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Purpose This paper aims to examine the competitiveness trends and rankings of the Irish dairy sector at the farm and trade levels, relative to selected European Union (EU) Member States, in the context of the removal of the EU milk quota in 2015. Design/methodology/approach Competitiveness indicators including partial productivity measures and accountancy-based indicators were used for farm competitiveness, and net export market share and normalised revealed comparative advantage (NRCA) were used for export competitiveness. Findings Amongst the countries examined, Ireland had the highest growth in partial productivity indicators and was ranked first with the lowest total costs and cash costs per kg of milk solids post-quota. However, the total economic cost sub-components showed that Irish dairy farmers had high opportunity costs for owned land and labour. While Irish dairy products such as butter and powders have demonstrated growth potential in competitiveness post-quota with Irish butter and whey ranked in top three relative to other countries, other products, i.e. cheese and liquid milk have declined in competitiveness according to key export competitiveness indicators used. Practical implications The challenge for Irish dairy farmers is how to mitigate relatively high land and labour costs, which can limit farm competitiveness in the long run. The key players in the Irish dairy industry can now better position themselves in the global dairy market, recognizing the competitiveness dynamics of the different dairy products and their competitors. Policy implications and further areas of research have been identified to help improve the overall competitiveness position. It is surprising that Irish butter is a leader in the EU, yet not much research has been done to understand the market dynamics of this sector. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first of its kind to use both farm and export competitiveness measures to analyse the Irish dairy industry relative to other countries in the context of quota abolition. Unlike previous studies on dairy export competitiveness, this study has disaggregated the processed dairy products, which allowed for the ranking of countries and comparability across countries using NRCA.

Over the past 3 decades India has emerged as the 2nd largest producer and consumer of steel globally, as its domestic crude steel production capacity expanded by a multiple of 6.5, from 22 million tonne in 1990–91 to 142 million tonne in 2018–19. Competitiveness of the Indian steel industry, measured by total factor productivity growth over the past 3 decades, however, does not indicate a significant break from the decade prior to the economic reforms of 1991. The Translog index shows a lower growth for the entire period following 1991, and improves marginally only for the period 2002–03 to 2017–18. Partial productivity, both for labour as well as capital, shows an improvement for the period of study. Of the structural change parameters for the industry, trade integration and change in technological route of production emerge as significant variables impacting total factor productivity index.

Under the limited cultivated land area and the pursuit of sustainable agricultural development, it is essential for the safety of grain production to study agricultural management approaches on narrowing the winter wheat yield gap and improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in China. In this study, DSSAT-CERES-Wheat Model is used to simulate winter wheat yield under different agricultural treatments, and we analyze yield gaps and NUE with different management scenarios at regional scales and evaluate the suitable approaches for reducing yield gap and increasing NUE. The results show that, the potential of narrowing yield gap ranges 300–900 kg ha–1 with soil nutrients increase, 400–1 200 kg ha–1 with sowing date adjustment and 0–400 kg ha–1 with planting density increase as well as 700–2 200 kg ha–1 with adding nitrogen fertilizer. Contribution rates of management measures of soil nutrients, sowing date adjusting, planting density, and nitrogen fertilizers are 5–15%, 5–15%, 0–4%, and 10–20%, respectively. Difference in nitrogen partial productivity ranges 3–10 kg kg–1 for soil nutrients, 1–10 kg kg–1 for sowing date adjusting, 1–5 kg kg–1 for planting density increase, and –12–0 kg kg–1 for adding nitrogen fertilizers, respectively. It indicates that four treatments can narrow yield gap and improve the NUE in varying degrees, but increasing nitrogen fertilizer leads to the decrease of NUE.

Optimal planting density and proper fertilization method are important factors to improve maize yield and nutrient utilization. A two-year (2016 and 2017) field experiment was conducted with three plant densities (6.0, 7.5 and 9.0 plants m–2) and three fertilization modes (no fertilizer, 0F; one-off application of slow-released fertilizer, SF; twice application of conventional fertilizer, CF). Results indicated that the grain yields and N, P and K use efficiencies under SF with the optimal planting density (7.5 plants m–2) were the highest among all the treatments in 2016 and 2017. Compared with CF, SF could increase post-silking dry matter accumulation and promote N, P and K uptake at pre- and post-silking stages; this treatment increased grain N, P and K concentrations and resulted in high N, P and K use efficiencies. Nutrient (N, P and K) absorption efficiencies and partial productivity, and nutrient (N and P) recovery efficiency in SF treatment were significantly higher than those in CF treatments under the planting density of 7.5 plants m–2. Under both SF and CF conditions, the grain yield, total N accumulation and nutrient use efficiencies initially increased, peaked at planting density of 7.5 plants m–2, and then decreased with increasing plant density. Based on the yield and nutrient use efficiency in two years, plant density of 7.5 plants m–2 with SF can improve both the grain yield and N, P and K use efficiency of spring maize in Jiangsu Province, China.

