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Tobacco is grown on more than 4 million hectares of global agricultural land in at least 124 countries. As a member state to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) international treaty, Uganda seeks to support economically viable alternative activities as a means to tobacco control because previous efforts with tobacco control that focused on the demand side have failed to control tobacco supply. This study employed the Tradeoff Analysis-Minimum Data (TOA-MD) model to assess tradeoffs and associated economic impacts of switching from tobacco to alternative crops in smallholder cropping systems. Results revealed that switching from tobacco to alternative crops is economically feasible for most of the farms owing to the higher net economic returns. The proportion of farms that expect higher returns from alternative crops is highest for cassava (97%) followed by maize (87%), rice (83%) and the least for beans (74%). Cassava is the best alternative for both small and large farms because of the highest gains in farm net returns, per capita income and poverty reduction. The next feasible crop alternatives for large farms are maize and rice. Despite their economic feasibility, alternative crops are typical of uncertain markets with unorganised structures for production. Since these are important incentives for tobacco farmers, the study recommends development of institutions that foster value chain development for alternative crops. Supporting agro-processors is likely to guarantee markets and provide for lump-sum payments, input credit for production and a reliable extension service system as way of incentivizing a sustainable switch to alternative cropping systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the links between the technological transformation of firms and employee control over working time. We conduct EU-wide analysis at the meso-level by relating information from the European Company Survey 2019 (Eurofound and Cedefop) with the Labour Force Survey ad hoc module 2019 (Eurostat). This dataset allows analysing the technological transformation of firms as a relationship between three types of investments (in R&D, digital technologies and learning capacity of the organisation) that spur innovation outputs. We then study the consequences of the technological transformation on the spread of unfavourable working time arrangements, distinguishing between individual and organisation-oriented arrangements. Our model considers the direct effects of investments in Digital technologies adoption and use and Learning capacity of the organisation and the mediating role of firms’ innovation strategies. Results indicate that the Learning capacity of the organisation is directly associated with more individual-oriented working time flexibility, but entails higher organisation-oriented working time flexibility. The effect of Digital technologies adoption and use depends instead on firms’ innovation strategy: product innovation leads to more employee control over working time, while marketing innovation has the opposite outcome. Process and organisational innovations yield mixed consequences buffering employees from organisation-oriented working time flexibility in more time-constrained work environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The debate about competition concerns in the digital economy cumulated in the adoption of new legislation, Section 19a GWB in Germany and the Digital Markets Act at the EU level. At around the same time, a new term gained prevalence in the competition law discourse—the 'ecosystem'. Often, it is not quite clear, what is meant by it or what the economics behind it are. In this article, I look to the strategic management literature, whose scholars have developed a coherent ecosystem concept. I will explain the economic benefits of the ecosystem structure and the essential role governance plays in it. From the economics of the ecosystem, several insights can be won for competition law. These insights will be applied to the new legislation in the second part. It will be analysed to what extent the DMA and Section 19a GWB are based on the ecosystem concept, whether they identify the problematic actors as addressees, and whether they capture the restrictive conduct. Although both legislative responses do not build on the ecosystem concept, they do not completely fail to address the right issues. Their neglect of the concept, though, could lead to serious enforcement failures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As agricultural operations are increasingly industrialized, the role of stakeholders (SHs) becomes critical to the sustainability of the farming business. Arable farms are particularly expanding their geographical scales and socioeconomic impacts on the surrounding community, which gives particular importance to stakeholder management in relation to internal and external parties. Although the majority of arable farming comprises family farms, they have been on the decline because of succession problems, while non-family farms have been increasing. Success or failure of SHM is closely related to organizational forms because the form represents primal SHs. However, little research has examined the impact of SHM on performance in arable farming. This paper empirically investigates how SHM in various organizational forms is associated with the corporate performance of Japanese paddy farms. A questionnaire survey of Japanese paddy farm corporations was conducted in 2014, and 217 questionnaires from 63 family, 64 joint-stock, and 90 community farms were used in our estimates. Our estimation examines the following hypotheses: (i) SHM is associated with the corporate performance of paddy farms, and (ii) effective SHM varies depending on the organizational forms. The results suggest that, first, effective SHM is linked to organizational forms. In other words, the choice of form can offset the impact of SHs. Second, excessive emphasis on listening to opinions from the surrounding community may harm their performance, particularly at joint-stock farms, which expand in scale. Third, at family farms, attracting younger employees is crucial for running the business. Last, harmonious relations with the community are most important at community farms compared with other types of farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domestic value chains (DVCs) led by retailers within the global South often overlap with global value chains (GVCs) as well as domestic arm's length markets. DVCs incorporate some private governance, but we know little about the role of public governance. Based on analysis of Kenyan fresh fruit and vegetables, we ask: How is the power (or ability) of lead firms to govern producers being reshaped by the increased complexity of polycentric trade in the Kenyan horticultural sector? We reveal constraints to lead firms' ability to directly exercise bargaining power; and shifts towards institutional power in a context of polycentric trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractOrganizational and managerial structure plays an important role in the productivity difference among firms. However, studies that assessed the quality of firm management and its link with their performance are still scanty. This paper provides empirical evidence on the relationship between managerial practices and firm performance using survey data collected over 577 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Burkina Faso. Three dimensions of management practices that are monitoring, targets setting, and incentives are used to calculate a management score. The empirical regression with fixed effect is estimated and the results show a positive and significant association between managerial practices and firms’ performance. Furthermore, the incentive and monitoring dimensions of management present a strong relationship with the levels of profit sale and value added of SMEs. The estimation by firms’ size also provides evidence that the linkage between management score and performance is particularly stronger for larger firms. SMEs development policies in developing countries should then provide strong incentives and enabling environment for business owners to build their managerial abilities.

