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Article
Publication date: 13 October 2021

Andrew Ebekozien, Marvelous Aigbedion, Okechukwu Saviour Dominic Duru, Oguike Hyginus Udeagwu and Ibeabuchi Lawrence Aginah

Studies have proved that wood sawmill workers are exposed to high occupational risks if not well managed. In developing countries, many wood sawmills are found in urban and…

Abstract

Purpose

Studies have proved that wood sawmill workers are exposed to high occupational risks if not well managed. In developing countries, many wood sawmills are found in urban and semi-urban areas. Studies exploring how residents near these wood sawmills perceive and react to these risks is scarce in Nigeria. The application of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) technology is possibly one of the ways to manage the likely hazards. This study aims to investigate the possible hazards associated with timber sawmills in residential areas and the role of 4IR technologies in proffering feasible solutions to mitigate them in Nigeria’s cities.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were sourced from three cities and nine sawmills across Nigeria. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with authoritative participants (residents, environmentalists, government agencies, sawmill owners, 4IR technology experts and medical experts) who have been championing the regulation and safety of timber sawmill locations within the cities (Lagos, Benin City and Owerri) via a phenomenology type of qualitative research and supplemented by secondary sources.

Findings

Findings show that timber sawmills are located across the three cities in Nigeria and may have contributed to the health and environmental challenges of the people living in the neighbourhood. The identified hazards were grouped into three sub-themes (physical, health and environmental hazards). Findings identify robots, modularisation, cyber-physical systems, the internet of things and services and human-computer interaction as the digitalised technology that can be used in sawmills to mitigate hazards for the benefit of mankind.

Research limitations/implications

The paper is limited to hazards that residents in timber sawmills locations may face in Nigeria’s cities and data collected via face-to-face 23 interviews. The paper’s referral to past publications in the findings and discussion section compensated for the small sample size.

Practical implications

As part of this paper’s implications, the emerged recommendations will strengthen collaboration with relevant stakeholders regarding control measures via the use of 4IR technologies in timber sawmills. This will stir up policymakers to develop possible policies that will promote and create the platform for the implementation of 4IR technologies in city sawmills.

Originality/value

Apart from probably being the first paper to explore the hazards of residents in timber sawmill locations and proffer solutions via the usage of the 4IR technology, this paper’s contribution emphasis the need for in-depth future studies regarding the risk perceptions of Nigeria’s residents living in timber sawmill area.

Details

Journal of Facilities Management , vol. 21 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-5967

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 May 2007

Marcos Singer and Patricio Donoso

The existing business paradigm in the sawmill industry is that improvements are achieved by enhancements at each individual sawmilling plant. The authors investigate a…

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Abstract

Purpose

The existing business paradigm in the sawmill industry is that improvements are achieved by enhancements at each individual sawmilling plant. The authors investigate a collaborative approach, and propose a model for optimizing production and inventory planning decisions within a system of plants.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology models the sawmill production process in terms of two transformation stages and two inventory stages. The authors then extend the model to account for supply chain decisions consisting of timber transfers among plants. They apply the model at 11 Chilean sawmills to evaluate whether they can benefit from operating in a more integrated manner.

Findings

The authors find an opportunity to increase profits by more than 15 percent through a higher utilization of the capacity and a better assignment of production orders.

Research limitations/implications

The study neglects the possibility of exchanging raw material among plants. Also, the findings are derived from a computational simulation, so are estimates, not actual observations.

Practical implications

The study challenged the business paradigm of the company the authors performed the study for. Now, it is implementing the suggested improvements.

Originality/value

An investigation into how a number of sawmilling companies working together can profit from their distinctive competitive advantages, and which proved successful in challenging one company's business paradigms.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 27 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 19 October 2020

Harry J. Paarsch and John Rust

The authors construct an intertemporal model of rent-maximizing behavior on the part of a timber harvester under potentially multidimensional risk as well as geographical…

Abstract

The authors construct an intertemporal model of rent-maximizing behavior on the part of a timber harvester under potentially multidimensional risk as well as geographical heterogeneity. Subsequently, the authors use recursive methods (specifically, the method of stochastic dynamic programing) to characterize the optimal policy function – the rent-maximizing timber-harvesting profile. One noteworthy feature of their application to forestry in the province of British Columbia, Canada is the unique and detailed information the authors have organized in the form of a dynamic geographic information system to account for site-specific cost heterogeneity in harvesting and transportation, as well as uneven-aged stand dynamics in timber growth and yield across space and time in the presence of stochastic lumber prices. Their framework is a powerful tool with which to conduct policy analysis at scale.

