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The paper examines the dynamic impact of GVCs on productivity growth in 14 Asian economies, from 1995 to 2016. OECD and Asia Productivity Organisation data show that in the last few decades there has been a rapid expansion of GVCs in the majority of the Asian economies. We employ the panel Auto-regressive Distributed Lag method to empirically evaluate the impact of GVCs participation on 'total factor productivity growth' and 'labor productivity growth'. The empirical results point to the significant effect of GVCs on domestic productivity growth in the long run in the selected Asian economies, while the effect on labor productivity growth is larger than that on total factor productivity growth. However, GVCs does not affect it in the short-run. If excluded the six high-income economies and only focused on the middle-income countries, we find forward GVCs promotes domestic productivity in long run, while the backward GVCs does not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 decimated global tourism. As governments and firms strategize the sector's recovery, insights from the sector's prepandemic period of high growth offer useful policy lessons. This study examines the drivers of the tourism sector's growth and catch-up performance in 13 industrialized economies over the period 2000–2015, using data from the EU-KLEMS database. The findings have three notable policy implications. First, the tourism sector in most countries experienced significant growth. However, value-added growth was driven largely by labor employment expansion while labor productivity declined in most countries. Second, weak investment in non–information and communications technology (ICT) capital and declining total factor productivity are the principal impediments to labor productivity growth. Third, all countries embraced digital transformation but many lagged on innovation and labor quality. These findings are analyzed to identify policy strategies for the tourism sector's postpandemic recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A simple indicator of technical efficiency, such as productivity of health workers, measured using routine health facility data, can be a practical approach that can inform initiatives to improve efficiency in low- and middle-income countries. This paper presents a proof of concept of using routine information from primary healthcare (PHC) facilities to measure health workers' productivity and its application in three regions of Ethiopia.Methods: In four steps, we constructed a productivity measure of the health workforce of Health Centers (HCs) and demonstrated its practical application: (1) developing an analytical dataset using secondary data from health management information systems (HMIS) and human resource information system (HRIS); (2) principal component analysis and factor analysis to estimate a summary measure of output from five indicators (annual service volume of outpatient visits, family planning, first antenatal care visits, facility-based deliveries by skilled birth attendants, and children [< 1 year] with three pentavalent vaccines); (3) calculating a productivity score by combining the summary measure of outputs and the total number of health workers (input), and (4) implementing regression models to identify the determinant of productivity and ranking HCs based on their adjusted productivity score.Results: We developed an analytical dataset of 1128 HCs; however, significant missing values and outliers were reported in the data. The principal component and factor scores developed from the five output measures were highly consistent (correlation coefficient = 0.98). We considered the factor score as the summary measure of outputs for estimating productivity. A very weak association was observed between the summary measure of output and the total number of staff. The result also highlighted a large variability in productivity across similar health facilities in Ethiopia, represented by the significant dispersion in summary measure of output occurring at similar levels of the health workers.Conclusions: We successfully demonstrated the analytical steps to estimate health worker productivity and its practical application using HMIS and HRIS. The methodology presented in this study can be readily applied in low- and middle-income countries using widely available data-such as DHIS2-that will allow further explorations to understand the causes of technical inefficiencies in the health system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the export-productivity relationship using firm-level data from Egypt over the 2003–2008 period. Previous studies using data from developed countries suggest that self-selection is the main driver of the exporter premium. Using a propensity-score matching difference-in-difference approach, we find that both labor productivity and total factor productivity are significantly higher for exporters than for non-exporters. On average, labor productivity and total factor productivity are, respectively, 43% and 61% higher for exporting firms than for domestically-oriented firms. Accounting for the level of development of destination countries, we find that this export premium is due to a learning-by-exporting process rather than just a self-selection of more productive firms into exporting. In contrast to exporters to OECD countries, exporters to Non-OECD countries self-select into export markets, signaling the importance of the technical assistance from OECD buyers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using original documents, this paper describes and analyses the case study of one of the productivity bargaining agreements from a leading exponent of productivity bargaining, Mobil's Coryton Refinery. As well as being important in the UK oil industry these agreements spread throughout the economy. They resulted in major concessions by the unions to relax inter-craft and craft-production trade boundaries and to changes in work methods. These are illustrated in detail and