Corporate motivation for integrated management system implementation : why do firms engage in integration of management systems: a literature review & research agenda\ud

Integration of management systems such as for quality, environment, occupational health and safety, risk management, and corporate social responsibilities is a viable organisational approach to cost reduction, efficient utilization of resources, greater motivation of employees, and better compliance to social obligations and stakeholders‘ requirements. Identification of drivers for corporate motivation for IMS decision making and its implementation is a matter of interest for academicians, practitioners, industry, and government regulatory agencies; paradoxically literature on this subject is pretty thin. This paper describes the literature review and research agenda for the exploration of drivers of IMS implementation and factors influencing IMS implementation. The exploratory research is meant to be executed by an inductive approach through case studies in Pakistani manufacturing firms

Standards compliance as an alternative learning opportunity under globalization in Latin America

globalization, technological infrastructures, certification, capability, Latin America, Chile

The Impact Of Regulatory Stringency On The Foreign Direct Investment Of Global Pharmaceutical Firms

Cross-national regulatory differences in safety, price and intellectual property protection are an inherent feature of the operating environment of the global pharmaceutical firm. Institutional, transaction cost and more recent ‘race to the bottom’ theories assume that regulation represents a cost to the firm; therefore firms ‘vote with their feet’ and avoid investment in stringently regulated markets. However, a cross-national empirical study of the FDI levels of 20 firms across 19 markets reveals that regulatory stringency is not related to FDI, and price control stringency is positively related to FDI, when controlling for other market factors. National governments are not powerless in games of regulatory arbitrage, and have in fact developed adaptive strategies to maintain high regulatory standards and FDI simultaneously. Furthermore, global firms weigh various factors in their investment decisions, and suffer from classic optimisation problems, including information asymmetries and bounded rationality, which prevent total ‘regulatory optimisation’. The implications for existing theories of international business, globalisation and regulation are discussed.international business, foreign direct investment (FDI), globalisation, regulation, responses to regulation, political economy

Development in the Indonesia-Malaysia-Singapore Growth Triangle

In this article, we explore whether regional economic cooperation in the form of growth triangle, made popular during the late 1980s, can continue to be relevant in the face of more formal arrangements as in free trade agreements (FTAs) and other bilateral ‘closer economic partnerships’ (CEPs) initiatives in the recent years. In particular, the discussion is focussed on the Indonesia-Malaysia-Singapore growth triangle (IMS-GT) which is the pioneering arrangement in Southeast Asia. IMS-GT continues to be a successful mode of cooperation among the three countries and will remain a key and subtle framework for regional economic collaboration amidst the plethora of initiatives relating to FTAs and CEPs. This paper put forth a thesis that GT is part of a spectrum of regional cooperation efforts with convergence interest to be in synchrony with the global value chain. As long as the formation and implementation of GT contribute to the creation of value, it can co-exist with more formal arrangements like the FTAs and CEPs.

Determinants of Drug Prices in Middle Income Countries: How important are intellectual property rights?

This paper analyzes the impact of trade related intellectual property rights (TRIPS) on drug prices in seven middle income countries. Applying both an econometric as well as an explorative analysis we find three key messages: First, the introduction of TRIPS in the selected countries tends to have no major impact on the development of drug prices. Country specic factors like excessive procurement and marketing costs seem to be more important determinants for the observed high price levels. Second, the application of TRIPS safeguards which allow countries to override TRIPS requirements appears to be an important lever to contain drug prices by encouraging competition. There seems, however, scope for improvement in the efficient use of these safeguards. Third, with respect to policy implications, middle income countries should in particular address inefficiencies in local marketing and procurement costs whereas OECD countries need to improve the coherence between trade and aid policies. --

Competing by Saving Lives: How Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Companies Create Shared Value in Global Health

This report looks at how pharmaceutical and medical device companies can create shared value in global health by addressing unmet health needs in low- and middle-income countries. Companies have already begun to reap business value and are securing competitive advantages in the markets of tomorrow

Problems and Prospects of Informal Manufacturing Sector: A Case Study of Durgapur City

Even in presence of a dominant factory sector, informal manufacturing sector can play a very vital role in shaping the development profile of a region through its diverse interaction and complementarities with the organised sector. This paper, based on a field survey at the industrial city of Durgapur explores the problems and prospects of informal manufacturing units therein. A gradual shift in composition of this sector is evident, which is mainly in response to changing economic scenario of the region. Appropriate policies for the sector's optimum development should include, among others, well co-ordinated formal-informal linkage and streamlining of credit availability. These steps are likely to bring about integrated development of the region.Informal Sector; Regional Development; Unorganised Manufacturing

A comparison of processing techniques for producing prototype injection moulding inserts.

This project involves the investigation of processing techniques for producing low-cost moulding inserts used in the particulate injection moulding (PIM) process. Prototype moulds were made from both additive and subtractive processes as well as a combination of the two. The general motivation for this was to reduce the entry cost of users when considering PIM. PIM cavity inserts were first made by conventional machining from a polymer block using the pocket NC desktop mill. PIM cavity inserts were also made by fused filament deposition modelling using the Tiertime UP plus 3D printer. The injection moulding trials manifested in surface finish and part removal defects. The feedstock was a titanium metal blend which is brittle in comparison to commodity polymers. That in combination with the mesoscale features, small cross-sections and complex geometries were considered the main problems. For both processing methods, fixes were identified and made to test the theory. These consisted of a blended approach that saw a combination of both the additive and subtractive processes being used. The parts produced from the three processing methods are investigated and their respective merits and issues are discussed

Intellectual Property and Public Health: An Overview of the Debate with a Focus on U.S. Policy

Over the past fifteen years, the United States and other developed countries have employed trade agreements to substantially strengthen the protection of intellectual property rights for pharmaceutical products in the developing world. The associated rules changes have already had an effect on pharmaceutical prices in developing countries, prompting conflicts between developing country governments seeking to promote drug access and Western pharmaceutical companies wishing to protect their exclusive rights. If anything, such conflicts are bound to intensify as more patent protected drugs enter pharmaceutical markets outside rich countries. This paper describes the global shift in intellectual property policies and employs economic analysis to evaluate its consequences for developing countries. It also puts forward several recommendations for policymakers in developing countries and in the United States, seeking to better reconcile innovation incentives and access needs.intellectual property, international health, public health

Reducing risk in pre-production investigations through undergraduate engineering projects.

This poster is the culmination of final year Bachelor of Engineering Technology (B.Eng.Tech) student projects in 2017 and 2018. The B.Eng.Tech is a level seven qualification that aligns with the Sydney accord for a three-year engineering degree and hence is internationally benchmarked. The enabling mechanism of these projects is the industry connectivity that creates real-world projects and highlights the benefits of the investigation of process at the technologist level. The methodologies we use are basic and transparent, with enough depth of technical knowledge to ensure the industry partners gain from the collaboration process. The process we use minimizes the disconnect between the student and the industry supervisor while maintaining the academic freedom of the student and the commercial sensitivities of the supervisor. The general motivation for this approach is the reduction of the entry cost of the industry to enable consideration of new technologies and thereby reducing risk to core business and shareholder profits. The poster presents several images and interpretive dialogue to explain the positive and negative aspects of the student process