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Book part
Publication date: 24 May 2007

Frederic Carluer

“It should also be noted that the objective of convergence and equal distribution, including across under-performing areas, can hinder efforts to generate growth. Contrariwise

Abstract

“It should also be noted that the objective of convergence and equal distribution, including across under-performing areas, can hinder efforts to generate growth. Contrariwise, the objective of competitiveness can exacerbate regional and social inequalities, by targeting efforts on zones of excellence where projects achieve greater returns (dynamic major cities, higher levels of general education, the most advanced projects, infrastructures with the heaviest traffic, and so on). If cohesion policy and the Lisbon Strategy come into conflict, it must be borne in mind that the former, for the moment, is founded on a rather more solid legal foundation than the latter” European Commission (2005, p. 9)Adaptation of Cohesion Policy to the Enlarged Europe and the Lisbon and Gothenburg Objectives.

Details

Managing Conflict in Economic Convergence of Regions in Greater Europe
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84950-451-5

Article
Publication date: 1 November 2021

Bruno Sobral Macedo and Miguel Luiz Ribeiro Ferreira

The purpose of the study is to analyse the feasibility of using the potential and exponential curve models to assess the learning of a group of welders, when welding stainless…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to analyse the feasibility of using the potential and exponential curve models to assess the learning of a group of welders, when welding stainless steel piping with the tungsten inert gas process.

Design/methodology/approach

The welding productivity data grouped according to the requirements of the ASME SECTION IX code is organised into two groups: average productivity and baseline productivity. When processing the adjustment to the two models, the Excel software Solver tool was used. The criteria for assessing the quality of the fit were: least squared method, Spearman's correlation coefficient and graphical method. The impact of the variation coefficient on the average productivity and the amplitude (difference between the minimum and maximum productivity) was also evaluated on the baseline productivity.

Findings

The curves elaborated based on the average productivity presented better quality of adjustment than those constructed from the baseline productivity. The potential and exponential models presented similar adjustment conditions, with the second having a slightly superior performance. There were no productivity gains due to learning in the studied time interval. The grouping of the average daily productivity data based on the diameter range established in the ASME code section IX presented satisfactory results, enabling its use by the industry.

Originality/value

There is no news of work on piping welding with this focus. The proposal to group the productivity data according to the degree of difficulty of execution established by the ASME code section IX, widely used in the industry, is a significant contribution to monitoring the evolution of learning. In the same way, the results allow to adopt the average productivity determined from the first 20 days of realisation of a project, as a reasonable indicator to estimate the future performance of the work, helping to correct deadlines during the realisation of a project.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 30 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 August 2020

Luis Cárdenas del Rey and Rafael Fernandez-Sanchez

This paper studies one of the most paradoxical facts of the Spanish economic growth during the period 1982–2007: high growth of investment and aggregate demand accompanied by the…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper studies one of the most paradoxical facts of the Spanish economic growth during the period 1982–2007: high growth of investment and aggregate demand accompanied by the stagnation of labor productivity, especially from 1994.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors propose two hypotheses: first, that the productive structure neutralized the mechanisms that link investment with productivity, essentially due to the low capital efficiency of the job-creating sectors (JCs); and consequently, investment drove production almost exclusively through employment, generating a trade-off between employment and productivity.

Findings

The econometric results find evidence in favor of both hypotheses applying a time-series methodology (ARIMA) to EU KLEMS data for a period of 25 years and 25 industries of the Spanish economy.

Originality/value

The first contribution of this paper is to offer an interpretation of the phenomenon from a perspective that combines elements of productive supply and aggregate demand, representing a novel contribution to the specialized literature. In addition, the authors show how the Kaldor-Verdoorn law could be neutralized due to employment creation (Okun's law) and the presence of a productivity-employment trade-off.

Details

Journal of Economic Studies, vol. 48 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3585

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 7 December 2021

Joshua Graff Zivin, Lisa B. Kahn and Matthew Neidell

In this chapter, we examine the impact of pay-for-performance incentives on learning-by-doing. We exploit personnel data on fruit pickers paid under two distinct compensation…

Abstract

In this chapter, we examine the impact of pay-for-performance incentives on learning-by-doing. We exploit personnel data on fruit pickers paid under two distinct compensation contracts: a standard piece rate plan and one with an extra one-time bonus tied to output. Under the latter, we observe bunching of performance just above the bonus threshold, suggesting workers distort their behavior in response to the discrete bonus. Such bunching behavior increases as workers gain experience. At the same time, the bonus contract induces considerable learning-by-doing for workers throughout the productivity distribution who presumably hope to one day hit the target, and these improvements significantly outweigh the losses to the firm from the bunching. In contrast, under the standard piece rate contract, we find minimal evidence of bunching and only small performance improvements at the bottom of the productivity distribution. Our results suggest that contract design can help foster learning on the job, underscoring the importance of dynamic considerations in principle-agent models.

