Thesis (M.B.A.)-Business Studies Unit, Durban Institute of Technology, 2005 xi, 86 leaves / This study encompasses the triangulation of research methods in order to determine the impact of a piece rate incentive scheme on employee output within the South African context. The existing body of knowledge tends to reflect the conditions found in developed countries such as the USA, Canada and the UK, very little research appears to have been conducted in the South African context.

<p>The South African social, political and economic landscape has been characterized by profound changes during the past several years. Many organizations and their management are faced with inter alia, downsizing decisions, affirmative action policies to be implemented and a overabundance of other factors which could sway motivation and morale, attitudes and views of employees. The general research aim was to measure work motivation amongst employees in a government department in the Provincial Government Western Cape. Research has shown that motivated and satisfied employees are more productive and there is an improvement in service delivery.</p>

Submitted by Ronildo Prado (ronisp@ufscar.br) on 2017-08-30T19:12:32Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DissTAC.pdf: 3418696 bytes, checksum: 36033119a2f087492187642f9c92951d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ronildo Prado (ronisp@ufscar.br) on 2017-08-30T19:12:44Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissTAC.pdf: 3418696 bytes, checksum: 36033119a2f087492187642f9c92951d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ronildo Prado (ronisp@ufscar.br) on 2017-08-30T19:12:51Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissTAC.pdf: 3418696 bytes, checksum: 36033119a2f087492187642f9c92951d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-30T19:12:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissTAC.pdf: 3418696 bytes, checksum: 36033119a2f087492187642f9c92951d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-08-24 / Não recebi financiamento / Labor productivity indicators are important for several reasons, among which can be cited: a more accurate composition of budgets; the establishment of production goals; and to determine the correct work team size. Several works have quantified labor productivity of construction services, and in this context, there is a noticeable lack of works that deal with building systems execution, particularly, the ones related to power and communication systems. This work has the objective of analyzing labor productivity in the execution of those systems and is based in the Factor Model. To accomplish that, three different tasks in five multistory buildings were measured: electrical infrastructure in wall; electrical infrastructure in concrete slab; and electrical wiring. At the same time, some context and content factors that are likely to influence labor productivity were pointed out. Among the analyzed tasks, the one that presented the best productivity was the electrical wiring on site D (Cumulative productivity = 0.019 Wh/m), while the worst value (Cumulative productivity = 0.080 Wh/m) was detected in electrical infrastructure in concrete slab on Site B. Among the influencing factors identified, there are indications that the type of contract firmed with workers influenced labor productivity, with better results where the workers were subcontracted. The labor productivity results obtained are much better than those presented in reference manuals, indicating the necessity of additional works with the analysis of a larger number of cases. / Os indicadores de produtividade da mão de obra (PMO) são importantes por vários aspectos, entre os quais podem ser citados: a composição mais precisa dos orçamentos; o estabelecimento de metas de produção; e o correto dimensionamento das equipes de execução. Vários trabalhos foram realizados no sentido de quantificar a produtividade da mão de obra em diversos serviços de construção, e neste contexto, observa-se uma carência de trabalhos voltados para a execução dos sistemas prediais, em particular, os relacionados aos sistemas de eletricidade e de comunicação. Este trabalho tem por objetivo analisar a produtividade da mão de obra na execução destes sistemas tendo como base o Modelo dos Fatores. Para tanto, foram realizadas medições em cinco obras de edifícios residenciais multifamiliares e de múltiplos pavimentos, em três tarefas diferentes: a infraestrutura elétrica nas paredes; a infraestrutura elétrica nas lajes; e a enfiação elétrica. Concomitantemente, foram apontados fatores de contexto e conteúdo potencialmente influenciadores da produtividade da mão de obra. Entre as tarefas analisadas, a que apresentou melhor produtividade foi a de enfiação elétrica na Obra D (RUP Cumulativa = 0,019 Hh/m); enquanto que o pior valor (RUP cumulativa = 0,080 Hh/m) foi detectado na tarefa relacionada à infraestrutura elétrica nas lajes da Obra B. Dentre os fatores influenciadores levantados, há indícios que o tipo de mão de obra contratada se mostrou influente na PMO, sendo que nos casos em que a mão de obra foi subcontratada, os valores de PMO foram melhores. Os resultados de PMO obtidos estão muito melhores do que os apresentados em manuais de referência, indicando a necessidade de aprofundamento de trabalhos semelhantes e com maior número de casos analisados.