placed in context. Such changes were heralded as 'new look industrial relations' and as such were based on a conception of joint regulation. However, other interpretations are possible, and these are then explored and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The paper employs newly constructed structural reform indexes that focus on reforms "genuinely" implemented. • Reforms under consideration increase productivity growth, with real sector reforms having the most sizeable effects. • The pace of reforms matters since being a "strong reformer" is associated with clear productivity dividends. • The relationship between reforms and productivity is nonlinear and shaped by certain firms' characteristics. • There are complementary effects between reforms except for trade and financial reforms. Abstract This paper assesses the effects of selected structural reforms on labor productivity growth for 37 developing countries over the 2006–14 period. It combines newly constructed reform indexes using the IMF Monitoring of Fund Arrangements dataset and firm-level productivity from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys. The paper highlights the following results. Structural reforms under consideration in this study, i.e., financial, fiscal, real sector, and trade reforms, significantly improve productivity at the firm level. Interestingly, real sector reforms have the most sizeable effects on firms' productivity. The relationship between reforms and productivity is nonlinear and shaped by certain firms' characteristics, including financial access, a distortionary environment, and firms' size. The pace of reforms matters since being a "strong reformer" is associated with a clear productivity dividend for firms. Finally, except for financial and trade reforms, all macroeconomic reforms considered are bilaterally complementary in improving firms' productivity. The findings are robust to several sensitivity checks including alternatives measure of productivity, and a counterfactual experiment based on unsuccessful reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the impact of factors related to innovation and the environment, among others, on labour productivity in the Spanish transport sector. The methodological approach used in this study was based on the CDM structural model. The main advantage of this model is its capacity to integrate investment in R&D and the generation of knowledge and production innovation. The data used in the estimations were obtained from the Technological Innovation Panel (PITEC) database. PITEC is a panel-type database jointly prepared by the Spanish National Institute of Statistics (INE) and the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT). The econometric results show that reducing the environmental impact has a statistically significant and positive effect at all stages of the innovative process and above all on labour productivity of transport firms, where the improvement of labour productivity can reach 8.35% compared to non-ecoinnovative companies. This finding could alert firms in the transport sector to the need to improve their activities by adopting environmentally proactive attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the discussion on the most appropriate method for measuring productivity. It takes into account the TFP, the productivity of capital, and labor productivity, as well as its interpretations, scope, and relations. Additionally, it analyzes the impacts of this discussion on the evolution of the Colombian minimum wage over the period 2001-2016. Finally, it discusses the relationship between the growth of productivity and the distribution of income between capital and labor, proposing a critique of the neoclassical perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to examine the effect of prognosis agent technology (PAT) on manufacturing organization's productivity and control. Extant literature advocates that various agents have been developed in the paradigms of designing, diagnosis, production, marketing, etc., but research on the effect of PAT on organizational output has not been explored yet. This paper uses the construct of PAT and checks its effect on performance of organizations. The research utilizes data collected from various manufacturing organizations. Based on literature survey, a set of hypotheses were proposed. Then, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed on collected data. Thereafter, a hypothetical model on PAT comprising five factors (manufacturing processes, fault identification, integration of manufacturing system with maintenance, manufacturing organization's productivity, and control) is developed using structural equation modeling. All the hypotheses formed were supported, which indicates that the use of PAT in manufacturing organizations does increase organizational productivity and manufacturing control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Theory predicts that trade liberalization should raise average total factor productivity (TFP) among manufacturing firms. However, this is a generic prediction and depends on maintained assumptions about industries, factor markets, and trade patterns that may not fit well for developing countries. Using firm-level data from Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania during the 1990s, a period of fairly rapid trade policy liberalization, we estimate productivity effects of trade. Our analysis confirms the well-known association between export intensity and higher productivity of the firm; however, the evidence for “learning by exporting,” or an increase in productivity associated with greater exports, is mixed, with several instances of negative average TFP growth among exporters. Our analysis indicates that such declines are likely attributable to the effects of lower external tariffs, because the firm-level productivity margin below which exporting is unprofitable moves down as the external tariff rate is reduced. We also find that sales to the rest of the world and sales to other African