Industrial Organization Research Articles

Industry clusters and macroeconomic (in)stability

Abstract While the competitive behavior of firms with regard to entry and exit activities serves as a driving force behind the business cycle, little attention has been paid to the issue of industry clusters when discussing belief-driven cyclical fluctuations. Faced with this deficiency, this study analyzes the possibility of the emergence of equilibrium indeterminacy from the perspective of industrial organization. By analyzing the effects of endogenous overhead costs in the market, this paper finds that belief-driven business cycle fluctuations are related to industry clusters. More specifically, a stronger spillover effect or a less pronounced congestion effect tends to increase the likelihood of local indeterminacy.

Sectoral priorities in the modernisation of engineering education in Brazil

ABSTRACT Modernising engineering education demands integrating diverse perspectives through multidisciplinary, collaborative approaches. In developing countries, collaboration with stakeholders presents a significant challenge. This study aimed to develop a novel collective approach to establish priorities for modernising engineering education. A workshop was conducted by the Modernisation of Undergraduate Education Program at the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná in a Southern Brazilian metropolis, with 63 stakeholders from various sectors (education, experts, government, industry, and civil society organisations). The workshop consisted of three rounds discussions, including two rounds with stakeholders of the same sector and one round with stakeholders of different sectors mixed in discussion tables. Each table, comprising 3–7 participants, aimed to reach a consensus. Several topics were addressed in the discussions, including curricularization of extension, updating outdated curricular bases, and integrating soft skills and entrepreneurship into engineering programs. The resulting goals emphasised the integration of engineering education with society and industry. Participants agreed on short to medium-term deadlines for achieving these goals. This approach connected stakeholders, fostering an extensive collaborative, multisectoral network supporting engineering education modernisation.

Performance evaluation of industry-education integration in higher education from the perspective of coupling coordination-an empirical study based on Chongqing.

The coupling coordination between higher education and regional industries is an effective way to enhance the performance of industry-education integration and an important driving force for promoting sustainable economic and social development. This article aims to evaluate the performance level of industry-education integration in higher education from the perspective of coupling coordination between industry and education, and to analyze its sustainable development trends. To achieve this, a framework for the industry-education complex system is constructed based on the theory of coupling coordination, and a performance evaluation model for industry-education integration is established. The "structure-conduct-performance" (S-C-P) analysis paradigm of industrial organization theory is used to design a performance evaluation indicator system, and the entropy weight method is applied to assign weights to the indicator system. Empirical research is conducted on Chongqing based on statistical data from 2000 to 2022. The results show that: (1) During the sample period, the construction effectiveness of industry-education integration in higher education in Chongqing is relatively significant, and the coordination level between regional industries and higher education continues to rise. (2) The orderly development level of the two subsystems of regional industries and higher education alternately rises, jointly promoting the continuous improvement of the performance level of industry-education integration, which is the main driving factor for performance improvement. (3) The stagnation of the coupling strength between regional industries and higher education is a key obstacle to further improving the performance of industry-education integration. Industry-education integration is a systematic project that should be promoted collaboratively from the perspectives of the regional industrial subsystem, higher education subsystem, industry-education complex system, and external environment to continuously enhance the performance level.

Digital Industry transformation strategy analysis and decision-based on intelligent decision technology

Expanding and being competitive in the current economic environment requires companies to embrace digital transformation. In the framework of Industry 4.0, the network of interconnected machines, sensors, and software known as the IIoT plays a crucial role in transforming conventional manufacturing facilities into smart factories, notably in monitoring and optimising the manufacturing process. The issues about enormous record storage and how they react challenge conventional automated methods in the IIoT. Cognitive systems optimally modify production settings based on managing uncertainty and sensory inputs. This work uses the Internet of Things-based decision support system with cognitive automation (IoT-DSS-CA) for industrial informatics across the board, including data collection, transmission, processing, and storage. Incorporating the elements frequently neglected during digital transformation, the suggested method uses the business process management (BPM) paradigm to give a systematic approach that industrial organizations may employ to aid their path towards Industry 4.0. The proposed mechanism is thoroughly investigated and evaluated compared to an original solution using several sensing and decision-making features in industrial parameter settings determined by Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP).

