ABSTRACT
Considerable research has explored the relationship between intangible assets and firm performance in manufacturing and tertiary industries, but such studies remain scarce for the agri-food industry. In fact, numerous stresses, including the COVID-19 pandemic, have disrupted many activities along agri-food production chains in developing countries, resulting in huge pressure on sustainable agri-food production. Based on a sample of 94 A-share listed agri-food firms in China from 2008 to 2017, this study examines the impact of intangible assets on agri-food enterprises' productivity using generalized method of moments estimation. The results reveal differences between private and state-owned enterprises, indicating that the promotional productivity effect of intangible assets held by private agri-food enterprises was insignificant in the current period, but will be manifested three periods later, in contrast to state-owned enterprises. Due to the soft budget constraints and incentive mechanism of state-owned agri-food enterprises, intangible assets will not promote productivity. In addition, by pursuing the financialization profit model, agri-food enterprises will sacrifice productivity improvement, which can further lead to selective abandonment in the use of intangible assets. Simultaneously, there is a crowding-out effect between intangible and fixed assets in promoting agri-food enterprises' total factor productivity. The findings highlight the importance of the quality and conversion rate of intangible assets, particularly for agri-food enterprises, which are closely related to food security and stability. © 2022 Economic Society of Australia, Queensland
ABSTRACT
Introduction: This study aims to analyze the role of co-presence against the background of COVID-19 pandemic to derive implications for an interdisciplinary, evidence-based workplace and human capital management. A theoretical framework is outlined that considers a range of topics from task performance to social and organizational contextual factors. Methods: In a single organization qualitative case study, five focus group interviews including a total of 20 employees of an IT consultancy were conducted to identify the effects of the mandatory remote working regimes imposed by the COVID-19 Pandemic on task and contextual performance. Results: Findings show that individual performance was assessed to have increased while internal processes remained at similar levels compared to pre-pandemic levels. Organizational culture, social contact, and identity, however, were reported to have considerably deteriorated in the view of the participants. Discussion: The study shows that for a company that was very experienced with distributed working, the reduction of co-presence had important effects on performance and culture. Findings suggest that co-presence must be carefully managed in the future. This could become a new joint priority for workplace design, workplace management, and human capital management. Copyright © 2023 Windlinger and Gerber.
ABSTRACT
Although switching from non-renewable to renewable energy is believed to stimulate low-carbon economic growth, the means to establishing this energy transition have largely remained unexplored in the extant literature. Against this backdrop, this study focuses on evaluating how scaling public investment in renewable energy-related research and development projects impacts the carbon productivity levels in the top-10 renewable energy-investing countries. The estimation strategy comprised econometric methods that can handle cross-sectional dependency and slope heterogeneity related concerns in the data. Regarding the key findings, higher public research and development-related investments in renewable energy are observed to boost carbon productivity levels in the concerned countries, while natural resource consumption and net exports are found to reduce carbon productivity. Besides, the results endorsed that public research and development investment for renewable energy development exhibits a moderating role by jointly boosting carbon productivity with higher natural resource consumption and net exports. Moreover, it is also seen to inflict a mediating effect by jointly boosting carbon productivity with urbanization. In line with these findings, the concerned governments are recommended to scale such investment in order to stimulate technological innovation so that renewable energy transition can take place to establish low carbon economic growth. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The objective of the study is to analyze the impact of the adoption of the Agile Mindset on the productivity of Agile software development teams in IT enterprises during COVID-19. Design/methodology/approach: A web-based survey is performed with voluntary participants working with the Agile software development professionals with a specific focus on IT enterprises around Pune, India. For this the initial exploratory literature review was performed, to explore the team's behaviors and their response to the crises like the Covid-19 pandemic. Data is collected from the targeted population using the random sampling method. A questionnaire is designed with the help of a five-point Likert scale. All the respondents were analyzed based on their behaviors shown and how adopting to Agile mindset has impacted their productivity during the pandemic. Collected data would be then analyzed using the Smart PLS-SEM methodology. Findings: Findings of the study show that Agile software development teams adopting to Agile mindset are better at responding to crisis and quick to adapt to change as teams adopting the Agile mindset is likely to sustain or even improve their productivity during the crises like Covid-19 pandemic. Adapting to an Agile mindset is important for Agile software development teams during a crisis as a response to changes in the working as well as environmental conditions. This study also shows that by adopting an Agile mindset, development teams are better at responding to the crisis eventually improving productivity. Research limitations/implications: Research limitations for this study-scope of the study could be extended to the larger population across geographies to have improved insights Productivity Factors like- Efforts Efficiency, Backlog-management Index (BMI), and Weighted Average Productivity (VWP) for team members can be included. More behavioral factors for Agile Mindset can be considered. Practical implications: Agile software development teams are characterized by collaboration and responsibility. Recent enforcement of pandemic precautionary measures has enforced Agile software development teams to work remotely and maintain social distancing while in the office. It was challenging for most of the working people to adjust to the new working conditions (Yang et al., 2021) However, in IT organizations, adopting the Agile mindset has ensured continuous software deliveries, took ownership, and quickly adapted to the volatile situations, ultimately resulting into the growth in the productivity unlike to that of other sectors of the economy. Social implications: In this study, we have analyzed the hypotheses with statistical significance in association with constructs that are in sync with the available literature. Adopting the Agile mindset values has positively impacted the team's behavior resulting in productivity improvement even in the distributed working locations in pandemic situations. Originality/value: The study highlights that adopting to Agile mindset has positively impacted an Agile software development team's productivity during the Covid-19 pandemic. As environmental conditions during Covid-19 were uncertain and ambiguous and teams were working in distributed and disconnected ways, many researchers have believed that it would have affected the overall productivity. This was turned true for most of the sectors of the economy, however, Agile software development teams have shown positive trends in their productivity, as they have adopted the Agile mindset values and principles, during crises. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The present shift and change in the human lifestyle across the world are undeniable. Currently, individuals spend a substantial amount of time indoors due to the global COVID-19 pandemic that strikes the entire world. This change in human lifestyle has devastating effects on human health and productivity. As a result, the influence of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) on the health and productivity of building users becomes a critical field of research that requires immediate attention. As a result, the purpose of this study is to review the state-of-the-art literature by establishing a connection between the factors that influence health and productivity in any given indoor environment. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology involves a thorough review of selected published journals from 1983 to 2021, and the result was analysed through content analysis. The search included journal articles, books and conference proceedings on the critical factors influencing IEQ and their impact on building occupants, which was sourced from different databases such as ScienceDirect, Taylor, GoogleScholar and Web of Science. Findings: The findings from the 90 selected articles revealed four critical factors influencing the quality of the indoor environment and are categorised into;indoor air quality, indoor thermal comfort, visual comfort and acoustic comfort. The findings suggested that when developing a system for controlling the quality of the indoor environment, the indoor air quality, indoor thermal comfort, visual comfort and acoustic comfort should be taken into account. Originality/value: The indoor environment deeply impacts the health of individuals in their living and work environments. Industry must have a moral responsibility to provide health facilities in which people and workers feel satisfies and give conditions for prosperity. Addressing these essential aspects will not only help the decision-making process of construction professionals but also encourages innovative construction techniques that will enhance the satisfaction, wellness and performance of building occupants. © 2023, Modupe Cecilia Mewomo, James Olaonipekun Toyin, Comfort Olubukola Iyiola and Olusola Raphael Aluko.
