Small Industrial Sector Research Articles

The Role of Agricultural Mechanization in the Modernization of Asian Agriculture: Taiwan's Experience

The demand for mechanization and automation in the agricultural field is a response to the demand for high quality products and sophisticated production techniques in countries with high labor costs. Taiwan started its ten-year mechanization program in 1960 through the introduction of power tillers. Additional measures such as the introduction of field and post-harvest rice drying mechanization, agricultural automation, and precision agriculture were promoted during the past thirty years. Over this period, Taiwan has become a highly mechanized country in rice production. The local small and medium-sized farm machinery industrial sector is characterized by low volume sales of a great variety of farm machinery. Although government policies help to fulfill domestic demand for farm machinery, the local agricultural machinery industry is at a disadvantage as it faces global competition in the new millennium.

Estimation of anthropogenic heat emission in the Gyeong-In region of Korea

The anthropogenic heat emission in the Gyeong-In region of Korea in 2002 is estimated based on the energy consumption statistics data. The energy consumption over the region is categorized into four energy sectors: electricity use, transportation, point sources, and area sources. The estimated annual mean anthropogenic heat emissions in Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi are found to be 55, 53, and 28 W m−2, respectively. A major contributing energy sector to anthropogenic heat emission in the Gyeong-In region is area sources including the residential, commercial, and small industrial sectors, which account for 40% of the total heat emission from the three administrative districts, and transportation and electricity use follow. The distributions of the annual, monthly, and hourly mean anthropogenic heat emission for all energy sectors are presented in the 0.01° longitude × 0.01° latitude grid domain. The presently estimated anthropogenic heat emission data can be used in mesoscale meteorological and environmental modeling in the Gyeong-In region.

Small-Scale Industries in Jordan in the Globalization Era Performance and Prospects

The research probes the implications of globalization and domestic economic liberalization for small-scale industries and analysis its growth performance. The research concludes with policy recommendations to ensure the sustenance and competitive growth of small-scale industries in Jordan. Results of the study show that the growth of small scale industries in Jordan in terms of units, employment, output and exports has come up due to globalization, domestic liberalization and dilution of sector specific measures. The government should involve the private sector in the development of infrastructure, to enable efficient monitoring and good facilities to the small scale industries. There is a need to create fund at the government level for disbursement as margin money through district industries centers to small scale industries units to encourage them to undertake technological innovations. A technological vibrant, internationally competitive small scale industries sector should be encouraged to emerge, to make a sustainable contribution to national income, employment and exports.

FENOMENA KESEMPATAN KERJA DI KABUPATEN BOYOLALI DITINJAU DARI SEKTOR INDUSTRI KECIL

This research focus on the role of small industries as the key sectors for the improvement of village economy, in the purpose of realizing the economic development success in Indonesia. The areas becoming the object of this research is Boyolali regency.The purpose of this research is to find out the description in a general way about the small industrial sectors in Boyolali Regency and the factors which have influences in the small industrial sectors' output as well as the small industries' ability in giving contribution of thought as the things that can be considered to help another research that has something to do with this issue.In this research there is endogen variable that is the small industries' output in Boyolali regency and the eksogen variables that is investment, men power and PDRB.The result of this research shows that investment and PDRB have a positive effect but labor has a negative effect to the small industrial sectors ' output and also it is found out that the small industry sectors are industries whose capital is incentive so that the effect that it has is in the creating of the small labors. Having that situation, the government has to impose a policy on the use of certain technology in the production process of the small industry sectors to fulfil the creation of new labors.

Technology Transfer In Rural Industries of Thailand: The Case of Dessert And Palm Tree Industries

In last decade, the small industrial sector has increasingly received attention from Thai policy makers. This study investigates the relationship between small industries and community in rural area in term of technology transfer. In the research area, knowledge and experience gathered from workplace as an employee and family businesses are the core resources to establish and run busineSses. Technically, technology transfer is divided into 2 characteristics; intra-enterprise and inter-enterprise. Intra-enterprise technology transfer comes from employers to employees, emphasizing production development. Beside, technology transfer of inter-enterprise has two directions. Firstly, direction points from the entrepreneur to material suppliers aiming to secure raw material quality. Secondly direction points from consumers to the entrepreneur aiming to put a great emphasis on product development, quality control and management.