Strategi Pengembangan Potensi Sumber Daya Alam melalui Eduwisata Bumi Perkemahan Panglima Batur Trahean Kabupaten Barito Utara

Trahean Muara Teweh North Barito Town has the potential for normal assets, HR and socio-social assets that help endeavors to incorporate estate, fishery and the travel industry organizations. Buper Panglima Batur has many supporting offices, for example, diversion stages, privileged stages, stately fields, structures, petitioning God rooms, seeing pinnacles, wharfs, prepared to-hydrate offices, and gazebos for unwinding. This exploration means to decide the travel industry potential in light of financial and biological examinations and to figure out the administration endeavors and advancement techniques of the Trahean Camping area region, as well as expanding vacationer visits and neighborhood local area pay. The exploration strategy utilized by the creator is subjective examination. The information assortment methods utilized in this study are through direct perception, interviews, archive recording, and diary articles. In view of the consequences of the examination, this study shows that Trahean village has an exceptionally unprecedented the travel industry potential, be it regular the travel industry or counterfeit the travel industry. Nonetheless, enhancements are as yet required in a few areas to make a protected and agreeable environment for the travel industry exercises in Trahean village.

How sustainability can get a competitive advantage: State of the art for stationary battery storage systems

Stationary battery storage systems are becoming a critical energy infrastructure around the world. Therefore, responsible handling of battery materials is a fundamental precondition to avoid future social, environmental, and political conflicts. Global battery regulations support sustainable batteries to drive new business models on reuse, remanufacturing and recycling. With strict environmental market entry barriers, the EU will set minimum sustainability standards with the new EU-Battery Directive. The US Inflation Reduction Act provides financial incentives for a scale-up of the domestic battery industry. A hotspot analysis for the residential storage system VARTA.wall shows that a combination of reuse and recycling strategies can reduce the climate change impact by up to 45% and mineral resource use by up to 50% compared to initial battery designs. However, specific sustainability criteria and manufacturer-independent standards need to be set up by politics and industry organizations to bring the necessary technical and logistic infrastructure to the market. The challenge is to set up sustainability criteria strict enough to ensure responsible material handling but still allow cost-effective, practical solutions as well as affordable battery standards. Therefore, our analysis shows the limits of current and the need for future regulations to shift market incentives to sustainable batteries and their infrastructure.

Social enterprises and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): a means to an end

AbstractGhana is regarded as one of the main nations driving social enterprise development in all of Africa, despite the lack of a policy for the social enterprise sub-sector. Regardless of these trailblazing initiatives, the sub-sector is still young and vulnerable. As a result, the time is right for the government to implement policy reforms to expedite the growth of the sub-sector, which offers an alternative business model for the achievement of the social and environmental goals embodied in the global goals. All nations are urged to take immediate action in response to the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which offer a global framework for achieving global development while balancing social, economic, and environmental sustainability. The methodology adopted is qualitative in nature, whereby focus group discussions were held, bringing together key stakeholders from the social enterprise sector, industry, academia, and civil society organisations (CSOs) to provide insights into how social enterprises will contribute to SDG achievement. This paper aims to generate new insights into how social enterprises can provide a solution to the UN’s SDGs from the Ghanaian perspective. Our findings reveal a strong link between solving social problems through social businesses and achieving the SDGs, and that social enterprises represent an ideal business model for achieving the SDGs. Their mission-driven approach, innovative solutions, focus on empowerment and inclusion, utilisation of market mechanisms, collaboration and partnership, and understanding and knowledge of local contexts collectively position social enterprises as powerful catalysts for sustainable development.