Details

Workplace Productivity and Management Practices
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80117-675-0

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 22 August 2018

Christian Stohr

This chapter does three things. First, it estimates regional gross domestic product (GDP) for three different geographical levels in Switzerland (97 micro regions, 16 labor market…

Abstract

This chapter does three things. First, it estimates regional gross domestic product (GDP) for three different geographical levels in Switzerland (97 micro regions, 16 labor market basins, and 3 large regions). Second, it analyzes the evolution of regional inequality relying on a heuristic model inspired by Williamson (1965), which features an initial growth impulse in one or several core regions and subsequent diffusion. Third, it uses index number theory to decompose regional inequality into three different effects: sectoral structure, productivity, and comparative advantage.

The results can be summarized as follows: As a consequence of the existence of multiple core regions, Swiss regional inequality has been comparatively low at higher geographical levels. Spatial diffusion of economic growth occurred across different parts of the country and within different labor market regions. This resulted in a bell-shaped evolution of regional inequality at the micro regional level and convergence at higher geographical levels. In early and in late stages of the development process, productivity differentials were the main drivers of inequality, whereas economic structure was determinant between 1888 and 1941. The poorest regions suffered from comparative disadvantage, that is, they were specialized in the vary sector (agriculture), where their relative productivity was comparatively lowest.

Article
Publication date: 2 November 2015

Madhur Gautam and Bingxin Yu

China and India have made significant strides in transforming their agricultural sectors to cut hunger and poverty for the masses through improved agricultural productivity. Given…

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Abstract

Purpose

China and India have made significant strides in transforming their agricultural sectors to cut hunger and poverty for the masses through improved agricultural productivity. Given limited land and shift of labor to non-agricultural sector, increasing productivity will continue to be central in agricultural growth in the twenty-first century. The purpose of this paper is to provide comparative analysis of the agricultural total factor productivity (TFP) growth in the two countries. It complements existing literature by examining the evolution and drivers of TFP at disaggregated sub-national level. Richer data allows a deeper understanding of the nature and drivers of TFP growth in the two countries.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper applies different analytical framework to address different research questions using data since 1980. China study estimates a parametric output-based distance function using a translog stochastic frontier function. Productivity growth index and its multiple components are calculated using parameters derived from the parametric approach to identify the characteristics of technology such as structural bias. India study first applies data envelopment analysis to estimate the aggregate productivity growth index, technical change (TC), and efficiency change. Next productivity indexes by for traditional crops are estimated using growth accounting framework at state level. Finally, a panel regression links TFP on its determinants.

Findings

Several common themes emerge from this comparative study. Faced with similar challenges of limited resources and growing demand, improving productivity is the only way to meet long-term food security. Agriculture sector has performed impressively with annual TFP growth beyond 2 percent in China and between 1 and 2 percent in India since the 1980s. The TFP growth is mainly propelled by technological advance but efficiency had been stagnant or even deteriorated. This study provides a granular picture of within country heterogeneity: fast growth in the North and Northeast part of China, South and East of India.

Research limitations/implications

The study suggests some possible policy interventions to improve agricultural productivity, including investment in agricultural R & D to create advanced production technology, effective extension programs and supportive policies to increase efficiency, and diversification from staple crops for sector-wide growth. The India study suggests certain policies may not be contributing much to productivity growth in the long run due to a negative impact on environment. Further studies are needed to expand the productivity analysis to take into consideration of the negative externalities to the society. Data enhancement to account for quality-adjusted inputs could improve the estimation of productivity growth.

Originality/value

Each country study reveals certain prospects of the agricultural sector and production technology. China analysis statistically confirms the existence of technical inefficiency and technology progress, suggests the translog form is appropriate to capture the production technology and satisfies conditions stipulated in theoretical models. The results indicate TC does not influence the contribution of output or input to the production process. India study pinpoints the lagging productivity growth of traditional crops, which still derives growth from input expansion. Although different states benefited from different crops, sector-wide productivity gain is primarily the result of diversification to high-value crops and livestock products.

Details

China Agricultural Economic Review, vol. 7 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-137X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 January 2009

Carmen Berné‐Manero, Hanns de la Fuente‐Mella and Mercedes Marzo‐Navarro

The purpose of this paper is to offer an economic analysis of the convenience store format and the various categories thereof for the Spanish case in the period 1998‐2004.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to offer an economic analysis of the convenience store format and the various categories thereof for the Spanish case in the period 1998‐2004.

Design/methodology/approach

Using secondary information sources, the analysis methodology is based on economic indicators of the output level and on the calculation of output/input ratios.

