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This study investigates the optimum size for manufacturing firms and the impact of subcontracting on firms' likelihood of achieving their optimal scale in Vietnam.

Using data from the enterprise census in 2017 and 2021, the paper first estimates the production function to identify the optimum firm size for manufacturing firms and then, applies the logit model to investigate factors associated with the optimal firm size.

The study reveals that medium-sized firms exhibit the highest level of productivity. Nevertheless, a consistent trend emerges, indicating that nearly 90% of manufacturing firms in Vietnam operated below their optimal scale in both 2017 and 2021. An analysis of the impact of subcontracting on firms' likelihood to achieve their optimal scale emphasizes its crucial role, especially for foreign firms, exerting an influence nearly five times greater than that of the judiciary system.

The paper's findings offer crucial policy implications, suggesting that initiatives aimed at enhancing the overall productivity of the manufacturing sector should prioritise facilitating contract arrangements to encourage firms to reach their optimal size. These insights are also valuable for other countries with comparable firm size distributions.

This paper provides the first empirical evidence on the relationship between firm size and productivity as well as the role of subcontracting in firms' ability to reach their optimal scale in a country with a right-skewed distribution of firm sizes.

Economic efficiency of public school districts was explored by utilization of the concept of economies and dis‐economies of scale. An optimum size relative to costs was discovered by analyzing the data with curvilinear least squares regression and also with the differential calculus. The sample was taken from elementary, high school, and K–12 (unit) districts in the state of Illinois, U.S.A. Suggestions for further research on the general notion of optimum size of school districts are presented.

The importance of maximizing the particle packing fraction in a suspension by maximizing average particle size ratio of D₅/D₁ has been adequately shown to be important as previously reported in the literature. This study aims to extend that analysis to include the best formulation approach to maximize the packing fraction with a minimum number of monodisperse particle sizes.

An existing model previously developed by this author was modified theoretically to optimize the ratio used between consecutive monodisperse particle sizes. This process was found to apply to a broad range of particle configurations and applications. In addition, five different approaches for maximizing average particle size ratio D̅₅/D̅₁ were addressed for blending several different particle size distributions. Maximizing average particle size ratio D̅₅/D̅₁ has been found to result in an optimization of the packing fraction. Several new concepts were also introduced in the process of maximizing the packing fraction for these different approaches.

The critical part of the analysis to maximize the packing fraction with a minimum number of particles was the theoretical optimization of the ratio used between consecutive monodisperse particle sizes. This analysis was also found to be effectively independent of the maximum starting particle size. This study also clarified the recent incorrect claim in the literature that Furnas in 1931 was the first to generate the maximum theoretical packing fraction possible for n different particles that was actually originally developed in conjunction with the Sudduth generalized viscosity equation. In addition, the Furnas generated equation was also shown to give significantly different results from the Sudduth generated equation.

Experimental data involving monodisperse particles of different blends with a minimum number of particle sizes that are truly monodisperse are often extremely difficult to obtain. However, the theoretical general concepts can still be applicable.

The expanded model presented in this article provides practical guidelines for blending pigments using a minimum number of monodisperse particle sizes that can yield much higher ratios of the particle size averages D̅₅/D̅₁ and thus potentially achieve significantly improved properties such as viscosity.

The model presented in this article provides the first apparent guidelines to control the blending of pigments in coatings by the optimization of the ratio used between consecutive monodisperse particle sizes. This analysis was also found to be effectively independent of the maximum starting particle size.

The purpose of this paper is to empirically study whether China could achieve strong export market power considering its highly decentralized coke production and trade.

By using time series data, this paper econometrically estimates the coke export market power with the Hall model; then, through analyzing micro trade data and public policy, tries to explain the co‐existing dilemma of China's highly decentralized coke production/export and its strong market power in the world market; lastly, by using Stigler's survival technique, it explores the optimum size of China's coke production and export.

The paper finds that the market power of Chinese coke export is quite strong, even if its micro market structure is highly decentralized; the main explanation for the expanding of China's coke export market power comes from its oligopolistic position in the world coke market, its strong industry policy and trade policy restriction. Also it is found that the optimum size in the coke industry should be the market share below 0.5 percent, or in 1‐10 percent, while other market sizes are of diseconomies of scale.

Such findings provide evidence for China's policy adjustment regarding maintaining strong coke export market power, while eliminating economic distortions and negative production externality.

This paper highlights the co‐existing issues of micro competitive structure and nationally oligopolistic position in an industry. This study is the first try to combine market power and economies of scale, through empirical analysis and optimum size estimation, to generate implications for optimal government public policy.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the efficiency of Dutch secondary schools. In particular, the size of the schools' management is benchmarked.

The methodology used is an advanced micro‐econometric technique called stochastic frontier analysis.

The method used is applicable for identifying the optimum allocation, in particular the size of management. The overall result is that there is no systematic over or under allocation of management in Dutch secondary schools.

Each school received an individual benchmark. Schools can position themselves in respect with other schools and have information on how to adjust allocation of resources.

