Construction Of Chains Research Articles

Implementing Intelligent Manufacturing Policies to Increase the Total Factor Productivity in Manufacturing: Transmission Mechanisms Through Construction of Industrial Chains

Implementing Intelligent Manufacturing Policies to Increase the Total Factor Productivity in Manufacturing: Transmission Mechanisms Through Construction of Industrial Chains

The mechanism of supply chain efficiency in enterprise digital transformation and total factor productivity

Digital transformation (DT) represents a crucial measure for enterprises to enhance production efficiency. Supply chain construction has become a key strategic focus, and its efficient operation serves as a vital safeguard for elevating overall production efficiency within the enterprise. Based on the data of China's A-share listed enterprises from 2001 to 2022, this paper employed econometric models to investigate the impact of enterprise DT on total factor productivity (TFP),with a particular emphasis on examining the mechanistic role played by supply chain efficiency (SCE). The research findings reveal that: (1) Enterprise DT can significantly enhance TFP. The robustness of these results persists even after undergoing a series of endogeneity tests. (2) SCE plays a crucial mechanistic role in the impact of enterprise DT on TFP. The research results have been fully empirically tested, enterprises can significantly promote the inventory turnover with the help of digital technology, and then improve the TFP. The research findings and corresponding policy recommendations can provide a theoretical basis for enterprises in formulating DT strategies and delineating the supply chain development direction. This holds significant practical implications for enhancing enterprise production efficiency and achieving carbon neutral goal.

Bilateral value chain reshaping through regional trade agreements deepening: Evidence from belt and road countries

This paper investigates the impact of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) on the reshaping of value chains from both domestic and regional perspectives by using national-level data from the Belt and Road countries. The findings indicate that the depth of RTAs among Belt and Road countries can not only enhance regional integration characterized by regional value chain inter-connections and promote the value chain upgrading of trading partners in the regional production system, but also facilitates the construction of domestic value chains, thus forming a new pattern of bilateral value chain reshaping. The conclusions still hold after addressing the potential endogeneity and robustness concerns. Mechanism test results show that the effects of productivity enhancement and institutional quality improvement are important channels for RTAs-deepening to promote value chain reshaping. Heterogeneity test results indicate that ‘WTO-X’ provisions of RTAs are more conducive to promoting value chain reshaping, and the promoting effect of RTAs-deepening on value chain reshaping is more significant for the manufacturing industry. These findings have important policy implications to further expand high-level opening-up, deepen RTAs provisions and actively participate in global governance.

Strategic Innovations in Apple's Supply Chain Management: Objectives, Methods, and Strategies for Navigating Global Market Challenges

This study looks at global supply chain risks and remedies in the context of Apple Inc.'s supply chain, which is renowned for being efficient and complicated. Apple's supply chain management strategy (SCM) optimizes costs and efficiency by integrating the planning and control of manufacturing, distribution, and sales. Efficient worldwide product delivery and very high operational standards are guaranteed by centralized strategic decision-making and collaboration with key suppliers like Foxconn. The report emphasizes how Apple uses cutting-edge logistics technology to reduce risks like supply interruptions and geopolitical unrest, which are becoming more common in today's international marketplace. Additionally, the study holds that in order to gain a long-term market competitiveness and manage a more uncertain external environment, today's smart device and electronic equipment manufacturers represented by Apple need to embrace the wave of digital transformation and increase resilience through strategic innovation and the construction of ethical and sustainable supply chains. This entails building morally and environmentally sound supply networks as well as implementing strategic innovations that increase supply chain resilience. Businesses that use this approach not only mitigate short-term risks but also establish a strong basis for sustained prosperity, guaranteeing their ability to adjust and prosper in the dynamic international arena.

Rearticulating Realism: Chains of Reference and Epistemic Success in the Sciences

In recent decades, the long-standing debate about the scientific status of the social sciences and their explanatory nature has been rearticulated through perspectivist, interpretivist, and mechanistic approaches. Whereas mechanistic approaches advocate for realism in sociological models, perspectivist and interpretivist perspectives challenge this by emphasizing the multiple interpretations and meaningful nature of social reality, as opposed to the natural sciences. Currently, the metatheoretical discussion centers on competing views regarding the relationship between theories and the objects they address. In contrast to this focus on theories, I propose a rearticulation of Hacking’s interventionist argument. I argue that all sciences share a common epistemic activity—the construction of chains of reference—which points to shared notions of success. This paves the way for realism through a practice-based argument that does not originate from ontological disputes, suggesting that our best theories are those literally embedded in scientific practice.

