The evolution of international output differences (1960-2000) : from factor to productivity

This article presents a group of exercises of leveI and growth decomposition of output per worker using cross-collntry data from 1960 to :2000. It is shown that at least llntil 197.5 factors of production (capital anel education) ",ere the main source of output dispersion across ecoIlomies and that productivity variance was considerably srnaller than in late years. Qnly after this date the prominence of productivity started to sho\\' up in the data. as the majority of the litcrature has found. The gro\\'th decomposition exercises showecl that t he reversal of relative irnportance of proeluctivity vis-a-\'is factors is explainecl by the very good (bad) performance of procluctivity of fast (slow) growing cconomies. Although growth in the pcriod, on avcragc. is mostly clue to factors accumulation. its variance is explained by productivity.

Can unobserved heterogeneity in farmer ability explain the inverse relationship between farm size and productivity?

The well-known inverse relationship between farm-size and productivity is usually explained in terms of diminishing returns with respect to land and other inputs coupled with various types of market frictions that prevent the efficient allocation of land across farms. We show that even if in the absence of diminishing returns one can provide an alternative explanation for this phenomenon using endogenous occupational choice and heterogeneity with respect to farming skills.

The effects of gender segregation at the establishment level: an empirical analysis using a panel of matched employer-employee data

This paper studies the relationship between segregation of women across establish- ments and the wages of males and females. To investigate this issue empirically we use a panel of matched employer-employee data from Brazil. Various longitudinal models are used to assess the wage impact of establishment gender segregation. Overall, the results indicate that the e ect of establishment female proportion on the wages of males and females is negative. We also compare these longitudinal results with cross-section estimates, which are the usual ones obtained in the related literature. This com- parison suggests that unmeasured, time-invariant worker- and establishment-speci c e ects are correlated with the establishment female composition.

Discrimination in the workforce: how it impacts a business

Discrimination, in its best form, is a hard concept to fathom as an employee or ordinary citizen. In the workplace, there are times when discrimination is necessary due to extenuating circumstances that revolve around the form or act of discrimination. It could be conveyed to save a life or avoid future conflict. However, it must be clearly stated as a written law that the act is lawful. When unlawful discrimination occurs, it stages an entirely different tone, as it is mainly conducted out of malice, hatred, greed, control, or ignorance. Over the last few decades, discrimination has existed in the workplace, although Federal laws mandate that it does not occur. It does not exist in just one geographical area or is country specific, but covers a wide spectrum, linking countries together from their points of view to creating rifts amongst those who are affected and those who are not, not only from a business perspective, but social humanistic relationships as well. This thesis will use quantitative and qualitative data to support discrimination of sexual harassment, race or color, and gender issues, as well as personal experiences, and how it has and will continue to impact businesses if the acts do not cease, permanently. Leadership, from the Presidents and Heads of Countries, Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), managers, lowest-ranking supervisor, and employees should make it their personal goal to ensure these issues do not continue or arise in their perspective areas of responsibilities. When employees understand that they are valued, will be taken seriously when reporting acts of discrimination, and that some form of action will be taken, performance and productivity will escalate, and morale will increase in the workplace, resulting in higher productivity and subsequently higher profit margins for the company.

Which strategies can an educational business, such as a kindergarten in Germany, develop to foster employee engagement?

