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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 11 April 2024

Yot 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.

Details

Journal of Asian Business and Economic Studies, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2515-964X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 February 2024

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.

Details

The TQM Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2731

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 7 February 2024

Mark Govers, Rachel Gifford, Daan Westra and Ingrid Mur-Veeman

Organizational change is a key mechanism to ensure the sustainability of healthcare systems. However, healthcare organizations are persistently difficult to change, and literature…

Abstract

Organizational change is a key mechanism to ensure the sustainability of healthcare systems. However, healthcare organizations are persistently difficult to change, and literature is riddled with examples of failed change endeavors. In this chapter, we attempt to unravel the underlying causes for failed organizational change. We distinguish three types of change with different levels of depth that require different change approaches. Transformations are the deepest forms of change where beliefs and principles need to be modified to successfully influence routines. Renewals are deep forms of change where principles need to be modified to successfully influence routines. Improvements are shallow forms of change where only modifications at the level of routines are needed. Using deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) as our metaphor, we propose a theory of “organizational DNA” to understand organizations and these three types of organizational changes. We posit that organizations are made up of a double helix consisting of a so-called “social string,” which contains the “soft” interaction or communication among the organization's members, and a so-called “technical string,” which contains “hard” organizational aspects such as structure and technology. Ladders of organizational nucleotides (i.e., Routines, Principles, and Beliefs) connect this double helix in various combinations. Together, the double helix and accompanying nucleotides make up the DNA of an organization. Without knowledge of the architecture of organizational DNA and whether a change addresses beliefs, principles, and/or routines, we believe that organizational change is constrained and based on luck rather than change management expertise. Following this metaphor, we show that organizational change fails when it attempts to change one part of the DNA (e.g., routines) in a way that renders it incompatible with the connecting components (e.g., principles and beliefs). We discuss how the theory can be applied in practice using an exemplar case.

Article
Publication date: 16 November 2023

Santi Gopal Maji and Rupjyoti Saha

This study investigates the effect of intellectual capital (IC) and its components on the technical efficiency of Indian commercial banks after controlling the influence of…

Abstract

Purpose

This study investigates the effect of intellectual capital (IC) and its components on the technical efficiency of Indian commercial banks after controlling the influence of bank-specific and macroeconomic variables.

Design/methodology/approach

The study selects a sample of 37 listed Indian commercial banks from 2005 to 2019 and uses the two-step data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach. Banks' technical efficiency scores are first estimated, while the relationship between IC and technical efficiency is examined in the second stage using the panel data Tobit model.

Findings

This study's findings suggest a fluctuating trend in the technical efficiency of Indian banks. Notably, from 2015 onwards, a declining technical efficiency trend is observed for all banks. However, private-sector banks outperform public-sector banks in terms of technical efficiency. This study's regression analysis indicates a positive relationship between IC and banks' technical efficiency scores. Further, by decomposing IC into its components like human capital, structural capital and capital employed, the study's findings show that human capital and structural capital enhance banks' technical efficiency. Notably, capital employed reduces technical efficiency. Moreover, bank size, diversification, capitalization, net interest margin and the country's growth rate significantly drive Indian banks' efficiency. In contrast, their operating cost ratio and the country's inflation negatively influence the same.

Originality/value

This study makes a novel endeavor to examine the IC and bank's technical efficiency nexus in the Indian context, encompassing a period of landmark banking reforms.

Details

Managerial Finance, vol. 50 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0307-4358

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 October 2023

Vasim Akram, Hussein Al-Zyoud, Asheref Illiyan and Fathi Elloumi

This study examines the performance of India's food processing sector by estimating its output growth, technical efficiency (TE) and input-driven growth (IDG)

Abstract

Purpose

This study examines the performance of India's food processing sector by estimating its output growth, technical efficiency (TE) and input-driven growth (IDG)

Design/methodology/approach

This study used panel data from six food processing manufacturing industries for the period 2000–01 to 2017–18. Technical efficiency and input-driven growth was measured using the parametric half-normal stochastic frontier production function.

Findings

The findings of this study showed that the estimated average technical efficiency is 86.6%, which specifies that the Indian food processing sector is technically inefficient. In addition, the output growth rate is 5.5%, driven by high doses of inputs (5.7%), whereas there is no indication of constant returns to scale. However, the food processing sector has experienced more input-driven expansion than either technological or efficiency changes.

Research limitations/implications

This study is limited to India's organized manufacturing food processing sector; the aggregate macro data at a three-digit level based on the national industrial classification (NIC) was used. This study provides robust estimates for industrialists and processors, as well as concrete policy formulations on how overdoses of inputs may lead to high exploitation of resources, whereas outputs can be augmented by implementing upgraded and new technologies.

Originality/value

Previous research has estimated the total factor productivity and technical efficiency only in order to analyze the food sector's performance, but none of the studies have evaluated the share of inputs in growth performance and efficiency. Therefore, this study contributes by measuring growth performance and the share of inputs in the growth performance of India's food processing sector.

