The experiences of emerging adulthood may vary in different historical and cultural contexts. Little research has been dedicated to how non college students view adulthood in developing countries. Currently, millions of young people are migrating from rural villages to industrial cities in China. The purpose of this study was to investigate…

A policy consensus has emerged in Australia that there is a workforce literacy and numeracy crisis, similar to many other Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. The study informing this paper examined this framing of crisis by interviewing and observing production workers in three manufacturing companies. Each company was…

Most chemical engineering graduates work in industry, a fact that underscores the need for courses to provide experiences that prepare them for industry. The Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC) at North Carolina State University has addressed this need by developing and delivering a comprehensive downstream bioprocessing program…

This paper reports on recent research into enterprise skill profiles and workplace training practices in the Bangladesh manufacturing industry. The article presents survey and interview data for 37 enterprises across eight manufacturing sectors collected during a study for the International Labour Organisation. The research analysed enterprise and…

It's been more than three years since the U.S. automobile industry nearly collapsed. A controversial federal bailout, an increase in consumer demand, and a growing interest in environmentally friendly fuel-efficient vehicles and related technologies have combined to help create a remarkable recovery. Total U.S. sales of light vehicles in 2012 are…

This article examines website headings used by "Fortune" 500 companies in their efforts to inform stakeholders about corporate social responsibility (CSR). Instead of using "Corporate Social Responsibility" as a heading, companies often use specific terms to identify various CSR initiatives. The purpose of this article is to identify common…

Public policy discourses claim that there is a "crisis" in the literacy and numeracy levels of the Australian workforce. In this paper, we propose a methodology for examining this "crisis" from a critical perspective. We draw on findings from an ongoing research project by the authors which investigates production workers'…

Bisphenol A (BPA) has been shown to affect brain and behavior in rodents and nonhuman primates, but there are few studies focusing on its relationship to human neurobehavior. We aimed to investigate the relationship between environmental exposure to BPA and childhood neurobehavior. Methods: Urinary BPA concentrations and behavioral and learning…

Through this research we aim to contribute to the debate on the role of universities in industrial districts in the context of the new competitive panorama that they are facing. With this objective in mind, we have carried out a study based on a university located within a Spanish textile district, using Social Network Analysis techniques. Of…

Consumers have shown increased interest in purchasing goods with pro- environmental claims or products that promote societal well-being, such as fair wages paid to farmers of the raw materials and workers in the manufacturing process of a good (e.g., social product labels, including Fair Trade). However, few studies have explored actual purchase…

Advanced composites are characterized by the use of expensive, high-performance resin systems and high-strength, high-stiffness fiber reinforcement. These materials have been adopted for use in sporting goods, where high-performance equipment like golf clubs, tennis rackets, fishing poles and archery equipment benefit from the light weight/ high…

Purdue University--Mechanical, Engineering, and Technology (MET) faculty and Purdue Technical Assistance Program (TAP) staff partnered with the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) to create a new workforce training program and certificate exam in the field of green manufacturing. This article describes how the body of knowledge for the…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the ideals and activities of the nineteenth century Welsh industrialist and reformer Robert Owen (1771-1858), and how they informed modern human resource development (HRD) concepts and practices and provided evidence of Owen as a HRD pioneer. Design/methodology/approach: Historiography provided…

Purpose: Training alone is not sufficient to enhance organizational effectiveness to a greater level because not all knowledge obtained from the training is properly transferred and applied to the organization. This study aims to investigate whether efforts invested by Malaysian manufacturers in employee training and knowledge transfer affect…

Innovation has emerged as a core driver for the future profitability and success of the manufacturing sector, and increasingly both governments and the private sector are examining ways to support the development of innovation capabilities within organisations. In this research, we have evaluated a government-funded innovation training course…