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1 – 10 of over 166000Yot Amornkitvikai, Martin O'Brien and Ruttiya Bhula-or
The development of green manufacturing has become essential to achieve sustainable development and modernize the nation’s manufacturing and production capacity without increasing…
Abstract
Purpose
The development of green manufacturing has become essential to achieve sustainable development and modernize the nation’s manufacturing and production capacity without increasing nonrenewable resource consumption and pollution. This study investigates the effect of green industrial practices on technical efficiency for Thai manufacturers.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) to estimate the stochastic frontier production function (SFPF) and inefficiency effects model, as pioneered by Battese and Coelli (1995).
Findings
This study shows that, on average, Thai manufacturing firms have experienced declining returns-to-scale production and relatively low technical efficiency. However, it is estimated that Thai manufacturing firms with a green commitment obtained the highest technical efficiency, followed by those with green activity, green systems and green culture levels, compared to those without any commitment to green manufacturing practices. Finally, internationalization and skill development can significantly improve technical efficiency.
Practical implications
Green industry policy mixes will be vital for driving structural reforms toward a more environmentally friendly and sustainable economic system. Furthermore, circular economy processes can promote firms' production efficiency and resource use.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to investigate the effect of green industry practices on the technical efficiency of Thai manufacturing enterprises. This study also encompasses analyses of the roles of internationalization, innovation and skill development.
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Evangelia Panagiotidou, Panos T. Chountalas, Anastasios Ι. Magoutas and Fotis C. Kitsios
This study aims to dissect the multifaceted impact of ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, specifically within civil engineering testing and calibration laboratories. To achieve this, it…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to dissect the multifaceted impact of ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, specifically within civil engineering testing and calibration laboratories. To achieve this, it intends to explore several key objectives: identifying the prominent benefits of accreditation to laboratory performance, understanding the advantages conferred through participation in proficiency testing schemes, assessing the role of accreditation in enhancing laboratory competitiveness, examining the primary challenges encountered during the accreditation process, investigating any discernible adverse effects of accreditation on laboratory performance and evaluating whether the financial cost of accreditation justifies the resultant profitability.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employs a qualitative approach through semi-structured interviews with 23 industry professionals—including technical managers, quality managers, external auditors and clients. Thematic analysis, guided by Braun and Clarke’s six-stage paradigm, was utilized to interpret the data, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the accreditation’s impact.
Findings
Findings reveal that accreditation significantly enhances operational processes, fosters quality awareness and facilitates continuous improvement, contributing to greater client satisfaction. In addition, standardized operations and rigorous quality controls further result in enhanced performance metrics, such as staff capability and measurement accuracy. However, the study also uncovers the challenges of accreditation, including high resource costs and bureaucratic hurdles that can inhibit innovation and slow routine operations. Importantly, the research underscores that the impact of accreditation on profitability is not universal, but contingent upon various factors like sector-specific regulations and market demand. The study also highlights sector-specific variations in the role of accreditation as a marketing tool and differing perceptions of its value among clients. It further emphasizes the psychological stress of high-stakes evaluations during audits.
Originality/value
This study represents the first in-depth investigation into the impact of ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation on civil engineering testing and calibration laboratories, directly contributing to the enhancement of their quality and operational standards. Providing actionable insights for laboratories, it underscores the importance of weighing accreditation costs and benefits and the necessity for a tailored approach to the unique market and regulatory landscapes they operate in.
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Introduction THE problem of communication of ideas and results between scientists of different native languages is not new. For many centuries a solution to the problem was found…
Abstract
Introduction THE problem of communication of ideas and results between scientists of different native languages is not new. For many centuries a solution to the problem was found in the use of Latin as the international language of the Church and of the educated classes, but this solution vanished with the passing of Latin as the language of scientists. Since that time there has been an enormous growth and ramification of science and technology, with a corresponding increase in the volume of scientific and technical publication. As the papers of value to the scientist are published in any one of a number of languages, there has been an increasing demand for the services of technical translators; for the scientist cannot afford to ignore foreign work on his subject, and he cannot as a rule read all the languages in which that work is published.
In the following notes the term ‘Correspondence’ has been broadly interpreted, to cover all the occasional and incidental sources of unpublished information which may be of…
Abstract
In the following notes the term ‘Correspondence’ has been broadly interpreted, to cover all the occasional and incidental sources of unpublished information which may be of service to the technical department of an organization. No attempt has been made to cover such material as laboratory notes, research reports and the like, since these fall normally within the scope of technical records, with which this session is not primarily concerned.
The problem of how to weight technical expertise is familiar to anyone concerned with the design and implementation of company job evaluation schemes, and nowhere is this problem…
Abstract
The problem of how to weight technical expertise is familiar to anyone concerned with the design and implementation of company job evaluation schemes, and nowhere is this problem more acute than in Research and Development (R & D) departments. Here, typically, there are large numbers of highly qualified technical specialists who both deserve and demand promotion on the basis of their technical contribution. Yet, because technical staff have relatively few of the kind of responsibilities which carry high weighting on most job evaluation schemes, they rarely warrant higher grading on conventional criteria. And where they are promoted, their excellence as scientists wins them promotion into research management. In a recent study conducted by the author, concerning the reasons why R&D staff in a large UK company sought posts elsewhere in the organisation, the belief that promotion was easier to get outside R&D was one of the most important factors. A dual ladder system may offer a partial solution to this problem. By a dual ladder is meant the establishment of two parallel hierarchies within R & D: a management ladder and a ladder for technical specialists. The two ladders carry different responsibilities but equivalent rewards and status. In theory, at least, a distinction is made between responsibility for resources, located on the management ladder, and responsibility for technical merit, located on the technical ladder.