Heating or eating? The framing of food and fuel poverty in UK news media

Amidst the cost-of-living crisis the UK news has been increasingly reporting of individuals “choosing between heating and eating,” suggesting overlapping food and fuel poverty (FFP). The media plays a powerful role in establishing narratives, shaping political debates, and even influencing what societies regard as an “issue” or a “public health issue.” Relying on framing theory, this media analysis seeks to better understand how FFP have been constructed relationally in the UK news and how surrounding public health messaging has been employed. Using the NexisLexis database, we searched for UK news articles about intersecting FFP published between January 2010 and April 2022. After double screening, relevant data were extracted from 185 articles and data fragments were coded and analysed. FFP-focused news largely gained momentum in late 2021 into 2022. Two frame categories – descriptive and prescriptive – of FFP were identified. Descriptive frames explained the experience of FFP as a: trade-off between goods (71% of articles), mutual cutback of goods (28%), or just poverty (income/monetary poverty) (1%). Prescriptive frames assigned blame or responsibility to: government (59% of articles), food/fuel industry (13%), community or charity organisations (12%), or individuals (3%). Relatively few (29%) articles linked FFP with health consequences, and none framed it as a health issue. The prominence of the trade-off frame in the UK news suggests that FFP is a crucial topic for the UK public that requires joint attention. Despite the prominence of the government responsibility framing, the frame lacks accompanying prescriptions of consistent, specific, targeted solutions. A public health frame in the UK news may address this gap by outlining potential evidence-based solutions and increasing capacity by appointing responsible actors to help prevent and address this issue.

ORGANIZATIONAL AND ECONOMIC MECHANISM FOR DAIRY INDUSTRY ORGANIZATION COMPETITIVENESS ENSURING

The article is devoted to the current problem of increasing the effectiveness of the competitiveness strategy of a dairy industry organization through the formation of a model of an organizational and economic mechanism that allows choosing strategic vectors of development, taking into account the integration impact of various factors. The conducted theoretical analysis of the categories “organizational-economic mechanism” and competitiveness made it possible to define an approach to understanding the content of the interaction of the studied categories as a logical sequence of actions of the organization to achieve the goal, including marketing research of the internal and external environment, identifying development problems, assessing the ways and possibilities of their solution, taking into account the maximum number of influencing factors at various levels. An analysis of statistical data related to the development of the dairy products market at the level of trends in the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan was carried out. A conclusion is made about the possibility of increasing the volume of dairy production, and the need to build effective inter-industry connections through the formation of an organizational and economic mechanism for increasing the competitiveness of organizations in the dairy industry of the Republic of Tatarstan. Using the example of Kasymovsky Dairy Plant LLC, marketing tools for analyzing competitiveness were tested and calculations were made, some of which are presented in the article (calculation of the need for dairy products in 2026, analysis of nomenclature, sales dynamics and assessment of consumer awareness of dairy consumers). A methodological approach to building an organizational and economic mechanism for achieving a certain level of competitiveness of a dairy industry organization is proposed. The theoretical three-level model of the organizational and economic mechanism for increasing the competitiveness of dairy industry organizations determines the vectors of regulation and criteria for the effectiveness of selected strategies. Within the framework of the methodological approach, a generalized algorithm for the development of the organization and a scheme for forming the process of selling dairy products are proposed.

Does Increasing Concentration Hit Poorer Areas More? A Study of Retail Petroleum Markets*

A central tenet in the field of industrial organisation is that increasing/decreasing market concentration is associated with increased/reduced markups. But does this variation affect every consumer to the same extent? Previous literature finds price dispersion exists even for homogeneous goods, at least partially as a result of heterogeneity in consumer engagement with the market. We study this question by linking demographic and income heterogeneity across local areas to the impact of changing market concentration on markups. With 15 years of station‐level motor fuel price data from Western Australia and information on instances of local market exit and entry, we apply a non‐parametric causal forest approach to explore the heterogeneity in the effect of exit/entry. The paper provides evidence of the distributional effect of changing market concentration. Areas with lower income experience a larger increase in petrol stations' price margin as a result of market exit. On the other hand, entry does not benefit the same low‐income areas with a larger reduction in the margin than in high‐income areas. Policy implications include a need to further focus on increasing engagement by low‐income consumers.

