High-technology Manufacturing Research Articles

The Essential Elements of Japan Super Science High School Projects: A Case Study of Shizuoka Prefecture

To support the enhancement of science and technology, the Japanese government established the Super Science High School in 2002. However, there is a lack of information about this school for international scholars. We addressed this problem by observing and working with SSH in Shizuoka Prefecture and understanding their intended school models. The context of Shizuoka prefecture is interesting because it is well-known for its high-technology manufacturing company. Our “bottom-up” approach was mainly based on observation, in contrasts with other studies using a literaturebased method to define SSH schools. We identified four elements that represent the common goals and strategies employed by SSH: Independence scientific research, Scientific English, courses related to STEM, and international collaboration. This framework offers a clear picture of what exactly SSH schools are. Findings suggest that SSH identity is rooted in pedagogy, school culture, and rigorous instruction, especially in science and technology, including support from scientists and researchers from the surrounding universities as invited speakers, teacher assistance, and opportunities to conduct research in university-level laboratories. Keywords: essential elements, Japan Super Science High School, Projects, Case Study

Identification on the common supply chain paths of CO2 and NOx emissions from the manufacturing industry in China

ABSTRACT Since the ‘Made in China 2025’ initiative was proposed, the transformation and upgrading of China’s manufacturing industry towards a high-end, intelligent, and green status has been accelerated, and the climate change and air pollution issues draw immediate attention. This paper investigated the simultaneous control paths of CO2 and NOx emissions throughout the manufacturing transition in China. Based on environmental input-output analysis, the production- and consumption-based CO2 and NOx emissions in 2015 and 2020 were evaluated, indicating that over 70% of production-side emissions were caused by medium-technology manufacturing, and over 50% of consumption-side emissions came from high-technology manufacturing. Then, the structural path analysis was introduced to extract the synergistic emission pathways of CO2 and NOx. The ‘smelting and pressing of metal sector → construction → investment’ pathway, which produced emissions of 347.71 Mt CO2 and 639.9 Kt NOx in 2015, was identified as the most critical path to achieve manufacturing synergistic reduction. Additionally, investment demand in the construction sector seriously affected the collaborative reduction of CO2 and NOx emissions in supply chains of medium-technology manufacturing. The critical supply chain of high-technology manufacturing for achieving coordinated emission reduction was mainly driven by export demand for chemical products.

Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Manufacturing Industry Global Value Chain Position

Using transnational panel data from 61 nations and regions from 2000 to 2019, this article empirically examines both the influence of artificial intelligence on the Global Value Chain as it pertains to the manufacturing industry and its mechanism of action. According to the report, AI significantly improves the industrial sector’s GVC position; this finding still holds after multiple robustness and endogeneity tests of the model. The findings of the heterogeneity test at the national level demonstrate that, in developing nations as opposed to developed countries, AI has a stronger impact on advancing the GVC position of the manufacturing industry. Heterogeneity tests at the industry level show that AI has a significant role in promoting the GVC of high, medium and low technology manufacturing industries. The mechanism test demonstrates three primary ways by which AI contributes to improving the GVC position of the manufacturing industry: by improving both production efficiency and technological innovation capacity, and by reducing trade costs. This study provides policy implications for the promotion of AI with respect to China’s manufacturing industry GVC position.

Determinants of exports performance: Evidence from Indonesian low-, medium-, and high-technology manufacturing industries.

This study explores the determinants of the export performance of Indonesia's low-, medium-, and high-technology manufacturing industries by focusing on the role of raw-material imports and technical efficiency. Micro firm-level data from 2010-2015 were utilized for the analysis in this study. The stochastic frontier analysis was employed to measure technical inefficiency and to determine its effect on export performance. Our findings indicate that in all categories of industry technical efficiency, raw materials imports, foreign direct investment (FDI), location, firm size, labour productivity, and concentration of industries were significant determinants of export performance. While high efficiency increases exports in low- and medium-technology firms, exports decrease in firms with high efficiency accompanied by high imports, FDI, size, and labour productivity. Furthermore, in high-technology industries, efficiency reduces exports and again increases them when mediated by a concentration of industries and location. The empirical strategy also supports the positive effect of imports on export performance in both industries, which also aligns with decreased exports in firms with high imports accompanied by high FDI, efficiency, labour productivity, the concentration of industries, and size. To this end, the study has implications for low-, medium-, and high-technology manufacturing that are mainly concerned with increasing exports.

