The impact of external pressure and sustainable management practices on manufacturing performance and environmental outcomes

Purpose: The study investigates the direct effect of external pressure on environmental outcomes and manufacturing performance and examines the mediating effect of sustainable management practice. Design/methodology/approach: This study draws upon Institutional Theory and Resource Based View to understand how factors such as external pressure and sustainable management relate with environmental outcomes and manufacturing performance. The model specifies previously unexplored direct and mediating relationships between external pressure, sustainable management, environmental outcomes and manufacturing performance. The empirical analysis is based on data collected from the sixth edition of the International Manufacturing Strategy Survey (IMSS). The research hypotheses were tested using Structural Equation Modelling. Findings: Results show that while there is a significant direct and mediating relationship between external pressure, adoption of formal sustainability programs and environmental outcomes, such significant relationships do not exist with manufacturing performance. Practical implications: The study shows that external pressure can influence the adoption of sustainable practices but the adoption of formal sustainable practices does not necessarily lead to an improvement in manufacturing performance. The implication therefore is that managers need to clearly understand what the actual benefits of sustainability are and where financial advantage, other than manufacturing cost, may be gained. Originality/value: The relationship between the adoption of sustainable practices and organisational performance is a complex one. In contrast to previous studies, this study found that while external pressure and sustainable management relate positively with environmental outcomes, no such relationship exists with manufacturing performance. This raises a number of questions over naively following such strategies

An evaluation of the stimulants and impediments to innovation within PFI/PPP projects

This paper identifies the theoretical stimulants and impediments associated with the implementation of PFI/PPP (Private Finance Initiative/Public Private Partnership) projects. A current defect of this procurement approach is the unintentional constraint upon the innovations incorporated into the development of PFI projects. A critical evaluation of the published literature has been utilized to synthesize a theoretical model. The paper proposes a theoretical model for the identification of potential innovation stimulants and impediments within this type of procurement. This theoretical model is then utilised to evaluate four previously completed PFI projects. These project case-studies have been examined in detail. The evaluation demonstrates how ineffective current procedures are. The application of this model before project letting could eliminate unintentional constraints and stimulate improved innovation within the process. The implementation of the model could improve the successful delivery of innovation within the entire PFI/PPP procurement process

International Trade and Investment Sanctions

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the theory of international economic sanctions and to provide estimates of the short-run economic impact on South Africa of externally imposed reductions of the imports and capital flows into that country. A macroeconomic picture of South Africa's "dependence" is drawn, and the economy's vulnerability in the short run is seen to be in its capacity to import, not in exports or capital flows. Trade and capital sanctions most clearly damage South Afnca's growth potential; the short-run impact is harder to quantify. A static linear programming model of the South African economy is constructed in an attempt at this quantification. This model estimates that small sanctions would have small impact—i.e., if imports were reduced by less than one-fourth, GDP would be cut by only about one half as large a percentage as imports. Larger import reductions cause greater damage. If imports were to be cut in half, not only would GDP be seriously reduced but massive unemployment and relocation of white labor would occur.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68182/2/10.1177_002200277902300401.pd

Predicting microbial water quality with models: Over-arching questions for managing risk in agricultural catchments

The application of models to predict concentrations of faecal indicator organisms (FIOs) in environmental systems plays an important role for guiding decision-making associated with the management of microbial water quality. In recent years there has been an increasing demand by policy-makers for models to help inform FIO dynamics in order to prioritise efforts for environmental and human-health protection. However, given the limited evidence-base on which FIO models are built relative to other agricultural pollutants (e.g. nutrients) it is imperative that the end-user expectations of FIO models are appropriately managed. In response, this commentary highlights four over-arching questions associated with: (i) model purpose; (ii) modelling approach; (iii) data availability; and (iv) model application, that must be considered as part of good practice prior to the deployment of any modelling approach to predict FIO behaviour in catchment systems. A series of short and longer-term research priorities are proposed in response to these questions in order to promote better model deployment in the field of catchment microbial dynamics

Energy levels of Bk249 populated in the α decay of 99253Es and β- Decay of 96249Cm

