Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / Michael R. Langemeier / The objective of this thesis is to examine differences in labor efficiency and to find what is driving those differences among Kansas farms. The results provide a quantified understanding of the variation in labor productivity and labor efficiency relating to three categories of variables: farm characteristics, financial performance, and specialization. This research uses regression estimates from a data set of 1,145 Kansas farms to quantify how farm characteristics are related to labor productivity and labor efficiency. There are two main models. Labor productivity, expressed as value of farm production divided by the number of workers, is regressed on three categories of variables: farm characteristics, financial performance, and specialization. Labor efficiency, expressed as labor costs divided by value of farm production, is also regressed on the same categories of variables. The research found that farm size, managerial ability, and age were the most influential and significant variables in the labor productivity model. Farm size, managerial ability, and land tenure were the most influential and significant variables in the labor efficiency model. Farm size is a variable important to both models, and when evaluated at $100,000 of VFP, labor productivity has a value of 152,122 and a labor efficiency value of 0.271 (all else constant). When evaluated at a VFP of $500,000, labor productivity and labor efficiency improve to values of 217,914 and 0.246, respectively.

Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / Michael Langemeier / The objectives of this thesis are to examine the labor requirements of Kansas crop and livestock enterprises and farms and the connection between labor efficiency and productivity, and other important farm characteristics including farm size and type. The derived labor requirements are compared to current KFMA labor requirements. Enterprise summary reports and a five year whole-farm panel data set from 1,016 Kansas Farm Management Association (KFMA) farms are used in the analysis. Whole-farm labor requirements are computed with and without an adjustment for managerial and overhead cost. Individual regressions will be estimated to determine the effects that farm size, type, region and profit margin have on labor requirements. The estimation results suggest that many of the current labor requirements still in use are accurate. However, there are enterprises with labor requirements that need updating. When the newly estimated requirements are compared to the previous KFMA requirements, 14 enterprises have lower labor requirements. Irrigated alfalfa showed the greatest decrease in labor required when compared to the previous standard, decreasing from 3.85 hrs/acre to 1.70 hrs/acre. Regression estimation results indicated that whole farm labor standards that were corrected for un-allocated overhead and managerial costs appear to be a more accurate representation of farm labor requirements.

Using theoretical and empirical approaches, this thesis asks whether skilled and unskilled labour complement or substitute one another in production. We primarily investigate whether an increase in the proportion of workers with skills would raise or lower demand for those who remain unskilled. A secondary issue is the role of factor prices in labour demand. To study the role of factor prices, we estimate labour demand elasticities and Alien elasticities of substitution between capital and up to five occupations in South Africa. We supplement firmlevel data with household survey information and confirm theoretically that the elasticities can be estimated from a cost function under non-constant returns to scale. We show that separable disaggregated inputs can be used to find aggregate elasticities: more skilled and less skilled aggregates are p-complements, so a fall in skilled wages would lead to a rise in demand for less skilled labour. Disaggregated estimates suggest unskilled workers are p-complements with semi-skilled workers but p-substitutes with skilled/artisanal labour. We investigate the effects of a rise in skill supply on the relatively unskilled by estimating Hicks elasticities of complementarity and factor price. Aggregated estimates suggest more skilled and less skilled labour are q-complements, so an exogenous rise in the supply of skilled labour would raise demand for less skilled labour. Disaggregated estimates suggest skilled/artisanal and unskilled labour are q-complements while semi-skilled and unskilled labour are q-substitutes. The results allow for imperfectly elastic product demand and rigid wages. Using an endogenous growth model, we show technological progress is skill-biased in the South if it is in the North, resulting in rising wage inequality in developing countries. Assuming skilled and unskilled labour are perfect substitutes, we model expanded educational access as it adds relatively educated cohorts to the labour market. A rising skill composition causes accelerated skill-biased technological change and wage inequality. Relaxing the assumption of perfect substitutability, a one-off rise in skill supply only raises wage inequality if the elasticity of substitution is high, higher than existing empirical estimates.

Целью работы является исследование повышения эффективности труда сотрудников промышленного предприятия с учетом влияния когнитивных искажений. Для этого был разработан методический подход, в основу которого положен учет когнитивных искажений, включающий в себя классификацию групп рабочих по уровню когнитивных искажений и эффективности труда, а также комплекс мероприятий, направленных на нивелирование влияния когнитивных искажений, что позволит снизить воздействие когнитивных искажений и достигнуть более высоких показателей эффективности труда на промышленном предприятии. / The aim of the work is to study the improvement of the labor efficiency of employees of an industrial enterprise, taking into account the influence of cognitive distortions. For this purpose, a methodical approach was developed, which is based on the account of cognitive distortions, including the classification of groups of workers by the level of cognitive distortions and labor efficiency, as well as a set of measures aimed at leveling the influence of cognitive distortions, which will reduce the impact of cognitive distortions and achieve higher labor efficiency indicators at an industrial enterprise.

Actualmente, el Perú se ha visto afectado de manera significativa por la pandemia del COVID-19, lo que representa un riesgo para la sostenibilidad empresarial en actividades de servicio, comercio y fabricación. Esta investigación tiene como objetivo general, contrastar los efectos que produce un estilo de liderazgo transformacional o transaccional en el marco del cambio organizacional. Se realiza una breve descripción sobre el liderazgo transformacional y transaccional, así como del rol del líder en el cambio organizacional y el rol de la motivación que surge a raíz de la aplicación de los estilos de liderazgo transformacional y del liderazgo transaccional. Asimismo, se analiza la relación entre la eficacia y la satisfacción de los trabajadores frente a un liderazgo transformacional y transaccional y se evalúa la conducta de compartir conocimiento que afrontan los trabajadores y los líderes frente a los dos estilos de liderazgo. Igualmente, se presenta de manera sintetizada, las diferentes posturas que indican que los estilos de liderazgo transformacional y transaccional influyen en la motivación, eficacia, satisfacción y conducta de compartir conocimiento, como aquellas que señalan que son variables independientes. Del análisis realizado se puede afirmar que el liderazgo transformacional tiene mejores resultados en el cambio organizacional a través de la mejora de la motivación de los trabajadores, mientras que los efectos del liderazgo transaccional se dan en menor medida a través de la generación de la conducta de compartir conocimiento. Existe un acuerdo sobre los factores que contribuyen al cambio organizacional para ambos liderazgos. / In the past year, Peru has been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, representing a risk for the business’ sustainability of the companies from services, commerce and manufacturing activities. The general objective of this study is to contrast the effects produced by the transformational and transactional styles of leadership in the framework of organizational change. A brief description will be made of both, transformational and transactional leadership, as well as the role of the leader in the organizational change and the changes in motivation after applying transformational and transactional leadership. Likewise, there will be an analysis of the relationship between the effectiveness and satisfaction of workers when experiencing the transformational and transactional leadership, as the sharing of knowledge that workers and leaders faced in both leadership styles. Furthermore, it will be shown the different positions indicating that transformational and transactional leadership styles influence motivation, effectiveness, satisfaction and the share of knowledge in individuals, as well as those indicating they are independent variables, From them, it can be affirmed that transformational leadership has better results in organizational change through the improvement of worker motivation, while the effects of transactional leadership occur to a lesser extent and through the generation of share knowledge. There is an agreement on the factors that contribute to organizational change for both leaderships. / Trabajo de Suficiencia Profesional