Joint Production Research Articles

ПЕРСПЕКТИВИ ТА ЛОГІСТИЧНЕ ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ ПРОЦЕСІВ СТВОРЕННЯ ВИСОКОТОЧНОЇ ЗБРОЇ В УМОВАХ ЕКОНОМІКИ ВОЄННОГО ЧАСУ

The purpose of the article is to define the prospects and priorities of the Ukrainian economy in the conditions of the war and the ways to implement them. It was noted that the key factor for achieving a turning point on the battlefield is the supply of a sufficient number of high-precision weapons to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which requires appropriate logistics support. The abilities of the Ukrainian economy for the rapid development and establishment of serial production of high-precision weapons have been studied. Based on the analysis of the current capabilities of the Ukrainian economy, the most promising types of weapons for production have been identified, namely, artillery systems and precision-guided munitions for them, some types of unmanned aerial vehicles, high-precision operational-tactical missile systems based on cruise and ballistic missiles. Possible ways of organizing such production are analyzed. It has been proven that the most effective way to create such production is to establish joint production with the closest Eastern European partners, in particular with Poland, as well as Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The advantages and potential risks of such cooperation are investigated, and possible sources of financing for the production of weapons are assessed.

УПРАВЛІННЯ ФІНАНСОВИМИ РЕСУРСАМИ БАНКІВСЬКИХ УСТАНОВ І СТРАХОВИХ КОМПАНІЙ: ІНТЕГРАЦІЙНИЙ АСПЕКТ

The article defines the essence of banking institutions and insurance companies as leading financial intermediaries in Ukraine, whose legal status is determined by special laws of Ukraine. Emphasis is placed on the new Law of Ukraine "On Insurance" adopted last year, which takes into account changes in the legal regulation of the insurance market associated with the creation of a mega-regulator in the form of the National Bank of Ukraine. It is shown that the specified normative legal acts of Ukraine provide for the possibility of creating banking groups and insurance groups. It is proven that the integration of banks and insurance companies is due to the following factors: methods of interaction – transfer of banking risks to the insurance company and active sale of insurance products in bank branches; functions – capitalization and risk hedging; forms of integration – merger and acquisition; agreement on joint sale of financial products, use of each other's financial services; sales methods – creation of joint products of banks and insurers (bancassurance). The factors of disintegration of banks and insurers are identified: limited captive interests, insufficient financial culture, lack of common standards, imperfect legislation on cooperation and interaction between banks and insurers, insufficient motivation of bank employees when selling insurance products. The contents of the special adopted normative acts of the National Bank of Ukraine, which stimulate the integration of banks and insurers, are summarized, including: Regulations on the organization of the risk management system in banks of Ukraine and banking groups, Regulations on the procedure for regulating the activities of banking groups. Ways to develop bancassurance in Ukraine are proposed: termination of martial law, the arrival of branches of European banks and insurers in Ukraine, an increase in the volume of sales of insurance protection through the mediation of the bank, a decrease in the cost of credit resources; strengthening the financial condition and status of banks and insurance companies, increasing their capital; improving the transparency and openness of the financial market.

Epistemological challenges of indigenous people's research: reflections based on experience with conceptual map.

to discuss the applicability of the conceptual map and its underlying theoretical anchors and analyze the challenges and potentialities of this method concerning the participation of Indigenous Peoples. experience report of the use of the conceptual map as a data collection instrument. the study allowed us to discuss the epistemic approaches and distances, as well as to analyze to what extent the conceptual map favored the process of joint production of knowledge with Indigenous Peoples. The experience with this type of research design also revealed epistemological challenges that reflect the established historical relationships, whose overcoming implies the construction of new forms of egalitarian and intercultural scientific relations. the conceptual map theoretically composes a structured participatory methodology, which enables data collection and the collective construction of knowledge, provided that the cultural, epistemic, social, and political diversities of all the social actors involved are considered.

