Labor Utilization Research Articles

Home inspection: Mina Rees and national computing infrastructure

This essay seeks to undermine the primacy of Vannevar Bush as an architect of digital culture by reimagining the story of national computing infrastructure through the framework of feminized care work. It argues that early forms of networked computational media were situated in collaborative spaces in which labor oriented around utilization, maintenance, and other forms of labor associated with domesticity were understood to be essential duties. This essay also tries not to focus exclusively on programmers, engineers, or designers as potential “mothers of invention.” Using theoretical frameworks from global feminists working on contemporary information and communication technologies, this essay argues that those who engage with the messiness of networks of relationships that constitute infrastructure should be acknowledged as critical in the history of computing, particularly to question myths of disintermediation that are so dominant in technological discourses. In considering recovered histories of women in computing, this essay examines the career of Mina Rees, who headed the mathematics department of the U. S. Office of Naval Research, as a way to rethink the origin stories of computer history.

Dynamic cellular manufacturing system considering machine failure and workload balance

Machines are a key element in the production system and their failure causes irreparable effects in terms of cost and time. In this paper, a new multi-objective mathematical model for dynamic cellular manufacturing system (DCMS) is provided with consideration of machine reliability and alternative process routes. In this dynamic model, we attempt to resolve the problem of integrated family (part/machine cell) formation as well as the operators’ assignment to the cells. The first objective minimizes the costs associated with the DCMS. The second objective optimizes the labor utilization and, finally, a minimum value of the variance of workload between different cells is obtained by the third objective function. Due to the NP-hard nature of the cellular manufacturing problem, the problem is initially validated by the GAMS software in small-sized problems, and then the model is solved by two well-known meta-heuristic methods including non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm and multi-objective particle swarm optimization in large-scaled problems. Finally, the results of the two algorithms are compared with respect to five different comparison metrics.

Upah Berkeadi lan Ditin jau dari P erspektif Islam

This study is motivated by the popular use of human power in human civilization and in accordance with its nature as a creature of god that needs each other. The need for more manpower to spur the growth of production that ultimately the utilization of human labor is identical to the work and wages provided by the company. While the government sees wages, on the one hand to ensure the fulfillment of a decent life for workers and their families, increases employee productivity and increases people’s purchasing power, on the other hand to promote business progress and competitiveness. This study uses a qualitative approach with literary research nuances. The study also aims to provide answers to wage polemics, in which workers hold that wages are a source of income to meet the needs of himself and family and a reflection of job satisfaction. It is therefore necessary to provide salary or wage solutions in Islamic perspective. The results of this study indicate that wages in Islam are compensation received by workers for the benefits of work done properly and correctly, in the form of material and reward based on the principles of al-’adl and morals with respect to humanity aspect. Based on the principle of justice and morals, the excess wages in Islam is closely related to the principle of morality that is able to meet basic needs, education, and health security well and honorable, so that wages are not only limited to mere material (dimension of the world) but penetrate the limits of life, the dimension akherat .

Technical and Scale Efficiency in Nursery Enterprises in an Area of Significant Widespread Horticulture in Italy

The aim of this work is to identify the factors that influence the level of efficiency in horticultural nurseries and to estimate their impact on productivity as well as the direction and intensity with which they act. The investigation was focused on table tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.), a species widely cultivated in horticultural greenhouses and in the open field, for which the recourse to transplantation represents a normal operation to the point that nurseries activate a large number of productive cycles for this species throughout the year with the aim of obtaining “ungrafted seedlings” or ready-to-use “grafted seedlings”. This study used the methodological approach of data envelopment analysis (DEA) and Tobit regression and was able to identify which of the factors linked to management choices, professionalism, and the motivation of entrepreneurs have a notable influence on the level of efficiency reached by nurseries and which of these factors offer possibilities for increasing their levels of production. The results of this investigation reveal that in the nurseries, the possibilities for achieving increasing economies of scale are limited by the structural relationships between capital and land and between land and labor, by the production strategies in place, and by the degree of utilization of materials and labor.