Analysis of Green Supply Chain Construction and Driving Factors in the Context of New Retail: Case Study of JD.com

The retail industry occupies an important position in the national economy and is a fundamental industry. With the development of the Internet, retail is constantly innovating, and online retail is developing rapidly. Retail enterprises under the new retail model represented by JD.com have embarked on a new journey in the retail industry. With the further development and acceleration of industrialisation, reducing resource waste and environmental pollution has become a problem that retail enterprises must face. This paper introduces the case of JD.com in building a green supply chain in the context of new retail and analyses. It summarises the driving factors of JDs establishment of a green supply chain by combining the interdisciplinary perspectives of new retail and green supply chains. At the same time, specific case evidence is provided from the perspective of each link in the supply chain. It aims to provide multi-dimensional guidance for the green supply chain transformation of new retail enterprises, which can help improve their market competitiveness, provide better consumer experience, enhance consumer trust, and help avoid potential legal risks.

Research and Analysis on the Development of New Energy Vehicles in the Context of Low-Carbon Environmental Protection

Driven by the global wave of low-carbon and environmental consciousness, the new energy vehicle industry is poised for unprecedented development opportunities. As environmental challenges become increasingly severe, governments worldwide have implemented a series of policies to encourage the research and promotion of new energy vehicles. These vehicles not only play a crucial role in alleviating environmental pressures but also foster technological innovation and the transformation of economic structures. This paper, from the perspective of low-carbon and environmental protection, examines the current development status and technological pathways of new energy vehicles, explores the impact of policy support and industry chain construction on their advancement, and provides a forecast of the market outlook. Through a thorough analysis, a better understanding of the role and significance of new energy vehicles in low-carbon environmental protection can be gained, offering scientific foundations for future policy-making and industrial development.

Research on the path of industrial revitalization to promote rural revitalization

Industrial revitalization is the premise, foundation and key to achieving the rural revitalization strategy. Industrial revitalization is the primary task and central issue of the rural revitalization strategy. The Chinese medicinal materials industry covers the primary, secondary and tertiary industries, with a long industrial chain, high added value and strong driving force, and plays an important role in promoting rural economic and social development. Bozhou City is rich in Chinese medicinal resources, has a good foundation for the Chinese medicinal materials industry and distinctive characteristics. It is a dominant and characteristic industry and a people-enriching industry in Bozhou City and even Anhui Province. This paper investigates the development status of the rural Chinese medicinal materials industry in three counties and one district in Bozhou City, analyzes the advantages, disadvantages, opportunities and challenges of the Chinese medicinal materials industry in Bozhou City in promoting rural industrial revitalization. On this basis, a systematic and specific implementation path and guarantee system for the Chinese medicinal materials industry in Bozhou City to help rural industrial revitalization are designed, including top-level design, improving infrastructure construction, cultivating modern business organizations, integrating the development of Chinese medicinal materials industry, and strengthening the construction of various industrial chains of rural Chinese medicinal materials production, processing, warehousing and logistics, and brand marketing, etc., and building a guarantee system in four aspects: organizational coordination, financial support, talent training, and scientific and technological support.

Recent Advances on Catalytic Atroposelective Synthesis of Planar‐Chiral Macrocycles

AbstractPlanar‐chiral skeletons widely exist in natural products, bioactive compounds, and other functional molecules. Although significant progress has been made in the field of asymmetric synthesis of centrally or axially chiral molecules over the past years, enantioselective constructing of planar chirality is still a big obstacle and numerous efforts have been made in this field. Previous works have mainly focused on the assembly of planar‐chiral [2,2]‐paracyclophanes and metallocenes. This Minireview describes recent advancements in asymmetric catalytic synthesis of planar‐chiral macrocycles, including ansa chain construction, plane formation and asymmetric transformation strategies. It is anticipated that this Minireview will sever as a source of inspiration for developing new unconventional procedures for access to planar‐chiral skeletons.

Recent Advances on Catalytic Atroposelective Synthesis of Planar-Chiral Macrocycles.

