Necessity and challenges of nature conservation

Nature conservation is the preservation of resources that are produced naturally for example wild animals and plants, ecosystem and biodiversity especially from the effects of human activities for example exploitation and industrialization. Nature conservation is necessary in protecting the biodiversity for example to prevent animal species from endangering or extinct, protection for natural ecosystem and human’s freshwater sources for drinking purposes. Moreover, nature conservation is important in maintaining a long-life natural environment as well as an environment that is sustainable towards development. However, nature conservation is not an easy task as it requires a lot of manpower as well as money. Therefore, nature conservation is challenging as well. The challenges of nature conservation include human’s overpopulation, global warming and overharvesting. Human’s overpopulation is one of the most challenging factors that influences the practice of nature conservation

Household enterprises in Vietnam : survival, growth, and living standards

In Vietnam almost a quarter of adults worked in nonfarm household enterprises in 1998. Based on household panel data from the Vietnam Living Standards Surveys of 1993 and 1998, the authors find some evidence that operating an enterprise leads to greater affluence. The data show that nonfarm household enterprises are most likely to be operated by urban households, by those with moderately good education, and by the children of proprietors. The authors were able to construct a panel of nonfarm household enterprises; 39 percent of enterprises operating in 1993 were still in business in 1998. Those in the (more affluent) south of the country were less likely to survive, as were smaller and younger businesses. A pattern emerges from the data. In poor areas the lack of education, credit, and effective demand limits the development of nonfarm household enterprises. In rich areas there is the attraction of wage labor. Nonfarm household enterprises are thus most important in the period of transition, when agriculture is declining in importance but before the formal sector becomes established. The authors expect these enterprises to continue to play a modest supporting role in fostering economic growth in Vietnam.Public Health Promotion,Housing&Human Habitats,Banks&Banking Reform,Municipal Financial Management,Microfinance,Banks&Banking Reform,Municipal Financial Management,Small and Medium Size Enterprises,Private Participation in Infrastructure,Microfinance

The effects of an interactive computerized multimedia tutorial on knowledge gain in modular fixturing design concepts

This study was designed to compare student knowledge gain from learning modular fixturing design concepts by computer tutorial versus traditional lecture. The use of computer tutorial to support engineering and technology classroom instructions has been a major issue for many studies. The undergraduate curricula in engineering and technology are becoming increasingly complex due to the today\u27s modern wide variety of manufacturing processes. The concept of modular fixturing in tool design course is one of the technical competencies which most industries would like graduates to be able to apply their knowledge to real-world problems and situations. An interactive computerized multimedia tutorial named ToolTRAIN was developed and administered to undergraduate students in the Industrial Technology program at the University of Northern Iowa. By integrating information in a graphical manner such as 3D visualization through animation, ToolTRAIN demonstrated how several modular fixturing components can be assembled with a wide variety of workpieces. A quasi-experimental design employing pre- and post-instruction tests was utilized for the study. Two preexisting groups of students were assigned to either the experimental or control group. Both groups were instructed on the same general topics covered in this study. A pretest was given to both groups. Three hours were used to teach the control group the concepts and theories of modular fixturing design concepts by lecture. On the other hand, the experimental group was expected to utilize ToolTRAIN for three hours. The posttest was administered to all subjects to measure knowledge gain of modular fixturing design concepts after the instruction. The data were analyzed using t tests to compare group mean of change scores. All hypotheses were tested at the .05 level of significance. This research indicated that there were significant differences between the computer tutorial program and lecture method. The experimental (computer tutorial) group achieved significantly higher improvement in scores than the control (lecture) group. Also, the learning time actually spent using ToolTRAIN was less that for the control group. Based on this research it was concluded that the ToolTRAIN interactive multimedia tutorial program can be used as an effective teaching method for modular fixturing design concepts. Future research should expand the sample size used in the investigation with tighter control of control group module content. ToolTRAIN can also be used for more complex concepts of modular fixturing system and applications

Дослідження системи операційного менеджменту організації, на прикладі Apple Computer, Inc

