Labor Capacity Research Articles

The Strategic Objectives of Russia and Japan’s Experience in the Creation of Jobs for Citizens of a New Age of Labor Capacity: Economic and Legal Research

An increase in the duration of employment cannot but entail the consequences that objectively reflect the realities of the labor market for the category of workers of preretirement age. Analysis of the situation in the labor market in modern economic realities makes it possible to single out the global problem of the obtainment and preservation of a job for the category of workers aged 50+. The prospects of its growth by the end of the transition period of change in the retirement age are discussed by experts from different areas of industry. At the same time, there is currently an increase in the number of people who are actively looking for work who do not have a chance of employment, since they are dead-end workers in terms of the interests of the employer. Attempts to solve the problem of jobs for elderly workers at the state level are assessed as ineffective and incapable of cardinally affecting the improvement of the protection of the rights of people from unemployment and poverty. Referring to the experience of Japan, which has many intersections in the legislative and social aspects in the creation and preservation of jobs for elderly workers with Russia, we will outline the possible prospects for the solution of this problem as an important strategic task of the state.

Проблемы развития трудового потенциала регионов Российской Федерации с учетом их дифференциации

Проблемы развития трудового потенциала регионов Российской Федерации с учетом их дифференциации

Operational alteration of the Labor Capacity Index measurement model for qualitative work

The Marx term Labour capacity contains the ability to handle change, imponderables and complexity and is personal part of an employee. The Labour Capacity Index (LCI) is developed to measure the use of labour capacity at work places and from employee itself. The index helps to understand the handling and dealing of complexity and imponderables at work. For the index itself is assumed that the index itself news small adjustment to be more valuable.
 A critic point of the LCI seems to be the existing scale and the used values, do to limitations on the available record set. This paper displays the results of a hopeful useful change in the operationalization of the measurement of labour capacity to increase the understanding of workers and their personal and experienced input to work. The comparison of the results is based on a survey with the working environment of IT employees.
 From the analysis of the results and out of the following comparison between the new and the old approach for the LCI, it can be displayed that the change in the operationalization can be done successfully. The including of new variable values also allowed a more detailed and distributes view on the labour market and the research labor capacity.

The Coercion-Resistance Spectrum: Analyzing Prisoner-Functionary Behaviour in Nazi Camps

ABSTRACT This article presents a methodology designed to yield a comprehensive and nuanced analysis of the behaviour of prisoner-functionaries in Nazi camps: the coercion-resistance spectrum. After a short discussion of historiographical trends related to Jewish functionaries and to Jewish resistance to the Nazis, the article details this new analytical approach to these figures whose assigned tasks facilitated the administration of their camps and directly served their camps’ purpose(s). The model’s key components are the simultaneous consideration of micro- and macro-level contexts, especially of changes therein, and their alteration of the functionaries’ room for manoeuvre, which, in turn, impacted the functionaries’ course of action. Unlike Primo Levi’s “grey zone,” the metaphor that scholars often employ to communicate the moral ambiguity of prisoner-functionaries’ circumstances and conduct, the spectrum model considers these individuals’ full range of behaviour, which comprised not only acts frequently, yet improperly, deemed “collaboration,” but also conduct that thwarted German aims. To demonstrate the methodology’s application and the insights it yields, the article turns to the recruitment of Jewish doctors for their medical services and their subsequent activities in three different settings: forced labour camps for Jews (Zwangsarbeitslager für Juden) in the Warthegau, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and the industrial subcamps of the Auschwitz camp network. The case studies call upon a combination of contemporaneous documents, like camp officials’ communications, and survivor accounts, including sworn witness statements and video testimonies. Given the prisoner-physicians’ position at the intersection of sickness and health, or disability and labour capacity, the application of the spectrum methodology to the study of these doctors not only facilitates the analysis and contextualization of these functionaries’ conduct, but it also yields insight into the evolution of, and interaction between, dual initiatives under the Third Reich: the exploitation of the Jewish labour force and the attempted annihilation of European Jewry.

Rethinking assessment of success of mitigation strategies for elephant-induced crop damage.

