C.K. Mok

A study of the relationship between competitiveness and technological innovation capability based on DEA models

Researchers and managers have been searching for appropriate methods to explore the relationship between technological innovation capability and competitiveness in recent years. This study attempts to find a systematic quantitative methodology to tackle this problem. In a recent survey covering 182 industrial innovative firms in China, the traditional data envelopment analysis (DEA) model was employed to analyze the data collected. The research results show that only 16% of the enterprises operate on the best-practice frontier and there are some inconsistencies between organizational innovation capability and competitiveness in many enterprises. Decreasing returns to scale were found among about 70% of the inefficient enterprises and increasing returns to scale were found among the remaining 30% of the inefficient enterprises. Thus the internal innovation harmonizing process in these enterprises is considerably inefficient. Based on the restricted ranges of the input/output factors, a multi-objective DEA projection model has also been developed in this study to provide a benchmark for auditing competitiveness. Research results further indicate that there is still much room for enterprises to improve competitiveness in situations of confining score ranges of technological innovation capability and competitiveness.

Collaboration between industry and research institutes/universities on industrial innovation in Beijing, China

Abstract Most R&D resources in China were allocated to public research institutes/universities until the economic transition of the mid 1990s. To maximize the return from these resources, it is important to have a healthy collaboration between industry and research institutes/universities on industrial innovation. This paper examines that relationship and discusses some empirical evidence on its efficiency with particular reference to industry in Beijing. Following a survey of 950 industrial enterprises, the influences of the collaboration relationship on industrial innovation were analyzed. The main findings indicate that the technology novelty of industrial innovation is positively related to that relationship, i.e. the more the collaboration, the higher the technology novelty of the innovation. However, the collaboration relationship is less efficient in terms of economic performance indicators such as innovation sales and profit ratios, to measure innovation. Moreover, the collaboration relationship is still far from efficient in stimulating industrial innovation in China. The major barriers to successful collaboration have also been addressed in this paper with the aim of devising policies and suggesting possible improvements to collaboration efficiency.

Integrated Integration Definition Language 0 (IDEF) and coloured Petri nets (CPN) modelling and simulation tool: a study on mould-making processes

The use of the Integrated Integration Definition Language 0 (IDEF) descriptive model or similar tools alone in the analysis of complicated processes like the mould-making process usually encounters difficulties due to the complexity of process. A quantitative analysis model thus seems necessary to supplement the IDEF0 tool for better modelling and simulation of complicated processes. The paper proposes to integrate the IDEF0 tool with the coloured Petri nets (CPN) tool for systematic analysis of complicated processes. It introduces an effective modelling and simulation language-hierarchical timed CPN-based workflow nets (HTCPNWF-nets). The rules for translating IDEF0 into HTCPNWF-nets have been developed. After mapping the IDEF0 model onto HTCPNWF-nets, several performance analyses can be achieved by simulation of HTCPNWF-nets model. The proposed methodologies have been successfully applied to the mould-making process. The paper presents the rationales and current progress of the proposed methodologies.

A hybrid case-based reasoning CAD system for injection mould design

Injection mould design generally lies on the critical path of a new product development. The design efficiency will have significant impact on the overall lead time of a new product. This paper presents a prototype injection mould-design system using a hybrid case-based reasoning (HCBR) approach. Case-based reasoning (CBR) is a solving paradigm that uses previous episodes on solving problems similar to the problem at hand (the new problem) as the basis for solving the new problem. In this hybrid system, CBR is incorporated with generalized design knowledge, and provides a flexible and comprehensive model of design. The knowledge base of the system would be accessed by mould designers through interactive programs so that their own intelligence and experience could also be incorporated with the total mould design. The approach provides a workable model of mould design system with CBR and knowledge-based expert system intelligent support, which could suggest good and proven design solutions to new design problems quickly, avoiding the time necessary to create those designs from scratch, for the plastic products manufacturing industry.