The object of investigation is the process of managing of operating activities of Apple, Inc. The aim of the work is to formulate theoretical approaches and to develop practical recommendations on directions of improvement of operating management at the organization. Research methods cover methods of analysis, synthesis, comparison, detailing, system approach. This master’s research paper analyzes the operational management of Apple, Inc. and provides recommendations for it’s improvement. In particular, the main directions of solving the problems of operational management of the company have been outlined, the proposals on improvement of expansion distribution network and organization of innovative activity of the Apple Inc. have been made.Об'єкт дослідження ‒ процес управління операційною діяльністю компанії Apple, Inc. Мета дослідження - формування теоретичних підходів та розробка практичних рекомендацій щодо напрямів вдосконалення системи операційного менеджменту компанії Apple, Inc. Методи дослідження: методи аналізу, синтезу, порівняння, деталізації, системний підхід. У роботі проведено аналіз операційного менеджменту Apple, Inc., а також викладені рекомендації щодо його вдосконалення. Зокрема, окреслено основні напрями вирішення проблем операційного менеджменту компанії, внесено пропозиції щодо розширення дистриб’юторської мережі, а також вдосконалення організації інноваційної діяльності Apple Inc.Introduction 6 CHAPTER 1 THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK OF OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT 8 1.1 Meanings and definition of operational management 8 1.2 Principles and methods of operations management 12 1.3 Factors affecting the Operations activity of Apple Inc. company 21 CHAPTER 2 RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS 31 2.1 Сompany introduction 31 2.2 SWOT - analysis of Apple Inc. Company 46 2.3 Analysis of operation management at Apple Inc 50 CHAPTER 3 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVING OF OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT AT THE APPLE INC 63 3.1 The main directions of solving operational management problems of the company 63 3.2 Recommendations concerning improvements of Distribution in the organization 65 3.3 Recommendations concerning improvements of innovative activity at the organization 67 CHAPTER 4 SPECIAL PART 73 4.1 Current trends in the field 73 4.2 Company policy in the market 75 CHAPTER 5 RATIONALE FOR RECOMMENDATIONS 77 5.1 Statement for recommendations at Company 77 CHAPTER 6 OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY AT THE ENTERPRISE 79 6.1 The aim of occupational health 79 6.2 Organization of occupational health and safety at the enterprise 86 CHAPTER 7 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES 92 7.1 Environmental issues in the field 92 7.2 Еnvironmental factors 94 Conclusions 96 References 98 Appendices 10

Operations manager's individual competetencies for mass customization

To compete successfully in today’s business environment, which is fraught with very heterogeneous and uncertain customer demands, manufacturing organizations are increasingly aiming to develop their mass customization capability (MCC), defined as the ability to fulfill each customer’s idiosyncratic needs without considerable trade-offs in cost, delivery, and quality. The literature has overlooked the role of individual competencies (ICs) in the development of MCC, even though companies are paying growing attention to the challenge of developing their employees’ competencies. The present study was aimed at narrowing this gap by using a well established method for conducting IC assessments - namely, the behavioral event interview - to investigate the ICs of an operations manager (OM), which is among the professional roles most affected by product customization, that enhance the MCC of the manufacturing organization for which the OM works. A multiple-case study was designed involving eight cases chosen according to literal and theoretical replication logic among the machinery manufacturers of one European country. From this sample, I collected multilevel data on the MCC of each organization and on the OMs’ ICs. Five OM ICs - negotiation, information seeking, efficiency orientation, analytical/systems thinking, and pattern recognition - emerged from this study, and this thesis provides empirical evidence and logical explanations for the positive effects of these ICs on a manufacturing organization’s MCC. This PhD thesis is the first research on MCC-enabling managerial competencies that relies on multilevel data, considering both an organization’s MCC and its managers’ ICs, rather than on practitioners’ experiences and opinions. This study also has managerial implications, providing guidance for the human resources management practices of companies pursuing a mass customization strategy. This study could be replicated for other managerial roles as well as in other industries and countries.Para competir com sucesso no atual contexto de mercado, caracterizado pela existência de clientes exigentes, heterogéneos e nem sempre de fácil compreensão, as organizações produtivas estão a desenvolver cada vez mais a sua capacidade de mass costumization (MCC), definida como a capacidade de satisfazer a exigência idiossincrática de cada cliente sem compromissos significativos em termos de custo, tempo de entrega e qualidade. A literatura tem vindo a negligenciar o papel das competências individuais (IC) no desenvolvimento da MCC, mesmo se as empresas atualmente estão a ter maior atenção à oportunidade de desenvolver a competência dos próprios colaboradores. O presente estudo teve como objetivo reduzir essa lacuna, utilizando um método de avaliação das IC bem consolidado a behavioral event interview e, desse modo, investigar como as IC de um operations manager (OM), sendo esse um dos papéis profissionais mais influenciados pela personalização de produto, melhora a MCC da empresa. Para tanto, foi projetado um multiple-case study em oito empresas industriais, escolhidas com base na lógica da réplica literal e teórica entre fabricantes de máquinas de um país europeu. A partir dessa amostra recolhemos dados de vários níveis da MCC de cada organização e das IC do seu OM. Com o estudo emergiram cinco IC dos OMs - negotiation, information seeking, efficiency orientation, analytical/systems thinking, e pattern recognition - e o trabalho fornece evidências empíricas e explicações lógicas dos efeitos positivos dessas IC na MCC da empresa. A presente tese é a primeira pesquisa sobre competências de gestão que facilitam a MCC e baseia-se em dados de vários níveis da MCC de uma organização e nas IC do seu OM e não sobre as suas experiências e opiniões. O estudo apresenta também indicações para práticas de gestão ao nível dos recursos humanos em empresas que procuram uma estratégia de mass customization. Este estudo apresenta a possibilidade de ser replicado noutros papéis profissionais, setores produtivos e até países

