A Study of the impact of ISO 9001:2000 on Quality Management Practices in Selected Organisations in Kerala

The research work which was carried out to study the impact of ISO 9001: 2000, in selected organisations in Kerala, spread over various types of activities, such as fabrication of aero space hardware, glass ware, construction industries, health care units etc, encompassing, government and private enterprises, public sector undertakings, small and medium scale industries and research and development establishments. The ambience, work culture and collaboration prevalent in these organisations were varying on account of the environment in which they have been working. Fifty percent of the organizations selected for the study had obtained the ISO 900 I: 2000-certification since seven years or more. The process of study undertaken could invoke interest in the respondents, when a brief explanation on the purpose and need of the study was given to them prior to conducting the survey. There has been total cooperation from the management and the employees of all the organisations for the conduct of the study. Personal discussions were held with the senior management to draw their total support and involvement for the study.

A Study on Variations in Industrial Electricity Tariff & Regulatory Intervention in kerala State

Department of Applied Economics, Cochin University of Science and Technology

Personnel Management Practices in the Kerala based Scheduled commercial Banks

The thesis entitled Personnel Management Practices in the Kerala-Based Scheduled Commercial Banks. Personnel management function is of cardinal importance, requiring a sophisticated and scientific approach. In a labour-intensive, service industry like banking. Productivity and ultimate profitability of the entire organization depend considerably on the effectiveness with which personnel management function is executed; and the prudence with which personnel problems are handle. The main objectives of the study are to understand the current status of personnel management functions in the banks and to evaluate the practices in the light of the principles and theories of personnel management so as to identify the strengths and weaknesses. The universe of this study is the eight Scheduled Commercial Banks based in Kerala. The major limitation of the study is that as State Bank of Travancore, the lone public sector bank based in Kerala did not grant permission for collection of data, this study had to be confined to private sector banks only. Almost the entire data used for this study are primary and were collected from the files and other records or the concerned banks. This report has chapters dealing with the functional areas of personnel management such as determination of human resource requirements, recruitment and selection, training and development, performance appraisal, promotions and compensation. Findings reveal that the practice of personnel management in the Kerala-based private sector scheduled commercial banks has not gained a degree of sophistication compatible with its role in modern business management.

Dismissal in industrial employment

This is a study in labour law.. Dismissal of workmen in private lndustrial sector is the area of this study. Confined within the framework of the Industrial Disputes act 1947, the study is an analytical assessment of the decisions of the supreme Court of India. on dismissal in industrial employment. Few attempts were made in the past to analyse on identical lines the problems in this area. Hence what is| written in this thesis is ones own. Dismissal carries a stigma. the dismissed employee may find it difficult to get alternative employment especially in a land of severe unemployment. The need for law with built in safeguards against arbitrary dismissal cannot be overemphasized. From this perspective the study examines to what extent the industrial disputes act 1947 provides protection and how far the protection is adequate.

Algae in industrial effluent treatment

The present research is based on two broader aspects of pollution assessment ,and treatability of petroleum and petrochemical effluents by algae. The objectives of the investigation are to study the algal ecology and trophic status of an oil refinery effluent holding pond , isolate and identify pure cultures of algae, study the role of algae in petroleum and petrochemical effluent treatment, develop strains of algae tolerant to toxic effluents, study the biotreatment potential of the tolerant algal strains developed The thesis comprises of six chapters. The first chapter gives the significance and objectives of the present study. The second chapter describes the methodology, and results of studies on the algal ecology, and trophic status of the effluent holding pond of Cochin Refineries Ltd., Ambalamugal, Kochi. The third chapter deals with the isolation, and development of pure cultures of algae, the algal bioassay of the refinery effluent, and the analyses of Chitrapuzha river water. The analysis, and assessment of the algal growth potential of the petrochemical effluent of Hindustan Organic Chemicals Ltd., Ambalamugal, Kochi. are summarised in the fourth chapter The fifth chapter deals with the algal growth potential in phenol and phenolic effluent, and subsequent absorption of phenol and total dissolved solids. The summary and conclusion of the present study are given in the sixth chapter.