Thermal Stress and Its Relationship with Industry: A Systematic Review of The Literature

Objective:This study systematically reviews the literature on the impact of environment temperature on industrial workers and the competitive capacity of industrial organizations. Theoretical Framework:Research such as that by Ferrari et al. (2023) and Varghese (2018) indicates that the relationship between heat and occupational health is predominant, influencing productivity and economic costs. Borg et al. (2021) highlight the need to explore the economic impacts of heat in the workplace to develop effective management policies. Hariyani et al. (2022) emphasize the importance of integrating sustainability and technology into organizational strategies to increase competitiveness. Method:Using the PRISMA protocol and the Science Direct, Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus databases, the research analyzed 329 documents from 31 journals. Results and Discussion:The results indicate that high environment temperatures affect the physical and mental health of workers, reducing productivity. Organizations implement strategic actions and mitigation measures when they perceive competitive advantages. However, industries do not see environment temperature as a direct factor in reducing competitiveness, addressing it as secondary to the economic axis, which creates a knowledge gap. Research Implications:This research allows organizations to create new strategies to mitigate risks that may reduce their competitive capabilities. In addition, it allows for the creation of direct actions for the thermal comfort of workers, due to the central role of human beings in the competitive capacity of industrial organizations. Originality/Value:This work highlights a gap in the scientific literature and in organizational strategies in the search for competitiveness, since the main actors in the manufacturing process, the workers, who are the most affected by exposure to AT, are not seen as elements sensitive to environmental risk .

An Introduction to Late Antique Cross-Craft Studies

The study of crafts and trades in the ancient Mediterranean world has garnered increased attention over the last decade, including through the investigation of cross-craft or inter-industry relations among craft producers. This body of literature represents a range of distinct approaches – including co-production, cross-craft interaction, skeuomorphism, and multicraft – each derived from different disciplinary perspectives, yet collectively these inter-industry approaches are offering new and important perspectives on social and professional networks of artisans, technological developments, and economic organisation of ancient industries. In this introductory chapter, we outline the current trajectories in cross-craft studies and their too often overlooked significance for the study of Late Antiquity.

Preface

Welcome to the Proceedings of the 2024 3rd International Conference on the Energy Internet and Energy Interactive Technology (EIEIT 2024) held via virtual form in Xi’an, China during May 10th to 12th, 2024! EIEIT 2024 builds upon the success of its two previous editions, underscoring the growing importance of energy internet as a cornerstone technology supporting modern power systems. However, despite its promising potential, the development of energy internet in China remains in its nascent stages, necessitating a concerted effort from academia, industry, and government to propel its progress. The conference was organized to provide a comprehensive forum where participants could present their latest research findings, discuss challenges, and explore opportunities for collaboration. The conference attracted about 80 scholars and researchers from all over the world, covering representatives from academia, industry, research institutes, and government organizations. They have a wide range of professional backgrounds related to energy and power engineering. Such a composition of participants not only facilitated interdisciplinary exchanges and cooperation, but also injected a wealth of academic ideas and perspectives into the conference. The program of EIEIT 2024 is rich and diverse, including keynote speeches, oral presentations, poster presentations, academic discussion, etc. The keynote speeches were delivered by internationally renowned scholars including Professor Sanjeevikumar Padmanaban (University of South-Eastern Norway, Norway) and Associate Professor Cristian Paul Chioncel (Universitatea Babeș-Bolyai, Romania) who have in-depth discussions on the cutting-edge dynamics and future development of energy internet and energy interactive technology; the oral presentations provided an extra platform for researchers to showcase their latest research results; and the poster presentations further promoted academic exchanges and collisions of ideas. These conference agendas were designed to promote international academic exchanges and cooperation, and to push forward the researches and applications in the field of energy internet and energy interactive technology. List of Committee Member is available in this Pdf.

The power of stigma: telling the story of the exclusion of Porn Pedallers Cycling Club from British Cycling

ABSTRACT In 2019, Porn Pedallers Cycling Club (PPCC), an organization for adult industry workers who enjoy social and competitive cycling, had its affiliation revoked by UK cycling organization British Cycling due to its links with pornography. The removal of this privilege resulted in considerable media attention in the cycling, mainstream, and adult media. This article explores how British Cycling was able to effectively shut down the debate as to whether the PPCC should be allowed to affiliate through its positioning of both parties. Through critical discourse analysis of online news articles, the article demonstrates how the British media used images and language to stigmatize the PPCC, making constructive debate unfeasible. The authors of this article are public relations scholars and through the analysis of this fast-moving story suggest ways that small or independent organizations in the adult industry might react when in conflict with corporate entities.

