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Background: In the light of the economic slowdown and significant strategic uncertainty resulting from the currently prevailing SARS-Cov-2 epidemic crisis, it is reasonable to undertake research to identify key competences that are relevant to the continuity of the supply chain functioning. The logistics processes in their current shape will undergo a significant change. Therefore, based on a widespread discussion that has been recently taking place in the environment of scientists, politicians, local government officials and management practitioners, the question once again arises about the level of preparation of enterprises for functioning in this specific environment. Aiming to fill the existing gap in knowledge, a series of studies was conducted, the main purpose of which was to recognize key competences from the point of view of existence in the conditions triggered by the COVID-19 crisis. Considering the empirical evidence confirming the existence of a strong relationship between company stability and an effective supply chain, the following research direction aggregates logistic microfoundations to the attribute of a "mature" enterprise. Methods: Referring to the outlined objective, using the method of reconstruction and interpretation of the literature on the subject, it was recommended to nominate questions assessing the level of maturity of logistics subsystems (theoretical layer) as a necessary action. At the conceptual (design) level, it was crucial to compile the research tool being the resultant of the related literature exploration (theoretical model) and discussion among deliberately selected experts ("virtual" brainstorming). At the empirical level, this enabled the recognition of competences that determine the survival of enterprises in crisis conditions, and thus allowed the development of recommendations for managers of manufacturing enterprises. Results: The paper proposes a procedure and a tool to identify key capabilities that determine the survival of enterprises in COVID-19 crisis conditions. The brainstorming research model reflects the areas of digital technology that the manufacturers, in the context of the current pandemic, should absorb (coincidence). Moreover, it was established that the process of economic recovery will take place in cooperation with enterprises absorbing the logistic management model based on digital technologies. To sum up, it should be noted that the maturity of such an enterprise is manifested in the use of descriptions defined in the research, not only in terms of production, but also in the entire supply chain. All these activities need to be harmonized, creating a crisis-proof enterprise. The organization of such an enterprise is characterized by delegating as many tasks as possible to competent employees who, using the knowledge and available digital technologies, add value throughout the entire chain. Conclusions: The results of the research confirmed the author's belief that on the one hand digital technologies imply the possibility of surviving in the face of the crisis caused by COVID-19 (continuity of the supply chain, remote work without participation, or with limited human participation, etc.), on the other, implemented by enterprises, can be a kind of "protective shield" against the negative effects of a pandemic;from the perspective of the issue taken in the research work, they determine the maturity of the company's logistics subsystems. It seems that relatively small scientific recognition and complexity of problems occurring in business practice justify treating the COVID-19 issue as the subject of research, which is reflected in this publication.Alternate abstract: Streszczenie: Wstep: W obliczu spowolnienia gospodarczego i znaczącej niepewności strategicznej bedącej wynikiem panującego obecnie kryzysu epidemicznego SARS-Cov-2, zasadne jest podjecie badan rozpoznających kompetencje kluczowe, istotne z punktu widzenia ciąglości funkcjonowania lancucha dostaw. Procesy logistyczne w dotychczasowym ksztalcie ulegną bowiem istotnej zmianie. Dlatego tez, na fali szerokiej dyskusji jaka sie ostatnio toczy w środowisku naukowcow, politykow, samorządowcow czy praktykow zarządzania, po raz kolejny pojawia sie pytanie o poziom przygotowania przedsiebiorstw do funkcjonowania w tym specyficznym otoczeniu. Dąząc do uzupelnienia istniejącej luki w wiedzy przeprowadzono cykl badan, ktorych zasadniczym celem ustanowiono rozpoznanie kompetencji kluczowych z punktu widzenia egzystowania w warunkach kryzysu wywolanego COVID-19. Zwazywszy na empiryczne dowody potwierdzające istnienie silnego związku pomiedzy stabilnością firmy a skutecznym lancuchem dostaw, ponizszy kierunek badan agreguje mikrofundamenty logistyczne do miana atrybutu „dojrzalego” przedsiebiorstwa. Metody: W nawiązaniu do nakreślonego celu, wykorzystując metode rekonstrukcji i interpretacji literatury przedmiotu, jako dzialanie niezbedne zarekomendowano nominowanie pytan opiniujących poziom dojrzalości podsystemow logistycznych (warstwa teoretyczna). Na plaszczyźnie koncepcyjnej (projektowej) kluczowe bylo skompilowanie narzedzia badawczego bedącego wypadkową eksploracji piśmiennictwa (model teoretyczny) oraz dyskusji wśrod celowo dobranych ekspertow („wirtualna” burza mozgow). Na plaszczyźnie empirycznej umozliwilo to rozpoznanie kompetencji przesądzających o przetrwaniu przedsiebiorstw w warunkach kryzysu i tym samym pozwolilo na opracowanie rekomendacji dla zarządzających przedsiebiorstwami wytworczymi. Wyniki: W pracy zaproponowano procedure i narzedzie umozliwiające identyfikacje kluczowych zdolności przesądzających o przetrwaniu przedsiebiorstw w warunkach kryzysu COVID-19. Model badawczy powstaly w wyniku burzy mozgow odzwierciedla obszary technologii cyfrowej, ktore w kontekście obecnej pandemii powinni absorbowac wytworcy (koincyndencja). Ponadto ustalono, iz proces odbudowy gospodarki bedzie odbywal sie przy wspoludziale przedsiebiorstw absorbujących model zarządzania logistycznego oparty na technologiach cyfrowych. Reasumując trzeba nadmienic, ze dojrzalośc takiego przedsiebiorstwa przejawia sie zastosowaniem - zdefiniowanych w badaniach deskryptow – nie tylko w zakresie wytwarzania, ale takze w zakresie calego lancucha dostaw. Wszystkie te dzialania wymagają zharmonizowania, tworząc przedsiebiorstwo „odporne” na kryzys. Organizacja takiego przedsiebiorstwa charakteryzuje sie przekazaniem mozliwie najwiekszej liczby zadan kompetentnym pracownikom, ktorzy przy wykorzystaniu wiedzy i dostepnych technologii cyfrowych dodają wartośc w calym lancuchu. Wnioski: Wyniki badan utwierdzily autora w przekonaniu, ze technologie cyfrowe z jednej strony implikujące mozliwośc przetrwana w obliczu kryzysu wywolanego COVID-19 (ciąglośc lancucha dostaw, praca zdalna bez udzialu, lub przy ograniczonym udziale czlowieka, itp.), z drugiej zaś implementowane przez przedsiebiorstwa, mogą stanowic swego rodzaju „tarcze ochronną” przed negatywnymi skutkami pandemii;z perspektywy podjetego w pracy zagadnienia stanowią o dojrzalości podsystemow logistycznych przedsiebiorstwa. Wydaje sie, ze stosunkowo male naukowe rozpoznanie i zlozonośc problemow wystepujących w praktyce biznesowej uzasadniają traktowanie kwestii COVID-19 jako przedmiotu badan, czego wyraz stanowi niniejsza publikacja.

