A research report submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree Master of Arts in Social and Psychological Research by coursework and research report in the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2016 / Linking health and productivity to organisational advantages, this study explores the benefits that health screening may provide organisations in South Africa. Health was evaluated in this research as the amount of lifestyle factors (physical inactivity, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and BMI) and biometric factors (high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high glucose) employees were at risk for. The study aimed to investigate whether increased health leads to the experience of negative health consequences, which may negatively impact on productivity in the workplace. Productivity was assessed firstly by a person’s ability to be at work, and secondly by their ability to significantly contribute to their organisation while they were at work. As such, workplace productivity loss was evaluated in terms of the direct, and indirect, organisational costs that ill-health results in. Workplace productivity loss was measured using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire: General Health V2.0 (WPAI-GH). Participants were 409 employees from an organisation in the financial service sector (Mage = 41.86, SD = 9.3). Multiple regression analysis found one lifestyle factor (physical inactivity) and one biometric factor (cholesterol) to significantly predicted work productivity. Cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, BMI and blood pressure did not significantly predict workplace productivity loss. Significant relationships were found between physical inactivity and BMI, blood pressure and cholesterol. Alcohol consumption was significantly related to cigarette smoking and blood pressure, while BMI and blood pressure had a significant relationship. The findings contribute to knowledge on how workplace productivity can be promoted through healthy lifestyle behaviours and biometric risk factors. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed in terms of how organisations can design, implement and evaluate appropriate workplace programmes that are related to the specific health needs of their employees. This was positioned as an essential business practice that positively relates to organisational effectiveness by increasing workplace productivity. Keywords: workplace productivity loss, lifestyle risk factors, biometric risk factors, organisational advantage, South Africa / GR2017

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The objective of this paper is to analyze methods of measurement of labor productivity and introduce them to real business. The object of this paper is to investigate methods of measuring performance. The subject of this paper is the process of implementing methods to increase productivity. Methods (procedures) of the study. Pattern during the writing of this work was used by scientists articles information about the measurement and implementation of systems productivity. Recommendations for the use of this work. Since this work was written with the use of different methods and examples, not all of them before writing the work was known to me, I want to present a certain part to improve the productivity of some companies in my country.

This dissertation consists of three essays in the field of organizational economics and political economy. The first essay examines the question of mentoring and training in public sector organizations. On the job training is one of the most effective ways of improving productivity. However, managers face a trade-off when allocating time between their own outputproduction and mentoring the juniors, as mentoring takes time that managers could spend on other output production activities. Using the data on bureaucrats from the India Civil Services, I provide evidence of this trade-off. I find that junior bureaucrats in India show better performance in the district training courses when their mentors’ output is imperfectly observed by the supervisors of the mentors. I infer this difference in the performance of junior bureaucrats as an indication of differences in the mentoring efforts of the seniors. I exploit a policy reform to further show that bureaucrats are multi-tasking agents allocating time between mentoring junior bureaucrats and public service delivery. I find evidence that the reform that was introduced to bring greater transparency in the performance evaluation process shifts effort from mentoring to own output production, thereby reducing gaps in mentoring efforts. Overall, this chapter highlights the existence of perverse incentives for mentors that can affect the effectiveness of training and mentoring initiatives. The second chapter focuses on the question of distributive politics and how politicians target resources among their constituents. Using the employment data from the largest workfare program in the world, I study how employment generated under the program varies across constituencies that are represented by politicians from the ruling party. Using a close election regression discontinuity framework, I find that employment is higher in constituencies with ruling party politicians. Further, I document targeted flow of program benefits to specific marginalized groups. In the final chapter of this dissertation, I examine the politicization of bureaucratic appointments in India. Using data from two states of the country, I study appointments to the post of the district collector. I document significant differences in the characteristics of the officers that get appointed to districts with a greater proportion of politicians from the ruling party. I find that districts with greater "alignment" to the ruling party get younger officers who have been recruited through a much more rigorous exam and are less likely to be a native of the state. I find no evidence that caste plays a role in these appointments.

