Mei-Tai Chu

It is critical for manufacturing sectors to improve maximum performance to foster a competitive advantage. This article aims to analyze how the manufacturing industry can promote its performance to achieve sustainable development. We embark performance evaluation on Taiwanese manufacturing sectors which have profound implications in the global manufacturing supply chain. This study collected public information and reliable data from the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) covering 12 Taiwanese manufacturing industries. Performance evaluation indicators consist of four inputs chosen from a set of six items, whereas one output is from a set of three items. The analysis from Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is conducted including CCR (Charnes, Cooper, & Rhodes) efficiency, BCC (Banker et al.) efficiency, A&P(Andersen and Petersen) efficiency, cross-efficiency and D&G(Doyle and Green) efficiency plus the VIKOR prioritization method to evaluate the 12 manufacturing industries in Taiwan. The comprehensive analysis and comparison results of this study show the sophisticated outcomes through the analysis of DEA and VIKOR. In another objective evaluation, the efficiency of DEA proves a certain correlation between the model and the measurement of the VIKOR method. The results indicate that Taiwan’s manufacturing industry is moving towards design innovation thinking towards the high value of its own brand, whereas the industries in China and South East Asia appear different. The results can provide the best practice to allow the international manufacturing industry to enjoy a resurgence after falling output and diminishing labor force.

With the latest advancements in information technologies, many organisations expect systems to provide effective support in the recruitment process and decision making. However, there is a lack of clarity on the dominant factors required for an effective recruitment system which can influence business outcomes. This paper aimed to identify the predominant factors in the employee selection process and the use of a management system for decision support. The empirical study consisted of a qualitative survey of 74 samples and a quantitative survey of 204 individual participants from 17 organisations coming from technical and further education (TAFE)/dual education (higher education and vocational education) sector members of the Victorian TAFE Association in Australia. Using commonly adopted exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of 38 variables, the data triangulation of the qualitative and quantitative analysis resulted in conformance of five dominant factors under three themes. We believe the results of the study offer actionable suggestions in developing an effective recruitment system and furthers the research in this field of study.

Purpose: Curricula is developing from a pure knowledge-based outcome to a more skill-based outcome, with the objective of creating and advancing competencies that meet employer expectations. While the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) demand organisations to change practices and adapt to sustainable goals, there is a lack of understanding in how competencies can enhance these goals. The purpose of this paper is twofold: Study 1 explores competencies related to sustainability required in a work force and examines employer perceptions on the existing literature for competencies. Study 2 empirically tests the influence of sustainability scholarship on non-technical competencies in the work force. Design/methodology/approach: A mixed method approach was undertaken. A sample of managers from 39 large Australian organisations participated in the scoping study. This was followed by further interviewing executives from 12 multinational corporations in China to assess the validity of competencies and provide deeper understanding of the issues at hand. The quantitative study analysed a sample of executive responses from 229 multinationals in China using factor and regression analysis to test for the effects of mediation. Findings: The research highlights that the underlying competencies regarding sustainability influences the bigger picture within firms for attaining sustainability. The affective and cognitive growth of sustainability scholarship is governed mainly by a firm’s sustainable values. Core organisational values facilitate the development of non-technical competencies. These relationships and their cumulative effect on competencies provide a theoretical framework for acquiring sustainability within organisations. Employees need sustainability scholarship for enhancing sustainability. Sustainability scholarship reflects high-level learning obtained through universities or training. The research found that non-technical competencies such as professional ethical responsibility mediate between core business competencies and sustainability scholarship. Originality/value: By exploring employer’s perception of competencies, the study first makes an important contribution in addressing the need to support SDGs by bridging organisational-level competencies and sustainability literacy, which hold significant benefits for practitioners, academia and organisations at large. Second, the theoretical findings strengthen the need for embedding competencies in the curriculum. It conveys the need for sustainability literacy/scholarship to align with organisational training and learning pedagogies, in order to effectively meet industry needs. Third, it provides useful insights on employers’ estimation about workplace competencies and broadens our understanding on the contribution that competencies within organisations make to this end.