Intra-Industry trade in Manufactured Goods between India and Select Southeast Asian Nations: An Empirical Examination using the G-l Index

"Post the wave of industrialisation, a new order of world trade emerged, which could not be explained by the classical and neoclassical models of trade. Such a trade pattern came to be denoted as ‘Intra- Industry-Trade’(IIT), implying exchange of similar or identical goods and services within an industry or sector between countries. The ASEAN is India’s fourth largest trading partner, and their economic partnership has been growing exponentially. A high degree of IIT exists in India-ASEAN trade. The present study undertakes a comprehensive examination of IIT in manufactures between India and top five trade partners among ASEAN, i.e., Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam during the period 1992-2020. As manufactures comprise of the most traded category between India-ASEAN, Intra-Industry trade is examined at technology level, wherein manufactures are classified into resource based, low, medium, and high technology manufactures, and at commodity category level, wherein IIT is examined based on major manufactured categories. The analysis reveals exponential increase in India’s IIT among manufactured goods with the select ASEAN countries from 1992 to 2020. Albeit the degree of IIT varies by country, which has been examined in detail. The study suggests the promotion of IIT between the partner countries such that the several benefits of IIT can be harnessed, such as, efficiency gains, improved competitiveness, increased productivity, and greater economic growth, which would be mutually advantageous to India and ASEAN countries."

Intra-Industry trade in Manufactured Goods between India and Select Southeast Asian Nations: An Empirical Examination using the G-l Index

"Post the wave of industrialisation, a new order of world trade emerged, which could not be explained by the classical and neoclassical models of trade. Such a trade pattern came to be denoted as ‘Intra- Industry-Trade’(IIT), implying exchange of similar or identical goods and services within an industry or sector between countries. The ASEAN is India’s fourth largest trading partner, and their economic partnership has been growing exponentially. A high degree of IIT exists in India-ASEAN trade. The present study undertakes a comprehensive examination of IIT in manufactures between India and top five trade partners among ASEAN, i.e., Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam during the period 1992-2020. As manufactures comprise of the most traded category between India-ASEAN, Intra-Industry trade is examined at technology level, wherein manufactures are classified into resource based, low, medium, and high technology manufactures, and at commodity category level, wherein IIT is examined based on major manufactured categories. The analysis reveals exponential increase in India’s IIT among manufactured goods with the select ASEAN countries from 1992 to 2020. Albeit the degree of IIT varies by country, which has been examined in detail. The study suggests the promotion of IIT between the partner countries such that the several benefits of IIT can be harnessed, such as, efficiency gains, improved competitiveness, increased productivity, and greater economic growth, which would be mutually advantageous to India and ASEAN countries. Top of Form"

Small banks and innovative entrepreneurial culture in Italy: A historical perspective

Based on provincial (NUTS 3) data from a comprehensive survey conducted in 1927 by the Italian National Statistical Institute (ISTAT), this paper investigates the effect of the historical presence of small financial institutions on current start-up rates. It finds evidence that their presence positively affects current start-up rates in high and medium-high technology manufacturing sectors. In contrast, it does not find any significant effect in low and medium-low technology manufacturing sectors. These results suggest that the local presence of small financial institutions may have been essential in promoting the development of entrepreneurship in those sectors that are intrinsically more opaque and riskier.

How do green product exports affect carbon emissions? Evidence from China

Green development has become an increasingly important global initiative. Therefore, this study focuses on the impact of green product exports on carbon emissions in China. Firm-level datasets are used to estimate provincial green product exports between 2001–2016. This study estimates the impact of green exports on carbon emissions using the system generalized method of moments methodology. In addition, heterogeneity and asymmetry of the nexus are explored. The following findings are highlighted: (1) China’s green product exports show a significant upward trend during the study period; (2) increased green product exports, especially those of high-technology manufacturers, can effectively mitigate CO2 emissions; (3) the influence of green product exports on carbon emissions is regional heterogeneous but consistent across quantiles; and (4) technique and scale effects are significant mediators, whereas the composition effect is not. These findings provide new evidence supporting methods to mitigate China’s CO2 emissions by adjusting green product export structures.

Mapping digital health ecosystems in Africa in the context of endemic infectious and non-communicable diseases

