A Bacon of Hope? Another Look at the Italian Textile Industry

Despite increasing competition from newly industrializing countries, Italy’s textile industry has continued to be an important contributor to the domestic economy. Many observers attribute this resilience to the industry’s focus on quality. Here, we take note of that view but also examine production and cost relationships to explore the existence of returns to scale and the interrelationships among inputs to gain additional insights about the future prospects for this industry. The findings are consistent with constant returns to scale and a substitute relationship between all input pairs except for domestic capital and foreign intermediate goods. While the estimated cross elasticity values for the latter input pair suggested complementarity, they were not statistically significant. The results also suggested some increasing flexibility in the labor market, perhaps including informal sector arrangements, greater responsiveness of labor demand to the price of capital, and more international production sharing arrangements. An increasing elasticity over time of the demands for domestic capital and domestic intermediate goods with respect to the price of foreign substitutes was also observed. Maintaining the Italian textile industry’s reputation for outstanding quality may be an important survival strategy for some products; international production sharing may be necessary to maintain competitiveness for others.Italy, Textile Industry

NEW CHALLENGES FOR THE SOUTH AFRICAN TEXTILE AND APPAREL INDUSTRIES IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

The full integration of the textile industry into GATT, which with some exceptions occurred on January 1, 2005, is likely to greatly impact the global textile and apparel industries. In particular, one prediction is that the South African industries are likely to be ¡°decimated.¡± The actual effect on these industries will depend at least partly on the ability to take advantage of economies of scale and to be internationally competitive. In an endeavor to gain more insights into the future of these industries in South Africa, this study uses a cost function to investigate the presence of scale economies and the nature of input interrelationships. The findings include statistically significant economies of scale present in both industries and cross price elasticity estimates indicating that most inputs are substitutes for one another. The first result offers an opportunity to reduce unit costs if these industries can grow their markets. However, lower prices on imported intermediate goods will likely decrease the demand for domestic inputs. The cross price elasticities of demand are relatively low in some cases, consistent with domestic input market rigidities and international trade restrictions.South Africa, Textile Industry, Apparel Industry

The South African Textile Industry: Challenges and Opportunities

The full integration of the textile industry into GATT, which with some exceptions occurred on January 1, 2005, is likely to greatly impact the global textile and apparel industries. In particular,one prediction is that the South African industries are likely to be "decimated." The actual effect on these industries in an individual country will depend at least partly on the ability to take advantage of economies of scale and to be internationally competitive. In an endeavor to gain more insights into the future of these industries in South Africa, this study uses a cost function to investigate the presence of scale economies and the nature of input interrelationships. The findings include statistically significant economies of scale present in both industries and cross price elasticity estimates indicating that most inputs are substitutes for one another. The first result offers an opportunity to reduce unit costs, if these industries can grow their markets. However, lower prices on imported intermediate goods will likely decrease the demand for domestic inputs. The cross price elasticities of demand are relatively low in some cases, consistent with domestic input market rigidities and international trade restrictions. More recent data might bring findings of higher cross elasticities in the new international environment.South Africa, Textile Industry

NAFTA¡¯S IMPACT ON THE MEXICAN AUTOMOTIVE SECTOR

The findings discussed here are the outcome of continuing research on the Mexican automotive industry and include data for several years during which the NAFTA was in effect. Key results include strong evidence of constant returns to scale in both the automotive industry as a whole as well as the vehicle assembly industry and a finding that the period after NAFTA was implemented has been associated with lower production costs. In addition, these data support the conclusion that capital, labor, and foreign intermediate goods are all substitutes for one another, as are capital and domestic intermediate goods, but that labor and domestic intermediate goods are complements. While evidence was found to suggest some increased responsiveness in domestic markets to both foreign and domestic input prices, other results give reason for concern about continuing market impediments in Mexico.Mexico, Automotive Industry, NAFTA

The Korean Textile Industry: Still Competitive, After All These Years?