The traditional manufacturing industry has suffered from changing global demands and rapid technology upgrades. It is critical to incorporate innovation into contemporary manufacturing for sustainable development. A comprehensive interpretation of the determinants and directions of technical change is greatly needed. Therefore, this study aims to explore innovative applications that can enhance the value of manufacturing and examine the key factors associated with these innovations. In this paper, three traditional manufacturing industries are analyzed using the research methodologies analytic hierarchy processing (AHP) and Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL), resulting in a set of six key criteria for innovative manufacturing. The causal relationships considering the six criteria in three industries are analyzed. The main contribution of this study is to establish a new framework for the sustainable development of traditional manufacturing industries. This could help to support conceptual innovation in these industries and establish a pragmatic approach to increase sustainable development. From the research results, the following suggestions can be made. The traditional manufacturing industries in Taiwan should focus on design and innovation. This can enhance the value-added and international competitiveness of industrial chains, enterprises, and products. Ultimately, it can lead to the sustainable development of Taiwan’s traditional industries.

By developing a conceptual model, the purpose of this paper is to improve the understanding of the role of social assistive technologies in facilitating the process of service innovation in care providing organisations to adopt the principles of the consumer-directed care strategy and reduce perceived consumer vulnerability. Using a cross-sectional survey method, the authors collected data through a survey questionnaire distributed among 335 aged caregivers and specialists. The conceptual model and its 11 research hypotheses were examined using confirmatory factor analysis in structural equation modelling. The rival and mediation models were also estimated. The conceptual model was validated and eight of eleven hypotheses were supported. It was found that dynamic capabilities are crucial to developing service innovation concept in care providing organisations. In this way, social assistive technologies play a facilitating role to promote the consumer-directed care strategy throughout care providing organisations and allow care providers to enhance wellbeing of vulnerable older people based on their socio-economic status. From the lens of aged care providers, it was also found that the consumer-directed care strategy implemented in aged care facilities may help reduce consumer vulnerability among older people especially when they use social assistive technologies in their service settings. This study suggests aged care service providers should boost dynamic service innovation capabilities to improve the need for social assistive technologies in aged care facilities with respect to the importance of the consumer-directed care strategy. This study contributes to the development and validation of a conceptual model for the use of social assistive technologies to sustain service innovation in aged care business models and enhance the consumer-directed care strategy’s performance to better understand consumer vulnerability among older people.

Australia like most of the western world is bracing up for the looming ageing population crisis. Assistive robots are being seen as one of the ways for supporting aged care facilities building capacity and improving the quality of care of the elderly. In this paper, the authors report on three field trials of Matilda, a human like affective communication (service and companion) robot in nursing homes in Australia. The work demonstrates Matilda's ability to break technology barriers with the elderly, support nursing homes in group and one to one activities with elderly to help increase capacity of care as well as improve emotional well being of elderly to improve quality of care.

Emotional well being is one of two aspects of personal well-being that can be measured in quality of life assessments, and is a critical part of a senior citizen to help them age gracefully and remain independent as well as integrated with society. In order to improve the emotional well being of the elderly in the era of looming ageing population crisis, in this paper the authors report on design and a field trial of Matilda, a human-like assistive communication assistive robot in Australian residential care and home-based care facilities. The work demonstrates that by marrying the embodiment of care with artificial intelligence, emotion measuring techniques and positive emotion generation in its design and applications, Matilda has the ability to improve emotional well being of the elderly.

Communities of Practice (CoPs) provide a good medium for effective utilization of knowledge workers and group innovation in an organization. It is also an organizational instrument for developing competitive advantage based on chosen business strategy. For effective operation of CoPs and utilization of organizational resources business strategy and knowledge sharing attributes of knowledge workers play a key role in effective design of CoPs. Furthermore, to enable effective implementation of CoPs, an IT enabled knowledge hub is considered useful. This research combines the above mentioned components to develop a CoPs enabled knowledge hub. This research can help organizations to design and implement CoPs based on business strategy and knowledge sharing attribute fit.