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The paper examines the global production value chain in Singapore's services sector. Specifically, it explores some of the key activities related to the retail value chain in the country. Based on the experience of other major economies, the productivity and competitiveness of the retail sector will prove to be very crucial for the future of the services sector in Singapore. Therefore, this study not only highlights the key factors that could boost the productivity of retail, but also identifies significant challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Keywords: Global Value Chains (GVCs), Singapore, services sector, retail., 1. Introduction It has widely been recorded that Singapore managed to achieve tremendous economic growth in a short span after its independence. Often highlighted as the East Asian economic miracle, [...]

Measuring and improving productivity in construction is a complex issue. This paper introduces the development of an internal benchmarking and metrics (BM&M) model for industrial construction enterprises to help them understand and implement mechanisms for continuously improving construction productivity. Processes are developed in the model for: (1) measuring and reporting craft labor productivity performance; (2) examining productivity influencing factors with respect to construction environment factors and construction practices implementation; (3) establishing a productivity performance evaluation model to understand mechanisms by which the environment factors and construction practices impact productivity; and (4) conducting strategic gap analysis of construction practices implementation. The model is validated on data collected by the designed BM&M process from an industrial construction company, which implemented the model. In conclusion, the model can be effectively used to understand the impact of practices implementation levels on productivity. This contributes knowledge towards implementation of productivity improvement methods in a company. Key words: productivity, benchmarking and metrics, construction practices, industrial construction, construction enterprises, model. La mesure et l'amelioration de la productivite en construction sont des questions complexes. Dans le cadre de cet article, on presente l'elaboration d'un modele d'analyse comparative et de mesures pour des entreprises en construction industrielle dans le but de les aider a comprendre et a mettre en oeuvre des mecanismes d'amelioration continue de la productivite sur le plan de la construction. Des processus sont elabores dans le modele pour : (1) mesurer et signifier le rendement en matiere de productivite du travail de metier; (2) analyser les facteurs ayant une incidence sur la productivite en ce qui concerne les facteurs d'environnement de construction et la mise en oeuvre de pratiques de construction; (3) etablir un modele d'evaluation du rendement de la productivite pour comprendre les mecanismes par lesquels les facteurs d'environnement et les pratiques de construction influent sur la productivite et (4) effectuer l'analyse des lacunes strategiques de la mise en oeuvre des pratiques de construction. Le modele est valide a partir des donnees recueillies dans le cadre du processus d'analyse comparative et de mesures pour une entreprise en construction industrielle, qui a mis en oeuvre le modele. Pour conclure, le modele peut etre efficacement utilise pour comprendre l'impact sur la productivite des etapes de mise en oeuvre de pratiques. Ceci contribue aux connaissances en matiere de mise en oeuvre de methodes d'amelioration de la productivite dans une entreprise. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles : productivite, analyse comparative et mesures, pratiques de construction, construction industrielle, entreprises en construction, modele., 1. Introduction The construction industry contributes significantly to the national economies of Canada and the United States. It contributed 7.13% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2013 in Canada [...]

Advances in information technology and robotics are already transforming the workplace, and even greater changes lie ahead. Here's a look at what the next two decades might bring. Even as [...]

INTRODUCTION The emergence of the Fishermen's Protective Union (FPU) was one of the most significant social and political developments in early twentieth-century Newfoundland. Led by William Coaker, (1871-1938), the FPU [...]