Although a vital part of the economy, the Korean textile industry has been challenged by the recent reduction of international trade barriers, particularly as this industry was fully integrated into GATT in 2005. The textile industries in Japan and many other countries have also faced difficulties. This study examines future prospects for the Korean industry by investigating the presence of economies of scale and relationships among the inputs of domestic capital, labor, and intermediate goods, as well as foreign intermediate goods. The findings are consistent with constant returns to scale and a substitutes relationship among all input pairs except for domestic capital and foreign intermediate goods. Thus, there appear to be no further cost reductions available through increased output and economies of scale. However, some reduction in industry output may not result in increased unit costs either. A reduction in the price of foreign intermediate goods will increase the demand for domestic capital, but also, at least in the short run, add stress to the industry as it decreases the demand for domestic labor and domestic intermediate goods.Korea, Textile Industry

A Transcendental Phenomenological Study of Connective Experiences Between Elementary Teachers and Parents in a Virtual Setting

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand how connective experiences are built between elementary teachers and parents in a virtual setting at the ABC school district in the southeastern region of the United States. The theory guiding this study was Siemens’ connectiveness theory, as it explored the students\u27 knowledge impacted by the connective experiences of the network of elementary teachers and parents in accessing their learning and success in the virtual school setting. Three essential research questions focused on the connective experiences between elementary teachers and parents in the virtual setting in the southeastern part of the United States. Data collection for this study consisted of interviews utilizing researcher-designed questions conducted with a purposeful sampling of elementary teachers and parents who have received education through the virtual setting, focus groups, and journal questions from the same teachers. Data collection methods included interviews, focus groups, and journal prompts. Data analysis included the organization, analysis, and synthesis of data through phenomenological reduction, horizontalization, and identification of themes in clusters of significance. The results demonstrated how connective experiences supported connections between selected elementary teachers and parents, including themes relating to their experiences. Significant themes that emerged in the study included: teachers were connected with households due to the teachers teaching in the homes every day while building relationships with parents; accountability contributed to parents and teachers becoming a team to support students; and the virtual setting created an environment for students to become independent learners

A method for testing and rating the acoustic performance of caulking compounds

Inadequate sealing of edge gaps of building partitions (walls, ceilings etc.) can adversely affect the acoustic insulation of a building partition, with consequent loss of amenity to building occupants. Measuring and rating the effectiveness of caulking compounds to protect against such adverse effects is somewhat problematic for a variety of reasons. This paper proposes a method based on ISO 10140-1 Amendment 1 Annex J, and AS/NZS ISO 717.1:2004 to enable laboratory measurement of sound transmission through controlled gaps sealed with the compound under test, and determination of the suitability of such compounds for use in sealing building partitions with specified acoustic insulation requirements. Some examples are provided, from laboratory experiments with test-gaps sealed by different means, demonstrating the outcome of the proposed method in a variety of circumstances

System design and integration analysis for the Integrated Booking System (IBS)

In accordance with tasking for the Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC), the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) investigated design and integration issues and identified specific options for MTMC`s Integrated Booking System (IBS). Three system designs are described: the single-server, stand-alone IBS; the area-based IBS; and the fully-integrated IBS. Because of the functional and technical requirements of IBS and because of the MTMC strategy of sharing resources, ORNL recommends the fully-integrated design. This option uses the excess computing resources provided through the architectural components of the Integrated Cargo Database (ICDB) and provides visibility over the cargo record from initial request through final delivery

Public consciousness and willingness to embrace ethical consumption of textile products in Mexico

The Mexican economy has been showing a continuous and arguably remarkable growth in the last decade, and it is expected that this strong economic growth is based on a balance between social equity, fiscal growth and environmental protection. This composite situation requires us to have a clear understanding of changes in consumer behaviour and their attitudes towards ethical consumerism in this region. With the use of a semi-structured questionnaire, this pilot study presented a detailed analysis of the consumer attitudes towards ethical consumerism in relation to their socio economic class levels in this region, the public consciousness and willingness to embrace ethical consumption of textile products in Mexico were thus determined. It is hoped that this knowledge provides the basis for the initiation of a framework of activities and measures to develop sustainable consumption habits and to educate consumers on the subject of ethical consumption