Linking industrial modernization evaluation with state policy-making

This paper discusses the role of modernization programs in the context of state economic development strategy. It argues that state governments will view modernization dollars as one element of overall economic development expenditures. Thus, it is important for modernization programs not just to show that they impact firm-level change, but also to show how much they add to gross state product, job creation, and wages compared to competing expenditures for state dollars. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A2974031 00005     

Evaluation of industrial modernization programs: The field agent's perspective

This article provides a field agent's perspective on the factors that influence the success of industrial modernization services. We begin with an overview of the field agent's role in the industrial extension system and discuss the technical assistance services typically provided by a field agent. The field agent's role is differentiated from that of other stakeholders such as legislators, agency staff, and program managers. We then consider pre- and post-project perspectives of positive outcomes from industrial extension services. The article argues that the field agent's perspective is closely connected to that of the manufacturing customer. Implications for shared communication among stakeholders and improving program outcomes are discussed. The article draws on the experiences of the authors in the manufacturing extension program in Georgia-the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Alliance (GMEA).     

Evaluating industrial modernization: Methods, results, and insights from the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Alliance

This paper examines the experience of the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Alliance (GMEA) in implementing an evaluation of its industrial extension services. As part of the U.S. Manufacturing Extension partnership, GMEA provides assistance to manufacturers to resolve industrial and business problems and upgrade technology, training, and business performance, focusing primarily on firms within the state of Georgia. The program has established an evaluation component along with other assessment and review mechanisms. Several evaluation methods are employed, including customer surveys, economic analyses of benefits and costs, controlled studies, and logic-based case studies. The article examines the strengths and weaknesses of these different approaches, reviews the insights each method offers, and discusses how the resulting evaluative information is used.     

Coordinating industrial modernization services: Impacts and insights from the U.S. Manufacturing Extension Partnership

This study examines how programs sponsored through the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) have influenced the organization and delivery of industrial modernization services to small and medium-sized manufacturers in regions in the United States. The study found that increased service coordination has occurred and that this, in turn, has mostly improved the quality and comprehensiveness of assistance delivered to firms. But there are also some costs and drawbacks associated with multi-partner service delivery approaches. The study identifies and examines best practices that can help MEP centers increase the effectiveness of service coordination. This paper draws upon research supported by the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology under award 50SBNBC8305. The views expressed are the authors' and do not necessarily reflect those of the research sponsor.     

Efficiency impacts of the Chinese industrial transition: a quantitative evaluation of reforms in the coal industry

This paper explains the variation in technical efficiency across firms due to transitional reforms. A translog stochastic frontier production method incorporating regional heterogeneity and technical change is applied to a panel data set of coal enterprises in China between 2000 and 2005. The results provide evidence that the privatisation, consolidation, decentralisation and participation of the unemployment insurance system have contributed to improving technical efficiency. The study also shows that neither favourable geological conditions nor an advanced regional economic development level can explain differences in technical efficiency.     

New perspectives in the use of ink evidence in forensic science: Part III: Operational applications and evaluation

The research reported in this series of article aimed at (1) automating the search of questioned ink specimens in ink reference collections and (2) at evaluating the strength of ink evidence in a transparent and balanced manner. These aims require that ink samples are analysed in an accurate and reproducible way and that they are compared in an objective and automated way. This latter requirement is due to the large number of comparisons that are necessary in both scenarios. A research programme was designed to (a) develop a standard methodology for analysing ink samples in a reproducible way, (b) comparing automatically and objectively ink samples and (c) evaluate the proposed methodology in forensic contexts.This report focuses on the last of the three stages of the research programme. The calibration and acquisition process and the mathematical comparison algorithms were described in previous papers [C. Neumann, P. Margot, New perspectives in the use of ink evidence in forensic science—Part I: Development of a quality assurance process for forensic ink analysis by HPTLC, Forensic Sci. Int. 185 (2009) 29–37; C. Neumann, P. Margot, New perspectives in the use of ink evidence in forensic science—Part II: Development and testing of mathematical algorithms for the automatic comparison of ink samples analysed by HPTLC, Forensic Sci. Int. 185 (2009) 38–50].In this paper, the benefits and challenges of the proposed concepts are tested in two forensic contexts: (1) ink identification and (2) ink evidential value assessment. The results show that different algorithms are better suited for different tasks. This research shows that it is possible to build digital ink libraries using the most commonly used ink analytical technique, i.e. high-performance thin layer chromatography, despite its reputation of lacking reproducibility. More importantly, it is possible to assign evidential value to ink evidence in a transparent way using a probabilistic model. It is therefore possible to move away from the traditional subjective approach, which is entirely based on experts’ opinion, and which is usually not very informative.While there is room for the improvement, this report demonstrates the significant gains obtained over the traditional subjective approach for the search of ink specimens in ink databases, and the interpretation of their evidential value.