The purpose of this paper is to clarify the meanings of different terms related to productivity and to analyze the state of productivity in the Finnish construction industry at the macro level. This study reviews literature related to productivity and performance management; its aim is to form an understanding of prevailing habits and shortcomings. Based on a conducted macro level analysis, the...

This paper provides an explanation for why the sunk cost bias persists among firms competing in a differentiated product oligopoly. Firms experiment with cost methodologies that are consistent with real-world accounting practices, including ones that allocate fixed and sunk costs to determine“variable” costs. These firms follow “naive” adaptive learning to adjust prices. Costing methodologies t...

This study uses survey data on several hundred automotive suppliers in North America to evaluate the determinants of inventory levels in high-volume discrete parts manufacturing. We assess the magnitude of raw materials, work-in-process, and finished goods inventories, as well as production lot sizes and through-put times. Results are broadly consistent with the EOQ formula and related models o...

With increasing market competition, organizations are striving for greater innovation in products and services. Quality management has the potential to invigorate an organization’s product, process and administrative innovation when strategically aligned with internal contingencies. This paper seeks to address the relationship between social and technical quality management with innovation. Mor...

BACKGROUND There is increasing evidence that good district management practices can improve health system performance and conversely, that poor and inefficient management practices have detrimental effects. The aim of the present study was to identify factors contributing to inefficient management practices of district health managers and ways to improve their overall efficiency. METHODS Nine...

Purpose: Social work (SW) practices are undergoing major transformations generated by change in the governance of health and social policies. These transformations are based on two logical performance, one managerial, resting on New Public Management principles, and another clinic, supported by evidence based practices. The implementation of integrated services is traversed by these two logics ...