Which strategies can an educational business, such as a Kindergarten in Germany, develop to foster employee engagement? The goal of this master thesis is to identify effective and viable measures to engage employees, that could be potentially implemented in a Kindergarten in Germany. The literature concerning the notion of employee engagement is so inconsistent that even studies about the subject fail to find one common definition and have to acknowledge the variety of existing definitions (IES, 2014, p.52-53). This reflects the youth of the concept, which has only been partially studied by academics and practitioners in recent years. The literature gap about employee engagement concerns many aspects, among which small companies and educational businesses, in particular those focusing on early child development. Considering the low levels of employee engagement in Germany combined with the absence of studies on educational organizations focusing in early child development this master thesis studies engagement in German Kindergärten(s). This master thesis is divided in two parts consisting of a literature review and a case study. The literature review allows to follow the evolution of the concept along the years, while the case study focuses on assessing employee engagement in Montessori Kindergärten(s) in Munich & elaborating potential measures to increase engagement levels. Double sided research was undertaken for this case study. On the one hand a quantitative research was performed, through a survey, in order to uncover which strategies would be viable to foster employee engagement. On the other hand a qualitative research was undertaken, consisting in an internship in a Kindergarten, in order to shed light on how to do so. Findings in the quantitative research indicate overall engagement levels average to low. Results related to specific statements bring out the originality of the educational sector, which is in some aspects intrinsically engaging, similarly to the medical field (Seijts & Crim, 2006). Furthermore low engagement levels led to a conversely high number of positives responses to potential engagement strategies suggesting their potential effectiveness. Findings in the qualitative research are coherent with qualitative results and complement them

Why has productivity growth stagnated in most Latin American countries since the neo-liberal reforms?

Latin America’s economic performance since the beginning of neo-liberal reforms has been poor; this not only contrasts with its own performance pre-1980, but also with what has happened in Asia since 1980. I shall argue that the weakness of the region’s new paradigm is rooted as much in its intrinsic flaws as in the particular way it has been implemented. Latin America’s economic reforms were undertaken primarily as a result of the perceived economic weaknesses of the region — i.e., there was an attitude of ‘throwing in the towel’ vis-à-vis the previous state-led import substituting industrialisation strategy, because most politicians and economists interpreted the 1982 debt crisis as conclusive evidence that it had led the region into a cul-de-sac. As Hirschman has argued, policymaking has a strong component of ‘path-dependency’; as a result, people often stick with policies after they have achieved their aims, and those policies have become counterproductive. This leads to such frustration and disappointment with existing policies and institutions that is not uncommon to experience a ‘rebound effect’. An extreme example of this phenomenon is post-1982 Latin America, where the core of the discourse of the economic reforms that followed ended up simply emphasising the need to reverse as many aspects of the previous development (and political) strategies as possible. This helps to explain the peculiar set of priorities, the rigidity and the messianic attitude with which the reforms were implemented in Latin America, as well as their poor outcome. Something very different happened in Asia, where economic reforms were often intended (rightly or wrongly) as a more targeted and pragmatic mechanism to overcome specific economic and financial constraints. Instead of implementing reforms as a mechanism to reverse existing industrialisation strategies, in Asia they were put into practice in order to continue and strengthen ambitious processes of industrialisation.

Um estudo exploratório sobre a Employee Value Proposition (EVP) no mercado de seguros brasileiro

As práticas da gestão de recursos humanos acompanham a evolução na gestão do capital humano das organizações. As atividades de marketing voltadas à marca corporativa prestam serviço essencial e estratégico na identificação, formatação e divulgação da marca do empregador. Juntas as duas áreas passam a desempenhar papel solidário na atração de profissionais qualificados, reforçando e propagando a identidade corporativa aos potenciais candidatos através da EVP. A EVP, a Marca do Empregador e a Reputação do Empregador se relacionam através das práticas de recrutamento e seleção, que é área de RH que primeiro mantem contato com os potenciais candidatos e inicia a construção do contrato psicológico com o novo empregado. A marca do empregador, como a imagem da organização, é utilizada para atrair, reter e engajar as pessoas e tem a EVP como seu núcleo central. Neste estudo se identifica a prática de recrutamento e seleção como a principal conexão teórica entre a EVP, a marca do empregador e a reputação do empregador e se identifica que oportunidade como a dimensão da EVP mais relevantes para o público estudado.