economies have differential effects on productivity growth rates, and that for country-specific reasons, these effects are not uniform. Controlling for initial productivity and the destination of exports (within or outside Africa) helps us understand why in some cases, export participation is associated with negative rates of TFP growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to modify the plastic vision lens production line CR39 in order to improve its productivity. Work study and line balancing techniques were employed in order to improve the bottleneck point in the manufacturing process. Standard time was measured. The result shows that productivity increased by 1,257 pieces per day and labor productivity increased from 82 to 88 pieces per man-hour. However, this improved production capacity was still below the target capacity. Therefore three additional alternatives were proposed. A simulation model was employed in order to analyze these alternatives. The results found that, by using the lowest unit production cost scenario, additional labor and machines were added into the bottleneck point of the production line. The productivity was then increased by 7,738 pieces per day or a 44% improvement, which reached the target productivity, and the average resource utilization was 89%, which satisfied the objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Despite a dramatic rise in the instances of anti-dumping (AD) duties, their impact on the targeted firms is not clear. Using detailed firm level data we find robust evidence that the US AD duty led to over 12 (or five) percent decrease in labor productivity (or TFP) of targeted Chinese firms. We also find that firms with high initial export intensity experience both a higher decrease in exports (and total sales) and a bigger drop in productivity due to the US AD duties. Our results suggest reduced economies of scale as a possible mechanism for the drop in firm productivity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: Improving productivity is one of the most important strategies for social-economic development. Human resources are known as the most important resources in the organizations' survival and success. Aims: To determine the factors affecting the human resource productivity using a the ACHIEVE model from the nurses' perspective and then prioritize them from the perspective of head nurses using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique. Settings and Design: Iran, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences teaching hospitals in 2012. Materials and Methods: This was an applied, cross-sectional and analytical-descriptive study conducted in two phases. In the first phase, to determine the factors affecting the human resource productivity from nurses' perspective, 110 nurses were selected using a two-stage cluster sampling method. Required data were collected using the Persian version of Hersey and Goldsmith's Human Resource Productivity Questionnaire. In the second phase, in order to prioritize the factors affecting human resource productivity based on the ACHIEVE model using AHP technique, pairwise comparisons matrices were given to the 19 randomly selected head nurses to express their opinions about those factors relative priorities or importance. Statistical Analysis Used: Collected data and matrices in two mentioned phases were analyzed using SPSS 15.0 and some statistical tests including Independent-Samples T-Test and Pearson Correlation coefficient, as well as, Super Decisions software (Latest Beta). Results: The human resource productivity had significant relationships with nurses' sex (P = 0.008), marital status (P < 0.001), education level (P < 0.001), and all questionnaire factors (P < 0.05). Nurses' productivity from their perspective was below average (44.97 ± 7.43). Also, the priorities of factors affecting the productivity of nurses based on the ACHIEVE model from the head nurses' perspective using AHP technique, from the highest priority to the lowest one, respectively, were: Clarity, Ability, Incentive, Evaluation, Help, Environment and Validity. Conclusions: According to the results and the priorities expressed by the head nurses in order to improve the productivity of nurses, providing the orientation, training and retraining courses for nurses, developing performance-based management systems and fair systems of reward and punishment, holding continuous performance evaluation and review meetings between individual nurses and their heads, increasing funding and improving organizational facilities, delegating authority to staff based on their abilities and capabilities, providing more welfare and recreational services and facilities such as nursery schools, transportation services, etc., for the nurses, esp. women nurses, are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper intends to establish a foundation that will permit an in-depth understanding of absenteeism in large-scale industrial construction. This type of construction currently suffers greatly from the negative impacts (e.g., productivity loss; cost and schedule overruns) of absenteeism. Taking into account the complexity of large-scale industrial construction (e.g., the long operational periods and the tremendous variety of trades and positions involved), a more systematic and comprehensive understanding of absenteeism is necessary. In an effort to address this issue, we developed a survey and an absenteeism tracking tool, both of which can be used in other industrial projects. To test their validity, a pilot project was established in an industrial multi-contractor enterprise in Alberta. The results of this project reveal the great potential of both the survey and tracking tool - it is evident that they can be applied to diverse industrial projects and enable an in-depth understanding of absenteeism. Further, the results have led to several findings (e.g., a significant amount of absences are not reported to supervisors in advance; the need to educate apprentices to avoid absences; and the fact that employees