Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2006. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.

This experiment investigated how different percentages of incentive pay affected performance on a number-entering task. It was hypothesized that the critical factor in incentive pay systems was the absolute amount of money that could be earned in an incentive pay paradigm. A counterbalanced single-subject reversal design was employed to examine effects of incentives on performance. Twelve subjects were used in the experiment with three subjects assigned to one of four experimental paradigms. Two of the experimental paradigms incorporated 10% and 100% incentive pay conditions, while the other two experimental paradigms incorporated absolute pay conditions equal to the 10% and 100% incentive pay conditions. Results indicated that similar trends in productivity occurred across subjects in all four experimental paradigms.

M Phil / Since the establishment of the Internet, innovative technologies have evolved rapidly and 'social networking' technologies specifically have gained value from the recent surge in popularity and increased use of these networked technologies. The exposure and growth that social networking technologies have experienced in recent history has created a phenomenal following by individuals from diverse walks of life. However, the negative press that currently surrounds online social networks is ardent and in some cases valid, overshadowing the opportunities that Online Social Networking may present to organisations. The focus of this study fell on the possible effect of employee participation in Online Social Networking on productivity. In current workplaces that rely on intellectual capital to be successful in business, employees are a key source of knowledge and mainly responsible for intellectual capital growth. It was therefore argued in this study that organisations should critically investigate the relevance of collaborative technology such as online social networking in order to support employees in the processes required for knowledge creation. This study provided an overview of the literature review findings as well as the relevant empirical research findings with regard to what Online Social Networking entails; what the possible consequences could be if employees were allowed access to online social networks without restriction; and how online social networks could contribute to the productivity of an organisation. This study aimed to serve as a foundation on which the University of Johannesburg could build a strategy that aspired to incorporate online social networking within this institution, in order to promote a knowledge sharing culture.

The goal of the study was to investigate the impact of stress on productivity of employees at the Education Training and Development Practices: Sector Education and Training Authority (ETDP SETA). According to Dean (2002:38), stress-related illnesses have been a leading cause for low productivity levels in the workplace. Immense pressure at work has led to stress, which makes it the number one factor that has lead to illness. For this study applied research was utilised, as its main goal was directed towards shedding light in as far as the impact of stress on productivity in the organisation was concerned. Thus the study helped to elucidate descriptive information on the impact of stress on employees at the ETDP SETA, and gave specific details about the phenomena in question. Research was conducted within the framework of a survey. No sampling was done, as the total population was very small. The respondents in this study were the 51 employees at the ETDP SETA who were employed during the commencement of the study. Questionnaires were designed and distributed by delegates, of the Head of Division Human Resources to all the sections at the ETDP SETA. From the results obtained it was evident that there were many stress factors that the employees at the ETDP SETA endured, and the enquiry proved that the impact of stress affected productivity negatively. The fact that the majority of the employees thought that the organisation did not care about them was a reflection of huge dissatisfaction that undoubtedly lowered productivity. / Dissertation (MA (Social Work Management))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

Manufacturing in South Africa constantly face competition from both local as well as foreign entities. Productivity growth is viewed by many executives and business leaders as the key element in maintaining competitiveness in the global economy. The success of the South African manufacturing and its global competitiveness lie in its productivity. By focusing on promoting productivity, South African manufacturers will establish a source of sustained competitive gains, while labour will establish a sustainable source of income growth. The Eberspacher South Africa Port Elizabeth (ESA) is not in any way immune to the level of competition that impacts all businesses in South Africa. ESA not only competeswith other local catalytic converter companies in terms of a high level of productivity, but also with other manufacturing plants within the Eberspacher Group globally. In Eberspacher all exhaust manufacturing plants are constantly benchmarked, comparing productivity levels, quality levels, cost and delivery. This data is used not only to determine goals, but also forms a key determinant as to where any new business is placed. The internal competition encourages all manufacturing plants within Eberspacher to continously improve plant productivity within group. A company is competitive if it is able to produce products that are either cheaper or better than those of other firms. Most of ESA customers are internal final assembly plants from Europe, USA, India and China. ESA therefore constantly have to ensure that they are competitive in all aspects of business, including productivity. In ESA, the overall productivity performance of the manufacturing plant is of utmost importance to ensure the ability to supply all the customers with cost competitive products, at the right time and with zero defects. Productivity in Eberspacher is used as a vital measurement to the sourcing decision for any new business awarded to the group. The main purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of productivity improvement initiatives at the Eberspacher Port Elizabeth Manufacturing Plant.

My essay is about productivity and its metering. I distributed it into three parts. In the first part I describe theoretic apparatus. The second part contains calculations of total and partial productivity and year-on-year confrontation. Analysis was made for 6 years, it means from 2003 to 2008. In the last part, there I define possibilities, how we can escalate productivity. I wanted to show you very specific production for pharmaceutical and food-processing industry, for which Pharming a.s. produces.

El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado. / The following study proposes a production management process model based on good practices and developed with process management tools for increasing crop productivity of pecan nuts using the Ica region in the district of Pachacutec as a study area. The study covers the proposed model’s diagnosis and development. The relation between these stages is the main function of improving pecan orchard productivity. The study showed that to increase pecan productivity from 1.09 (t/ha) to 2.21 (t/ha), and to determine raw material needs, tools and/or labor, a standardized process is needed for pecan production. The study’s main contribution is the development of a production management process through which farmers can order and control production by means of indicators. Furthermore, the study proposes that the developed process of pecan production currently applied by farmers should be supported by a mathematical model simulation.

