Export-orientation of Foreign Manufacturing Affiliates in India: Factors, Tendencies and Implications

This paper addresses an important development issue in literature of international production, namely what motivates market‐seeking foreign direct investment (FDI) to undertake export activities. It is well recognized in the concerned literature that export‐oriented FDI is more beneficial for the host country than purely domestic market‐seeking FDI. Hence, many developing countries like India have policy concerns on foreign firms playing a very minimal role in their export activities. Various studies including that of UNCTAD (2003) noted that foreign direct investment (FDI) in Indian manufacturing has been and remains largely domestic market‐seeking. In view of this low export contribution by foreign firms, existing studies suggest that developing countries like India should improve their locational advantages to attract export‐oriented FDI as opposed to local market‐oriented FDI like quality of available infrastructure, availability of cheap but skilled manpower, expanding the size of export processing zones, participation in bilateral/multilateral trade and investment regimes, etc. However, these studies have not examined those factors that could motivate the existing market‐seeking FDI into export activities. The contribution of the present study is precisely to address this issue and identify factors encouraging market‐seeking FDI to take up export activities. The empirical analysis has been conducted in two stages. In the first stage, we have estimated the export shares and export‐orientation of foreign firms in Indian manufacturing across 17 Indian industries over 1991–2005. In the second stage, we have analyzed the impact of five set of factors—size and growth of host country market, local competition, policy regime, import competition and industry‐characteristics on the export‐orientation of foreign firms in Indian manufacturing. The empirical findings from the panel data analysis of 17 Indian industries over 1991–2005 has thrown up several policy implications important for increasing export‐orientation of foreign firms in a developing country like India.Export–Orientation, Foreign Manufacturing Affiliates, Local Competition, Host Country Market

Removal of Cod and Colour from Textile Wastewater Using Limestone and Activated Carbon.

Pengolahan air sisa adalah salah satu daripada masalah terbesar yang dihadapi oleh pengilang-pengilang tekstil. Salah satu daripada industri tekstil di Pulau Pinang, Malaysia, mengalami masalah COD dan warna yang tinggi dan melebihi tahap standard pelepasan effluen walaupun setelah diolah secara biologi. Treatment of wastewater is one of the biggest problems faced by textile manufacturers. One of the textile industries in Penang, Malaysia is experiencing high concentration of COD and colour in the final effluent after biological treatment exceeding the standard discharge limit

Predictors of safety compliance among the manufacturing employees in Penfabric Mill 4

More than 2.3 million people in this world die every year because of fatal occupational accidents or work-related diseases. In Malaysia, there are about 50 thousand accidents reported every year and more than 12,000 people suffer from permanent disability and 1,200 people are killed in these accidents every year. Managing risks in an integrated way with the organization’s operations has become increasingly important in recent years in order to prevent accidents and the firm’s productivity, economic and financial results. Although the employer is responsible for the safety of his workers, the participation of workers is indispensable. One type of behavior that can have an effect on safety performance is safety compliance and adherence to organizational rules, regulations and procedures. This study attempts to determine the predictors of safety compliance in a multinational textile manufacturing organization located in Penang, Malaysia. This survey used questionnaire concerning the predictors of safety compliance in Penfabric Mill 4. A random sample of 243 was selected from the total workforce of 517 from 9 sections of the production. Data analyzed from this study revealed that Management Commitment, Workers’ Participation, Safety Training, Safety Communication and Feedback, Safety Rules and Procedures and Safety Promotional Policies are factors that have significant correlation with Safety Compliance. Management Commitment, Safety Rules and Procedures and Safety Promotional Policies have significant influence towards the Safety Compliance. Safety Training, Safety Communication and Feedback and Workers’ Participation do not have significant influence on Safety Compliance in this organization even though they have a significant correlation

Renewing the New Order?: Public History in Indonesia

After the fall of the Suharto regime in 1988, public debates over the nature of history proliferated. While focusing on a number of key national events, most notably the 1965 coup and the killing of over half-a-million people, these debates have raised critical issues over the role or potential role of public history in contemporary Indonesian society. Questions of historical authority are paramount as Indonesian historians, public intellectuals and politicians struggle with a deeply entrenched historical paradigm and narratives of the old ‘New Order’ which continues to inform history in schools, cultural institutions, the media, literature, personal narratives, public rituals and the academy. This paradigm was based on an unquestioning acceptance of official accounts of the past. The demise of the New Order has left a historiographical vacuum which individuals and groups from a broad range of perspectives are trying to fill. Some, like Professor Azumardi Aza, are seeking to straddle the divide between professional and public history. Memory has emerged as a key issue in public debates, attempts have been made at reconciliation between the left and the right, though these faltered, and turf wars have broken out between historians and novelists such as Pramoedya Anata Toer. Women continue to remain relegated to a 'macabre footnote' in Indonesian public history. History in Indonesia is at a crossroads. One road could lead to a more democratic form of public or people’s history; the other to a modified version of the New Order history

Export-Orientation of Foreign Manufacturing Affiliates in India: Factors, Tendencies and Implications