“A Study on Human Resource Management Practices in Private Hospitals in Kerala”

The healthcare sector in Kerala is witnessing a spiralling growth due to the healthy economic development and the serious outlook of individuals towards personal health. Private sector is thriving exuberantly well since there is a wide gap between demand and supply for healthcare due to the lack of government initiatives. The proliferation of these private hospitals have paved the way for many unhealthy practices like poor working conditions, low wages, excess workload and lack of retirement and welfare measures to the employees. This state of affairs demanded a serious investigation into the functioning of the private hospitals in Kerala, especially on the human resource management practices, as the success of every organisation depends on the satisfaction level of its employees, which, in turn, will benefit the consumer, i.e., the patients. Hence the present study was undertaken to find out the extent of human resource management practices in private hospitals in Kerala with a view to suggest appropriate remedial measures wherever required

Impact of ICT on Library and Information Science: Major Shifts and Practices in CUSAT Central Library

Information is knowledge, facts or data. For the purpose of enabling the users to assimilate information, it should be repacked. Knowledge becomes information when it is externalized i.e. put in to the process of communication. The effectiveness of communication technology depends how well it provides its clients with information rapidly, economically and authentically. A large number of ICT enabled services including OPAC; e-resources etc. are available in the university library. Studies have been done to find the impact of ICT on different sections of CUSAT library by observing the activities of different sections; discussions with colleagues and visitors; and analyzing the entries in the library records. The results of the studies are presented here in the form of a paper.

Institutional Analysis of Marine Fisheries Management Practices in Kerala, India

The study is important for the fact that it places the management dynamics of marine fisheries sector in the context of growing unrest of local communities over the emerging resource conflicts and degradation Economic crisis in small scale marine fisheries due to high operating cost continue to hinder the efforts towards conservation in many ways The migration of mechanized fleet as a response to profit maximization strategy of enterprises continues to be a threat to resource management Therefore this study explores how to revamp the small scale mechanized sector effectively and profitably to ensure rational allocation of resources The thesis attempts to examine how livelihood vulnerabilities of artisanal fish workers influence the crafting of management institutions Finally by combining insights of an institutional framework the study establishes the need for recognising the role of both formal and informal institutions in the management of marine fisheries in Kerala