El presente documento investiga los efectos del consumo de energía en la productividad del capital utilizando la producción de travesaños en el sector agrícola de Irán, mediante el método econométrico apropiado, que es el retraso distribuido autorregresivo (ARDL). Asimismo, el método de esta investigación es descriptivo y utiliza métodos relacionados con los objetivos. Los hallazgos muestran que la relación de consumo de energía per cápita en la relación a largo plazo es -3,8, lo que significa que la productividad del capital disminuye alrededor del 4% para un aumento del uno por ciento en el consumo de energía per cápita. En este estudio, los factores que afectan la productividad energética se han estudiado en el sector agrícola durante 1990-2016 en Irán. En este sentido, la productividad energética se calculó primero utilizando un indicador de productividad parcial. Los resultados revelaron que la productividad energética en el sector agrícola aumentó en promedio 1,1% por año durante el período de estudio. El promedio de la fuerza laboral por unidad de capital y el capital humano promedio por unidad no afecta la productividad del capital, por lo que el consumo promedio de energía por unidad de capital afecta la productividad del capital.

Resenha do livro:GOLDBERG, Adele E. Explain me this: Creativity, Competitione, and the Partial Productivity of Constructions, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2019.

Comprehensive screening of rice (Oryza sativa L. subsp. japonica Kato) germplasm resources with different nitrogen (N) efficiency levels is effective for improving N use efficiency (NUE) while reducing pollution and providing high quality, yield, and efficiency agriculture. We investigated 14 indices of 38 varieties under three N application levels to assess differences among genotypes. Rice varieties were classified for screening and identifying N efficient. Descriptive statistical analysis results indicated significant differences in relative yield, and also in NUE indices (agronomic utilization rate and partial productivity of N fertilizer). The genotype main effects and genotype–environment interaction effects (GGE) biplot analysis was used to evaluate suitable varieties, compare the stable and high yield capabilities of different varieties, find the ideal variety, and describe the correlation, discrimination and representativeness of the indices under different N application levels. Descriptive statistical, discrimitiveness and representativeness and factor analysis were used to select indices, in which the panicle number per plant and soil and plant analyzer development (SPAD) value were the key indices for evaluation and identification. Heatmap and hierarchical cluster analysis based on the average value of evaluation indices, and scatter plot based on the comprehensive value of N efficiency (P) according to formula showed that all varieties could be divided into five types under different N treatments. Our findings work toward developing N efficient rice varieties to improve NUE, reduce N fertilizer application and thus N waste, consequently mitigating the effects of rice production on the environment to ensure food security and sustainable agricultural development.

This study aims to identify the partial productivity index and performance measurement in order to make efforts to increase the productivity of the production section at PT. X Surayaba which produces reinforcing steel using a rolling mill with POSPAC method and Performance Prism. Through productivity measurement POSPAC method obtained fluctuating results every month in each indicator the highest productivity ratio in the labor indicator in the July period with a productivity ratio of 76.96 and a productivity index of 123%, for the measurement of the lowest productivity in the product indicator the value of the productivity ratio of 0.61 and the productivity index of 87%. Through the Performance Prism method it is known that labor indicators need to be improved because based on KPI values only get a value of 29% due to low disciplinary factors and less effective at work. Keywords: productivity, production, performance, prism, effective

This paper provides parametric estimates of technical change, efficiency change, economies of scale, and total factor productivity growth for large banks (those with assets in excess of $1 billion) in the United States, over the period from 2000 to 2005. This is done by estimating an output distance function subject to theoretical regularity within a Bayesian framework. We find that failure to incorporate theoretical regularity conditions results in mismeasured shadow revenue and/or cost shares, which in turn leads to perverse conclusions regarding productivity growth. Our results from the regularity-constrained model show that total factor productivity of the large US banks grew at an average rate of 1.98% over the sample period. However, our estimates also show a clear downward trend in the growth rate of total factor productivity and our decomposition of the primal Divisia total factor productivity growth index into its three components – technical change, efficiency change, and economies of scale – indicates that technical change is the driving force behind this decline.