This paper addresses an important development issue in the literature of international production, namely, what motivates market-seeking foreign direct investment (FDI) to undertake export activities. It is well recognized in the concerned literature that export-oriented FDI is more beneficial for the host country than purely domestic market-seeking FDI. However, the existing literature has not examined those factors that could motivate existing market-seeking FDI into export activities. The present study addresses this issue and identifies factors encouraging market-seeking FDI to take up export activities. The empirical analysis of exportorientation of foreign firms in Indian manufacturing across 17 Indian industries during 1991–2005 has brought out several policy issues important for increasing export-orientation of foreign firms in a developing country like India

A genome–wide screen to identify genes controlling the rate of entry into mitosis in fission yeast

We have carried out a haploinsufficiency (HI) screen in fission yeast using heterozygous deletion diploid mutants of a genome-wide set of cell cycle genes to identify genes encoding products whose level determines the rate of progression through the cell cycle. Cell size at division was used as a measure of advancement or delay of the G2-M transition of rod-shaped fission yeast cells. We found that 13 mutants were significantly longer or shorter (greater than 10%) than control cells at cell division. These included mutants of the cdc2, cdc25, wee1 and pom1 genes, which have previously been shown to play a role in the timing of entry into mitosis, and which validate this approach. Seven of these genes are involved in regulation of the G2-M transition, 5 for nuclear transport and one for nucleotide metabolism. In addition we identified 4 more genes that were 8–10% longer or shorter than the control that also had roles in regulation of the G2-M transition or in nuclear transport. The genes identified here are all conserved in human cells, suggesting that this dataset will be useful as a basis for further studies to identify ratelimiting steps for progression through the cell cycle in other eukaryotes

Export-orientation of Foreign Manufacturing Affiliates in India: Factors, Tendencies and Implications

This paper addresses an important development issue in literature of international production, namely what motivates market‐seeking foreign direct investment (FDI) to undertake export activities. It is well recognized in the concerned literature that export‐oriented FDI is more beneficial for the host country than purely domestic market‐seeking FDI. Hence, many developing countries like India have policy concerns on foreign firms playing a very minimal role in their export activities. Various studies including that of UNCTAD (2003) noted that foreign direct investment (FDI) in Indian manufacturing has been and remains largely domestic market‐seeking. In view of this low export contribution by foreign firms, existing studies suggest that developing countries like India should improve their locational advantages to attract export‐oriented FDI as opposed to local market‐oriented FDI like quality of available infrastructure, availability of cheap but skilled manpower, expanding the size of export processing zones, participation in bilateral/multilateral trade and investment regimes, etc. However, these studies have not examined those factors that could motivate the existing market‐seeking FDI into export activities. The contribution of the present study is precisely to address this issue and identify factors encouraging market‐seeking FDI to take up export activities. The empirical analysis has been conducted in two stages. In the first stage, we have estimated the export shares and export‐orientation of foreign firms in Indian manufacturing across 17 Indian industries over 1991–2005. In the second stage, we have analyzed the impact of five set of factors—size and growth of host country market, local competition, policy regime, import competition and industry‐characteristics on the export‐orientation of foreign firms in Indian manufacturing. The empirical findings from the panel data analysis of 17 Indian industries over 1991–2005 has thrown up several policy implications important for increasing export‐orientation of foreign firms in a developing country like India

Identifying Assessment Opportunities in Postgraduate Learning for Sustainability

This paper offers a rationale for how ESD related learning at postgraduate level can be assessed. It proposes a framework for evaluating whether assessments in Master’s level programmes align with the pedagogical approach of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). If assessment is to contribute to the overall learning process, then the nature of the assessment should reflect the pedagogy, values and principles associated with ESD. Utilising an Appreciative Inquiry model, existing models of competences for sustainable development have been used to develop the framework. The framework is not aimed at the performance of the students; rather, it is applied to the course itself to identify if assessment opportunities are in keeping with an ESD approach. The framework is applied to three examples from Master’s programmes, with which the authors are affiliated in England and Jamaica. The findings identify key characteristics that should feature in assessing learning for sustainability. The framework enabled the authors to gauge the extent to which their assessment regimes are in line with the aims, purpose and content of their programmes. While the examples cited are from the field of education, the framework can be applied to any Master’s programmes containing elements of sustainable development

Low Cost Removal Of Disperse Dyes From Aqueous Solution Using Palm Ash.

Palm oil and textile industries are important contributors to Malaysia's economic growth. However, these industries also generate various pollutants of the environment. This research explores the possibility using a low cost adsorbent i.e. ash produced from palm oil factory, for the removal of dyes from aqueous solution

Assessing Learning at Postgraduate Level in the Context of ESD

This paper presents an assessment framework that can be applied to any postgraduate programme in order to assess learning for sustainable development. To test the utility of this framework the authors’ have used it to audit their own Master’s level programmes, i.e. two complete Masters courses and one module. It is important to stress that this framework does not seek to assess ESD competences. Competences in education are appropriate for educators but not for students of every discipline