R&D project selection: Productivity considerations
The paper consists of a theoretical discussion of the circumstances justifying the use of RD re-equip with purchased existing best-practice technology; or use R&D to develop new technology. 
 
 
 
The choice depends on which of the four following situations exist: 1) When the productivity of existing capacity is well below its potential and is also well below that of the industry's best-practice; in this case the right strategy is first to bring actual productivity up to potential, and then to consider the purchase of best-practice. 2) When productivity is well up to potential but is well below best practice; the advice is then to purchase best-practice. 3) When existing capacity is already best-practice but productivity is well below capacity; in this case productivity of existing plant should be increased. 4) When existing capacity is bestpractice and productivity is near the maximum; then and only then is R&D to develop new technology justified. 
 
 
 
The paper concludes with a brief account of the process to be undergone between the establishment of a case for R&D using the above criteria and, if R&D is undertaken and completed, the retrospective review of its outcome.
Selecting an E-Scrap Reverse Production System Design Considering Multicriteria and Uncertainty
A reverse logistics and production network that deals with recycled material flows has become essential due to the growing concern about the environmental impact of disposed waste and the economic value of recovered materials. Reverse logistics infrastructure design is typically based on tradeoffs between different criteria and faces challenges posed by uncertain system parameters such as the reusability percentage and total supply of end-of-life products. This paper presents a novel method for selecting alternative infrastructure designs to effectively and systematically handle multicriteria cases without subjective weight determination for different criteria. The proposed method, in practice, helps decision makers evaluate and select a design from a pool of alternatives proposed by contractors who place bids for public tenders where the bids include infrastructure design information and associated performance estimates under different uncertain system parameters.
Assessing the Competitiveness of the Philippine Auto Parts Industry
The development of the Philippine automotive parts and components sector is critical to the automotive assembly industry. The availability of competitive parts and components that are locally manufactured can significantly contribute to boost the competitiveness of the assembly sector. Given the current state of small and medium manufacturers, making them internationally competitive and linking them with regional production networks are major challenges. Less competitive firms will have to contend with reduced market shares and eventually bankruptcy. The few remaining competitive ones need to define their strategies and the market position that they want to pursue. The government has an important role to play in the firms adjustment process. While increasing economic integration represent market opportunities; penetrating the export market is not easy and does not come automatically. As the firms search for internal ways and exert effort to improve their competitiveness, this must be complemented with active government support.