Long−term excessive nitrogen fertilizer input has resulted in several environmental problems, including an increase in N2O emissions and the aggravation of nitrate leaching; monitoring nitrogen fertilizer is crucial for maize with high yield. This study aimed to optimize the amount of nitrogen applied to maize by Climate−Smart Agriculture (CSA) so as to continuously improve agricultural productivity and reduce or eliminate N2O emissions as much as possible. Field experiments with a completely randomized design were conducted to examine the effects of six nitrogen treatments (N application levels of 0, 120, 180, 240, 300, 360 kg·ha−1, respectively) on N2O emissions, residual concentration of nitrate and ammonium nitrogen, maize yield, and nitrogen utilization efficiency in 2018 and 2019. The results indicated that the residual concentration of nitrate nitrogen (NO3-−N) in the two seasons significantly increased; N2O emissions significantly increased, and the nitrogen fertilizer agronomic efficiency and partial productivity of maize fell dramatically as the nitrogen application rate increased. The maize grain yield rose when the N application amount was raised (N application amount −1) but decreased when the N application amount > 300 kg·ha−1. An increase in the nitrogen application rate can decrease nitrogen use efficiency, increase soil NO3-−N residual, and N2O emissions. Reasonable nitrogen application can increase maize yield and reduce N2O emissions and be conducive to improving nitrogen use efficiency. By considering summer maize yield, nitrogen use efficiency, and farmland ecological environment, 173.94~178.34 kg N kg·ha−1 could be utilized as the nitrogen threshold for summer maize in the North China Plain.

El cultivo de plátano, es importante por el aporte que genera en la socio-economía y seguridad alimentaria de Ecuador, suministrar alimentos ricos en energía a la mayor parte de la población. Además, se hace necesario realizar manejos de la fertilización que permitan una mejor utilización de este recurso e incrementar los rendimientos. Por ello, se evaluó la fertilización con magnesio en plátano ‘Barraganete’ (Musa AAB), en El Carmen, Manabí, Ecuador. La investigación se condujo en la Granja Experimental ¨Rio Suma¨, Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí, Extensión en El Carmen, ubicada a 260 msnm, temperatura promedio de 24 ºC, precipitación anual de 2.600 mm. Se aplicaron seis niveles de MgO (0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125 kg·ha-1) para conocer su efecto sobre la morfo-fisiología y el rendimiento de las plantas. Se utilizó un diseño de bloques completamente al azar con seis tratamientos y tres repeticiones; la siembra se realizó con un distanciamiento de 2,50 m x 1,80 m (2.222 plantas·ha-1), evaluadas como medidas repetidas en el tiempo las variables de crecimiento vegetativo. Los resultados demostraron diferencias en todas las variables morfo-fisiológicas lo que demostró que la fertilización con 30% de MgO afectó el crecimiento de las plantas; no obstante, las variables reproductivas no fueron afectadas por las dosis aplicadas; la dosis de 25 kg·ha-1 generaron los mejores rendimientos, eficiencia agronómica y factor parcial de productividad.

Apple production provides smallholders with low economic benefits, while high environmental emissions limit the sustainability of the apple supply chain. Furthermore, coordination to achieve greater economic benefits and environmental protection, thereby improving the sustainability of the apple supply chain, remains underdeveloped. Here, we have analyzed the current status of the economic benefits and environmental emissions of the apple production process and explored the level of collaboration within the apple supply chain, based on an analysis of farmer horticultural practices for high production, high economic benefit, and low environmental emissions, in combination with substance flow analysis. Our study showed that compared with traditional practice, high-yielding, high-efficiency practice allowed fruit yield, partial productivity of nitrogen fertilizer, and economic benefit to increase by 33%, 61% and 49%, respectively, while soil nitrogen residue levels decreased by 13%. The improvement and adoption of technology in the apple-planting process significantly improved the sustainability of the apple supply chain: the economic benefit increased by 63%, while the nitrogen footprint decreased by approximately 68%. Additionally, the application of integrated nutrient management technology in the apple planting process significantly improved the sustainability of apple production, thereby synergistically improving the economic and environmental impact of the apple supply chain.

Due to their beneficial, stimulating impact on plant growth, productivity, and alleviating environmental stresses, protein hydrolysates have recently received increasing attention as a possible substitute. This investigation aimed to explore the effects of foliar application of papain-produced whey protein hydrolysates (WPH) on the yield attributes and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of soft wheat. Wheat plants were cultivated under a Mediterranean arid environment and received four soil nitrogen (N) fertilization levels with ammonium nitrate (145, 185, 215, and 250 kg N ha−1) and compared to control treatment and urea foliar application. WPH increased grain yield, yield attributes, and N accumulation in wheat plants. Partial productivity factors of applied nitrogen, as NUE indicators under relatively steady-state cropping systems, were also enhanced by WPH compared to control treatment. WPH significantly improved flag leaf area, spike number m−2, and grain yield compared to urea foliar application. Increasing the soil N fertilization level from 145 up to 215 kg N ha−1 was accompanied by significant increases in all yield traits and N accumulation measurements, except for the partial factor productivity of applied N, which decreased. A strong positive association was detected among grain and straw yields, their attributes, and total N uptake. Results highlighted the efficacy of WPH in increasing wheat yield and NUE.