The study examines the job market of «urban youth» aged between 18 and 35 without higher education (university or technical) based on household surveys (Encuesta Nacional de Hogares – Enaho) and specialized surveys (Encuesta Nacional de Habilidades – Enhab; Encuesta de Transición de la Escuela al Trabajo – Entrans). The results show, firstly, supply constraints in the period 2007- 2012, which coincides with the massification of higher education over the last ten years. Secondly, it was found that students from public schools are more liable to complete high school with maxi- mum educational attainment. Thirdly, it was estimated that urban youths aged 15 to 29 cited in the Entrans 2012—and who received job training in the year prior to the survey—are 4.1 times more likely to obtain «adequate employment» in terms of pay, adequate contracts, and health insurance. Finally, a case is made for strengthening technical and specialized skills taught at school. / El estudio examina el mercado laboral de «jóvenes urbanos» entre 18 y 35 años de edad sin estudios superiores (universitarios o técnicos) a partir de Encuestas de Hogares (Enaho) y encuestas especializadas (Enhab, Entrans). Los resultados muestran, en primer lugar, una contracción de la oferta en el período 2007-2012 que coincide con la masificación de la educación superior de los últimos diez años. Segundo, se halló que los estudiantes de escuelas públicas son más propensos a alcanzar un máximo nivel educativo de secundaria completa. Tercero, se estimó que los jóvenes urbanos de 15 a 29 años reportados en la Entrans 2012 y que recibieron capacitaciones laborales durante el año anterior a la encuesta tienen 4,1 veces mayor probabilidad de obtener «empleados adecuados» —en términos de remuneraciones, contratos adecuados y seguro de salud. Finalmente, se propone potenciar las capacitaciones de tipo técnico y de especialización impartidas durante la escuela.

Individuals are required to manage multiple tasks which require strategic allocation of time and effort to ensure goals are reached efficiently. By providing the worker with autonomy over their work, performance and worker well-being have improved. This increased control allows individuals to organize work according to the needs of the body, which prevents fatigue leading to improved productivity. When given the option, humans tend to switch between tasks frequently. This behaviour can be used to determine the change in self-regulation strategies. An understanding of human task-switching behaviour is important for the design of job rotation systems. However, there is a lack of evidence explaining the factors motivating the need to switch between tasks. This study aims to use physiological, subjective and behavioural measures to explain the factors influencing selfregulation through the act of task-switching. Three primary hypotheses were developed to explain the factors underlying taskswitching behaviour. It was hypothesized that the degree of boredom experienced, the effort required to perform the task and the resource usage induced by the task are factors responsible in deciding task switching behaviour. Participants (17 males and 17 females) switched freely between five different information-processing tasks for the 45 minutes. Participants were allowed to switch back and forth between tasks and did not have to conduct all five tasks. The following measures were recorded during the experiment: subjective measures of boredom, mental effort, task frustration and perceived performance of the tasks; energy consumption and physiological measures of effort (HR, HRV and body temperature) and behavioural measures, including duration and frequency of task. Perceived boredom was found to differ among the tasks and before and after the experiment. The average boredom rating at each task transition for all tasks exceeded a score of 2.5 out of a possible 4. There were no significant changes in physiological measures between the beginning and end of the task trials. However, changes in physiological measures showed a decrease in effort investment following task transition. Heart rate variability was lower for externally-paced tasks than for self-paced tasks, despite the differences in cognitive demands. The most frequent task-switch combination occurred between tasks of high and low cognitive demand. The least frequent task-switching combination occurred between tasks of similar characteristics, which produced no differences in physiological responses. Task-switching behaviour was influenced by the degree of boredom, and therefore more time was spent on less monotonous tasks. The level of physiological effort required for the task affected task-switching behaviour. Task switches were made before any changes in effort took place in an attempt to maintain task efficiency. It appears plausible that a task switch was made to reduce effort investment and activation levels. The type of information processing resources used by different tasks affected the task-switching combinations. Individuals tended to switch between tasks of differing resources so that those in limited supply were able to replenish. Therefore the findings from this study can potentially be used to improve the design of job rotation systems. Such improvements may enhance productivity and worker well-being by inhibiting the onset of down regulation and fatigue processes. This study showed that autonomy is necessary for individuals to regulate behaviour to suit human needs. / Microsoft� Office Word 2007 / Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in