believe that fellow employees are more likely to be absent than themselves). The effects of different absence reduction and compensation policies currently practiced in industrial construction are also discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shipping was one of the most dynamic industries of the pre-industrial period. The article presents detailed estimates of the growth of output and inputs of the shipping industry in the Netherlands between 1500 and 1800. These are used to study the development of productivity in two ways: by comparing output with inputs (labour and capital), and by analysing the relationship between output prices and input prices. Both methods lead to different results, which we explain. It appears that productivity in this sector increased strongly between ca. 1550 and 1620 as a result of technological and institutional changes, such as the increased efficiency of the network of shipping routes. After 1620 labour productivity continued to increase because of factor substitution as wages increased much more than capital costs. The competitiveness of the Dutch shipping sector did not improve anymore after ca. 1650, however, which helps to explain why its rapid growth came to an end in the second half of the 17th century. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Using the manufacturing sector data at the three-digit level, the paper examines whether the degree of competition improves productivity in developing countries. The degree of competition is measured through markups while productivity is measured through total factor productivity (TFP) and labor productivity. All are computed by industries. Taking account of endogeneity issues and of the role of relevant control variables, the results show that in Jordan and Morocco, markup has a significant and negative impact on productivity growth. In Egypt, while markup does not seem to affect productivity growth, a decrease in the share of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in a given industry has a significant and positive impact on productivity growth. In general, the existence of State-Owned Enterprises is an obstacle to competition. We conclude that the greater the degree of competition, the higher the productivity in the three countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equal labour cost competitiveness can be achieved in different environments across the spectrum, for example: high productivity combined with high unit labour costs as in Japan, medium productivity combined with medium unit labour costs, low productivity combined with low unit labour costs as in China. Shipbuilding output is generally measured by the "delivered" CGT within a year, based upon the combined CGT value of all vessels delivered within the year under consideration. CGT is a broad-brush measure of work content and is based upon the Gross Tonnage or Dwt of a vessel, adjusted by a compensation factor to reflect the relative complexity of the vessel (hull, machinery and outfit) for different vessel types and sizes. Labour productivity can be monitored in broad-brush terms by the CGT output per person, however, given the varying labour resourcing structures, this needs to include both employees and sub-contract numbers. Where total yard employment is taken into account a gross productivity is determined, reflecting the labour efficiency of supporting operations such as marketing, procurement, business management and administration, as well as production activities. A metric that has been used by the global shipbuilding industry for a number of years is man hours/compensated gross ton (MH/CGT). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper concerns a research in the sectors of Dressmaking and of Food and Drinks on the impact of the classic techniques of Industrial Engineering in the productivity. Almost 90 chiefs or responsible for this professional area were interviewed. The positive and negative impacts, in accordance with the effect on the company, the workpeople and the clients, are registered. The results show positive effects on productivity and production. also it was found that there is not major opposition from workers and unions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the classic literature of multi-sector small open economy, there are two, competing hypotheses on growth. Findlay and Grubert (1959) showed that productivity growth in one sector affects the factor intensity of all sectors. Rybczynski (1955) presents the long run growth effects of endowment accumulations. Focusing on the most open small economy, this paper tests the two hypotheses directly by estimating the relative contributions at the industry level for Singapore. Results suggest that productivity contributes more in the electronics industry, but domestic endowments matter more in other industries. This paper is also the first to present evidence on the Findlay-Grubert effect by showing that the productivity growth of the electronics industry pushes up the capital-labor ratios of all industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the determinants of productivity in Indian manufacturing industries during the period 1988-2000. Using two-digit industry level data for the Indian states, we find evidence of imperfect interindustry and interstate labor mobility as well as misallocation of resources across industries and states. We find that trade liberalization increases productivity in all industries across all states. Productivity is also found to be higher in the less protected industries. These effects of protection and trade liberalization are more pronounced in states that have relatively more flexible labor markets. Similar effects are also found in the case of employment, capital stock and investment. Furthermore, we find that labor market flexibility, independent of other policies, has a positive effect on productivity. Importantly, per capita state development expenditure seems to be the strongest and the most robust predictor of productivity, employment, capital stock and