The goal of supply chain management is to enhance output levels through the integration and collaboration of supply chain members. As such, identifying high-quality cooperative members is critical. However, many decision-making models for supply chain management neglect the consideration of growth expectations for these members, resulting in an unstable decision-making process. Therefore, it is essential to incorporate growth expectations into the decision-making process. To reduce ambiguity, we propose using cloud theory to quantify growth expectations and establish a cloud model of growth expectations. Our study underscores the importance of considering growth expectations when selecting supply chain cooperative members. By utilizing the cloud model of growth expectations, we provide a more comprehensive decision-making approach that enables decision-makers to assess the suitability of potential cooperative members and select the best member based on a multi-attribute decision-making process. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method through case studies, which ensures its practicality and usability in real-world applications. Ultimately, our method offers a more efficient means of selecting cooperative members, which is expected to enhance output levels and increase supply chain efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While business users face difficulties accessing and porting data on platforms, the Digital Markets Act has been hailed as the legislative tool enabling business users access and transfer the data they have generated on platforms controlled by gatekeepers. The tool provided by the Digital Markets Act is discussed in this article and the author argue that business users should have a more elaborated right to first access the data they produce on platforms and in ecosystems, and secondly transfer such data from platform to platform, cloud to cloud, thing to thing or in-house. A right to access and transfer data could have several benefits; it benefits dissemination of data, creativity and innovation in connected markets and it promotes competition between platforms, clouds and ecosystem providers. Creativity will be enhanced because necessary data—being the raw material for new innovations—will be more broadly disbursed. It will also benefit consumers having a disbursed and disseminated data commons for the development of ideas, innovations, and the exchange of knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explains why firms move downstream to profit from the value they create for customers through improved control. Under certain circumstances, product innovations and services are dynamically interdependent in the sense of improved control creating value for the customer. Since value capture is distinct from value creation, firms may need to change their means of appropriation to profit. Empirically, the article analyses how firms can renew their product offerings by incorporating control technologies into their traditional mechanical engineering products. In contrast to a strand in the recent strategy literature that argues that manufacturing firms should move downstream to deliver complementary services, this article explains these shifts as related to increased control, economies of throughput, value creation, and value capture. The article contributes to the throughput and control technology literature by showing the importance of differentiating value creation from value capture. The increased control by means of digitalization and the discrepancy between value creation and value capture explains why many manufacturing firms will become service firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global value chain/global production network studies have extensively documented the role of lead firms from the Global North in economic development in the Global South, including as 'manufacturers without factories' (MWFs). However, the role of local firms in sourcing from suppliers has been overlooked. In this article, we report the findings of a qualitative study and demonstrate that the local MWFs helped establish India as the leading supplier of pharmaceuticals worldwide and in the Global South. We show how the different types of local MWFs ('propagandists', 'pioneers', 'connectors' and 'adaptors') impact the strategic coupling, industrial upgrading and governance in South–South value chains and contribute to regional economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in the production system are always good information, because when there are changes, then there are production and processes. Errors or incorrect implementation of the change may occur with the implementation of these changes. Eliminating errors is one of the top priorities of any company that wants to achieve its quality goals.