This research aims to know the productivity of palm oil processing, evaluated the productivity and give solutions improved productivity of palm oil processing in PTPN V Sungai Pagar district of Kampar Kiri Kampar Regency. The productivity measurement method used is the Marvin E. Mundel method. Measurement of productivity by setting the month of January 2016 as the basis period of the partial results obtained the highest productivity index of 160.13% February 2017 for depreciation, amounting to 132.16% July 2016 for materials, amounting to 258.26% January 2017 for labor, of 273.12% January 2017 for energy, amounted to 263.04% and September 2016 for maintenance.While the lowest partial productivity index of 93.93% December 2017 for depreciation, amounting to 94.07% February 2017 for the material, to 65.00% June 2016 for labor, of 66.25%, June 2016 for energy, and of 67.43% April 2016 for maintenance. The highest total productivity index was reached in February, 2017 of 133.70% and lowest in February 2016 of 94.24%. Solutions for increasing the productivity of palm oil processing: 1) increasing the number of FFB processed by paying attention to the quality of the fruit to be received 2) improving control of employee work, 3) making service schedules for PKS machines and equipment, 4) processing activities carried out in accordance with the maximum hours of processing PKS, 5) repair of production floor and loading ramp, 6) hold socialization in KUD/farmer groups and communities around PKS area, 7) improve company relations with partners, and 8) make improvements to the division of work shifts.

The purpose of this study is centered on measuring the total and partial productivity of customs companies using the American Productivity Center (Apc) Method and the Craig-Harris Productivity Method where the difference between the two is the Craig-Harris Productivity Method directly measures the level of total efficiency obtained from company growth. overall while the American Productivity Center (Apc) method is a measurement to determine the level of the productivity index, profitability and price improvements. The results obtained from measurements in 2018 to 2019 for twenty-four periods are the productivity index of the APC model, the largest decrease in index occurred in capital input in April 2019, which decreased by 22.06%, while with the Craig-Harris Method the largest decrease in productivity figures occurred in power input. Employment in June 2019 decreased by 25.077% from the initial period. From the results of the two methods, there are differences in measurement results, namely the largest decrease in APC occurs in the Capital variable, while the largest decrease in the Craig-Harris Method occurs in Labor and the smallest decrease in productivity occurs in Material input.

This study analyzes the impact of gender on the agricultural productivity and sustainability in Cameroon using data from the third survey of households in Cameroon called ECAM3. This study uses two models. To show the effect of gender on the partial productivity of producers, the model of the productivity function is used. To show the effect of gender on the agricultural sustainability, the decomposition model is used to explain the differences that exist between men and women in their involvement to sustainable agriculture. The results show that being man has a significant and positive impact at 1% on overall agricultural productivity. Moreover, the women are less involved than men in the agricultural sustainability, despite their poor access to technology, to use of labor hand, in credit, to the land, which makes their productivity weak.

In China, the quantity of nitrogen fertilizer applied is large, but as a consequence of a high level of loss, its utilization rate is low. Compared to common rice, the new giant rice has interesting characteristics, namely high biological yield and good efficient use of fertilizer. However, it becomes urgent to further consider the appropriate rate of nitrogen fertilizer to be applied. The giant rice varieties Feng5 and Feng6 were set up in a pot experiment and a field experiment under five doses of nitrogen fertilizers, namely, 0 kg&middot, ha&minus, 1 (CK), 75 kg&middot, 1 (T1), 150 kg&middot, 1 (T2), 225 kg&middot, 1 (T3) and 300 kg&middot, 1 (T4). Parameters such as leaf area index (LAI), lodging index (LI), nitrogen utilization rate, photosynthesis rate and grain yield were measured. The results showed that with the increase of nitrogen dose in a certain range, LAI, plant height, the number of tillers, net photosynthetic rate (NPn), the transpiration rate (Tr), and the grain yield increased while the lodging index (LI), the nitrogen agronomic utilization rate (AE) and nitrogen partial productivity (PFPN) decreased. Additionally, with the increase of nitrogen application, the grain yield index (HI) and nitrogen contribution rate (FCRN) of rice presented a parabolic trend.