The Permanent Transition In Africa

Abstract: The negative impact of hegemonic neoliberal policies on women has been well documented globally, but it is more intense and absolute in Sub-Saharan Africa because of specific economic characteristics frequently found there. With few exceptions, its national economies are small, with especially small industrial sectors. Their orientation towards primary product exports, dominated by men locally and globally, remains strong from colonial rule, ended less than 50 years ago. Recent structural adjustment programs (SAPs) have only reinforced this imbalance. The credit and demand restraints associated with SAPs cause deep economic hardship among women and the poor, as consumers and workers. Capital shortage and unreliable infrastructure inhibit the anticipated supply response from local entrepreneurs or foreign investment. Widespread layoffs, higher user fees and government cutbacks in already minimal public services increase poor women's domestic drudgery, health care burdens and income pressures, while reducing their employment prospects and earnings.

Current Status, Opportunities and Challenges of Cottage and Small Scale Industries

Industrialization plays a crucial role in the process of economic development. National income, per capita income, output and employment can grow at a faster rate only through development of industries of various sizes. In the context of Nepal, cottage and small scale industrial sector deserves priority as an instrument of industrialization because Nepal is facing the problem of high population growth rate, unemployment, income inequalities etc. Although large and medium scale industries also generate more employment opportunities they require comparatively heavier amount of capital, which is generally scarce in Nepal. It is necessary to make our industrialization process dynamic and consolidated by developing and expanding cottage and small-scale industries in keeping with our limited markets, level of technical know-how, position of transportation, and the geographical structure of the country. There are great possibilities of establishing cottage and small-scale industries utilizing the existing local resources due-to geological and geophysical structure of the country. By the development of cottage and small scale industries, it will be enhanced to achieve the target of poverty reduction from 38 to 30 percent. The main objective of this study is to analysis current status, opportunities and challenges of cottage and small-scale industries in Nepal. Economic Journal of Nepal Vol.28(4) 2005 pp.257-263

Child labour in footwear industry: Possible occupational health hazards

The constitution of India, as a part of the fundamental rights, has laid down that the State shall direct its policy towards protection of childhood and youth against exploitation and shall not be employed to work in any factory or mine or engaged in any hazardous employment. India has the largest number of urban and rural child workers in the world. The Government of India acknowledges at least 17.5 million working children.2 Footwear industry is also one of the major export oriented industry employing a large number of children. The Footwear Industry is a significant segment of the Leather Industry in India. India ranks second among the footwear producing countries next to China. The industry is labour intensive and is concentrated in the small and cottage industry sectors. While leather shoes and uppers are concentrated in large-scale units, the sandals and Chappals are produced in the household and cottage sector. The major production centers India are Chennai, Ranipet, Ambur in Tamil Nadu, Mumbai in Maharashtra, Kanpur and Agra in Uttar Pradesh, Jalandhar in Punjab and Delhi. The processes in the footwear making include last making, pattern cutting, clicking, Sewing, Assembling and Finishing. Children between 10 and 15 years old are mainly employed in assembling shoes. Some 80 percent of the children work for contractors at home. Children work on soling (fixing upper portions of shoes to leather or rubber soles) with glue. Children in cramped poorly lit rooms suffer from continuous skin contact with industrial adhesives and breathing vapors from glues. The children working in the footwear industry are exposed to physical factors like poor illumination, noise and poor ventilation, and chemicals like leather dust, benzene that is used as a solvent in glues and p-tert butyl phenols, which is used in neoprene adhesives. Thus most children suffer from respiratory problems, lung diseases and skin infections through constant exposure to glue and fumes. They are also exposed to risk of nasal cancer, neurotoxicity and adverse physical factors. It is recommended to stop child labour and let the child be bread eater rather than bread earner.

Small Scale Industries: Threats And Challenges Aarti Deveshwar

The Small Scale Industries sector has emerged as a vibrant and dynamic sector of Indian economy which contributes nearly 40% of the total industrial production and over 34% of the national exports. At present this sector is providing employment to over 250 lakh people. It also acts as a nursery for promoting entrepreneurial talent and as a catalyzer of industrial growth through a wide network of more than three million units in the country, accounting for about 95% of the total industrial units in the country. The world trading system is constantly offering new challenges as well as creating new threats; as tariffs and quotas are removed, new technical norms, sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures and anti-dumping actions are rendering more challenges for businesses in emerging economies. The WTO is bound to impact every economic activity- the small- scale-sector is no exception. WTO Agreements have thrown up a variety of threats and challenges. In its wake the SSIs lost the shield of protective policies and have been exposed to the onslaught of large organizations and international competition. The strategy to survive and flourish will have to begin with a clear understanding of the nuances of the changes that are taking place, not only domestically but globally. An attempt has been made in this paper to study the performance of SSIs since 1995 when WTO came into existence and to identify the various problems which the SSIs are facing in the changing environment and to suggest strategic imperatives to make them competitive in present scenario.

