Published Date
Safety Science June 2012, Vol.50(5):1190–1195, doi:10.1016/j.ssci.2011.12.035 Author
Jegatheswaran Ratnasingam a,,
Florin Ioras b
Ioan Vasile Abrudan c
aFaculty of Forestry, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
bBuckinghamshire New University, Queen Alexandra Road, High Wycombe, HP 11 2 JZ Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom
cFaculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering, Transilvania University, Sirul Beethoven 1, Brasov, Romania
Received 17 June 2011. Revised 17 November 2011. Accepted 27 December 2011. Available online 10 February 2012.
Abstract
Studies on the rate of occupational accidents among workers in the wooden furniture industry is sparse, although the industry is deemed to be highly accident prone. Therefore, the rate of occupational accidents among workers in the wooden furniture industry in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam were studied, in 240 furniture manufacturing factories, using a structured questionnaire. The findings of the study suggest that contract workers are less prone to occupational accidents compared to their permanent counterparts, and hence, are more productive. Further, the results also revealed that the contract workers have a more positive attitude towards the work, and hence, pick up the essentials of safe working practices quickly. It must therefore be recognized that the “production oriented mentality” prevalent in the wooden furniture industry, which has been argued to compromise occupational safety and health standards in the industry may be debatable. In this context, it is essential for the policy makers to re-examine the employment of contract workers for the furniture manufacturing industry, as changing the psycho-economic parameters of the industry may be warranted before the industry is deemed attractive to a permanent workforce.
Highlights ► Occupational accidents among workers in the furniture industry was evaluated. ► Migratory workers were less prone to accidents compared to the local workforce. ► Workers attitude and characteristics are important accident preventive factors. Keywords
Published Date
Procedia Engineering 2013, Vol.53:673–682, doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2013.02.087 Malaysian Technical Universities Conference on Engineering & Technology 2012, MUCET 2012 Open Access, Creative Commons license
Author
Muhammad Firdaus Abong Abdullah
Sharifah Emme Suzaimi Syed Mohd Zahari
Mastika Lamat
Department of Design and Technology Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
Available online 30 March 2013.
Abstract This paper is part of a fundamental research on indigenous Dayak's motif of Sarawak as part of innovative design element for a contemporary chair design. Reviews of existing study on relation between novel, augmented, and copied designis used as a basis for establishing a distinctive Sarawak image in the Malaysian furniture industry through the approach of methodology of industrial design. The research opportunities are focus on a number of significant disparities that have restricted the development of competitive furniture designs from Sarawak in particular. These disparities include the manufacturers’ unfamiliarity with innovative design approach, a lack of understanding on the importance of good design, uncertainty on user needs, and inappropriate use of critical design elements. The introduction of pioneered material species; despite providing new alternative to materials, adds further disparities to new furniture design and development as more resources will need to be allocated for design management, development, testing and validation. This article provides an academic perspective on the contribution of industrial design to both innovation and performance. This perspective can be referred and adapted by the furniture industry player in Sarawak to establish a formal furniture design framework that emphasis industrial design, which could enable them to compete in the local and international market. Keywords
Lu, L. and Wang, Y. (2011). “Research on the Value of Industrial Design Innovation based on Characteristics of the Modern Consumer Demands”. IEEE. ISBN 978-1-61284-109-0.
Abdullah, M. (2010). A Research Overview of Industrial Design Framework for Modula Product Design“. Proceeding of the Design 2010. Vol. 1. ISBN 978-953-7738-04-4.
Gamser, et al., (2006). Design and Competitive Advantage in Technology-driven Sectors: The Role of Usability and Aesthetics in Dutch IT Companies”. Technology Analysis and Strategic Management. 18 (5), 561-580.
Abdullah, M. (2010). “A Research Overview of Industrial Design Framework for Modular Product Design”. Proceeding of the Design 2010. Vol. 1. ISBN 978-953-7738-04-4.
Published Date
Ecological Economics 1 December 2008, Vol.68(1):472–485,doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2008.05.004 ANALYSIS
Author
Katriina Parikka-Alhola,
Finnish Environment Institute, P.O. Box 140, FIN-00251 Helsinki, Finland
Received 1 December 2006. Revised 18 April 2008. Accepted 1 May 2008. Available online 12 June 2008.
Abstract Green Public Procurement (GPP) can be seen as a promising method to promote environmentally sound product design and motivate manufacturers to make products with reduced environmental impacts. For furniture, environmental impacts are quite limited during use but more associated with production and disposal. The requirements and criteria for furniture purchasing should be targeted to those environmental aspects that have the most influence and could, through eco-design, lead to the greatest environmental benefits. In order to do this, an RPS selection tool (Relevance–Potential–Steerability) is used. It is a tool developed for the assessment of the feasibility of eco-labelling criteria for a certain product group, and is applied in this study. The purpose of this paper is to recognize the major environmental aspects of furniture and to analyze to which extent they are taken into consideration in public purchasing, i.e., in the calls for tenders. The paper begins with describing the concepts of GPP and eco-design, as well as essential elements in this context such as the ‘most economically advantageous’ tender, the environmental aspects of furniture, eco-labels and eco-design strategies. The article continues with an analysis of 31 calls for tenders of furniture, including 15 Finnish and 16 Swedish calls for tenders. Finally, the paper discusses about the potential of GPP in promoting eco-design of furniture, i.e., what criteria are relevant from the view point of eco-design. The criteria that were presented in the studied calls for tenders seemed to be relevant from this perspective and subsequently may encourage eco-design among furniture manufacturers. Keywords
bVirginia Tech, Brooks Forest Products Center, Mail Code 0503, 1650 Ramble Road, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
cMarketing Department, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada H3C 3P8
Received 24 March 2011. Accepted 6 November 2011. Available online 2 January 2012.
Abstract
In the context of market globalization, furniture manufacturers attempt to differentiate their products to attain competitive advantages. Mass customization is one strategy enabling such differentiation. This study measured, through a choice-based conjoint analysis, the value that US American consumers assign to the availability of customization when buying furniture. Roughly 50% of consumers’ product choice is driven by price, 20% by product customization, 20% by delivery time, and 10% by the time needed to customize the product. Thus, while there is a customer segment driven by price, there also is a segment, consisting mainly of females, that values product customization.
