A Survey of Group Technology Adoption in the American Midwest

This paper presents results of a hierarchical, fixed-question survey that sought responses about flexible machining cells, flexible labor cells, and concurrent changes in plant operations among nonelectrical machinery manufacturers in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. General results indicate that the majority of firms in the American Midwest do not possess flexible manufacturing capability. Of those that do possess this capability, most adopted flexible labor cells prior to adopting flexible machining cells. These cells are small, employing relatively few workers and producing a limited line of products. While the adoption process has been plagued with training, scheduling, and integration problems, most plant managers are pleased with the performance of their flexible manufacturing cells. Management has been reluctant to break out of traditional relationships with suppliers, to trim levels of management and to explore strategic alliances with competitors. Survey results are disaggregated by year, size, positon-in-organization, and by union affiliation.     

Spatial Diffusion of Management Practices in Urban and Rural Areas

Data on production and management practices across firms are scarce.Therefore studies of rural and urban industrial development have usually abstracted from this issue or have invoked product cycle theory to explain comparative urban and rural productive ingenuity. Several qualitative studies of rural production have contradicted the product cycle hypotheses, but attempts to generalize these results have not succeeded. An attempt is made here to test the product cycle explanation of industrial location using the registry of firms with ISO 9000 certification in nine southern states. These data suggest a bifurcation of rural counties. Urban and rural counties containing certified firms have been much more likely to increase the number of such firms, but in those counties without certified firms the probability of new certified firms has declined     

Determinants of entry: Evidence from new manufacturing firms in the U.S

The objective of this paper is to estimate the relationship between agglomeration economies and the birth of new firms in U.S. manufacturing sectors during 2004–2012. I examine the variations in Marshallian factors across MSAs and across counties within MSAs. My findings support the existence of Marshallian agglomeration forces: input sharing, labor market pooling, and knowledge spillovers, with input–output linkages particularly important. I then examine the variations in Marshallian factors across regions and find regional differences are not very strong. In addition, large-sized firms appear to be more responsive to a supplier-customer relationship. Moreover, my empirical results provide evidence that firms in highly concentrated industries react more to input linkage and labor pooling.     

Dynamics of Adjustment and the Social Division of Labor in the Tsubame Cutlery Industry

This paper examines the Tsubame cutlery industry as an example of one of Japan's community-based industries (CBI's). CBI's are localized, closely inter-linked concentrations of small businesses which manufacture and export a distinctive product on the basis of a social division of labor. To demonstrate the dynamic nature of the social division of labor in CBI's we outline the origins and evolution of the cutlery industry in Tsubame and then we analyze in more detail how the industry has adjusted to deteriorating cost conditions since 1970, especially during the late 1980s. The discussion is based on published studies and on field work which investigated the strategies and operations of entrepreneurs as summarized in terms of employment, subcontracting and product trends. We find that the Tsubame cutlery industry has successfully adapted its social division of labor to changing circumstances and that it appears to be in another transition stage at the present time.     

The Role of Education in Self–Employment Success in Finland

This paper analyzes the effect of self–employed persons’ education on the success of their firms during the economic downturn and upturn of the 1990's. It is found that the business cycle affects the relative closure rates of firms run by self–employed with any level of education. Exit probability is lower for the highly educated during bust, but higher in boom. This is accounted for by two facts. First, running a small firm is argued to be a less attractive choice to wage work, particularly for the highly educated, due to lower earning prospects, less stable stream of earnings, and the cultural tradition of working in large corporations. Second, the highly educated faced a higher outside demand for their labor than did the less educated during economic upturn. Finally, it was found that regardless of the state of aggregate economy, firms run by the highly educated have higher growth probabilities than those run by less educated persons.     

Threshold Firms: Innovation,Design and Collaboration in British Columbia's Forest Economy

This paper assesses the extent to which threshold firms have emerged within British Columbia's wood processing industries. Threshold firms comprise an innovative business segment and are growth oriented, larger than most small firms but not giant, locally owned, international in scope at least with respect to exporting, reliant on skilled, well paid employees, and that have developed knowledge‐based product market advantages. The analysis draws on an extended case study survey of 14 firms located in the lower mainland and Okanagan regions of British Columbia, and selected for their potential as threshold firms. The analysis examines six characteristics associated with threshold firms: size and ownership, internationalization, wood supply, labor relations, innovative design and collaboration, and local embeddedness. These firms reveal attributes of threshold firms, and the paper concludes by suggesting that an innovative forest policy for British Columbia could usefully focus on this type of firm.     

