title: A challenge to Marshallian orthodoxy on industrial clustering

authors: Akoorie, Michèle E.M.

subjects: medieval guilds

abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the antecedents (the medieval guild) of modern day industrial clustering. The paper challenges the notion that work of Alfred Marshall provides the intellectual underpinning of cluster thinking.
Design/methodology/approach – The source material uses archival research on medieval guilds and historical texts. In tracing the development of forms of co-operative association this paper employs the technique of genealogical spanning. The prism of forms of co-operative association is used to examine the rise and fall of the medieval guild.
Findings – Medieval guilds have been largely ignored by modern proponents of cluster theory and Italianate industrial districts. Guild activity in technological invention and innovation, in skills transfer and knowledge (both codified and tacit) had many of the same positive attributes that are found in neo-Marshallian industrial districts. The long history of cooperative behaviour in geographically concentrated firms in industrial districts had its genesis in the medieval guild.
Research limitations/implications – The paper suggests that collaboration (in craft guilds) and clusters (cooperation and relationships) have been a dominant paradigm since the Middle Ages; a viewpoint which is commonly ignored by the dominant US-centric view of individualism, competition and arms lengths relationships in business. Cooperation and relationships have attracted significant scholarly attention and most recently the studies in the cluster literature have tended to favour the social and knowledge-based approach. This phenomenon suggests that the future social, political and economic dynamics in Europe will remain firmly rooted in the creation of areas of regional specialization, as has been the case in the past.
Originality/value – This paper contributes to our understanding of the embeddedness of cooperation by comparing the characteristics of the medieval guild with the characteristics of modern day (Porterian clusters). Cooperation rather than competition is the dominant paradigm of industrial activity. The competitive divide between employers and employees was an aberration of the Industrial Revolution and promoted by political economists as a means of facilitating the mobility of labour by diffusion.

text: A challenge to Marshallian orthodoxy on industrial clustering Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the antecedents (the medieval guild) of modern day industrial clustering. The paper challenges the notion that work of Alfred Marshall provides the intellectual underpinning of cluster thinking.
Design/methodology/approach – The source material uses archival research on medieval guilds and historical texts. In tracing the development of forms of co-operative association this paper employs the technique of genealogical spanning. The prism of forms of co-operative association is used to examine the rise and fall of the medieval guild.
Findings – Medieval guilds have been largely ignored by modern proponents of cluster theory and Italianate industrial districts. Guild activity in technological invention and innovation, in skills transfer and knowledge (both codified and tacit) had many of the same positive attributes that are found in neo-Marshallian industrial districts. The long history of cooperative behaviour in geographically concentrated firms in industrial districts had its genesis in the medieval guild.
Research limitations/implications – The paper suggests that collaboration (in craft guilds) and clusters (cooperation and relationships) have been a dominant paradigm since the Middle Ages; a viewpoint which is commonly ignored by the dominant US-centric view of individualism, competition and arms lengths relationships in business. Cooperation and relationships have attracted significant scholarly attention and most recently the studies in the cluster literature have tended to favour the social and knowledge-based approach. This phenomenon suggests that the future social, political and economic dynamics in Europe will remain firmly rooted in the creation of areas of regional specialization, as has been the case in the past.
Originality/value – This paper contributes to our understanding of the embeddedness of cooperation by comparing the characteristics of the medieval guild with the characteristics of modern day (Porterian clusters). Cooperation rather than competition is the dominant paradigm of industrial activity. The competitive divide between employers and employees was an aberration of the Industrial Revolution and promoted by political economists as a means of facilitating the mobility of labour by diffusion.

year: 2011

title: Multi-objective hybrid optimization for optimal sizing of a hybrid renewable power system for home applications

authors: Hossain, Md. Arif

abstract: An optimal energy mix of various renewable energy sources and storage devices is critical for a profitable and reliable hybrid microgrid system. This work proposes a hybrid optimization method to assess the optimal energy mix of wind, photovoltaic, and battery for a hybrid system development. This study considers the hybridization of a Non-dominant Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA II) and the Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO). The objective function was formulated to simultaneously minimize the total energy cost and loss of power supply probability. A comparative study among the proposed hybrid optimization method, Non-dominant Sorting Genetic Algorithm II, and multi-objective Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) was performed to examine the efficiency of the proposed optimization method. The analysis shows that the applied hybrid optimization method performs better than other multi-objective optimization algorithms alone in terms of convergence speed, reaching global minima, lower mean (for minimization objective), and a higher standard deviation. The analysis also reveals that by relaxing the loss of power supply probability from 0% to 4.7%, an additional cost reduction of approximately 12.12% can be achieved. The proposed method can provide improved flexibility to the stakeholders to select the optimum combination of generation mix from the offered solutions.

text: Multi-objective hybrid optimization for optimal sizing of a hybrid renewable power system for home applications An optimal energy mix of various renewable energy sources and storage devices is critical for a profitable and reliable hybrid microgrid system. This work proposes a hybrid optimization method to assess the optimal energy mix of wind, photovoltaic, and battery for a hybrid system development. This study considers the hybridization of a Non-dominant Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA II) and the Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO). The objective function was formulated to simultaneously minimize the total energy cost and loss of power supply probability. A comparative study among the proposed hybrid optimization method, Non-dominant Sorting Genetic Algorithm II, and multi-objective Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) was performed to examine the efficiency of the proposed optimization method. The analysis shows that the applied hybrid optimization method performs better than other multi-objective optimization algorithms alone in terms of convergence speed, reaching global minima, lower mean (for minimization objective), and a higher standard deviation. The analysis also reveals that by relaxing the loss of power supply probability from 0% to 4.7%, an additional cost reduction of approximately 12.12% can be achieved. The proposed method can provide improved flexibility to the stakeholders to select the optimum combination of generation mix from the offered solutions.

year: 2023-01-01

title: Environmental ethics in a New Zealand context

authors: Gunn, Alastair S.

subjects: environmental ethics

abstract: Environmental ethics has many strands and roots but there is increasing for a holistic approach. Such an approach, which is consistent with te ao Maori and tikanga Maori, is especially appropriate for New Zealand.

text: Environmental ethics in a New Zealand context Environmental ethics has many strands and roots but there is increasing for a holistic approach. Such an approach, which is consistent with te ao Maori and tikanga Maori, is especially appropriate for New Zealand.

year: 2007