Singapore's Electronics Industry Research Articles

The effects of exports, technical change and markup on total factor productivity growth: Evidence from Singapore's electronics industry

This paper illustrates a new technique to measure the effect of export demand on the conventional TFP growth index at the industry level. We apply the technique to Singapore's electronics industry and find that rapid growth in exports accounts for most of the TFP growth in this industry.

Multi-level Modularity vs. Hierarchy: Global Production Networks in Singapore's Electronics Industry

An examination of Singapore's electronics industry is used to construct a generalized model of organizational forms in global production networks within the electronics industry. The model includes an extension of the modular production network derived from studies of the US electronic equipment industry where brand name firms concentrate on product innovation, design and marketing while contracting out manufacturing to turnkey suppliers. In the case of Singapore, however, the original model is too simple to incorporate the multiple levels of contract manufacturing relationships within the electronics industry. The modular network in the semiconductor industry is compared with the hierarchical production network identified in the hard disk drive industry, the other dominant segment of Singapore s electronics industry. The two industries are differently inserted in their global production networks in response to different production technology and corresponding differences in codifiability of the information needed for transactions between buyer and seller within the network. Despite their different organizational forms, the presence in Singapore of both segments is dependent on the maintenance and further development of regional production networks that are able to match requirements determined by global dynamics. State industrial policies in Singapore are already directed at the challenges and seem to be sufficiently comprehensive to withstand the challenges from the rapidly upcoming electronics industry in China and rivalling Southeast Asian neighbour states.

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The role of technological innovation, and therefore R&D, in creating and sustaining competitive advantage has focused research attention on the career management of R&D professionals and the strategies used to realize their career aspirations. Data obtained through structured questionnaires from R&D professionals (N = 165) in the electronics industry in Singapore were used to examine career orientation and perception of rewarded activity as determinants of career strategy. It was found that respondents with a managerial career orientation and those with a professional/scientific orientation equally used the general career strategies of network and extensive involvement in work. However, the managerially oriented respondents more actively used the organization-directed strategies of self-nomination/presentation and seeking career guidance than those with a professional/scientific orientation. Furthermore, both orientation groups perceived technical competence and personality characteristics as rewarded activity while the managerially oriented respondents perceived organizational circumtances and visibility and gaining recognition as rewarded activity. The observed similarities and differences in the perception of rewarded activity between the two career orientation groups were found to be related to the similarities and differences in the use of the general and organization-directed career strategies. Implications of the findings along with directions for future research are discussed.

Globalisation of US, European and Japanese production networks and the growth of Singapore's electronics industry

Over the last 15 years, Singapore has emerged as a major regional production hub for the global electronics industry, accounting for over 4% of global production and ranking within the top five countries in the world in terms of electronics manufacturing output. This paper traces the growth and transformation of electronics manufacturing activities by foreign multinational corporations (MNCs) in Singapore, and highlights significant differences in the nature of the production networks among global US, Japanese and European MNCs. The paper argues that the success of Singapore owes largely to her ability to leverage the competing but overlapping production networks of these major US, European and Japanese electronics firms to achieve rapid technological learning and industry upgrading.

Globalisation of US, European and Japanese production networks and the growth of Singapore's electronics industry

Over the last 15 years, Singapore has emerged as a major regional production hub for the global electronics industry, accounting for over 4% of global production and ranking within the top five countries in the world in terms of electronics manufacturing output. This paper traces the growth and transformation of electronics manufacturing activities by foreign multinational corporations (MNCs) in Singapore, and highlights significant differences in the nature of the production networks among global US, Japanese and European MNCs. The paper argues that the success of Singapore owes largely to her ability to leverage the competing but overlapping production networks of these major US, European and Japanese electronics firms to achieve rapid technological learning and industry upgrading.

Occupational Skin Disease in Workers From the Electronics Industry in Singapore

Occupational Skin Disease in Workers From the Electronics Industry in Singapore

Occupational Skin Disease in Workers From the Electronics Industry in Singapore

Of 149 workers from the electronics industry with occupational dermatoses seen at the Joint Occupational Dermatoses Clinic at the National Skin Centre, Singapore, 51.0% (76) were diagnosed to have irritant contact dermatitis, 40.9% (61) had allergic contact dermatitis, and 8.1% (12) had noncontact dermatitis. More than half of the patients were younger than 30 years of age. Common irritants were soldering flux, oils and coolants, solvents, and acids/alkalis. The most common allergens were nickel and resins, followed by rubber chemicals and the constituents of flux. Of the noncontact dermatitis, 8 were caused by occupationally relevent exacerbation of endogenous eczema, whereas there was one case each of miliaria, frictional dermatitis, and fatal toxic epidermal necrolysis caused by trichloroethylene allergy.