Design and modifications of boiler mounting device in Asmara brewery factory

Energy and environment are closely related and important issues in the present all over world. Present industrial and others organization thought the unique of energy utilization and diverse source reviles such as coal, oil, gas, nuclear, hydropower, solar, wind and biofuel. The Non-renewable energy sources are being limited in this world and energy conservation is one of growing need nowadays. The major issues in the world’s energy consumption are getting used in boilers. Thus, this energy used has to be wisely consumed with great efficiency in industries. Boilers are considered as an important and an expensive property in many industries. In addition to initial cost, boilers have high operational and maintenance cost in order to secure production in safe and acceptable working conditions. In this study concerned with an energy saving, economic and environmental analysis of the fire tube boiler in ASMARA BREWERY. In this project, we concentrated on the improvement of boiler efficiency by recovering a portion of heat content of the flue gas. This is possible due to the most dominant device which is the economizer. The preexisting boiler was designed without an economizer. The present modification involved about the design of economizer in the boiler to reduce fuel consumption and thermal shock. Furthermore, in this type of boiler attain higher efficiency and little enhancement in the efficiency of the boiler will save an outsized amount of fuel and also help to reduce CO2 emission.

What Contributes to the Greening of the Polish Energy Industry? Pro-Environmental Inclusive Leadership and Pro-Environmental Behavior—A Moderation–Mediation Analysis

The functioning of the energy sector in Poland has been changing over recent years, influenced by growing concern for the environment. The concept of inclusive leadership can play a key role in the emergence of behavioral changes related to the development of environmental awareness and the initiation of pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors by employees. The guiding objective of this study is to verify a moderated mediation model of the impact of pro-environmental consciousness (PEC) on the mediating role of the fulfillment of the psychological contract for the environment (PCFE) in pro-environmental inclusive leadership (PEIL) and pro-environmental work behavior (PEWB) relationships in the energy industry. By self-completing a survey questionnaire using the computer-assisted web interview (CAWI) method, responses were collected from 649 respondents employed in various energy industry organizations. Structural equation modelling based on maximum likelihood with bootstrap estimation was used to test the hypothesis model. The findings confirm the assumptions of the research model, demonstrating a direct relationship between pro-environmental inclusive leadership and pro-environmental work behavior. Additionally, a mediating condition was found, where the fulfillment of the psychological contract for the environment mediates the relationship between pro-environmental inclusive leadership and pro-environmental work behavior, and pro-environmental consciousness moderates this process. It was found that higher pro-environmental consciousness enhances the indirect effect of pro-environmental inclusive leadership on employees’ pro-environmental work behavior through the fulfillment of the psychological contract for the environment. This highlights the importance of the fulfillment of the psychological contract for the environment and a pro-environmental consciousness in the effectiveness of pro-environmental leadership. The analysis indicates that managers who apply a pro-environmental inclusive management style contribute to an increasingly pro-environmental consciousness and the promotion pro-environmental work behavior among employees. Furthermore, the indirect effect of green leadership on employees’ green actions, through the fulfillment of a psychological contract for the environment that is moderated by their pro-environmental consciousness, highlights the importance of environmentally conscious leaders in building effective employee–employer relationships. These relationships facilitate the implementation of initiatives that accelerate the pace of change and enhance efforts to build tomorrow’s modern energy industry based on low- and zero-carbon energy sources. Additionally, this is one of the first studies in the Polish energy industry to provide insight into the role and importance of green leadership and green behavior in the energy industry.

A Study on Consumer Awareness Regarding Non-dairy Products

The focus of this paper is to explore how a well-known cooperative organization in the dairy industry can increase customer awareness of non-dairy products. The study comprised 104 participants, and data was collected through a questionnaire. The results show that Anand City residents have a positive attitude towards non-dairy products offered by the cooperative organisation. To increase sales, the company's promotional strategies can be improved. Ready- to-eat, ready-to-cook, and ready-to-serve food products have become increasingly popular due to changes in eating habits and culinary techniques because of urbanisation, cultural shifts, and societal development.

