Stakeholders, Green Manufacturing, and Practice Performance: Empirical Evidence from Chinese Fashion Businesses

This study explores the relationship among stakeholders, green manufacturing, and practice performance in the fashion business in China and focuses on assisting companies to enhance environmental awareness and green manufacturing practices. We collect research data by developing questionnaires for various Chinese enterprises. A five-point Likert scale is adopted to enable respondents to indicate the extent to which they agree with the items. Through tests and analyses, the questionnaire is validated as reliable, the structural equation model has a good fitting degree, and hypotheses are proved true. Specifically, corporate stakeholders have a significant positive impact on green manufacturing and practice performance, and green manufacturing has a significant positive impact on practice performance in the context of Chinese fashion businesses. Moreover, corporate stakeholders can have a positive impact on practice performance through green manufacturing. We also propose some policy implications, including implementing compulsive policies and regulations and encouraging and establishing preferential policies, such as tax concessions. Moreover, enterprises should actively strive to improve green manufacturing technology and management level to ensure the smooth implementation of green manufacturing practices. To retain sustained earnings and development, green manufacturing should be the bottom line of involved firms. We also emphasize that the importance of corporate stakeholders should be promoted in consideration of enterprises’ practice performance and future development

Creep Behavior of A356 Aluminum Alloy Reinforced with Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes by Stir Casting

Lightweight aluminum alloy components are often used to manufacture a variety of engineering components in many industries. In recent years, researchers have studied the effect of improving the mechanical properties of metal alloys by incorporating nano-carbon into its structure. In this study, the effect of the addition of 0.2, 0.5, and 1 wt% of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the stress–strain behavior and creep phenomenon of an A356 aluminum alloy were studied. The effect of nickel coating on 0.2 wt% MWCNTs was also investigated. Samples were prepared using the stir-casting method. The results revealed that the grain size became finer when MWCNT nano-particulates were introduced. Although the MWCNTs were distributed homogeneously in the A356 matrix, as confirmed by FESEM analysis, there were some agglomerations observed in a specific area with dimensions smaller than 100 nm. Nevertheless, the addition of MWCNTs was found to be beneficial in enhancing the hardness of alloys containing 0.2 wt%, 0.2 wt% nickel-coated, 0.5 wt%, and 1 wt% MWCNTs by 9%, 24%, 32%, and 15%, respectively, as compared with the unreinforced A345 matrix. It was also found that the 0.5 wt% MWCNT-A356 matrix exhibited an improvement in the creep lifetime by more than two orders of magnitude

Lean and Green – Synergies, Differences, Limitations, and the Need for Six Sigma

Part 1: Knowledge-Based SustainabilityInternational audienceHistorically, profitability and efficiency objectives have been the prevailing interest for organisations. However, the move towards green operations has forced companies to seek alternatives to combine these with green objectives and initiatives. Green lean is the result of this combination. The purpose of this paper is to critically discuss the green lean approach and the potential benefits of integrating Six Sigma to enhance its effectiveness. The paper is based on a literature review that discusses the synergies and differences of lean and green, and its main limitations. Departing from the limitations identified, the paper then proposes Six Sigma, and specially its problem solving methodology DMAIC, as an approach that may help in overcoming the limitations of green lean. Thus, the paper conceptually proposes Green Lean Six Sigma. It intends to offer academics, researchers and practitioners interested in lean and green with some initial conceptual ideas regarding their possible integration with Six Sigma

Lean and Green Supply Chain Management: A Comprehensive Review

Companies and enterprises are becoming more and more aware of reducing their environmental impact of supply chains due to the pressures of various stakeholders; i.e. government and law enforcement bodies, customers and employees. Recently, the deployment of lean and green practices in supply chains, either sequential or consolidated, has attracted attention among academicians and practitioners. This attention is evident by the growing number of publications in scientific journals on lean and green supply chain management (LGSCM), which have been published in recent years. However the number of review papers in the literature is insufficient to present existing literature on LGSCM and provide future directions for researchers and practitioners. Hence, the aim of this paper is to review recently published papers on LGSCM in scientific journals. For this review, a total of 41 papers published between 2000 and 2017 were selected and reviewed. The papers are analyzed and categorized to present the current literature and highlight the future directions for academicians and practitioners. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019

The Effect of Lean Practices on Environmental Performance: An Empirical Study

Lean production has emerged in the past decades as one of the most popular topics in business and manufacturing literature, as it is the production paradigm currently applied in many industries. This paradigm is characterized by five principles and the importance of reducing waste (muda). In the same way, the environmental performance of companies in terms of pollution prevention and use of natural resources is another widespread issue for both firms and customers. This focus on \u201cGreen manufacturing\u201d is part of one of the three pillars of Sustainable development. Lean and the so-called Green paradigm are both focused on waste reduction and several authors have studied their relationships (common points and divergences) and the synergic effects of joining these two management approaches. However, the impact of Lean practices on environmental performance is still unclear, as limited empirical research has been conducted in this field. In this chapter, a study is carried out in order to analyze the impact on environmental performance in manufacturing firms that have implemented various Lean practices. The chapter is divided in two parts. First we have conducted a review of the relevant literature in order to give a state-of-the-art general picture. The second part of the chapter has a strong empirical focus. Three case studies regarding firms that have started a Lean transformation program for at least five years are investigated in depth. Moreover, a cross-case analysis is carried out to map the possible relationships between Lean practices and particular Green performances. The general findings of the research outline that the environmental performance of the company is enhanced in the long-term after the implementation of Lean practices