The paper contributes to the discussion about the size of management costs of Dutch secondary schools. The analysis is based on state‐of‐the‐art methodologies and has not been applied to the educational process.

The performance of earthmoving operations, in terms of emissions, production and cost, is dependent on many variables and has been the study of a number of publications. Such publications look at typical operation design and management, without establishing what the penalties or bonuses might be for non-standard, but still observed, practices. To fill this gap in knowledge, this paper examines alternative loading policies of zero waiting-time loading, fractional loading and double-sided loading, and compares the performance of these with standard single-sided loading.

Original recursive relationships, that are amenable to Monte Carlo simulation, are derived. Case study data are used to illustrate the emissions, production and cost penalties or bonuses.

Double-sided loading contributes the least impact to the environment and is the most cost effective. Zero waiting-time loading performs the worst in terms of environmental impact and cost. Minimizing truck waiting times through using fractional loading is generally not an attractive policy because it leads to an increase in unit emissions and unit costs. The consequences of adopting fractional loading are detailed. Optimum unit emissions and optimum unit cost are coincident with respect to fleet size for single- and double-sided loading policies. That is, by minimizing unit cost, as in traditional practice, then least impact on the environment is obtained. Not minimizing unit cost will lead to unnecessary emissions.

The results of this paper will be of interest to those designing and managing earthmoving operations.

All modeling and results presented in the paper do not exist elsewhere in the literature.

This article describes an investigation into the factors affecting load and vehicle sizes for road delivery of oil products. An overall framework of analysis was developed, a sampling method was used, and potential cost savings identified and achieved. The ability to construct an analytical framework of sufficient accuracy depended on a reasonably convincing costing formula for part loads, which is also described.

Delay and power dissipation are the two major design constraints in very large scale integration (VLSI) circuits. These arise due to millions of active devices and interconnections connecting this gigantic number of devices on the chip. Important technique of repeater insertion in long interconnections to reduce delay in VLSI circuits has been reported during the last two decades. This paper deals with delay, power dissipation and the role of voltage‐scaling in repeaters loaded long interconnects in VLSI circuits for low power environment.

Trade off between delay and power dissipation in repeaters inserted long interconnects has been reviewed here with a bibliographic survey. SPICE simulations have been used to validate the findings.

Optimum number of uniform sized CMOS repeaters inserted in long interconnects, lead to delay minimization. Voltage‐scaling is highly effective in reduction of power dissipation in repeaters loaded long interconnects. The new finding given here is that optimum number of repeaters required for delay minimization decreases with voltage‐scaling. This leads to area and further power saving.

The bibliographic survey needs to be revised in future, taking the various other aspects of VLSI interconnects viz. noise, cross talk extra into account.

The paper is of high significance in VLSI design and low‐power high‐speed applications. It is also valuable for new researchers in this emerging field.

To evaluate current apparel industry Misses grading practices in providing good fit and propose grading practices to improve fit.

Participants representing Misses sizes 6‐20 based on ASTM D 5585 were selected. The fit of garments from traditionally graded patterns was assessed. Garments were fit‐to‐shape on participants. Traditionally graded patterns were compared to fit‐to‐shape patterns using quantitative and qualitative visual analysis.

Current apparel industry grading practices do not provide good fit for consumers. The greatest variation between the traditionally graded patterns and the fit‐to‐shape patterns occurred between sizes 14 and 16. For size 16 and up, neck and armscye circumferences were too large and bust dart intakes were too small.

This study was limited to a sheath dress in Misses sizes 6‐20. Future research should assess the fit of garments from traditionally graded patterns for other size ranges.

Multiple fit modes are needed in a range of more than five sizes. The fit model should be at the middle of a sizing group that does not range more than two sizes up or down.

There are few studies on apparel grading that test fit of actual garments on the body. The analysis documents the real growth of the body across the size range and suggests that changes in body measurements and shape determine the fit of a garment. These findings impact future research in apparel and the practices of apparel manufacturers.

Acceptance sampling plans are a decision-making process on the basis of a randomly selected sampling from a party, where it is not possible to completely scan the products for reasons such as time and cost being limited or the formation of damaged products during the inspection. For some products, the life span (time from beginning to failure) may be an important quality characteristic. In this case, the quality control adequacy of the products can be checked with an acceptance sampling plan based on the truncated life test with a censored scheme for the lifetime of the products. In this study, group acceptance sampling plans (GASPs) based on life tests are studied under the Type-I censored scheme for the compound Weibull-exponential (CWE) distribution.

GASPs based on life tests under the Type-I censored scheme for the CWE distribution are developed by using both the producer's risk and the consumer's risk.

In this study, optimum sample size, optimum number of groups and acceptance number are obtained under the Type-I censored scheme for the CWE distribution. Real data set illustration is given to show GASPs how to be used for the industry applications.

Different from acceptance sampling plans with just considering the producer's risk, GASPs are constructed by using two-point approach included both the producer's risk and the consumer's risk for CWE distribution.