manufacturing

The paper presents a model in which a firm with a degree of research and development (R&D) specialization raises external funds to develop a two-period project that involves some non-verifiable returns. Taking into account a possible opportunistic behavior by the manager, the report indicates that the optimal firms debt equity ratio is negatively related to the firms degree of R&D specialization, its internal funds, and the output generated by the R&D project.

The strategic plan summarizes the results of an analysis by South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (SCMEP) of its stakeholders. The idea was to gather input from these stakeholders in generating formal strategies to accomplish the mission and vision of the SCMEP. The vision of the SCMEP is to be the primary resource for the South Carolina community of small manufacturers, providing them with highly-valued technological, workplace, and business solutions that improve their industrial competitiveness.

The report from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis indicates today’s manufacturing sector is quite different. In fact, manufacturing exports, including food production and processing, have enjoyed positive annual growth rates in all but one state since 1986. The article presents the findings of the shift-share analysis, the net relative change of each state’s manufacturing exports between 1988 and 1998, and several additional tables for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

This paper presents the results of a survey of Swedish multinationals conducted in 1999. The survey was carried out in order to update an existing database on Swedish manufacturing firms with producing foreign affiliates collected by the Research Institute of Industrial Economics.

The National Coalition for Advanced Manufacturing (NACFAM) white paper reports that increased cooperation among the private sector, federal and state governments, education, and the nonprofit community will be critical for sustaining the current economic boom. The plan is the culmination of the 20-month Advanced Manufacturing Leadership Forum, organized by NACFAM to provide strategic guidance and direction for policy development efforts.

The study details an evaluation of the economic impact of the Industrial Resource Centers program, determines likely future of manufacturing particularly with respect to small and medium-sized manufacturers and assesses the implications for the program in the decade ahead.

Drawing on in-depth case studies from the New York Manufacturing Extension Program, the study demonstrates that small manufacturers have been able to reduce waste, lower production costs, and cut cycle times as a direct result of services provided by field engineers and other affiliated organizations.

The paperpresents a case study of a metal working firm that was able to increase productivity and profits by instituting measures recommended by a field agent working for the Florida Manufacturing Technology Center.

The report indicates over 60 percent of rural manufacturing establishments benefited from government business assistance programs (state and local tax breaks, training and technical assistance, loans, and industrial parks/enterprise zones), and 28 percent found these programs to be very important to their operations over the last three years. Manufacturers using advanced technologies benefited more than other manufacturers.

The survey reports that quality of local labor hindered manufacturers competitiveness. Other frequently cited local problems include state and local taxes, environmental regulations, the attractiveness of the area to managers and professionals and the quality of local schools. The extent of these problems varies by region more than along a rural-urban dimension.