Способы повышения эффективности территориальных систем энергоснабжения

Исследованы системы энергоснабжения, в составе которых имеются источники, использующие различные технологии совместного производства тепловой и электрической энергии. В крупных городах России высока доля поставок тепловой энергии от теплоэлектроцентралей, но в больших и средних – доминирует ее производство на котельных. Соотношение объемов производимой совместным способом тепловой и электрической энергии с общим потреблением позволяет судить о состоянии и эффективности территориальных систем энергоснабжения. Практически повсеместное отсутствие коммунальных мини-ТЭЦ и ограничение на поставку электроэнергии, произведенной крупными ТЭЦ в теплофикационном режиме на розничный рынок, ведут к снижению эффективности городских и региональных систем энергоснабжения. Основное число потребителей, кроме предприятий, использующих собственные когенерационные источники, ограничены в доступе к недорогой тепловой и электрической энергии. Актуально увеличение доли когенерационного производства энергии. Необходим показатель, характеризующий уровень интеграции источников совместного производства тепловой и электрической энергии в системах энергоснабжения. Основной потенциал создания интегрированных систем энергоснабжения сосредоточен в больших и средних городах, где производство тепловой энергии осуществляется на котельных. Их преобразование в мини-ТЭЦ соответствует стратегии энергетического перехода к распределенной энергетике, но требует внесения изменений в процесс управления развитием муниципальной и региональной энергетики. Наличие благоприятных условий для частных инвестиций в развитие интегрированных систем энергоснабжения соответствует целям устойчивого социально-экономического развития территорий.

Assessment of the mixed timber combination effect of finger-jointed timber species using flexural and tensile strength

Off-cut wood is one of the wastes dumped by sawmills, and inadequate length of sawn timber materials fail to fully utilize the wood supply. Finger joint, a method that connects two small pieces of timber, is identified as a sound technique to minimize wastage. Different timber species should be bonded at the finger joint production process for making finger-jointed mixed boards. When mixing the different timber species, timber pieces should be matched based on the mechanical strength. This study was, therefore, conducted to find the strength properties of mixed finger-jointed timber species of wood, namely, Grandis (Eucalyptus grandis), Jack (Aartocarpus heterophyllus), Kumbuk (Terminalia arjuna) and Pine (Pinus caribaea), commonly used in Sri Lanka in the manufacture of furniture. The tests were carried out on timber samples with 19 mm finger lengths made of two sections bonded with an adhesive containing polyvinyl acetate (PVAc). The tensile strength and variation of the flexural strength of the finger length of the samples were studied. BS 373: 1957 was the standard used for the flexural tests. A Universal Testing Machine (UTM 100 PC) was used for the mechanical tests. Timber combination categories are not significantly different for the MOR tests. Pine-Pine vs. Pine-Grandis combination category is significantly different for Bending tests. According to overall results, timber combination categories are significantly different for the tensile tests except for Pine and Kumbuk combinations. The findings of this study will directly benefit the finger joint manufacturers in Sri Lanka.

EMERGING SUSTAINABILITY AND CO-CREATION PERSPECTIVES IN PUBLIC SECTOR GOVERNANCE: THE CASE OF ZIMBABWE

Globally, sustainability and co-creation perspectives are emerging as success factors for effective public sector service delivery. Sustainability perspectives exhort public institutions to embrace governance practices that are fair to both present and future generations, while co-creation perspectives reinforce sustainability by calling for government collaboration with citizens to enable joint design and production of goods and services. Utilising New Public Governance and Public Value theoretical and conceptual frameworks, the study undertook systematic reviews of relevant experiences in selected countries that include Japan, South Africa, Uganda and the United Kingdom in a bid to create a basis for interpreting the dynamics affecting the uptake of sustainability and co-creation perspectives in the public sectors in Zimbabwe, using the mining and energy sectors as principal case studies. Study findings indicate that although sustainability and co-creation concepts and practices are taking root across public sectors in Zimbabwe, more concerted efforts are needed to escalate their uptake at both the macro and micro levels. Particularly critical, is the need for a coherent policy framework that sets the right tone for the uptake of sustainability and co-creation. Open government, collaborative governance, decentralisation, and generative governance need to be cascaded to key sectors of the economy to allow the establishment of a robust framework for co-creation and sustainability.

