Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms

The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) programs were first authorized by Congress in the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended, to help workers and firms adjust to import competition and dislocation caused by trade liberalization. Although overall economic welfare can be increased by trade liberalization, TAA has long been justified on grounds that the government has an obligation to help the “losers” of policy-driven trade openings that may cause adjustment problems for firms and workers adversely affected by import competition. TAA programs that cover workers, firms, and farmers aim to “facilitate efforts by the domestic industry to make a positive adjustment to import competition and provide greater economic and social benefits than costs.” Congress continues to monitor TAA program performance and to periodically reauthorize and amend the governing legislation. This report discusses the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms (TAAF) program, which is administered by the Economic Development Administration (EDA) of the Department of Commerce. The TAAF program assists eligible American companies that have been harmed by increasing imports; this harm is defined by lower domestic sales and employment because of increased imports of similar goods and services. Through the TAAF program, EDA provides technical assistance, on a cost-sharing basis, to help eligible businesses create and implement business recovery plans that may allow them to remain competitive in a dynamic international economy. The TAAF program provides technical assistance through a partnership with a national network of 11 EDA-funded Trade Adjustment Assistance Centers (TAACs)

PROPOSED FRAMEWORK FOR TAILORING AGILE-BASED SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED COMPANIES

High risks are involved as well as a large number of resources are required to construct the software development processes from scratch. Most of the software development companies follow ad-hoc approaches in informal ways to tailor an existing software development process according to their requirements. Instead of devising new tailoring strategies, these approaches describe and compare the similar tailoring operations at very superficial level and mainly focus on the large sized software development companies

The functional fit between collaborative software and work systems:Qualification of work system needs to software functionality

The study develops an approach that tries to validate software functionality to work systems needs in SMEs. The formulated approach is constructed by using a SAAS based software i.e., work collaboration service (WCS), and SMEs as the elements of study. Where the WCS’s functionality is qualified to the collaboration needs that exist in operational and project work within SMEs. For this research constructivist approach and case study method is selected because the nature of the current study requires an in depth study of the work collaboration service as well as a detailed study of the work systems within different enterprises. Four different companies are selected in which fourteen interviews are conducted to gather data pertaining. The work systems method and framework are used as a central part of the approach to collect, analyze and interpret the enterprises work systems model and the underlying collaboration needs on operational and project work. On the other hand, the functional model of the WCS and its functionality is determined from functional model analysis, software testing, documentation and meetings with the service vendor. The enterprise work system model and the WCS model are compared to reveal how work progression differs between the two and make visible unaddressed stages of work progression. The WCS functionality is compared to work systems collaboration needs to ascertain if the service will suffice the needs of the project and operational work under study. The unaddressed needs provide opportunities to improve the functionality of the service for better conformity to the needs of enterprise and work. The results revealed that the functional models actually differed in how operational and project work progressed within the stages. WCS shared similar stages of work progression apart from the stages of identification and acceptance, and progress and completion stages were only partially addressed. Conclusion is that the identified unaddressed needs such as, single point of reference, SLA and OLA inclusion etc., should be implemented or improved within the WCS at appropriate stages of work to gain better compliance of the service to the needs of the enterprise an work itself. The developed approach can hence be used to carry out similar analysis for the conformance of pre-built software functionality to work system needs with SMEs

Evaluating the use of project management techniques in infrastructure delivery by South African small and medium sized contractors