Details

Journal of Economic and Administrative Sciences, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1026-4116

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 3 November 2023

Adella Grace Migisha, Joseph Mapeera Ntayi, Muyiwa S. Adaramola, Faisal Buyinza, Livingstone Senyonga and Joyce Abaliwano

An unreliable supply of grid electricity has a strong negative impact on industrial and commercial profitability as well as on household activities and government services that…

Abstract

Purpose

An unreliable supply of grid electricity has a strong negative impact on industrial and commercial profitability as well as on household activities and government services that rely on electricity supply. This unreliable grid electricity could be a result of technical and security factors affecting the grid network. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effects of technical and security factors on the transmission and distribution of grid electricity in Uganda.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used the ordinary least squares (OLS) and autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) models to examine the effects of technical and security factors on grid electricity reliability in Uganda. The study draws upon secondary time series monthly data sourced from the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) government utility, which transmits electricity to both distributors and grid users. Additionally, data from Umeme Limited, the largest power distribution utility in Uganda, were incorporated into the analysis.

Findings

The findings revealed that technical faults, failed grid equipment, system overload and theft and vandalism affected grid electricity reliability in the transmission and distribution subsystems of the Ugandan power grid network. The effect was computed both in terms of frequency and duration of power outages. For instance, the number of power outages was 116 and 2,307 for transmission and distribution subsystems, respectively. In terms of duration, the power outages reported on average were 1,248 h and 5,826 h, respectively, for transmission and distribution subsystems.

Originality/value

This paper investigates the effects of technical and security factors on the transmission and distribution grid electricity reliability, specifically focusing on frequency and duration of power outages, in the Ugandan context. It combines both OLS and ARDL models for analysis and adopts the systems reliability theory in the area of grid electricity reliability research.

Details

Technological Sustainability, vol. 3 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2754-1312

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 8 August 2023

Ruth Elias and Ismail Abdi Changalima

The study investigates the effect of behavioural uncertainty on the environmental sustainability of restaurant businesses in Tanzania. Also, the study examines the moderating role…

Abstract

Purpose

The study investigates the effect of behavioural uncertainty on the environmental sustainability of restaurant businesses in Tanzania. Also, the study examines the moderating role of purchasing technical knowledge on the main relationship between the study variables.

Design/methodology/approach

The quantitative approach was used and cross-sectional data were collected at a specific time from restaurant businesses in Dodoma, Tanzania. The PROCESS macro was used to analyse the relationships between behavioural uncertainty, purchasing technical knowledge and environmental sustainability.

Findings

Behavioural uncertainty has a significant and negative effect on the environmental sustainability of restaurant businesses. Purchasing technical knowledge, on the other hand, has a positive and significant effect on the environmental sustainability of restaurant businesses. Finally, purchasing technical knowledge has a positive and significant moderating effect on the relationship between behavioural uncertainty and environmental sustainability such that the negative effect of behavioural uncertainty is reduced with increasing purchasing technical knowledge.

Research limitations/implications

This study considers purchasing skills in terms of purchasing technical knowledge as a moderating variable; hence, other studies may take into account other moderating variables to extend this study. Also, the study considered only environmental sustainability and hence is limited in terms of other dimensions of sustainability and provide an avenue for further research in social and economic sustainability.

Practical implications

Since purchasing technical knowledge reduces the negative effect of behavioural uncertainty on the relationship with environmental sustainability, restaurant managers should be encouraged to improve their purchasing technical knowledge by attending short- and long-term training on purchasing functions in the restaurant industry.

Social implications

The social implications of the investigated link between behavioural uncertainty, purchasing technical knowledge and environmental sustainability in the restaurant industry include raising awareness, promoting sustainable practises and fostering an environmentally responsible culture. By addressing behavioural uncertainty, leveraging purchasing technical knowledge and embracing sustainability the industry can contribute to a more environmentally conscious society.

Originality/value

By providing empirical evidence from Tanzania, the study extends literature on examining the environmental sustainability of restaurant businesses. The study also establishes the interaction effect of purchasing technical knowledge as an important skill in reducing the negative effect of behavioural uncertainty on enhancing environmental sustainability in restaurant businesses.

Details

LBS Journal of Management & Research, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0972-8031

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 June 2023

Mohammad Hossein Zolfaghar Arani, Mahmoud Lari Dashtbayaz and Mahdi Salehi

This study aims to determine the contributing factors to technical knowledge valuation at the related quadruple levels of commercialisation, including the idea, benchtop technical…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to determine the contributing factors to technical knowledge valuation at the related quadruple levels of commercialisation, including the idea, benchtop technical knowledge, prototype technical knowledge and commercialised technical knowledge, and then classify the factors by the valuation objectives.