The principal objective of dissertation was characterized and assessed the existing payroll system in a selected business entity. Several suggestions leading to increase efficiency was made according to the findings resulting from the appreciation The researched subject was the payroll system in Tesco Stores ČR a. s. The analysis of efficiency of human capital was performed to fulfil the stated objective.The analysis consisted in the application of evaluating labor productivity indicators. As well as, selected indicators were compared to the biggest retail chains on the market, that actually include Ahold Czech Republic a. s. a Kaufland Česká Republika v. o. s. Suggestions for change of the payroll system, employees' benefits and evaluation of employees were performed on the basis of the facts consequent from the overall analysis.

The growing demand for governments and organisations to demonstrate principles of accountability, transparency and participatory decision making, which are the cornerstones of good governance, has fostered renewed efforts to transform the public service to ultimately produce tangible results and meet the needs of the beneficiaries of service delivery. Effective performance management practised across the entire organization in an integrated, iterative and sustained way that can help public service organizations overcome the challenges and deliver more with less. This study focuses on the assessment of monitoring and evaluation as the control measure to enhance organisational performance with the reference to the Eastern Cape Provincial Treasury and assess critical role in supporting performance management and also provides methodological options to support performance management. Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) are management activities that are necessary to ensure the achievement of policy goals in the form of concrete results. The study revealed that the current M and E system is not effective in that there are no clearly defined standards of what a quarterly progress report entail, especially the portfolio of evidence and because the main problem stems from the definition of what constitutes departmental performance. In determining what needs to be done, the effectiveness suffers since we opt for mainly indicators that are “safe”, that the department are sure they can achieve and not necessarily those that will enhance organizational performance. The study revealed that each programme manager should monitor and evaluate his/her processes on a continuous basis without having to wait for M&E unit. M&E unit will then provide an objective evaluation of the process already in place and constant engagement between M&E unit and line management, feedback sessions between staff and M&E unit are essential about the achievement of targets as outlined in the APP and Operational Plan. The study further revealed that there should be continuous meetings to discuss how directorates should sufficiently report on their quarterly targets to avoid inadequate reported information and the department must go step by step in performing activities towards achieving a set vision and on way to the vision, not forgetting to take away risks that may take us to another direction that was not intended as per our vision. The study thus recommends that, inter alia, the department must introduce strong mechanisms to deal with non-implementation of corrective measures regarding under performance and the poor quality of information provided in performance reports related to the performance indicators in the Annual Performance Plans.The introduction of an early warning sign system to warn all programmes when the performance of their planned indicators are not be achieved. The Top Management should continue to use the performance management information as the tool to improve the organisational performance by linking and aligning individual, team and organisational objectives and results, it also provides a means to recognise and reward good performance and to manage under-performance. However the Top Management should be able to conduct in-depth analysis into underperformance to detect whether the underperformance is related to the bad crafting of the indicators or if it relates to the work not done. The department should invest money on training of officials in M&E because it plays a critical role supporting performance management at various levels, in that it contributes to a thinking that is results oriented and also provides methodological options to support performance management. This means that all officials must be capacitated to manage M&E systems in the department that will ensure the production of accurate, objective and reliable information. The M&E unit in the department must facilitate such skills development and provide reasonable technical support where required. The training could be designed to instill a deeper understanding and knowledge of the concepts of M&E and their correct application in order to avoid misunderstandings and misinterpretations which could hinder the achievement of the desired results.

The aim of the Diploma´s work was to explain the concept of corporate and regional productivity and possibility of evaluation. Furthermore to analyze the development of value added on the basis of the specific enterprise data and at the regional level. The theoretical part described the concept of productivity and factors of production. Then followed a description of the business concept of productivity, the possibility of evaluation and rating of regional productivity. In the practical part was characterized selected company. Followed economic data needed to calculate productivity at the enterprise level. The productivity was significantly affected by the economic crisis of 2009. Another part of work was devoted to evaluation of regional productivity. In the last section were compared corporate productivity and regional productivity in the years 2005 - 2011. The comparison showed that labor productivity in enterprise is on a lower level than the sector average. Conversely capital productivity was higher in the enterprise. Another finding was significant annual changes in enterprise productivity compared to the relatively stable of sector development.