The purpose of this paper is to identify challenges and opportunities for exploring Lean approaches in managing instore logistics processes of a hypermarket, wherein data collection made to quantify the state of the system, methods, and instruments will be applied to improve picking and restocking processes between the two main stock areas, the store and the warehouse. This article reports on a case study work, comprising direct observation, and analysis of the data collected, which was developed in three main phases: identification and characterization of problems, improvements in management of stock and restocking information, and finally improvements in the picking and restoking processes and teams. After analysing the hypermarket, some problems were found such as a high percentage of non-productive time in restocking, a daily average of 132 products to be restocked, a lack of standardization of tasks in the warehouse, and outdated restocking management system. Therefore, there will be some proposals to change the restocking management system, the picking and restocking work method and the warehouse layout, which makes it possible to decrease stock breaks in the store by 17%, the number of employees dedicated to these processes from 14 to 11, and finally, to reduce 2 daily hours of non-adding value time. This work makes an innovative contribution to fulfil a lack of publications dedicated to hyper-market inbound logistics between the warehouse and the store. Thus, it reveals the significant importance of focusing on instore logistics to the point of sale, concerning the efficiency, the lean production, and social benefits to the retail hypermarket, from the reception of products in the hypermarket warehouse until they are placed on the store shelves.

As it is presented in literature, the AHP-QFD method is a method applicable to many sectors, namely industry. The article is a part of this framework, applying this method for the design of a recycled solar air heater according to customer’s expectations. The methodology is based on the application of QFD to detect consumer requirements, technical characteristics and their relationship matrices. while the AHP method aims to evaluate the weights of each criterion in order to make the right decision.

The article describes a research study focused on determining the level of social support for innovative activities. Based on a questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews conducted among engineers working in the United States and in Poland, data was obtained to determine the level of social acceptance and the level of support from third parties and institutions encouraging innovative activities. Conducting a comparative analysis of innovation support in the United States and Poland made it possible to learn about the social climate strengthening and inhibiting innovative behavior in both countries. An important element in the aspect of social acceptance is the perception of innovation from the perspective of corporate social responsibility, responsibility of business leaders and engineers as well as sustainable development.

Profit optimization at the expense of minimal resource utilization for product development has been the major focus of prospective investors. In an attempt to realize this goal, the present research consideration is tailored towards investigating the effect of introducing dynamic facility layout design. Therefore, this research study uses an existing designed plantain flour processing plant that consists of a washing machine, grating machine, dryer, milling machine and sieving machine. Modeling techniques incorporated with software development were employed on the existing static plant layout to optimize production time and cost of each of the processing units along with the layout. Also, dynamic constraints were introduced into the layouts while mathematical models were formulated to visualize how the output and production process would be. With these models, software for the optimization of static and dynamic layouts was developed. The comparative study was carried out based on the processing time, the number of machines needed for each layout type, the cost of operation and machine procurement cost for both static and dynamic layouts. The constraints introduced ensured that the system improved within the cost limit based on the current market situation and prevented unnecessary enlargement in the plant facility size while minimizing material congestion in the system. The distinction between static and dynamic layout configurations was further established by comparing the results from the layout configurations for a set of throughput masses ranging from 50 kg to 250 kg. Results showed that the cost of operation drops drastically by 69.6 % under dynamic layout configuration.

The paper deals with the implementation of a modified FMEA methodology according to the EU Commission Regulation no. 402/13 on a common safety method for risk assessment and evaluation in the railway sector. The basic goal is to create a methodology for risk identification regarding the safety of services in railway transport concerning railway crossings. Reason for this research was the fact that the manager of the railway infrastructure in Slovakia has problems related to accidents at railway crossings including problems with the quality of services when trains are delayed. Based on previous research, this area has been defined as a priority for risk identification. Accidents at level crossings are often the result of complex interactions between several factors. The results of the authors’ long-term research bring direct impact on the safety and quality of rail transport services. The first effect of the research is a detailed investigation of the causes of accidents, on which the new methodology is based. This is important because understanding the causes of accidents is the first step in eliminating them. The proposed new framework of the methodology provides guidance to the railway infrastructure manager on how to identify, analyze, evaluate and eliminate the risks of their effects.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) supports project management in industry projects increasingly more often. The article documents research results regarding the use of AI in Industry 4.0 projects. The aim of the article is to define the range of AI use in Industry 4.0 projects throughout their entire life cycle and to indentify the main stages of AI development in project management. Additionally, the article indicates the main barriers to AI use in project management identified in the studied projects. In order to identify and systemise the range of AI use, the Conceptual Framework of Using AI in Project Management presented in literature is applied. Research results indicate that we are in the early stages of AI use in projects. The studied projects use AI mainly in project administration, i.e. to complete the following tasks: simple automation of routine activities, support, and, to a very limited extent, in the area of project management, i.e. in identifying anomalies and predicting the phenomena where the anomalies will occur. The research uses the case study method, where four projects were studied: an ERP system upgrade, an implementation of an IT system supporting high-bay warehouse management, an implementation of an IoT as a data-collection sensor platform and an E-learning platform implementation. The study was conducted between 2019 and 2021, and covered the entire project life cycle, including its three stages, i.e. preparation, implementation and operation.

