Differences In Production Performance Research Articles

Labor Market Regulation and Productivity Growth: Evidence for Twenty OECD Countries (1984–2004)

We present empirical evidence for a cross section of twenty OECD countries (1984–2004) that a relatively regulated and coordinated (“rigid”) industrial relations system promotes long‐run labor productivity growth. This conclusion is reinforced when we differentiate between (three) categories of OECD industrial relations systems and test for differences in productivity performance.

The Impact of Skills on Relative Productivity Performance at National Level: Exploring Channels of Influence

Given the widespread emphasis on the importance o f increasing workforce skills in order to enhance productivity performance, it is perhaps surprising that the evidence on the contribution of human capital to inter-country differences in productivity performance is still mixed. Yet this is certainly the case. This paper argues that two main reasons why some studies fail to find a strong role for skills in explaining relative productivity performance at national level are difficulties in measuring skills adequately and failure to take account of the mechanisms or channels of influence by which skills may exert indirect effects on productivity. Examples of such channels of influence include the complementarities of skills with other production inputs and the contributions made by skilled workers to knowledge generation and exchange and to innovation processes. However, the paper cautions that, in any single country, increases in measured skills may indeed have no effect on relative productivity performance unless those skills are well matched to employer requirements and are effectively utilised within firms and other organisations.

Poster 34: Incontinence Pads: Determining the Best Product Based on Different BMI

OBJECTIVE: To examine the difference in cost and wetback performance between brand name and generic pads in patients with BMI under 30 and over 30. METHODS: Eight different urinary incontinence pads were selected based on their commercial availability. A leak volume of 50 cc was selected to represent large leaks. A “leak” of tap water was spilled onto each pad. After a designated amount of time, 30 seconds or 5 minutes, a subject sat on the wet pad, covered by a piece of filter paper (representing a wearer's skin) finally covered by a plastic cover to protect the subject. The 2 largest axis of spread of the water onto the filter paper were then measured. These tests were performed with a subject with a BMI under 30 and 1 with a BMI over 30. RESULTS: Urinary incontinence products varied greatly in price per pad from 8 cents for panty-liners to over 72 cents for underwear with refastenable tabs. Larger products, Ultra Plus sizes, tended to do better with increased BMI, however this result was not statistically significant. Poise products also performed significantly better with increased BMI (30s, P=0.028, 5 min, P=0.027). Walgreen's Underwear did significantly worse than all other products tested at both BMIs (P=0.001–0.047) (Table 1). Depends Underwear did significantly worse than Walgreen's Ultra Plus for a 30 second wait to sit (P=0.021), and Poise Ultra Plus for a 5 min wait to sit (P=0.18) when the subject had a BMI >30.TABLE 1: Walgreen's Underwear Compared to Other Products TestedCONCLUSION: In general, brand name products performed better than generic products. There were significant differences in product performance with different BMI. Underwear products performed worse than other products and cost the most. Overall, the longer time the wearer waits to sit, the greater the absorption of the pad and therefore less moisture to the wearer's skin.

International Differences in Manufacturing Unit Labour Costs

This article presents measures o f competitiveness in manufacturing comparing Britain to Germany, France and the United States. Data from the National Accounts and the Census of Production are combined to derive new estimates of relative unit labour costs for a number of manufacturing industries. The results show that British manufacturing had a competitive advantage over Germany and France in 1993. This arose primarily from the devaluation of Sterling and followed a period, from 1989 to 1992, when unit labour costs in British manufacturing were generally close to those in Germany and France. Unit labour costs in American manufacturing, however, were considerably lower than in the European countries in 1993. The results by industry show that Britain performs relatively poorly in much of the engineering sector while being relatively more competitive in consumer goods industries. Over time changes in the market exchange rates and nominal wage inflation have large impacts on the relative competitive position of total manufacturing in the four countries whereas productivity growth plays a minor role. However, at the industry level productivity growth is important. In the face of similar movements in relative nominal wages across industries, differences in productivity performance distinguish those British industries which gained ground over their rivals abroad from those whose competitive position worsened.

Production and Evaluation of Requests by Right Hemisphere Brain-Damaged Individuals

Several researchers have investigated the comprehension of "indirect requests" by fight hemisphere brain-damaged (RHD) individuals. Until the present, however, no sound description of the phenomenon under investigation has been reached and explanatory attempts of the observed behavior are diverse. Based on a theoretical framework issued from studies in cross-cultural pragmatics, the present study is an attempt to provide a systematic description of the production of request sequences and the evaluation of direct and nonconventionally indirect requests by RHD patients. The analyses of the production data showed that, relative to the control group, the RHD patients behaved differently concerning the application of nonconventionally indirect requests, the use of external request modifiers, the evaluation of nonconventionally indirect requests, and the use of propositions. No differences in production performance were observed with regard to direct requests, conventionally indirect requests, and internal request modifiers. Further, the RHD group and the control group behaved similarly in evaluating direct requests. The results are discussed in relation to previous findings and a mental model approach is proposed as an explanatory framework. The findings suggest that the RHD patients were able to build a mental representation at a text level and a situational level but may have had problems within the realm of monitoring or planning integration processes if more than one mental model is involved. There is some indication that attention and visuospatial abilities may have influenced the verbal and evaluation abilities of the RHD subjects. It seems a worthy endeavor to pursue this issue in future research.

Effects of farmer support programmes on consumption and investment

Effects of farmer support programmes (FSPs) of the Development Bank of Southern Africa on consumption and investment are determined by utilising cross‐sectional survey data from the Mashamba and Khakhu areas of the Venda homeland in South Africa. Income elasticities indicate that the demand for goods (staple food) produced by households increases less than the demand for purchased goods. A discriminant analysis of surplus versus deficit producers indicates that surplus production is associated with farmers who participate in the FSP (ie farmers using chemical fertilizers and purchasing inputs on credit). The existence of soil erosion, availability of ploughing services, expenditure on transport education, medical and personal items, and the existence of a savings account also play important roles in explaining the difference in production performance between surplus and deficit food‐producing households.

Skin surface hydration changes during a mini regression test as measured in vivo by electrical conductivity

Electrical conductivity was measured in human volunteers at various times during a mini regression test designed to evaluate selected commercially available moisturizers. Analysis of the conductivity values during the treatment and regression phases of the study showed that this instrumental approach is useful for studying the long-lasting effects of moisturizers on the hydration state of the superficial layers of the stratum corneum. Differences in product performance could be explained in terms of the choice of ingredients. Conventional formulations based solely on occlusives or humectants were found to be less effective than those that contained additional active ingredients, such as keratin softeners and keratin-binding factors.

THE EFFECTS OF INCREASED EARNINGS FROM TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURE IN LEBOWA / The effects of increased earnings from traditional agriculture in Lebowa/Die effekte van hoër inkomste vanuit tradisionele landbou in Lebowa

Abstract Effects of increased earnings from agriculture on consumption and investment on households in the Phokoane area of Lebowa are determined by utilising cross-sectional survey data. Income elasticities indicate that the demand for goods (staple food) produced by households increases less than the demand for purchased goods. A discriminant analysis of surplus versus deficit products indicates that surplus production is associated with farmers who participate in the Farmer Support Programme (FSP) (i.e., farmers using insecticides and purchase inputs on credit). Availability of labour, specifically female labour, also plays an important role in explaining the difference in production performance between surplus and deficit food-producing households.