Cette thèse propose trois essais empiriques consacrés à l'analyse des grèves en France, à partir de données récentes d'établissements et d'entreprises et l'utilisation de méthodes économétriques variées. Très peu d'études quantitatives, d'inspiration économique, ont été menées sur ce sujet en France, contrastant avec une littérature anglo-saxonne particulièrement étendue sur l'analyse économique des grèves. Le déclin de la syndicalisation et de l'action collective des salariés a néanmoins conduit à un déplacement progressif de l'intérêt des chercheurs anglo-saxons, en économie du travail et en relations industrielles (ou industrial relations), vers l'étude des relations de travail individuelles entre salariés et employeurs. L'individualisation des emplois et des relations de travail dans les entreprises est souvent considérée comme orthogonale à l'action collective des salariés. Le déclin des grèves et autres formes collectives de conflit a pu notamment être associé, dans la littérature anglo-saxonne, à une augmentation des manifestations individuelles de conflit et de la dispersion ou inégalité globale des salaires dans les entreprises. Nous proposons, dans cette thèse, une analyse originale des grèves en France, en lien avec ces deux aspects, caractéristiques de l'individualisation des emplois et des relations de travail dans les entreprises. Le premier chapitre s'intéresse à la relation existant entre l'expression collective de conflit, dont les grèves, et des formes individuelles de conflit croissantes dans les établissements français, i.e. les recours aux prud'hommes et l'action disciplinaire. L'analyse conduite révèle une relation de substitution entre l'expression collective de conflit et le recours aux prud'hommes des salariés, tandis que les grèves et autres conflits collectifs tendent parallèlement à s'associer à un recours accru des employeurs à l'action disciplinaire. Le deuxième chapitre considère explicitement cette relation, plus spécifiquement entre les grèves et l'absentéisme des salariés, dans l'estimation et l'analyse de l'effet des grèves sur la productivité du travail des entreprises françaises. L'occurrence de grèves sur la période récente passée tend à s'associer à un gain de productivité du travail dans les entreprises concernées par une faible fréquence de grèves, sous condition que celles-ci soient associées à une expression individuelle de mécontentement des salariés (i.e. absentéisme) plus faible.Le troisième chapitre examine le rôle de la dispersion salariale intra-firme dans les variations de l'activité de grève entre les établissements français. Si une forte dispersion des salaires au sein de la main d'oeuvre s'avère être un frein à la mobilisation collective des salariés dans des grèves, elle apparaît néanmoins être à l'origine d'une activité de grève plus soutenue, en termes de fréquence et de durée des grèves, dans certains établissements. / This thesis consists of three essays on the analysis of labor strikes in France, using recent data on workplaces and firms and applying various econometric methods. Very few quantitative studies, in economics, have been conducted on this issue in France, in contrast with a particularly large Anglo-saxon literature on the economic analysis of strikes. The decline of unionization and collective action of employees led however to a progressive shift in the interest of Anglo-saxon researchers, in labor economics and industrial relations, towards the study of individual labor relations between employees and employers. The individualization of jobs and labor relations is often considered as orthogonal to employee collective action. The decline of strikes and other collective disputes may have been linked, in the Anglo-saxon literature, to an increase in individual expressions of conflict and in the overall wage dispersion or inequality within firms. We propose, in this thesis, an original analysis of strikes in France, in connection with these two facets, linked to the individualization of jobs and labor relations in firms. The first chapter documents the relationship between the collective expression of conflict, including strikes, and growing individual forms of conflict in French workplaces, i.e. Employment Tribunal (or prud'hommes) claims and disciplinary action. It is shown that the collective expression of conflict and Employment Tribunal claims are substitutes in French workplaces, while strikes and other collective disputes increase the employer use of disciplinary action. The second chapter deals explicitly with this relationship, more specifically between strikes and employee absenteeism, in estimating and analyzing the effect of strikes on labor productivity in French firms. Strike occurrence during the recent past period tends to be associated with a surplus in labor productivity in firms affected by a low strike frequency, conditionally to a weaker employee expression of discontent (i.e. absenteeism). The third chapter discusses the role of within-firm wage dispersion in variations of strike activity between French workplaces. If a great wage dispersion among the workforce proves to be an obstacle to employee collective organization in strikes, it seems however to result in a more intense strike activity, in terms of frequency and of duration, in some workplaces.