Planar-chiral skeletons widely exist in natural products, bioactive compounds, and other functional molecules. Although significant progress has been made in the field of asymmetric synthesis of centrally or axially chiral molecules over the past years, enantioselective constructing of planar chirality is still a big obstacle and numerous efforts have been made in this field. Previous works have mainly focused on the assembly of planar-chiral [2,2]-paracyclophanes and metallocenes. This Minireview describes recent advancements in asymmetric catalytic synthesis of planar-chiral macrocycles, including ansa chain construction, plane formation and asymmetric transformation strategies. It is anticipated that this Minireview will sever as a source of inspiration for developing new unconventional procedures for access to planar-chiral skeletons.

Искусственный интеллект в образовании: чего опасаться, что использовать?

2023 was a landmark in terms of artificial intelligence (AI) use breakthrough, with emergence of the first large language model GPT-4 in free access. This spurred questions and concerns over AI influence on educational system, namely on language learning. In practice, GPT-kind language models can generate texts, translate them and address consecutive questions. Nevertheless, they are largely limited as are uncapable of complex logical chains construction and understanding of context nuances. Within language learning AI-based services may be used as a tool for text work, but can’t be base to forming of foreign language communication skills. Emergence of AI nevertheless raises questions over the need to adjust the educational system to the coming future, with AI being of dominant role in all the fields of human activities.

Approaching transcendence: a conceptual discussion on procurement fraud, education, professionalism maturity, ethics and implications

PurposeThis study aims to explore and present discussions regarding the interconnectedness of procurement fraud, supply chain education, professional maturity and ethics, and their relevance to adopting a transcendence concept as well as proposing research directions thereof.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a conceptual, intending to synthesize insights and propose a new conceptual framework that incorporates the transcendence framework and the process matrix. This generic framework provides a holistic view of the procurement and supply chain landscape at multiple levels – individual, team, organizational and industry.FindingsThis paper delves into the complex landscape of corruption within procurement, involving a diverse array of participants, including procurement professionals. The effectiveness of current corruption theories may be limited in this context. Despite the introduction of ethical training and anti-corruption initiatives, corruption remains widespread. The delivery of content and the design of the curriculum in supply chain education necessitate a reorientation to include not only moral education but also practical or hands-on delivery methods. In Kenya, sectors such as health and education exhibit a lack of recognition and professional maturity. When all the research constructs are examined separately, they do not provide a holistic understanding, thus underscoring the need for a comprehensive approach across the supply chain spectrum. This topic is ripe for further academic investigation with empirical evidence.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper provides key insights for researchers and practitioners in the field of procurement and supply chain education, particularly in Kenya. However, it acknowledges the lack of empirical studies and the limitations of current research, including procurement fraud, the context-specific nature of the findings and the dynamic nature of corruption and procurement practices concerning the constructs. This paper calls for further research to address these gaps, validate its propositions and contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of public procurement and corruption in Kenya. It also emphasizes the need for continuous research due to the evolving nature of corruption and procurement practices.Practical implicationsThis study has practical relevance for researchers, professionals and the procurement and supply chain ecosystem. It offers insights that can inform future research, professional advocacy and policy development regarding the shape of supply chain academia in Kenya. In addition, it contributes to the advancement of procurement and supply chain professionalism in the country.Social implicationsThis study underscores the necessity for breaking the cycle of procurement fraud, enhancing procurement and supply chain education in Kenya, and fostering active engagement of professional associations in promoting maturity and specialization within the field.Originality/valueThis study holds distinctive value by uncovering previously unexplored dynamics among supply chain constructs within the context of a lower-middle-income economy, i.e. Kenya. Deconstructing and synergizing these concepts calls for a more robust theoretical and empirical comprehension of these constructs within Kenya's unique background.

Exploring Performance of Using SCM Concrete: Investigating Impacts Shifting along Concrete Supply Chain and Construction