小麦收获前HMW-GS最佳测定时间的探讨及在育种上的应用

摘 要：为了寻找小麦收获前测定高分子量谷蛋白亚基的最佳时间,实现高分子量谷蛋白亚基与综合育种目标性状的同时选择。从小麦开花期始,对21个小麦品种(以中国春为对照)每5天用SDS-PAGE法测定其HMW-GS以寻找最佳测定时间,并对21个杂交组合后代进行连年选择。试验结果表明,乳熟末期HMW-GS谱带始达清晰,是当代测定当代选择的最佳测定时期。通过连年高分子量谷蛋白亚基的选择,部分高分子量谷蛋白优质亚基出现的频率得到显著的提高,选择效果良好。本研究选育出高产优质小麦新苗头品系宝麦35,证明当代测定高分子量谷蛋白亚基的同时结合综合育种目标性状进行选择,对于选育优质,高产、抗逆新品种效果是良好的。     

A Comparison of Within-Firm and External Sources of Product Innovation

This paper examines the role of internal and external research, design and development (RD&D) activity in the innovation performance of New York State manufacturing firms in the scientific instruments sector. Survey data from a sample of 204 small and medium-sized companies suggest that the incidence of successful product development is higher among firms that combine in-house RD&D with technical support from independent specialists. Significantly, firms that supplement their in-house innovation efforts with outside talent are found to exhibit better commercial performance than their counterparts that operate on the basis of either internal or external technical resources alone. The paper concludes with a brief agenda for future empirical research on the conditions that support product innovation among small and medium-sized firms.     

Competitive Characteristics of Small and Medium-sized Manufacturing Firms in the US. and Canada

ABSTRACT This paper examines the competitive characteristics of small and medium-sized manufacturing firms (SMFs) in a Canada-U.S. crossborder region (the Niagara Frontier). Particular attention is given to the innovation and business performance of comparably-sized firms on both sides of the border. The results of two firm-level surveys are presented. A comparative analysis of the two groups suggests that Canadian Sh4Fs exhibit significantly stronger export and innovation performance than their US. counterparts. The results also suggest that U.S. firms face tougher competitive difficulties arising fiom specific national and regional circumstances, including shortages of skilled labor, higher corporate tax rates, rising import competition, and a more complex regulatory environment. The implications of the empirical results are discussed in the context of policy options for regional economic development in crossborder zones such as the Niagara Frontier     

The impacts of highways on firm size distribution: Evidence from China

This paper examines the impact of highway construction on the size distribution of manufacturing firms using Chinese firm and highway network data. I construct instrumental variables using historical and counterfactual road approaches to identify the causal effects of highway construction. I find that highway construction can increase firm size dispersion and market concentration. Areas near highways have a higher number of firms, more outsourcing activities, and more large firms; while areas further from highways have a higher share of new entry firms.     

Foreign direct investment flows to Mexican states: A study of the automobile industry, 2004–2014

This study examines the subnational flow in foreign direct investment (FDI) to Mexican states, with a focus on the finished vehicle industry. Although prior studies have examined subnational FDI in Mexico, research on the automobile sector has been scant. Utilizing a framework associated with the theory of asset specificity, we examine the influence of human capital and labor conditions, infrastructure, subnational policies, and security. The study employs a data set on finished vehicle FDI across 31 states and the Federal district for the period of 2004–2014. We adopt a two‐part model. The first part, which includes all states and the Federal district, is estimated with pooled logistic and Firth logistic regressions. In the second part, we examine variation in levels of FDI among states selected for investment with pooled ordinary least squares with panel‐corrected and Driscoll Kraay standard errors. Labor conditions are significant for both state selection and levels of FDI, but education is influential only in the selection stage. In addition, states with trunk rail lines linked to the U.S. border are more likely to be selected and receive higher FDI. After controlling for these influences, murder and homicide rates, and state development have no significant effects.     