The Ins and Outs of Involuntary Part-time Employment

We develop and implement a protocol to measure U.S. monthly time series of involuntary part-time employment stocks and flows from 1976 until today. Armed with these new data, we provide a comprehensive account of the cyclical dynamics of involuntary part-time work. We find that the recessionary increase in involuntary part-time employment is consistently driven by a jump in the transition probability from other employment states to involuntary part-time employment, and a drop in the reverse transition probability. We compare the dynamics of unemployment and involuntary part-time employment to argue that they reflect the operation of distinct labor-adjustment channels. While unemployment dynamics are driven by movements in job creation and destruction, the dynamics of involuntary part-time employment reflect changes in employers' labor utilization.

Assessing the Impact of Structural Reforms Through a Supply-Side Framework: The Case of Argentina

The paper uses a supply-side framework based on a production function approach to assess the role of structural reforms in boosting long-term GDP growth in Argentina. The impact of product, labor, trade, and tax reforms on each supply-side channel—capital accumulation, labor utilization, and total factor productivity, proxied with an efficiency estimate—is assessed separately and then combined to derive the total impact on growth. The largest effect of structural reforms, involving regulatory changes that promote competition and facilitate flexible forms of employment, comes through the productivity/efficiency channel. Pro-competition regulation also improves labor utilization, while lower entry barriers and trade tariffs are important for capital accumulation. Structural reforms could have substantial effects on Argentina’s long-term GDP growth; for example, an ambitious reform effort to improve business regulatory environment would add 1–1½ percent to average annual growth of GDP.

Assessing the Impact of Structural Reforms Through a Supply-side Framework: The Case of Argentina

The paper uses a supply-side framework based on a production function approach to assess the role of structural reforms in boosting long-term GDP growth in Argentina. The impact of product, labor, trade, and tax reforms on each supply-side channel—capital accumulation, labor utilization, and total factor productivity, proxied with an efficiency estimate—is assessed separately and then combined to derive the total impact on growth. The largest effect of structural reforms, involving regulatory changes that promote competition and facilitate flexible forms of employment, comes through the productivity/efficiency channel. Pro-competition regulation also improves labor utilization, while lower entry barriers and trade tariffs are important for capital accumulation. Structural reforms could have substantial effects on Argentina’s long-term GDP growth; for example, an ambitious reform effort to improve business regulatory environment would add 1–1½ percent to average annual growth of GDP.

Labour Contribution and Productivity in the European Union: A Cluster Analysis

Abstract The paper deals with an analysis of dynamics and the differentiation of basic features that characterize employment in European Union countries. The conducted research considered characteristics of the labour force such as the share of total labour compensation in the GDP, the number of hours worked and labour productivity. According to economic theory, this last variable plays a crucial role in the formation of the long-term economic growth. Also examined in the paper was the influence of the economic crisis on the behaviour of the indicated variables. A main statistical data source was the Total Economy Database published by the Conference Board. It can be seen from the results of the research that there exists growing international differences between the basic characteristics of labour force utilization and productivity. The conclusions were drawn on the grounds of a cluster analysis, which allowed deriving homogenous groups of countries according to the specificity of labour utilization and efficiency.

English

English

PROFIT MAXIMIZING BUNDA BAKERY USING SIMPLEX METHOD

Bunda Bakery is currently produce 19 various bread products weekly with using certain amout of various materials, and utilizing machine and labours. However, the optimal product and potencial profit of the bread production had not been determined. The Objective of the studywere toevaluate and optimize the bread production and its potencial profit. Simplex method,one of the techniques used in linear programming,was utilized to find the optimal valuethat involves many variables in the study. Previous record of each kind bread products were used to optimize various bread had to be produced and the potential profit to be gained Machine and labor utilization were further employed to use up the weekly raw material for optimizing the total bread product can be produced and the potential profits to be gained. The results indicate that before optimization, available raw matrials can beused to produce 676 unit products with potencial profit of 1,663,914 IDR in one week production.Optimization of raw materials could produce 697 unit products with potencial profit of 1,943,489 IDR in the same period of production. In addition, further optimization of production resources (material, labor and machine utilization) to used up the whole weekly materials, with additional selected materials, Bunda bakery could produce 1050 unit products with potencial profit of 2,286,049 IDR in one week production.