Findings

The results show a positive evolution of the format regarding both the sales volume and the number of establishments, a high‐concentration rate in the sector and a positive trend of the productivity ratios. However, differences are observed between distribution groups or chains, as well as between the various analysed types.

Research limitations/implications

The analysis uses secondary data, namely generally accepted apparent economic indicators that cannot reflect the entire reality of the market. The analysed market is the Spanish market. So, more effort of analysis is needed with primary data and it emerges the convenience of that the competent authorities provide more statistical information about the sector.

Originality/value

This work provides knowledge about management decisions by retailers regarding a specific format (the convenience format), which is emerging in some categories and is mature in others. This research covers a lack of both conceptual and empirical studies that are targeted at understanding these formats and at analysing their current and future situation. The most specific contribution is the focus on a specific format not analysed previously, from the point of view of economic ratios including an approximation to marketing productivity, a priority area of study in this area of knowledge. The analysis performed allows verifying the positive evolution shown by the format in recent years. It also reflects upon the fact that it would be advisable for competent authorities to publish periodic statistics on the global format and on its types.

Details

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, vol. 37 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-0552

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 May 2014

Orlando Gomes

The purpose of this paper is to study the growth dynamics in a model where labor productivity is shaped by two forces. On one hand, it is determined by the extent in which…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the growth dynamics in a model where labor productivity is shaped by two forces. On one hand, it is determined by the extent in which available technology has been already explored. On the other hand, some labor skills may become obsolete, jeopardizing the ability of the labor input in creating value, namely when a transition between technological states takes place.

Design/methodology/approach

A theoretical model is developed, based on previous work about hierarchical organizations of production, in order to build an integrated structure of analysis for growth, productivity, innovation and obsolescence of skills.

Findings

In a setting in which output grows through the accumulation of layers of activity, the generation of income and the evolution of techniques will be determined by the choice of a representative agent, who faces a trade-off between consumption utility and the desire to maintain intact the skills of the labor force.

Research limitations/implications

The theory provides an analytical structure to think about skill acquisition and skill obsolescence in the context of economic growth. Further work is necessary, namely at an empirical level, to test the validity and the reasonability of the model's implications.

Originality/value

The paper sheds light on the role of labor productivity as a growth determinant. It seeks a deeper understanding on the relationship between human capabilities and the efficient use of technology.

Details

Journal of Economic Studies, vol. 41 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3585

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 5 April 2024

Emir Malikov, Shunan Zhao and Jingfang Zhang

There is growing empirical evidence that firm heterogeneity is technologically non-neutral. This chapter extends the Gandhi, Navarro, and Rivers (2020) proxy variable framework…

Abstract

There is growing empirical evidence that firm heterogeneity is technologically non-neutral. This chapter extends the Gandhi, Navarro, and Rivers (2020) proxy variable framework for structurally identifying production functions to a more general case when latent firm productivity is multi-dimensional, with both factor-neutral and (biased) factor-augmenting components. Unlike alternative methodologies, the proposed model can be identified under weaker data requirements, notably, without relying on the typically unavailable cross-sectional variation in input prices for instrumentation. When markets are perfectly competitive, point identification is achieved by leveraging the information contained in static optimality conditions, effectively adopting a system-of-equations approach. It is also shown how one can partially identify the non-neutral production technology in the traditional proxy variable framework when firms have market power.

Article
Publication date: 30 March 2020

David W. Parker and William W. Lawrence

This study explores the role of business model as a state variable during transformation of a financial institution to become a multinational enterprise. Prior studies of the…

Abstract

Purpose

This study explores the role of business model as a state variable during transformation of a financial institution to become a multinational enterprise. Prior studies of the Uppsala model overlooked business model evolution for cross-border productivity and performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The research design employs the resource-based view for an in-depth case study of JMMB, a family-managed Jamaica-based financial firm, using data from primary and secondary sources, covering the period 1992 to 2014.

Findings

JMMB's business model was the channel through which resources and capabilities gave rise to an innovative product for successful positioning in an international network. This was augmented by strong family orientation toward customer service, a distinctive asset that shaped the nature and trajectory of the business model. Cross-border alliancing and risk management were crucial dynamic capabilities for replicating the business model in foreign markets.

Research limitations/implications

While the observations are not generalizable to other firms, they indicate that a business model is a key unit of analysis for understanding how the firm makes the transition to become a multinational enterprise.

Practical implications

Financial institutions may internationalize in a small island, developing stages through a strategy of focused product differentiation based on disruptive innovation with cross-border partnerships for ease of market entry and experiential learning.

Social implications

The research has identified opportunities for effective and efficient work methods in pursuit of productivity gains.

Originality/value

The study is the first to illustrate business model as a state variable in the Uppsala model of multinational enterprise evolution for a financial firm.

Details

International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. 70 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0401

Keywords

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