Details

The Econometrics of Networks
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83867-576-9

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1983

J.R. Weaver, G.N. Soutar and J.E. Everett

A multivariant approach to the complex issues of worker satisfaction, providing analytical and diagnostic results which can be extremely useful to a management concerned about…

Abstract

A multivariant approach to the complex issues of worker satisfaction, providing analytical and diagnostic results which can be extremely useful to a management concerned about this aspect of the workplace.

Details

Management Research News, vol. 6 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0140-9174

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 January 2011

Ana Gueimonde‐Canto, Javier González‐Benito and José Manuel García‐Vázquez

The present paper proposes simultaneous research into the effects of co‐operation with buyers and suppliers on company performance, and how both types of co‐operation interact in…

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Abstract

Purpose

The present paper proposes simultaneous research into the effects of co‐operation with buyers and suppliers on company performance, and how both types of co‐operation interact in one specific industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper conducts an analysis of a sample of 80 sawmills in the Spanish regions of Galicia and the Basque Country, comprising most of the wood production in Spain.

Findings

Contrary to prior research, the results suggest that contextual factors, inherent to each supply chain, affect the relationship between supplier‐customer co‐operation and performance.

Research limitations/implications

The findings lead one to argue that some traditional arguments in favour of co‐operation with buyers and suppliers might not be applicable to specific industries, positions in the value chain or exchanged products, and that industry‐specific variables should be included in future research.

Practical implications

Sawmills appear to benefit only from co‐operation with buyers, but not from co‐operation with suppliers. Furthermore, the two types of co‐operation do not appear to generate synergy.

Originality/value

The study adopts a systemic view of the supply chain and argues that industry‐specific factors, and position in the value chain, should be included as control variables in empirical work researching the competitive consequences of co‐operation in the value chain.

Details

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 26 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0885-8624

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 30 November 2020

Nicole Cvenkel

The sawmill shootings in British Columbia, Canada, resulted in fatalities and grievous injuries to workers, which have put a sensational face on workplace violence in the forestry…

Abstract

The sawmill shootings in British Columbia, Canada, resulted in fatalities and grievous injuries to workers, which have put a sensational face on workplace violence in the forestry sector. Yet, for all of the attention devoted after this horrific incident, to the growth and possible consequences of workplace violence, little empirical investigation has been done regarding the extent to which this type of violence may have permeated the sawmill forestry workplace in Canada; employees' experiences of workplace violence; employees' definition of workplace violence; the specific type of violence that occurs in sawmills; and the drivers of workplace violence as experienced and perceived by managers, union, and employees in the forestry sector context in British Columbia, Canada.

This research critically explores these questions to better understand employees' experiences of workplace violence, the problems of violence and its implications for workplace stress, well-being, leadership, and corporate governance. This research contributes to the workplace violence body of knowledge as it relates to employment in the forestry sector in British Columbia, Canada.

A mixed methodological approach was adopted using 367 questionnaire survey, 20 telephone interviews, and 2 focus groups lasting 45–60 minutes (managers and employees) were used to focus on managers, union, and employees' accounts of their own experiences and perceptions of workplace violence.

The analysis of the data in this study lends support to the conclusion that workplace violence waged against workers in the forestry sector is significantly different than the violence being perpetrated in other sectors and work settings. The findings further suggest that forestry workers work environment, communities, and activity contributes meaningfully to the differences in workplace violence experienced by Sawmill employees.

Insights obtained from this research can be used to develop educational tools and resources, and new policies to foster workplace practices conducive to reducing drivers to workplace violence, towards a more respectful workplace and overall employee well-being.

Article
Publication date: 25 April 2022

Irina Nikolskaja Roddvik, Birgit Leick and Viktor Roddvik

This paper aims to present a historical case study of Norwegian transnational entrepreneurs (1880s–1930s) and the ecosystems that they founded in Russia’s Arctic periphery…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present a historical case study of Norwegian transnational entrepreneurs (1880s–1930s) and the ecosystems that they founded in Russia’s Arctic periphery. Drawing from the contemporary transnational entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial ecosystem literature, and inspired by AnnaLee Saxenian’s concept of “brain circulation,” this study explores the journey and impact of these entrepreneurs in a time of evolving political turbulence.

Design/methodology/approach

This study applies a mixed-methodology approach, drawing from nine qualitative interviews held in 2021 and secondary material, including historical books, a podcast, videos and archival data.

Findings

The Norwegian entrepreneurs were both “pulled” by and “pushed” to the Russian region, their “New America,” where they could apply their personal skills and exploit their rich social and financial capital to establish a local entrepreneurial ecosystem. However, radical political change altered the context, which led many of the entrepreneurs to re-migrate to Norway.