This paper presents an automated method for estimating productivity of earthmoving operations in near-real-time. The developed method utilizes Global Positioning System (GPS) and Google Earth to extract the data needed to perform the estimation process. A GPS device is mounted on a hauling unit to capture the spatial data along designated hauling roads for the project. The variations in the captured cycle times were used to model the uncertainty associated with the operation involved. This was carried out by automated classification, data fitting, and computer simulation. The automated classification is applied through a spreadsheet application that classifies GPS data and identifies, accordingly, durations of different activities in each cycle using spatial coordinates and directions captured by GPS and recorded on its receiver. The data fitting was carried out using commercially available software to generate the probability distribution functions used in the simulation software 'Extend V.6'. The simulation was utilized to balance the production of an excavator with that of the hauling units. A spreadsheet application was developed to perform the calculations. An example of an actual project was analyzed to demonstrate the use of the developed method and illustrates its essential features. The analyzed case study demonstrates how the proposed method can assist project managers in taking corrective actions based on the near-real-time actual data captured and processed to estimate productivity of the operations involved. Key words: earthmoving, GPS, Google Earth, computer simulation, productivity. Cet article presente une methode automatisee pour evaluer la productivite des operations de terrassement en temps quasi reel. La methode mise sur pied utilise le systeme de localisation GPS et Google Earth pour extraire les donnees requises a la realisation du processus d'estimation. Un dispositif GPS est installe sur une unite de transport pour capter les donnees spatiales le long de la route de transport designee pour le projet. Les variations des temps de cycle captes ont ete utilisees pour modeliser l'incertitude associee a l'operation. Cela a ete realise par classification automatique, adequation des donnees et simulation informatique. La classification automatisee est effectuee dans un chiffrier qui classifie les donnees GPS et identifie les durees des diverses activites dans chaque cycle en utilisant les coordonnees spatiales et les directions captees par le GPS et enregistrees sur son recepteur. L'adequation des donnees a ete realisee en utilisant un logiciel disponible sur le marche pour generer les fonctions de distribution des probabilites utilisees dans le logiciel de simulation, << Extend V.6 >>. La simulation a ete utilisee pour equilibrer la production d'une excavatrice et celle des unites de transport. Un chiffrier a ete developpe pour faire les calculs. Un exemple d'un projet reel a ete analyse pour demontrer l' utilisation de la methode developpee et illustre ses caracteristiques importantes. L'etude de cas analysee demontre comment la methode proposee peut aider les gestionnaires de projet a prendre des mesures correctives basees sur les veritables donnees en temps quasi reel captees et traitees afin d'estimer la productivite des operations en jeu. Mots-cles : terrassement, GPS, Google Earth, simulation informatique, productivite. [Traduit par la Redaction], 1. Introduction Estimating on-site productivity is essential for estimating the time and cost required to complete construction operations (Oglesby et al. 1989). Traditionally, site data collection used in earthmoving operations [...]

To improve construction productivity and performance, it must be measured. The Construction Sector Council (CSC) has started a Labour Productivity and Project Performance Benchmarking Program for the infrastructure sector of the construction industry in Canada. Metrics were developed for project cost, time, safety, and quality performance; labour productivity; rework; project conditions; and management practices related to health and safety. Data from 19 projects located in different regions of Canada were collected and analyzed. Based on the results and on industry feedback, additional metrics for practices related to project planning, materials management, and construction supervisory skills development were developed. This paper describes the development of the program. Lessons learned during the development and implementation of the benchmarking and metrics program are summarized and steps to establish a sustainable program are identified. It is concluded that a successful program is feasible and has the potential to have broad impact. Key words: benchmarking, metrics, project performance, labour productivity, construction industry, management practices. La productivite et le rendement en construction doivent etre mesures si l'on veut les ameliorer. Le Conseil sectoriel de la construction (CSC) a lance un programme d'analyse comparative de la productivite de la main-d'oeuvre et de rendement de projets pour le secteur des infrastructures de l'industrie de la construction au Canada. Des parametres ont ete developpes pour le cout du projet, le temps, la securite et le rendement en qualite, ainsi que la productivite de la main-d'oeuvre, la reprise de travaux, les conditions du projet et les pratiques de gestions associees a la sante et la securite. Les donnees provenant de 19 projets situes dans differentes regions du Canada ont ete analysees. En se basant sur les resultats et la retroaction de l'industrie, des parametres additionnels sur les pratiques associees a la planification de projets, la gestion des materiaux et le developpement d'habiletes de supervision en construction ont ete integres. Le present article decrit le developpement du programme. Les lecons apprises durant le developpement et l'implantation du programme d'analyse comparative et des parametres sont resumees et les etapes visant a etablir un programme durable sont identifiees. Il est donc possible d'avoir un bon programme qui peut avoir un impact majeur. Mots-cles : analyse comparative, parametres, rendement du projet, productivite de la main-d'oeuvre, industrie de la construction, pratiques de gestion. [Traduit par la Redaction], Introduction Construction productivity directly affects the price of construction projects. A poor national productivity in construction impacts negatively the robustness of its economy: it affects the outcomes of the national [...]