The level structure of Bk249 has been investigated by measuring the γ-ray spectra of an extremely pure Es253 sample obtained by milking this nuclide from Cf253 source material produced in the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Additional information on the Bk249 levels was obtained from the β - decay study of Cm249, produced by neutron irradiation of Cm248. Using the results of the present study together with the data from previous Cm248(α,t) and Cm248(He3,d) reactions, the following single-particle states have been identified in Bk249: 7/2+[633], 0.0 keV; 3/2-[521], 8.78 keV; 1/2+[400], 377.55 keV; 5/2+[642], 389.17 keV; 1/2-[530], 569.20 keV; 1/2-[521], 643.0 keV; 5/2-[523], 672.9 keV; and 9/2+[624], 1075.1 keV. Four vibrational bands were identified at 767.9, 932.2, 1150.7, and 1223.0 keV with tentative assignments of {7/2+ [633] 1-}9/2-, {7/2+ [633] 0-}7/2-, {7/2+ [633] 1-}5/2-, and {7/2+ [633] 0+}7/2+, respectively. A band at 899.9 keV was observed in γ-γ coincidence measurements and given a tentative spin assignment of 3/2. It is possibly associated with a 2- phonon coupled to the ground state, with configuration {7/2+ [633] 2-}3/2-. Three levels at 624.3, 703.5, and 769.1 keV were assigned spins of 5/2, 7/2, and 9/2, respectively. These could be the members of the 3/2+ [651] band, expected in this energy region

Spatial competition and agglomeration in the visitor attraction sector

This paper provides a theoretical and empirical contribution to understanding spatial competition by examining visitor attractions in two contrasting clusters of lower and higher levels of agglomeration of businesses in Cornwall, the UK. The study found that competition is mainly for customers and labour and is related differently to the levels of agglomeration, spatial proximity and thematic product similarity between visitor attractions at the local compared to the regional scale. Location can be used differently for employing ‘weak’ and ‘strong’ competitive strategies. The study contributes to the knowledge on the spatiality of competition and the locational strategies of service businesses

Does technology and Innovation Management improve Market Position? Empirical Evidence from Innovating Firms in South Africa

There is a growing recognition of the central role of technology and knowledge management for market success of organizations. Little is empirically know, however, about this relationship. Drawing on the South African Innovation Survey, a unique dataset on innovative behavior of South African firms in manufacturing and services, this paper investigates the question to what extent and in which ways do technology and innovation management activities affect firms’ market position. Findings show that conducting technology strategy activities pays out. Moreover, especially a combination of internal and external technology audits seems to be beneficial for organizational performance

Mitogen-induced stimulation and suppression of erythroid burst promoting activity production by human mononuclear cells

Exposure of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells or highly enriched monocytes to various plant lectins substantially alters their production of erythroid burst promoting activity (BPA). Neither unstimulated, nor mitogen stimulated, enriched T lymphocytes produced demonstrable BPA. Each of the lectins tested resulted in a different pattern of alteration of BPA production by mononuclear cells. Increasing concentrations of phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) caused a progressive increase in BPA production up to a plateau level at concentrations above 0·25–0·5 Μ1/ml. Concanavalin A (Con A) at concentrations of 0·05–0·1 Μg/ml stimulated BPA production, but Con A concentrations > 1 Μg/ml never augmented BPA production by mononuclear cells. Pokeweed mitogen inhibited BPA production by mononuclear cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Since PHA and Con A can bind to and stimulate both monocytes/macrophages and T lymphocytes, some production of BPA by stimulated T cells in the presence of monocytes cannot be ruled out. Earlier studies demonstrated that T cells augment monocyte production of BPA. Thus, monocyte–T cell interactions, as well as activation of monocytes and perhaps lymphocytes, play an important role in regulation of BPA production in vitro .Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73808/1/j.1365-2141.1983.tb01232.x.pd

Stress-Biased Anisotropic Microcracking in Zirconia Polycrystals

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65263/1/j.1151-2916.1990.tb05152.x.pd

Pulsar-wind nebulae and magnetar outflows: observations at radio, X-ray, and gamma-ray wavelengths

We review observations of several classes of neutron-star-powered outflows: pulsar-wind nebulae (PWNe) inside shell supernova remnants (SNRs), PWNe interacting directly with interstellar medium (ISM), and magnetar-powered outflows. We describe radio, X-ray, and gamma-ray observations of PWNe, focusing first on integrated spectral-energy distributions (SEDs) and global spectral properties. High-resolution X-ray imaging of PWNe shows a bewildering array of morphologies, with jets, trails, and other structures. Several of the 23 so far identified magnetars show evidence for continuous or sporadic emission of material, sometimes associated with giant flares, and a few possible "magnetar-wind nebulae" have been recently identified.Comment: 61 pages, 44 figures (reduced in quality for size reasons). Published in Space Science Reviews, "Jets and Winds in Pulsar Wind Nebulae, Gamma-ray Bursts and Blazars: Physics of Extreme Energy Release