The article dwells upon organizational aspects related to the Master’s Degree training and the effective formation of professional competency in the Master of Finance programs in higher educational institutions of Belgium. The Master of Finance programs of the University of Liège, the University of Leuven, the University of Ghent, etc. were analyzed. The disciplines (compulsory and optional) that students study, the required number of ECTS credits, the planned learning outcomes and the terms of study were characterized. The compulsory disciplines contribute to the formation of theoretical knowledge and practical skills for professional activities in the field of public and corporate finance, budgeting, investment, actuarial calculations and banking. In the optional disciplines, the specificity of the financial activity is taken into account, and the knowledge of highly specialized areas of financial activity is formed. The article also summarizes the application procedure and enrollment conditions for the Master of Finance programs and gives the differences in the programs that have the practical focus and the scientific orientation. The formed competencies of Masters of Finance should ensure constant solvency and sustainable development of entrepreneurial structures, manufacturing enterprises, and the financial, economic and tax system of the country as a whole. The results of the system analysis, implemented by the author and presented in this article, can be of interest for education managers, professors and researchers. It is substantiated that a number of positive aspects of the organization of professional training of Masters of Finance in Belgian universities can be replicated in domestic higher schools.

Production cost is one of the most important company’s activity indicators characterizing company’s expenditure related to production and sales. Under competitive market conditions it is important for managers to be aware of the actual production cost and of the possibilities to decrease it. It can be achieved by conducting complex analysis of the production cost. The aim of this article is to substantiate the significance of expenditures and production cost at manufacturing enterprises and to suggest a methodology of such a complex analysis of production cost for manufacturing enterprises. The article analyses the volumes, dynamics and structure of Lithuanian business enterprises’ expenditures as well as the cost of sales by economic activity types. An exemplary scheme of the complex analysis of the production cost for manufacturing enterprises is presented. Actions carried out by production cost analysts are studied; absolute and relative indicators are estimated and analysed.

PurposeBased on the intrinsic motivation theory and spiritual leadership theory, the current study proposes a chain mediation model for testing the linkage between spiritual leadership and employees' innovative behavior through individual values and role identity.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, 309 valid leader–subordinate matching questionnaires from 10 Internet enterprises and 21 manufacturing enterprises in China were collected through a field study. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling and bootstrapping.FindingsThe results show that spiritual leadership has a positive impact on employees' innovative behavior. Uncertainty avoidance and creative role identity not only respectively play a mediating role but also play a chain mediating role in the process of spiritual leadership influencing employees' innovative behavior.Originality/valueThis study explores the influence of leadership style on employees' individual values, which has rarely been done in previous studies. Furthermore, the research explores the impact of personal values (uncertainty avoidance) on employee self-perception (creative role identity). And it enriches the relationship between spiritual leadership and employees' innovative behavior and reveals the deeper influence mechanism between them.