Supply chain collaboration and sustainability performance in circular economy: A systematic literature review

With the emergence of the circular economy (CE), conventional supply chains are transitioning towards circular supply chains (CSCs) that achieve improved sustainability performance. Inter-organisational relationships across supply chains need to be redefined to achieve this. We perform a systematic literature review to examine how collaboration may improve sustainability performance in implementing circularity in supply chains. A content analysis has been conducted on 82 journal articles published in the last five years using deductively derived constructs related to supply chain collaboration practices, CE implementation strategies, and sustainability outcomes. Further, a contingency analysis has been conducted to enhance the findings of the content analysis and understand the associations among constructs. Based on the analysis, a conceptual framework is developed to identify appropriate collaboration practices to enhance symbiotic relationships internally and externally in CSCs to improve sustainability performance. Sharing information, penalties and incentives, sharing responsibility for product recovery, risk-sharing, and joint product design are the prominent external vertical collaboration practices advocated for successful CE implementation. Cross-functional coordination and collaboration with government agencies are the most acknowledged internal and external horizontal collaboration practices, respectively. The study reflects that the main focus of CSCs is on improving environmental and economic aspects rather than social performance. The engagement of external parties such as governmental, non-governmental organisations, entrepreneurs, and research institutes complements managerial understanding on collaboration to improve the sustainability performance of CSCs. The study provides a foundation for future empirical work to assess the implications of different collaboration practices in CSCs.

Prerequisites for developing an advanced welding technology for repair of worn elements of steam-conducting systems

The main disadvantage of standard technologies of welding steam pipelines of thermal power plants is that they can allow the presence of defective structures close to the defective ones in the metal of the seam and in the sections of the HAZ. In this regard, the question arises about the development of a new technology that will provide the appropriate structure and properties that will increase the service life of steam pipelines and get a significant economic effect. Goal. The goal is improvement of the technology of welding pipelines of thermal power plants based on the study of the features of the formation of welded joints operating in Creep conditions. Methodology. The level of wear of the elements of the Steam-conducting path was estimated taking into account the provisions of the regulatory documentation of metallographic analysis, determination of chemical composition and properties, as well as the degree of their deformation. Results. It is revealed that welded joints are characterized by initial structural heterogeneity, which is closely related to long-term strength, ductility and impact strength. For example, at different sections of a welded joint, there is a different intensity of transition of alloying elements and, accordingly, a different type of structural component can be formed. The proposed technology of welding repair of damaged elements of steam pipelines using mechanized welding in CO2+Ar provides for the production of welded joints with a higher level of uniformity of structure, chemical composition and properties. Scientific novelty and practical significance. The welding technology has been improved, which includes developing the modes for performing repair work by mechanized welding in an Ar + CO2 environment of steam pipeline samples with a depth of ≥ 20 mm and a width of ≥ 30 mm, and differs from the known ones by using linear energy welding of 1.2–1.5 MJ/m.

Technological features of the production of welded beds from prefabricated base parts

The work is devoted to the problem of fatigue strength of welded-cast joints as applied to the operating conditions of body parts of machines. Such operating conditions are characterized by non-uniformity of intensity and concentration of the load on parts and assemblies during the operation of the equipment. This heterogeneity of the load actualizes production of precisely welded-cast base parts for metalworking equipment beds. This is of considerable technological and economic interest. The aim of the work is to study the strength of welded-cast bearing structures in relation to the work of beds of heavy lathes. Unalloyed medium-carbon structural steel 35L and steel of ordinary quality MCT3 in the form of rolled products were used as the main materials for research. The research methods are presented. The study of the structure and properties of the welded joint made it possible to assess the technical feasibility of using the studied metals in the manufacture of welded-cast bearing structures. It has been established that welding of steel castings with rolled steel causes significant structural and mechanical heterogeneity. The influence of processing technology on the nature of formation of the structure of welded-cast joints is presented. The influence of heat treatment on the value of the hardness of the welded seam and the heat-affected zone was investigated. The study of the fatigue resistance of welded-cast specimens was carried out in relation to the operating conditions of joints undergoing vibration loads at normal temperatures, which can be classified as fatigue with a symmetric load cycle. It was found that the use of heat treatment of welded-cast specimens significantly reduces the mechanical heterogeneity of the joint along the seam and the heat-affected zone. Based on the results of studying mechanical characteristics, the choice of technology for the production of welded-cast joints is justified.

Assessing the eco-efficiency of industrial investment in China: a DEA approach

Abstract Although the rapid growth of industrial investment has greatly contributed to Chinese socioeconomic development, the consequent resource depletion and environmental degradation have seriously restricted its potential for sustainability. Hence, the concept of eco-efficiency of industrial investment (EEII) is constructed under the comprehensive perspective of economic benefits, energy consumption and environmental impact. To assess the true EEII in China, a new super-efficient undesirable-outputs slacks-based measure DEA model is proposed by adding a new constraint condition to rebuild the reference set. The proposed model not only can consider the joint production of desirable and undesirable outputs, but also achieves full ranking of all decision-making units. Taking 30 provinces in China as an example, our empirical results indicate that the eco-efficiency of China’s industrial investment is generally low (0.643) in 2015–2020, and there exists significant regional disparity, in that the average value of EEII in the eastern regions (0.851) is the highest, followed by the central regions (0.594) and the western regions (0.469). Finally, this study provides some suggestions for policymakers to promote the EEII based on its influencing factors, analysed using panel-data Tobit regression.