South Africa is currently faced with the challenge of reducing the huge backlog of infrastructure delivery to communities that were previously disadvantaged. Given the prioritization of empowerment by the South African government, the previously disadvantaged and marginalized sector of the construction industry that comprises mainly, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) is the preferred vehicle of delivery. However, consequent to their historic position outside of the mainstream construction industry, they lack the requisite project management expertise and experience to make good on this objective. This study investigates the characteristics of the personnel managing SMEs and the SMEs themselves, the usage, necessity, importance and adequate use of the techniques, effectiveness and potential applicability of various project management techniques to improve the performance of the SMEs in delivering the much-needed infrastructure. The study also identifies those external and internal factors that are detrimental to the effective implementation of project management techniques. Given the aforementioned, a descriptive survey was conducted among contractors who were either registered members of the Gauteng Master Builders Association (GMBA) or the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) in Gauteng. The data was collected using a semi-structured, structured and open-ended interview questionnaire, and analysed using descriptive analysis, severity index and content analysis respectively. The findings indicate that experienced and educated personnel manage SMEs. There is usage of essential project management techniques, which the contractors agreed are necessary and important in managing their projects. There is inadequate use of project management techniques among the SMEs. When used, the techniques brought about improvement in the delivery of projects. The research also established various factors that deterred the adequate implementation of project management techniques, namely, lack of adequate project information from professionals, time and financial constraints. The research concludes by suggesting that if significant improvements in the delivery of construction projects are to be attained, the findings stated need to be taken into consideration.Mr. F.C. Fester Prof. F.A.O. Otieno Mr. I.O. Adegok

Introduction of Traceability into the Continuous Improvement Process of SMEs

The digitization in the wake of Industry 4.0 offers small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) the opportunity to improve processes and products [1]. In this regard, gapless traceability represents a crucial element but is usually introduced by SMEs only due to extrinsic motivation [2]. Insufficient funding, lack of expertise and a poor market overview hinder implementation [3]. In order to improve realization, SMEs need to gain insight into the advantages offered by a traceability system [4]. Especially the potential regarding the usage of collected data within the continuous improvement process (CIP) provides the opportunity to implement product and process optimizations more effectively and efficiently. Consequently, this paper presents a concept, which shows how traceability can support and supplement the CIP. In this context, the granularity of information in a traceability system is relevant since the amount of data required for tracking and tracing a uniquely identifiable unit scales with the level of detail [5] [6]. The paper is structured as follows: After an introduction a summary of the state of the art comprising features of a traceability system, a definition of traceability granularity and commonly used Auto-ID systems is described. Section 3 matches the features of a traceability system with stages of the PDCA-cycle (Plan – Do – Check – Act) via waste sources and point out how the traceability system can be advantageous for each of its individual phases. How the granularity of traceability information influences the performance and the benefits of the CIP is demonstrated in Section 4. In addition, benefits of a traceability system in a production context are highlighted. Section 5 specifies the preferences of commonly used automatic identification systems and their typical use case regarding derivable traceability information in relation to the granularity of a system. Finally, future developments are discussed

Strategies for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises to Engage Third-Party Logistics Providers

Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) managers struggle to stay competitive. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies SME managers located in Canada use to engage third-party logistics (3PL) providers to improve their supply chains. Porter\u27s value chain theory formed the conceptual framework for this study. Data collection included semistructured interviews with 3 managers from 3 different SMEs in the province of Ontario and a review of the documents related to the use of 3PL providers. Member checking was conducted to enhance credibility of interpretation of the data collected. Data analysis was used to identify key themes, and data triangulation was performed on data from interviews and relevant company documents. Main themes that indicated the benefits of 3PL providers were identified through data analysis. The main themes included access to resources, competitive advantage, and enhanced customer service. Study findings may contribute to social change by helping SME managers improve their survival rate in Canada, maintain or create employment, and generate more personal income and taxes

Assisting small and medium enterprises establish procedures for verification, management review and continual improvement of ISO 14001

This study addresses the issue of reaching small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with appropriate means to help them establish procedures for verification, management review and continual improvement in accordance to the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS) standard. The relative contribution of SMEs to the total industrial environmental impact is unknown, but it is likely to be considerable, given their contribution to total production and their dominance in sectors such as information technology, electronics, metals, printing, textiles etc. Therefore, the role of SMEs in protecting and improving the environment, through their production and marketing of environmental technologies (for energy efficiency, waste minimization, renewable energy etc.) is likely to be significant. Considering the dynamics of supply chain management, the future contribution of SMEs to improving society\u27s \u27eco-efficiency\u27 through innovation is also likely to be substantial. Most SMEs perceive environmental improvement as a costly burden. As they are primarily concerned with short-term economic survival, they are not motivated to ask for, or use, environmental information or support. However, the substantial financial earned by some SMEs adopting \u27clean production\u27 have improved their market share and profitability. SMEs in the business of supplying environmental technology would be on the preference list especially in the global market