ABSTRACT
Modular construction has been implemented to achieve shorter project duration, lower cost, and higher productivity for construction projects. This option is especially helpful to reduce on-site activities and interaction under and after COVID impact. However, additional planning and support in engineering, procurement, and delivery are required to facilitate modular construction. Unreliable prefabrication and delivery can deteriorate subsequent activity productivity and overall project performance. This research aims to develop an automatic incentive—penalty enforcement system for modular construction based on the situation awareness of delivery tracking. The research selected a high-rise residential project in Singapore as a case study. The project used modular construction for making and installing 120 Prefabricated Bathroom Units. Based on the empirical data of delivery, on-site lifting, and installation, we built STROBOSCOPE simulation models to understand the impact on productivity and schedule from five scenarios at various delivery reliability levels of the Prefabricated Bathroom Units. Smart Contract rules were developed based on the impact. A Blockchain platform was established so that once a real-time delivery is identified and the information is entered into the Smart Contract, the associated incentive or penalty can be triggered instantly. The Smart Contract based incentive—penalty enforcement system will be beneficial for construction projects to monitor and track modular delivery, motivate reliable supply, reduce payment disputes, and improve productivity. © 2023, Canadian Society for Civil Engineering.
ABSTRACT
Objective. To determine the extent to which pharmacy faculty engaged in remote work during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic and, secondarily, to characterize pharmacy faculty and administrator perceptions of remote work.Methods. A 28-question online survey was sent to 6548 members of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). Questions centered on the extent of remote work and perceptions of its impact on productivity, effectiveness, and work-life balance. Focus groups were held to provide additional insight, and data were analyzed statistically.Results. In total, 6322 AACP members met inclusion criteria, of whom 1293 responded to the survey (21% response rate). At least one faculty member responded from 139 schools (99% response rate), and at least one administrator responded from 126 schools (89% response rate). During the pandemic, 97% of faculty were permitted to work remotely, 94% of whom did so at least some of the time. Most faculty indicated no change or an improvement in productivity (85%) and effectiveness (80%). Similarly, most administrators indicated no change or an increase in their unit's productivity (81%) and effectiveness (85%). More than half of respondents indicated better work-life balance while working remotely.Conclusion. Nearly all respondents were permitted to work remotely at least some of the time during the pandemic. Considering that most faculty and administrators believe productivity and effectiveness were not compromised and that there appear to be benefits to work-life balance, schools of pharmacy in the United States should consider permitting faculty to work remotely some of the time as we navigate the pandemic and thereafter.
ABSTRACT
This paper explores the supply chain (SC) disruption impacts to the performance outcomes of a semiconductor company during the Covid-19 pandemic and proposes appropriate risk mitigation strategies to overcome the crisis. The research uses a single case study methodology and 24 SC employees from Belgium and Germany who take part in the survey. To measure the effect of SC disruptions to the firm's financial performance, some quarterly financial statement data are used from 2018 to 2021. The regression analysis results show that there is no significant impact of SC disruptions to the firm's productivity and non-financial performance. The paired samples t-test suggests that there is no significant change in the firm's financial performance before and during Covid-19 either due to the market's political and economic stability or the semiconductor company develops effective SC risk management strategies. © 2022, The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Global Institute of Flexible Systems Management.
