Organizational Capabilities, Export Growth and Job Creation: An Investigation of Korean SMEs

In the new global economy, export promotion and job creation have become two central issues for economic sustainability. This study aims to raise awareness of the importance of organizational capabilities in job creation through exports. By emphasizing the role of exports in shaping a linkage between organizational capabilities and job creation, this research focuses on how to improve exports that benefit employment creation in the context of Korean small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Using survey data of 414 SMEs collected by jointly working with the Korea Federation of SMEs and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, this study employs a structural equation model to investigate a mediation model that links organizational capabilities to job creation through export growth. The main findings of this study are that both technological and manufacturing capability positively influence export growth; export growth has a positive effect on job creation, fully mediates a positive linkage between technological capability and job creation and also plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between manufacturing capability and job creation. Finally, the present study contributes to the literature on exports and job creation and also provides useful information for SME operators and policymakers

Mechanical Behavior of the Constituting Phases in Duplex Stainless Steel during Creep Deformation

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Deep Learning-Based Algal Detection Model Development Considering Field Application

Algal blooms have various effects on drinking water supply systems; thus, proper monitoring is essential. Traditional visual identification using a microscope is a time-consuming method and requires extensive labor. Recently, advanced machine learning algorithms have been increasingly applied for the development of object detection models. The You-Only-Look-Once (YOLO) model is a novel machine learning algorithm used for object detection; it has been continuously improved in newer versions, and a tiny version of each standard model presented. The tiny versions applied a less complicated architecture using a smaller number of convolutional layers to enable faster object detection than the standard version. This study compared the applicability of the YOLO models for algal image detection from a practical aspect in terms of classification accuracy and inference time. Therefore, automated algal cell detection models were developed using YOLO v3 and YOLO v4, in which a tiny version of each model was also applied. The cell images of 30 algal genera were used for training and testing the models. The model performances were compared using the mean average precision (mAP). The mAP values of the four models were 40.9, 88.8, 84.4, and 89.8 for YOLO v3, YOLO v3-tiny, YOLO v4, and YOLO v4-tiny, respectively, demonstrating that YOLO v4 is more precise than YOLO v3. The tiny version models presented noticeably higher model accuracy than the standard models, allowing up to ten times faster object detection time. These results demonstrate the practical advantage of tiny version models for the application of object detection with a limited number of object classes

Note: An Improvement to the Dynamic Cycle Lengths Heuristic for Scheduling the Multi-Item, Single-Machine

A heuristic scheduling policy for multi-item, single-machine scheduling systems facing stochastic, time-varying demands was previously introduced by Leachman and Gascon. In this technical note we provide an improvement to the calculations of the policy. Simulation tests of the revised version of the policy indicate that the improvements maintain or enhance customer service while reducing total inventory and setup costs on the order of 1--7%.scheduling, single-machine, dynamic cycle lengths, production, inventory

The Effects of Occupation-Based Community Rehabilitation for Improving Activities of Daily Living and Health-Related Quality of Life of People with Disabilities after Stroke Living at Home: A Single Subject Design

Objective. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of occupation-based community rehabilitation on activity daily of living and health-related quality of life of people with disabilities after stroke at home. Method. In this study of three people with disabilities after stroke living at home, A-B-A single-subject design was used. The occupation-based community rehabilitation was implemented during the intervention phase. It included task oriented and feedback, related information education, home environment modification, and community resource network. After applying the intervention, changes in activities of daily living and health-related quality of life were evaluated by the Modified Barthel Index (MBI), the EuroQol-5 dimension (EQ-5D), and the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS). Result. After applying the occupation-based community rehabilitation program, all three participants’ daily life activities and quality of life improved. In addition, the occupational performance skills in all participants were maintained. Conclusion. It was confirmed that individual occupational-based community rehabilitation had a positive effect on the activities of daily living and quality of life improvement of the people with disabilities after stroke at home

PSS Board: a structured tool for product-service system process visualization

The product-service system (PSS) is a system in which its integrated products and services jointly fulfill customer needs. The current research proposes a structured tool called the PSS Board to visualize the PSS process. This is a matrix board where the customer activities, state of the products, services, dedicated infrastructures, and partners are placed in rows, and the general PSS process steps are placed in columns. The visualized PSS on the board shows how the PSS provider and its partners aid customers' job execution process. Previous PSS cases are visualized based on the proposed PSS Board; the utility of the PSS Board is also identified. The current research can serve as an effective basis to analyze PSS from the perspective of fulfilling customer needs, thus supporting companies in diagnosing and elaborating their respective PSSs.ope

A Concept Generation Support System for Product-Service System Development

A product-service system (PSS) is a novel type of business model that integrates products and services in a single system. It provides a strategic alternative to product-oriented economic growth and price-based competition in the global market. This research proposes a methodology to support the generation of innovative PSS concepts, called the PSS concept generation support system. The models and strategies of 118 existing PSS cases were analyzed, and the insights extracted were used to develop the methodology. The methodology consists of various tools and a systematic procedure to support the generation process. It is generic enough to be applied to a variety of PSS contexts. The methodology is demonstrated and verified via case studies on the washing machine and refrigerator industries. The proposed PSS concept generation support system can serve as an efficient and effective aid to PSS designers for new PSS development.ope