There are various methods offered in construction literature for determining the schedule impact resulting from delays and interruptions. Previous scheduling technique makes the assumption that the relationship between time and the number of units produced is linear. Accordingly, progress is assumed to be equally distributed along the activities' durations. Often this assumption does not reflect the real situation for the progress of construction activities. Some activities are naturally nonlinear and others exhibit nonlinear progress. To insure reality and reasonableness, delay analysis must allow for nonlinear production rates as well as linear production rates in the delayed activities. Therefore, there is a need for a delay analysis method that incorporates the varying rate of production for the delayed activities. This paper proposes a delay analysis method that can rationally apportion the concurrent delay with consideration of the nonlinear production rates of activities in construction projects. A simple case study has been implemented to demonstrate the accuracy and usefulness of the proposed delay analysis method. This research is useful for both researchers and practitioners for the case including the varying productivity due to delays and interruptions and allows transparent and rational analysis on concurrent delay to facilitate claim analysis. Key words: claims, critical path method, delay analysis, productivity, scheduling. La litterature sur la construction comporte diverses methodes pour determiner l'impact sur l'horaire engendre par des retards et des interruptions. L'ancienne technique d'ordonnancement presumait que la relation entre le temps et le nombre d' unites produites etait directe. Ainsi, le progres est presume etre distribue egalement entre les durees des activites. Mais souvent l' hypothese ne reflete pas la vraie situation du progres des activites de construction. Certaines activites sont naturellement non lineaires et d' autres progressent de maniere non lineaire. Pour permettre sa fiabilite et sa raisonnabilite, l' analyse des retards doit permettre des taux de production non lineaires aussi bien que des taux de production lineaires dans les activites retardees. Ainsi, il faut une methode d'analyse des retards qui incorpore le taux de production variant dans le temps pour les activites retardees. Le present article propose une methode d'analyse des retards qui peut repartir de maniere rationnelle le retard concourant en tenant compte des taux de production non lineaires des activites des projets de construction. Une simple etude de cas est presentee pour demontrer la precision et l'utilite de la methode d'analyse des retards proposee. Cette recherche est utile aux chercheurs et aux praticiens dans les cas comportant une productivite variable en raison des retards et des interruptions et elle permet une analyse transparente et rationnelle des retards concourants afin de faciliter l' analyse des reclamations. Mots-cles : reclamations, methode du chemin critique, analyse des retards, productivite, ordonnancement. [Traduit par la Redaction], Introduction Delays and suspensions, as well as work accelerations required to overcome delays and suspensions, are the primary contributors to the cost overruns that affect many projects (Smith et al. [...]

Proving and quantifying lost productivity due to cumulative impacts of multiple changes are difficult tasks. This paper presents the most acceptable methods from case law and demonstrates their applications for analyzing the loss of productivity. These methods include earned value analysis, measured mile analysis, and combinations of these two. They are either well established or drawn from recent court and board decisions. A case study is used to illustrate and compare the use of these methods. These methods result in considerably different loss of productivity values though the actual amount (i.e., inefficiency in labor hours) is unique for a particular case and though these methods are often thought to be similar or even the same. How a measured mile analysis and its variants are employed affects the amount of lost productivity estimated. The variants can avoid some drawbacks of measured mile and earned value studies. Nevertheless, which method is more accurate and reliable is difficult to provide for a particular claim. Practitioners should choose between them based on the availability of project records and the nature of changes and cumulative impacts. Practitioners may also employ two or more methods to perform a 'sensitivity analysis' of the chosen methods and persuade the other party and/or the jury that their estimate of lost productivity is sufficiently certain. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000193 CE Database subject headings: Claims; Contracts; Court decisions; Productivity; Owners; Contractors. Author keywords: Claims; Contracts; Court decisions; Productivity; Owners; Contractors.

Evidence suggests that migraine is associated with decreased productivity. This article describes the results of a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed publications that measured the impact of migraine on workplace [...]

A model for attaining profits while increasing productivity and satisfying clients, using fuzzy logic, is presented.

A method for solving the production quantity problem in manufacturing processes, using geometric programming, is presented.

With respect to United Kingdom's economic development policy, the importance of investing in improving the quality of workforce skills for achieving better productivity performance by firm's is analyzed.

With respect to the United Kingdom service industries, the role played by outsourcing of business services in increasing industrial and labor productivity as well as in employment growth is discussed.

With reference to a comparative study on firms in United Kingdom, France, Spain and Germany, the interrelationship between a firm's investment in research and development projects, its innovations and its productivity performance is analyzed.