ABSTRACT
In the context of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and China's "digital power” strategy, the realization of a green shift of manufacturing has become a necessary condition to promote the economy, and the digital factor has increasingly become a new driving force. The DEA-Malmquist index and entropy method were used to measure the manufacturing green total factor productivity (GTFP) and the level of digital economy level from 2011 to 2018, respectively. This study then explored the impact of digital economy on manufacturing GTFP based on the system generalized method of moments (GMM) model, as well as the adjustment effects of talent aggregation and financial scale according to the moderating model. This research came to four conclusions. (1) The digital economy can significantly improve the manufacturing GTFP of China, and the influence shows the characteristic of a "marginal increase”;(2) notably, the perspective of manufacturing GTFP decomposition indicates that the digital economy exerts a significant positive effect on manufacturing technical efficiency during the current period but obviously hinders technical progress;(3) interestingly, a mechanistic test showed that the two dimensions of innovation environment—talent aggregation (0.385) and financial scale (0.359)—play critical moderating roles in the influencing process;and (4) the influence has evident regional heterogeneity—it is significantly positive in the east and negative in the central region and west. Finally, corresponding policy suggestions are suggested. © 2022 ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
ABSTRACT
In this paper, we exploit the natural experiment of the COVID-19 outbreak and investigate the role of collaborative integration and workplace flexibility in scholarly productivity. Using data on the quantity and quality of the journal and working paper submissions, we first identify a discontinuity pattern in the productivity of Chinese scholars around the Chinese New Year (CNY). Second, we find that COVID-19 has a negative impact on the productivity of Chinese scholars in terms of quantity and quality post-CNY. Furthermore, the short-term detrimental effect on scholarly productivity is induced mainly through the channel of collaborative integration and workplace flexibility due to mitigation policy shocks in terms of social distancing and working-from-home arrangements. The results suggest while advances in virtual communication technologies can facilitate productivity by lowering collaboration costs, virtual team communication cannot be a perfect substitute for face-to-face communication in collaborative integration. In addition, higher workplace flexibility might hinder productivity in sectors relying more on the skills of self-management and discipline. © 2022 Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This paper to identify those states that suffered the largest job losses, largest GDP declines and the highest unemployment rates and those states whose employment levels, unemployment rates and GDP declines were smallest during the COVID-19 recession. In addition, this paper endeavors to provide at least preliminary insights into why some states faired so poorly, whereas other states suffered so little during this downturn. Design/methodology/approach: This paper uses descriptive statistics and regression analysis to analyze the differences in state performance during the COVID-19 recession and recovery. Findings: The results from the two estimated regression models suggest that where you lived determined the severity of the recession and living in a blue state negatively impacted the strength of state's unemployment rate recovery. Research limitations/implications: This paper looks at only a two-year period starting with the COVID-19 recession and ending in December 2021. Practical implications: This paper provides a regional assessment of the COVID-19 recession and recovery on both a state and regional level. Social implications: The paper uses descriptive statistics to characterize the substantial state-level differences in the relative magnitude of economic decline due to the Covid-19 recession. Regression analysis reveals that blue states experienced weaker recovery as compared to red states. Originality/value: The study uses publicly available data to identify states that suffered the largest job losses and highest peak unemployment rates during the Covid-19 recession. The results are among the first to analyze the economic impact of the Covid-19 recession at the state level. © 2022, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
ABSTRACT
The article discusses the necessity of having a computer to run a massage practice efficiently. It points out that the machine is needed as it serves as a gateway to advanced marketing and business techniques, in addition to email and social media management. It also notes that with the technology, massage therapists will have more time and energy. It advises the need for therapists to improve their computer skills and learn using the necessary programs for the business.
ABSTRACT