Occupational skin disease in workers from the electronics industry in Singapore

Of 149 workers from the electronics industry with occupational dermatoses seen at the Joint Occupational Dermatoses Clinic at the National Skin Centre, Singapore, 51.0% (76) were diagnosed to have irritant contact dermatitis, 40.9% (61) had allergic contact dermatitis, and 8.1% (12) had noncontact dermatitis. More than half of the patients were younger than 30 years of age. Common irritants were soldering flux, oils and coolants, solvents, and acids/alkalis. The most common allergens were nickel and resins, followed by rubber chemicals and the constituents of flux. Of the noncontact dermatitis, 8 were caused by occupationally relevent exacerbation of endogenous eczema, whereas there was one case each of miliaria, frictional dermatitis, and fatal toxic epidermal necrolysis caused by trichloroethylene allergy.

Workers' Perceptions of Automated Production Work in Singapore's Electronics Industry

This study describes workers' perceptions of automated production work in a newly industrialising economy (NIE), Singapore. Workers perceived increased levels of skill required, responsibility and workload. Those who made the transition from a non-automated to automated line were less positive about automated work compared to workers who always worked, or who never worked on an automated line. Perceptions of automated work also varied by previous work experience and gender. These findings have implications for managing the transition to automated production. Unlike the situation in developed economies, union membership was not a significant factor in workers evaluation of automated work.

Chapter 9 IT Technology Transfer: Corporate and Country Empirical Experience ‐ UMI, Taipower, Samsung; Taiwan, Korea, Singapore

The glitter of techtransfer agreements often tends to be a camouflage and the number of trainees is no substitute for genuine techtransfer: the self‐sustained duplication of foreign technology. We study techtransfer in Taiwan, South Korea, and Singapore to develop the ethos of successful IT techtransfer. (1) Taiwan: In 1976 a US technology company, RCA, transferred CMOS technology which is foundational to semiconductors, not to a private company in Taiwan, but a public government agency. RCA could not trust Taiwan to honor Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) because of its piracy image. At home, RCA was accustomed to America's respect of its public institutions to do the honorable thing. So, RCA opted for a private‐to‐public techtransfer. Even after 16 years, another private company would not trust Taiwan private sector; General Physics of Columbia, Maryland, would transfer nuclear reactor simulation technology not to a private company, but to a government support organization, Institute for Information Industry. (2) South Korea: In the mid‐60s, US firms (Motorola, Signetics, Fairchild) began to assemble chips, followed by Japanese firms and 27 Japanese‐Korean Joint ventures (Samsung‐Sanyo; Crown Radio; Toshiba and Goldstar‐Alps Electronics). In 1975, Samsung acquired the only locally‐owned chip company (Korea Semiconductor) which manu‐factured CMOS chips for watches. (We recall that Taiwan imported CMOS technology from RCA in 1976). During 1983–84 Samsung ac‐quired DRAM technology and the ethnic Korean and Chinese employees succeeded in producing 64 and 256 k‐bit chips. CEO Lee took significant risks, time and again, to let Samsung join the race to design and manufacture successive generations of semiconductor technology. Much of the cumulative US$800 million investment in semiconductors was recouped in 1987 with the market upturn, and higher prices for 256 k‐bit chips. From 1989 onwards, Samsung pushed ahead to achieve design leadership by aggressively involving engineers in all phases of technology transfer and application, as well as by forging new joint ventures with foreign industry leaders which gave Samsung a more dominant role. 3. Singapore: Contrary to the leapfrogging advanced in the litera‐ture since 1982, suggesting that NICs leap over technology generations, Singapore electronics industry supports a model of incremental learning under which TNCs [Trans‐National Corporations] transferred technology gradually. Much of the advance was in pre‐electronic activities such as mechanical, electro‐mechanical and precision engineering, rather than in software or R&D, as would be expected under leapfrogging. As the subsidiaries advanced technologically, they formed forward links with customers, and backward links with local suppliers of capital goods. The government built up the appropriate infrastructure. We develop three Desiderata (desired conditions) for techtransfer: (1) A Pre‐determined Sequence of Technology by Type and Level, (2) A Pre‐determined Sequence of Intellectual Property Rights Protection, and (3) A Pre‐determined Sequence of Upgrading of Transferee's Technical Skills. Why should the transferor engage in any techtransfer? Because leading US corporations use only about 5 percent of their process inventions (Rank 100, 99,…,96) to improve/invent products. To protect the market of these five products, process inventions with Ranks 95, 94,…, 1 have to be denied to competition; they have to be literally locked up. If any NIC is at technology level say, 15, techtransfer of technology level 45 would instantaneously increase the transferee's technology level by (45–15÷15 =) 200% with no risks of R&D, no investment in facilities, no investment in personnel. That transfer would not threaten the transferor's latest products embodying Ranks 100, 99,…, 96. However, it would threaten the transferor's products embodying Rank 45. New technology leadtime is 6–18 months. If the transferee stays out of the main markets of the transferor (e.g. USA, Europe) for that leadtime, the transferee can sell in say, Asia and the Middle East, Africa and Australia. The transferee could offer the transferor two types of revenue: (1) licensing fee which is usually about 1–3% of gross revenue generated from products which could not have been produced without the transferred technology; and (2) 1% of revenue from new markets created by the technology. If the transferee observes the letter and the spirit of techtransfer for six months, a higher level technology, say level 60 could be transferred, instantly raising the transferee's technology level by (60–15÷15 =) 300%. This pre‐determined sequence of techtransfer is a win‐win situation. The transferor receives revenue from what is currently frozen assets; the transferee systematically raises its level of technology by 200%, 300%, etc. without having to risk a single dollar on uncertain R&D.

