Published Date January 2012, Vol.14(1):107–118,doi:10.1016/j.forpol.2011.08.011 Author
Boon-Kwee Ng,
Thiruchelvam K.
Department of Science and Technology Studies, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Received 7 February 2011. Revised 19 August 2011. Accepted 30 August 2011. Available online 1 October 2011.
Abstract
As a low-tech, labour intensive and supplier-dominated industry, the wooden furniture industry's pattern of innovation is widely acknowledged as business driven. This paper's main objective is to ascertain the roles played by the various innovation actors and their linkages to the process of technological innovations in the wooden furniture industry. Empirical evidence is derived from a narrative case study of the Muar furniture cluster in Malaysia. The main findings from this study indicate that the dynamics of innovation in Malaysia's wooden furniture industry are mainly business-led and are characterised as collective innovation. In this regard, the roles played by the immediate business environment such as suppliers, customers, competitors, and retailers are of paramount importance. These innovation actors have been linked closely to firms in their surge for technological advancement. Universities and government organisations do not feature in the operations of these firms.
Highlights
► All innovation actors contribute to the success of Malaysia’s furniture industry. ► Market and commercial partnership are the main sources for knowledge. ► There is a strong social capital amongst competitors to see each other as partners. ► The take up rate of government assistance programs by the industry is poor.
Published Date October 2012, Vol.82:88–96, doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2012.07.011 Analysis Author
Francesco Testa a,,
Fabio Iraldo a,b
Marco Frey a,b
Tiberio Daddi a
aSant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Piazza Martiri della Libertà 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy
bIEFE—Institute for Environmental and Energy Policy and Economics, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy
Received 24 July 2011. Revised 1 June 2012. Accepted 17 July 2012. Available online 4 August 2012.
Abstract
Green public procurement (GPP) is becoming a cornerstone of environmental policies both at European Union and Member State levels. Drawing upon a database of public authorities located in three Italian regions, this paper assesses the determinants and drawbacks of green procurement adoption. In particular, using an econometrical approach we tested the following propositions: (i) the existing awareness on GPP practices, tools and regulations does support public authorities to develop GPP strategies; (ii) the support of external experts in purchasing function does support public authorities to develop GPP practices; (iii) the small dimension of public authority is an obstacle to adopting GPP practices; (iv) ISO 14001 certified public authorities are more likely to develop GPP practices. The econometric analysis shows that the dimension of public authorities and the level of awareness of the existing tools for supporting GPP have a positive and significant effect on the probability that they adopt GPP practices.
Highlights
► We assess the determinants and drawbacks of green public procurement adoption. ► We used qualitative data from 156 public authorities collected by a standard questionnaire. ► The dimension of public authorities has a positive effect on the probability that they adopt GPP. ► The awareness on GPP toolkit does support public authorities to develop GPP practices. ► The ISO 14001 certification does not strongly support public authorities to develop GPP practices.
Published Date September 2008, Vol.88(4):932–938,doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2007.04.016 Author
Yong Geng a,,
Brent Doberstein b,
aInstitute for Eco-planning and Development, School of Management Building, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning Province 116024, PR China
bDepartment of Geography, Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ont., Canada N2L 3G1
Received 28 October 2006. Revised 19 March 2007. Accepted 30 April 2007. Available online 15 June 2007.
Abstract
With increasing environmental issues and depleting resources, the effective application of green government procurement (GGP) is urgently needed and potentially can have greater impacts in the developing world rather than in the developed world. Such an approach can help promote the general goal of sustainable development and address environmental issues through purchasing and facilitating the use of environmentally friendly services and products. This paper addresses this issue by employing a case study on China. We first trace the development of the GGP concept, its spread to Asian countries, and a number of approaches used to expand GGP adoption. We then review current practices in China on GGP, and analyze and identify some of the current barriers and problems in promoting green procurement in the Chinese governmental sector. We finally seek to identify possible appropriate capacity-building solutions, in order to facilitate the application of GGP in China.
aSchool of Economics and Management, Beijing Forestry University, P.O. Box 425, Beijing, 100083, People's Republic of China
bFaculty of Forestry, University of Toronto, 33 Willcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3B3
Received 31 December 2008. Revised 13 April 2009. Accepted 27 July 2009. Available online 5 September 2009.
Abstract
During the past two decades, the Chinese wooden furniture industry has witnessed high-speed growth, making China a leading furniture exporter. Given the intensification of global competition, it is crucial to assess the present status and competitiveness of the Chinese wooden furniture industry, as well as the changes and challenges China will face in competing with other principal trading nations. Based on Balassa's Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) Indices, it can be concluded that China has experienced a transition from comparative disadvantage into a high comparative advantage over the period, and has maintained a strong position in this labor-intensive industry. However, it still falls behind traditionally strong competitors such as Italy and Germany in terms of quality and unit price. It is also experiencing a growing challenge from lower-income countries such as Poland and Vietnam. Moreover, China now faces up more unfavorable macroeconomic circumstances such as rising cost, shrinking international demand, technology gap and escalating trade barriers. Thus, the government, industrial association and enterprises need to quickly take innovative steps coordinately to promote Chinese enterprises transitioning from the original equipment manufacturers (OEM) to the original design manufacturers (ODM), further to the original brand manufacturers (OBM).
Published Date October 2009, Vol.91(1):160–167, doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2009.08.001 Author
Ottar Michelsen,
Luitzen de Boer
Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
Received 3 April 2009. Revised 21 July 2009. Accepted 5 August 2009. Available online 27 August 2009.
Abstract
Consumer pressure is usually considered as one of the major drivers for more environmental friendly products. During the last decade an increasing focus on public procurement has emerged as an important contributor to that pressure. In this paper we focus on the role of municipalities and counties in green public procurement. Based on surveys we investigate to what degree green public procurement is implemented in Norwegian municipalities and counties and which capabilities are critical for successful green procurement. We both investigate to what degree environmental information is requested in call for tenders and also to what degree the information is actually used in the final selection of supplier. The information gathered from the municipalities and counties is compared with information obtained from potential suppliers to see if suppliers and purchasers agree on the importance of environmental demands in the selection of suppliers.
