Lean Management Practices’ Effects on Brazilian Firms: A Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis

One of the key drivers for a firm's productivity growth is management. One lean management practice considered cost-effective is Kaizen. Originally from Japan, the Kaizen basic concept is continuous improvement with the involvement of the full workforce. Using a firm-level dataset from Brazil's innovation and manufacturing surveys, this paper evaluates quantitatively whether Kaizen has impacted the performance of domestic firms. Our initial results suggest a productivity premium on Kaizen adopters, yet when it materializes is not detectable in the short term. Moreover, the impact on innovation is observable after Kaizen implementation. Understanding these outcomes with a qualitative approach, our analysis highlights the importance of Kaizen on innovation, especially by improving worker's time at the production line as well as the long-term vision of Kaizen on productivity. In summary, Kaizen is not a magic wand that improves firms’ performance in a wide array of indicators yet it may boost innovation outcomes in the short term aiming to improve productivity in the long term if it is implemented carefully and persistently, as established by its basic principles.

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In It for the Long Term? Governance and Learning among Chinese Investors in Zambia's Copper Sector

The China Quarterly ◽

10.1017/s0305741009990130 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 199 ◽

pp. 627-646 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

Dan Haglund

Keyword(s):

Management Practices ◽

Foreign Capital ◽

Short Term ◽

Firm Level ◽

Chinese Investment ◽

Cost Cutting ◽

Chinese State ◽

Economic Engagement

AbstractThe literature on Chinese economic engagement with Africa reflects widely-held views that Chinese investment is strategic, politically motivated and therefore more stable and long-term than “Western” foreign capital. In contrast this article argues that various factors underpinning the governance of Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in fact serve to promote short-term strategies. It contributes to the literature by empirically exploring this proposition through a case study of a Chinese SOE operating in Zambia's mining sector, and by examining two sets of corporate governance characteristics of Chinese SOEs: investors' relationships with the Chinese state, and firm-level strategy, structure and norms. The article finds that these governance characteristics lead to short-term strategies, including excessive cost-cutting and segregated management practices. These short-term strategies reduce the incentives as well as ability of investors to address local environmental and social concerns, thus questioning the contribution of Chinese investment to Africa's long-term development.

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Does Greater Creditor Protection Affect Firm Borrowings? Evidence from IBC

Margin The Journal of Applied Economic Research ◽

10.1177/0973801020904484 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 212-225 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jibin Jose ◽

Snehal S. Herwadkar ◽

Prabal Bilantu ◽

Shihas Abdul Razak

Keyword(s):

Jel Classification ◽

Creditor Protection ◽

Short Term ◽

Firm Level ◽

New Era ◽

Level Data ◽

Bankruptcy Code ◽

The Impact ◽

Control Regime

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) in India ushered in a new era of creditor-in-control regime with an in-built mechanism for time-bound resolution. This article examines the impact of the Code on firm borrowings and cost of funds. Using firm-level data on 4,531 firms for the period 2012–2018, we find that implementation of IBC has had many desirable consequences from a policy perspective. It helped in deleveraging of firms as their reliance on borrowings—whether long-term or short-term—declined. Further analysis suggests that this is especially true for weak and large firms. The stronger creditor protection is, thus, a step in the direction of reducing the burden on banks and further market deepening. JEL Classification: G32, G33, G38, D22, O16

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Firm-level determinants of capital structure in the MENA region

Journal of Research in Emerging Markets ◽

10.30585/jrems.v2i3.494 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Doaa El-Diftar

Keyword(s):

Capital Structure ◽

Order Theory ◽

Firm Characteristics ◽

Short Term ◽

Mena Region ◽

Pecking Order ◽

Firm Level ◽

Pecking Order Theory ◽

The Impact

This paper investigates the behavior of firm characteristics on capital structure in firms in the MENA region. The outcomes of this research are important to bridge the gap between the theory and the practical decisions related to capital structure. The research studies the impact of firm characteristics on levels of debt from three different perspectives; short-term debt, long-term debt, and total debt. The study is applied to 416 firms from nine countries of the MENA region (Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia) over some time from 2007-2016. Various econometrics techniques are used to reinforce the generated results. The results show that a firm's profitability and liquidity levels have a significant inverse impact on leverage, whereas; firm's size has a direct impact. The empirical results also show that asset tangibility and market value impact leverage differently depending on the type of debt used. Overall, the results reinforce the importance of both the pecking order theory as well as the trade-off theory in explaining capital structure decisions in the MENA region, with the results being more significant concerning the pecking order theory.

