Volume 31 (2023): Edizione 2 (June 2023)

Product Lifecycle Management remains a strategy that aims to strengthen the capabilities and competitive advantages of the company. Its implementation and its adoption depend on the problems that are brought back to be solved by this tool as well as its acceptance by the companies that will implement it. Hence, we like to introduce this approach within the cottage industry to improve its competitiveness. For this, we are going to present this article as being the first step towards the introduction of this strategy within the craft sector. So, we aim to investigate the problems faced by the craft sector, the levers favoring the establishment of this kind of approach and to analyse the independence between the problems investigated, the nature of the companies interviewed and their sector of activity. Data was gathered from surveys of 132 craft industries the primary data analysis was performed using excel and SPSS techniques and chi square test. The results affirm that the management and communication problems, as well as problems related to the raw material waste, are the most dominant in the sector. Moreover, our study shows that the problems faced by the sector are independent towards the nature of the company and the sector of activity.

Financial capability is one of the primary drivers for buyers to make purchases. Therefore, sellers must set an optimum selling price and consider trade credit facilities to attract more demand. This paper proposes an inventory decision model in which customer demand depends on the price and number of credit installments to serve low-abled buyers. This study has developed a demand function with a positive impact on installment policies and the effect of the selling price. Two models have been formulated to optimize the selling price and positive stock time, m total profit, with and without installment policies. Then, numerical examples and sensitivity analysis illustrate the proposed model for different cases. The study has found that the selling price and positive stock time can be optimized. Profits can be higher in the case of an installment facility than in the case without an installment facility. It shows positive responses from the buyer to the installment policy.

The primary goals of the study are to present a qualitative examination of household awareness of renewable energy sources and to ascertain their requirements, as well as their expectations for an improvement in quality of life as a consequence of using renewable energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution while improving public health. There are no empirical studies examining the level of household awareness of renewable energy in EU countries, so this gap is also considered a further area of empirical research. Seven European nations were selected for the study: the Czech Republic, Slovenia, France, Portugal, Spain, Austria, and Germany. The survey was conducted from April 2021 to June 2022 with over 17030 respondents. Additionally, it was given a statistical analysis by using the C-Pearson coefficient. Results of our study showed that households’ awareness is low and they also expect that they will not pay more for tourist services that use renewable energy sources. Moreover, results showed that when renewable energy sources are used, in households’ opinions, levels of CO2 will decrease and that this will have a favorable effect on the environment, but they still think that this will have a detrimental influence on their health.

PT. Naruna is a ceramics factory located in Salatiga, Indonesia. In PT. Naruna ceramics, all products are handmade with contemporary designs and have a high artistic value in shape and color. Getting profit is the company’s primary goal, but many companies still need to learn the maximum profit that can be obtained by optimizing their resources, one of which is PT. Naruna. PT. Naruna produces goods based on intuition. As a result, a lot of goods are piled up in warehouses. Meanwhile, with the development of the times, new trends and images will appear more attractive so that consumer tastes and motifs from ceramics will change. In addition, ceramic products that have gone through the combustion process cannot be recycled and must be burned. This research focuses on the production of glasses with three different types according to price. The aim of this paper is to optimize profits by determining the composition of the number of products produced. We used linear programming with a simplex method to solve our problem in PT. Naruna. Linear programming is the most appropriate method for solving problems that exist in PT. Naruna, namely by paying attention to the objective and constraint functions. The objective function is to maximize profit, so it takes the form of a linear equation with the variable X1 being the first type of glass, X2 being the second type of glass, and X3 being the third type of glass. The constraint functions used include the number of products, the number of workers, the amount of clay, and the time for production. The results show that PT. Naruna can achieve maximum profit when producing glass type 1 less than type 3 less than type 2.

The availability of digital infrastructures and the fast-paced development of accompanying revolutionary technologies have triggered an unprecedented reliance on Artificial intelligence (AI) techniques both in theory and practice. Within the AI domain, Machine Learning (ML) techniques stand out as essential facilitator largely enabling machines to possess human-like cognitive and decision making capabilities. This paper provides a focused review of the literature addressing applications of emerging ML tools to solve various Project Scheduling Problems (PSPs). In particular, it employs bibliometric and network analysis tools along with a systematic literature review to analyze a pool of 104 papers published between 1985 and August 2021. The conducted analysis unveiled the top contributing authors, the most influential papers as well as the existing research tendencies and thematic research topics within this field of study. A noticeable growth in the number of relevant studies is seen recently with a steady increase as of the year 2018. Most of the studies adopted Artificial Neural Networks, Bayesian Network and Reinforcement Learning techniques to tackle PSPs under a stochastic environment, where these techniques are frequently hybridized with classical metaheuristics. The majority of works (57%) addressed basic Resource Constrained PSPs and only 15% are devoted to the project portfolio management problem. Furthermore, this study clearly indicates that the application of AI techniques to efficiently handle PSPs is still in its infancy stage bringing out the need for further research in this area. This work also identifies current research gaps and highlights a multitude of promising avenues for future research.

