Organizations attempting to optimize productivity are seeking new ways to develop psychological capital in teams. The researcher conducted a quantitative study to determine whether team cohesion, as assessed by the Revised Group Environment Questionnaire (RGEQ), impacts team productivity, as assessed by the Performance Measurement Team (PMT) Manufacturing Resource System (MRS); whether this relationship can be attributed to a team's level of psychological capital, as assessed by the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ-12); and whether psychological capital mediates the relationship between team cohesion and team productivity. Forty-five PMTs in a large U.S. defense manufacturing organization were surveyed using the PCQ-12 and the RGEQ, and their respective PMT MRS productivity levels were recorded. Barron and Kenny's 4-step mediation analysis was employed using simple and multiple regression to determine whether a team's level of cohesion significantly contributes to its productivity and if its level of psychological capital mediates the relationship between cohesion and productivity. The results indicated that team cohesion does not predict team productivity and that psychological capital is not a mediator of team cohesion and productivity. Although cohesion and psychological capital have a significant positive effect on supervisor performance ratings, the effect is diminished when viewing the objective measure of productivity. The study promotes positive social change in the workplace by elevating awareness of the effect of team cohesion on the psychological states of manufacturing workers. Understanding these relationships will help organizations to implement teaming methods that support the efficiencies and well-being of employees.

Employee engagement is the main topic of discussion among researchers and managers for over 24 years. Managing employee engagement is critical to the success of an organization, but 85% of manager's struggle with engaging employees. The purpose of this single case study was to explore employee engagement strategies that credit union managers use to increase productivity and organizational effectiveness. Expectancy theory was used to explore employee engagement, performance, and motivation of people in the workplace. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and observations with 6 credit union managers and company documents using thematic coding. Analysis of the data revealed that, among these credit union managers, effective communication, training and coaching, and rewards and recognition are management strategies required to improve employee engagement, productivity and organizational effectiveness. These findings may provide credit union managers with guidelines to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of engagement strategies to fit the culture of the credit union. The results of this study may provide credit union managers with guidelines on the causes of disengagement and how employee engagement could be improved within the organization. Researchers may consider conducting a multiple case study that include other credit unions within Louisiana to understand the similarities and differences between strategies used to engage employees. The results of this study may impact positive social change by improving the competitive environment of the credit union industry through engagement within community and society.

Business leaders may see social media as a distraction for their workers; however, blocking access could lead to a reduction in productivity. Using social media technologies with knowledge workers could achieve cost reductions for payroll of 30% to 35%. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore how business leaders used a social media policy to support employee productivity. The conceptual framework for this study was social exchange theory, which supports the notion that dyad and small group interactions make up most interactions, and such interactions enhance employees' productivity. The research question was to explore how finance industry leaders are using a social media policy to enhance productivity. The target population for this study was leaders from financial companies in Charlotte, North Carolina, who have experience in using social media policies to increase employee productivity. Data collection included semistructured interviews with 9 technology leaders and company documents at two companies related to the research phenomenon. Yin's 5-step data analysis approach resulted in 3 themes: employee productivity, communication, and open company culture. Business leaders should consider using a social media policy to engage employees to support productivity, enhance communication both externally and internally, and enrich company culture in a way that is visible to employees. Employee engagement in a social media platform to connect and communicate with people could lead to a happier workplace and encourage employees to volunteer more frequently for social good.

Retail industry leaders seek effective strategies to improve employee motivation to increase levels of workforce productivity. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the strategies successful retail industry leaders used to motivate their employees to achieve higher levels of workforce productivity. The conceptual framework for the study was Vroom's expectancy theory of motivation. The research participants consisted of 2 retail store managers from the same retail store located in southeastern mid-Atlantic region of the United States who successfully motivated their employees. Data collection consisted of semistructured interviews, direct observation, and review of company documents. Data analysis included theme interpretation and data grouping, as well as transcript reviews, and verified the emerging themes from the interview data. The 3 main themes developed from data analysis were workplace motivation, leading by example, and performance. Retail industry leaders might use the findings of this study to provide managers with strategies to motivate their staff. The implication of this study for social change is that retail leaders might apply strategies that engage employees in their jobs while maximizing the sustainability of the organization.