Research limitations/implications

This paper demonstrates the role of the political context for contemporary entrepreneurship and management research, as transnational entrepreneurs and international expatriates remain vulnerable to political change.

Practical implications

Public-policy actors and managers in companies need to support highly-skilled transnational entrepreneurs, including expatriates, in a setting with turbulence, crisis and even war, to foster the sustainable contribution of entrepreneurial migrants to regional economic development across different countries.

Originality/value

This paper presents an original, novel case study on the historical role of transnational entrepreneurs across different cultural settings, their impact on a foreign peripheral location, including social-network building and evolving political change in the historical context. The findings are relevant for contemporary management literature.

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2000

Antti Soini

Provides details of a variety of industrial inspection systems that received funding from the European Union’s HPCN‐TTN (High Performance Computing Network‐Technology Transfer…

Abstract

Provides details of a variety of industrial inspection systems that received funding from the European Union’s HPCN‐TTN (High Performance Computing Network‐Technology Transfer Nodes) programme. Describes the inspection systems and the commercial benefits that were obtained.

Details

Sensor Review, vol. 20 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0260-2288

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 July 2014

Daniel Nordigården, Jakob Rehme, Staffan Brege, Daniel Chicksand and Helen Walker

The purpose of this paper is to investigate an underexplored aspect of outsourcing involving a mixed strategy in which parallel production is continued in-house at the same time…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate an underexplored aspect of outsourcing involving a mixed strategy in which parallel production is continued in-house at the same time as outsourcing occurs.

Design/methodology/approach

The study applied a multiple case study approach and drew on qualitative data collected through in-depth interviews with wood product manufacturing companies.

Findings

The paper posits that there should be a variety of mixed strategies between the two governance forms of “make” or “buy.” In order to address how companies should consider the extent to which they outsource, the analysis was structured around two ends of a continuum: in-house dominance or outsourcing dominance. With an in-house-dominant strategy, outsourcing complements an organization's own production to optimize capacity utilization and outsource less cost-efficient production, or is used as a tool to learn how to outsource. With an outsourcing-dominant strategy, in-house production helps maintain complementary competencies and avoids lock-in risk.

Research limitations/implications

This paper takes initial steps toward an exploration of different mixed strategies. Additional research is required to understand the costs of different mixed strategies compared with insourcing and outsourcing, and to study parallel production from a supplier viewpoint.

Practical implications

This paper suggests that managers should think twice before rushing to a “me too” outsourcing strategy in which in-house capacities are completely closed. It is important to take a dynamic view of outsourcing that maintains a mixed strategy as an option, particularly in situations that involve an underdeveloped supplier market and/or as a way to develop resources over the long term.

Originality/value

The concept of combining both “make” and “buy” is not new. However, little if any research has focussed explicitly on exploring the variety of different types of mixed strategies that exist on the continuum between insourcing and outsourcing.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 34 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 October 2016

Michael Paul Louw

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the feasibility of the adaptive reuse of a particular case study, and the evaluation of it within the context of international research…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the feasibility of the adaptive reuse of a particular case study, and the evaluation of it within the context of international research done on similar projects. It aims to highlight the reuse potential of industrial structures by private developers, and the financial, environmental and social advantages that they could hold.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review that explores these themes is followed by the post-occupancy analysis of the case study. Data were gathered primarily through interviews with key role players in the project, site visits and an analysis of the relevant project documentation.

Findings

While there are a number of international examples of the reuse of power stations in particular, these are mostly on a large scale, dependent mostly on government funding, lottery funding and donations and generally stripped of most of their machinery. The case study is a smaller-scale example which demonstrates that a project of this nature can be entirely funded by a private developer, that it can be sustainable and that it can be done while keeping most of the original machinery in place. The case study confirms a number of findings that are revealed in current research in the field, and it also shows the relative advantages of adaptive reuse when compared to new-build projects.

Research limitations/implications

There is fairly limited information and published research about adaptive reuse, especially in South Africa, so the paper builds on international knowledge on the subject while exposing a suitable local example. It is hoped that the study will not only lead to further research and post-occupancy analysis of similar projects in South Africa in particular, but also support international research that indicates the feasibility of adaptive reuse.

Originality/value

The Thesen Islands power station (or the Turbine Hotel as it is now known) could potentially be used as a precedent for similar redevelopments, and it could shed some light on the opportunities and constraints related to the management of fixed engineering assets.

Details

Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, vol. 14 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1726-0531

Keywords

1 – 10 of 137