Automation and New Work Patterns: Cases from Singapore's Electronics Industry

In Singapore, the state has a policy of the extensive encouragement of automation as well as the continuous upgrading of the labour force through further education and retraining. This paper reports on a survey of workers, together with case studies of firms, in the electronics industry. It suggests that the implementation of automation may at times be in conflict with the training and educational upgrading policy, and may be accompanied by extensive labour turnover due to the demands of new working hours associated with automation. However, the high level of demand for labour within Singapore, and the ready availability of alternative sources of supply from outside, means that this is not a serious problem. In general, workers considered that their levels of skill had been enhanced as a result of automation, but also that the intensity of their effort had been increased.

Automation and New Work Patterns: Cases from Singapore's Electronics Industry

Automation and New Work Patterns: Cases from Singapore's Electronics Industry

Technological learning in Singapore: A test case of leapfrogging

Some technology analysts have suggested that developing countries (DCs) might be able to ‘leapfrog’ earlier technological paradigms and catch up in the field of electronics. This paper provides a partial test case of the leapfrogging argument, using evidence from Singapore's electronics industry. It shows that technology was accumulated through a gradual process of learning, rather than by leapfrogging. Indeed, corporate learning was incremental, painstaking, long‐term and cumulative. Also in contrast with the leapfrogging hypothesis, firms tended to enter electronics at the mature phase of the product cycle rather than the early stage. Furthermore, much of the technology accumulated by Singapore's electronics industry was ‘pre‐electronic’ in character, involving crafts, mechanical and precision engineering, electro‐mechanical interfacing and basic manufacturing skills, rather than the software, computer and R&D skills usually associated with electronics. The evidence from Singapore suggests that industrial development in electronics involves a gradual and systematic accumulation of industrial, educational and infrastructural capabilities, many of which are associated with pre‐electronic technological paradigms.