The study aims to examine current status of accounting practices in Nepalese small and medium sized manufacturing firms, basing the study on the primary data followed by survey research method. The study concentrated on 18 firms out of 30 manufacturing SMEs as the study area, located in Nepalgunj industrial district. Through self-designed questionnaire comprised into five point Linkert scale, data was collected from managers, owners, and accounting officers of SMEs. The findings revealed that majority of SMEs have been following manual accounting system, and also have been internally preparing their financial accounting statements from accounting experts. In terms of maintaining accounting information, the study reached a conclusion that tax assessment and business performance are key motivational factors. Traditional accounting indicators have got the highest usage, and also viewed as the most usefulness for performance measurement. This study provides more understanding on the accounting practices of manufacturing SMEs that can be used for further research regarding accounting practices in cross industrial district as well as cross country comparisons to provide rich information.

Sustainable development is a socioeconomic development that respects environmental protection. It can be analyzed at a macro- and microscale. The goals of sustainable development are realized by ordinary people, politicians, organizations, and enterprises. At the enterprise level, sustainable development means an improvement in quantitative and qualitative conditions of running a business, the use of pro-ecological standards and solutions, and support of employee development. The sustainable development of enterprises depends on several factors, including macroeconomic conditions. The main aim of this paper is to show the impact of the macroeconomic stabilization on the sustainable development of the manufacturing enterprises in the Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs). We examine only the CEECs which are the members of the European Union. Considering this, we focus on the eleven counties (i.e., Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic, and Slovenia) in the period from 2008 to 2018. The main hypothesis is formulated as follows: Macroeconomic stabilization has a statistically significant impact on the sustainable development of manufacturing enterprises in the period from 2008 to 2018. The results of the study indicate that in all analyzed countries there is a statistically significant relationship between the indicator of sustainable development (SISDE) and the indicator of macroeconomic stabilization. The highest level of correlation was observed in Czechia, Poland, and Hungary, while the lowest in Estonia.

Enhancing the level of Research and Development (R&D) investment by China’s manufacturing enterprises and thus improving their independent innovation capabilities are the core to enhance the countr...

The article presents the results of a survey of manufacturing enterprises conducted to study the nature of inflation expectations of Russian companies. The survey data show a high heterogeneity and weak anchoring of inflation expectations (i.e., their instability in the case of short-term inflation fluctuations), which indicates the continuation of adaptation processes in the Russian economy in the transition to inflation targeting policies. In this situation, an important task for the central bank is to strengthen the impact of monetary policy measures on the process of generating inflation expectations of enterprises.

The authors proposed an original method of stress testing in statistical modeling of business activity based on the results of business tendency surveys to study possible scenarios for the development triggered by external unforeseen supply and demand shocks, as in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic The article also provides an overview of existing approaches in the field of stress testing and the construction of stress indices with an emphasis on methods based on vector autoregressive models and their various modifications Thus, the article aims to adapt existing methods of macro-level stress testing for their use based on the results of business tendency surveys The basis for empirical calculations was the data from business tendency surveys of the leaders of Russian manufacturing enterprises, reflecting their combined estimates of the current state of business activity The methods used in the article included: firstly, the formation of four composite indices based on the results of business tendency surveys from 2008 to March 2020, reflecting various aspects of business activity of enterprises (demand index, production index, financial index and employment index);secondly, the construction of the BVAR (Bayesian vector autoregression) model and its application for studying and comparing various forecast scenarios of index reactions to market shocks The results of the study, forecasts of the dynamics of indices were obtained as a reaction to four possible shock scenarios: short-term, V-, W-, and U-shaped Moreover, for each of the scenarios, cases of shocks from the side of demand, production and their simultaneous impact are presented The conclusions based on the results of this study point to the key role of demand in the dynamics of all the considered indices and to the relatively greater sensitivity of the employment index in relation to the demand index and the finance index in relation to the production index W-shaped shock was the worst of the four scenarios considered Conclusions based on the study results indicate the vital role of demand in the dynamics of all the indices under consideration, the Wshaped shock, as the worst of the considered scenarios, as well as the relatively higher sensitivity of the employment index to the demand index and the finance index to the production index Авторами предложена оригинальная методика стресс-тестирования в статистическом моделировании деловой активности на основе результатов конъюнктурных обследований для изучения возможных сценариев развития, спровоцированной внешними непредвиденными шоками со стороны спроса и предложения, как в случае с пандемией COVID-19 Кроме того, в статье представлен обзор существующих подходов в области стресс-тестирования и построения стресс-индексов с акцентом на методах, базирующихся на моделях векторной авторегрессии и их различных модификациях Таким образом, целью статьи является адаптация существующих методик макроуровневого стресс-тестирования для их использования на базе результатов конъюнктурных обследований Основой для эмпирических расчетов являются данные конъюнктурных опросов руководителей российских предприятий обрабатывающей промышленности, отражающие их совокупные оценки сложившегося состояния деловой активности Используемые в статье методы включают: во-первых, формирование на базе результатов конъюнктурных обследований c 2008 г по март 2020 г четырех композитных индексов, отражающих различные аспекты деловой активности предприятий (индекса спроса, индекса производства, индекса финансов и индекса занятости);во-вторых, построение модели BVAR (Bayesian Vector Autoregression) и ее применение для изучения и сравнения различных прогнозных сценариев реакций индексов на шоки конъюнктуры В результате исследования были получены прогнозы динамики индексов как реакции на четыре возможных шоковых сценария: кратковременный, V-, W-, и U-образный При этом для каждого из сценариев представлены случаи шока со стороны спроса, производства и их одновременного воздействия Выводы на основе результатов данного исследования указывают на ключевую роль спроса в динамике всех рассматриваемых индексов и на сравнительно большую чувствительность индекса занятости по отношению к индексу спроса и индекса финансов по отношению к индексу производства W-образный шок оказался наихудшим из четырех рассмотренных сценариев