Institutionalism Theories and Hegemonic Practices in Global Polity Formation

Institutionalistische Theorien und hegemoniale Praktiken Globaler Politikgestaltung. Eine neue Beleuchtung der Prämissen Liberaler Demokratischer National-Staatlicher Ordnungen. Deutsche Zusammenfassung: Moderne Sozialwissenschaften, seien es Metatheorien der Internationalen Beziehungen, die Geschichte politischer Ökonomie oder Institutionentheorien, zeigen eine klare Dreiteilung von Weltanschauungen bzw. Paradigmen auf, die sich in allen „großen Debatten“ nachvollziehen lassen: Realismus, Liberalismus und Historischer Materialismus. Diese Grund legend unterschiedlichen Paradigmen lassen sich auch in aktuellen Ansätzen des Institutionalismus aufzeigen, liegen aber quer zu den von anderen Wissenschaftlern (Meyer, Rittberger, Hasenclever, Peters, Zangl) vorgenommenen Kategorisierungen der Institutionalismusschulen, die systemkritische Perspektiven in der Regel ignorieren oder vergleichsweise rudimentär diskutieren. Deshalb entwickelt diese Arbeit einen Vergleich von Institutionalismusschulen entlang der oben skizzierten Weltanschauungen. Das Ziel ist es, fundamentale Unterschiede zwischen den drei Paradigmen zu verdeutlichen und zu zeigen, wie ihre jeweiligen ontologischen und epistemologischen Prämissen die Forschungsdesigns und Methodologien der Institutionalismusschulen beeinflussen. In Teil I arbeite ich deshalb die Grund legenden Prämissen der jeweiligen Paradigmen heraus und entwickle in Teil II und III diesen Prämissen entsprechende Institutionalismus-Schulen, die Kooperation primär als Organisation von unüberwindbarer Rivalität, als Ergebnis zunehmender Konvergenz, oder als Ergebnis und Weiterentwicklung von Prozeduren der Interaktion versteht. Hier greife ich auf zeitgenössische Arbeiten anderer Autoren zurück und liefere damit einen Vergleich des aktuellen Forschungsstandes in allen drei Denktraditionen. Teil II diskutiert die zwei dominanten Institutionalismusschulen und Teil III entwickelt einen eigenen Gramscianischen Ansatz zur Erklärung von internationaler Kooperation und Institutionalisierung. Die übergeordnete These dieser Arbeit lautet, dass die Methodologien der dominanten Institutionalismusschulen teleologische Effekte haben, die aus dem Anspruch auf universell anwendbare, abstrahiert Konzepte resultieren und die Interpretation von Beobachtungen limitieren. Prämissen eines rational handelnden Individuums - entweder Konsequenzen kalkulierend oder Angemessenheit reflektierend – führen dazu, dass Kooperation und Institutionalisierung notwendiger Weise als die beste Lösung für alle Beteiligten in dieser Situation gelten müssen: Institutionen würden nicht bestehen, wenn sie nicht in der Summe allen Mitgliedern (egoistisch oder kooperativ motiviert) nützten. Durch diese interpretative „Brille“ finden wichtige strukturelle Gründe für die Verabschiedung internationaler Abkommen und Teile ihrer Effekte keine Berücksichtigung. Folglich können auch Abweichungen von erwarteten Ergebnissen nicht hinreichend erklärt werden. Meine entsprechende Hypothese lautet, dass systemkritische Kooperation konsistenter erklären können, da sie Akteure, Strukturen und die sie umgebenden Weltanschauungen selbst als analytische Kriterien berücksichtigen. Institutionalisierung wird dann als ein gradueller Prozess politischer Entscheidungsfindung, –umsetzung und –verankerung verstanden, der durch die vorherrschenden Institutionen und Interpretationen von „Realität“ beeinflusst wird. Jede politische Organisation wird als zeitlich-geographisch markierter Staatsraum (state space) verstanden, dessen Mandat die Festlegung von Prozeduren der Interaktion für gesellschaftliche Entwicklung ist. Politische Akteure handeln in Referenz auf diese offiziellen Prozeduren und reproduzieren und/oder verändern sie damit kontinuierlich. Institutionen werden damit als integraler Bestandteil gesellschaftlicher Entwicklungsprozesse verstanden und die Wirkungsmacht von Weltanschauungen – inklusive theoretischer Konzepte - berücksichtigt. Letztere leiten die Wahrnehmung und Interpretation von festgeschriebenen Regeln an und beeinflussen damit ihre empfundene Legitimation und Akzeptanz. Dieser Effekt wurde als „Staatsgeist“ („State Spirit“) von Montesquieu und Hegel diskutiert und von Antonio Gramsci in seiner Hegemonialtheorie aufgegriffen. Seine Berücksichtigung erlaubt eine konsistente Erklärung scheinbar irrationalen oder unangemessenen individuellen Entscheidens, sowie negativer Effekte konsensualer Abkommen. Zur Veranschaulichung der neu entwickelten Konzepte werden in Teil II existierende Fallstudien zur Welthandelsorganisation analysiert und herausgearbeitet, wie Weltanschauungen oder Paradigmen zu unterschiedlichen Erklärungen der Praxis führen. Während Teil II besonderes Augenmerk auf die nicht erklärten und innerhalb der dominanten Paradigmen nicht erklärbaren Beobachtungen legt, wendet Teil III die Gramscianischen Konzepte auf eben diese blinden Stellen an und liefert neue Einsichten. Im Ausblick wird problematisiert, dass scheinbar „neutrale“ wissenschaftliche Studien politische Positionen und Forderungen legitimieren und verdeutlicht im Sinne der gramscianischen Theorie, dass Wissenschaft selbst Teil politischer Auseinandersetzungen ist.

From evolution to co-evolution – An empirical study of the role of innovation, policy and public research in industrial dynamics

