The Evolution of the World Motor Vehicle Production in the Period 2018-2022

The automotive industry has always represented a key sector within the economy of any country. Moreover, its significant contribution to the gross domestic product of many countries transformed this industry into one of the main pillars of the global economy. Therefore, numerous countries have built and produced various motor vehicles on different continents. The purpose of the paper is to briefly present and analyze the evolution of the world motor vehicle production on the four continents (Europe, America, Asia-Oceania, and Africa) in the period 2018-2022. The research methodology is based on a qualitative research method. The paper shows that the pre-pandemic period was a better period for the automotive industry than the pandemic period. Also, it demonstrates that AsiaOceania dominates the production hierarchy by continents

THE EVOLUTION OF THE DIGITAL ECONOMY IN ROMANIA IN THE PERIOD 2019-2022

The digital economy has become a key issue for both theoreticians and practitioners worldwide, especially in the last decade. It is based on various forms of technology, such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and blockchain. The aim of the paper is to briefly present and analyse the evolution of the digital economy in Romania in the period 2019-2022. In this respect, the authors used a qualitative research method. The results show that the period 2019-2022 witnessed a slight decrease in Romania’s performance related to the Digital Economy and Society Index. The paper indicates that despite its efforts, Romania has scored well below the other EU countries. However, the adoption of several measures in favor of digitalisation proved its clear commitment to building a functional digital economy

The Age of Agile Enterprises

Since the turn of the century, the global market environment has become hypercompetitive. As the pace of technological novelty continues to abruptly advance, the competition between enterprises will be more intense. In order to meet customer expectations and quickly respond to market changes, enterprises has to apply agility to their processes, products and/or services. It is basically a winning business philosophy and mindset that should be part of any organizational culture as agility conducts to productivity gains, quality improvement and innovation. The aims of the paper are to define the agile enterprise concept and briefly characterize this type of enterprise. To reach the goals of the paper, the author used a qualitative research method based on a desk research exploration. The paper contributes to a better understanding of the agile enterprise concept. Also, it briefly illustrates some of the key features of agile enterprises that led to their expansion worldwide

Innovation at the Global Level: An Analysis of the Global Innovation Index in the Period 2021-2023

The last decades have seen an increase in entrepreneurial development based on innovation. Having access to innovation and setting up a business in a country that can serve as an innovationenabler can increase the degree of attractiveness of that respective country. Governments around the world have adopted innovation-centered views and implemented relevant policies to serve as a driver for reaching high competitiveness and to ensure a more rapid economic and, implicitly, social progress. The aim of the paper is to present the top ten countries in the world in their evolution specific to the Global Innovation Index (GII) for the 2021-2023 period. The research methodology is based on a qualitative method. The paper shows that the top ten ranked countries in the world using this specific index remained the same for the investigated period, also maintaining a fairly constant relative position for the three years subject to analysis, Switzerland being the acknowledged leader

FROM TRADITION TO TRANSFORMATION: THE ROLE OF DIGITALIZATION IN ADVANCING BUSINESS MODEL INNOVATION

This study examines the impact of digitalization on business model innovation within the automotive industry, comparing traditional manufacturer BMW with electric vehicle pioneer Tesla. The research explores how digital technologies catalyze transformation in legacy companies and enable innovation in new entrants. Utilizing a comparative case study methodology, this paper analyzes the strategies employed by both companies to integrate digitalization into their business models. For BMW, the focus is on digital transformation initiatives and their integration with traditional automotive manufacturing. Conversely, Tesla is evaluated on its digital-native approach that disrupts the conventional market landscape. This study employs a mixed-methods approach, collecting both qualitative data from interviews with industry experts and quantitative data from market performance metrics. Findings suggest that digitalization offers diverse pathways to innovation, with BMW capitalizing on efficiency gains and incremental innovation, while Tesla leverages its digital core for radical innovation and market differentiation. The study contributes to the discourse on digital transformation by highlighting the need for a nuanced understanding of how digitalization can be harnessed for business model innovation. This is crucial for traditional companies aiming to remain competitive and for newcomers seeking to disrupt the industry. The implications of this research extend beyond the automotive sector, offering insights into the digitalization processes applicable to a wide range of industries facing similar transformative challenge

Applicability of the lean concept to the management of small-scale manufacturing enterprises in Serbia

Lean menadžment (LM) je skupina postupaka i principa koji se koriste u industrijskim procesima za pronalaženje i eliminiranje nepotrebinh aktivnosti. Ovaj rad predstavlja analizu poslovnе praksе u preduzećima s maloserijskom proizvodnjom u Srbiji u poređenju s definiranim principima LM-a. Primjena LM standarda za smanjenje otpada i optimizaciju proizvodnje u MSP u Srbiji nije istražena ranije, iako je ovaj postupak uspješno korišten u susjednim zemljama. Značaj ovakvog pristupa u vezi je s prednostima poboljšanja poslovnih aktivnosti MSP-a u Srbiji. Ova studija pokazuje da poduzeća nemaju sustav koji obezbjeđuje da kupac dobiva kvalitetan proizvod na vrijeme, optimizacija proizvodnje i sredstava su ograničeni, i postoji značajna razlika između zahtjeva radnog mjesta i vještina. Preporuke za poboljšanje aktivnosti uključuju uvođenje sustava praćenja i kontrole kako bi se osigurala blagovremena isporuka i zadovoljstvo kupaca, i uvođenje različitih LM alata.Lean management (LM) is a set of procedures and principles used in industrial processes for finding and eliminating useless activities. This paper presents the analysis of business practices in small-scale manufacturing enterprises in Serbia in comparison with defined LM principles. Application of LM standards to reduce waste and optimize production in SMEs in Serbia has not been investigated before, although this practice has been successfully used in neighboring countries. The importance of this approach is related to the benefits of improving business practices in SMEs in Serbia. This study shows that enterprises lack a system ensuring that the customer gets a quality product on time, the optimization of production and resources are limited, and a significant difference exists between job requirements and skills. The recommendations to improve operations include introduction of a monitoring and control system to ensure timely delivery and customer satisfaction, and introduction of various LM tools

