News

Citation

Heap, J. (2014), "News", International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol. 63 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-11-2013-0192

News

Article Type: News From: International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Volume 63, Issue 2.

Your wine is safe

Worldwide wine output rebounded sharply this year to reach levels last seen in 2006, as higher productivity in vineyards offset a steep fall in area, according to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV).

The Paris-based organisation suggested world wine output for 2013 was around 281 million hectolitres, up 9 per cent on 2012 when it fell sharply due to bad weather in Europe and a policy to draw down its stocks, or “wine lakes”.

“In 2013, there was a significant global harvest, also thanks to the development in the productivity of vineyards”, the OIV said. “You have to go back to 2006 to find equivalent production levels”. It said the world's vineyards shrank by around 15,000 ha in 2013 to 7.5 million ha, with a fall seen in Europe, particularly in Italy and Spain, and slower growth or stabilisation in the USA, Latin America and China. Since 2006, the world's vineyard has lost 300,000 ha.

New energy for Africa

In the current context of fluctuating oil prices, the oil importing bills of several African countries amount to 50 per cent of export earnings, and many nations are struggling to meet their current energy demands. At the same time, expanding access to energy in rural Africa is a critical part of modernisation and future agricultural development, making energy supply both a problem and a part of the solution. The energy crisis that these countries face is not only a problem in itself, but it also presents a hurdle in addressing food security in Africa.

However, although the agricultural sector is emerging as a significant energy consumer, it is also as a potential source of energy generation. The production of energy from agriculture is at the centre of the present boom in bioenergy. Indeed, most biofuels produced today originate from the agricultural sector.

There is a wide range of crops produced in Africa that are sources of bioenergy. Sugarcane, sugar beet, maize, sorghum and cassava are all suitable for ethanol production, while peanuts, jatropha and palm oil can be used to produce biodiesel. Agricultural and forestry products also have great potential. According to estimates published by the Copernicus Institute, Africa has the potential to produce about 317 exajoules of bioenergy on surplus agricultural land by 2050. That is roughly equivalent to 142 million barrels of oil per day. And this is the amount that can be produced under optimal conditions, meaning without causing environmental damage or undermining food supplies for growing populations.

Relax!

We know that stress can affect employee productivity, job satisfaction and health care costs.

Researchers Dr Hasnat Dewan and Len Hutt from Thompson Rivers University in Australia found that a four-week stress reduction programme, which cost less than $600, could significantly reduce the physical and psychological symptoms of work-related stress, and, in some groups, it could also improve job satisfaction.

“A preventive measure (relaxation program) can not only improve the quality of life for some, but can also increase their productivity and decrease health care costs”, the researchers said. “If the findings of this study can be confirmed with other studies that would mean that stress reduction programs could effectively lower demand for certain types of health services, and therefore, reduce publicly or corporately borne medical expenses”.

South African manufacturing has troubles

South Africa's manufacturing workforce contracted during 2013.

This was impacted by the seven-week strike in the automotive industry which had effects upstream on suppliers to the sector, including suppliers of paints, chemicals, glass, metal components and packaging.

While the automotive sector suffered a lengthy strike, National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa Director Nico Vermeulen said employment by vehicle manufacturers had been “stable” throughout the year.

But Mr Bezuidenhout said the longer-term effect of disrupting strikes was “the decreased ability of local subsidiaries to vie for contracts with their international counterparts when manufacturing contracts come up”.

On the rails

Nigeria's High Commissioner to Canada and former Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Ojo Maduekwe suggests that rail transportation is the key to economic development.

Currently, Nigeria has 3,528 kilometres of railroad and the frustration on Nigerian roads which includes bad roads and daily carnage exacerbated by the population explosion points to the need for a rail road which will create cost-effective and efficient passenger and freight services and relieve the over-stretched roads.

Australia's public sector needs to move up as gear

The national productivity average has continued its upward trend but Australian public sector productivity is lagging the private sector costing Australian taxpayers $2.4 billion with only 20 per cent of public sector workers believing they are operating at their lifetime best.

The fifth six-monthly EY Australian Productivity Pulse™ (the Pulse) found this contrasted with 29 per cent of private sector workers, despite the workers sharing comparable skills, capabilities and remuneration.

EY Oceania Advisory Leader Neil Plumridge said although personal productivity continues to increase across the country, public sector business models, practices and policies need to change to bridge the gap between public sector and private.

“Governments are committed to doing more with less but there is huge scope for a more strategic approach to policy to ensure the public sector is adequately prepared for the future”.

“Governments need to think in the long term to ensure we are creating the skilled and productive workforce Australia needs”, Mr Plumridge said. Mr Plumridge said the public sector environment is not yielding workers who consider themselves highly productive.

“This is not about the skills and capability of the public sector workforce, which is comparable with the private sector. Nor is it about remuneration, which can be higher in the public sector. We can only conclude that the productivity of public sector workers is being held back by government organisations themselves”.

The EY Australian Productivity Pulse™ measures Australian workers’ views about their organisation's and their own productivity. Based on a survey of approximately 2,100 employees spanning seven industries and from all levels within organisations, it includes workers from both the private and public sectors. This particular Pulse included a larger sample of public sector workers.

Philippines gold

The Productivity Olympics is a national competition of best programmes of micro, small and medium enterprises done once every two years anchored on two main criteria – Best in Business Excellence and Best in People Management and green productivity. Its main objective is to intensify awareness and commitment to quality and productivity as the best means to improve business performance.

It is organised by the National Wages Productivity Commission and the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board with the winners receiving awards and incentives in the forms of trophies, certificates, cash and use of the Productivity Olympics logo for three years.