Institutionalization and promotion of saving habits through Bai‐Muajjal mode of financing

Points out that the small and cottage industry (SCI) sector is often neglected despite its potential for contributing to economic development, especially in the third world; and reports an investigation of the use of the Bai‐Muajjal (BM) method of financing in the Bangladesh SCI sector. Explains the theoretical basis and methodology of the study, the possible sources of funds for SCI owners, the particular characteristics of Islamic banks and the fund investment methods they offer. Describes the BM lending activities of one such bank with 40 “grass root level” SCIs (poultry farming and handloom industry), which require borrowers to create groups, undergo monitoring and open savings accounts; and assesses their effects on SCI owners’ saving habits and the mobilization of savings towards productive ends. Identifies many social and economic advantages in the BM system and welcomes it as a way to channel savings productively and reduce poverty.

Relationship between R&D and Firm Size in the Small Industry Sector of Karnataka

The relationship between Research&Development (R&D) and firm size is one of the widely discussed research issues in industrial economics. Earlier studies on this issue have come out with contradictory and diverse research findings. This paper analyses this relationship in the context of small industry in Karnataka. The analysis is done in terms of R&D objectives, sources, dimensions, inputs and its variance with firm size in the small industry. In addition, it has probed the relationship between R&D and factor productivities. The analysis includes in addition to overall sectoral perspective, the industrial and regional dimensions. The results indicate that when the R&D activities and related factors are similar in nature, R&D intensity exhibits a negative relationship with both firm size and factor Productivities. We have observed this phenomenon not only for the overall sector but also across industries and sub-regions.

Energy use and carbon dioxide emission of Indonesian small and medium scale industries

In Asia, small and medium scale industries (SMIs) form a significant number of establishments contributing to economic growth, stimulating indigenous entrepreneurship, leading to overall development and serving as a training center for developing skills of industrial workers and entrepreneurs. Because of the nature of these enterprises with their inefficient use of energy and other resources, they contribute to local pollution and other environmental problems. Studies on the emission of carbon dioxide (CO 2) from these industries are few, especially in developing countries. This article presents an estimation of CO 2 emission due to energy (fuel and electricity) consumption in seven SMI sectors in Indonesia. The specific energy consumption and the energy intensity (energy use per value addition) of these sectors have been estimated. Results of the energy use survey and detailed energy audits show that the highest specific fuel consumption is found in the textile industry, followed by the fabricated metal and chemical industries, while the highest specific electricity consumption is found in the fabricated metal industry, followed by the textile and chemical industries. The highest energy intensity among small industry sectors is found in the food and beverages sector. CO 2 emission from the SMI sectors of Indonesia was estimated based on Intergovernmental panel on Climate Change methodology by considering the emission from each audited factory and from the aggregated energy consumption data of the SMI sectors. The textile and fabricated metal industry contribute the highest specific CO 2 emission. The analysis shows that the contribution of liquid fuels to CO 2 emission is very significant in the SMI sector. The overall contribution by the small industrial sector is about 366,000 tons in 1993 compared to about 46 million tons generated by all industrial sectors.

Economic Change and Health Benefits: Structural Trends in Employer-Based Health Insurance

Drawing on structural theories of economic outcomes, we investigated how economic change affects the distribution of health benefits, the main source of health insurance for American workers. Through an aggregate level analysis, we show how the effects of industry level characteristics on the level of health benefits change between 1988 and 1997. Due to the increased reliance on women, nonwhite workers, and part-time labor, we expect declines in the effect sizes of gender and race composition and proportion full-time. In contrast, we predict increases in the effects of proportion small firm employment, proportion union, and industry sector due to rising health care costs, the competitive economic environment, and greater union effectiveness. We analyze data from the March Current Population Surveys for 1987 to 1997 using generalized least-squares regression. The positive effect of proportion white increases over time, while the positive effect of level of full-time work declines. The negative effects of small firm employment and being a retail or nonprofessional service industry increase in magnitude. Both union activity and gender composition have stable effects over the period. The results challenge views of a declining significance of race and gender in the labor market.