BACKGROUND: The gender wage gap has existed since women started entering the workforce. Once large, the wage gap narrowed significantly in the 1980’s, and plateaued in the 2000s. Proposed rationales for the wage gap include: gender differences in negotiation, unconscious bias or discrimination, and productivity differences between men and women. Productivity is commonly measured in terms of relative value unit (RVU) generation. RVU assignment to non-clinician providers (NPCs) such as PAs and NPs is inaccurate, contributing to a lack of data regarding their productivity. Little is known about PA productivity in general, particularly gender differences. The purpose of this study is to formulate a standardized definition of clinical productivity and to compare mean productivity of male and female PAs in three specialties. LITERATURE REVIEW FINDINGS: Women are assumed to be poorer negotiators. However, when negotiation, a stereotypically “male” act, is framed in a communal way, gender differences vanish and women are as equally successful. Unconscious bias and discrimination against women have detrimental effects on their salary, job satisfaction, and psychological health. The assumption that women are less productive than their male counterparts arises from the belief that women will drop work obligations to care for the family. After controlling for practice, personal, and productivity differences, women continue to earn significantly less than their male counterparts. The persistent, unexplained wage gap suggests that uncontrolled variables, such as bias or discrimination, are the true cause of the wage gap. PROPOSED PROJECT: The proposed project is retrospective cohort study and secondary database analysis obtained from the NCCPA PA Professional Profile. The data will be utilized to determine average, individual productivity for male and female PAs practicing in three specialties. The mean productivity of male and females will be compared using ANOVA. Confounding variables will be analyzed using a multiple linear regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Social constructs regarding gender contribute to stereotypes influencing the definition a “successful negotiator” and provide the foundation for bias and discrimination. Clinical productivity cannot be altered by these stereotypes. If no gender differences in productivity exist, this proposed cause can no longer be used to justify the wage gap. SIGNIFICANCE: Accurately measuring PA productivity has several implications including proper compensation, determination of PA impact on practice efficiency, and comparison of productivity between PAs by gender and specialty type, aiding in the search for the true cause of the gender wage gap in the PA profession.

Global reports over the years indicate that productivity development in construction is poor if compared to other industries, even negative in some countries, calling for a change to increase productivity. However, the construction industry has a problem of defining, measuring and using productivity. Previous research suggest that productivity is a multifaceted term, which meaning depends on the purpose of addressing productivity, the context where one uses the term, the level of analysis (e.g. task, project or industry) or even the background of who addresses the term. The multifaceted meaning seems to have encouraged the development of multiple methods for measuring productivity in construction. The variety of understandings indicate that different aspects of productivity are accounted for by different people. Moreover, the construction productivity measures at different levels account for different things, and there is a lack of a clear connection between the levels of analysis. Subsequently, the multiple meanings and measures hamper how to understand construction productivity, what or how to measure and how to use the measures to improve overall productivity. This thesis furthers how housebuilding productivity can be understood by drawing on how the literature and on‐site housebuilding contractors address productivity concerning how it is defined, measured and used. An understanding of productivity that has a base in how productivity can be defined and measured, including how different performance measures can be applied to represent measures of productivity and then be used to improve productivity. The research questions of how productivity is understood, measured and used by Swedish housebuilding contractors are answered and synthesized to contribute with an enhanced understanding of construction productivity. Empirical data was collected through 17 semi‐structured interviews and four workshops. The interviews were held with practitioners ranging from site‐, to project‐, to business area managers from one small and four of Sweden’s largest contractors. The workshops were held with senior managers in charge of production development at the four large companies. Data was cross‐analyzed to identify commonalities and contrasting findings connected to how productivity is defined or understood to represent and include, how productivity is measured, and how productivity is used. The findings suggest that productivity in on‐site housebuilding production is about how efficiently the production system reaches its goal. That is, how efficiently the building is produced in conformance with the requirements to meet client values. Hence, productivity in housebuilding production integrates efficiency, effectiveness and many other factors that make the production system function better towards reaching its goal. Yet, what is included in, and thus what productivity represents, differs, caused by the choice of level of analysis (e.g. task, project or industry) and the length of the considered system or value chain (e.g. only production, or design, planning and production). The results also indicate that housebuilding productivity includes planning, measurement, control and reporting results. While separate direct productivity measures can be used in planning and for reporting results, many different indirect productivity measures are applied to enable for and control productivity during operations. These different measures represent different factors understood to influence productivity at different levels. However, the choice of measures vary, their use is unstructured and the measures usually stay undocumented. The results suggest that one measure of productivity is not enough to understand productivity of building production systems, it is rather through the combination of direct and indirect measures of productivity. Yet, there is a need to adopt a systems perspective to understand how to structure and connect the different measures from sub‐processes to processes and productivity, which this thesis suggests as a line of future research. Moreover, it is not enough to measure productivity to develop productivity. Systematic routines for measurements, review and action based on the measures must be developed and implemented.

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