Working time arrangement in the EU from the viewpoint of the employees: Results from the ad hoc labour market surveys
Cornelia Lang
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 4,
2006
Abstract
Despite the general improvement in the EU’s labour market performance, there are still large differences between individual countries. And there are differences in some fields between the pre-enlargement EU Member States and the recently acceded Member States. One explanation for these differences may be the predominance of former socialist countries with centrally planned economies among new member states. The article deals with the results of the ad hoc labour market survey of the European Commission. One of its subjects is the flexible use of labour. The main findings are: A working week of between 35 and 40 hours, distributed more or less evenly over the five working days, is the rule for the majority of employees. Part-time work is still dominated by women. Overtime is relatively common for most of the full-time employed. When asked if they would be prepared to accept more flexible working time, the interviewees do not favour all possible types of flexibility to the same extent. The most favoured model is either lengthening or shortening the regular working day. In the former socialist countries people work longer hours and they are more flexible with respect to how far they have to travel and the hours they have to work in order to keep their job.
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Management von Mitarbeiterrisiken in Unternehmen
Henry Dannenberg
Risikomanagement im Unternehmen Praxisratgeber für die Einführung und Umsetzung, Kapitel 12-7,
2006
Abstract
The paper shows how to quantify the risk of loosing employees. Firstly, reasons will be determined that explain the loss of an employee. Dependent on these reasons, it is shown how to quantify the probability of losing an employee and possible losses that follow an employee loss. Based on these components of risks, a simulation based model is developed which aggregates the risk of all employees of a company to the distribution of the employees risk for the whole company. Finally, a tool for an easy calculating of this risk is presented.
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A Game Theoretic Analysis of the Conditions of Knowledge Transfer by New Employees in Companies
Sidonia vonLedebur
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 3,
2006
Abstract
The availability of knowledge is an essential factor for an economy in global competition. Companies realise innovations by creating and implementing new knowledge. Sources of innovative ideas are partners in the production network but also new employees coming from another company or academia. Based on a model by HECKATHORN (1996) the conditions of efficient knowledge transfer in a team are analysed. Offering knowledge to a colleague can not be controlled directly by the company due to information asymmetries. Thus the management has to provide incentives which motivate the employees to act in favour of the company by providing their knowledge to the rest of the team and likewise to learn from colleagues. The game theoretic analysis aims at investigating how to arrange these incentives efficiently. Several factors are relevant, especially the individual costs of participating in the transfer. These consist mainly of the existing absorptive capacity and the working atmosphere. The model is a 2x2 game but is at least partly generalised on more players. The relevance of the adequate team size is shown: more developers may increase the total profit of an innovation
(before paying the involved people) but when additional wages are paid to each person a greater team decreases the remaining company profit. A further result is
that depending on the cost structure perfect knowledge transfer is not always best for the profit of the company. These formal results are consistent with empirical studies to the absorptive capacity and the working atmosphere.
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Capturing the changes in the knowledge base underlying drug discovery and development in the 20th century and the adjustment of Bayer, Hoechst, Schering AG and E. Merck to the advent of modern biotechnology.
Iciar Dominguez Lacasa
Scientometrics,
No. 2,
2006
Abstract
The so-called biotechnology revolution has changed the institutional and knowledge environment of the pharmaceutical industry. The industry incumbents have faced the challenge of adjusting to the new conditions for innovation in drug discovery and development. Drawing on the theoretical framework of the organizational capabilities of the firm, this contribution aims at capturing the changes in the knowledge environment and exploring the adjustment of 4 German corporations (2 companies rooted in the coal tar dyestuff industry and 2 traditional pharmaceutical companies) to the advent of modern biotechnology. Despite the firm-specific capabilities in organic chemical synthesis, the representatives of the coal tar dyestuff industry seem to have been better able to adjust to the external discontinuity in their knowledge environment.The existence of research and development activities, the science-based research tradition together with interactions to access the extramural knowledge base of the firms seem to have been crucial in the perception and adoption of the new technological possibilities of biotechnology after the 1970s, rather than prior competence in biotechnology or the employees with the skills to develop the capabilities to exploit it.
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Conditions of knowledge transfer of new staff members in companies – a game theoretical analysis -
Sidonia vonLedebur
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 1,
2006
Abstract
The availability of knowledge is an essential factor for an economy in global competition. New knowledge is often produced at a different place from its implementation. Thus knowledge transfer is necessary. One possible transfer channel is the employment of people with distinct knowledge not yet available in a company. This study analyses the conditions of efficient transfer of new employees in companies with a game-theoretic model.
It is shown that a high additional reward in relation to the additional effort necessary for knowledge transfer enhances the transfer. But other incentives play a significant role as well, e.g. an adequate team size and a good working atmosphere.
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Ein Jahr nach der EU-Osterweiterung - Erste Erfahrungen, Probleme, Aussichten
Herbert S. Buscher, Heiko Stüber
Zukunftsforum Politik Nr. 67,
2005
Abstract
The paper investigates possible employment effects of the EU-enlargement one year later. Special emphasis is put on the border regions to Poland and the Czeck Republic. Besides of legal restrictions the paper analyzes the possibilities of foreigners to work in Germany and to what extent these special regulations have been used. First preliminary results indicate that there are no large employment effects across both sides of the border. The paper concludes with a discussion of intended measures to protect German employees against competition from abroad.
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Business services in East Germany - an update
Siegfried Beer
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 8,
2004
Abstract
The article presents the results of the German service sector statistic 2001 for company oriented services in the New Länder (without Berlin), which have been derived from data of the regional statistical offices. The article can be regarded as an update of an earlier version (see “Wirtschaft im Wandel”, 12/2003, p.342-349). Fundamental results are: 1. Compared to 2000, the New Länder’s proportion of Germany’s total revenue and employment in company oriented services has, compared to 2000, slightly increased, but remains rather small. 2. The profitability of East German companies has deteriorated, measured by total expenses per sales unit. Partially this might be due to the increased number of businesses. 3. Last evaluation’s assumption, that East German company’s labor productivity (gross value added per employees) is half of the West German’s, has been proofed in this actual evaluation. An illustration of reasons is not being provided since it has been discussed extensively in the first evaluation.
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Significant differences in annual working hours among the Länder
Hans-Ulrich Brautzsch
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 5,
2004
Abstract
The article is concerned with differences in the series of yearly working time of employees in the different German Bundesländer. Some reasons of these differences and the consequences for the level of labour unit costs are discussed.
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Current trends: reduction of standard tax allowance for commuters has serious effects on only every 6th employee
Hans-Ulrich Brautzsch
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 1,
2004
Abstract
Der Abbau von Steuersubventionen im Rahmen des von Regierung und Opposition erzielten Reformkompromisses im Dezember 2003 sieht u. a. eine Senkung der Pendlerpauschale für den einfachen Weg zwischen Wohnung und Arbeitsstätte von bisher 36 Cent (40 Cent ab dem zehnten Kilometer) auf generell 30 Cent pro Kilometer vor. Diese rechtliche Änderung geht fast alle Arbeitnehmer an. Die Beschäftigten werden jedoch durch die Neuregelung unterschiedlich betroffen, da die Länge des individuellen Arbeitsweges erheblich differiert.
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Excessive wage increases dampen capital spending
Klaus Weyerstraß
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 16,
2003
Abstract
Considering the debate about the opposite effects of rising wages for employee’s income and employer’s costs, the relationship between wage changes and investment is being investigated on an econometric basis for the years 1971 to 2003. The results show that the dynamics of investment activity slows down as real wages rise more than productivity increases.
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