Auditor Choice and the Informativeness of 10-K Reports.

This study provides new evidence on the influential role of external auditors in enhancing the informativeness of form 10-K annual reports to shareholders. Specifically, we find that the client's choice of a Big 4 auditor (PwC, EY, KPMG, and Deloitte) versus a non-Big 4 auditor contributes to cross-sectional variations in 10-K disclosure volume. We also document that the benefit of enhanced disclosures provided by Big 4 auditors is more pronounced for audit clients with poorer accrual quality and those with higher information asymmetry. Furthermore, we introduce the portion of 10-K length unexplained by operating complexity and observable client characteristics as a new proxy for audit firm effort. Specifically, we find that abnormally long disclosures are associated with higher audit fees and longer audit report lag, which implies that an incremental level of audit effort can be inferred from the discretionary component of 10-K disclosures. As audit effort is costly, a greater volume of 10-K disclosures can be expected to be associated with an improvement in the quality of financial reporting. Overall, our findings show that auditors play more than a simple attestation role in the financial reporting process, and that the quality of financial reporting in a company's 10-K annual report is a joint product of the effort and decisions of both a company's managers and its auditors.

Quantitative Analysis of a Spatial Distribution and Driving Factors of the Urban Heat Island Effect: A Case Study of Fuzhou Central Area, China.

Land surface temperature (LST) is a joint product of physical geography and socio-economics. It is important to clarify the spatial heterogeneity and binding factors of the LST for mitigating the surface heat island effect (SUHI). In this study, the spatial pattern of UHI in Fuzhou central area, China, was elucidated by Moran’s I and hot-spot analysis. In addition, the study divided the drivers into two categories, including physical geographic factors (soil wetness, soil brightness, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and modified normalized difference water index (MNDWI), water density, and vegetation density) and socio-economic factors (normalized difference built-up index (NDBI), population density, road density, nighttime light, park density). The influence analysis of single factor on LST and the factor interaction analysis were conducted via Geodetector software. The results indicated that the LST presented a gradient layer structure with high temperature in the southeast and low temperature in the northwest, which had a significant spatial association with industry zones. Especially, LST was spatially repulsive to urban green space and water body. Furthermore, the four factors with the greatest influence (q-Value) on LST were soil moisture (influence = 0.792) > NDBI (influence = 0.732) > MNDWI (influence = 0.618) > NDVI (influence = 0.604). The superposition explanation degree (influence (Xi ∩ Xj)) is stronger than the independent explanation degree (influence (Xi)). The highest and the lowest interaction existed in ”soil wetness ∩ MNDWI” (influence = 0.864) and “nighttime light ∩ population density” (influence = 0.273), respectively. The spatial distribution of SUHI and its driving mechanism were also demonstrated, providing theoretical guidance for urban planners to build thermal environment friendly cities.

When out-groups are perceived as out of place: urban disorder sensitivity and environmental distance.

These studies aimed to determine whether a stronger preference for order, structure, and predictability in the urban environment (measured by the Space Intrusion subscale of the Urban Socio-Spatial Disorder Sensitivity Scale) and a higher score on the Out-Group Visual Encroachment scale are associated with more aversive reactions towards the idea of people of another race, ethnicity, or religion settling in the neighborhood. Participants were recruited through online snowball sampling (pilot study) as well as from among university students. Students were also asked to send links to the study to their acquaintances. The pilot study, as well as Study 1B, were conducted online, whereas in Study 1A the paper-pencil method was used. Scores on the Space Intrusion subscale and the Out-group Visual Encroachment scale were associated with outgroup negativity. Out-group Visual Encroachment was found to mediate the relationship between Space Intrusion and environmental distance toward Muslims. Perceiving out-groups as out of place is a joint product of environmental features (visual cues of belonging) and characteristics of the individual (sensitivity to urban disorder). The challenge for neighborhoods in times of increased migration is how to shape the public domain to increase the chances of strangers becoming more familiar.