The paper argues that the current decline of the national economy in Ukraine triggers a critical need to overhaul the interconnections between its various entities and their alliances to attain better economic performance and synergistic effect. In this context, cluster formation strategy has become a priority for many businesses and their associations. Given the global trends of fast-growing rate of education sector and business clusters development, the purpose of this research is to provide theoretical substantiation of the need to create innovative industrial clusters as a strategic framework for building the backbone principles to ensure the enterprise development security. The study results have been accomplished through the application of the systematic approach and the method of analysis and synthesis to identify the controversies in the cluster concept interpretation as well as to reason all pros and cons of innovative industrial clusters creation. An emphasis is put that despite global good practices in building and developing clusters as geographically concentrated groups of interdependent companies, up to date there is no generally accepted definition of an innovative industrial cluster. However, there are a few common features associated with innovative industrial clusters creation and evolution, in particular they are as follows: cooperation and competition among cluster participants; geographical concentration of businesses in one or more regions; positive effects on innovative processes, boosting competition, shaping competences, enhancing information flows as well as contributing to long-term dynamics in the development of relationships in the particular cluster or region as a fundamental background for enterprise security development. A survey on the global trends in the priority areas of cluster formation has demonstrated that in the US, more than half of businesses operate within clusters; in the EU about 38% of its workforce is employed in a cluster-based environment; in the countries of Northern Europe clusters cover up to 90% of businesses. The process of building clusters in Ukrainian realia has certain specifics subject to the differences in the level of economic development of particular region and its industry. A special focus is placed towards the formation of innovative clusters in metal industry based on groups of metal manufacturing companies or their corporations, financial industrial groups, etc. It is emphasised that the Ukrainian metal sector is a national industry leader. The study argues that in modern market environment the formation and further advancement of innovative industrial clusters has become a strategic priority in the context of encouraging innovation and enhancing the industry sectors development in Ukraine.

The broad objective of this study was to determine the joint influence of firm resources, organizational characteristics, and macro environment on export performance of small and medium manufacturing enterprises in Nairobi city county, Kenya. A conceptual model was developed, and from it, a hypothesis was formulated to test the joint influence of firm resources, organizational characteristics, and macro environment on export performance. The study is anchored on four theories; the Resource Based Theory, Porters Theory of competitive advantage, The Industrial Organization Theory and Firm Internationalization Theory. The research was a cross-sectional survey of 265 companies in Nairobi City County, chosen from a population of 853 companies. The unit of analysis was the SMME involved in exporting. The Cronbach alpha coefficient was used to evaluate internal consistency and homogeneity among the study variables. Out of the 265 firms sampled, 238 completed the questionnaire resulting in 89.1 percent response rate. The responses were then used to evaluate the hypothesis of the research. A level of five percent was chosen when testing the coefficients' importance. The findings from the hypothesis was that, jointly,firm resources,organizational characteristics and macro-environment influence export performance. The study has contributed to theory, policy, management and practice, industry and methodology. Based on the research results, the national and county governments need to formulate legislation and policies that promote the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises, such as creating an appropriate atmosphere for SMMES to acquire credit and recommending appropriate and effective production processes. Further, stakeholders in export promotion should appreciate and place an emphasis on the importance and impact of the economic factor in the macro-environment to guide existing and potential investors in manufacturing and exporting sector. The research had certain constraints primarily due to the categorization of the enterprises by the various government agencies and stakeholders. The limitations however did not have significant effect on the findings. Future studies should address the scope and geographical coverage of SMMEs.

The article discusses the concept of engineering and polytechnic education, the main modern models for the implementation of engineering and polytechnic education in the system of basic and additional education. The content of polytechnic training at various levels of the basic education system (preschool education, primary general education, basic general education, secondary general education), the features of the implementation of technological profile education, the directions of engineering and polytechnic training in the system of additional education through the organization of group classes with children are described (basics of initial modeling, paper plastic, ship modeling, car modeling, aircraft modeling, circuit design, Cuboro construction, robotics, 3D modeling, algorithmic and programming), the advantages of an integrated model. The factors determining the choice of the educational model of engineering and polytechnic education of children are indicated (the social request of the region, public organizations, surrounding manufacturing enterprises, parents, students; the material and technical support of the educational institution; the level of professional readiness of the teaching staff to implement the direction).