This article explores the development of a new business strategy in the Republic of Lithuania that focuses on the processing of waste tires into fuel. An innovative approach has been adopted, which incorporates three interdependent components: managerial, legal, and financial/economic factors. This approach ensures the integration of different levels and functions of management for the inclusive development of this business in the Republic of Lithuania. A set of indicators has been proposed, which were used to conduct a comparative analysis of alternative types of energy used for heating, such as diesel fuel, pyrolysis, wood pellets, electricity, and natural gas. A mathematical model has been constructed to formalize the financial and economic results of the tire recycling business, and it can be used to determine the results with any number of recycled tires. The investment analysis of the tire recycling business in the Republic of Lithuania confirms the economic feasibility of the proposed strategy. The risk assessment of the proposed strategy was also conducted, taking into account the technical and possible initial volumes of processing. Based on these economic and mathematical tools, managerial decisions can be made regarding the strategic alternatives for implementation. Additionally, the implementation of this strategy can lead to multiple positive environmental and social outcomes such as reduction of waste tires in landfills and decrease in dependence on fossil fuels. The results of this research provide a valuable basis for decision-makers in the government and private sector to consider the implementation of this innovative strategy and contribute to the sustainable development of the country.

The paper presents the results of forecasts made for the volume of steel production in Poland based on actual data for the period from 2006 to 2021 with forecasting until 2026. The actual data used for the forecasts included annual steel production volumes in Poland (crude steel) in millions of tons. Basic adaptive methods were used to forecast the volume of steel production for the next five years. When selecting the methods, the course of the trend of the studied phenomenon was taken into account. In order to estimate the level of admissibility of the adopted forecasting methods, as well as to select the best forecasts, the errors of apparent forecasts (ex post) were calculated. Errors were calculated in the work: RMSE Root Mean Square Error being the square root of the mean square error of the ex-post forecasts yt for the period 2006-2021; ? as the mean value of the relative error of expired forecasts y*t (2006-2021) – this error informs about the part of the absolute error per unit of the real value of the variable yt. Optimization of the forecast values was based on the search for the minimum value of one of the above-mentioned errors, treated as an optimization criterion. In addition, the value of the point forecast (for 2022) obtained on the basis of the models used was compared with the steel production volume obtained for 3 quarters of 2022 in Poland with the forecast for the last quarter. Forecasting results obtained on the basis of the forecasting methods used, taking into account the permissible forecast errors, were considered as the basis for determining steel production scenarios for Poland until 2026. To determine the scenarios, forecast aggregation was used, and so the central forecasts were determined separately for decreasing trends and for increasing trends, based on the average values of the forecasts obtained for the period 2022-2026. The central forecasts were considered the baseline scenarios for steel production in Poland in 2022-2026 and the projected production volumes above the baseline forecasts with upward trends were considered an optimistic scenario, while the forecasted production volumes below the central scenario for downward trends were considered a pessimistic scenario for the Polish steel industry.

Moroccan companies seek to be competitive worldwide by improving quality, productivity, and customer satisfaction. Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma are the most popular methodologies for continuous improvement in companies. The objective of this article is to determine the impact of Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing on the performance of different companies. The data was collected by a questionnaire sent to the various companies and industries in Morocco. 45 companies responded to this study, divided into several sectors. The criteria of this study are based on two levels: Financial and operational performance. A statistical study is carried out by SPSS software to analyze and interpret the collected results. The results of this study show that companies using Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing methodologies have a positive financial and operational performance compared to companies that only use Lean Manufacturing or companies that do not use Six Sigma or Lean Manufacturing. Therefore, the combination of Six Sigma and Lean manufacturing is the ideal and perfect approach for the continuous improvement of different companies.

This study aims to investigate the effects of lean management implementation on public sector performance along with the critical success factors of its implementation. The cross-sectional quantitative survey collected 131 responses from public organisations in Malaysia selected through a stratified random sampling procedure. Data were analysed using the structural equation modelling (SEM) approach with SmartPLS 4 professional. Lean resources, lean culture, and lean knowledge management are critical success factors for implementing lean management in the Malaysian public sector. Subsequently, the holistic implementation of lean management will enhance their performance. This study provides a practical viewpoint for practitioners to understand and validate the potential benefits lean management can sustain if implemented with the critical success factors. As a result, practitioners and policymakers could use the insight from this study to tailor strategies for leveraging public sectors’ performance in Malaysia.

