Search results for "PRODUCTIVITY"

Au revoir Paris! Spanish regions closer to the EU average and further away from the leaders

2021

This paper confirms that Spanish regions in 2015 were closer to the EU average in labour productivity than in 2000, but further away from the richest regions such as Île de France. A dynamic shift-share analysis at a 10-industry level of disaggregation shows that the main driver of convergence with the EU average is catch-up in labour productivity within the same industry, while disparities with the top regions (especially Île de France) mainly involve differences in patterns of specialization (between-industry divergence) followed by technological divergence (within-industry effect). The industry mix of the regions reveals that a new pattern of specialization is taking shape in Europe, dri…

Taking on the “Dark Side” : Coping With Technostress

2020

Technostress is stress that individuals experience due to their use of information technology. It is associated with critical workplace consequences including reduced productivity. While the negative consequences are well known, what is less understood is how individuals can cope with technostress to alleviate them. We report on two studies that explain how organizational IT users can cope with technostress. The first is a qualitative study conducted in the U.K., by interviewing thirty executives/knowledge workers. Here, we identified seven coping behaviors that individuals engage in, in response to technostress. The second is a survey of 846 U.S. employees who use IT in their workplace. He…

Productivity dynamics and the productivity trap: problems and solutions in Latvia

2019

By analysing changes in productivity and labour costs in Latvia from 2013 till 2017, we can see that growth of labour costs exceeds the growth of productivity by more than 2 times in both, tradable sector and total economy. Slow growth in productivity compared with the labour and other production expenses lead to an increase in the price of final goods and services, which negatively corresponds with producers’ competitiveness in both internal and external market. Furthermore, this leads to a drop-in consumption of domestic production and inefficient production facility usage, resulting in declining economic growth rates. The rapid growth in labour costs is mainly associated with the tight s…

Perspectives on variation in species richness : area, energy and habitat heterogeneity

2011

Living Coccolithophores from the Gulf of Sirte (Southern Mediterranean Sea) during the summer of 2008

2012

The Gulf of Sirte is a largely unexplored area in the southernmost Mediterranean Sea.We are presenting here 2008 summer data on the distribution pattern of living coccolithophores, a main phytoplankton calcifying group, in 105 samples from 20 stations. The survey includes coastal and offshore stations, enabling us to provide indications on the dynamics of phytoplankton productivity in relation to oceanographic processes. The total coccosphere concentrations show higher values in the offshore stations and lower ones for coastal sites. Umbellosphaera tenuis, Emiliania huxleyi, Florisphaera profunda, Syracosphaera pulchra HOL (Calyptrosphaera oblonga) and Rhabdosphaera spp. dominate the assemb…

Co-evolution between Trust in Teachers and Higher Education Enabled by ICT Advancement – A Suggestion to ICT Growing Economies

2016

In light of the increasing significance of trust-based higher education towards digitally-rich learning environments, co-evolution dynamism between trust in teachers and higher education enabled by ICT advancement was analyzed. Using the rate of trust in teachers for good education in the Global Teacher Status Index, together with statistics on higher education level and ICT advancement, an empirical numerical analysis of 20 countries was attempted. It was identified that while ICT advanced countries have constructed a co-evolution between ICT, higher education and trust, ICT growing countries have not succeeded due to a vicious cycle between ICT and trust. Finland’s educational success can…

Short-Time Non-work-related Computing and Creative Performance

2014

It has been argued that non-work-related computing (NWRC) takes time away from work and, hence, decreases work productivity. On the other hand, it has also been claimed that short-time non-work-related computing (STNWRC) (a maximum of 15 minutes), has a positive impact on work productivity, including relief from boredom, higher creativity, and the underlying recovery mechanisms. To examine the impact of STNWRC on creative performance, we draw on Fredrickson's broaden-and-build theory, the concept of recovery with mental well-being and low cognitive effort. A 2 × 2 factorial experiment with 40 subjects was conducted. The results indicate that STNWRC has a positive effect on creative performa…

Looking for Peace of Mind? Manage your (Technical) Debt : An Exploratory Field Study

2017

Background: In the last two decades Technical Debt (TD) has received a considerable amount of attention from software engineering research and practice. Recently, a small group of studies suggests that, in addition to its technical and economic consequences, TD can affect developers’ psychological states and morale. However, until now there has been a lack of empirical research clarifying such influences. Aims: In this study, we aim at taking the first step in filling this gap by investigating the potential impacts of TD and its management on developers’ morale. Method: Drawing from previous literature on morale, we decided to explore the influence of TD and its management on three dimensio…

Firms’ distance to the European productivity frontier

2022

AbstractIn this article we explore the factors contributing to reduce the distance of laggard firms to the European frontier, focusing on institutional factors. To characterize Total Factor Productivity frontier firms within industries for the European Union we use firm level data from AMADEUS for the period 2003–2014. Our findings provide evidence on the importance of governance quality and easiness in getting credit in explaining the distance of laggard firms to the European productivity frontier. We also find that other factors at the country level -tertiary education, R&D stock, and trade openness- and at the firm level -size, age, and capital-intensity- influence the distance of la…

Labor market performance of dropouts: the role of personality

2014

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide evidence on labor market careers of dropouts with various levels of education. Design/methodology/approach – The paper compares the labor market careers of dropouts and non-dropouts between ages 15 and 50 by using longitudinal data. The paper analyses how the results change when the authors control for differences in personality characteristics. Findings – The paper finds that dropping out diminishes one's success in the labor market but this connection is reduced when the model is augmented with personality. Dropouts seem to have or lack certain personality characteristics that are associated with labor market success. These findings sugge…