Crop damage is the most common impact of negative interactions between people and elephants and poses a significant threat to rural livelihoods and conservation efforts. Numerous approaches to mitigate and prevent crop damage have been implemented throughout Africa and Asia. Despite the documented high efficacy of many approaches, losses remain common, and in many areas, damage is intensifying. We examined the literature on effectiveness of crop-damage-mitigation strategies and identified key gaps in evaluations. We determined there is a need to better understand existing solutions within affected communities and to extend evaluations of effectiveness beyond measurement of efficacy to include rates of and barriers to adoption. We devised a conceptual framework for evaluating effectiveness that incorporates the need for increased emphasis on adoption and can be used to inform the design of future crop-damage mitigation assessments for elephants and conflict species more widely. The ability to prevent crop loss in practice is affected by both the efficacy of a given approach and rates of uptake among target users. We identified the primary factors that influence uptake as local attitudes, sustainability, and scalability and examined each of these factors in detail. We argue that even moderately efficacious interventions may make significant progress in preventing damage if widely employed and recommend that wherever possible scientists and practitioners engage with communities to build on and strengthen existing solutions and expertise. When new approaches are required, they should align with local attitudes and fit within limitations on labor, financial requirements, and technical capacity.

Possibilities of modern bronchoscopy in the treatment of occupational asthma

The occupational asthma may have severe forms and may cause loss of labour capacity that necessitates the searching for new early detection methods and searching for bronchial patency obstruction therapy capabilities.

Розвиток трудового потенціалу та потенціалу підприємства як фактори конкурентоспроможності підприємства

Стаття присвячена аналізу трудового потенціалу та потенціалу підприємства як факторів його конкурентоспроможності. В загальному плані конкурентоспроможність підприємства – це його здатність виготовляти продукцію, що користується попитом у споживачів, і отримувати на цій підставі прибуток. Після ІІ світової війни частина традиційних корпорацій в результаті згортання економічного простору капіталу та розгортання НТП опинилася в кризовому стані. Обґрунтовано, що принципове удосконалення виробничих відносин зумовило розвиток трудового потенціалу. Нові знання, кваліфікація, партнерський характер трудових відносин перетворили робочу силу на людський капітал. Реструктуризація корпорацій, реінжиніринг бізнес процесів надави поштовх розвитку потенціалу підприємства. Економіка в цілому, корпорації – зокрема перейшли на модель інтенсивного розвитку, що поставило в практичну площину можливості забезпечувати відповідний рівень конкурентоспроможності підприємств.

Reductions in Labor Capacity from Intensified Heat Stress in China under Future Climate Change.

Heat stress would be intensified under global warming and become a key issue of occupational health for labor force working outdoors. The changes in labor force would affect regional socioeconomic development. So far, changes in labor force due to heat stress are not well documented in China. In this study, heat stress based on wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT), which combines the thermal effects on the human body of both temperature and humidity, is projected for the near future (2021–2050) and the end of the century (2071–2099). Changes in labor capacity are then estimated for heavy and light work based on the relationships between labor capacity and the WBGT. Low and high emission scenarios, namely Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 2.6 and RCP8.5, are considered for the future projections in the hottest two months (July and August) in China. Results suggest that the WBGT would increase by more than 3–5 °C by the end of the century. The labor capacity would decrease by more than 40% for both heavy and light work in considerable areas such as South and East China, where there is a large population and developed economy. This indicates that labor force would reduce significantly due to intensified heat stress. This study calls for special attention to the impact of heat stress on occupational health and the labor force in China in the future.

Current Situation and Development of Labor Capacity in Mining Industry in China

Cutting excessive industrial capacity is the main concern of mining industry. Reasonable labor capacity management aimed at mining industry is to accelerate its transformation and upgrading and provide a strong guarantee. In China, the development of labor capacity management in mining industry has gone through six stages. At present, we are in the transformation and upgrading stage. Now many provinces has issued the maximum number of people working underground in the company. Macroscopic labor capacity management is convenient, however, it cannot be adapted to various situations. Many researchers have done some research from its method and mathematical model. Mining workers’ physiology and psychological health have also been analyzed. But labor capacity management focuses on industrial policy orientation. Labor capacity management in mining industry involves many fields. Besides that, because of mining features, different geological conditions of mining, and production conditions, the labor capacity management needs government coordination. The database should be set up nationwide and policy orientation should be formed after experts’ analysis. Coal enterprises can also train special staff in charge of labor capacity management.