This research examines the relationships between technological, organizational, and environmental (TOE) factors on different levels of B2B e-commerce adoption. A survey of 315 Ghanaian manufacturin...

Research on the accounting practices of micro, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Indonesia shows the failed implementation of accounting standards by SMEs. Since accounting practice is determined by internal and external factors that surround it and small firm is a unique entity, this research finding is interesting to be studied further by understanding accounting practiced by SMEs. Accounting may practice in the other form that further explains the "low" of SMEs accounting practice. This study uses transcendental phenomenology to understand SMEs accounting practice. Informant of this research is the owner of SMEs manufacturing business. Manufacturing enterprises are selected with consideration of the complexity of the business leading to a greater need for accounting practices. The results show the existence of an evolution of accounting practices. Accounting after tasks delegation was practiced in the note prior to practiced in the memories. Task delegation is the motivation for accounting practice evolution and fairness is value contained.

The article links with methodological analysis and review of the foundations presented in various scientific sources, features of process modelling and models structuring for training specialists in special economic zones for manufacturing enterprises. Modelling is a key tool for building a competency model of a specialist demanded by industrial enterprises in PSEDA.

The study aims to identify and measure factors affecting the salaries of employees in manufacturing enterprises in Hanoi, the important area of Vietnam’s economy. We conducted a questionnaire consisting of 31 observation variables with a 5-point Likert scale. Independent variables were measured from 1 “without effect” to 5 “strongly”. Based on the literature review and results of interviews, a total of 350 questionnaires were sent to participants; 300 of them met the standards and were subject to be analyzed. The results of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA) identify six main determinants influencing the salaries of employees in manufacturing enterprises in Hanoi, including Paying views of business leaders (PV), Financial ability of the enterprise (FA), Capacity of workers (CW), Capacity of the contingent of employees engaged in salary work (CC), Role of grassroots trade unions (TU), and State policies and laws on labor – salaries (STL). Based on the findings, some recommendations have been proposed to help the firm leaders design appropriate personnel policies for creating better job satisfactions for employees in the future. On this basis, the authors propose a number of recommendations to improve the salaries of employees in manufacturing enterprises in Hanoi.

Purpose. The aim of the study is to develop a methodical approach to the operational assessment of management system of manufacturing enterprises based on indicators that characterise the organizational structure, management personnel and the effectiveness of its activities. Methodology / method / approach. Theoretical and methodological basis of the study is a dialectical method of cognition, conceptual framework and results of researches conducted by domestic and foreign scientists on the issues of management system of manufacturing enterprises. The research was carried out with modern general and specific scientific methods: abstract-logical – for theoretical generalizations of results of scientific researches and their conclusions; inductive-deductive – to develop a system of indicators for the assessment of enterprise management system; monographic – to deepen the understanding of the concept of «management system»; questionnaire survey of experts – to form the most suitable indicators for operational evaluation. The information base of the study was statistical and financial statement of oil and fat companies. Results. The algorithm of the assessment of management system of manufacturing enterprises is developed. The algorithm is aimed at evaluating the organizational structure of enterprise management, management personnel and the effectiveness of its activities. The optimum sufficient list of indicators to evaluate the management system of manufacturing enterprises is substantiated. The method of the assessment of management system of manufacturing enterprises is offered for practical application. Originality / scientific novelty. For the first time, the article suggests a methodical approach to the assessment of management system of manufacturing enterprises applying appropriate indicators, which does not require additional scientific investigation. Practical value / significance. The proposed methodical approach is supposed to be applied in enterprises for organizing analytical work aimed at the assessment of effectiveness of management system over a span of three, five or more years. The results of the calculations could be useful for annual adjustment (if necessary) of organizational and economic mechanism of enterprise management.

The rapid development of information technology has promoted the transformation of the manufacturing industry and the upgrading of Chinese intelligent manufacturing enterprises. Environmental protection and enterprise benefits have become the pursuit target. To explore the impact of environmental investment on the performance of intelligent manufacturing enterprises, an evaluation index system from the four dimensions of debt paying, operation, profitability, and growth ability was constructed. Then, factor analysis method was used to analyse the index data of 33 intelligent manufacturing enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta in 2018, and a multiple regression model was constructed to analyse the impact of environmental investment on enterprise performance. Results show a significant difference in the performance of intelligent manufacturing enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta and a positive correlation between environmental investment and enterprise performance. Finally, specific optimization measures are given to help the managers of intelligent manufacturing enterprises make scientific and reasonable decisions.

Research background: Surveys of entrepreneurs regarding the assessment of conditions for conducting business activity are carried out by several institutions. They focus on business climate indicators but in parallel they report on numerous barriers to economic activity. The paper examines the barriers that hinder business operations to manufacturing enterprises in Poland. Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to analyse the barriers to business activity and their role in entrepreneurs’ assessment of their general economic situation. It has been hypothesized that statistically significant barriers to economic activity that affect the assessment of the general economic situation by entrepreneurs can be determined. Research methodology: The analysis was based on the Central Statistical Office data from the business tendency survey in manufacturing enterprises spanning the period 2003–2019, broken down into groups of small, medium-sized and large enterprises. Correlation measures and regression models were used. Results: The results allow indicating several barriers that have a significant impact on the assessment of the current economic situation by entrepreneurs. This impact varies depending on the size of the enterprise. No significant relationship was found between the barriers and the assessment of the expected economic situation. Novelty: The paper contributes to studies on business tendency surveys. It develops a detailed analysis of the barriers to economic activity, takes into account the size of enterprises and examines the influence of business barriers on the assessment of the economic situation by entrepreneurs.