Poverty reduction through enabling factors

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the factors which are instrumental to poverty reduction opposed to many factors that are considered as impediments to poverty reduction in a poor country like Bangladesh.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is an outcome of review of literature covered wide range of issues including sectoral contribution to economic growth but none has exclusively dealt with the instrumental role of the poverty reduction factors, insider’s view, long-term observations (1960-2014), and reviews of secondary data.FindingsIn order to reduce poverty, rather than attempting to change the “culture of poverty,” remove the “structural trap,” or “kin system as poverty trap” it can be achieved through harnessing the enabling factors of poverty reduction. Study argues that rather than focusing on “barriers” to poverty reduction, a country needs to identify and focus on its “potential” factors of poverty reduction. The dominant enabling factors for Bangladesh were agricultural development and remittance. The utilization of land and labor could bring a transformation in the rural economy of Bangladesh which was essential to poverty reduction.Practical implicationsThe study shows that the individuals can escape poverty largely through their own effort where a proper policy support from the government is needed. The state needs to play the facilitating role rather than the instrumental in the case of poverty reduction.Originality/valueThe paper reveals instruments to poverty reduction where usual practice was to identify the barrier to development and to suggest the means of overcoming those barriers. It suggests how to look into the matter from other way round where instead of identifying the barrier attempt should be made to identify the enabling factors and to harness those enabling factors. The findings are based on the country-specific literatures but not generalized in the form as attempted here. The study shows a means of poverty reduction where country-specific strategy or home-grown model can be drawn out based on the identification of potential factors.

A Cost Comparison Between Propofol and Midazolam Use for Targeting Moderate Sedation During Curvilinear Endobronchial Ultrasound Bronchoscopy

SESSION TITLE: Rapid Session: Interventional Procedures SESSION TYPE: Original Investigation Slide PRESENTED ON: Sunday, October 29, 2017 at 03:15 PM - 04:15 PM PURPOSE: Propofol is an effective option for providing moderate sedation during bronchoscopy. However, a cost assessment of its use with endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)-guided bronchoscopy has not been performed. Our objective was to analyze differences in cost of performing curvilinear-array EBUS-guided sampling under moderate sedation, based on type of sedative delivery. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. We assessed three sedative delivery methods for all curvilinear EBUS bronchoscopies performed at our institution under moderate sedation over a two year period. Procedures involving radial probe (peripheral) EBUS were excluded. Procedural sedation was administered by a qualified nurse, under the direction of the bronchoscopist. The sedation regimens were propofol by continuous infusion only (PC, n=54), propofol by bolus induction followed by maintenance continuous infusion (PBC, n=44), and midazolam by bolus dosing (M, n=31). Supplemental fentanyl was given per the same protocol for all subjects. Procedure-related and sedation characteristics were assessed. A cost comparison was performed based on differences in labor, drug, and resource utilization between the groups. RESULTS: Patient and procedural characteristics were similar in all three groups, including the breadth of sampling achieved, the specific diagnostic yield, and complications observed. However, total sedation time (sum of induction, maintenance, and recovery) was significantly longer in the midazolam group than in either propofol group (M=80.4 minutes ±26.7 vs PC=67.5 ±22.6 and PBC=66.7 ±19.7; p=0.01). This was primarily driven by the recovery phase. The midazolam group exhibited more agitation-related procedure interruptions, and required more fentanyl (M=125.9 mcg ±54.4 vs PC=90.3 ±35.0 and PBC=99.7 ±39.0; p=0.002). Calculating relevant labor and drug utilization expenditures at our institution revealed that midazolam use resulted in an additional per-procedure cost of $7.42 compared to propofol given by continuous infusion (PC), and $8.02 more than propofol delivery using bolus induction followed by continuous maintenance infusion (PBC). Assessment of the most conservative estimate of mean sedation time differences between the midazolam and propofol groups still resulted in essentially equivalent costs. CONCLUSIONS: Using propofol rather than midazolam for targeting moderate sedation during EBUS bronchoscopy may lead to labor cost savings resulting from shorter sedation time. Our analysis did not demonstrate any differences in procedural characteristics, specific diagnostic yield, or adverse events between the sedative delivery methods. Therefore, we assume that any ‘downstream’ costs of required interventions, follow-up testing, and disease management would also be similar. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Bronchoscopist-directed moderate sedation using propofol infusion for EBUS bronchoscopy may be a cost-efficient alternative to midazolam. DISCLOSURE: The following authors have nothing to disclose: Ara Chrissian, Destry Washburn, Avi Cohen No Product/Research Disclosure Information