Thesis M.Sc.(Agricultural Economics) --University of Limpopo, 2015 / Livestock production particularly cattle production is a major component of Southern African rural agriculture with a population of some 14.1 million cattle. Cattle occupy a unique role in human livelihoods and they are raised for meat, milk, and as draft animals for pulling carts and plows. Cattle farmers in communal areas are rational in the ways in which they use and manage their herds, and economic benefits are contributory drivers of their behaviour. The title of the study was the determinants of cattle ownership and herd size in Vhembe District of Limpopo Province, South Africa. The study had two objectives; firstly, to determine the socio-economic factors affecting the household decision to keep cattle and secondly, to analyse the determinants of herd size in livestock keeping households. The study was conducted in Mutale Local Municipality located in Vhembe District of Limpopo Province in South Africa. The study employed a sample of 185 small scale farmers from five villages covering about 5% of each village’s population. The statistical programme used to analyse the data was STATA 2010. For empirical analysis, the study used three analytical techniques namely: the logistic regression model, the OLS model and the Heckman selection model. Empirical results revealed that nine variables were significant in determining the probability of a household to own cattle namely; gender of household head, marital status of household head, age of the household head, household total size, benefits from livestock, previous cattle ownership in the family, homestead category, other income source and also the land area . Most of the variables that explained the decision of a household to keep cattle were also associated with explaining the decision of a household to keep a given number of cattle. Based on the findings of this study, several policy recommendations were proposed, namely; encouragement of youth participation in agriculture, promotion of gender equality and improvement of women’s consideration in decision-making processes in agricultural production, provision and conservation of agricultural grazing land and livestock infrastructural development. Additional policy recommendations were; intensification of the cattle input support schemes (feed, water and disease control), incentives for cattle farmers to consider farming as a business than just a cultural norm, provision of job opportunities in homelands and provision of livestock production institutions.

In the first chapter of this dissertation, I estimate the cyclicality of real wages for job stayers, and hires from both employment and from unemployment, using an administrative matched employer-employee dataset from Germany. I find that the wages of new hires appear to be lessprocyclical than the wages of job stayers. I propose an explanation based on countercyclical selection on match quality: when aggregate productivity is low, worker-firm matches have to be unusually productive to warrant job creation. The presence of the match quality selection effect is supported by the relationship between the initial aggregate conditions and the subsequent risk of separation: jobs started when unemployment is high are at a decreased risk of ending with a separation to unemployment, which suggests that they are positively selected. Motivated by the findings of the first chapter, I build a Diamond-Mortensen-Pissarides search and matching model with match-specific productivity and turnover costs. The model-generated wages and job durations have cyclical properties empirically established in the previous chapter: the wages of new hires are less procyclical than the wages of job stayers, and jobs started when productivity is high are at a higher risk of subsequent separation. I show that the relative cyclical properties of wages are generated by changes in average match-specific productivity for new hires relative to job stayers. Match-specific productivity is subjected to countercyclical selection: when aggregate productivity is low, match-specific productivity has to high to justify creating or maintaining a match. Due to turnover costs, countercyclical selection for new hires is stronger than for job stayers. Low match-specific productivity of matches started when aggregate productivity is high generates the positive relationship between initial aggregate productivity and subsequent risk of separation. In the third chapter, I examine the behavior of wages within employment spells, before separation from a job and after movement between jobs in order to evaluate hypotheses concerning job-to-job transitions. Using German administrative microdata, I establish three empirical findings. First, the properties of wage changes within employment spells and associated with job-to-job transitions are broadly similar. Second, wages deteriorate in the year preceding separation from a job, for all separations, including job-to-job transitions. The wage deterioration manifests as slower wage growth and lowering of real wages expected given workers' characteristics. Third, for job-to-job transitions wage growth after accession is faster if the initial wage is lower than the last wage in the previous job. This effect is not present for job-unemployment-job transitions. The second finding supports the notion that some job-to-job transitions are induced by the worsened job situation. The third suggests that, to some extent, workers might voluntarily make job-to-job transition that decreases their wages in expectation of higher wage growth in the future.