The purpose of this paper is to list and demonstrate areas in which research needs to be carried out, or questions answered, in order to raise the quality of technical education.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to list and demonstrate areas in which research needs to be carried out, or questions answered, in order to raise the quality of technical education.
Design/methodology/approach
The area of technical education expanded very rapidly in the late 1950s, and there was little comprehensive knowledge regarding the philosophy and practice. Areas of technical education that needed research included: how far does success in a school subject such as English or mathematics correlate with success in a technical subject? For how many and which courses at technical colleges does a student need to have more or less than average intelligence? What techniques can be used to fill any gaps existing in a student's knowledge before he embarks on a technical course? Are all students to receive the same industrial experiences (e.g. operating machines, bench work, drawing office, etc.)?
Findings
The paper lists six main areas in which research into technical education needs to be carried out: selection for courses; variety within classes; co‐ordination with industry; teaching methods; libraries; and technical education as a subject.
Originality/value
The paper is one of the first to suggest that educational research had been hitherto neglected, and that there is a need for research to be carried out into the relatively new area of technical education. The paper lists areas of technical education which need to be investigated in order to raise the quality of the field.
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The purpose of this study is the analysis of innovation in technology‐intensive industry strategy, by applying scenario analysis (SA) to master the development of the market…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is the analysis of innovation in technology‐intensive industry strategy, by applying scenario analysis (SA) to master the development of the market information and competitive environment. This study will utilize the technical development of the Sony video tape recorder (VTR) as a case study, and then provide more adequate decision information on the technical development strategy (TDS) planning process.
Design/methodology/approach
Scenario analysis (SA) strategy assessment model will construct a future technical development model based on current data. The forecasting model of the cycle period is applied to future market technical innovation. Therefore, applying SA in this study can effectively connect historical information to the analysis of technology development.
Findings
This study used the Sony VTR TDS as a case study that provides a strategy assessment model in a technology‐intensive industry for technical development strategy planning as the basis of decision‐making to aid technical forecasting. Result found that the R&D department is the core lifeline for the development of a company, and TDS is affected by the orientation of customer demand with impact on the development of TLC to form the cycle period of uncertainty.
Originality/value
This model applied the properties of TDS assessment to grasp the development trend in the market, and it can enable the R&D department to integrate technical push and market demands pull. In turn, this results in a gain in the competitive edge for technical innovation through a combination of strategies and regulations.
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This paper aims to examine technical education in various types of secondary schools, and suggests three levels of technical courses to be taught in secondary schools.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine technical education in various types of secondary schools, and suggests three levels of technical courses to be taught in secondary schools.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper discusses the differences between technical schools and colleges, and vocational technical courses taught in “academic” secondary schools; it recognizes that technical schools also attract students of a high academic quality. With a wider range of abilities, there need to be courses offered in secondary technical schools that suit a range of levels. Three technical courses are suggested here, which are aimed at the different levels of education parallel to secondary schools – for the potential craftsman, for the potential technician, and for the potential technologist.
Findings
It is suggested that great care must be taken to ensure that the vocational subjects develop naturally from more general academic studies – the aim of the courses outlined in this paper is to provide a fundamental general education alongside an understanding of vocational studies. The course for the potential craftsman takes the student towards suitable City and Guilds certificates, and involves some designated time for industrial visits. The course for the potential technician aims for four “O” level subjects in the General Certificate of Education (GCE), and the course for the potential technologist aims for pupils to gain two subjects at “A” level.
Originality/value
The paper suggests a hierarchy of technical courses for integration into secondary schools in the 1950s.
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This paper explores the pattern of technical change in the Korean economy from 1970 to 2013 and investigates its determinants. We use the Classical growth-distribution schedule to…
Abstract
This paper explores the pattern of technical change in the Korean economy from 1970 to 2013 and investigates its determinants. We use the Classical growth-distribution schedule to show that the labor-saving and capital-using pattern has predominated. For the rationale behind this Marx-biased technical change, we focus on the relationship between technical change and real wage growth via the evolution of labor and capital productivity, and verify the historical direction of technical change against the rise and fall of the working class. Furthermore, we find that the deviation during the post-crisis period from the long-run trend of Marx-biased technical change is not attributable to the vitality of new technological innovations, but rather the reflection of class dynamics over extracting productivity under weaker capital deepening. The results suggest that the recent deterioration of labor share and labor unions in Korea is closely associated with low incentive for technological progress, which contributes to prolonged stagnation.
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Ornella Wanda Maietta and Vania Sena
This paper analyses the mechanisms through which profit-sharing schemes may induce debt constrained firms to improve technical efficiency over time to guarantee positive profits…
Abstract
This paper analyses the mechanisms through which profit-sharing schemes may induce debt constrained firms to improve technical efficiency over time to guarantee positive profits. This hypothesis is first formalised in a partial equilibrium framework and then is tested on a sample of Italian traditional and cooperative firms. Technical efficiency change indexes are computed by DEA. These are regressed on a measure of finance constraints to analyse their impact on firms’ efficiency growth. The results support the hypothesis that a restriction in the availability of financial resources can affect positively the growth in efficiency in firms with profit-sharing schemes.