Since 2007, the operating conditions of companies have changed significantly and can be described as more unpredictable. Insolvency of one company may, by the domino effect, have negative impacts on other operators. In extreme cases, these impacts can lead to their bankruptcy. Therefore, it is important to constantly monitor both the financial condition of a company and the financial condition of its business partners. In order to evaluate the financial standing of a company different types of methods can be employed. The aim of the paper was to build two models that specify more than two states of financial standing of manufacturing businesses. The use of the models enables recognition of the deteriorating financial condition of manufacturing companies a few years before insolvency is declared. The traditional discriminant model and Bayesian model were constructed. Cluster analysis was used to select classes of financial standing of the analyzed companies. The models were tested on two sets of samples. A small sample consisted of 224 (112 + 112) companies and a large sample consisted of more than 10,600 companies. The results showed that the traditional discriminant model performs better than the Bayesian model for classifying companies.

Open systems have been of interest to the research and industrial community for decades, e.g. software development, telecommunication, and innovation. The presence of open manufacturing enterprises...

This study develops a dynamic capability-based framework of maturity assessment through combinative capabilities towards smart manufacturing transformation. First, the relationship between existing...

PurposeCurrently, the issues of cross-channel integration (CCI) have become the attentive focus. However, little research based on institutional theory details the drivers of and obstacles to adopt CCI strategy. Combined with resource-based view (RBV) and institutional theory, this thesis studies the effect of institutional pressures on the manufactures' extent of CCI, through exploring the moderating effects of firm's technology competence and relationship governance capabilities on the relationship between institutional pressures and the extent of CCI.Design/methodology/approachThe survey data of 249 valid research samples were obtained from Chinese manufacturing enterprises. Statistical software such as SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 18.0 was used to analyze the data and test the conceptual model and relevant research hypotheses from an empirical perspective.FindingsThe results of empirical study from 249 manufacturers indicate that the mimetic, coercive and normative pressures perceived by enterprises can significantly promote their extent of CCI; relationship governance capabilities attenuate the positive impact of mimetic pressures on the extent of CCI, but strengthen that of normative pressures on the extent of CCI; besides, technology competence can attenuate the positive effect of mimetic pressures on the extent of CCI, but enhance that of normative pressures on the extent of CCI.Originality/valueFew studied the impact of the interaction of internal capabilities and external institutional pressures on CCI of enterprises. This study combines institutional theory and resource-based view to fill the theoretical gap in this regard.

On the basis of the systematic approach, using the series dynamics method, the results of activity of the enterprises of the sphere of production are analyzed. Sales volume was used as the main indicator. The existence of destruction of the balanced development of the sphere of production has been established. In order to exclude the influence of the factor of the number of enterprises, the volume of sales of products on the average of one enterprise by industry sectors was investigated. To identify the main factors that influence the formation of the result of activity of enterprises in the sphere of production, the volume of sales of products per one employee of the enterprise was used as a productive indicator. The survey was conducted by large, medium and small enterprises in three groups of sectors: agriculture, forestry and fisheries; industry; construction. Using the method of stochastic factor analysis, it was found that the main factors of formation of the result of activity of the enterprises of the sphere of production are the following: the level of remuneration of personnel, the degree of capital and material availability. Considering the operating environment of the enterprises of the sphere of production, it is found that these factors have different direction and measure of impact on the result in each industry and for each type of enterprise. Using the results of the regression equation studies, measures were proposed to improve the performance of manufacturing enterprises in the existing business environment.

This study explores the mechanism of financial flexibility on enterprise performance from the perspective of dynamic capabilities by testing the relationship among them respectively. This study selects the data of A-share manufacturing companies in Shenzhen and Shanghai from 2011 to 2017 to structure three main variables mentioned above. The test results of the regression analysis indicate that financial flexibility has an interval effect on enterprise performance. Dynamic capabilities play a part in mediating financial flexibility and enterprise performance, which means financial flexibility can influence enterprise performance through dynamic capabilities. This study adds weight to the theory of financial flexibility and dynamic capability and helps enterprises adjust them more effectively in an increasingly complex economic situation.