Employment, Efficiency and Entrepreneurship in Small Industry: A Study of the Baking Industry in Punjab, India

Small industry continues to play a very important role in development, particularly in developing economies. However, recent changes particularly in the policy have questioned their role and relevance for development as many ills plague this sector. The small industries sector today is viewed as inefficient, highly capital intensive and outdated in terms of production technology and, consequently, products. This article examines some aspects of small industry in the context of the secondary food processing, consumer industry—the baking industry—in the state of Punjab, India. It was found that the employment generated by the small-scale sector is irrelevant to the local economy and, therefore, does not cater to its needs. The small-scale baking industry also exhibits on the one hand elements of being capital intensive and on the other, low productivity. This industry, as such, is less efficient compared to the large-scale sectors of industry. As far as entrepreneurship is concerned, refugee households, who had started with meagre funds, dominate this industry. Only of late have entrepreneurs hailing from other diverse backgrounds started entering this sector.

Consultancy Services for Small Scale Sick Units

Development of small scale industrial sector and providing multiple socio-economic benefits is one of the priorities of Indian planning. Though a number of measures were introduced to sustain healthy growth of this sector⁄ a significant k -portion of small scale units have started Ming sick. Consultants from various technical consultancy organizations⁄ small industry service institutes⁄ and private firms do play a major role in preventing and curing sickness. Based on a field study of 20 problematic units⁄this paper by Chhikara evalu ates certain important aspects of the consulting profession such as hiring consultants and utilizing their services; in volvement and commitment of promoters; the role of financial institutions and banks; overall impact of consultancy services; major gaps and limitations⁄ and additional requirements needed for making consultancy services more result-oriented.

Small and medium-sized enterprises in the Republic of Korea: Implications for the development of technology-intensive industries

Korea's miraculous growth and meteoric rise as a newly industrializing economy have carried with them considerable costs. Initial reliance on Korean large business groups, the chaebol, was an appropriate policy choice for creating competitive advantage through economies of scope for the export market. However, the neglect of the small and medium-sized industrial sector and resulting weak backward linkages with parts industries have become a burden on the performance of these same big businesses. This issue is particularly critical because Korea must make a transition into more knowledge- and technology-intensive industries in the face of a rising real wage level. This paper examines how the underdevelopment of the small and medium-sized industrial sector undermined the overall efficiency of the Korean economy, in terms of added costs and low quality of final products produced by big businesses, thus hindering Korea's transition into more technology-intensive industries.

The Babbling Brookes: Economic Change in Sarawak 1841–1941

The present day economy of Sarawak is characterized by a small but rapidly growing, largely rural population engaged in low productivity, semi-subsistence agriculture; a dependence on the export of a few primary commodities; the relative absence of modern transportation linkages, and a small industrial sector. In many respects, therefore, Sarawak represents a microcosm of the underdeveloped world. Yet for about a hundred years Sarawak was ruled by the white Brooke dynasty and was touted as a true frontier for western expansion and an ideal setting for the exploitation of its natural resources. There was very little development during this period because Brooke rule was inimical to economic progress—the Brookes gave little or no financial assistance to the natives, undertook few developmental initiatives, and expected foreign entrepreneurs and missionaries to provide the rudiments of physical and social infrastructures. The Brookes believed that change, particularly far-reaching or rapid change, would be harmful to the natives. Consequently, when Brooke rule ended, the problems of economic development seemed more intractable while the supposed benefits of ‘white’ rule appeared less tangible.

Missing research on small and microenterprise promotion programmes

There is much agreement on the importance of small and microenterprises in developing countries and this has led to research and the establishment of specialized programmes and institutions in this area. However, certain issues still need more thought and research before policy is made. This article deals with four main problems requiring attention: savings–promotion, fraud, appropriate training, and promotion of medium-sized non-microenterprise. Although other disciplines have produced some solutions, these have not been readily adopted by the small industrial sector.

Information for small industries in Sri Lanka

Edited version of a paper originally published in a volume to commemorate the opening of the National Library of Sri Lanka in 1990. Describes the structure and problems of the small and medium scale industrial sector in Sri Lanka, the various government agencies which have been set up to guide and support the development of the sector, and the need for better industrial data and information services in these institutions.

Public and Private Initiatives in the “Small” Industrial Sector: Northern Ireland

Looks at mechanisms to encourage the growth of the small industrial sector in Northern Ireland. Evaluates the respective ideas of enterprise agencies and the private developers′ scheme, together with opinions of users (tenants) and developers. Concludes that slow rental growth means that grant assistance is necessary to ensure a moderate level of return to the developer.