Circular economy (CE) is an interesting approach by many countries to address global environmental problems while gaining economic benefits. The implementation of CE is expected to minimize the use of resources and materials, thus contributing to sustainable development. Much literature has discussed CE assessment indicators and their evaluation, however to date, no single indicator has been proposed that can comprehensively measure the macro level of CE implementation. This study aims to develop a CE index to measure CE implementation at macro levels. In addition, it provides an overview of the impact of CE implementation on the financial, social, and environmental aspects of the economy. To this end, first, an in-depth literature review and descriptive analysis is conducted to identify existing global CE indicators and classify them into financial, social, and environmental categories based on available primary and secondary data. Then, the CE index is constructed using a mathematical equation by considering the CE framework, a single indicator of each aspect as a variable, and the variable’s weighting. Finally, the CE index is applied to evaluate the level of CE implementation of CE in Indonesia at macro level. This index is expected to be a valuable tool for measuring CE implementation and therefore improving CE performance.

The article describes an attempt to assess the electrostatic properties of mechanical friction-induced sparking. Such sparks are the cause of numerous accidents in hard coal mines. The article summarizes accidents in hard coal mining in Poland in recent years. In most cases, the initials were mechanical sparks. Mechanical sparks contain energy, a part of which is related to their excess electrostatic charge, whereas the other part is of a different origin (kinetic or thermal energy, for example). The article tries to estimate how much of this energy is energy impact generated by electrostatics impact. It is hard to measure the dynamic electrostatic parameters like electric charge. Authors select four measuring methods. This test methods are prepared based on authors knowledge of electrostatic parameters and European standards dedicated to measure the electrostatics parameters. These circuits were prepared for four different spark parameters. Measurement methods of electrostatic field of sparks stream are not able to measure field potential of sparks. The measuring instruments do not have such a fast response time, adequate to the speed of the sparks. Spark generation and parameter measurement experiments were performed. The only method to determine the amount of electrostatic charge on sparks is to measure the entire charge by collecting sparks at the measuring electrode. The measuring system requires that the entire stream of sparks falls on the electrode. Tested transferred electrostatic charge of stream of sparks is about 10 nC. It means that this charge can be an effective ignition source for some explosive atmospheres. Electrostatic charge with Certain methods were rejected as inadequate following result analysis. A claim for one of the methods was submitted to the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland.

One of the most popular technologies is the internet of things (IoT). It refers to the number of users and penetration in the industry (I-IoT) and consumer (C-IoT) sectors. The previous stud-ies indicated that the usage rate of the C-IoT is outperforming the I-IoT worldwide. However, the contrary indication occurred in Indonesia. Among developing countries, the spending level of IoT in Indonesia is significant, but the use level of the technology is less developed. This survey study purposed to predict what factors influence the behavior intention to use C-IoT. The researchers extended the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model by adopting the network externality aspects. Around 400 valid data were collected from urban communities in the six most populous provinces in the country. The scholars used the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method using SmartPLS 3.3 in the data analysis stage. The findings expressed that the number of users and social influence factors are not influential factors influencing behavior intention to use IoT. Besides that, the UTAUT model extension may also be one of the theoretical references for future similar studies. Practically, the findings may also be one of the considerations for the stakeholders of C-IoT implementation in Indonesia.

This review examines the trend of applying theories in LM performance and offers the latest recapitulation of related theories in LM performance. The methodology is based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) to search for multiple scientific information databases and to guarantee that no important study is overlooked. For the single theory, highly employed theories were the Theory of Constraints, Resource-based View/Natural Resource-based View Theory (RBV/NRBV), and Contingency Theory (CT). Meanwhile, several articles employed integrations of several theories in a publication. Concerning the year of publication, significant growth in articles with underpinned theories was published from 2020 onwards. This study offers several significant contributions to researchers to widen the knowledge related to the adaptation of theories in the field of lean performance, as research underpinned by a theory offers a solid and convincing result in investigating the research problems. The first limitation was the search string to identify the related articles, which could be extended to maximize the article search. The other limitation was the database used which was limited to the Scopus database. Despite the importance of underpinning theory in research, OM has been criticized for the inadequacies of its theory, with only one-third of OM research incorporating theory. However, a limited review was conducted on the theories used in LM performance theory. To reduce this gap, this review examines the trend of applying theories in LM performance and offers the latest recapitulation of related theories in LM performance.

The article is devoted to analyzing the need for managers to spend money on developing technological support for organizations to achieve strategic goals. The impact of technologies in various sectors of organizations’ activity on the effectiveness of organizational systems is considered. The work examines the activity of Ukrainian profitable and non-profit organizations on the influence of the level of technologicalization of organizational processes on increasing the level of profit and the social effect of activity. The study considered the statistical data of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine for 2018, 2019, and 2021 according to the indicators Number of enterprises that have access to the internet and the number of employed who have access to the internet and Number of employed who have access to the internet. The given statistical data were quantitatively processed (summarized and compared). With the help of theoretical research methods (deduction and analysis) of the obtained results, it was found that the organization’s technological development helps to increase the organization’s profitability and the non-profit organization’s social effect. The practical value of the article lies in the visual representation of the dependence between the necessity of spending on the technological development of managers of profitable and non-profit organizations and the effectiveness of these organizations.