Resenha do livro Explain me This: Creativity, competition and partial productivity of constructions da Adele Goldberg

There are currently many problems related to excessive fertilizer application, low fertilizer-use efficiency and lack of an agricultural labor force for cotton production in China. Therefore, the objective of this paper was to explain the optimal application time for once fertilization based on cotton nutrient accumulation of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to provide technical support for simplified fertilization management in cotton production. A 2 yr field experiment and a 1 yr pot experiment were conducted with fertilizer (225, 67.5, and 225 kg ha−1 of N, P2O5, and K2O, respectively) applied once at 0 (FT1), 5 (FT2), 10 (FT3), 15 (FT4), or 20 (FT5) d after the appearance of the first flower and a triple application (preplant 30%, first bloom 40%, and peak bloom 30%) as the conventional control (FT6). The results showed that FT1 exhibited the greatest nutrient accumulation speed for both the average (5.81, 1.22, and 5.74 kg ha−1 of N, P2O5, and K2O, respectively) and the maximum (6.31, 1.44, and 6.24 kg ha−1 of N, P2O5, and K2O, respectively) during the fast accumulation period. Moreover, among the different treatments, FT1 exhibited the greatest nutrient recovery and partial productivity. The results suggest that applying the minimum amount of fertilizer at the appearance of the first flower is optimal for maximizing nutrient utilization while minimizing environmental disturbance.

The Malmquist-Luenberger (M-L) index has been used to assess environmental productivity growth with undesirable outputs, through applying directional distance function (DDF) to standard Malmquist productivity measurement. However, when calculating the cross-period DDFs, the M-L index has the same infeasibility problem as the Malmquist index does. To address this infeasibility problem, this paper discusses when infeasibility may happen and develops a modified M-L index that is based on a new DDF. We propose that the modified M-L index can be applied to assessing environmental performance at both macro- and micro-levels. At a macro-level, we evaluate China's growth in total factor productivity (TFP) from 1999 to 2012, accounting for undesirable impacts. The results show that technical change is the main driver of most TFP growth. The TFP changes support the status quo of a distinct gap in economic development among different regions. At a micro-level, we assess Chinese auto manufacturers’ environmental performance from 2005 to 2012. The results suggest that Chinese automakers have enjoyed a noticeable TFP improvement, and that technical change is the major contributor as well. Taking together, reducing air emissions and other pollutants is an effective way of improving environmental productivity. As demonstrated, the proposed modified M-L index has proved to be consistently feasible and guarantees non-negative reference targets for all metrics. As a result, we recommend the modified M-L index as a robust tool for solving the infeasibility problem that is typical in conventional index and for assessing productivity under environmental impacts.

The major aim of this research is to find the productivity in the food and beverage department in Mercure chain hotels in Egypt using the linear programming technique, stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) by using panel data for ten years results from year (2007) – (2016) from case study hotels. This study uses a parametric approach to measure the productivity especially in the last years. However, productivity management is a big challenge to organizations especially when the product is in the form of a service. This study aims at measure the food and beverage productivity. Design/ methodology/ approach. 1-The first phase empirical data was collected via a structured questionnaire from line staff and managers of Mercure hotels in Egypt 2-The second phase data was collected from the annual profit and loss statement of the above-mentioned hotels. Findings: this research accepted 2 factors which were (x1=external factors and x4 =management related factors and their hypothesis were then accepted, however the others factors were refuted in this empirical data which might let the door open to further research to find out why this factor were not significant; Research limitations/implications – Based on the research findings and their discussions, this study provides recommendations for future research in this area to examine the non-significant factors in anther hotels and in anther departments. Keywords: Employees productivity, Data envelopment analysis, (DEA), efficiency, labor productivity, Partial productivity, Mercure hotels, Food and Beverage, Performance (SFA) stochastic frontier analysis.

In multi-output settings, different types of inputs are simultaneously used in the production process. On the one hand, some inputs are jointly used to produce all (or a subset of) the outputs. These inputs give rise to economies of scope, which constitutes a prime economic motivation to produce multiple outputs. On the other hand, some inputs are allocated to specific output productions. Using nonparametric output-specific modeling of the production process, we propose a new productivity index for cost minimizing producers in these multi-output settings. The new index takes the form of a cost Malmquist productivity index. The output-specific modeling of the production process naturally allows us to define output-specific cost Malmquist productivity indexes and to disaggregate the cost Malmquist productivity index in terms of output-specific cost efficiency measurements. We also tackle the issue of input price availability and explain how to extend the cost Malmquist productivity index with partial input price information or without assuming observation of the input prices. In the latter case, we establish a duality with a technical productivity index that takes the form of a Malmquist productivity index. The new indexes can be used to evaluate cost-productivity and productivity changes or can be fairly easily combined with existing extensions. We propose an application to the electricity plants.