Concrete is one of the most used building materials globally, leading to a large amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Using supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) as replacements for cement in concrete provides an effective way to reduce GHG emissions. However, quantifying the construction performance of using SCM concrete is hard because of complex interactions between concrete’s mechanical properties and construction characteristics, like local energy supply, surrounding temperature and construction plans, which leads to only the fragmental performance of using SCM concrete being explored in previous studies. There still lacks an effective way to quantify the comprehensive performance and provide decision support for contractors about how to use SCM concrete. To deal with the gap, this research proposes a Collection–Simulation–Calculation–Decision (CSCD) method to analyze the complex interactions between concrete and construction, and to quantify the performance of the supply chain–construction when using SCM. A case study is also conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that the proposed method is effective in quantifying the performance of using SCM concrete in construction and providing decision support for construction decision makers. A scenario analysis is also conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in different project characteristics, including the global warming potential (GWP) factors for different construction sites, seasonal temperature changes and different construction plans. The proposed method is an effective tool to quantify the construction performance of using SCM concrete considering complex interactions between concrete mechanical properties and construction characteristics. The results of the research can assist construction decision makers to make decisions about using SCM concrete by comprehensively understanding the impacts shifting along the concrete supply chain and construction.

Visual Analyses of Hot Spots and Frontiers in Zanthoxylum planispinum Research Based on CiteSpace

Zanthoxylum planispinum is a type of plant with homologous properties in medicine and food, making it well-loved in China. To explore the development of the Z. planispinum field over the past 20 years, its research hotspots and frontier trends were analyzed. This study conducted database-based visualization analyses and knowledge graph analyses using CiteSpace software with data concerning Z. planispinum published in the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure and Web of Science databases between 2003 and 2023. Over the last 20 years, the number of Chinese and English publications on Z. planispinum has shown increasing trends. The foci of this research were mainly germplasm resources, cultivation management, seed oil extraction technology, flavonoid extraction technology, and correlation analyses of antioxidant activities. The main research frontiers included the unified standard naming and adaptation mechanisms of Z. germplasm resources, orientation cultivation, functional component extraction, processing technology research and development, and industrial chain construction. The results provide a scientific reference for the high-quality development of the prickly ash industry.

Commodity chain as a negotiated process: Empirical analysis of benefit allocation, governance, and powers of upstream and downstream actors in matsutake mushroom trade in Shangri-La, Yunnan Province

The commercialization of non-timber forest products beyond in-house consumption is a strategy for alleviating rural poverty and forest degradation. With the implementation of the ecological civilization program, the Chinese government has explored the value realization mechanism of sustainable ecological products, and many successful cases of agricultural product commercialization have emerged. Focusing on the matsutake of Shangri-La as an example, this study applies both qualitative and quantitative analysis of semi-structured interviews, participatory observation, secondary data collection, and statistical analysis for the dynamics of the matsutake commodity chain construction in the southwest plateau of China to obtain unique insights into contemporary rural China. Specifically, the interrelationships and functional logic of diverse participants in the core process of commodity management were analyzed. We found that the upstream and downstream participants in the matsutake commodity chain are subject to institutional constraints, such as land tenure and non-unified standards, and that markets are crucial to matsutake's trading in Shangri-La. Certain participants along the commodity chain have inefficient information sources, while middlemen have greater autonomy in the matsutake transaction process and a larger profit margin. Additionally, the involvement of the government and non-governmental organizations impacts the preservation of natural resources and the creation of a stable market order, but policies and funds tend to be short-lived. To improve the commodity chain sustainability of non-timber forest products in plateau areas, it is necessary to consider social and cultural factors, ensure the equity of different participants in the commodity chain, and protect traditional local knowledge related to natural resource management.

RCEP regional value chain construction and global value chain position enhancement: a measurement analysis based on regional value chains

RCEP regional value chain construction and global value chain position enhancement: a measurement analysis based on regional value chains

Utilizing network analysis to explore student qualitative inferential reasoning chains

Over the course of the introductory calculus-based physics course, students are often expected to build conceptual understanding and develop and refine skills in problem solving and qualitative inferential reasoning. Many of the research-based materials developed over the past 30 years by the physics education research community use sequences of scaffolded questions to step students through a qualitative inferential reasoning chain. It is often tacitly assumed that, in addition to building conceptual understanding, such materials improve qualitative reasoning skills. However, clear documentation of the impact of such materials on qualitative reasoning skills is critical. New methodologies are needed to better study reasoning processes and to disentangle, to the extent possible, processes related to physics content from processes general to all human reasoning. As a result, we have employed network analysis methodologies to examine student responses to reasoning-related tasks in order to gain deeper insight into the nature of student reasoning in physics. In this paper, we show that network analysis metrics are both interpretable and valuable when applied to student reasoning data generated from . We also demonstrate that documentation of improvements in the articulation of specific lines of reasoning can be obtained from a network analysis of responses to reasoning chain construction tasks. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Polymer-fiber combined effect for improving sand mechanical and micro-damage response