The level of labor productivity differs among the European Union countries, especially when you compare a developing country to a more developed country in the EU. This is an issue because the achievement of high labor productivity is a necessary stipulation for a developing economy to realize economic growth and more economic development. On the other hand, the more individuals in an economy with access to the internet (internet connectivity) depicts how developed the economy is in terms of information and communication technology (ICT). Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to ascertain whether there is a positive relationship between countries having high internet connectivity and labor productivity in the EU. In doing so, Political and entrepreneurial decision-makers can use these findings to decide how much attention or budget to put on the ICT sector to improve labor productivity. To understand the factors that affect labor productivity, Adam Smith and Karl Marx’s theory on labor productivity is used to gain a better understanding. A panel data analysis using a fixed-effect model and pooled OLS regression model is applied in the study to predict the relationship. The result of the study indicates that internet connectivity does not have a significant impact on Labour productivity, or there was not enough evidence showing that they are positively correlated with each other.

В современных реалиях компании все чаще обращают внимание на лучшие мировые практики в области производственного менеджмента и ищут источники для организации наиболее эффективных производственных систем. Одной из таких практик является внедрение инструментов Теории ограничений. Целью диссертационной работы является развитие методических и прикладных основ управления производительностью труда на основе Теории ограничений. По результатам работы был адаптирован для целей управления производительностью труда на промышленном предприятии общий алгоритм решения производственных проблем Теории ограничений («алгоритм пяти шагов»). Адаптированный алгоритм включает в себя: 1) формулировку принципов (теоретической рамки) решения проблемы низкого уровня производительности труда; 2) выделение четырех фаз процесса устранения проблемы низкой производительности труда; 3) реализацию 13 шагов устранения проблемы. Предложенный алгоритм развивает методические основы управления производительностью труда на основе Теории ограничений и способствуют повышению эффективности производственной деятельности предприятия. / In modern realities, companies are increasingly paying attention to the best world practices in the field of production management and are looking for sources to organize the most efficient production systems. One such practice is the implementation of the Theory of Constraints tools. The purpose of the dissertation is to develop the methodological and applied foundations of labor productivity management based on the Theory of Constraints. Based on the results of the work, a general algorithm for solving production problems of the Theory of Constraints (“five-step algorithm”) was adapted for the purposes of managing labor productivity at an industrial enterprise. The adapted algorithm includes: 1) the formulation of principles (theoretical framework) for solving the problem of low labor productivity; 2) allocation of four phases of the process of eliminating the problem of low labor productivity; 3) implementation of 13 troubleshooting steps. The proposed algorithm develops the methodological foundations of labor productivity management based on the Theory of Constraints and contributes to improving the efficiency of the enterprise's production activities.

Corporate leaders at Dominion Bankshares Corporation established an on-site child care facility at its operations center for its Roanoke, Virginia employees. The immediate supervisors of parents of children enrolled in the Dominion Child Development Center were surveyed to determine the factors they believed affected worker productivity and their perceptions of how employees' work habits had changed as a result of the opening of the child care center. A description of the demographic characteristics of persons who supervise employees who use Dominion Bank's Child Development Center is included. The supervisors of persons using the on-site child care center were primarily white males from 36 to 45 years old with ten or fewer years experience with the corporation. These supervisors perceived that employee productivity is mostly affected by employee morale, emotional stress level, and absenteeism. Supervisors believed that employee morale, productivity, and absenteeism related to child care improved after the opening of the Dominion Child Development Center. Some corporate leaders call the lack of affordable, licensed child care an economic problem for our society. Many supervisors are not aware that their employees' child care dilemmas affect job performance. Inservice training could provide educational opportunities to improve attitudes and increase awareness. / Master of Science

Using data collected by the Virginia Agricultural Statistical Service in 1989, off-farm labor participation models were developed to identify factors that influence the probability that a farm operator or spouse in Virginia would choose to work off the farm. The sample indicated that a substantial proportion of Virginia farms had at least one member working off the farm. Higher total incomes were also earned by families with an operator and/or spouse working off the farm. In addition, the proportion of total income originating from off-farm sources was large regardless of whether the operator or spouse worked off the farm or not. As a result of this survey, the picture developed of farm operators and spouses in Virginia is different than a traditional view of farming would support. Because of the dichotomous dependent variable and the different responses expected from the operator and spouse, probit analysis was selected to estimate separate participation models for the farm operator and spouse. The empirical results reveal that human capital, labor supply and labor demand characteristics influence the off-farm employment decisions of both the operator and spouse, though not in a uniform manner. Additionally, variables found to be important to off-farm labor force participation were primarily not farm specific. Changes in the non-farm economy are expected to affect the majority of Virginia farms more than changes in the farm economy. It is also clear that the majority of farm families in Virginia have a vested interest in efforts made to develop and strengthen the local economy. / Master of Science