Investments in digital health technologies such as artificial intelligence, wearable devices, and telemedicine may support Africa achieve United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal for Health by 2030. We aimed to characterize and map digital health ecosystems of all 54 countries in Africa in the context of endemic infectious and non-communicable diseases (ID and NCD). We performed a cross-national ecological analysis of digital health ecosystems using 20-year data from the World Bank, UN Economic Commission for Africa, World Health Organization, and Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients were used to characterize ecological correlations between exposure (technology characteristics) and outcome (IDs and NCDs incidence/mortality) variables. Weighted linear combination model was used as the decision rule, combining disease burden, technology access, and economy, to explain, rank, and map digital health ecosystems of a given country. The perspective of our analysis was to support government decision-making. The 20-year trend showed that technology characteristics have been steadily growing in Africa, including internet access, mobile cellular and fixed broadband subscriptions, high-technology manufacturing, GDP per capita, and adult literacy, while many countries have been overwhelmed by a double burden of IDs and NCDs. Inverse correlations exist between technology characteristics and ID burdens, such as fixed broadband subscription and incidence of tuberculosis and malaria, or GDP per capita and incidence of tuberculosis and malaria. Based on our models, countries that should prioritize digital health investments were South Africa, Nigeria, and Tanzania for HIV; Nigeria, South Africa, and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC) for tuberculosis; DROC, Nigeria, and Uganda for malaria; and Egypt, Nigeria, and Ethiopia for endemic NCDs including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, respiratory diseases, and malignancies. Countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola, and Mozambique were also highly affected by endemic IDs. By mapping digital health ecosystems in Africa, this study provides strategic guidance about where governments should prioritize digital health technology investments that require preliminary analysis of country-specific contexts to bring about sustainable health and economic returns. Building digital infrastructure should be a key part of economic development programs in countries with high disease burdens to ensure more equitable health outcomes. Though infrastructure developments alongside digital health technologies are the responsibility of governments, global health initiatives can cultivate digital health interventions substantially by bridging knowledge and investment gaps, both through technology transfer for local production and negotiation of prices for large-scale deployment of the most impactful digital health technologies.

Aging the gap: the compensation among men and women executives

Abstract In this study, we explore how early career advancement affects the gender pay gap among top executives and argue that an employee's age at attainment of an executive position serves as a signal that helps reduce biases toward women, thereby lowering gender pay differentials. We analyze career data of 803 executives from public high-technology manufacturing firms in the United States by collecting information from ExecuComp, Marquis Who's Who, LinkedIn, and Bloomberg. Our results indicate that attaining a top management position at a young age has a positive effect on pay, particularly among women, and this effect is due to the variable portion of compensation, which represents a large proportion of compensation among top executives. Further, recent research has identified a pay premium among high-potential female managers, although its key drivers remain unclear. This paper explores age as an observable signal that influences this premium and reduces the gender pay gap.

How does digital technology affect total factor productivity in manufacturing industries? Empirical evidence from China

Extensive studies have discussed the relationship between digital technology and total factor productivity (T.F.P.) in manufacturing industries, but far less attention is paid to the nonlinear relationship. Based on the panel data of China’s manufacturing industries and matching data of National Intellectual Property Public Service Network from 2000 to 2019, this article aims to explore how digital technology affects T.F.P. in manufacturing industries. The result demonstrates that a significant inverted U-shaped relationship is between digital technology and T.F.P. The threshold in high technology manufacturing industries is larger than that in low and middle technology manufacturing industries. With the progress of digital technology, the expenditure of technology and equipment upgrading is increasing. However, the marginal return of technology and equipment is decreasing, besides technology innovation. The case of China perhaps provides new insights into manufacturing industries in developing country to gain sustainable development.

Dynamic trade and technology linkages: a perspective from global value chain upgradation of Asian countries

PurposeThe focus is on determining the long-term relationship in explaining how technological capabilities interact with trade and global value chain (GVC) participation to aid in the upgradation process using a panel auto-regressive distributed lag (ARDL) model. The results suggest that export of both low-skill and medium-skill technology-intensive manufactures and patents by residents positively and significantly impact GVC participation.Design/methodology/approachThis paper examines the dynamic linkages between GVC participation and technological capability of major Asian countries in a comparative (1995–2018) perspective.FindingsThis implies that certain sectors enable greater integration into GVCs in the long-run, supported by critical learning variables. Further, with the help of the panel causality test, a bi-directional flow between GVC participation and export of high-technology manufactures and import of labour-intensive technology manufactures is witnessed. Even a one-way flow from research and development (R&D) intensity to GVC participation is seen.Originality/valueThe technological capabilities are found to be characterising the initial structure of local enterprises in trade and GVCs, as well as the extent to which emerging-market firms may harness knowledge flows and migrate into high-tech industries.