investment. Industrial delicensing increases both labor productivity and employment but only in the states with flexible labor market institutions. Even after controlling for delicensing, trade liberalization is shown to have a productivity-enhancing effect. Finally, trade liberalization benefits most the export-oriented industries located in states with flexible labor-market institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As health care costs increased significantly in the 1990s, investments in information technology (IT) in the health care industry have also increased continuously in order to improve the quality of patient care and to respond to government pressure to reduce costs. Several studies have investigated the impact of IT on productivity with mixed conclusions. In this paper, we revisit this issue and re-examine the impact of investments in IT on hospital productivity using two data mining techniques, which allowed us to explore interactions between the input variables as well as conditional impacts. The results of our study indicated that the relationship between IT investment and productivity is very complex. We found that the impact of IT investment is not uniform and the rate of IT impact varies contingent on the amounts invested in the IT Stock, Non-IT Labor, Non-IT Capital, and possibly time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does dismantling bathers to moving production offshore mean that jobs will actually flee to low-wage countries? The labor movement says yes, but many mainstream economists reject this "pauper labor argument," insisting that wages are low only where productivity is low, and so low wages do not motivate firms to relocate. We argue that this mainstream view is wrong both empirically and theoretically The available data strongly suggest that unit labor costs (ULCs) differ widely among countries, and ULCs appear on average to be lower in poor countries. We argue, further, that low wages are indeed an independent source of competitiveness, because firms often carry a significant portion of their productivity with them, allowing them to achieve ULCs in the host country below the existing average there. We also comment on Harrison and McMillan's (2006) paper on these issues, and sketch an alternative framework for analyzing relationships among wages, productivity, and the relocation of production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human resource today has a strategic role for productivity increase of any organization, and this makes it superior in the industrial competition. With the effective and optimum usage of it, all the advantages supplied by the productivity growth can be obtained. This usage is just possible by establishing clear and understandable criteria for the factors affecting labour. Therefore, it is aimed in this study that the factors influencing construction labour productivity in Turkey are determined, defined, and examined in detail. A survey was applied to 82 firms to obtain required data. According to results, the most effective factors group is organizational factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the period of 1978-2003, this paper examines the relationship between changing productivity and demographic characteristics of Japan's labor force. The results of this study reveal four important and interesting characteristics of the Japanese labor force. First, there is a negative relationship between productivity growth and turnover rates. Second, the participation rate of younger workers in the labor force has declined; this has resulted in a decline in the percentage of younger workers (15-34 years old). Third, the gender distribution of the labor force has not changed in any significant way. Fourth, the unemployment rate has increased by more than four times. These labor force changes have contributed to fluctuations in productivity growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper formulates and compares parametric productivity estimates and non-parametric efficiency scores for urban rail firms. It outlines a decomposition of total factor productivity (TFP) change and proposed some hypotheses about how this relates to an analysis of efficiency using data envelopment analysis (DEA). TFP is empirically evaluated using estimates from a translog production function. The estimation also tests some hypotheses about the elements that comprise firm specific ‘technology’. The results show that while estimates of returns to scale differ using the TFP and DEA methods, the ranking of urban rail efficiency is broadly similar. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Work-life conflict has a damaging effect on job satisfaction, organizational commitment, productivity turnover, and absenteeism. On an individual level, work-life conflict is associated with employee burnout, mental health issues, substance abuse, and diminished family functioning. Thus, work-life balance is an important issue to the construction industry, in terms of both organizational effectiveness and occupational health. Long and inflexible work hours are the most consistent predictor of work-life conflict among construction employees, particularly those working on-site or in a project office. There is considerable resistance to the adoption of new ways of scheduling work within the industry. This paper describes the post hoc evaluation of a compressed work week (reducing the length of the working week, but increasing the length of the working day) in a case study project alliance in Queensland, Australia. Quantitative and qualitative data are presented to demonstrate the beneficial impact of the initiative on employees’ work-life balance. The evaluation provides prima facie evidence that alternative work schedules can improve construction employees’ work-life balance, creating benefits for construction employees and organizations. The paper concludes that project alliances provide an ideal environment in which work-life balance initiatives can help to create high-performance work systems in the construction sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to analyze the value of the experience and expertise of assembly-line workers. For many decades, It has been thought that this value is high and that product quality and the productivity of the workers is due to the repetitive nature of their activities. However, the potential value that could be created on the basis of repetition could find itself up against worker resistance. The hypothesis has been analyzed using two assembly lines. The first of these did not require specialized workers, but the second one did. The conclusion reached is that if we change expert workers for others who are less skilled, product defects would only increase when the jobs require the worker to be highly specialized. The value of experience would not lead to improving product quality but to the workers being able to perform their job more comfortably and easily. Therefore, assembly line management needs to review the seniority and specialization incentives, because workers prefer to use the value of their experience for achieving greater levels of ease and comfort rather than improving the quality or productivity of the company. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The goal of this analysis was to evaluate the impact of gout, a painful inflammatory arthritis condition, on an employed population's health-related work absence and objectively measured productivity output. Methods: Payroll, demographic, medical, pharmaceutical, sick leave, short- and long-term disability, and workers' compensation data were collected from multiple large employers with employees widely dispersed across the United States. Data were collected during the time period of 2001 to 2004 from approximately 300,000 employees. Objective productivity output data were also available for a subset of employees (captured electronically in the form of units of work processed per person). T-tests and chi-square tests were used to compare demographic data. Two-stage multivariate regression models were used to compare annual work absence and at-work productivity between employees with and without gout, while controlling for group differences indemographics, salary, other work-related variables, and comorbidities (using the Charlson Comorbidity Index). Results: The annual prevalence of gout was 4.7 per 1000 employees from 2001 to 2004. Employees with gout had 4.56 more annual absence days for all categories of health-related work absence than those without gout. Objective productivity (units of work processed) results were only available for a small subsample of employees (86 with gout and 27,472 without gout). Employees with gout processed 3.51% fewer units per hour worked and 2.38% fewer units per year than employees without gout (nonsignificant at P = 0.49 and P = 0.78, respectively). Conclusion: This study suggests that gout has a substantial impact on work absence and may also negatively impact productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of recent studies have illustrated the link between health and economic growth. This paper argues that a key mechanism through which health affects growth is via total factor productivity (TFP). We first estimate TFP based on a production function and then estimate the determinants of TFP, paying particular attention to three indicators of health that are particularly problematic in developing regions: malnutrition, malaria and water borne diseases. We find the impact of poor health on TFP to be negative, significant, and robust across a wide variety of specifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncertainty and risk have contributed to the reluctance of U.S. homebuilders to embrace new construction technologies. This paper explores one innovative, but underutilized building technology, structural insulated panels (SIPs), and its impact on the residential construction process. The paper presents findings from a side-by-side case study of the construction of two Habitat for Humanity homes, one SIP and one conventional wood-framing. Although the study focuses on labor productivity and cycle time during framing, other key construction performance metrics are assessed including worker safety, quality/workmanship, material waste, worker skill levels, and equipment requirements. Findings indicate that SIPs saved about two-thirds of the site framing labor for walls and roofs, with cycle time savings of similar magnitude. No significant impacts on other construction performance metrics were observed, however, size of the panels did require a lift truck and construction crane. While conclusions are limited by the scope of the case study, the writers believe that building with SIPs can be very efficient. The paper identifies key actions required of builders and SIP manufacturers to maximize potential benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the cyclical behavior of labor productivity in eighty industries of the Chilean manufacturing sector in the 1979-2001 period. We find that labor productivity at the sector-level is procyclical but it is a-cyclical when using aggregate data. We provide an analytical and empirical explanation for this divergence. We also use an econometric model to quantify the determinants of productivity. The results indicate that technology shocks account for one half of productivity growth, thus supporting the supply shocks hypothesis as the main source of business cycles in Chile. The other 50% of the productivity changes is explained by reallocation of resources from less to more productive sectors as well as the presence of increasing returns. Variations in factor utilization were insignificant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge-based economic approach becomes the main developmental leverage for the global economy. In this sense, increasing the productivity, the skill qualification of manpower, the national competitive advantages, and attaining sustainable development with stabilisation of growth rates depend upon the use of information and communication technologies within