Smart manufacturing is an effective way to improve the efficiency of resource utilization and reduce the response time of making joint decisions for the enterprises. Though, with the globalization of manufacturing enterprises, manufacturing optimization problems often occur in complex manufacturing systems under the deteriorating and fuzzy environment, which brings many challenges to smart manufacturing, such as the lack of coordinating scheduling strategies to guarantee the low latency requirement. This paper investigates a robust parallel-batching scheduling problem with fuzzy processing time and past-sequence-dependent delivery time. Some structural properties are first identified, and an optimal algorithm is further developed for the single-machine scheduling problem. Then, the problem is proved to be NP-hard. We thus design a hybrid Multi-Verse Optimizer-Variable Neighborhood Search algorithm to solve the investigated problem in a reasonable time. Abundant experiments of different scales are conducted to verify the performance of the proposed hybrid method with a comparison of the state-of-the-art methods. The proposed hybrid meta-heuristic shows excellent results, robustness, and computational time performance under various experiments.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explicate the relationship between workplace ostracism and deviant behavior, and further test the mediating role of emotional exhaustion and the moderating role of resilience.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 409 first-line production workers from four manufacturing enterprises in China was collected. A moderated mediation analysis was employed to test the hypotheses and examine the relationships proposed in the research framework.FindingsThe findings indicate that emotional exhaustion could mediate the relationship between workplace ostracism and deviant behavior. Moreover, the results from the moderated mediation analysis suggest that the mediation of emotional exhaustion is moderated by resilience such that with a higher level of resilience, the mediation effect of emotional exhaustion becomes weaker.Research limitations/implicationsThe participants of this study are limited to manufacturing enterprises, and thus our findings may not be equally valid for other types of industries. Meanwhile, this study is a cross-sectional research that could not explain the causal relationship between workplace ostracism and deviant behavior.Practical implicationsThe present research can offer some managerial implications about how to avoid the occurrence of workplace ostracism and deviant behavior for organizations.Originality/valueThis study constructs a moderated mediation model by introducing the potential mediating role of emotional exhaustion and the moderating effect of resilience in order to reveal the mechanism through which workplace ostracism relates to deviant behavior. Our research not only integrates and enriches the ideas of the Stress-Non-Equilibrium-Compensation Approach and the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping Theory but could also inform future management practices for mitigating the negative consequences of workplace ostracism.

The author’s method of evaluating the innovative development of manufacturing enterprises has been presented. Three key stages of evaluation activities have been highlighted. At the first stage, the leading group of manufacturing enterprises in terms of innovative development was identified – high-tech enterprises. At the second stage attention was paid to the rating innovative development of high-tech enterprises based on the authorial structural grouping of innovation indicators. At the third stage high-tech enterprises allocation to positions of innovative development (innovative leader, developed or developing innovator) and sectors of innovative development (balanced, result- or potential- oriented) has been proposed.

Introduction. The study is dedicated to finding new approaches to managing the competitive position of a manufacturing enterprise based on the analysis of business modelling algorithms. At the same time, the business model pattern is considered as the basis for a comprehensive justification of the possibility of implementing certain investment projects for the acquisition of competitive advantages by an enterprise in certain conditions of its external environment. The study has used the historical approach, methods of comparison, generalization, logical and structural analysis in order to determine the specifics of the conditions for the implementation of projects to ensure the competitive position of a company, as well as improving the process of business model development. Purpose. The purpose of this article is to substantiate the direction of development of methodological foundations of business modelling as a basis for ensuring the competitive position of an enterprise. Results. It is determined that the competitive position of any company, as an integral qualitative and quantitative assessment of the position of a company in the market, is the result of the generated competitive advantages. Through the development and implementation of a competitive strategy, a company acquires its certain market status that determines the success of the particular business model. The conducted research has shown that there is the tendency as for orientation of developers of business model patterns on the consumer value of the enterprise offer and combining the complex of elements that systematically characterize the business, taking into account the interests of a wide range of stakeholders. This determines the feasibility of identifying value that is created not only for consumers and key partners, but also for other stakeholder groups. It is given the probable changes in the nature of the influence of environmental parties, in particular the territorial community, on the activity of the manufacturing enterprise element of the pattern of development of the business model ""key partners"" transformed into the element ""key subjects of positive / negative impact"". Conclusions. The updated business model development pattern focuses more elaborately on risks forecasting of counteracting key stakeholders or utilizing their capabilities over the long term, which generally contributes to the development of an entrepreneurial function in the existing enterprise.

This article explores the issue of managing green procurement at the level of small and medium-sized enterprises in developing countries. Green procurement remains a relatively new trend for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Therefore, a thorough analysis of this issue is a topic theme. In this perspective, the following hypotheses are highlighted: green procurement affects the competitiveness of an enterprise, its economic indicators, the environment and society. The data collected from SMEs in Kyiv and Kyiv region. As a result, we analysed the questionnaires provided by the managers of 181 companies operating in different industries and different forms of ownership. Factor analysis was conducted to evaluate the scales used in the study, and hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling. The results show that green procurement has a positive impact on competitiveness, economic performance of SMEs, the environment and society. Therefore, small and medium-sized enterprises in developing countries should pay attention to the development and implementation of green supplies, as this will have a positive impact on their performance. The research conducted can serve as a benchmark for conducting similar studies on other enterprises.

Global market competition and fluctuating customers’ demands require manufacturing enterprises to focus on cost reduction and efficiency improvement to increase competitiveness and sustainability. ...