Recurrent selection for broad adaptation affects stability of oat

A recurrent selection program for adaptation to diverse environments was successful in improving mean oat (Avena sativa L.) grain yield within and across testing environments. The objectives of this research were to determine if this selection program also resulted in changes in other agronomic traits or altered yield stability. Additionally, we investigated how selection modified the response of genotypes to climatic conditions. We evaluated random samples of 100 families from the original population and each of three selection cycle populations in replicated yield trials in Idaho, Iowa, and Norway for two years. Yield stability was assessed via joint regression analysis and superiority analysis. For each cycle, genetic relationships among yields observed indifferent environments were assessed by estimating phenotypic correlations between pairs of target environments. The effect of climate variables on genotype-by-environment interaction (GEI) responses was determined with partial least squares regression. Selection resulted in a small increase in mean heading date, a decrease in mean test weight, and no change in total above-ground biomass or plant height. Genotypic regression coefficients on environmental indices and deviations from regression were larger in the last cycle population, but superiority analysis demonstrated that selection significantly improved the adaptability of the population to the target testing environments. Improved adaptation was also demonstrated by increased phenotypic correlations among the most divergent pairs of environments in the later cycles. Partial least squares regression of GEI effects on climate variables suggested that later cycle families tended to respond more favorably to cooler than average conditions than the original population. Selection resulted in improved yield stability as well as improved mean yield. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

八珍鸡翅根生产工艺的研究

以鸡翅根为主要原料,通过单因素和正交试验优化八珍鸡翅根的八珍料配方和生产工艺。结果表明,最佳八珍料配方为:加工每公斤鸡翅根用花椒2 g、桂皮2 g、八角1 g、草果1 g、肉蔻1 g、陈皮1 g、小茴香0.5 g、丁香1.5 g;以盐卤30 min,初煮10 min后,冷水冷却5 min,再用八珍料液卤制30 min。按此配方与工艺制得的八珍鸡翅根产品色泽诱人,香味浓郁,组织完整,咀嚼性好,具有较佳的感官品质。     

Spatial Agglomeration,Technological Innovations,and Firm Productivity: Evidence from Italian Industrial Districts

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to analyse the impact on firms' productivity of innovative activities and agglomeration effects among firms belonging to Marshallian industrial districts and the possible joint effect of these two forces. We study a sample of 2,821 firms active in the Italian manufacturing industry in the period 1992–1995. Our analysis uses an original data set based on three different Istituto Nazionale di Statistica statistical sources—Community Innovation Survey, Archivio Statistico delle Imprese Attive (Italian Business Register), and Sistema dei Conti delle Imprese (Italian Structural Business Statistics)—to estimate an “augmented” Cobb‐Douglas production function to account for the impact of technological innovations and district‐specific agglomeration effects on a firm's productivity growth. Our data set allows us to distinguish between product and process innovations, thus, through econometric analysis, we hope to achieve a better understanding of which of these two types of innovative activities benefits most from participation in an industrial district. Our empirical results show that belonging to an industrial district and making product innovations are key factors in the productivity growth of firms and that product innovations appear to have a greater effect on the economic performance of district rather than non‐district firms.     

Productivity Change in Manufacturing Regions: A Multifactor/Shift-Share Approach

ABSTRACT The traditional shift-share model measures the combined effects of output growth and productivity change on employment. A region with above average employment growth either has a favorable industry mix or enjoys a competitive advantage over other regions. To separate the effects of output and productivity, the shift-share model is extended to decompose the effects of changes in output and productivity on employment. This paper modifies the Rigby-Anderson extension by separating the contribution of labor and capital to productivity growth in the analysis of regional economic performance, and investigates twenty (two-digit SIC) manufacturing sectors in twelve states (six snowbelt, six sunbelt states) to assess whether observed changes in employment were due to changes in output or to productivity.     

水稻第5节间长度与出穗促进率的相关性

出穗促进率和株高变化是反映水稻品种光温生态响应的重要指标。能否在育种阶段采用相对容易识别的性状来判断水稻品种的生态响应能力,对广适性品种的选育具有重要意义。本文从12个水稻亲本聚合杂交后代选出的36个高代稳定自交系及其亲本共48份材料,在湖北荆州作中稻以及在广州作早稻和晚稻,研究不同生态条件下株高及各组成成分变化与出穗促进率的变化规律。结果表明,第5节间长度是株高成分中最容易受环境影响的部分,其在不同季节的变化与出穗促进率呈现极显著的正相关性,在早稻和中稻、中稻和晚稻、早稻和晚稻3种情况下,第5节间长度变化和出穗促进率之间的相关系数分别为0.37、0.52和0.49,均达到了极显著水平,偏相关系数分别为0.42、0.43和0.36,也都达到了极显著水平。说明第五节间长度容易受光温条件的影响,是生态响应变化的重要指标,越是敏感的材料响应越大,适应性越差。因此,不同环境条件下第五节间长度可用作判断水稻品种对光温条件的响应指标。     