A fuzzy management decision support system for scenario analysis

Journal of Electronics ManufacturingVol. 04, No. 01, pp. 1-9 (1994) PAPERSNo AccessA fuzzy management decision support system for scenario analysisL.P. KHOO, N.C. HO and T.W. CHOAL.P. KHOOSchool of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 2263, Singapore Search for more papers by this author , N.C. HOGINTIC Institute of Manufacturing Technology, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 2263, Singapore Search for more papers by this author and T.W. CHOASchool of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 2263, Singapore Search for more papers by this author https://doi.org/10.1142/S096031319400002XCited by:7 Next AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsRecommend to Library ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail AbstractForecasting the future is an important aspect of strategic planning. In recent years, an increasing number of corporate planners and forecasters have been turning to forecasting techniques to assist them in management decision-making. This paper presents a fuzzy management decision support system for scenario analysis. The system, developed in dBFAST, comprises two modules: data input and scenario generation. It is aimed at emulating the expert’s reasoning process in forecasting. It adopts a hybrid technique—a combination of fuzzy Delphi analysis and fuzzy reasoning—for problem solving. Three widely accepted forecasting techniques—the Delphi method, trend impact analysis and cross-impact analysis—are briefly reviewed. The hybrid technique developed and the details of the fuzzy management decision support system for scenario analysis are described. Using a case study on the penetration of computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) in the electronics industry in Singapore as an example, the performance of the system is discussed.Keywords:Fuzzy reasoningfuzzy Delphi analysisscenario analysiscross-impact analysistrend impact analysisDelphi methodcomputer-integrated manufacturingquantitative reasoningqualitative reasoning FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited By 7Multi-person Collaborative Augmented Reality Assembly Process Evaluation System Based on HoloLensJingFei Wang, YaoGuang Hu and XiaoNan Yang29 May 2022Hybrid intelligent scenario generator for business strategic planning by using ANFISSorousha Moayer and Parisa A. Bahri1 May 2009 | Expert Systems with Applications, Vol. 36, No. 4Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System for generating scenarios in business strategic planningSorousha Moayer, Parisa A. Bahri and Ali Nooraii1 Oct 2007A PDES/STEP-based model and system for concurrent integrated design and assembly planningX.F Zha and H Du1 Dec 2002 | Computer-Aided Design, Vol. 34, No. 14A fuzzy-based genetic approach to the diagnosis of manufacturing systemsL.P. Khoo, C.L. Ang and J. Zhang1 Jun 2000 | Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, Vol. 13, No. 3Designing with scenarios: A critical review of current research and practiceDespina Filippidou1 Mar 1998 | Requirements Engineering, Vol. 3, No. 1Framework of a fuzzy quality function deployment systemL. P. KHOO and N. C. HO1 Feb 1996 | International Journal of Production Research, Vol. 34, No. 2 Recommended Vol. 04, No. 01 Metrics History Received 1 August 1993 Accepted 1 October 1993 KeywordsFuzzy reasoningfuzzy Delphi analysisscenario analysiscross-impact analysistrend impact analysisDelphi methodcomputer-integrated manufacturingquantitative reasoningqualitative reasoningPDF download

Career orientations, perceptions of rewarded activity, and career strategies among R&D professionals

Abstract The role of technological innovation, and therefore R&D, in creating and sustaining competitive advantage has focused research attention on the career management of R&D professionals and the strategies used to realize their career aspirations. Data obtained through structured questionnaires from R&D professionals (N = 165) in the electronics industry in Singapore were used to examine career orientation and perception of rewarded activity as determinants of career strategy. It was found that respondents with a managerial career orientation and those with a professional/scientific orientation equally used the general career strategies of network and extensive involvement in work. However, the managerially oriented respondents more actively used the organization-directed strategies of self-nomination/presentation and seeking career guidance than those with a professional/scientific orientation. Furthermore, both orientation groups perceived technical competence and personality characteristics as rewarded activity while the managerially oriented respondents perceived organizational circumtances and visibility and gaining recognition as rewarded activity. The observed similarities and differences in the perception of rewarded activity between the two career orientation groups were found to be related to the similarities and differences in the use of the general and organization-directed career strategies. Implications of the findings along with directions for future research are discussed.

A Partial Test of a Career-Based Theory of Job Involvement Among Technical Professionals

Despite the growing importance of careers and its probable influence on work attitudes, only McKelvey and Sekaran (1977) have proposed a career-based theory of job involvement. If their career-based theory of job involvement is to offer practical suggestions on how to improve job involvement, its generalisability will need to be established Data obtained from a sample of technical professionals (engineers, N=210) employed in the electronics industry in Singapore were used to test McKelvey and Sekaran's career-based theory of job involvement. The theory posits job involvement as an outcome of the fit between career, personality, job and organisational characteristics. Our findings are supportive of the theory. First and second-order regression analyses improved the amount of variance in job involvement explained In addition, the analyses indicated each subgroup to become job involved under a different configuration of variables. Implications of the findings and directions for future studies are discussed

Vertical linkages and multinational enterprises in developing countries

Many studies have concluded that multinational firms do not create significant technical and other vertical linkages in developing host countries. This case study of three multinational firms in the export-oriented electronics industry in Singapore shows that under certain conditions multinational firms can lead in creating local vertical linkages. It suggests that restrictive government policies to increase local purchases may not be necessary, effective or desirable in promoting local linkages by export-oriented multinational firms that respond primarily to international market conditions. The Singapore experience poinst to the importance of a healthy investment climate and rapid economic growth in encouraging multinational firms to forge local linkages.