Search results

WHEN one considers the fundamental weakness of time study—the personal evaluation of performance—it raises the question whether the predetermined motion time system is going to absolve the time study engineer from future disputes as to standard times. And if it is, then at whose door, may we ask, are these disputes to be laid?

Six sigma is a popular approach to drive out variability from processes using powerful statistical tools and techniques. Although originally introduced by Motorola in 1986 as a quality performance measurement, six sigma has evolved into a statistically oriented approach to process and product quality improvement. Many organisations have reported significant benefits as a result of six sigma project implementation, though not all are yet success stories. This paper reviews the literature related to the critical success factors for the effective implementation of six sigma projects in organisations.

This paper aims to identify, analyze and categorize the major readiness factors for implementing Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in health-care organizations using total interpretive structural modelling technique. The readiness factors are identified would help the managers to recognize the areas that lack and provide importance to the successful implementation of LSS in those areas. The paper further intends to understand the hierarchical interrelationships among the readiness factors identified using dependence and driving power.

In total, 16 readiness factors are identified from the literature review and expert opinions are collected from hospitals. The scheduled interview is conducted based on a questionnaire survey in hospitals in the Indian context to identify the relevance of the relations among the readiness factors. The expert opinions are used in the initial reachability matrix and interpretative interaction matrix. Matrix impact cross multiplication applied to classification (MICMAC) analysis uses dependence and driving power to understand the hierarchical relationship among the readiness factors identified.

The result indicates that customer-oriented and goal management cultures are the key readiness factors for LSS. The execution technique and training are given according to the current demand of customers and goal change of organization. The manager needs to concentrate more on readiness factors to formulate the execution process of LSS for continuous improvement of the health-care organization. The readiness level helps the manager to identify the target area for LSS execution.

This research focuses mainly on readiness factors for the implementation of LSS in the health-care industry.

This study would be useful for researchers and practitioners to understand the readiness factors before starting the implementation process of LSS.

Many research studies are being done on the success and failure rate of implementation of factors. The present study identifies the readiness factors related to LSS, especially for the health-care industry.

There are continuing pressures to improve administrative efficiency in human resource management (HRM). Following the professional and academic literature, proposes “payroll” as an ideal candidate for outsourcing in order to drive costs down.

The research uses a transaction‐cost‐economics perspective to identify efficiency implications of varying governance decisions. Ten distinct payroll activities that account for a generic payroll workflow are identified. Then the costs of carrying out these distinct payroll processes, either market‐ or hierarchy‐based, are analysed in 20 case studies of UK‐based organisations.

While key payroll activities were more costly when outsourced, there were efficiency gains in supplementary activities and lesser investment in IT software and maintenance.

These insights are important for cost‐based make‐or‐buy decisions. Influence factors on governance decisions, however, went beyond considerations of transaction costs, quality and risks to include historical, political and individual rationales. They are depicted in a framework of outsourcing motivations.

The purpose of this paper is to focus an empirical investigation on the financial ramifications of regulatory policies on American professional team sport leagues, while at once including the inseparable effects on the outcomes of contests. The authors conduct a comparative analysis of the impact of alternative regulatory mechanisms adopted by American professional team sport leagues, and their implications for the league performance.

The paper conducts a comparative analysis of ten years of financial and contest data from Major League Baseball (MLB) and National Hockey League (NHL). Using relative measures of payroll and profits for the two leagues, the authors test hypotheses on the impact of the market-based payroll taxes of the MLB with the strict payroll limits imposed by the NHL and their relationship to both financial and contest outcomes of the two leagues.

The comparison of MLB and NHL shows that market-based tax incentives are more consistent with the league financial objectives than strict, enforced mandates, suggesting that comparatively higher profits are associated with the MLB’s approach when compared to the strict bounds imposed by the NHL. Conversely, the comparison of player costs in the NHL and MLB reveal no distinguishable features based on the alternative regulatory methods.

This paper provides an initial, valuable assessment of different regulatory mechanisms on the on- and off-field (-ice) performance of MLB and NHL. Given that MLB has adopted market-based tax incentives to regulate payroll (the competitive balance tax), and the NHL has imposed strict payroll limits (hard salary cap), the authors at once consider MLB’s innovative revenue-sharing system alongside the NHL’s more conventional and restrained method of revenue redistribution, and their implications for performance.

I evaluate how the tax reform of 2012 reduced informality in Colombia both theoretically and empirically. Theoretically, I develop a labor market model and obtain simulations indicating that the reform should reduce informality significantly. Empirically, I obtain difference-in-difference estimates from two household surveys. Estimates from the repeated cross-sections data indicate small, short-term effects and large long-term effects. Estimates from the household survey panel data are in line with these results. I also simulate difference-in-difference estimates with different combinations of changes in payroll taxes and enforcement indicating that large improvements would have been needed to obtain the corresponding econometric estimates.

IT is difficult to imagine the world of Work Study without the urbane ubiquity of Russell Currie, whose death on 28 August we deeply regret to record. Although he had been officially in retirement for a year or two his presence was immanent in any important gathering of those who had so long looked to him for the leadership that was always forthcoming. We can fittingly borrow an epigram he coined at the London Congress in 1963 as apt at this time. ‘The sun shone to greet your arrival; the skies weep for your departure.’

A number of earlier studies have examined whether extensive labour market programmes (ALMPs) contribute to upward wage pressure in the Swedish economy. Most studies on aggregate data have concluded that they actually do. In this paper we look at this issue using more recent data to check whether the extreme conditions in the Swedish labour market in the 1990s and the concomitant high levels of ALMP participation have brought about a change in the previously observed patterns. We also look at the issue using three different estimation methods to check the robustness of the results. Our main finding is that, according to most estimates, ALMPs do not seem to contribute significantly to an increased wage pressure.

The purpose of this paper is to explore various risks that are associated with recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) strategy in the Indian information technology (IT)/IT-enabled service (ITes) industries.

Purposeful intensity sampling was used to select respondents from IT/ITes organizations. Twenty-eight respondents were interviewed through face-to-face semi-structured interviews and telephonic interviews. Each interview lasted for approximately 65 min. All interviews were audio recorded with the permission of the respondents and were then transcribed. The data were analyzed with the help of a qualitative technique, thematic analysis.

Results show that the stakeholders associated with RPO are not satisfied with several issues such as violation of initial contact between the applicant and the potential employer, violation of contracts by the vendor, unfair practices by the vendor, poor quality service provided by the vendor, plausibility that the vendor does not understand the culture of the client organization, inappropriate placement of human resources by the vendor, low morale of the employees and loss of managerial control due to RPO.

Small sample size and qualitative research design reduces the external validity of the findings to certain extent.

Companies deploying RPO should be wary about the plausible negative consequences. This paper offers various solutions to mitigate such risks.

This paper is a novel attempt which details various risks due to deployment of RPO from multiple stakeholder perspectives.

Words like Participation tend to be labels stuck on generalities, signifying nothing. They are used as verbal bromides by publicists anxious to cover harsh realities with an attractive veneer. As a rule, once they have served their purpose, they are conveniently forgotten.