Productivity Blog

Viathonline.com Deere earnings surge on farm boom Sales in construction division, including Dubuque factory, continue to sag By EILEEN MOZINSKI TH staff writer A strong agricultural market continues to drive growth at Deere &Co., even as unstable economic conditions pound some of the heavy equipment maker’s divisions. Deere posted record third-quarter earnings Wednesday showing growth companywide but a slowdown in the construction and forestry division, which includes John Deere Dubuque … Continue reading →

ViaBusiness Week Profits are healthier and job losses fewer than in previous downturns. The reason:Businesses’ swift responseto falling demand is making productivity unusually strong by James Cooper The productivity revolution of the late 1990s changed forever the way U.S. businesses operate. Driven by technology and overseas competition, companies radically altered how they manage purchasing policies, inventories, production processes, and, perhaps most important, labor. The U.S. workforce has become much more … Continue reading →

ViaCommodityOnline, India Integrated nutrient management a key to productivity By Dr Mangala Rai Fertilizer is the mainstay of food production in the country; hence its judicious use is the need of the hour. The integrated nutrient management is a panacea for sound soil health, higher farm productivity and profitability. Accordingly, our Government has taken historical decisions on nutrient-based pricing and subsidy, meeting additional cost of fortification/ coating of fertilizers, payment … Continue reading →

ViaNY Times WASHINGTON (AP) — The efficiency of America’s workers grew at a slightly slower pace in the spring as companies sought to produce more with leaner work forces. Workers’ compensation growth also slowed. The Labor Department reported Friday that productivity — the amount an employee produces for every hour on the job — grew at an annual rate of 2.2 percent in the quarter. That was down from a … Continue reading →

By Dana Borowka, MA, CEO of Lighthouse Consulting Services, LLC “Watch your words: they become your thoughts.Watch your thoughts: they become your actions.Watch your actions: they become your habits.Watch your habits: they become your destiny.”– Frank Outlaw Personality tests not only help when hiring, they just might be a manager’s best tool to connect with employees. You can manage the hard way or the easy way, the choice is up … Continue reading →

Via NY Times Shifting CareersBy MARCI ALBOHER As the founding editor and lead blogger for Lifehacker, the popular site that offers “tech tricks, tips and downloads for getting things done,” Gina Trapani has become a go-to source for people who have become overwhelmed by the demands and complexities of modern technology. Ms. Trapani, who is also a computer programmer, is the author of “Upgrade Your Life” (Wiley, 2008), a wide-ranging … Continue reading →

What’s Pushing Your Buttons? By ROBERT WILSON What motivates you? That’s the question I’d like to ask in this inaugural column on motivation. Are you motivated by fame, fortune or fear. Or is it something deeper that fans the flames inside of you. Perhaps you are like Jeanne Louise Calment whose burning desire enabled her to do something that no other human being has done before. A feat so spectacular … Continue reading →

ViaNY Times By PAUL B. BROWN Just about all entrepreneurs grapple with the issue of having people work untraditional hours at some point in their company’s life. And with all the talk about shifting to a four-day work week, to reduce the amount of gasoline used by employees in commuting, it is a good time to review the basics. As the National Workplace Flexibility Project, developed by the federal Department … Continue reading →

ViaAgWeb.com Technology Kills By Vance Ehmke While I’m a firm believer in technology and rapid adoption of it, after this wheat harvest I became aware of technology’s dark side. Instead of increasing productivity and efficiency, it can kill it. At one point during harvest, I was sitting in one of four new high capacity, high tech John Deere combines with 40-foot draper heads as the operator finished a field. In … Continue reading →

ViaLatin Business Chronicle Is Raul Castro preparing the ground for more substantive, pro-market economic reforms in Cuba? BY LATIN AMERICA ADVISORInter-American Dialogue Cuban President Raul Castro said [recently] that “socialism means social justice and equality, but equality of rights, of opportunities, not of income” and that “equality is not egalitarianism.” What is the significance of Castro’s comments? Is he preparing the ground for more substantive, pro-market economic reforms? What possible … Continue reading →