Field experiments were conducted in Chifeng of Inner Mongolia, China, in 2015 and 2016 to explore the potential of mulched drip fertigation (MDF) to improve yield and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) for corn. Six nitrogen (N) application levels under MDF were set: 0, 140, 190, 240, 290 and 340 kg ha−1 (i.e., MDFN0, MDFN140, MDFN190, MDFN240, MDFN290 and MDFN340), and a treatment under conventional furrow fertilization (CFN340) was added as control. The dynamic changes in soil nitrate N (NO3–N) residual and plant N uptake (NU) during corn growing season, the responses of NUE to N fertilizer supply and corresponding economic benefits were analyzed in this study. These tasks aimed to establish the optimal N rate under MDF, in particular to compare the widely used N rate of 340 kg ha−1 by the local producers of high yielding corn. Based on the results, the following conclusions could be drawn: (1) N rate significantly influenced the soil NO3–N residual and plant NU. When N rate was less than 190 kg ha−1, the soil NO3–N residual decreased each year. The soil NO3–N residual maintained balance between years when N rate measured 240 kg ha−1. By contrast, when N rate was higher than 290 kg ha−1, the soil NO3–N residual increased each year, furthermore, the NO3–N residual of 80–180 cm soil in harvest season under MDFN290 and MDFN340 increased by 26.9% and 48.4%, respectively, in comparison with that in MDFN240. When N rate ranged within 0–240 kg ha−1, each 50 kg ha−1 increase in N rate caused a 16.7% average improvement in total NU of corn. However, the increase rate of NU dropped until negative growth appeared at increased amount of N fertilizer. (2) All corn yields, net outputs, and N recovery efficiencies (NREs) tended to increase initially and then decrease with N rate increasing, and the optimal value of each index was obtained in MDFN240. The N fertilizer amount of MDFN240 decreased by 29.4% in comparison with that in MDFN340, but the yield, net output and NRE increased by 8.3%, 13.4% and 35.1%, respectively. Moreover, the MDFN240 treatment decreased the NO3–N residual of 80–180 cm soil by 49.2%. However, this increased the yield, net output and N partial productivity efficiency by 11.4%, 22.1% and 58.3%, respectively, in comparison with those of CFN340. (3) Based on the consideration of environment and optimal economic yield (15.6 Mg ha−1) computed by nitrogenous fertilizer effect function model, the N rate of 240–253 kg ha−1 under MDF for corn was more reasonable with NRE potentially reaching 61.6%–62.2%. MDF showed obvious advantages in reducing N fertilizer and improving NUE.

Idiomatic expressions are generally manifested as lexically fixed. Yet some expressions allow lexical variations in their open slots and thus show certain degree of productivity in actual use. How young children acquire the productive use of idiomatic expressions, however, has rarely been addressed in current literature. The present study explores the developmental trajectory in learning idiom productivity by targeting the quadra-syllabic schematic idioms in Chinese. Results of two Graded Acceptability Judgment tests showed that acquisition of the selective productivity of schematic idioms may undergo an interactive process shaped by its token frequency, structural complexity, inherent semantic relation and the chunk effect of its open morphemes at different age levels. Findings in the studies are further discussed in relation to the emergentist model in idiom learning.

This paper revisits the decades-old puzzle of the inverse plot-size productivity relationship, which states that land productivity decreases as plot size increases. Existing empirical studies on the inverse plot-size productivity relationship define land productivity or yields as self-reported production divided by plot size. This paper considers an alternative approach to estimating yields based on crop cuts. The crop-cut method entails measuring and harvesting randomly selected subplots by trained technicians, and is recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization for the accurate measurement of crop production. Using data representative of rural Ethiopia, the analysis indicates that the inverse relationship is strong when based on self-reported production, but disappears when based on crop-cut estimates. The inference from these findings is that the inverse relationship is an artifact of systematic overreporting of production by farmers on small plots, and underreporting on larger plots. The paper also discusses how rejecting the inverse plot-size productivity relationship has significant implications for the inverse farm-size productivity relationship.

This paper produces aggregate and industry estimates of total factor productivity (TFP) for New Zealand. TFP is estimated based on constant elasticity of substitution (CES) production functions that permit varying assumptions about factor augmentation and that allow for industry‐specific values of the elasticity of substitution between inputs. The CES approach simultaneously explains changes in labour share and output over time, and provides estimates of the contribution of capital and labour to productivity in New Zealand. The results suggest that negative capital‐augmenting technical change in several industries has weighed on productivity in New Zealand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technical research on energy productivity can support government officials as they evaluate practical energy policies for the future. This study proposed a parametric method to decompose China's energy productivity rate of change into six factors based on a theoretical stochastic frontier analysis. The method was applied to conduct an empirical study using inter-provincial panel data in China from 1995 to 2012. The results highlighted three key points. First, the general rate of change in energy productivity was mainly influenced by a steady positive rate of change in technical progress, combined with a steady negative rate of change in technical efficiency. The core factors causing fluctuations in energy productivity included: a positive rate of change in the substitution of capital and energy, and a negative rate of change in the substitution of labor and energy. Second, from a geographic perspective, provinces with a high rate of change in technical progress experienced a weaker deterioration in technical efficiency. However, the rate of change in technical efficiency tends to decline as the rate of change in technical progress increases. Third, there is a similar changing trend between the substitution of capital and energy and the substitution of labor and energy.