Research on the Manufacturing Development in China under the US-China Trade War

This paper aims to analyze the current condition of high technology manufacturing in China in the context of a trade war between it and the U.S. Since China and the U.S. are the largest two manufacturing countries and also the highest GDP countries, the paper presents the trend of the manufacturing within these two countries and their comparative advantage. While Chinese manufacturing wins by large scale and low production cost, U.S. manufacturing wins by its control of high technology which is more valuable to manufacturing growth today. Given the ever-intense rivalry between China and the U.S. on high-end technology manufacturing, the paper then discusses the resulted difficulty faced by China as it is experiencing a high-tech supply shortage and the solution China has used to conquer the obstacles. The solution China employed has shown its effectiveness as several high-end manufacturing areas have achieved great progress in the year after the solution was imposed. The content of the paper is meaningful to the study of the relationship between China and the U.S. and the continuing growth of Chinese manufacturing as it records the biggest tension between the two countries and the resolution China takes to save its manufacturing from a broken technology supply chain.

Back to the future: the long-term effects of skilled migration on tech-intensive trade

An emerging literature suggests that current international trade is partially explained by historical migration flows, alongside current ones. This paper provides new insights and empirical evidence about this long-run pro-trade effect of historical migration. Using hybrid panel data models, we study the link between the Italian emigration of skilled and unskilled workers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and the current knowledge-based high-technology manufacturing exports of Italian regions. Our findings support the idea that historical skilled migration has a greater long-term impact than historical unskilled migration.

Greening manufacturing: Technology intensity and carbon dioxide emissions in developing countries

Industrialisation is an important engine of growth and ‘catch up’, but also associated with harmful carbon dioxide emissions and hence with climate change. This poses a challenge for sustainable industrial development, particularly for late industrialisers on how to industrialise while also mitigating carbon dioxide emissions. This paper investigates the effect of technology intensity across manufacturing industries on carbon dioxide emissions: are medium- and high-technology manufacturing industries less emissions-intensive than low-technology manufacturing industries in developing countries? The paper analyses this relationship for a panel of 68 developing and emerging economies over the period 1990–2016, by adapting the environmental Kuznets curve and the stochastic effect by regression on population, affluence and technology approaches. Using two alternative measures of emissions and estimating generalised method of moments model, the results show that medium- and high-technology manufacturing industries are associated with lower carbon dioxide emissions than low-technology manufacturing industries. The results also show that these differences vary by the income levels of countries. These findings have important policy implications, suggesting that a shift towards more technology-intensive manufacturing production processes may be a more environmentally sustainable industrialisation path for developing countries.

Revealing the toxicity of monovalent and trivalent thallium to medaka fish in controlled exposure conditions

Thallium (Tl) is a rare earth element increasingly being used in high-technology manufacturing. It is also an emerging pollutant with high exposure and toxicity risks to aquatic ecosystems. Tl exists in the environment in a monovalent [thallous, Tl(I)] or trivalent [thallic, Tl(III)] state. Currently, the stability of the two Tl species in natural water is uncertain and the toxicity in algae and daphnia are inconsistent due to lack of robust characterization of Tl species and matrix effects, while studies with fish are sparse. In this study, larvae of medaka fish (Oryzias latipes) were dosed with environmentally relevant concentrations of Tl(I) or Tl(III) spiked into synthetic and natural river water for 7 days to observe the toxic effects of two Tl species on fish. The transformation of Tl(I) and Tl(III) in water was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with inductively coupled plasma and mass spectrometry. Analytical and toxicity results showed that Tl(I) is more stable presenting higher mortality and bioconcentration in medaka than Tl(III) in different water matrices. Tl(I)-induced LC50 and body burden in treated fish were highly correlated with its competitive ion, potassium (K), especially in waters containing medium K levels. This study provides reliable evidence regarding the stability and toxicity of Tl(I) and Tl(III) as well as the interaction of aqueous K versus Tl(I) in fish. Such information is useful for justifying water-quality guidelines and ecological risks of Tl pollution in natural water ecosystems.

Foreign Financial Services Adoption in Manufacturing by Asian Economies: New Index from the Global Value Chain Perspective

In this paper, we employ the input–output framework and recent global value chain (GVC) results to construct the index of foreign financial services adoption in manufacturing (FFSAM) that captures the role of foreign financial services in facilitating domestic manufacturing production. The FFSAM index shows that foreign financial services adoption by Asian economies has rapidly caught up with the Western world between 2007 and 2017. Asian economies tend to deploy more foreign financial services from high-income economies than low-income economies, and in high-technology manufacturing industries than low-technology manufacturing industries. Manufacturing industries that produce for domestic consumption and for exports tend to attract different groups of financial servicification providers. It is found that the FFSAM index is affected by the GVC position, financial institution factors, and financial market characteristics.