Integrated production-delivery control policy for an unreliable manufacturing system and multiple retailers

Production control policies have been studied in the literature for different types of unreliable manufacturing systems. But only few have been addressed to the unreliable manufacturer-retailer systems. We consider the integrated production and delivery control for an unreliable manufacturing system and multiple retailers. The retailers, supplied by the manufacturer through a common warehouse, are located in different sites and face different demand rates. We determine the optimal joint production and delivery control policy with the objective of minimizing the total cost, which comprises holding/backlog in addition to transportation costs. The stochastic optimal control and the impulse control theory are used to develop the optimal control policy (policy 1). The production is controlled by a hedging point policy and the delivery policy is governed by a state dependent economic order quantity. The optimal parameters of the proposed policy are determined by adopting a simulation-based optimization approach. A sensitivity analysis is conducted to verify the robustness of the results. An improved policy (policy 2) involving priority rules for delivery is proposed using a simulation-based approach. We conduct a comparative study of the new policies (policy 1 and 2) and the most relevant policy found in the literature (policy 3), and the results show that the new proposed improved policy (policy 2) outperforms others.

An adaptive view of attentional control.

Although humans can voluntarily direct their attention to particular stimuli, attention can at times be involuntarily allocated to stimuli and such attentional capture can result in unproductive distraction. A challenge to any comprehensive theory of attention is to explain how involuntary mechanisms of attentional control and their potential to produce distraction are ultimately reflective of an adaptation. Traditional arguments on this topic have appealed to a generalized cost-benefit accounting. Specifically, the cost of misallocating attention to the kinds of stimuli prioritized by involuntary mechanisms of attentional control over the long run is argued to be small in comparison with the potentially life-altering cost of failing to attend to such stimuli, which involuntary mechanisms of attentional control guard against. Our understanding of these mechanisms has undergone a revolution in recent years, findings from which point to a much more sophisticated adaptation that systematically maximizes benefits associated with automating the control of attention while minimizing unwanted distraction. In this review, I provide an updated model of the adaptive nature of involuntary mechanisms of attentional control, outlining concrete principles governing the management of specific costs and benefits. I conclude that distraction does not in general constitute a failure of attentional control but rather reflects the joint product of these adaptive principles. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Разработка концепции управления транснационализацией сельского хозяйства стран ЕАЭС в контексте включения в мировую агропродовольственную систему

Abstract. The purpose of the study is to study and analyze the transnationalization of agriculture in relation to the agri-food sector of the EAEU countries. Scientific novelty. The developed conceptual framework for managing the transnationalization of agriculture will ensure equivalent shares in the structure of the common market for the EAEU members, intensify the processes of establishing business communication and joint production activities that will improve the situation on the labor market in the agricultural sector, accelerate the implementation of investment projects, carry out R&D aimed at improvement of the economic situation in the industry. Methods. Research based on a systematic approach to the studied objects and processes. In course of the work, economic-mathematical, normative, abstract-logical, monographic, expert and other methods of economic research were used. Theoretical and methodological basis of the research was scientific works, developments and recommendations of domestic and foreign scientists-economists on the problems of forecasting and planning, legislative acts, program documents and government resolutions on the effective and sustainable development of agricultural formations. The formation of the research information base was carried out on the basis of statistical data on the dynamics of agricultural indicators published in official statistical publications and yearbooks, on official websites of information Internet resources for 1998–2020. Results. The studies made it possible to identify factors in the development of agriculture in the context of transnationalization, taking into account the problems of integration of countries in the EAEU space, to establish the dependence of the development of the industry on an effective program of adaptation of organizations to new economic conditions, which should take into account a complex of political, economic and other factors affecting the efficiency of activities.

Sharing the Burden of Hybrid Threats: Lessons from the Economics of Alliances

ABSTRACT This article discusses the effects of the changing (hybrid) conflict environment on the burden sharing debate. We discuss the actions taken by both the alliance as the member states in repelling these threats, arguing that this mainly produces security outputs that are private or impure public. As the burden sharing literature currently lacks notions of hybrid threats, we believe the current modelling to be ill-suited to provide reliable assessments of member states’ burden sharing behaviour. We address this void by adjusting the Joint Product Model, extending a country’s security activities to a more inclusive ‘whole of government (WoG) approach’. We depart from this WoG model to stress the challenges associated with comparing the contributions of member states in countering these threats. This leads us to dispute the use of aggregate military expenditures as a main variable to measure a country’s degree of free riding. More and other types of (non-military) variables and proxy-indexes should be taken into account. The same remark goes for estimating the benefit-burden concordance within this framework of permanent non-linear state competition.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Friction Stir Welded 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel Butt Joints.