La presente tesis se enfoca en la mejora de la productividad en una empresa de consultoría para la ingeniería dentro del rubro de construcción. La empresa actualmente desarrolla sus proyectos bajo el enfoque PMBok, que está orientado a la gestión de los proyectos. Se ha realizado un estudio de 35 proyectos desarrollados en la empresa, en donde se encontró que el margen esperado de 30.46% terminaba siendo 28.45% en promedio a estos proyectos. Por otra parte, también se registró que la productividad esperada de 34.13 HH/PL se eleva a 39.12 HH/PL, lo cual representa un déficit en la productividad. Es por ello, que este estudio analizó a través del árbol de problemas las razones de la improductividad. Aquí se puede visualizar que la falta de procesos, comunicación y criterios de selección de herramienta tecnológica están produciendo insatisfacción al cliente, incremento de horas planificadas y aumento de costos operativos entre los principales puntos estudiados. Ante este escenario, es necesario recurrir al árbol de objetivos para definir una solución al problema. Lo que se busca es revertir la improductividad en productividad, la insatisfacción en satisfacción del cliente. Por ello se plantea el uso de 3 metodologías: BIM, Lean y gestión de procesos. Siendo BIM el método escogido, debido a que ya contiene a los otros dos mencionados y por ser un método innovador con resultados en otros países. La Metodología BIM está enfocada en 3 principales competencias: Políticas, Procesos y Tecnología. Cada una de estas, está relacionada a sus 3 capacidades: Modelamiento, Colaboración e Integración, que a su vez se definen por su grado de madurez, escala organizativa y granulidad. Finalmente, BIM logra retroalimentarse en la empresa implementada a través de un Flujo de Trabajo. De acuerdo a los casos de éxito planteados en este estudio y sobre todo a las declaraciones de un presidente latinoamericano que ya ha puesto en marcha esta metodología de forma gubernamental con una productividad de mejora en 20% esperado. Se plantearon los beneficios económicos de esta implementación, obteniéndose un VAN de $ 52 842.26 con un riesgo aprobación de 5.5%, una TIR de 49% por encima del COK de la empresa y con un riesgo de aprobación de 5.3%. Además, se calculó el Pay Back en 1.92 Meses con un B/C de 1.1. / This thesis focuses on the improvement of productivity in a consulting company for engineering within the field of construction. The company is currently developing its projects under the PMBok approach, which is oriented towards the management of projects. A study of 35 projects developed in the company was carried out, where it was found that the expected margin of 30.46% ended up being 28.45% on average for these projects. On the other hand, it was also recorded that the expected productivity of 34.13 HH / PL rises to 39.12 HH / PL, which represents a deficit in productivity. It is for this reason that this study analyzed the reasons for unproductivity through the problem tree. Here it is possible to visualize that the lack of processes, communication and selection criteria of technological tool are producing dissatisfaction to the client, increase of planned hours and increase of operating costs between the main points studied. Given this scenario, it is necessary to resort to the objectives tree to define a solution to the problem. What is sought is to reverse the unproductivity in the productivity, dissatisfaction in customer satisfaction. Therefore, the use of 3 methodologies is proposed: BIM, Lean and process management. Being BIM the chosen method, because it already contains the other two mentioned and for being an innovative method with results in other countries. The BIM Methodology is focused on 3 main competences: Policies, Processes and Technology. Each of these is related to its 3 capacities: Modeling, Collaboration and Integration, which in turn are defined by their degree of maturity, organizational scale and granulity. Finally, BIM obtains feedback on the company implemented through a Workflow. According to the success stories presented in this study and especially to the statements of a Latin American president who has already implemented this methodology in a governmental manner with an improvement productivity of 20% expected. The economic benefits of this implementation were raised, obtaining a NPV of $ 52 842.26 with an approval risk of 5.5%, a TIR of 49% over the COK of the company and with a risk of approval of 5.3%. In addition, Pay Back was calculated in 1.92 Months with a B / C of 1.1. / Tesis