Patterns of integration in global value chains and the changing structure of employment in Europe

Abstract This paper aims at revisiting the empirical evidence on the recent trends of countries’ integration in global value chains (GVCs) in Europe. It investigates two potential sources of unbalances that these processes might relate to (i) the sectoral specialization of the patterns of international fragmentation, whether high-technology manufacturing or knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS), and (ii) the occupational categories that have benefited or been penalized by these trends. A rich empirical mapping of these trends in the European countries is provided, based on World Input–Output Database and European Union Labour Force Survey (EU LFS) data. The results on the overall and sectoral-specific trends of integration in GVCs and the associated changes in the shares of managers and manual workers show dual-speed and qualitatively different integration patterns in Europe, with Eastern European (EE) countries rapidly integrating in high-tech manufacturing and the core of Western countries strengthening their mutual integration in the KIBS area. Despite the relatively “good quality” integration of EE countries, the evidence does not seem to reveal a mirroring upgrading of employment structures. While this empirical contribution does not attempt to identify causal relationships, the picture provided in the paper shows that, overall, integration in GVCs seems to reproduce and perhaps exacerbate the initial asymmetries in the sectoral and employment structure, with employment shares of manual workers reducing on the whole and knowledge-intensive occupations concentrating in Western Europe.

BETA CONVERGENCE ANALYSIS OF GROSS VALUE ADDED IN THE HIGH-TECHNOLOGY MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES

The paper examines the recent developments in the high-technology manufacturing sectors in the EU28 countries, focusing on the β-convergence of gross value added in the Manufacture of computers, electronic, and optical products, and the Manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations. We employ two dynamic panel models estimated using the system of generalized method of moments (GMM) to address the risk of an endogeneity bias. The panel data analysis indicates a higher convergence for the Manufacture of computer, electronic, and optical products at 16.4% compared to 2.2% for the Manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations, which is consistent with the existence of fewer barriers and higher exposure to competition in the case of the first analyzed sector. In the context of the role of the high-technology manufacturing industries as an engine of growth and the existing performance differences between the EU28 countries in terms of gross value added in the analyzed sectors, we investigated the β-convergence for two groupings EU15 and the new EU member states. We found that the new EU member states display a higher β-convergence rate than EU15, but also that they have a lower capital intensity. The result highlights the potential risk of some of the new EU member states becoming laggers in terms of the underlying factors behind gross value added as investment and labour force.

Qalification assessment practices: new possibilities and constraints

Introduction. The transformation of the educational system and the labour market determines the need for objective procedures for independent assessment of qualifications that meet the needs of all stakeholders. The need to overcome the qualification gap is becoming more acute, and it is necessary to change the configuration of connections and relationships in the process of qualifications assessment, which determines the relevance of the current research.Aim. The present publication is aimed to analyse social processes related to the development of practices for evaluating qualifications obtained in both formal and non-formal education in Russia.Methodology and research methods. The methodological framework of the research is based on the principles of the activity approach and the concept of structuration, in which the practice of qualifications assessment is viewed as a combination of social relations between individual and collective actors in the space of social and labour relations. Data collection and analysis was carried out using a qualitative methodology of the sociological approach. A semi-formal interview was selected as the method of expert survey. Twenty-four experts from various sectors of the economy (Moscow, Ekaterinburg and Tyumen) took part in the interviews.Results and scientific novelty. The possibilities and constraints of existing practices for qualifications assessment were identified: assessment centres, qualification assessment centres, internal certification, professional evaluation of working professions within the framework of the “WorldSkills” programme in Russia. The analysis of international experience is presented. Based on expert assessments, it was established that practices specific to the industrial model of the economy prevail in Russia. Thus, the infrastructure and regulatory field were established for the development of new practices of independent qualification assessment. However, the main participants of the process are not involved enough in mutual interaction. The primary sector of the economy hinders the development of the high-technology manufacturing industry and the employers who are interested in creating a competency framework. According to experts, the importance of non-formal education in the development of relevant competencies is increasing, and new mechanisms for qualifications assessment obtained in both formal and informal training are required. The authors presented the cases, which illustrate new configurations of participants’ relationships, when independent assessment of qualifications is integrated with the formal educational system at the stage of state final certification, ensuring the interrelated procedures. The article reveals the contradictions, which are manifested in the interaction between applicants/employees, employers and the state. It is concluded that such contradictions affect the institutional mechanisms for the formation of a national system of independent qualification assessment.Practical significance. The analysis of alternative models for qualifications assessment revealed the interests of different stakeholders involved in this process, the possibility of using “hybrid” forms of qualifications assessment, as well as a number of contradictions related to regulatory, functional and institutional features. The results of the study can be useful for managers of educational institutions and employers to synchronise the processes for mutual assessment of qualifications. As a result, recommendations for the development of an independent qualification assessment system in Russia are proposed, and the prospects for further research are outlined.