The Malmquist–Luenberger productivity index would cause infeasible problem when measuring mixed period change of total factor productivity. The former research focuses on the infeasible issue under the hypothesis of constant return to scale (CRS). There are many meaningful solutions which could avoid this infeasible problem of Malmquist–Luenberger productivity index. However, these solutions couldn’t avoid infeasible problem under condition of variable returns to scale (VRS). The new solution is proposed in this paper which could solve this problem under VRS based on super-efficiency issue. The empirical results of environmental total factor productivity (ETFP) change of thirty regions in China indicate that China isn’t efficient from 1997 to 2014. Among eight economic regions northwest and southern coastal decline, the ETFP decrease 15%, 10% respectively. From the perspective of provinces in China, Hainan, Qinghai and Ningxia have the lowest environmental total factor productivity and their environmental technical efficiency is also the lowest. These non-efficient provinces all have lower gross domestic product and they should improve technique change efficiency through adopting advanced technology in the future. The fixed effects regression model illustrates that energy intensity, research and development, foreign direct investment are factors of ETFP in China. Both research and development and foreign direct investment could improve total factor productivity and this indicates that Pollutant Heaven Hypothesis doesn’t exist in China.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present an approach for productivity measurement that considers both construction growth and carbon reduction.Design/methodology/approachThe approach applied is a sequential Malmquist-Luenberger productivity analysis based on a directional distance function and sequential benchmark technology using the data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique. The sequential Malmquist-Luenberger productivity change index is decomposed into pure technical efficiency, scale efficiency, and technological change indices, in order to investigate the driving forces for productivity change.FindingsThe construction industries of the Australian states and territories were selected implement the new approach. The results indicate that construction growth and carbon reduction can be achieved simultaneously through the learning of techniques from benchmarks.Practical implicationsCurrent research on total factor productivity (TFP) in construction generally neglects carbon emissions. This does not accurately depict the nature of construction and therefore yields biased estimation results. TFP measurement should consider carbon reduction, which is beneficial for policymakers to promote sustainable productivity development in the construction industry.Originality/valueThe approach developed here is generic and enhances productivity and DEA research levels in construction. This research can be used to formulate policies for evaluating performance in worldwide construction projects, organizations and industries by considering undesirable outputs and desirable outputs simultaneously, and for promoting sustainable development in construction by identifying competitiveness factors.

This paper introduces a decomposition of the additively complete Luenberger–Hicks–Moorsteen Total Factor Productivity indicator into the usual components: technical change, technical inefficiency change and scale inefficiency change. Our approach is general in that it does not require differentiability or convexity of the production technology. Using a nonparametric framework, the empirical application focuses on the agricultural sector at the state-level in the U.S. over the period 1960–2004. The results show that Luenberger–Hicks–Moorsteen productivity increased substantially in the considered period. This productivity growth is due to output growth rather than input decline, although the extent depends on the convexity assumption of the technology. Technical change is the main driver, while the role of technical inefficiency change and scale inefficiency change also depends on the convexity assumption of the technology. ispartof: European Journal of Operational Research vol:260 issue:1 pages:359-375 status: published

Evaluating the productivity growth of water and sewerage companies (WaSCs) is useful to ensure their long-term sustainability and to protect the interests of customers. Previous studies that assessed the WaSCs’s productivity provided an aggregate productivity index without accounting for the specific contribution of the variables involved in the analysis. To overcome this limitation, and as a pioneering approach, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of the effects that inputs and outputs have on WaSCs´ overall productivity change. In doing so, a methodological approach based on the weighted directional distance model was applied. An empirical application was carried out for the Chilean water industry from 2005 to 2014. Results evidenced that inputs, desirable outputs and undesirable outputs contributed negatively to productivity regression. The negative change of the efficiency change was caused mainly by the regression of the non-revenue water. From a policy and managerial perspective, this study reveals the importance of quantifying the contribution of inputs and outputs in productivity growth in order to support decision-making.

The trend of energy consumed growth all over the world demands to solve the problem of energy effectiveness of technological processes. Because of complexity of technological processes structure there is the main question to find a “worst link” in it. Effectiveness of technological process depends on type of process equipment and its links. There were formulated rules for choice most “weak” link of technological chain. Three strategic ways were learned for increasing of energy effectiveness: increasing productivity of the process equipment without increasing of its efficiency; increasing efficiency of the process equipment without increasing of its productivity; increasing both productivity and efficiency of the process equipment. Corresponding recommendations for growth of productivity or efficiency were given. There were proved that variation of average level of productivity of process equipment must be up to 50...60% and the variation of productivity relative to the average in duty cycle of process equipment operation must not be more than 10%.