In the past decades since Schumpeter’s influential writings economists have pursued research to examine the role of innovation in certain industries on firm as well as on industry level. Researchers describe innovations as the main trigger of industry dynamics, while policy makers argue that research and education are directly linked to economic growth and welfare. Thus, research and education are an important objective of public policy. Firms and public research are regarded as the main actors which are relevant for the creation of new knowledge. This knowledge is finally brought to the market through innovations. What is more, policy makers support innovations. Both actors, i.e. policy makers and researchers, agree that innovation plays a central role but researchers still neglect the role that public policy plays in the field of industrial dynamics. Therefore, the main objective of this work is to learn more about the interdependencies of innovation, policy and public research in industrial dynamics. The overarching research question of this dissertation asks whether it is possible to analyze patterns of industry evolution – from evolution to co-evolution – based on empirical studies of the role of innovation, policy and public research in industrial dynamics. This work starts with a hypothesis-based investigation of traditional approaches of industrial dynamics. Namely, the testing of a basic assumption of the core models of industrial dynamics and the analysis of the evolutionary patterns – though with an industry which is driven by public policy as example. Subsequently it moves to a more explorative approach, investigating co-evolutionary processes. The underlying questions of the research include the following: Do large firms have an advantage because of their size which is attributable to cost spreading? Do firms that plan to grow have more innovations? What role does public policy play for the evolutionary patterns of an industry? Are the same evolutionary patterns observable as those described in the ILC theories? And is it possible to observe regional co-evolutionary processes of science, innovation and industry evolution? Based on two different empirical contexts – namely the laser and the photovoltaic industry – this dissertation tries to answer these questions and combines an evolutionary approach with a co-evolutionary approach. The first chapter starts with an introduction of the topic and the fields this dissertation is based on. The second chapter provides a new test of the Cohen and Klepper (1996) model of cost spreading, which explains the relationship between innovation, firm size and R&D, at the example of the photovoltaic industry in Germany. First, it is analyzed whether the cost spreading mechanism serves as an explanation for size advantages in this industry. This is related to the assumption that the incentives to invest in R&D increase with the ex-ante output. Furthermore, it is investigated whether firms that plan to grow will have more innovative activities. The results indicate that cost spreading serves as an explanation for size advantages in this industry and, furthermore, growth plans lead to higher amount of innovative activities. What is more, the role public policy plays for industry evolution is not finally analyzed in the field of industrial dynamics. In the case of Germany, the introduction of demand inducing policy instruments stimulated market and industry growth. While this policy immediately accelerated market volume, the effect on industry evolution is more ambiguous. Thus, chapter three analyzes this relationship by considering a model of industry evolution, where demand-inducing policies will be discussed as a possible trigger of development. The findings suggest that these instruments can take the same effect as a technical advance to foster the growth of an industry and its shakeout. The fourth chapter explores the regional co-evolution of firm population size, private-sector patenting and public research in the empirical context of German laser research and manufacturing over more than 40 years from the emergence of the industry to the mid-2000s. The qualitative as well as quantitative evidence is suggestive of a co-evolutionary process of mutual interdependence rather than a unidirectional effect of public research on private-sector activities. Chapter five concludes with a summary, the contribution of this work as well as the implications and an outlook of further possible research.

Integrating top down policies and bottom up practices in Urban and Periurban Agriculture: an Italian dilemma

The paper deals with some relevant and contradictory aspects of urban and peri-urban agriculture in Italy: the traditional exclusion of agricultural areas from the goals of territorial planning; the separation between top-down policies and bottom-up practices; the lack of agricultural policies at local scale. In the first part the paper summarises the weak relation between urban planning and agriculture, showing how in Italy this gap has been only partially overcome by new laws and plans. Moreover the paper focuses on how, due to the lack of suitable solutions coming from regional and local planning, a large number of vibrant initiatives were started by local stakeholders. In order to show the limitations and the potentialities of these various approaches, three peculiar experiences based on Milan, Turin and Pisa are presented. They give a cross-section of the variegated Italian situation, demonstrating that a major challenge in Italian context affects the fields of governance and inclusiveness.

Personnel Practices in Japanese Government

This paper examines key aspects of Japanese Government personnel practices, and draws comparisons with the practices in the U.S. civil service and, as appropriate, with other U.S. models. Particular reference is made to the practices of two major agencies in Japan, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) and the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPT). As appropriate, selected government businesses practices other than personnel practices are noted.

Model-based objects recognition in industrial environments for autonomous vehicles control

Behavior-based navigation of autonomous vehicles requires the recognition of the navigable areas and the potential obstacles. In this paper we describe a model-based objects recognition system which is part of an image interpretation system intended to assist the navigation of autonomous vehicles that operate in industrial environments. The recognition system integrates color, shape and texture information together with the location of the vanishing point. The recognition process starts from some prior scene knowledge, that is, a generic model of the expected scene and the potential objects. The recognition system constitutes an approach where different low-level vision techniques extract a multitude of image descriptors which are then analyzed using a rule-based reasoning system to interpret the image content. This system has been implemented using a rule-based cooperative expert system