Human resources, environmental risk and implementation of lean production. The case of the first tier suppliers of the automotive industry in Spain

El objetivo de la presente tesis doctoral es ampliar el conocimiento sobre los factores explicativos del proceso de implantación de lean en sectores industriales investigando el papel de una serie de factores internos y externos del entorno de la empresa. En concreto, se analiza el papel de los recursos humanos, de los resultados de funcionamiento previos de la empresa y del riesgo del entorno en el proceso de implantación de lean. Ello se consigue de dos formas: 1) un revisión sistemática de la literatura sobre el papel de los recursos humanos y su gestión en el proceso de implantación y consolidación de lean y 2) a través de un estudio empírico realizado en un conjunto de proveedores de primer nivel de la industria del automóvil en España complementado con información extraida de fuentes secundarias . Los resultados alcanzados indican que existen en la literatura cuatro líneas de investigación diferenciadas sobre el papel de los recursos humanos y su gestión en el proceso de implantación de lean, mostrando lagunas y retos para la investigación futura. A nivel empírico, los resultados reafirman que Lean Production es un sistema socio-técnico integrado, donde deben gestionarse tanto factores internos como externos de la empresa para tener éxito en su proceso de implantación.The objective of this dissertation is to expand the knowledge about the explanatory factors of the implementation process of lean production in industrial sectors by investigating the role of a series of internal and external factors of the environment of the company. More specifically, this thesis analyzes the role of human resources, the past performance of the company and environmental risk in the implementation process of lean production. This is achieved in two ways: 1) a systematic literature review on the role of human resources and their management in the implementation and consolidation process of lean production, and 2) through an empirical study conducted in a set of first tier suppliers of the automobile industry in Spain complemented with information extracted from secondary data sources. The results indicate that there are four different lines of research in the literature on the role of human resources and their management in the implementation process of lean production, showing gaps and challenges for future research. At the empirical level, the results reaffirm that lean production is an integrated socio-technical system, where both internal and external factors of the company must be managed to be successful in its implementation process.Tesis Univ. Jaén. Departamento Organización de Empresas, Marketing y Sociología. Leída el 21 de abril de 2017

Abundant information resources online, equalized development? Using the internet for learning and the mitigation of unequal occupational mobilities

This study explores the possibility that using the internet for learning mitigates the inequality of occupational mobility between rural migrant workers, a disadvantaged group in cities, and their advantaged counterparts, urban resident workers, in urban China. To investigate the mitigation of unequal occupational mobilities, this study examines, a) the extent to which using the internet for learning offers greater labour market benefits for the disadvantaged – rural migrant workers, and b) the extent to which rural migrant and urban resident workers have equal use of the internet for learning. This study uses quantitative and qualitative data in a complementary manner, with the quantitative analysis (data from China Family Panel Studies) being used to offer more rigorous results of comparison and the qualitative findings (data from 24 additional semi-structured interviews) being used to enrich explanations to interpret the observed comparative results. The results show a ‘negative selection’ phenomenon in using the internet for learning. That is, while rural migrant workers seem to be able to get more labour market benefits from learning online, they are actually less likely to use the internet for learning in the first place. As such, the results do not show that using the internet for learning mitigates the inequality of occupational mobility between the two groups. Structural inequalities cause rural migrant workers more excluded from using the internet for learning in the first place. The stronger ‘learning-mobility' relationship for rural migrant workers merely reflects their deprivation of skill- and non-skill-related resources for occupational attainment in the urban labour market. The ‘negative selection’ phenomenon in using the internet for learning demonstrates the way that pre-existing structural inequalities are constantly being reproduced with new manifestations in an ever-changing world

The challenges for sustainable skills development in the UK automotive supply sector: policy and implementation

Original paper can be found at: http://www.gerpisa.univ-evry.fr/rencontre/16.rencontre/GERPISAJune2008/home.htmlThe European Automotive industry is a key strategic player in the European Union with an estimated 10 million workers. The majority of these work in the supply chain (CLEPA 2005). As a major employer, the sector must work to maintain its competitive edge if it is to keep that workforce engaged.Final Accepted Versio