Optimizing Supply Chain Operations of a Bottled Water Supplier

This case investigates the inventory decisions and delivery optimization of a bottled water supplier. It dissects the key performance indicators of a distributor. The selected KPIs for delivery optimization, inventory management and labor management are optimized using various tools and techniques. The overall finding stretched the possibilities of saving on delivery time and cost followed by huge savings on inventory and warehousing. Slight note to labor utilization has also been touched by key findings from a questionnaire filled by the CEO of Pravy.

Evaluating Labor Force Participation of Women in Japan and Korea: Developments and Future Prospects

ABSTRACTThe economic competitiveness of a nation in the 21st century requires human talent, which has become essential for areas such as research, development, execution of innovative ideas, technology, and value creation. In this respect, nations face a fundamental challenge of both attracting and retaining talented individuals to secure their economic growth. Both Japan and the Republic of Korea (Korea) are nations in dire need of human talent. Although industries in both countries are mainly focused on manufacturing and services, their working population is aging. Rather than luring human capital from across borders, however, both nations must focus primarily on incorporating more women into the workforce; while the number of highly educated women has significantly risen over the last several years, such growth has failed to contribute to an overall enhancement in the labor participation of women. On the whole, the utilization of female labor is an important factor when considering future prospects of economic growth for Japan and Korea. While Japan has successfully increased female labor participation across all age groups over the last several years, including that of women in their prime working ages, Korea has also witnessed higher numbers of women in the workforce. This is so despite the continuous trend of women leaving the workforce during their prime working years. Hence, the primary task here is to compare and contrast policy initiatives from the two countries and identify those that have been relatively successful from those that have proven to be less so. This study seeks to examine the recent efforts made by the governments of both Japan and Korea to acknowledge and promote female participation in the workforce; in doing so, it explores the multi-fold blockades that women still face at present while entering into and advancing in their careers, and propose potential methods for improving things in the future.

Switchgrass Harvest Progression in the North-Central USA

In the North-Central USA, switchgrass to be used as a biomass feedstock typically will be harvested in the autumn. The accumulated area harvested over the harvest season (defined here as the harvest progression) will influence the size of the machinery fleet and seasonal labor required to complete the majority of the harvest before the first lasting snow. A harvest progression model was developed that uses drying rate, mower and baler productivity, and weather conditions as major inputs. Ten years of weather data (2005–2014) from Wisconsin, Iowa, and Nebraska (WI, IA, NE) were used. Harvest progression was modeled for four harvest systems involving conventional and intensive conditioning both swathed and tedded (CC, IC, CCT, and ICT, respectively) and two dates at which harvest began (1 September and after a killing frost). To reduce risk of exposing crop to prolonged periods of inclement weather, mowers were idled when more than 80 ha were cut but not yet baled. For all sites, the harvest start date and the mower idled constraint had greater impact on harvest progression than the type of harvest system. Harvest progression was greatest when mowing started on 1 September and continued whenever weather permitted (i.e., no mower idled constraint). Compared to the harvest system used today (CC), using the IC system resulted in more area harvested with less crop exposed to rain after cutting and considerably less area left to be baled in the spring. Starting harvest on 1 September, using intensive conditioning, and not idling the mowers might be considered the system that best balances the desire for rapid harvest progression, small equipment fleet size, low-capital expenditures, and maximum labor utilization.

