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Smaller Companies (smaller + company)
Selected AbstractsEnvironmental supply chain management, ISO 14001 and RoHS.CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 6 2008How are small companies in the electronics sector managing? Abstract This study explores the use of environmental management systems for initiating and controlling environmental improvements in the context of supply chain cooperation. It examines how environmental requirements are reaching smaller companies in the electronics supply chain, especially in the light of recent legal changes such as enforcement of the RoHS Directive. It is based on qualitative interviews with environmental and purchasing managers of 21 small and medium-sized companies. The results point out a lack of significant drivers for these companies to implement proactive measures when dealing with environmental issues, owing to limited customer pressure. RoHS and legal compliance are the only environmental customer criteria to be met, while ISO 14001 works as an optional supplier selection criterion. In consequence, companies are not focusing on environmental work within their supply chains, and the potential of influencing the environmental profile of suppliers by shaping their ISO 14001 is not used. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Corporate social responsibility in Asian supply chainsCORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2006Richard Welford Abstract This research provides an overview of CSR practices in Asia, evaluates the usefulness of codes of conduct, reviews the benefits of CSR in supply chains and reviews obstacles for companies wishing to adopt good CSR practices. In order to achieve this, interviews were undertaken with CSR managers, factory managers and other experts, conducted in confidence and anonymously. Codes of conduct and associated inspections and audits are common practice but in most cases flawed. Labour issues and the rights of workers are generally seen as the most important aspect of CSR in the region. Benefits of CSR include risk reduction, staff recruitment and retention, cost savings and building good relationships with stakeholders. Obstacles include a lack of resources and skills, a lack of awareness of stakeholders' demands and inefficient production techniques. It is noted that larger firms are more able to overcome such obstacles, with clear adverse implications for smaller companies. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] A knowledge-based approach to maintenance project planningEXPERT SYSTEMS, Issue 2 2002Gary P. Moynihan Maintenance issues comprise an important, though frequently overlooked, area of manufacturing operations. In smaller companies in particular, expertise for effective maintenance project planning may be lacking. In this paper we discuss the development of an object-oriented expert system to support such project planning. The system was developed to meet the needs of an automotive components manufacturer, and focuses solely on its material-handling-oriented projects. The microcomputer-based expert system considers issues of schedule, inventory availability and cost. [source] Ethical Attitudes in Small Businesses and Large Corporations: Theory and Empirical Findings from a Tracking Study Spanning Three DecadesJOURNAL OF SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2006Justin G. Longenecker This study offers a theoretical framework of ethical behavior and a comparative analysis of ethical perceptions of managers of large, mostly publicly traded corporations (those with 1,000 or more employees) and the owners and managers of smaller companies (those with fewer than 100 employees) across 17 years. The primary research provides basic data on the changing standards of ethics as perceived by leaders of large and small businesses where the cultures frequently fall into sharp contrast. Our findings reveal the extent to which the message of business integrity is gaining or losing ground within large and small companies. It does this by means of respondents' judgments of acceptable responses to 16 scenarios profiling common business situations with questionable ethical dimensions. Based on responses from over 5,000 managers and employees (from firms of all sizes) to our scenarios at three points in time (1985, 1993, 2001), we tested two research questions. First, for firms of all sizes, have business ethics improved or declined between the years 1985 and 2001? Second, comparing responses of large and small firm executives across the 1985,2001 time frame, is there a discernible difference in their ethical standards? Our results suggest that business leaders are making somewhat more ethical decisions in recent years. We also found that small business owner,managers offered less ethical responses to scenarios in 1993 but that no significant differences existed with large firm managers in 1985 and 2001. Implications of our findings are discussed. [source] Risk Criteria for the Shipping IndustryQUALITY AND RELIABILITY ENGINEERING INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1 2006V. M. Trbojevic Abstract This paper proposes dual risk criteria for the shipping industry based on a goal-setting approach to safety requiring risk in the tolerability region to be as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP) within which there is a prescriptive target risk level which should not be reached. The prescriptive target risk level is intended for smaller companies satisfying the current safety and classification rules, while it is expected that leading companies would embrace the dynamic ALARP approach as a means for improving the current practice in a search for a better and more economical solution. Furthermore, it is shown that it is possible to formulate the societal risk criteria fully consistent with often legally imposed individual risk criteria. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||