Migrant labor and their role in increasing productivity in potential markets is discussed by focusing on Finland economy.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2006.04.012 Byline: Peter Vink (a)(b), Ernst A.P. Koningsveld (b), Johan F. Molenbroek (a) Keywords: Comfort; Productivity; Participatory ergonomics; Experiencing alternatives Abstract: Ergonomics sometimes has a negative connotation, as it is seen to be connected to illness or guidelines that limit innovations. This paper is focused on the positive aspects of ergonomics in improvement of the working environment. It consists of a part that studies the literature on success factors in the process towards higher productivity and greater comfort, the formulation of a model and a hypothesis, which is illustrated by four cases. The model distinguishes the success factors in 'goal', 'involvement' and 'process'. Goals: evidence is found in the literature that a positive approach has benefits in terms of shareholder value and productivity, and for comfort. Involvement: the literature shows that participation of end-users and management contributes to success. Process: in the process it is essential to have a good inventory of the problems, a structured approach, a steering group responsible for the guidance, and end-users involvement in testing of ideas and prototypes. It is hypothesized that the chance of success increases by empowerment (making the end-user responsible for deciding on the next step in the process) and positive experiences of end-users with the potential improvement (end-users feel or see the benefits). The four cases illustrate that the hypothesis can be used in evaluating cases. Author Affiliation: (a) Delft University of Technology, Industrial Design Engineering, Landbergstraat 15, 2628 CE Delft, The Netherlands (b) TNO Quality of Life, P.O. Box 718, 2130 AS Hoofddorp, The Netherlands

The City of Edmonton's Drainage Operations branch oversees the inspection, maintenance, and repair of the city's drainage network. This network covers an area of 700.6 [km.sup.2] to serve the city's growing population of nearly 1 million people. The activities performed by this division consume a large amount of funding and are, therefore, receptive to improvements in productivity. The study presented in this paper was conducted to develop improved work methods and engineered productivity standards for the various drainage operations. The study focused on six crews, which accounted for over 25% of the total drainage operations budget. The six crews were divided based on their respective duties: (1) cleaning mains by low pressure flushing (LPF); (2) cleaning mains by high pressure flushing; (3) scheduled mechanical cleaning of catch basins (CBC); (4) inspecting mains by televising; (5) commercial establishment investigation; and (6) service-line rodding and televising. The study utilized the concept of work simplification and focused on two crew activities--LPF and CBC work tasks--to improve crew work methods, to develop an established work standard, and to verify the proposed improvements based on the simulation model's output. These activities are described in greater detail in two case studies. The work measurement concept was implemented to develop engineered productivity standards for the remaining crews in order to improve their productivity as well. This paper describes the application of an industrial engineering philosophy of work measurement--lean production theory--and the technique of simulation analysis to capture current work methods, generate and test alternative methods, and develop new productivity standards for drainage maintenance operations crews. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2006)132:3(291) CE Database subject headings: Productivity; Simulation; Drainage systems; Time factors; Canada; Maintenance.

Drug use has been shown to have a negative affect on both job safety and productivity. Due to the high accident rates in the construction industry it is vital for management to take necessary steps to implement programs and procedures that will increase construction safety and worker productivity. While the effects of a drug-related jobsite accident can be catastrophic for individuals and companies, management should realize that drug use among employees can be damaging to moral, productivity, and quality even if it does not result in accidents. The level of teamwork required for excellent work is harder to achieve and efforts to improve project management by team building are hurt by the absenteeism and short-term employment typical of the employee that abuses drugs. Other areas where the project management of a construction company is compromised by worker drug use are recruitment and retention of human resources, career growth management, and safety. Drug testing construction workers is an effective method for reducing the number of impaired workers on a project site, increasing overall project safety, worker morale, productivity, and profits. There are ethical and legal questions on both sides of the issue and any such management initiative must be balanced with worker rights. CE Database subject headings: Personnel management; Productivity; Construction management; Safety; Contractors; Construction equipment; Accidents; Teamwork.

Many engineering design companies collect data such as person hours to manage projects. But the relationships between operational variables and performance are usually not thoroughly analyzed and interpreted. This paper proposes a system model and procedure to relate influence variables to project productivity. The model was tested by analyzing 190 projects of an engineering consulting company. The relationships between design productivity and various input and process variables were identified and interpreted. For example, project size has a negative relationship with productivity, while the effect of quality assurance/quality control on productivity is not clear. Based on documented data and derived information, this model can help companies gain operational insight and thus improve productivity and profitability. CE Database subject headings: Information management; Productivity; Performance characteristics; Engineering firms; Project management.