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Coronavirus pandemic and economic lockdown; study of strategic initiatives and tactical responses of firms

International Journal of Organizational Analysis ◽

10.1108/ijoa-05-2020-2198 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Som Sekhar Bhattacharyya ◽

Shreyash Thakre

Keyword(s):

Theoretical Perspective ◽

Working Capital ◽

Strategic Responses ◽

Short Term ◽

Firm Level ◽

Content Type ◽

Strategic Initiatives ◽

Research Findings ◽

The Impact

Purpose The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) and the associated economic lockdown provided a jolt to businesses around the world and the global economy. Amid the ongoing uncertainty, circumstances varied across business sectors and regions, but the common goal for business organizations was to respond effectively, devising strategies to survive the turmoil and accelerate recovery. The narrative in India was no different from the rest of the world. Due to the novelty of the event, literature regarding its impact on the strategic management of firms was scarce. Thus, this paper aims to attempt to ascertain the crisis impact on firms and subsequently unravel the tactical short-term and long-term strategic responses initiated by Indian firms. Design/methodology/approach The authors carried out an empirical investigation to comprehend the strategic foresight adopted by Indian firms. Following a structured literature review, the authors conducted semi-structured open-ended interviews with 28 business experts who were involved in drafting strategic responses for their respective firms. Subsequently, the authors performed a thematic content analysis of the expert interview responses to document firm-level strategic responses to the COVID-19 crisis and associated economic lockdown. The authors further searched reputed media articles to supplement and triangulate the primary research findings with management perspectives. Findings The authors identified that managers had adopted a dual approach responding to the disruption. Companies simultaneously focused on surviving the crisis in the short-term by reconfiguring existing resources and initiated long-term recovery by mobilizing efforts for a redesigned business model. The research findings indicated that companies had adapted to the dynamic chaotic crisis environment to fulfill the changed consumer expectations. Remote working was widely implemented, supply networks were adjusted, operations were managed with minimal resources, working capital was closely monitored and the product-portfolio was revamped to reap benefits in an essentials-only world. The impact of several strategic firm responses was determined through this study on the revenue, profitability, operational costs and regulatory adherence of the companies along with the ability to meet stakeholder expectations. The study suggested that companies encouraged innovative solutions and highlighted the importance of collaborative inter-organizational practices. Research limitations/implications The study contributed to an inter-theoretical perspective on firm strategic initiatives to confront a global crisis. Resource-based view, dynamic capabilities perspective and industrial-organizational theory-based perspectives, were applied. This facilitated an extensive analysis of the entire business ecosystem to identify various paths to accelerated recovery during and post COVID-19 world. Practical implications The research findings would aid managers in drafting a comprehensive response strategy during and post COVID-19 world. This study results would help managers in addressing multiple concerns such as the sustainability of operations in the short-term through working capital management, the fulfillment of changing consumer needs through sustained innovation and business model alterations to ensure long term growth. The study enabled managers to prioritize necessary actions, ascertain the impact of strategic initiatives and build sustainable competitive advantage for long-term growth. Originality/value The novel coronavirus pandemic and the associated economic lockdown impacted firm strategies and this was one of the very first empirical studies regarding how firm-level short-term tactics and long-term strategies were getting reshaped. Traditionally, companies were prepared to handle localized disruptions but a crisis of such epic global proportions jeopardized most business. This study provided an extensive review of the short-term tactical and long-term strategic response perspectives adopted by Indian firms to absorb the impact of this unique crisis and expected recovery with renewed strength. This was one of the first research articles to provide an inter-theoretical perspective on the ongoing global pandemic. This integrated view of the possible impacts of firm-level strategic initiatives provided a detailed knowledge repository to design the crisis response capability of firms.

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SUMBER-SUMBER RESILIENSI PADA REMAJA AKHIR YANG MENGALAMI KEKERASAN DARI ORANGTUA PADA MASA KANAK-KANAK

Psibernetika ◽

10.30813/psibernetika.v11i1.1161 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Devina Calista ◽

Garvin Garvin

Keyword(s):

Late Adolescents ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Short Term ◽