Friction stir welding (FSW) as a solid-state process is an excellent candidate for high softening temperature materials welding; however, extending the tool life is required to make the process cost-effective. This work investigates the use of a high pin to shoulder ratio (65%) tungsten carbide (WC) tool for friction stir welding of 5 mm thick 2205 DSS to extend the tool life of this low-cost tool material. In addition, the effect of FSW parameters in terms of rotational rates, travel speeds, and downward forces on the microstructural features and mechanical properties of the welded joints were investigated. Characterization in terms of visual inspection, macro and microstructures, hardness, and tensile testing was conducted. The obtained results indicated that the combined rotational rate, travel speed, and downward force parameters govern the production of defect-free joints. The 2205 DSS friction stir welds show an enhancement in hardness compared to the base material. The stir zone showed a significantly refined grain structure of ferrite and austenite with the reduction in the average grain size from 8.8 µm and 13.3 µm for the base material to 2.71 µm and 2.24 µm, respectively. Moreover, this joint showed higher yield strength and ultimate tensile strength compared to the DSS as-received material.

Environmental performance evaluation of European farms by assessing polluting factors in joint production

Measuring the environmental efficiency of firms using data envelopment analysis (DEA) has recently gained momentum due to the urgency of climate change. The existing literature on environmental efficiency ignores the internal structures of the production system and treats the production unit as a ‘black box’. Thus, it fails to identify the exact source of inefficiencies, which complicates course correction in a multi-stage production system. In response to these inadequacies, this study takes into account the amount of pollutants emitted, in addition to the classic input and output parameters in DEA, in each of the stages to measure the environmental efficiency of the overall system and decompose it into stage-level environmental efficiencies. Two separate models assign each country two separate efficiency scores for its environmental and technical performance. To demonstrate the applicability of the proposed framework, the environmental performance of farms in the European Union is measured. The numbers of efficient farms in technical and environmental approaches are 21% and 8% of the total 130 farms, respectively. The average environmental efficiency scores of the two stages (crop production and animal husbandry) across the farms are found to sharply increase and decrease, respectively in comparison to their corresponding technical efficiency. The study also reveals some interesting conclusions. For example, the environmental performance improves for inefficient farms when they try to achieve technical competence. To achieve overall environmental efficiency, all the stages need to be fully efficient. Based on the shadow prices of the polluting inputs and outputs obtained from the two models, we calculate the marginal rate of substitution for the inputs and marginal rate of transformation for the outputs which help one in carrying out comparative analysis. For instance, the results indicate that fertilizer and forage land are responsible for the majority of the environmental inefficiency. Production of cereal and meat is economically efficient; whereas dairy farming is both resource-intensive and environmentally harmful. Based on this analysis, we suggest important policy measures at both the farm and the country levels.

A Multi-stage Malmquist-Luenberger Index to Measure Environmental Productivity in China's Iron and Steel Industry

This paper develops a multi-stage Malmquist-Luenberger index (MLPI) model by considering the joint production of desirable and undesirable outputs in multiple production processes. The proposed approach not only evaluates the environmental total factor productivity (ETFP) growth of the whole system but also investigate the progress and regress of each sub-process, i.e., the iron-making sub-process and the steel-making sub-process. Driving factors of ETFP change are identified through multi-stage MLPI decomposition. With an application of the proposed model in China's 48 iron and steel enterprises over the period of 2009–2013, the validity of the proposed models has been demonstrated. Moreover, this study explores the regional difference analysis of system and multi-stage ETFP among 31 provinces in eastern, central and western regions. Results show that the ETFP of system, iron-making sub-process and steel-making sub-process experienced increase annually, the most important finding is that the environmental efficiency increase is the most critical driving factor in promoting ETFP growth. Technical regression of steel-making sub-process is the main source of restricting system ETFP growth. In addition, the change of system ETFP varies greatly in different regions, being highest in the eastern region, and lowest in the western region. Compared with the single-stage conventional MLPI, the multi-stage MLPI is smaller and has more discriminatory power.