Lean out of the mainstream: the reproduction of Lean Manufacturing worldwide – from the earliest evidences to the uncolonized lands

The diffusion of Lean Manufacturing (LM) took place in heterogeneous ways worldwide due to the differences in the industrial/economic development of nations. Recent studies have pointed out a gap in the literature regarding the study of this process in transition economies. This article sought to provide an in depth, broad, comparative analysis of the reproduction of LM in three different contexts: developed, developing and transition economies. A narrative literature research was conducted aiming to emphasize the specificities and social, economic and political factors that shaped this process in the countries studied. In the developed economies, LM is consolidated and legitimized by academic and corporate actors; in the developing economies, LM found a way mainly through subsidiaries, in a context of exacerbated competition after the economic opening; and in the economies in transition, LM is reduced to a managerial component and theoretical concepts. By synthesizing high impact research, as well as articulating classical and recent studies, this work may contribute to the guidance of future studies in uncolonized lands, where LM practices are little known and/or remain asleep

Factors influencing the success of adopting lean manufacturing: an analysis of industry in three emerging countries

Organizational culture has been said to be an important factor for the success of lean production systems. As companies are influenced by the culture of the countries in which they are located, comparative advantages might result from location, whenever the national culture has a better fit with the lean philosophy. This paper presents the results of a survey conducted with the industrial managers of 248 companies in Argentina, Brazil and Romania. The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of cultural patterns in the success of the implantation of lean manufacturing systems. Among other findings, it appears that many of the cultural attributes that might facilitate the introduction of lean systems in those emerging countries are not in place.A cultura organizacional tem sido apontada como um fator importante na obtenção de sucesso de sistemas de produção enxuta. Como as empresas são influenciadas pela cultura dos países onde estão localizadas, é possível que ocorram vantagens comparativas determinadas pela localização, quando a cultura nacional se ajustar melhor à filosofia lean. Neste artigo, apresentam-se os resultados de uma pesquisa do tipo survey, realizada com gerentes industriais de 248 empresas de Argentina, Brasil e Romênia, na qual foram investigados aspectos culturais com potencial influência sobre o grau de sucesso da implantação de sistemas de produção enxuta. Entre outras constatações, descobriu-se uma tímida adoção dos padrões.La cultura organizacional ha sido considerada como un factor importante de éxito en los sistemas de producción ajustada. Como las empresas están influenciadas por la cultura de los países en que se ubican, es posible que haya ventajas comparativas determinadas por la ubicación, cuando la cultura nacional se adecua mejor a la filosofía lean. En este artículo se presentan los resultados de una encuesta realizada con directivos de 248 empresas industriales en Argentina, Brasil y Rumania, en la que se investigaron aspectos culturales con potencial influencia sobre el grado de éxito de la implantación de sistemas de producción ajustada. Entre otras conclusiones, se identificó una pequeña adopción de estándares

A lean manufacturing implementation framework for improved productivity and efficiency in the sugar industry in Mozambique.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The Mozambican agricultural sector is a critical one that contributes to the country’s foreign currency earnings, gross domestic product and employment. The industry is the largest employer outside the government, contributing 80% of jobs in the country, of which 70% of the employees reside mainly in rural areas. The sector, including the food processing industry, contributes 33% of Mozambique's GDP. This study investigated the Mozambican sugar industry by identifying the critical efficiency measures, lean waste, critical lean implementation success factors, with the aim to propose a lean implementation framework for the industry. An exploratory sequential mixed method design was employed to achieve the research objectives, namely, to identify efficiency measures, lean wastes, critical implementation success factors and the building of the lean implementation framework. The qualitative component of the design was used to build the framework, while the quantitative part dealt with testing the framework developed. Cane to sugar ratio and overall time efficiency were the two main measures critical to monitoring and driving performance for this vital sector. Various wastes unique to the sugar industry in Mozambique were identified and clustered into the known lean waste for easy analysis. The study identified the wastes and their per cent contribution: overproduction (12.15%), overprocessing (12.15%), waiting time (12.36%), transportation (12.47%), defects (12.57%), human resources (12.57%), inventory (12.63%) and motion (13.11%). Eight success factors of the lean implementation were identified: training, briefing, legal, auditing, culture, rewards, support systems and regular feedback. The framework evaluation at the AD Factory yielded significant improvement in the efficiency performance measures for that sugar mill, registering improvements on main efficiency measures of 7.3% and 0.3% for OTE and CTS, respectively