Design/methodology/approach

The study method is descriptive-causal, and documentation tools of published scientific research articles in authentic local and international journals were used to extract the contributing factors to technical knowledge valuation. Moreover, the Likert spectrum-based questionnaire is used to determine the weight of each determined component. On the other hand, hierarchical analysis is used based on the extracted results from the distributed classification questionnaire among scholars to determine the allocable weight of each component.

Findings

The results indicate that at the idea step, the highest ranks among the contributing factors to technical knowledge valuation are for the indicators of innovation rate enhancement, novelty, creation of new products, profitability growth and dependence decline. In the benchtop technical knowledge step, the indicators of profitability growth, product quality enhancement, novelty, production risk drop, innovation rate enhancement, production costs drop, product price competitiveness and independence from rare machinery have the highest impact coefficients on valuation. Moreover, the prioritisation of factors in prototype technical knowledge shows that the indicators of productive risk decline, infrastructure, decrease in product delivery time, productivity growth and profitability growth are the most critical factors in technical knowledge valuation. Finally, profitability growth factors, production cost drop, productive risk drop, creating a new product, product price competitiveness and dependence decline determine the most valuable technical knowledge in the commercialisation phase.

Research limitations/implications

The most salient innovation of the study involves the development levels of technical knowledge in the commercialisation cycle for determining the contributing factors to technical knowledge valuation and using multivariate decision-making methods to classify the so-called factors. The major limitation can be the context of the study because the paper was carried out by Iranian assessors and specialists using the experiences, opinions and approaches of opinion leaders based on the dominant social, cultural and accounting background of a developing country, not a developed one.

Originality/value

This paper is applicable because it elucidates the technical knowledge valuation factors for managers and owners of technological and knowledge-based companies to facilitate value determination and register the technical knowledge of innovative products in financial statements for the logical presentation of available intangible assets in the economic unit. Besides, in the high-tech area, collecting information from the contributing factors to technical knowledge valuation provides an opportunity to support intellectual property rights and facilitate transaction processes. Finally, in legal areas, in cases of breaching intellectual property rights relative to technical knowledge, the determination of technical knowledge value provides a solid basis for estimating the damage rate.

Details

International Journal of Innovation Science, vol. 16 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-2223

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 May 2023

Sajjad Alam, Jianhua Zhang, Said Muhammad, Ahmad Ali and Naveed Khan

The knowledge management (KM) sharing process plays an essential role in manufacturing under Green Implementation Network (GIN). This study aims to analyze the KM process of…

Abstract

Purpose

The knowledge management (KM) sharing process plays an essential role in manufacturing under Green Implementation Network (GIN). This study aims to analyze the KM process of adopting a GIN to determine the relative importance of technical risk minimization. The proposed conceptual model was tested by considering two interrelated concepts (GIN and KM process).

Design/methodology/approach

Primary data from manufacturing companies in Henan province, China, were collected through 276 questionnaires. PLS-SEM and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) were applied to investigate the configurational path of minimizing the technical risk in the manufacturing process.

Findings

The findings showed that the GIN and KM processes minimize the technical risk. The fsQCA reported multiple configurational of GIN and KM processes validated toward technical risk reduction. The study's findings contribute to the existing body of knowledge on technical risk reduction in manufacturing concerns by investigating the complex intersection between GIN and KM process.

Originality/value

This research adds to current GIN and KM literature by focusing on the green process using a resource-based view (RBV) and socio-technical theories. The current study provides practical and theoretical justification for explaining the relationship between GIN and KM processes. Moreover, this study adds to the literature by providing evidence that KM is an essential manufacturing industry enabler in minimizing technical risk.

Details

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, vol. 34 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-038X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 May 2023

Hazem Abdulla, Catherine McCauley-Smith and Sina Moradi

Project managers' competencies contribute toward project success in a considerable manner. The significance of technical competencies' (TCs) contribution toward success in Oil and…

Abstract

Purpose

Project managers' competencies contribute toward project success in a considerable manner. The significance of technical competencies' (TCs) contribution toward success in Oil and Gas (O&G) projects is even higher due to the complexity and the technology-intensive nature of these projects. However, technical competencies have often been overlooked in favor of behavioral competencies or simply identified and listed in terms of their significance. Thus, there is currently very limited research-based knowledge concerning the contribution mechanisms of technical competencies toward project execution success. Hence, the aim of this study is to explore the contribution mechanisms of TCs toward success in O&G projects.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study was employed as the research strategy through which data was collected from project professionals in O&G projects in the Kingdom of Bahrain using semi-structured interviews. Transcripts of the interviews were then analyzed through thematic analysis method with the aid of NVIVO 12.

Findings

The findings reveal six mechanisms through which technical competencies of project managers contribute toward execution success in O&G projects. TCs not only act as a launch pad toward project success, but also help in optimizing engineering designs throughout the project life cycle.

Originality/value

Instead of simply identifying and listing TCs, the obtained results enhance our current understanding of their contribution mechanisms toward project success in O&G projects.

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 16 no. 4/5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

Keywords

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