Orientador: Rogério Teixeira de Faria / Coorientador: Willians César Carrega / Banca: Everton Luis Finoto / Banca: Luiz Fabiano Palaretti / Resumo: O déficit hídrico é considerado um dos principais fatores limitantes na produção de amendoim, com perdas elevadas na região centro-sul do Brasil, principalmente na safra da seca, entre janeiro e junho. A irrigação pode contribuir para aumentar e estabilizar produtividade, além de afetar a fitossanidade da cultura, porém o recurso hídrico disponível é escasso nas regiões de cultivo. Dessa forma, a determinação da demanda hídrica do cultivo é essencial para se obter alta produtividade com maior eficiência de uso de água. O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar os efeitos de níveis de irrigação plena e deficitária sobre a produtividade e incidência de Cercosporidium personatum em amendoinzeiro semeado na época da seca. O experimento foi conduzido em delineamento de blocos casualizados em esquema fatorial 5 x 2, sendo 5 níveis de irrigação (L1= 8%; L2= 27%; L3= 63%; L4= 94% e L5= 100% da evapotranspiração da cultura) e semeados em 2 épocas, com quatro repetições. Os resultados mostraram que é mais vantajoso o cultivo com irrigação plena em E2, devido aos incrementos de produtividade em até 30% em relação a E1. A irrigação deficitária reduziu altura de plantas, massa de sementes e produtividade de vagens, enquanto que a irrigação plena (L5) proporcionou produtividades de 4.141 a 5.102kg ha-1 em E1 e E2, respectivamente, com incrementos em cerca de três vezes às produtividades obtidas no menor nível de irrigação (L1). O déficit hídrico promoveu maior severidade de danos de C. personatum... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Crop water deficit is considered one of the main constraint in the peanut production, with high losses in the central-eastern Brazil, mainly during the dry season, between January and June. Irrigation can contribute to increase and stabilize productivity, as well as affect crop sanity, but the available water resources are scarce in the growing regions. Thus, the determination of the crop water demand is essential to obtain high yield with greater efficiency of water use. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of full and deficit irrigation levels on the yield and also the incidence of Cercosporidium personatum in peanut sown in the dry season. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design in a 5 x 2 factorial scheme, with 5 irrigation levels (L1 = 8%, L2 = 27%, L3 = 63%, L4 = 94% and L5 = 100% of crop evapotranspiration) and sown in 2 planting dates, with four replications. The results showed more advantage for treatment with full irrigation in E2, due to yield increases of up to 30% as compared to E1. Deficit irrigation reduced plant height, seed mass, and pod yield, while full irrigation (L5) provided yields of 4,141 to 5,102 kg ha-1 in E1 and E2, respectively, with increments of about three times the yields obtained at the lowest irrigation level (L1). The water deficit promoted greater severity of C. personatum and there was a lower incidence of the disease in E2. Under ideal water conditions and regardless of sowing time, the cultivar IAC 505... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

A study of mule deer occupying deer management units 53 and 54 in south central Utah was conducted from August, 1971 to May 1974 to determine food habits, caloric requirements, dietary nutritional levels, and productivity. Transects, fecal analyses, weight data, classification counts, and forage analyses were used to accomplish these objectives. Food habits of deer on the two units were similar, except for higher use of scrub oak on unit 53 and higher use of snowberry on unit 54. Deer on unit 54 were significantly larger than those on unit 53. Thus, their caloric requirements also were significantly higher. Deer productivity and the nutritional quality of deer diets on unit 54 were lower than on unit 53.

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