A boa produtividade laboral é uma importante condição para as empresas e entre as possíveis causas de variação dessa medida estão as condições psicofisiológicas, que podem alterar o comportamento dos trabalhadores e influenciar seu desempenho. O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar a influência das Condições Psicofisiológicas Individuais de Trabalhadores de uma Instituição de Ensino Superior na sua produtividade laboral. Para isso foi realizada uma pesquisa de campo, aprovada pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisas da UTFPR, com 50 trabalhadores de um Centro Universitário em Santa Catarina e que foram submetidos a 5 avaliações em um dia de trabalho, a cada duas horas, totalizando 250 momentos de avaliação. Foram coletados dados da dor, através da Escala Visual Analógica (EVA), dos Estados de Humor, através da Escala de Humor Brasileira (BRAMS), da Pressão Arterial, a partir de medição digital e da Variabilidade da Frequência Cardíaca (VFC), através de frequencímetro. Todas os dados desses desfechos foram associados aos valores de Produtividade que foi obtido através do Instrumento Rápido para Avaliação da Produtividade de Trabalhadores (IAPT), que foi desenvolvido, validado e teve sua consistência interna aferida, para atender aos objetivos da pesquisa. Os dados foram tratados a partir da estatística descritiva e inferencial onde para identificar a influência combinada das variáveis independentes sobre a produtividade foram utilizados métodos de regressão linear múltipla e regressão logística binária no software SPSSTM v. 23.0. Os níveis de significância para a pesquisa atenderam à p0,05. Os dados demonstraram uma produtividade abaixo do que é considerado o ideal pela literatura e que houve variação significativa da mesma entre os períodos do dia e entre os dias da semana. Os dados da regressão linear múltipla mostraram que houve influência das variáveis independentes nessa variação produtividade. Por técnica stepwise obteve-se um modelo de predição onde os estados de humor combinados (vigor, raiva, fadiga e tensão) geraram um índice preditivo de 65,2% (R2=0,652) sobre a produtividade obtida. Nenhuma outra variável aferida gerou influência significativa. Além disso, foi observada no modelo de Regressão Logística uma maior razão de probabilidade para que bons índices de produtividade estejam relacionados com sujeitos com bons níveis de Vigor, ausência de Dor e baixos índices de fadiga. Por fim, observou-se que as condições psicofisiológicas, mais particularmente dor e estados de humor, influenciam de forma decisiva na produtividade dos trabalhadores e que estas devem ser consideradas por gestores empresariais e pesquisadores interessados na área. / Work productivity is an important condition for companies and one of the possible causes of variation of this measure are in psychophysiological conditions, which can alter the behavior of workers and influence their performance. The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of the Individual Psychophysiological Conditions of Workers of an University Center in their labor productivity. For this reason, this research was carried out, approved by UTFPR's Research Ethics Committee, with 50 workers from a University Center at Santa Catarina, Brazil, who were submitted to 5 evaluations in a working day, increasingly, totaling 250 moments of evaluation. Pain data were obtained through the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Mood States were carried out by the Brazilian Humor Scale (BRAMS), Blood Pressure from digital measurement and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) were obtained through of frequencimeter. All data were correlated to the Productivity components that were obtained through the Rapid Instrument for the Evaluation of Worker Productivity (IAPT), which was developed, validated and had its internal consistency ascertained, to meet the research objectives. The data are treated by descriptive and inferential statistics. To identify a combined influence of the independent variables on productivity, linear variable regression and binary logistic regression were carried out. SPSS software v. 23.0 was used for all analysis. The significance levels for the data respond to p0.05. The data showed a productivity below what is considered ideal for the literature and a variance of these index between the periods of the day and between the days of the week. The multiple linear regression data showed that there was influence of the independent variables in this productivity variation. By stepwise technique, a prediction model was obtained where the combined mood states (vigour, anger, fatigue and tension) generated a predictive index of 65.2% (R2 = 0.652) on a productivity obtained. No other measured variable generated significant influence. In addition, a greater probability ratio was observed without Logistic Regression model so that good productivity indices are related to subjects with good Vigour levels, absence of prices and low rates of fatigue. Finally, it was observed that psychophysiological conditions, more particularly, pain and mood states, have a decisive influence on worker productivity and must be considered by business managers and researchers interested in this subject.