Solving the integrated cell formation and worker assignment problem using particle swarm optimization and linear programming

Both cell design and human issues are important factors for successful implementation of cellular manufacturing. To better implement cellular manufacturing, we investigate the integrated cell formation and worker assignment problem (ICFWAP). A comprehensive linear model is developed for the ICFWAP to determine the optimal allocation of machines, parts and workers. Specific characteristics of this model include the simultaneous consideration of production planning, coexistence of alternative process routings, lot splitting, workload balancing between cells and worker over-assignment to multiple cells. Motivated by the inefficiency of exact approaches, this paper proposes a hybrid approach combining combinatorial particle swarm optimization and linear programming (CPSO-LP) to efficiently solve real-sized problems. In CPSO-LP, decision variables corresponding to part routing selection and part operation assignment are fixed and other variables are allowed to be changed. CPLEX is then used to solve the reduced LP problem. Numerical experiments validate the proposed model. Results reveal that worker over-assignment can reduce the number of workers hired and improve labor utilization rate. The better efficiency and effectiveness of CPSO-LP are proved by comparisons with CPLEX, a genetic algorithm (GA), CPSO, and a hybrid approach combining GA and LP.

Investigating an innovative service with hospitality robots

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify the factors that influence the development of service robots, and to apply a service innovation strategic mindset to the hotel industry in Taiwan.Design/methodology/approachA mixed-methods approach, combining an expert panel and semi-structured interviews using a SMART SWOT ranking survey, was applied to understand the perspectives of hotel owners and robotics experts.FindingsFifty-three items were collected regarding the demand side of the hospitality market, showing that the Taiwan hospitality industry has good potential to implement service robots. Sixty-one items on the supply side of business were collected, showing that this robotics service can help hotels handle seasonal employment and labor utilization. The SWOT analysis identifies “The fun and curiosity aroused in consumers can enhance the promotion of service robots”, “Lack of talent in system integration”, “Taiwan’s aging society can increase the demand for service robots” and “China and South-east countries have aggressively poached talent in the global robotics market” as key issues.Originality/valueFew studies have investigated robotics service for hotels using the six-dimensional service innovation model. This model helps identify six factors and implies that this new service concept can position hotels to better compete by using IT and relationship marketing strategies.

Drivers of change in the European youth employment: a comparative structural decomposition analysis

ABSTRACTThis paper uses a structural decomposition approach to examine the proximate causes of change in the EU15 youth workforce from 1995 to 2011. Besides the traditional sources considered by the literature, I include age-specific factors: a labor utilization index that accounts for the hours that employed youth work by showing the extent of part-time contracts; an age mix factor that indicates the share that youth comprise of total employment and, finally, changes in the inverse of the overall sectoral labor productivity, which describes variations in total labor demand. By applying this approach, I identify the core drivers behind the recent changes in the evolution of youth employment in each of the 15 countries; this is crucial for tailoring policy strategies. Results suggest that to foster youth employment, most Mediterranean countries should implement youth-specific measures while other EU15 countries could do so by enhancing overall employment.

Assessment of efficiency of manual and non-manual human resources for tourist hotel industry

PurposeIn past literature, employee has been extensively utilized as input in most data envelopment analysis (DEA) studies, but different labor types are identically defined to be the same input factor without a specific assumption for their heterogeneity. The influence of manual and non-manual labor utilization on performance also has not been investigated in hotel efficiency analyses. The purpose of this study is to assess inefficiency indices derived from manual and non-manual labor, and analyze the influence of labor utilization on hotel’s operational efficiency.Design/methodology/approachBased on the different features of the two labor types, performance indicators are evaluated through the hybrid DEA model.FindingsMore than 32 per cent of tourist hotels are evaluated as efficient and more than half the hotels have an efficiency score lower than the average. The author evaluated the inefficiency caused by radial inputs that have a greater influence on efficiency. This finding indicates that most hotels are efficient in their utilization of non-manual labor. The investigation of external factors shows that excessive utilization of non-manual labor results in a slight influence on operational efficiency across many non-chain hotels. The author also found the efficiency of non-manual labor utilization to be lower at hotels located in resort areas.Originality/valueThis study used the hybrid DEA model, in which non-manual and manual labors are assumed as non-radial and radial inputs, respectively, to evaluate efficiency. Finding the significance of heterogeneous assumptions for manual and non-manual labor types is the main contribution to the theory of hotel efficiency measurement.

보안업 종사자의 조직몰입과 직무만족에 관한 자기회귀교차지연 분석 - 한국노동패널자료의 활용 -

보안업 종사자의 조직몰입과 직무만족에 관한 자기회귀교차지연 분석 - 한국노동패널자료의 활용 -