This paper analyses how to improve the production efficiency and organisational management level of Chinese family intelligent manufacturing enterprises under the environment of big data and inform...

5G and AI (Artificial Intelligence) are changing industrial production and offer great potential for manufacturing enterprises. One of the effects resulting from the increasing quantity of production data is the increasing demands of transmission of large amounts of data, fast transmission speed, and rapid data analysis. However, merely relying on traditional communication technology and manual data processing does not lead to high transmission performance and low analysis time. It is essential to integrate 5G and AI technology to flexibly transmit large amounts of data and real-time data. To demonstrate the feasibility and potential of these two technologies, a concept was developed at the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center (AMTC) at the Tongji University (Shanghai, China) and further implemented in the AMTC learning factory in cooperation with wbk of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Karlsruhe, Germany) and Ruhr-University Bochum (Bochum, Germany). This paper presents the learning factory design in detail, describing the concept design, training environment and training phases in the AMTC learning factory. It is followed by a case study consisting of specific examples of 5G and AI, implemented in the AMTC learning factory. The importance of integrated 5G and AI applications is pointed out and discussed.

Improving the efficiency of the enterprise involves the optimization of all business processes related to the production of finished products from orders for raw materials to direct output. The article analyzes the work of the manufacturing enterprise warehouse and highlights its main functions. The functions of a warehouse can be represented in the business process diagram of a warehouse organization. The work of the warehouse is divided into the receiving of material values, the loading of finished products and internal warehouse processes. In addition, a list of the main problems arising in the management of warehouse facilities was formulated, the reasons for which are the great influence of the human factor on the activities of this business process. It is people who are responsible for the correct design and accounting of material values, their movement and control. Therefore, the implementing of an automated warehouse management system (WMS-system) can solve these problems in part or full. In addition, the work highlights the components of the effectiveness of the WMS-system for the activities of the warehouse as one of the elements of the business process at the enterprise. These components include: revenue stream, customer relationships, key activities, key resources, key partners, values and cost structure. It is possible to improve the warehouse results, hence the whole enterprise results, by increasing the efficiency of storage, improving the accuracy and speed of tasks, optimizing the number of employees, and the availability of modern equipment that will quickly and efficiently perform warehousing operations.

Purpose – The aim of the article is an attempt to estimate the level of innovativeness of Polish manufacturing enterprises conducting their activity in the years 2008-2015. Research method – The study was divided into three stages. First stage – estimation of synthetic innovativeness indicators of manufacturing enterprises operating in Poland (2008 – 2015) – general and broken down into individual departments of the manufacturing sector. Second stage – estimation of the main descriptive statistics of the synthetic innovativeness indicator of Polish manufacturing enterprises (2008–2015) – average, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, median, minimum value, maximum value. Third stage – creating a ranking of innovativeness of Polish manufacturing enterprises representing individual departments of sector C and conducting their activity in 2015. The ranking was based on a synthetic innovativeness indicator of Polish manufacturing enterprises for 2015. Results – The study shows that the synthetic index of innovativeness of Polish enterprises in the manufacturing sector in 2009–2015 is characterized by an upward trend. Department C20 came first in the ranking of innovativeness of Polish manufacturing enterprises by individual departments of sector C (manufacturing) operating in 2015, whereas department C13-15 ranked last. Originality – Estimation, statistical evaluation of the synthetic innovativeness indicator of Polish manufacturing enterprises and creating a ranking of innovativeness of Polish manufacturing enterprises by individual departments of sector C conducting their activity in 2015.

Due to information asymmetry and a prevailing focus on production that ignores safety among small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMMEs), it is difficult for core enterprises in the supply chain (SC) to establish partnerships with SMMEs that have a high safe production level (SPL). We found that SMMEs would conceal their real SPL when being selected as core enterprise suppliers. This is known as adverse selection. According to the principal-agent theory, we built a signaling model to analyze the conditions of the pooling equilibrium and the separate equilibrium of the signaling game between core enterprises and SMMEs. The equilibrium results showed that adjusting the signal cost parameters of the SMMEs can guide the market to separate equilibrium and stop SMMEs from concealing or exaggerating their SPL. We also discuss corresponding suggestions. This research can reduce SC risks and promote the establishment of sustainable cooperative relationships between core enterprises and SMMEs with high SPLs. This study is applicable globally.

To meet a large number of personalized demands caused by the increasing living standards of people, the production model of manufacturing enterprises has gradually shifted to small-batch, multi-variety customized production models. For customized production, the limited resources of a single manufacturing company have been difficult to independently and quickly respond to the personalized needs of high-frequency changes. It has become an inevitable choice to integrate the resources of each link in the supply chain for collaborative operation. This paper takes the production and distribution links that are at the core of the supply chain as research objects. Based on the Internet of Things technology, collaborative decision-making to support production and distribution effectively meets individual needs. Finally, the collaborative operation of the production and distribution of an air-conditioning manufacturing company is taken as an example to verify the effectiveness of the IoT-driven collaborative decision-making system proposed in this paper.