Spatial analysis of the distribution of Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and losses in maize crop productivity using geostatistics

A lagarta-do-cartucho, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), é uma das principais pragas do milho nas Américas. O estudo de sua distribuição espacial é fundamental para a utilização de estratégias de controle, otimização de técnicas de amostragens, determinação de danos econômicos e incorporação de um programa de agricultura de precisão. em uma área cultivada com milho foram realizadas amostragens com intervalo semanal, correspondendo ao estádio vegetativo que compreende desde a germinação até o pendoamento. Foram amostradas 10 plantas ao acaso por parcela, no total de 2000 plantas em cada amostragem. A produtividade foi obtida através da colheita de todas as parcelas que eram pesadas separadamente no campo e em cada parcela foram coletadas 15 espigas aleatoriamente para estimar o comprimento e o diâmetro médio. As análises espaciais, utilizando geoestatística, mostraram que o modelo esférico apresentou o melhor ajuste às lagartas pequenas. À medida que as lagartas foram se desenvolvendo sua distribuição foi tornando aleatória, representada por um modelo ajustado por uma reta, não tendo sido detectado nenhum tipo de dependência espacial nos pontos de amostragem. A produtividade e o diâmetro e comprimento da espiga foram descritos por modelos esféricos, indicando uma variabilidade espacial nos parâmetros de produtividade na área cultivada. A geoestatística mostrou-se promissora para a aplicação de métodos precisos no controle integrado de pragas.

Genetic associations between accumulated productivity, and reproductive and growth traits in Nelore cattle

The total meat yield in a beef cattle production cycle is economically very important and depends on the number of calves born per year or birth season, being directly related to reproductive potential. Accumulated Productivity (ACP) is an index that expresses a cow's capacity to give birth regularly at a young age and to wean animals of greater body weight. Using data from cattle participating in the "Program for Genetic Improvement of the Nelore Breed" (PMGRN - Nelore Brasil), bi-trait analyses were performed using the Restricted Maximum Likelihood method based on an ACP animal model and the following traits: age at first calving (AFC), female body weight adjusted for 365 (BW365) and 450 (BW450) days of age, and male scrotal circumference adjusted for 365 (SC365), 450 (SC450), 550 (SC550) and 730 (SC730) days of age. Median estimated ACP heritability was 0.19 and the genetic correlations with AFC, BW365, BW450, SC365, SC450, SC550 and SC730 were 0.33, 0.70, 0.65, 0.08, 0.07, 0.12 and 0.16, respectively. ACP increased and AFC decreased over time, revealing that the selection criteria genetically improved these traits. Selection based on ACP appears to favor the heaviest females at 365 and 450 days of age who showed better reproductive performance as regards AFC. Scrotal circumference was not genetically associated with ACP. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Soil compaction and fertilization in soybean productivity

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Doenças sem doentes: Ocorrência de Distúrbios Osteomusculares Relacionados ao Trabalho DORT nos operadores de caixa de um banco

The changes incurred in the financial system with the introduction of new technologies and new forms of administration of banks has caused impact on the health of workers. These changes, which passed in the process of work, generate a combined share of the risk factors that result in numerous injuries and illnesses among banks, notably between the operators of banks tellers. The Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disordes - WRMD represent a group of occupational diseases always present among these workers. Because of its high incidence and the amount of financial resour envolved to manage the problem has been the object of constant study. This paper aims to analyze the bank teller activity; search the occurrence of WRMD in the activity, identifying the factors determining the occurrence of WRMD in the activity and determine the real number of touchs on a keyboard made by the operator and propose solutions that influence the reduction of illness in the workplace of the bank teller. Methodological tools of ergonomics are used to provide a broad knowledge of aspects of work that have been studied and influential in the generation of occupational diseases studied. It was found that activity put workers to serious risk of occupational diseases. As the main contributory factors and determinants for this illness: the requirements and control the numbers daily endorsements; evaluation system based on performance targets for productivity; management system at time of service to customers; work with stressful factors (broken box); excess of time worked; furniture of workstations with ergonomic inadequacies and policy for the prevention of occupational diseases inefficient. They have also noted cases of illness for DORT workers without fulfilling the legal requirement of the issuance of the communication of labour accident and without the removal of the employee of the workplace

Development of mint (Mentha piperita L.) grown on biosolids: evaluation of productivity and essential oil content

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Gas exchange rates, plant height, yield components, and productivity of upland rice as affected by plant regulators

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Mineral supplementation and productivity of the Shiitake mushroom on eucalyptus logs

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)