Manufacturing strategy

New market demands and new technology point to the need to include production as an integral part of corporate strategy. This paper first presents a method for defining the role of production during a constructive dialogue with parts of the firm. Development of a production strategy is seen as a parallel determination of strategies for (i) production technology, (ii) plant lay-out, (iii) production planning and control and (iv) organization. Finally, the paper discusses practical applications and results achieved in a number of Danish firms.     

The Additive Genetic Gamma Frailty Model

In this paper the additive genetic gamma frailty model is defined. Individual frailties are correlated as a result of an additive genetic model. An algorithm to construct additive genetic gamma frailties for any pedigree is given so that the variance–covariance structure among individual frailties equals the numerator relationship matrix times a variance. The EM algorithm can be used to estimate the parameters in the model. Calculations are similar using the EM algorithm in the shared frailty model, however the E step is not correspondingly simple. This is illustrated re-analysing data, analysed by the shared frailty model in Nielsen et al . (1992), from the Danish adoptive register. Goodness of fit of the additive genetic gamma frailty model can be tested after analysing data with the correlated frailty model. Doing so, a "defect" in the often used and otherwise well behaving likelihood was found     

Accommodation and Homelessness on Release from Prison

Summary This paper presents some of the results of a Home Office sponsoredresearch project in which men discharged from prison were interviewedbefore and after release. The findings compare pre-arrest andpost-release accommodation and demonstrate than many men arelikely to be in poorer accommodation after release than theywere before arrest.     

Using written agreements with families

SUMMARY. The notion of contracts in work between professionals and clients is not new, but their use remains patchy and little researched. This paper highlights the growing interest in written agreements. It describes their use in two American and several British child care projects and sets out some criteria against which to judge whether agreements are likely to be viewed positively by family members     

Developing a manufacturing vision

The concept of a manufacturing vision is introduced as a company specific, commonly shared, holistic picture of the way in which future manufacturing in the company will function. First is presented what a manufacturing vision is, and then is presented a five-step framework in which such a manufacturing vision may be developed. A manufacturing vision is regarded as a bridge between the mission, goals, and strategies of an industrial enterprise and the detailed design of a manufacturing system. Such a bridge may ensure that manufacturing is able to make a relevant strategic contribution to developing and sustaining the competitiveness of the company and may serve as a guide for innovation and integration of the various elements of a manufacturing system. The paper rests on action research projects in more than ten industrial companies, and the experiences gained are discussed in a section on issues related to the development process including experimentation without fear of losing face, participation and involvement of managers and employees, and finally the outset for a manufacturing vision. To give an example of a manufacturing vision the paper also very briefly introduces a case of a medium-sized supplier of welded parts and equipment for a number of different industries.     

对日军性奴隶问题的解析

最近,日本政客厚颜无耻地否认第二次世界大战时期强征性奴隶的历史事实,企图以卑劣的手段抹杀历史真相,妄言不断。日本右翼势力愈来愈嚣张、猖狂,欲“重新查证”《河野谈话》的有关内容。他们不仅毫无谢罪意识,反而急于掩盖和否认性奴隶犯罪事实,试图美化和粉饰其发动的对外侵略战争,回避国家层面的战争责任,这种行径极大地侮辱和愚弄了性奴隶受害者。各受害国及人民应团结一致,持续开展这一正义的斗争,揭露日本当局的无耻行径,维护世界和平与稳定。     

RESPONSE RATES AND RESPONSE CONTENT IN MAIL VERSUS FACE-TO-FACE SURVEYS

Two surveys were administered based on the same area probabilitysampling frame and with some of the same questions: one samplewas used for hour-long face-to-face interviewing in the 1992Detroit Area Study; the other sample received a much shorterquestionnaire in the mail for sell-administration. The samplesegments had previously been stratified in terms of the percentagethat was black. For the predominantly white stratum, there wasonly a small difference in response rates due to mode of administration.For the predominantly black stratum, the mail survey obtaineda considerably lower response rate then the face-to-face survey.Within the predominantly white stratum, there were no cleardifferences between results for the two modes of administrationin demographic variables or in gross housing characteristics.However, the mail survey respondents expressed more negativeattitudes toward racial integration and affirmative action thandid the face-to-face respondents. Because the mail sample ofthe predominantly black stratum was small, it was not possibleto carry out similar analyses of demographic or attitudinaldifferences, or to determine whether its lower response ratewas due mainly to race, to correlates of race such as incomeor education, or even to problems with mail delivery in centralcities.