Sand instability is always an intractable problem in geotechnical engineering and its reinforcement using additives is an effective method. This paper introduces the organic polymer reinforcer (OPR) and the recycled polypropylene fiber (RPF) to modify sand. The unconfined compression and corresponding numerical tests were performed to investigate mechanical properties, deformation failure behavior, and microscopic response. Results showed that both materials positively affect the mechanical and deformation properties of modified sand synergistically. Optimized particle structure by the inter-particle polymer membrane linked the loose sand into a whole with fibers as a framework. Strain-softening properties were reduced with less strain localization under loading. This is also clearly related to the improvement of the micro-damage based on numerical results. OPR-RPF reinforcement transformed the bond failure from unidirectional concentration to multilocal dispersion by improving force chain construction, microcrack propagation, and energy allocation. Thus, the failure of modified sand showed a macroscopic progression from shear-faulting via ductile-faulting to ductile flow. Future research lies in further considering the particle shape and pore structure variations to provide new insights for a deeper understanding of sand stabilization mechanisms and engineering applications.

GLSBIoT: GWO-based enhancement for lightweight scalable blockchain for IoT with trust based consensus

Blockchain technology, which has gained much attention from researchers, faces challenges when applied to resource-constrained devices in the Internet of Things (IoT). These challenges include significant network overhead and energy-intensive processes. We propose a trust-based ensemble consensus and Grey Wolf Optimization (GWO) algorithm to address these limitations. The trust-based ensemble consensus leverages Proof of Work (PoW) and Proof of Stake (PoS) consensus procedures to improve trust levels within the network. To boost scalability and throughput without sacrificing the security and privacy of IoT data, we utilize sidechaining with the efficient GWO algorithm, allowing the construction of parallel chains connected to the main blockchain. Our experimental results outperformed conventional models by increasing throughput by 12.5% while decreasing mining delay by 19.5% and energy usage by 18.3%. The conducted security analysis reveals the presented lightweight framework is robust against Finney, DoS, Sybil, and Masquerade attacks. These improvements suggest the potential of this approach to provide privacy, integrity, and anonymity in blockchain-enabled IoT systems for smart city applications.

Роль политических институтов в экономическом развитии Юга России в условиях новой реальности

Introduction. Ineffective resolution of economic problems by political institutions can jeopardize a country’s technological sovereignty in the face of existing geopolitical challenges. The purpose of the article is to identify areas for increasing the efficiency of the functioning of political institutions from the point of view of ensuring the economic security of the southern Russian regions, considering the challenges of socio-economic development that exist for them. Methodology and methods. This study centers on the Southern Federal District, which acts as an administrative entity responsible for implementing regional-level economic policies. The research utilized content analysis of scientific publications and comparative analysis of regional socio-economic indicators of economic development as part of implementing economic policy. The method for analyzing the influence of political institutions on economic development was based on the principle of balancing the combination of tactical and strategic decisions in assessing the effectiveness of implemented measures and was based on the basic principles of the theory of factors of production. Analysis. An analysis of the results of the economic policy pursued in the southern Russian regions showed that a relatively high level of resistance to sanctions challenges is ensured mainly by the export capabilities of agricultural products. However, the continued high level of import dependence on production increases the risk of conflict over the use of production factors between exportoriented companies and companies oriented to the domestic market, which creates significant threats to the implementation of national growth models. The turn of state economic policy towards the global East and South poses the tasks of the authorities of the southern Russian regions to develop transport infrastructure, as well as state support for companies participating in the construction of new production and supply chains. At the same time, increasing migration flows from border areas requires solving the problem of ensuring the socio-economic well-being of both the people moving and the host community. Results. It was found that the existing political risks to the economic development of southern Russian regions are associated with a lack of balance between the political decisions made and the strategic objectives of achieving technological sovereignty. It is concluded that the conditions of modern economic reality require economic and political mobilization to achieve value consensus and consolidation in society in order to solve the problems of economic development, implemented through the responsibility and patriotic position of political and economic elites at all levels of government. Authors’ contribution. I.V. Mitrofanova: development and justification of the concept; interpretation and synthesis of research results; O.A. Chernova: formation of methodology; development of research design; content analysis; formulation of conclusions.