Construction contractors continue to be faced with the challenge of improving productivity in order to remain successful in an increasingly competitive industry. One factor that contributes to lower productivity is absenteeism. Yet, little is known or understood about the reasons electricians miss work, and very few studies have been conducted on absenteeism in the construction industry. As a positive step to reduce the problems associated with voluntary and involuntary absences, a study was initiated to identify why workers miss work and what steps should be taken to minimize absenteeism. The main objectives of the study were to learn the reasons for absenteeism and to quantify the impacts so that solutions can be developed to help contractors improve their productivity. The study determined that managers and electricians agreed that illnesses and medical appointments were two common reasons workers missed work. However, managers also believed workers were absent because of a lack of interest or irresponsibility, while electricians reported injuries and unsafe working conditions as reasons for missing work. Furthermore, a quantitative analysis of the data revealed that when the absenteeism rate was between 0 and 5%, there was no loss in productivity. However, when the absenteeism rate was between 6 and 10%, a 24.4% loss in productivity was experienced. By understanding what causes electricians to miss work, and the effect of absences on productivity, a company can manage and control absenteeism on electrical construction projects. CE Database subject headings: Electrical systems; Construction industry; Labor; Productivity; Contractors.

The skill premium fell substantially in the first part of the 20th century and then rose at the end of the century. I argue that these changes are connected to the organization of production. When production is organized into large plants, jobs become routinized, favoring less-skilled workers. A model is introduced that parameterizes capital's ability to do many tasks, that is, capital's flexibility. When calibrated to data on the distribution of plant sizes, the model can account for between half and two-thirds of the movement in the skill premium over the century.

An econometric model for developing an optimal monetary policy that balances inflation-output dynamics is presented. The method takes into account rigidity in prices.

A good monetary policy balances inflation and output, and maintains the interest rates at a stable level. An analysis of a situation where the asset prices are driven by irrational expectations of the financial markets is presented. Under such circumstances, the investments in markets become inefficient, which can defeat the very purpose of the monetary policy, forcing the central banks to take corrective measures.

The co-relation between non-discretionary factors and technical efficiency has been analyzed and the effect such co-relation has on the data envelopment analysis (DEA) has been discussed. The problems of the DEA model are discussed and a solution is provided through a new model that can overcome identified problems.

Using insider econometric studies for estimating the organizational level production functions and analyzing production processes to improve productivity is stressed.

Monte Carlo simulation methods are used to derive the exact distribution of productivity growth and to explore in detail how the productivity growth distribution shifts as a result of changes in input prices and output. It is observed that for almost half the countries in the sample, prices and output do not cause median productivity but the spread, skewness and kurtosis of the productivity growth distribution do.

A study investigating the relationship between production and inventory for a deteriorating productions system is presented. A lot-size problem is considered and analytical results to a discrete general shift distribution for the production process is extended.

The influence of process management on organizational change is discussed.

During the 1980's, all Japanese automobile producers opened assembly plants in North America. Industry analysts and previous research claim that these transplants are more productive than incumbent plants and that they produce with a substantially different production process. I compare the production processes by estimating a model that allows for heterogeneity in technology and productivity, both of which are intrinsically unobservable. The model is estimated on a panel of assembly plants, controlling for capacity utilization and price effects. The results indicate that the more recent technology uses capital more intensively and it has a higher elasticity of substitution between labour and capital. Hicks-neutral productivity growth is estimated to be lower, while capital-biased (labour-saving) productivity growth is higher for the new technology. Using the estimation results, I decompose industry-wide productivity growth and find plant-level changes in lean plants to be the most important contributor. Plant-level productivity growth is further decomposed to reveal the importance of capital-biased productivity growth, increases in the capital-labour ratio, and returns to scale.

This article assesses the role of worker cooperatives in reviving industrial production. Although the focus is on the performance of worker cooperatives in Kolkata, India, the study tries to examine the features of such organizations to understand their strengths and weaknesses. Kolkata was once a premier industrial center, but it has witnessed a rapid decline in industries since the 1970s. In some cases, workers attempted to save their jobs by forming cooperatives to manage their industries. Five such cases are discussed in this study. Four of the organizations still exist, whereas one failed in the late 1990s. These cases help in understanding the conditions needed for the survival of such organizations. Support from the state, availability of financial capital, and facilities for marketing are seen as some of the prerequisites. At the same time, the most crucial factors for survival are support from trade unions and maintenance of internal democracy in the decision-making process.

This article reviews Cuba's Enterprise Optimization Program and discusses the question of whether it could be a first step to privatization of government owned enterprises. The article compares this program with the early stages of privatization in China and East Germany.

Ways in which human resource functions can be redesigned to enhance value for business customers, as well as increasing productivity, are examined.