Rapid and comprehensive lockdowns to contain the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic reduced anthropogenic emissions and, thereby, decreased the aerosol optical depth (AOD) in Xiangyang, Hubei Province. However, their complicated interactions make quantifying the contribution of decreased aerosols to crop growth challenging. Here, we explored the indirect effects of decreased aerosol concentrations on the gross primary productivity (GPP) and water use efficiency (WUE) of winter wheat by quantifying the contributions of key environmental factors. Our results showed high temporal and spatial associations between aerosols (represented by AOD), GPP, and WUE before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. AOD decreased by 23.8% +/- 10.1%, whereas GPP and WUE increased by 16.5% +/- 5.8% and 17.0% +/- 15.3%, respectively. The GeoDetector model revealed that photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) had a major impact on GPP and WUE, followed by precipitation, surface soil moisture, subsurface soil moisture, and surface temperature. Moreover, causality analysis showed a causal relationship between AOD and the dominant factors (PAR and precipitation) during the lockdown, thereby indicating a positive effect of decreased aerosols on GPP and WUE changes of winter wheat. Our findings assist in understanding the mechanisms causing GPP and WUE changes, given the environmental factors that changed significantly during the pandemic. (c) 2022 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)
ABSTRACT
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was designed to promote economic and trade cooperation between countries along the Belt and Road (B&R), specifically by building an international trade network. Ecological resources are the basis for human survival. Countries along the B&R transform ecological resources into ecological products by production activities. These products can then be used for trade, thereby driving the countries' economic development. This study uses net primary productivity (NPP) as a unified measure of ecological products, and explores the pattern changes of ecological product trade in countries along the B&R, from 2013 to 2019 (from the BRI proposal to the outbreak of COVID-19). The purpose of the study is to reveal the impact of the BRI on the trade of ecological products. The results show that (1) the trade scale of ecological products in the B&R region has changed significantly. The total volume of traded ecological products increased from 2071.74 to 2631.00 TgC. This represented an increase of about 26.99%, or 7.41% higher than the global average. (2) The spatial distribution pattern of ecological product trade did not change significantly in countries along the B&R. However, the gravity centers of the total and net trade volume of ecological products moved 120.74 km to the northeast and 392.98 km to the southeast, respectively. (3) The trade structure of ecological products in the B&R region, six sub-regions, and most countries remained relatively stable. Only the proportion of the livestock products trade in Mongolia and the proportion of the forest products trade in Bhutan have increased significantly. This finding suggests that the strength and breadth of the construction of unimpeded trade in countries along the B&R still need to further strengthened, in order to accelerate the realization of the vision of the Green Silk Road.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: There is a scarcity of literature examining changes in radiologist research productivity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study aimed to investigate changes in academic productivity as measured by publication volume before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This single-center, retrospective cohort study included the publication data of 216 researchers consisting of associate professors, assistant professors, and professors of radiology. Wilcoxon's signed-rank test was used to identify changes in publication volume between the 1-year-long defined prepandemic period (publications between May 1, 2019, and April 30, 2020) and COVID-19 pandemic period (May 1, 2020, to April 30, 2021). RESULTS: There was a significantly increased mean annual volume of publications in the pandemic period (5.98, SD = 7.28) compared with the prepandemic period (4.98, SD = 5.53) (z = -2.819, P = .005). Subset analysis demonstrated a similar (17.4%) increase in publication volume for male researchers when comparing the mean annual prepandemic publications (5.10, SD = 5.79) compared with the pandemic period (5.99, SD = 7.60) (z = -2.369, P = .018). No statistically significant changes were found in similar analyses with the female subset. DISCUSSION: Significant increases in radiologist publication volume were found during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with the year before. Changes may reflect an overall increase in academic productivity in response to clinical and imaging volume ramp down.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Radiology , Humans , Male , Female , Pandemics , Retrospective Studies , COVID-19/epidemiology , RadiologistsABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: A new dosing schedule for the oncology immunotherapy pembrolizumab, every 6 weeks (Q6W), has been approved by the U.S. FDA, reducing the frequency of visits to infusion centers. We quantified the time spent by oncologists, nurses, patients, and caregivers per melanoma-related immunotherapy infusion visit to evaluate its potential impact. METHODS: Surveys were self-completed by 100 oncologists, 101 oncology nurses, and 100 patients with melanoma across the U.S. to quantify the time spent per infusion visit with pembrolizumab (Q3W or Q6W), nivolumab (Q2W or Q4W), or nivolumab+ipilimumab (nivolumab in combination: Q3W; nivolumab maintenance: Q2W or Q4W). Time measures included traveling, waiting, consultation, infusion, post-treatment observation, and caregiving. Respondents were also surveyed regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on infusion treatments. RESULTS: Responses deemed valid were provided by 89 oncologists, 93 nurses, and 100 patients. For each new [returning] patient