limitations are experienced such as changes on the management structure of the company as well as the department itself. Frequent changes on several procedures also may influence this study to obtain accurate information. In addition, some highly confidential documents such as detailed information and minutes from management meeting were not permitted to be examined.

This study provides recommendations to improve weak internal controls particularly on SOPs, so that fraud and mismanagement opportunities can be reduced.

This study makes an original contribution, as it enhances the theoretical and practical understanding on inventory control and management systems, particularly for a manufacturing company in the emerging market environment. In addition, it examines various internal financial reports and directly observes the process in supply change management, which are generally difficult to be accessed by academic researchers.

Allyn Young′s lectures, as recorded by the young Nicholas Kaldor, survey the historical roots of the subject from Aristotle through to the modern neo‐classical writers. The focus throughout is on the conditions making for economic progress, with stress on the institutional developments that extend and are extended by the size of the market. Organisational changes that promote the division of labour and specialisation within and between firms and industries, and which promote competition and mobility, are seen as the vital factors in growth. In the absence of new markets, inventions as such play only a minor role. The economic system is an inter‐related whole, or a living “organon”. It is from this perspective that micro‐economic relations are analysed, and this helps expose certain fallacies of composition associated with the marginal productivity theory of production and distribution. Factors are paid not because they are productive but because they are scarce. Likewise he shows why Marshallian supply and demand schedules, based on the “one thing at a time” approach, cannot adequately describe the dynamic growth properties of the system. Supply and demand cannot be simply integrated to arrive at a picture of the whole economy. These notes are complemented by eleven articles in the Encyclopaedia Britannica which were published shortly after Young′s sudden death in 1929.

This research widens the scope of the use of postponement by addressing how the generic supply chain structure and information sharing/relationship among supply chain actors affects the postponement decision, based on empirical data of Chinese manufacturers in the Pearl River Delta.

Case analysis, cross‐case comparisons, semi‐structured interviews.

A cross‐case analysis including study of the downstream structure, downstream relationship, upstream structure, upstream relationship, production method and inventory position produced a postponement classification into five categories: balanced structure without customer information; customer dominated; manufacturer dominated; balanced structure with loose suppliers, and finally virtual supply chain. Based on this classification, two propositions are postulated: when a supply chain has a balanced structure, it should use speculation or production postponement. When the supply chain has an unbalanced structure, it should use purchasing postponement or product development postponement.

This study is exploratory in nature, and more empirical data is needed to further validate the postulated results. Another limitation of the study is in its measurement of postponement, measured in this instance by the production method and inventory positions used. Other characteristics of postponement may be included in future research.

This research has extended the scope of the use of postponement by addressing how the generic supply chain structure and information sharing/relationship among supply chain actors affects the postponement decision.

Addresses postponement on the level of the supply chain, rather than company‐level. Addresses how the supply chain structure (balanced/unbalanced) and information sharing/relationship among supply chain actors affect the postponement decision.

An objective, two‐tier quantitative model has been developed for assessing the presence of total quality in an organisation, and for determining the effectiveness of a company’s total quality management initiatives. This was based on the hypothesis that, since the necessary and sufficient conditions for just‐in‐time inventory management and total quality management are almost identical, inventory performance should be a good indicator of quality achievement. A stand‐alone inventory rating method was used initially, and was later combined with return on capital and employee value indicators to create a model for more detailed evaluation. The two methods were tested on 48 companies. It was found that the inventory performance rating is a reliable indicator of a total quality organisation, and that the multifactor method is useful in identifying areas of success or failure. Both indicators predicted changes in overall business performance.

Sees the objective of teaching financial management to be to help managers and potential managers to make sensible investment and financing decisions. Acknowledges that financial theory teaches that investment and financing decisions should be based on cash flow and risk. Provides information on payback period; return on capital employed, earnings per share effect, working capital, profit planning, standard costing, financial statement planning and ratio analysis. Seeks to combine the practical rules of thumb of the traditionalists with the ideas of the financial theorists to form a balanced approach to practical financial management for MBA students, financial managers and undergraduates.

To develop and propose a framework, termed here as the value package prism, for assessing the kinds of management processes and flexibility available in providing a range of value packages (services and goods offering mix).

The literature is examined and a set of highly‐visible Latin‐American examples are presented to support the development of the proposed framework.

Provides an additional perspective to the traditional set of characteristics (intangibility, inseparability, heterogeneity, and perishability) for differentiating services and goods. The proposed framework (stockability, intensity of interaction, simultaneousness of consumption, and ease of performance assessment) and the value prism may be useful to operations managers in developing, planning, organizing, or controlling the production and delivery of services or goods.

Offers a new framework and an applied way to improve operations management by moving away from the extremes of pure services and pure goods to embrace how businesses compete and operate today, by delivering value packages. Provides an approach that facilitates operations managers' understanding and ability to manage substantial changes in the value packages offered to customers.

This paper examines global imbalance and rebalancing issues from the viewpoint of Korea. As IMF (2009) notes, the unwinding of global imbalance seems inevitable and, in fact, it is in progress. We illustrate that Korea, with a flexible exchange rate system and relatively balanced current accounts, has little direct linkage to global imbalance. However, we also find that Korea is not immune to the costly adjustment process of imbalance due to the triangular trade between Korea, China and the U.S. The fact that Korea is ‘indirectly’ linked to global imbalance limits Korea’s ability to cope with the situation. Boosting domestic demand, often mentioned recommendation for East Asia, is not an appropriate solution for Korea with low personal savings rate. A lot depends on China’s policy. If China reduces its dependence on U.S. market and increases domestic consumption despite unemployment risk in export manufacturing sector, it will provide Korea with an opportunity for more stable growth based on China’s final demand. Korea can also make efforts to increase economic integration and expand monetary cooperation in Asia that would help to increase consumption demands and final goods trade in the region.