And response to market

Two of the key factors to be addressed when introducing the ISO 9000 initiative are developing a customer-focused culture and teamwork. These factors are often not given sufficient attention during the implementation of the ISO 9000 system. This can result in a static management system rather than one which is dynamic and responsive to market demands and competitive pressures. For a very extensive discussion for an effective implementation of the ISO 9000 standards, see Refs. 2 and 3 for a thorough discussion on documentation and its proper implementation, see Ref. 5. 

A researcher studying a specialty chemical business or a specific specialty chemical company should pay particular attention to these nidiments innovative talents, service faciUties and performance, marketing abiUties, and responsiveness to customer needs. Of these, the last may be the key criterion in most cases. A company that frequendy is first with the solution to a customer s problem (even if the solution is sometimes less than perfect) usually holds the customer and a dominant market share against future competition. 

In addition, other economic benefits can be discovered although they may be harder to quantify. The speed at which a product can be perfected and brought to market may be the competitive edge through which the firm secures a lead position in its marketplace. Sometimes this means getting there first sometimes it means fielding a product in response to a competitor - before the competitor has been able to capture the market. 

When the specified production capacities are low, processes based on batch reactors will usually have lower capital investment requirements than processes calling for continuous operation, so batch reactors are often preferred for new and untried processes during the initial stages of development. As production requirements increase in response to market demands, it may become more economic to shift to continuous processing but, even in these cases, there are many industrial situations where batch operation is preferable. This is particularly true when the operating expenses associated with the reactor are a minor fraction of total product cost. At low production capacities, construction and instrumentation requirements for batch reactors are usually cheaper than for continuous process equipment. Moreover, it is generally easier to start up, shut down, and control a batch reactor than a comparable capacity continuous flow reactor. 

Profit is the motivation for cotton production. Production practices will therefore be responses to market conditions. The extent to which there are premiums for clean cotton and for cotton that is unlikely to produce a lot of dust will determine the production and harvesting practices used. Price will also affect the amount of processing to which the cotton will be submitted before shipment to mills. 

The choice of storage method depends upon the production system such as frequency of harvest, demand, and end use. In countries where more than one crop is feasible, the storage period need not be long, e.g., 3-4 months. Another factor is to store the surplus in response to market demand at the time of harvest. Countries where only one crop is feasible, storage becomes... 

A slightly sweet finish for purportedly dry wines, white as well as red, is very general and is a response to market demand, real or fancied. Small wineries catering to tourist or other transient trade find that somewhat sweetened wines are generally preferred, no doubt because many such customers do not yet think of wine as a staple food beverage. 

The doing stage of the cycle also addresses roles and responsibilities within the system. Expansion of the management system to address sustainability may require the assignment of role and responsibilities to individuals whose activities were not primarily associated with the original system activities. These may include representatives from human resources, accounting, investor relations, or even marketing departments. 

Diverse methods have been used to recover this element commercially to cope with the varied forms in which sulfur occurs (Table 9.2). For example, about 85% of Canada s sulfur production is from sulfides removed from natural gas to sweeten it. It results from, or is an involuntary by-product of natural gas production and not a product sought for its own sake. Poland, on the other hand, obtains about 80% of its annual sulfur by employing Frasch recovery of natural sulfur which is more directly responsive to markets in its volume of production. 

Faster, more flexible and environmentally benign chemical production are the three base elements for the F -Factory visionary project. Rapid response to market... 

An even more outrageous example is provided by the United States automobile industry. In the early sixties, it held a dominant position in the world automobile market, but the market desired less expensive vehicles with better fuel efficiency. The United States auto manufacturers were unable to respond to the demand and continued to make the same vehicles as in the past. Slowly new companies from Japan and Europe, that demonstrated better response to market forces, eroded their position. Their position was further reduced by the gasoline price increases of the seventies that enhanced the demand for fuel-efficient vehicles. Today their worldwide dominance is gone and their position in the United States market is under strong challenge. Arguments regarding cost of labor and similar factors... 

Subsequently, a considerable increase in the organically cultivated area was observed. Despite this substantial increase in subsidies for arable and pig farms, the majority of converting farms were dairy farms - mainly in response to market forces. In the case of pig farms, it is very likely that a fairly strict limitation of livestock density after conversion has restricted the number of converting farms. 

In the last chapter, we presented a synopsis of the technological advances made in CRT s, particularly those for the color TV tube up to about the mld-1960 s. Since that time, a number of innovations have been accomplished. This change has been in response to market demand for a less bulky display device as well as a larger display size, i.e.- the "flat" television tube. Major improvements have been created in the electron gun, deflection yoke and the glass faceplate. What we are addressing is the changes in t rpe of display which has resulted. In the ordinary CRT of the... 

In the law and economics literature zoning is discussed as a solution to the problem of conflicting land uses (Posner, 1986, pp. 60-1) and as a response to market faUure (Cooter, and Ulen, 1988, pp. 205-9). For an example of planning controls around hazardous installations see Rocard and Smets, 1992,468-84. 

Inventors differ from irmovators in that the former are involved in the conception or discovery of something new, whereas the latter take this concept or discovery all die way to commercial reality. The important point is that R D, even thou only a part of the innovation process, can be the critical first step in this process, whether the innovation is in response to market pull or technology push. As pointed out in this volume, a healthy climate for R D is crucial to a healthy climate for innovation and business in general. 

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