treated with pembrolizumab, nivolumab or nivolumab+ipilimumab, oncologists reported to spend an average of 90 [64], 87 [60] and 101 [69] minutes per infusion visit (p-value for between-group difference = 0.300 [0.627]). For first [subsequent] treatment cycles, nurses reported spending 160 [145] average minutes per visit for nivolumab+ipilimumab, versus roughly 120 [110] for the single agents (p-value for between-group difference = 0.018 [0.022]). Patients reported to spend an average of 263, 382, and 224 minutes per visit at the center for pembrolizumab (N = 47), nivolumab (n = 34), and nivolumab+ipilimumab (n = 15) respectively (p-value for between-group difference = 0.0002). Patients also reported that their unpaid (N = 20) and paid caregivers (N = 41) spent with them an average of 966 and 333 minutes, respectively, from the day before to the day after the infusion visit. CONCLUSION: Less frequent immunotherapy infusion visits may result in substantial time savings for oncologists, nurses, patients, and caregivers.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Melanoma , Humans , United States , Nivolumab/therapeutic use , Ipilimumab/therapeutic use , Pandemics , Melanoma/drug therapy , Immunotherapy , Health Personnel , Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy ProtocolsABSTRACT
This paper examines the way government spending affected productivity and its decomposition before and during the COVID-19 outbreak. Using panel data from 158 economies, the research shows that spending on health care increases productivity, while spending on the military slows down productivity and its decompositions. These effects are even greater in the context of COVID-19, showing that spending on health care and avoiding conflict and military escalation will be important for future economies to grow in a sustainable way.
ABSTRACT
Simulations incorporating economic input/output models have been applied recently to assess the extent of labor shocks from COVID 19 and their impact on supply chains at the macro level. Research is being done to extend these simulations for application to other scenarios of economic shocks beyond what was triggered through COVID related labor reductions. The problem of foreign supply chain dependency is of particular concern to localized regions as a significant portion of their economy is dependent on supplies from overseas. The extended simulation approach proposed here aims to optimize the degree to which the increased inventory supply targets allow for improved economic productivity and the ideal allocation per industry which most efficiently achieves this mitigation. This paper considers the application of the proposed simulation framework to study the regional dependence on the Asian supply chain. The case study presented in this paper demonstrates the economic insight that can be obtained through simulation analysis to support regional government decision making for the state of Alabama. © 2022 Society for Modeling & Simulation International (SCS)
ABSTRACT
Due to the covid-19s global spread, companies have been obliged to set up or adopt remote work arrangements. However, business managers are not certain that how these new arrangements would effect on employees' job satisfaction and performance. This quantitative study examines the relationship between work motivation, work environment, and work engagement toward job satisfaction of academicians including lecturers and educators who work from home during covid-19 in the higher education sector in Malaysia by implementing Herzbergs two-factor theory as the main theory for this paper. The study applied deductive reasoning and the philosophy ofpositivism to assess the impact of variables on employees' job satisfaction. simple random sampling with 382 respondents was utilized in his study to ensure that every academician in the higher education field that teaches online during the epidemic in Malaysia had the same opportunity. 230 trustable responses were analysed in SPSS. The results showed that, work motivation and work engagement have a significant positive environment and job satisfaction among academicians who work from home during covid-19 in the higher education sector in Malaysia
ABSTRACT
Healthcare organizations must operate efficiently to provide affordable care without compromising their sustainability and competitiveness. The purpose of this is to measure the profit efficiency of select Indian Corporate Hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, the study attempts to analyze the productivity changes in select corporate hospitals during COVID-19 and postimplementation of the national insurance policy in India. The study used the Data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique to measure the efficiency of corporate hospitals. It utilizes Constant Return to Scale (CRS), and Variable Return to Scale (VRS) to estimate profit inefficiency. DEA-based Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI) was used to examine the productivity change during the last three years since the outbreak of COVID-19. The DEA-MPI model is iterated for panel data for Financial Year 2018–2021. with year-wise employee benefits and operating expenses as the input parameters and year-wise net sales as the output parameter. The study reveals surprising results and requires critical analysis. Out of select hospitals, 80% of hospitals were found inefficient using CRS while 70% of the hospitals were found inefficient using VRS. The findings of this study are useful for healthcare administrators and managers to highlight improvement programs for efficiency maximization. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.