Temperature abuse timing affects the rate of quality deterioration of commercially packaged ready-to-eat baby spinach. Part I: Sensory analysis and selected quality attributes

Temperature abuse of fresh-cut products occurs routinely during transport and retail store display. However, the stage of product shelf life during temperature abuse and its impact on sensory attributes have not been studied. This study evaluated the effect of temperature abuse occurring immediately after processing and late in shelf life through measurements of sensory attributes, and membrane integrity of commercially packaged ready-to-eat baby spinach. The packaged products were received within 2 days of processing. Samples subject to early temperature abuse were immediately placed at 1, 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 °C storage upon arrival, and those subject to late temperature abuse were stored at 1 °C for six days, and then transferred to 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 °C storage. Package headspace gas composition, in-package visual appeal, purchase intent, product color, off-odor, decay, texture, overall quality, and tissue electrolyte leakage were evaluated every 1–2 day up to 16 day total. Results indicate that when the product temperature is maintained at 1–4 °C, the quality of commercially packaged baby spinach can be retained for up to 18 days post-processing. However, storage temperature of 8 °C or above, significantly (P < 0.001) shortened product shelf life as exhibited by accelerated tissue electrolyte leakage, product yellowing, decay and off-odor development. Most importantly, the product's shelf life stage significantly affected its response to temperature. Quality deterioration proceeded more rapidly when temperature abuse occurred in late as opposed to early shelf life stage.     

农业现代化与农业内部就业

为扩大农业现代化进程中的农业内部就业,利用2014年度全国及各省统计年鉴数据,构建多元回归模型进行实证研究。结果表明：技术进步,即农业机械总动力的提高,使农业成为一个具有吸引力的就业行业;产业结构变动,即粮食作物占农作物播种面积比重的减少,有利于发挥农副产品生产的就业吸纳能力。为了解决农业劳动力不足的发展困境,政府应加大现代农业技术推广,加强农业产业结构优化。     

Income Divergence between Mexican States in the 1990s: The Role of Skill Premium

ABSTRACT During the period 1940–1985 the variance of average incomes across Mexican states fell by 60 percent. Beginning in 1985, however, and coinciding with the adoption of trade liberalization policies and other market‐oriented reforms, state incomes began to diverge. Using microdata from the 1990 and 2000 Mexican Population Censuses, this study decomposes the recent divergence into components due to economy‐wide changes in skill prices and components due to state‐specific changes in the composition of workers. The study finds that the rise in the education premium hindered the progress of poor states and raised the variance of average state wages and labor earnings. However, educational attainment mostly compensated for this income‐widening effect. State‐level regressions reveal that the initial level of education, size of the agricultural sector, and distance from the U.S. border were important factors, while public infrastructure was not. While the border states clearly benefited from increased trade and opening of the economy, I find no evidence that skill demand or the immigration of highly educated workers particularly favored these states.     

陇东塬区玉米灌浆期气象因子变化对产量构成因素的影响

为了了解气象因子的变化对陇东塬区玉米灌浆期生长的影响,合理利用气候资源。利用西峰农业气象试验站观测资料,采用数理统计方法分析了该区玉米在灌浆前期（开花至乳熟）、灌浆后期（乳熟至成熟）及整个灌浆期（开花至成熟）光、热、水对产量构成因素的影响。结果表明：不同灌浆期的平均气温、平均最高气温、温度日较差、光照时数对产量构成因素呈现较高的负效应,平均最低气温、≥10℃积温对产量构成因素呈正效应;降水量在整个灌浆期对百粒重呈现较强的正相关,在灌浆前期和后期对株籽粒重和百粒重呈现较弱正相关,作物耗水量在灌浆后期对产量构成因素呈现较强正效应。同时分析得出玉米灌浆期平均气温、平均最高气温、温度日较差和光照时数呈现逐年降低趋势,平均最低气温、≥10℃积温和降水量呈现逐年增加趋势。总而言之,在陇东塬区热量和光照基本能满足玉米不同灌浆期的需求,水分是限制产量的关键因素,气候变化有利于陇东塬区玉米灌浆,对提高产量有利。