the realm of the targets of knowledge-based economic policies. Turkey has no other chance of fulfilling the requirements for the adequate transformation to the knowledge-based economic guidance. The formation of the information society is the primary requisite for the conduct of a knowledge-based economy, and this, in turn, implies an integration of social mechanisms, social policy and cultural environment into the new economic framework. Thus Turkey faces a difficult task to fulfil. At present, there exist even risks of missing the chance to play an effective part in the global knowledge circulation. Developing a national knowledge policy requires joint efforts of the organisations of social life and the government, at the mutual platform of which issues will be discussed thoroughly. In that respect, the creation of common national values depends upon the intensified global activities of the country in producing, processing, sharing and managing knowledge. A national knowledge policy would optimise the utility of gaining competitive advantages, stabilising economic growth and to make economic development of the country sustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although labour productivity problems are thought of as a factor mainly caused by the lack of commitment by the labour force, it essentially arises by a process in which several parameters are interrelated such as the effects of legislation, management and labour responsibility. In the present study, the method of Labour Productivity Management by Ratio (WPMR) was used to assess labour productivity at the lignite mining company, GLE-Turkey, since this method takes into account the factors affecting labour productivity. The method was applied to the stripping area of GLE-Turkey in order to measure and interpret the labour productivity in this mine. A major conclusion of the present investigation was that labour productivity at GLE was found to be lower than should be expected. It was also found that most of the labour productivity losses were related to both legislative restrictions and the lack of management and supervision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug use has been shown to have a negative affect on both job safety and productivity. Due to the high accident rates in the construction industry it is vital for management to take necessary steps to implement programs and procedures that will increase construction safety and worker productivity. While the effects of a drug-related jobsite accident can be catastrophic for individuals and companies, management should realize that drug use among employees can be damaging to moral, productivity, and quality even if it does not result in accidents. The level of teamwork required for excellent work is harder to achieve and efforts to improve project management by team building are hurt by the absenteeism and short-term employment typical of the employee that abuses drugs. Other areas where the project management of a construction company is compromised by worker drug use are recruitment and retention of human resources, career growth management, and safety. Drug testing construction workers is an effective method for reducing the number of impaired workers on a project site, increasing overall project safety, worker morale, productivity, and profits. There are ethical and legal questions on both sides of the issue and any such management initiative must be balanced with worker rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this technical note is to illustrate the application of fuzzy expert systems to the modeling of a practical problem—that of predicting the labor productivity of two common industrial construction activities: rigging pipe and welding pipe. This note illustrates how to develop and test such a model, given the realistic constraints of subjective assessments, multiple contributing factors, and limitations on data sets. The factors that affect the productivity of each activity are identified, and fuzzy membership functions and expert rules are developed. The models are validated using data collected from an actual construction project. The resulting models are found to have high linguistic prediction accuracies. This note is of relevance to researchers by demonstrating how a fuzzy expert system can be developed and tested. It is of relevance to industry practitioners by illustrating how fuzzy logic and expert systems modeling can be exploited to help them solve real world problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with analysis of labour productivity -- both individual and agregate -- in companies that integrate the shoemaking industry cluster in Franca, State of São Paulo, Brazil. It was an exploratory research limited to a non-statistical sample composed of 16 companies, two of them were large companies, seven were medium sized companies, and seven were small companies. Descriptive statistics and statistical inference techniques were applied (bivariate correlation test). The results showed that there is no evidence of homogeneity in labour performance productivity among companies that integrate the cluster, once they are unequal, non simetrical, showing that the shoemaking industry in Franca is closer to an assembly of similar companies than a cluster. This shows that there is a need for investment in management training in order to allow for the development of a cluster, which would in turn result in colective and dynamic competitive advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines economies of scale and density in urban rail transport. It isolates the effects of constant and non-constant returns on output and productivity growth using data relating to 17 rail systems in cities around the world. Estimates reveal constant returns to scale but increasing returns to density. The productivity model shows that total factor productivity change has been of great importance in differentiating the output performance of urban rail systems. Our analysis of average labour productivity confirms the importance of shifts to other factors of production and technological change in explaining changing levels of output per worker. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Has office productivity been stagnant in recent years, despite massive spending on information technology (IT)? This concern has been raised in both academic publications and the business trade press. This article examines the basis for that concern, which, if true, would have profound implications for both IT researchers and practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study, based on seven different samples involving 1005 employees, examines whether IS and non-IS people are or should be managed differently. How IS and non-IS people are managed is measured by three sets of managerial activities: (1) enriching the job, (2) attending to interpersonal relations, involving the employee, and reinforcing work behavior, and (3) attending to production and targeting work behavior. Two research questions are asked: (1) Do work-unit environments differ for IS and non-IS people? (2) Is the relationship of work-unit environment to productivity different for IS and non-IS people? The findings of this study support the conclusion that IS and non-IS employees at the same occupational level are not and should not be managed differently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The majority of climate impact studies focus on changes in yields for a four staple crops. • There has been little research into climate change and farm labor productivity. • Research into climate impacts on knowledge capital is needed. • Climate change impacts on people in the tropics outweigh that on crops. • Ignoring labor impacts understates losses in the world's poorest countries. This paper provides a critical assessment of the literature estimating the consequences of climate impacts in agriculture and the food system. This literature focuses overwhelmingly on the impact of elevated CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere, higher temperatures and changing precipitation on staple crop yields. While critically important for food security, we argue that researchers have gravitated to measuring impacts 'under the streetlight' where data and models are plentiful. We argue that prior work has largely neglected the vast majority of potential economic impacts of climate change on agriculture. A broader view must extend the impacts analysis to inputs beyond land, including the consequences of climate change for labor productivity, as well as for purchased intermediate inputs. Largely overlooked is the impact of climate change on the rate of total factor productivity growth and the potential for more rapid depreciation of the underlying knowledge capital underpinning this key driver of agricultural output growth. This broader view must also focus more attention on non-staple crops, which, while less important from a caloric point of view, are critically important in redressing current micronutrient deficiencies in many diets around the world. The paper closes with numerical simulations that demonstrate the extent to which limited input and output coverage of climate impacts can lead to considerable underestimation of the consequences for food security and economic welfare. Of particular significance is the finding that humans in the humid tropics are likely more vulnerable to heat stress than are many of the well-adapted crops, such as rice. By omitting the impact of heat stress on humans, most studies of climate impacts greatly understate the welfare losses in the world's poorest economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The measured mile/baseline method has been widely accepted to quantify labor productivity loss, which is demonstrated by comparing the impacted and unimpacted/lightly impacted portions of the work. Although the distinctions between these portions of a project can at times be identified through a cause and effect analysis, on many projects this distinction is not readily observable. For those projects, researchers and professionals have developed various procedures to implement the measured mile/baseline calculations, but shortcomings in those procedures can result in the failure to objectively identify the baseline. In this paper, a method based on basic statistical techniques is proposed to determine a baseline that represents the contractor's normal operating performance, thus overcoming many of weaknesses in the existing methods. This paper will provide construction professionals and engineers with an objective approach to determine the productivity baseline, thus aiding in the resolution of labor productivity loss claims. Further, this new method avoids the arbitrary baseline sample size and the possibility of multiple competing solutions in existing methods. A numerical example is included to compare the results using different methods and demonstrate the advantages of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction industry is labor intensive by nature; consequently, the measurement of trade-level productivity is a critical component that can be used to assess the overall productivity of the industry. Despite its importance, little research has been conducted to investigate the challenges that contractors and subcontractors face in measuring productivity accurately at the trade level. As a result, this study aims to identify critical challenges in the measurement of trade-level productivity and to explore plausible solutions for these challenges in order to improve productivity assessment in the industry. On the basis of an extensive literature review and a survey and interviews with industry experts, a total of 17 critical challenges and 24 plausible solutions were identified and analyzed statistically. The findings from this study will help to shed light on the difficulties that contractors and subcontractors encounter during trade-level productivity measurement, and will identify solutions that can be used effectively to deal with these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]