Focus Area: Global Production - technology, culture and society
C(S)R in Global Value Chains: A Conceptual and Operational Approach
One project in the Global Production focus area initiated in 2006 with funding from the Research Council of Norway is C(S)R in Global Value Chains: A Conceptual and Operational Approach. As a result of globalization and the increasing complexities of modern economies, the focus of corporate social responsibility (CSR) needs to be widened and business and regulatory models within distributed production systems, which often span several organizations, sectors and national boundaries, need to be addressed. The distributed production chains or networks involved when operating in a global market imply that CSR concerns must be conceptualized and implemented not only in several business units, but also through a series of contractual and market relations. Insights from systems theory may also prove to be of vital importance as the CSR performance of companies is influenced by a variety of actors interacting in several arenas. The overall goals are (1) to undertake a critical examination of current CSR business and regulatory/self-regulatory practices, with a particular focus on distributed industrial organization in selected global value chains, and (2) develop practice-oriented recommendations, mechanisms and tools aimed at improving current CSR performance, reporting and verification systems and regulations. To allow for qualitative in-depth studies, the project is focused on the maritime sector, with input from the financial sector and the oil industry. Researchers are also building close collaboration with stakeholders along the value chain.
The Comparative Aluminium Research Program (CARP)
Another project established in the Global Production focus area is the CARP project which aims to broaden our understanding of the global aluminium sector in a number of ways, ranging from technological innovation and knowledge clusters to global value chain formation, transnational business relations and political economy. The common point of departure is the role of Norwegian aluminium companies in one of the first truly global industries. CARP was originally founded as an interdisciplinary research group in 2004 by researchers from the Department of History and Classical Studies and the Department of Geography and the National Library of Norway. CARP currently includes two full professors, two associate professors, one postdoc, one project coordinator, two PhD and several MA students, as well as affiliates. To date there has been one PhD dissertation.
Since its initiation, CARP has expanded to create an international network of scholars and researchers interested in the development of the aluminium industry and now cooperates with researchers and institutions in several countries. CARP has established close collaboration with the L’Institut Pour L’Historie De L’Aluminium (IHA) in Paris, and in 2006, CARP hosted a trilateral conference entitled “Comparative perspectives on the Norwegian and Canadian Aluminium industries”. The proceedings from the conference will be published in IHA’s biannual publication Cahiers D'Historie De L'Aluminium. At present CARP is preparing a session on the Global Economic History of Bauxite, for the XVth World Economic History Congress in Utrecht. The session will bring together scholars and industry representatives from Canada, the United States, Brazil, Russia, Scotland, France and Australia. CARP is also working on a session for the European Business History Association (EBHA) in 2008.
Norwegian Manufacturing Future
In 2005, the Research Council of Norway developed a national scheme for the creation of Centres for Research-based Innovation (CRIs). The main objective of the centres is to enhance the capability of the business sector to innovate by focusing on long-term research based on close alliances between research-intensive enterprises and prominent research groups. Successful CRI applicants were announced in June 2006 and among the 14 winners of the national competition was Norwegian Manufacturing Future.
The Centre is a mix of industry and academic groups with the same goal – to build on Norway’s existing manufacturing strengths so it can compete effectively in world markets. The centre is a cooperative of 16 industry partners, along with researchers from NTNU and SINTEF. An industry division will be located in the Raufoss Industrial Park, one of the most advanced manufacturing facilities in the country. The Raufoss unit will be coordinated with Raufoss Technology and Industrial Management.
One of globalization’s first lessons is that any product can be made anywhere in the world and shipped to markets, if labour and other costs are cheap enough. As a result, hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs have migrated away from high-wage countries throughout Europe and North America. The idea behind the creation of Norwegian Manufacturing Future is that Norway and other high-wage areas of the world ought to be able to have a manufacturing future. Norway, with its expertise in light metals, plastics and composite materials, already has a considerable competitive edge. But maintaining this edge and developing new ideas and approaches is not always easy.
The centre will focus on three key areas: Collaborative Product and Process Development - From emerging ideas to manufacturing with high profit margin; The Adaptive Factory - Improving manufacturing efficiency, adaptability and flexibility; and, Transparent and Robust Manufacturing Networks - Streamlining operations in manufacturing networks and global value chains.