Presently power control and management play a vigorous role in information technology and power management. Instead of non-renewable power manufacturing, renewable power manufacturing is preferred by every organization for controlling resource consumption, price reduction and efficient power management. Smart grid efficiently satisfies these requirements with the integration of machine learning algorithms. Machine learning algorithms are used in a smart grid for power requirement prediction, power distribution, failure identification etc. The proposed Random Forest-based smart grid system classifies the power grid into different zones like high and low power utilization. The power zones are divided into number of sub-zones and map to random forest branches. The sub-zone and branch mapping process used to identify the quantity of power utilized and the non-utilized in a zone. The non-utilized power quantity and location of power availabilities are identified and distributed the required quantity of power to the requester in a minimal response time and price. The priority power scheduling algorithm collect request from consumer and send the request to producer based on priority. The producer analysed the requester existing power utilization quantity and availability of power for scheduling the power distribution to the requester based on priority. The proposed Random Forest based sustainability and price optimization technique in smart grid experimental results are compared to existing machine learning techniques like SVM, KNN and NB. The proposed random forest-based identification technique identifies the exact location of the power availability, which takes minimal processing time and quick responses to the requestor. Additionally, the smart meter based smart grid technique identifies the faults in short time duration than the conventional energy management technique is also proven in the experimental results.

This paper provides a methodology to assess the maturity of an organization’s readiness for change based on the use of a Fuzzy Analytic Network Process and fuzzy linguistic evaluation maturity model. This anticipatory approach’s purpose is to evaluate the extent in which an organization is ready to implement a change initiative, in order to enhance supportive behaviors and identify improvement areas before engaging the change and thus reducing change adoption failure risks. A case study for the implementation of an Energy Management System according to the ISO 50001 Standard within a factory operating in the automotive sector is provided. Rather than the classical technical approach found in energy management maturity models, this approach offers an organizational perspective. The use of the Fuzzy Analytic Network Process allows the consideration of the interrelations between factors, while the use of fuzzy logic for the evaluation through linguistic variables helps in taking the uncertainty and imprecision of respondents into consideration. This approach serves as a decision support system for decision-makers by providing the organization’s readiness maturity level as well as the identification of improvement areas that will help ensure a successful implementation of the desired change initiative. In the conducted case study, the obtained maturity level refers to an average readiness for change for the implementation of the Energy Management System and requires the definition of an improvement roadmap, comprising the following elements: ensuring top management leadership and organizational commitment and involving employees as well as internal communication on the personal and organizational benefits of the implementation of an Energy Management System.

The study of organizational routines has benefited from the work of scholars coming from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. However, there is evidence of serious misunderstanding and problems of communication across methodological divides. We focus on how the contribution of economics-oriented work in this area has been widely misinterpreted, with particular reference to the relationship between routines and change. We also discuss the potential for resolving many of these difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we explore the impact of part-time work on firm productivity. Using a large panel data set of Italian corporations for the period 2000-2010, we first estimate firm's yearly productivity by removing the output contribution of the labor and capital inputs aggregates. We use different approaches aimed at solving input simultaneity, including a version of Ackerberg et al.'s (2015), control function approach, that also accounts for firm fixed effects. We then match the productivity estimates with rich information on the firm's use of part-time work obtained from survey data for the years 2005, 2007, and 2010 and estimate the impact of part-time work on productivity. We find that a 10% increase in the share of part-timers reduces productivity by 1.45%. The results suggest that this harmful effect stems from horizontal rather than vertical part-time arrangements. We also find that firms declaring to use part-time work to accommodate worker's requests suffer the most. Moreover, we show that the so-called "flexible" and "elastic" clauses are successful in cushioning the negative impact associated with part-time work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a method to support decision making from a cost management perspective in the initial stage of production planning. In a research analyzed the problem of selecting production resources for order realization. The research was based on computer simulation. The developed model focuses on the planning of the production process in the event that the products have not yet been produced and it is necessary to decide where to produce it (with what production resources) so that the total production costs are as low as possible. In this concept, the FlexSim simulation environment with a built-in optimization module was used to solve the problem. The basic steps of simulation model built were discussed, taking into account the necessary information and input data. The results show the impact of the application of selected simulation scenarios on the level of use of production resources, due to the minimization of the total production costs and the duration time of the production process.