Volume 3 Issue 2

Authors: Jeannette Stark; Sina Lehrmann; Werner Esswein

Abstract: Virtual Prototyping is a promising approach for testing innovative ideas or assessing man-machine interactions in early stages of machine design. But due to the high cost level of present approaches, virtual prototyping does not exploit its full potential. This paper presents a multi-level approach for systematic reuse of existing simulation models in different business cases. The approach bases on theoretical reflections on conceptual modeling and on a requirements analysis among manufacturers of mobile construction machines. The resulting method is evaluated by a prototypic implementation.

Keywords: Virtual Prototyping; Conceptual Modeling; Reference Modeling; Model Reuse; Rationale Documentation

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Authors: Rado Gazo; Mingyao Song

Abstract: Throughout the last decade, both the global and the U.S. furniture industry experienced continuous growth until they were heavily impacted by the global financial crisis and started the downward trend in 2008. This article examines the international competitiveness of the U.S. furniture industry by the trade theories of both inter-industry and intra-industry. According to indicators of trade performance, Balassa’s revealed comparative advantage index and Vollrath’s revealed competitive advantage indexes, U.S. does not have a comparative advantage among the furniture producing countries. The primary reason is competition from producers of developing countries, which has caused the U.S. furniture firms to either decrease production or close facilities (Pirc 2010). The standard Grubel-Lloyd index is used to examine the extent of intra-industry trade of major furniture trading countries in the world. This index is also applied to U.S. furniture’s bilateral intra-industry trade. The results show that the global furniture industry is more likely to be characterized by inter-industry trade rather than intra-industry trade. U.S. does not have a high level of intra-industry trade because the values of U.S. furniture imports are much bigger than exports. The extent of bilateral intra-industry trade in furniture between U.S. and its major trading countries is small except with Canada and Japan. The U.S. is now facing unfavorable economic circumstances such as shrinking international demand and rising labor cost.

Keywords: Competitiveness; Manufacturer; Inter-Industry Trade; Intra-Industry Trade

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Authors: Georg Stadtmann; Rosemarie Koch

Abstract: We analyze supervisory board compensation for German DAX 30 firms in the years 2007 and 2008. The main focus is an econometric analysis of the determinants of supervisory board compensation. As opposed to the majority of previous research on this topic, we analyze supervisory board compensation on a person level which permits us to include specific individual determinants. We find that supervisory board compensation is positively dependent on the involvement in special functions such as chairmanship, deputy chairmanship or involvement in the boards committees as suggested by the German Corporate Governance Code. Other personal specific factors which are not related to functions and roles on the board do not have a statistically significant influence on compensation when controlling for the right firm factors. These variables are for example gender, holding a PhD title, number of other mandates on boards, being an employee representative and previous or current experience on management boards. Thus, these factors do not lead to differences in compensation and we do not find evidence that the non-discrimination precept is violated. Interestingly, some model specifications suggest that female board members earn significantly less than male board members. However, when controlling for the female share of supervisory board members as a firm influence, the influence of female board members drops out. The fact why a high share of female supervisory board members is connected to significantly lower pay of supervisory board members on that board needs further research.

Keywords: Executive Compensation; Supervisory Board; Determinants; Soft Regulation

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Authors: Naz Abdulkareem Arif; Rafia Afroz

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to investigate the perception, knowledge and attitude of the households towards electrical and electronic equipment waste (e-waste) management in Duhok city, Iraq. It also tried to identify current e-waste management practiced by households in Duhok. It has been found in this study that much of the electrical and electronic equipment was updated within two thirds of their designed lifetime. Most of the respondents informed that they just threw their e-waste to the waste bin. It can be concluded that all stakeholders of e-waste management, from the government and nongovernmental sectors should consider shifting the management options towards the top of the waste management hierarchy (prevention and waste minimization) by substituting the hazardous materials in e-waste and encouraging redesign of equipment for a better control of the negative impacts of e-waste.

Keywords: E-waste Management; Awareness and Attitude; Product Life Time; Updating Time; Deposit and Disposal

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Authors: Nguyen Manh Quyen; Nguyen Minh Ha

Abstract: The objective of this study is to investigate factors influencing homebuilders’ intentions to use Ready Mixed Concrete (RMX) instead of site mixed concrete when building private houses in Vietnam. The study finds out that attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and perceived consequences have significant effects on homebuilders’ intentions to use RMX concrete. They are all proportional to the intention, and they explain 61.90% of variance in homebuilders’ intentions. These results may enforce the Theory of Planned Behavior that is used in the construction business field. The findings also show no significant difference in the intentions towards using RMX concrete among homebuilders’ characteristics such as age, experience and education.

Keywords: JEL; Homebuilders; Ready Mixed Concrete; Factors; Building; Vietnam

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Authors: Rebecca Gorton; Peta Dzidic; Geoff Syme; Rich L Little; Kelly L Chapman; Fabio Boschetti; Tod Jones; Elizabeth A. Fulton; Miriana Sporcic; William de la Mare

Abstract: After completing a large, regional, multi-use Management Strategy Evaluation, we attempt to assess the impact of stakeholder engagement on the project. We do so by comparing the original project plan to the actual project development and highlight the changes which can be more directly related to stakeholder engagement. The impact can be summarised into four broad classes: a) a measurable change in the network of interactions both among researchers and stakeholders; b) changes in how the computer model was developed and run; c) changes in attitudes both among researchers and stakeholders and d) change in the actual project development. We discuss these changes, the way they have been detected and some lessons we learnt which may benefit future Management Strategy Evaluation projects.

Keywords: Management Strategy Evaluation; Adaptive Management; Environmental Modelling; Socio-ecological Modelling; Stakeholder Engagementects.

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