Unequal Ground: Gender Disparities at Work Life in the Construction Industry

This research intends to explore how gender impacts different aspects of the quality of work life, emotional intelligence, and the work–family interface among professionals in the Indian construction industry. This study employs quantitative methodology using a questionnaire survey. The questionnaires were circulated to 900 construction professionals, and 724 valid responses were received, resulting in a response rate of 80.44%. The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis and independent sample t-Tests. The independent samples t-Test revealed significant (p < 0.05) gender disparities in various quality of work life factors, emotional intelligence, and work–family interface. Males had a more positive perception of career growth, management, and the working environment. In contrast, females experienced higher job satisfaction, work commitment, personal satisfaction towards their workplace and personal life, a higher work–family interface, and a better work–life balance. Females also experienced a higher level of physical exhaustion and had a higher level of emotional intelligence, while males experienced a higher level of mental exhaustion. There were no significant gender differences in satisfaction towards remuneration and fringe benefits, work culture, or the level of psychological exhaustion. The findings suggest that construction industry organizations could implement policies and practices that promote equal opportunities, provide support for work–family integration, and foster a culture of emotional intelligence. This research adds to the current body of knowledge by igniting novel empirical proof of gender-based differences in the Indian construction industry. It highlights the importance of addressing these disparities to improve the quality of work life, emotional intelligence, and work–family interface among professionals in the industry.

A review of Industry 5.0: from key facets to a conceptual implementation framework

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to review the different facets associated with Industry 5.0 (I5.0) and propose a conceptual framework to boost the applicability of this novel technological cum social aspects within industrial organizations for improved organizational sustainability.Design/methodology/approachThis research work adopted a bibliometric analysis that encapsulates a quantitative set of tools for bibliometric and bibliographic information. This study uses the database of Scopus to acquire data related to different facets of I5.0. The study implies a different spectrum of terms to reach the final corpus of 91 articles related to I5.0. Furthermore, a conceptual define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC)-based framework based on different literature findings is proposed and validated based on the input of experts from different parts of the world.FindingsThe results indicate that I5.0 is still in its infancy. The wider applicability of I5.0 demands comprehensive theoretical knowledge of different facets of this new paradigm and the development of a framework to adopt it on a larger scale. Organizations that are in the race to adopt I5.0 face major challenges related to the digitization of processes along with well-defined cyber-physical systems and the lack of a dedicated framework to execute I5.0. Furthermore, the result also suggests that manufacturing industries are more ready to adopt I5.0 practices as compared to service industries, which can be attributed to well-defined technological measures available in manufacturing settings.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies that explore different know-how and challenges and provides a holistic view of I5.0 by providing a systematic adoption framework.

Development of a boron-containing reduced activation Ferritic-Martensitic (B-RAFM) steel

Steel will be an essential part of any commercial fusion reactor design. Applications in this area involve extreme conditions, imposing particular performance requirements, such as high operational temperature and creep resistance, and also a limitation on the elements that can be used due to the activation that occurs on interaction with irradiation. This work begins with a steel developed for conventional power plant applications, the IBN1 grade developed by IMPACT (a UK consortium of industrial and academic research organisations). This grade has shown excellent properties at high temperature due to high temperature-stable precipitate phases, but contains several elements that would become radiologically active to a degree that is incompatible with the required disposal routes after exposure to the fusion reactor environment. In this study, modifications of the composition are made to remove these elements, and thermodynamic modelling and experimental assessment of the phases that form are undertaken. In this, we have paid particular attention to the prediction of transformation temperatures (to understand if normalisation and tempering can be applied successfully) and the precipitates, to see if suitable phases that are likely to impart creep strength and other desirable properties would be formed. The modifications made include the removal of Nb, Mo, Ni, Co, Cu and Al from the starting alloy, and the substitution of Ta (intended to form carbides, replacing the effect of Nb). Modifications of the amount of retained elemental components, such as C, Mn and Cr, have been made with Thermo-Calc modelling, to ensure preservation of comparable phase transformation temperatures and microstructures. The predicted changes to the alloy are compared to the observations from experimental investigation, finding that tantalum can substitute for niobium in these systems and form similar carbides with similar distribution in the material, and that reduction of Cr to 8 wt% and increase of C to 0.12 wt% raises the Ae4 temperature to allow a high-temperature heat treatment without δ-ferrite formation. While assessment of the mechanical properties of this alloy would be required, the perspectives for these alloys to perform at high temperature that can be inferred from the microstructure are discussed.