Parental Affection ◽

Resilience Factors ◽

Childhood Violence ◽

Past Experiences ◽

The Impact ◽

Depth Interviews

Child abuse by parents is common in households. The impact of violence on children will bring short-term effects and long-term effects that can be attributed to their various emotional, behavioral and social problems in the future; especially in late adolescence that will enter adulthood. Resilience factors increase the likelihood that adolescents who are victims of childhood violence recover from their past experiences, become more powerful individuals and have a better life. The purpose of this study was to determine the source of resilience in late adolescents who experienced violence from parents in their childhood. This research uses qualitative research methods with in-depth interviews as a method of data collection. The result shows that the three research participants have the aspects of "I Have", "I Am", and "I Can"; a participant has "I Can" aspects as a source of resilience, and one other subject has no source of resilience. The study concluded that parental affection and acceptance of the past experience have role to the three sources of resilience (I Have, I Am, and I Can) Keyword : Resilience, adolescence, violence, parents

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Anti-meningococcal B vaccination in Italian adolescents: a cost-effective health opportunity

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa166.586 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

D Panatto ◽

P Landa ◽

D Amicizia ◽

P L Lai ◽

E Lecini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Vaccination Strategy ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Dose Schedule ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Invasive Disease ◽

International Setting ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Invasive disease due to Neisseria meningitidis (Nm) is a serious public health problem even in developed countries, owing to its high lethality rate (8-15%) and the invalidating sequelae suffered by many (up to 60%) survivors. As the microorganism is transmitted via the airborne route, the only available weapon in the fight against Nm invasive disease is vaccination. Our aim was to carry out an HTA to evaluate the costs and benefits of anti-meningococcal B (MenB) vaccination with Trumenba® in adolescents in Italy, while also considering the impact of this new vaccination strategy on organizational and ethics aspects. Methods A lifetime Markov model was developed. MenB vaccination with the two-dose schedule of Trumenba® in adolescents was compared with 'non-vaccination'. Two perspectives were considered: the National Health Service (NHS) and society. Three disease phases were defined: acute, post-acute and long-term. Epidemiological, economic and health utilities data were taken from Italian and international literature. The analysis was conducted by means of Microsoft Excel 2010®. Results Our study indicated that vaccinating adolescents (11th year of life) with Trumenba® was cost-effective with an ICER = € 7,912/QALY from the NHS perspective and € 7,758/QALY from the perspective of society. Vaccinating adolescents reduces the number of cases of disease due to meningococcus B in one of the periods of highest incidence of the disease, resulting in significant economic and health savings. Conclusions This is the first study to evaluate the overall impact of free MenB vaccination in adolescents both in Italy and in the international setting. Although cases of invasive disease due to meningococcus B are few, if the overall impact of the disease is adequately considered, it becomes clear that including anti-meningococcal B vaccination into the immunization program for adolescents is strongly recommended from the health and economic standpoints. Key messages Free, large-scale MenB vaccination is key to strengthening the global fight against invasive meningococcal disease. Anti-meningococcal B vaccination in adolescents is a cost-effective health opportunity.

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Analyzing Factors Affecting the Sustainability of Land Management Practices in Mecha Woreda, Northwestern Ethiopia

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13137007 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (13) ◽

pp. 7007

Author(s):

Habtamu Nebere ◽

Degefa Tolossa ◽

Amare Bantider

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Land Management ◽

Land Degradation ◽

Quantitative Data ◽

Management Practices ◽

Short Term ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Decision Making Processes ◽

Household Heads ◽

The Impact

In Ethiopia, the practice of land management started three decades ago in order to address the problem of land degradation and to further boost agricultural production. However, the impact of land management practices in curbing land degradation problems and improving the productivity of the agricultural sector is insignificant. Various empirical works have previously identified the determinants of the adoption rate of land management practices. However, the sustainability of land management practices after adoption, and the various factors that control the sustainability of implemented land management practices, are not well addressed. This study analyzed the factors affecting the sustainability of land management practices after implementation in Mecha Woreda, northwestern Ethiopia. The study used 378 sample respondents, selected by a systematic random sampling technique. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the quantitative data, while the qualitative data were qualitatively and concurrently analyzed with the quantitative data. The sustained supply of fodder from the implemented land management practices, as well as improved cattle breed, increases the sustainability of the implemented land management practices. While lack of agreement in the community, lack of enforcing community bylaws, open cattle grazing, lack of benefits of implemented land management practices, acting as barrier for farming practices, poor participation of household heads during planning and decision-making processes, as well as the lack of short-term benefits, reduce the sustainability of the implemented land management practices. Thus, it is better to allow for the full participation of household heads in planning and decision-making processes to bring practical and visible results in land management practices. In addition, recognizing short-term benefits to compensate the land lost in constructing land management structures must be the strategy in land management practices. Finally, reducing the number of cattle and practicing stall feeding is helpful both for the sustainability of land management practices and the productivity of cattle. In line with this, fast-growing fodder grass species have to be introduced for household heads to grow on land management structures and communal grazing fields for stall feeding.

