Provides a comprehensive approach to productivity and efficiency analysis using economic and econometric theory.

The question of how to measure and improve productivity in services has been a recurrent topic in political debates and in academic studies for several decades. The concept of productivity, which was developed initially for industrial and agricultural economies poses few difficulties when applied to standardized products. The advent of the service economy contributed to call into question, if not the relevance of this concept, at least its definition and measurement methods. This book takes stock of the issues met by productivity in services on theoretical, methodological and operational levels. The authors examine various definitions of productivity and the main methods of its measurement. A survey of recent conceptual and methodological debates on the notion of productivity is also presented. A more operational and strategic perspective is then adopted in order to identify and analyze the main levers, factors and determinants for improving productivity and, more generally, the actual strategies adopted for this purpose in firms and organisations. Providing a deep understanding of the specific and underestimated performance processes within service industries, this book will be of great interest to those involved in industrial economics, management science and public administration.

This new book explains the Productivity Measurement and Enhancement system (ProMES) and how it meets the criteria for an optimal measurement and feedback system. It summarizes all the research that has been done on productivity, mentioning other measurement systems, and gives detailed information on how to implement this one in organizations. This book will be of interest to behavioral science researchers and professionals who wish to learn more about the practical methods of measuring and improving organizational productivity.

Provides practical steps and procedures for implementing productivity measurement schemes in organisations.

With its comprehensive scope and easy-to-read format, this compendium belongs in every company and academic institution concerned with business and industrial viability. Featuring scores of contributions covering the most advanced methods for the measurement and improvement of quality and productivity, no other reference can compete. Throughout 100 chapters, front-runners in the quality movement reveal the evolving theory and specific practices of world-class organizations. Spanning a wide variety of industries and business sectors, this handbook includes insightful discussions on quality and productivity in manufacturing, service industries, profit centers, administration, nonprofit and government institutions, health care and education. Topics include— Benchmarking The best way to implement an activity-based cost-management system Ten rules for building a measurement system Process simplification through cycle-time reduction Strategies for measuring and improving white-collar productivity Sharing the productivity payoff—gain sharing primer

The objectives are (a) to clarify the meaning of organizational productivity as it applies to Air Force organizations, (b) to describe and critique productivity measurement methods, (c) to describe a procedure for generating measures of productivity in Air Force organizations, and (d) to summarize research which evaluates productivity enhancement methods. The report has seven chapters and an appendix. Chapter I is an introduction. Chapter II reviews various definitions of productivity and contrasts them with two related concepts-quality of working life and organizational effectiveness. Chapter III reviews the definition of productivity as it relates specifically to the Air Force. Chapter IV provides a taxonomy and critique of measures of efficiency, effectiveness, and combined methods that integrate efficiency and effectiveness measures into a comprehensive measurement strategy. Chapter V draws conclusions from the review and implications for Air Force productivity measurement methods. Chapter VI describes a method for generating productivity criteria for Air Force organizations and Chapter VII describes a field demonstration of the methodology. Since the ultimate purpose of measuring productivity is to make improvements, the Appendix highlights the major findings of the literature on productivity enhancement. (Author).