Mechanization status based on machinery utilization and workers’ workload in sweet corn cultivation in Malaysia

Agricultural machinery utilization in Malaysia still very low, especially in sweet corn cultivation, compared with the other crop production systems. In this study was estimated two methods to evaluate the mechanization status of the respective field operations in sweet corn cultivation in Malaysia. The first method was used the PCL-HRL-EGL Cartesian plot based on Production capacity, Heartbeat rate, and Energy expenditures of human labor. The second method was used mechanization index based on energy expenditures of machinery and human labor. The study aim of was to assess the mechanization status in sweet corn cultivation in Malaysia. This paper described the overall mechanization status in the cultivation of sweet corn in Malaysia, and the machinery energy, worker’s energy expenditure, and heart rate for various field operations that were involved in cultivation. The field operations include tillage, planting, fertilizing, spraying, harvesting, and cutting plants. Field capacity, and machinery energy for each of the operations were calculated. The calculated mechanization index was used in the study to describe the mechanization status in sweet corn cultivation. A mean overall mechanization index of 36.49% and aggregate machinery energy of 340.67 ± 41.99 MJ/ha were registered for the crop. Highest mechanization index, and machinery energy were acquired in the tillage operation of 94.09% and 105.35 ± 9.37 MJ/ha while the lowest mechanization index, and machinery energy were in the harvesting operation with bags of 0.83%, and 0.42 ± 0.09 MJ/ha. These calculated mechanization indexes, and PCL-HRL-EGL Cartesian Plot were used for ranking the field operations based on their priority for mechanization. The outcome of this research could be contributed to lightening human energy expenditures and improving the mechanization status ultimately.

Rationing of work of veterinary specialists serving small domestic, ornamental and wild animals

Veterinary specialists have been rationing the work in the Russian Federation for more than 60 years. During this period, a lot of material has been accumulated on the development of scientific, methodological and regulatory problems. Recommendations on the regulation of labor of specialists in the field of veterinary medicine have been developed and approved: the time standards for the implementation of anti-epizootic, treatment-and-prophylactic, veterinary-sanitary measures for servicing cattle, pigs, horses, sheep, birds; diagnostic tests carried out by veterinary laboratories, and veterinary and sanitary examination of animal and vegetable products as well. The market of veterinary services in the cities of our country requires the expansion of the list of veterinary services in the field of servicing small domestic, decorative, exotic and wild animals. The article presents: features of the regulation of labor of veterinary specialists; classification of veterinary work depending on their direction, labor capacity, significance for ensuring epizootic well-being; norms of time for performing about 300 types of veterinary work when servicing small pets, 35 wild animals, 32 decorative and exotic animals. The established norms of labor costs for the implementation of veterinary measures in small domestic, decorative, exotic and wild animals will be used for: analysis of personnel support for veterinary institutions; planning their staffing levels; studying the effectiveness of the use of labor resources; establishing reasonable prices for paid veterinary work; determination of reserves for increasing labor productivity of veterinary specialists.

The nature and scale of the response to climate change will determine the human health for centuries to come in China

Climate change would pose a range of threat to human health both directly and indirectly. The direct adverse effects of climate change to human health include increased frequency of heatwaves, storms, floods, forest fire and drought. The indirect effects usually mediate through impacts on environmental conditions and ecosystems (e.g., air pollution, food insecurity and under-nutrition, and changing patterns of disease), economies, and social structure (e.g., displacement, migration and conflict). To map out the impacts that climate change is having on human health, and the health consequences of the global policy response, the 2015 <italic>Lancet </italic>Commission on Health and Climate Change and the<italic> Lancet</italic> Countdown: tracking progress on health and climate change has been initiated, with strong collaboration of world-class expertise from multiple disciplines and leading academic institutions around the world. The 2018 report of the <italic>Lancet</italic> Countdown on health and climate change tracks 41 indicators across five domains: Climate change impacts, exposures, and vulnerability; adaptation, planning, and resilience for health; mitigation actions and health co-benefits; finance and economics; and public and political engagement. The report warns that a lack of progress in reducing emissions and building adaptive capacity threatens both human lives and the viability of the national health systems they depend on, with the potential to disrupt core public health infrastructure and overwhelm health services. Therefore, the nature and scale of the response to climate change will be the determining factor in shaping the health of nations for centuries to come. China is the global hotspot in both climate change mitigation and human health protection. Thus, in addition to the annual editions of the <italic>Lancet</italic> Countdown global report, scholars from Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University who have been involved in the series of global reports, are invited to prepare the China policy brief, to provide a unique national analysis and policy recommendations for health and climate change. The 2018 edition of China policy brief, prepared by experts from Tsinghua University and Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, reviewed three indicators mostly related to China’s national conditions, i.e. change in labour capacity, exposure to ambient air pollution and coverage and strength of carbon pricing, and proposed the following policy recommendations: (1) Pay more attention to the labour capacity loss driven by climate change in the policymaking process. Curb greenhouse gas emissions and take effective adaptation measures to manage heat stress at work and avoided unaffordable heat-related economic loss. (2) Prioritize measures that both decrease greenhouse gas emissions and reduce air pollution and its related health costs, and incorporate analysis of those benefits into the climate and air pollution control policymaking process in order to fully realize short-term health co-benefits and prevent climate-change-related meteorological conditions that will worsen air pollution in the long run. (3) Ensure full operation of the national ETS and implement ambitious carbon pricing policy as soon as possible. Fully consider the health co-benefits of carbon pricing, speed up the capacity building process, apply carbon pricing broadly across China without delay, and enhance ambition gradually.