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Forecasting Revenue Impacts from COVID-19: The Case of Florida Municipalities

State and Local Government Review ◽

10.1177/0160323x211012056 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 0160323X2110120

Author(s):

Hai (David) Guo ◽

Can Chen

Keyword(s):

Local Government ◽

Short Term ◽

Fiscal Planning ◽

Revenue Structure ◽

Municipal Managers ◽

The Impact

Early in the pandemic, Florida municipal managers indicated that forecasting the impact on local revenues was one of their top priorities in responding to the pandemic, yet such a tool has not been widely available. This study offers simple and straightforward fiscal planning guides for assessing the short-term and long-term impacts of the COVID 19 recession on local government revenues by estimating the revenue declines among 411 Florida municipalities from FY 2021 to FY 2023. The forecast results predict revenues will be reduced by $5.11 billion from 2019 pre-pandemic levels for Florida cities in fiscal years 2021 through 2023. The decline is forecast to be 3.54 percent in FY 2021, 4.02 percent in FY 2022, and 3.29 percent in FY 2023. The revenue structure matters for estimating the revenue decline.

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Cost-effectiveness of a hybrid emergency room system for severe trauma: a health technology assessment from the perspective of the third-party payer in Japan

World Journal of Emergency Surgery ◽

10.1186/s13017-020-00344-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Takahiro Kinoshita ◽

Kensuke Moriwaki ◽

Nao Hanaki ◽

Tetsuhisa Kitamura ◽

Kazuma Yamakawa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cost Effectiveness ◽

Emergency Room ◽

Healthcare Costs ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Severe Trauma ◽

Third Party ◽

Trauma Patients ◽

Short Term ◽

The Third

Abstract Background Hybrid emergency room (ER) systems, consisting of an angiography-computed tomography (CT) machine in a trauma resuscitation room, are reported to be effective for reducing death from exsanguination in trauma patients. We aimed to investigate the cost-effectiveness of a hybrid ER system in severe trauma patients without severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods We conducted a cost-utility analysis comparing the hybrid ER system to the conventional ER system from the perspective of the third-party healthcare payer in Japan. A short-term decision tree and a long-term Markov model using a lifetime time horizon were constructed to estimate quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and associated lifetime healthcare costs. Short-term mortality and healthcare costs were derived from medical records and claims data in a tertiary care hospital with a hybrid ER. Long-term mortality and utilities were extrapolated from the literature. The willingness-to-pay threshold was set at $47,619 per QALY gained and the discount rate was 2%. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted. Results The hybrid ER system was associated with a gain of 1.03 QALYs and an increment of $33,591 lifetime costs compared to the conventional ER system, resulting in an ICER of $32,522 per QALY gained. The ICER was lower than the willingness-to-pay threshold if the odds ratio of 28-day mortality was < 0.66. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis indicated that the hybrid ER system was cost-effective with a 79.3% probability. Conclusion The present study suggested that the hybrid ER system is a likely cost-effective strategy for treating severe trauma patients without severe TBI.

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Paleolithic Diet—Effect on the Health Status and Performance of Athletes?

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13031019 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 1019

Author(s):

Barbara Frączek ◽

Aleksandra Pięta ◽

Adrian Burda ◽

Paulina Mazur-Kurach ◽

Florentyna Tyrała

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Body Mass ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Model Assessment ◽

Paleolithic Diet ◽

Short Term ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

The Impact

The aim of this meta-analysis was to review the impact of a Paleolithic diet (PD) on selected health indicators (body composition, lipid profile, blood pressure, and carbohydrate metabolism) in the short and long term of nutrition intervention in healthy and unhealthy adults. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials of 21 full-text original human studies was conducted. Both the PD and a variety of healthy diets (control diets (CDs)) caused reduction in anthropometric parameters, both in the short and long term. For many indicators, such as weight (body mass (BM)), body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (WC), impact was stronger and especially found in the short term. All diets caused a decrease in total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG), albeit the impact of PD was stronger. Among long-term studies, only PD cased a decline in TC and LDL-C. Impact on blood pressure was observed mainly in the short term. PD caused a decrease in fasting plasma (fP) glucose, fP insulin, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in the short run, contrary to CD. In the long term, only PD caused a decrease in fP glucose and fP insulin. Lower positive impact of PD on performance was observed in the group without exercise. Positive effects of the PD on health and the lack of experiments among professional athletes require longer-term interventions to determine the effect of the Paleo diet on athletic performance.

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