This paper studies the effect of the relative productivity between the market sector and the home sector on time allocation. A novelty of the paper is to jointly estimate home productivity and the elasticity of substitution between market goods and home hours, which is accomplished through structural estimation based on income-decile level data. With a high elasticity of substitution and a slower growth rate of productivity in the home sector relative to the market sector, the model can produce key data patterns of time allocation in both the cross sections and time series. Quantitatively, relative productivity can account for 32% of the variation in market hours and 18% of the variation in home hours.

This paper extends the measurement of dynamic productivity change over time to provide its full decomposition into economically meaningful components in the Data Envelopment Analysis framework. The dynamic approach accounts for dynamics of production decisions via adjustment costs and is visualized as a dynamic Luenberger productivity change indicator. The paper also estimates the dynamic productivity change and its components for a large dataset of European food companies from 2004 till 2012, grouped into Eastern, Southern, and Western regions. The study reveals three main results. First, the overall trend of dynamic technical regress and positive dynamic technical inefficiency change across almost all regions and sectors was found. Second, some differences for this general pattern were found for the bakery industry and for Eastern European firms. Thirdly, there are also some remarkable changes in indicators observed during the periods related to the financial crisis and the volatility of agricultural commodity prices.

The “mismeasurement hypothesis” holds that the recent slowdown in recorded productivity growth merely reflects a fall-off in our ability to measure productivity rather than an actual deceleration in economic growth, in large part reflecting benefits people gain, but don’t pay for, from using new technology applications. If this hypothesis is valid, we should see that national drops in productivity growth are connected to usage of these services, we should be able to ascertain large gains in surplus related to them, growth in the technology sector should be sharply understated, and labor incomes should be swelling relative to output. None of these arenas show evidence that recent miscounts of aggregate productivity are notably large compared to the past.

This paper analyzes productivity and efficiency by using inclusive wealth as a sustainability measurement. The study extends current measures of sustainability by capturing the efficient utilization of natural capital and other conventional inputs as input and carbon damage as undesirable output in a productivity measure for 140 countries from 1995 to 2010. To determine the contribution of each input/output to productivity and technical efficiency, we applied a weighted Russell directional distance and a Luenberger productivity measure. We found that GDP, natural capital and carbon damage are the main contributors to productivity change. Natural capital and carbon damage remain significant burdens for many countries' performance, especially for countries with resource-driven economies and extreme vulnerability to climatic shifts. This finding enhances our understanding of how particular countries can measure and manage their sustainability. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

We consider the problem of measuring and analysing productivity change when firms have access to multiple technologies (i.e., techniques for transforming inputs into outputs). We measure productivity change using an index that satisfies a set of basic axioms from index theory (e.g., identity, proportionality, transitivity). We show how indices of this type can be exhaustively decomposed into various measures of environmental change, technical change and efficiency change. We are particularly interested in the relationship between productivity and technical efficiency. In theory, if firms have access to multiple technologies, then measures of technical efficiency can be decomposed into metatechnology ratios (measures of how well firm managers choose technologies) and measures of residual technical efficiency (measures of how well chosen technologies are used). We explain how data envelopment analysis (DEA) can be used to estimate these components. To illustrate, we use DEA to estimate the productivity gains and losses associated with using different highway maintenance technologies in Virginia.

Studies related to the industrial sector of great importance by researchers in developed and developing countries alike are for being a cornerstone of progress and economic and social development, and are sought hard by most countries to raise the contribution of this sector, especially that the possibilities of development and format is the highest among other sectors, as this sector of the front and rear links with the rest of the other sectors, and is eligible to attract and absorb modern technology, which leads to raise the level of productivity and thus increase its contribution to economic growth, not to mention that the development of this sector contributes to Saw new business opportunities and technical capacity development for them, with the establishment of technical base of the country. The sponge industry is an important industry due to the multiplicity of its uses and the growing demand over time. Based on the above, this study sheds light on the economic performance of HEMN GROUP, in order to shed light on strengths and weaknesses, identify deviations and find possible solutions. The research reached a number of results, including: 1.Heimn sponge industry is a modern company that uses the latest technology in its field. 2.The company uses the capital intensive method of production, but does not exploit the available capacities because of limited markets. 3.The company proved its efficiency in terms of indicators of partial productivity, value added, degree of manufacturing and use of technology. The study concluded with a set of proposals for the company being investigated in order to improve the work situation.