CURRENT STATE OF STUDENTS’ HEALTH AND ITS IMPROVEMENT IN THE PROCESS OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION

The aim is to investigate the state of health of the students of Ukrainian higher education institutions. Materials and methods: The study of state of health was conducted at Polissia National University and Zhytomyr Ivan Franko State University in 2008-2019. The results of a medical examination of 3737 students of different faculties between the ages of 17 and 22 were examined. Medical examinations were conducted by the doctors of the medical centers of universities. Totally 1208 pupils (male and female) of the schools of Zhytomyr region were involved in the questionnaire, which was conducted to analyze the attendance of physical education classes by pupils while studying at school. 648 students of Polissia National University participated in the study of the self-assessment of their own health, causes, and structure of disease incidence, the dynamics of the loss of labor capacity. Results: It was established that from 24 to 30.8 % of the students had diseases and a low level of physical development that indicated a low level of physical education at schools. It was revealed that the number of sick students was increasing during the study at higher educational institutions (HEI) that led to missing classes. Besides, up to 35.5 % of students had health disorders and belonged to a special medical group. And 1.7 % of the students had chronic diseases and disabilities and were exempted from sports. It was found that physical education and sports took the 5th place in the system of life values of male students and the 12th place in the system of life values of female students. Conclusions:Physical education, aimed at enhancing the functional capacity of an organism, the development of physical qualities, the improvement of the special physical and technical readiness in the sphere of physical activity types and the acquisition of professionally applied skills and abilities, is the basis for strengthening the health of students of Ukraine.

A Seller-Buyer Supply Chain Model with Fixed and Variable Labor Capacity along with Advertising Cost and Price Dependent Demand

A Seller-Buyer Supply Chain Model with Fixed and Variable Labor Capacity along with Advertising Cost and Price Dependent Demand

INFLUENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON WORKING CONDITIONS IN THE LATE 21ST CENTURY

Abstract The adverse effects of climate change may affect work conducted outdoors. For this reason, this study seeks to evaluate these effects by comparing South American work capacity under climate conditions between 1979 and 2005, as well as expected future climate scenarios from 2071 to 2100. Thermal stress was estimated using the Environmental Stress Index (ESI), based on atmospheric variables for climate projections from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The results indicate that, even in favorable climate scenarios, outdoor manual labor capacity will be reduced by 25 to 50% by the end of the 21st century in basically all of South America, especially in the Amazonian regions, parts of the north and northeast of Brazil, and in vast regions from Paraguay to Suriname. There is an overall pessimistic outlook with respect to outdoor working conditions during common labor hours due to increases in the greenhouse effect.

Employment Relations in the Informal Sector: A Need for Redefinition

The International Labor Organization (ILO) in the 'Report of the Committee on Employment Relationship' states that current employment relationships are increasingly complex and there is no acceptable definition to define 'employment relationships'. Thus, this paper aims to investigate whether employment relations exist in the informal sector. By using Goss’ framework, this can be understood by two related dimensions. First, the extent to which employers are dependent on his or her employees, and vice versa, and second, the extent to which employees have the capacity, individually or collectively, to challenge the power of their employer. Based on these two dimensions, four distinct categories have been identified that reveal the complexity and diversity of the nature of employment relationships in the informal sector: fraternalism, paternalism, benevolent autocracy, and passive acquiescence. In-depth interviews with four employers and four workers in the informal sector in Lawas, Malaysia were conducted. The findings indicate that the nature of employment relations in the informal sector is benevolent autocracy as employers are less dependent on their employees, resulting in limited labor capacity to challenge the employer's power. A characteristic of the informal sector (such as a family-based business and not legally registered) is the lack of protection for workers, which is the main reason for shaping employment relations in this sector. It is recommended, therefore, to have policy reforms to protect the rights of workers in the informal sector.

