Observations on general Japanese culture, business culture, specific business missions and strategies, characteristics of individual workers, and business operations emphasize production processes and policies, organization structure, performance support systems, general management practices, and attention to quality. A table comparing the human…

A five-unit lesson plan is presented titled "Introduction to Careers in the Fashion Industry" which involved three sections of a ninth grade home economics class in an assembly line sewing experience in a clothing production factory. (JT)

The purpose of this report is to provide California community colleges with a statistical description of regional employment trends between 1991 and 1997. These trends are presented by one-, two-, and three-digit Standard Industrial Classification Codes (SIC) for each of the nine regions of the state: (1) the Bay Area; (2) the Central Coast; (3)…

The use of computer-based learning (CBL) is discussed. The author examines the appropriate use of the technology; its cost; identifying the best potential applications of CBL; and the use of CBL by major airlines, oil companies, universities, manufacturers, and government. (CT)

The value of ethylene, as the organic chemical industry's most important building block, is discussed. The discussion focuses on the source of ethylene, its various forms and functions, and the ways in which the forms are made. (SA)

Draws on self-categorization theory (use of social characteristics to define psychological groups and promote positive self-identity) to explore the effects of demographic diversity on an individual's psychological and behavior attachment to an organization. Membership in a majority-dominated social group may both satisfy the minority member's…

Discusses whether or not the economic concept of the long run is no longer feasible because of computer-assisted manufacturing and other technological advances. Concludes that the terms "long run" and "short run" still serve as logical constructs in formal economic analysis. (CFR)

Interviews with 12 workers and with management representatives in a manufacturing plant found that the total-quality-management process and workplace literacy program were implemented under the guise of worker development, but were actually driven by policy to reduce labor costs. Adult education was complicit in the strategy of using learning to…

Reviews the emergence of employment opportunities for women outside the home. Focuses specifically on the Dover Cotton Factory in Dover, New Hampshire. Provides a reproduction of the page from the 1820 Census of Manufactures that contains information about the Dover Cotton Factory. (Contains document based teaching activities.) (CMK)

Basic skill assessments of 109 employees in five small manufacturing businesses revealed that 84% needed additional training in one or more areas. Applied skills needed more remediation than academic skills. Employers expected return on investment in terms of profitability, productivity, and flexibility. Some workers were affected by negative past…

This article deals with the power wielded by the primary industry partners in knowledge-intensive networks in the new materials development technology field. Industry partners have a disproportionate influence on the structure and functioning of networks. The power can be explicit or invisible and is mediated and reshaped by factors such as the…

Purpose: The aim of this article is to gain insight into some of the factors that determine personnel-training efforts in companies introducing advanced manufacturing technologies (AMTs). The study provides empirical evidence from a sector with high rates of technological modernisation. Design/methodology/approach: "Ad hoc" survey of 90…

"Innovation" is an often used, yet much misunderstood term. Often innovation is left to chance or, at best, approached by relatively unstructured hard work and hard thinking. This paper describes a research programme known as the "Futures Project", which provides a "virtual" body of expertise that small and…

According to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), "manufacturing is the engine that drives American prosperity". When NAM and its research and education arm, The Manufacturing Institute, released the handbook, "The Facts About Modern Manufacturing," in October 2006, NAM President John Engler noted, that…