Productivity Blog

ViaXinhua BEIJING (Xinhua) — China would obtain greater economic benefits and improve energy efficiency by adopting a more concentrated pattern of urbanization, according to a report released here Monday by the McKinsey Global Institute, McKinsey and Co.’s economics think tank. “An urgent shift in focus from solely driving GDP growth to an agenda of boosting urban productivity is not only an opportunity but a necessity,” said the report. A more … Continue reading →

ViaThe Hindu By D. Murali and Kumar Shankar Roy Chennai: Behind the glitz and glamour of the neighbourhood retail chain that you are fond of nowadays (the local kiranawalla is not a priority anymore), remains a very efficient supply chain. The job isn’t complete if you happen to have just products stacked up in the shelves. Somebody has to manage the supply chain as well. This is where Supply Chain … Continue reading →

ViaSt. Paul Pioneer Press High profits in lean timesProductivity gains help General Mills keep lid on pricesBy Julie Forster To understand why General Mills keeps growing profit margins even as raw material and transportation costs spike, consider a box of Hamburger Helper. The company made the box smaller while keeping the contents’ volume the same. That allowed it to make the cases the boxes ship in smaller. And that means … Continue reading →

Tips For Talking Safety To the CEO What do you do if your organization’s CEO questions the return on investment of safety and health programs? How would you negotiate safety programs into your organization’s long-term business plan? These questions were asked of safety managers gathered at the American Society of Safety Engineer’s conference, The Business of Safety: A Matter of Success held in Baltimore March 13 and 14. The overall … Continue reading →

WASHINGTON, DC, March 17, 2008 (ENS) – Next year, clothes washers that are much more efficient than current appliances will be coming on the market. The new washers will have to use less water than those now on sale, and they also must be more energy efficient. As of July 1, 2009, manufacturers will have to make their washers meet a higher standard if they want to qualify the appliances … Continue reading →

ViaThe Age In the past, I have done blog entries looking at how we are so sleep deprived that entrepreneurs are cashing in on it with special little pods, aromatherapy pillows, face masks, biorhythmic alarm clocks and beds that cost as much as cars. Now it seems to be moving into the mainstream with reports out of the US that big companies like Google, Pizza Hut and Nike introducing pro-nap … Continue reading →

ViaNY Times Chrysler Sets a Two-Week Furlough for Most Workers By NICK BUNKLEY DETROIT — Chrysler plans to halt virtually all operations for two weeks in July as part of its effort to cut costs and return to profitability. Summer shutdowns are longstanding traditions in the auto industry so plants can be retooled for the new model year, but they primarily involve only hourly workers. Chrysler told its salaried employees … Continue reading →

ViaThe Age, Australia PRODUCTIVITY in the cropping, livestock and dairy industries has steadily risen over the past three decades, but appears to be slowing, according to the nation’s chief commodities forecaster. The slowing dates from the mid-1990s, says the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) in a report. ABARE said average annual productivity growth in the cropping sector was 4.1% between 1977-78 and 1993-94, compared with 0.9% between … Continue reading →

ViaInnovations Report, Germany Research data has shown that Singapore’s research outputis currently growing exponentially Presented by Bibliometrics Director Iain Craig at a recent Wiley-Blackwell research seminar, the publisher analyzed Singapore’s scientific productivity using bibliometric data provided by Thomson Scientific. Bibliometrics is the comparative analysis of quantity and quality of scientific output – measured using the aggregates of indexed titles at a country and subject level. Complete Article

ViaDallas Morning News American Airlines in dilemmaon when to replace aging fleet The airline’s old MD-80s guzzle fuel.But how long can the carrier wait for the next generation of jets? By TERRY MAXON / The Dallas Morning News tmaxon@dallasnews.com American Airlines Inc. has a fleet of aging airplanes and a hard decision to make. Every day it flies an aging McDonnell Douglas MD-80 is another day that it burns 20 … Continue reading →