EMPOWERING LABORS IN BRICK FACTORIES: DEVELOPING INSTITUTIONAL ORGANIZATION, TRAINING, AND ACCESS TO CAPITAL

Purpose: This study analyzed the empowerment of brick factory laborers, related to the relations of labors and employers in the production to marketing processes, problems faced by laborers, their potential, and the priority of empowerment programs for brick factory laborers.&#x0D; Methodology: In collecting data, researchers used the method of observation, in-depth interviews, and focused group discussion as the primary data source, and the literature study method as a secondary data source. Researchers analyzed data with a qualitative approach. When the data collection took place, researchers began to analyze data until a certain time even though the time of data collection has been completed.&#x0D; Findings: Three principal components are interrelated in brick production, namely: landowners, employers, and laborers. The employer rents land from the landowner and employs laborers to produce bricks. Between laborers and landowners do not have a direct employment relationship, because it is the employer who presents his work. In the case of labor and employer relations, laborers are in an exploited and alienated position, which leaves workers powerless. Several labor problems that occur in working relationships in brick factories are: labors get salaries not based on provincial minimum wages, labors do not have social protection, labors find it difficult to meet basic needs, weak legal protection, labors do not get holiday allowances, face dismissal problems, and it is hard to get jobs outside the brick factory. &#x0D; Implications: This research was beneficial to create the community of laborers in brick factories that were empowered, socially, economically, and politically.&#x0D; Novelty: The laborers in brick factories can be empowered by developing an institutional organization of laborers, strengthening labor capacity through training, and opening access to ownership of production capital.

Characteristics and Determinants of Livelihood Diversification of Different Household Types in Far Northwestern China

Livelihood diversification is beneficial to mitigate economic and environmental risks and to improve livelihood sustainability and regional sustainable development. Unsettled herder households (UHH), settled herder households (SHH) and farmer households (FH) are different household types in far northwestern China whose livelihood diversification has not been fully explored. By applying a framework of livelihood diversification, this paper presents a comparative analysis of the characteristics and determinants of the diversification of the three household types. The results show that livelihood assets have been unequally distributed, with FH possessing the least assets; however, FH are better than UHH and SHH in the diversification of livelihood activities. Agriculture remains the most important livelihood source. The high-income groups of the three household types have a higher number of livelihood activities but do not necessarily hold an advantage in equality of livelihood activities. Labor capacity and income are positively related to the number of livelihood activities for the three household types. Livestock size is negatively associated with the number of activities of herders. Moreover, age and subsidy have negative impacts on the number of activities for UHH. Based on the findings, we provide policy suggestions on livelihood enhancement and sustainable and effective development of pastoral regions.

Wall panels for agricultural and industrial buildings

The authors develop a new construction, manufacturing technology and method of calculating three-layer wall panels with heat-insulating packages embedded in a contour frame of lightweight concrete for agricultural and industrial buildings. The proposed technical solution gives the wall panels a number of significant distinguishing properties: the outer and inner plates of the heat-insulating package of the panel along the contour are embedded in the monolithic reinforced concrete frame; a layer of insulation is embedded in the contour frame, which ensures a decrease in its thermal conductivity; embedding of plates and insulation in the contour frame minimizes the labor capacity of the elements connection; placing a layer of insulation between two pre-made plates.

STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVE VISCOSITY OF GELATINIIZED STARCH DISPERSIONS, BASED ON PHYSICALLY MODIFIED STARCHES, DEPENDING ON TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS

The aim of the study is to investigate rheological properties of gelatinized starch dispersions, based on physically modified starches, depending on technological factors. Realization of the research aim allows to get products (sauces, creams, fillers for confectionary products and so on), using physically modified starches, able to realize products with given structural-mechanical parameters of quality and safety; and also to provide the rational use of raw material resources, to decrease the labor capacity of the technological process of making culinary products. There were analyzed modern development tendencies of technologies of physically modified starches and their use in food products technologies. Generalization of literary data became a base for using these starches in food products technologies, where the first turn attention is paid to the colloid stability of food systems. Studies of the thermal stability of gelatinized starch dispersions determined that most stable in the cycle “heating-cooling-repeated heating” are gelatinized starch dispersions, based on physically modified starch “Prima”, which effective viscosity doesn’t essentially decrease after repeated heating. In gelatinized starch dispersions, based on physically modified starch «Endura» and «Indulge», repeated heating is also accompanied by the inessential viscosity decrease. Gelatinized starch dispersions, based on corn amylopectin starch, are not thermostable, and their effective viscosity essentially decreases at repeated heating. There are established regularities of the mechanical effect on structural-mechanical properties of gelatinized starch dispersions. It has been determined, that gelatinized starch dispersions, based on physically modified starches «Prima», «Endura» and «Indulge», demonstrate stable characteristics, as opposite to native starches at the mechanical effect. The prospects of further studies in this direction are to investigate an influence of technological factors (change of рН medium, influence of enzymes, pectin substances, mineral salts) on structural-mechanical properties of gelatinized starch dispersions, based on physically modified starches.