Impact of noncommunicable diseases on direct medical costs and worker productivity, Saudi Arabia

Background: The prevalence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) has been increasing in Saudi Arabia. Aim: Our objective was to estimate the effect of NCDs on direct medical costs and workforce productivity in Saudi Arabia. Methods: To estimate direct medical costs, we estimated the unit cost of treating 10 NCDs, then multiplied the unit cost by disease prevalence and summed across diseases. To estimate workforce productivity losses, we multiplied gross domestic product per person in the labour force by the loss in productivity from each NCD and the prevalence in the labour force of each NCD. Results: We estimated annual direct medical costs of 11.8 billion international dollars (Int$) for the 10 NCDs assessed (13.6% of total annual health expenditure). We estimated workforce productivity losses of Int$ 75.7 billion (4.5% of gross domestic product). Conclusion: The economic burden of NCDs in Saudi Arabia – particularly the effect on worker productivity – is substantial.

5G in Healthcare

5G is a new universal wireless standard, a new form of mobile network engineered to bring everyone and everything virtually together. 5G is not only for mobile phones, but it is also the foundation for virtual reality (VR), the internet of things (IoT), and autonomous driving, connecting many electronic devices to the internet. Having good healthcare is very important as it affects all parts of human life and social well-being. Moreover, it is crucial to have a great healthcare system if we want economic growth, workforce productivity, and society to advance. Despite all the hard work done by scientists and medical professionals, today's healthcare is mainly inefficient, and a significant overhaul is required. This chapter discusses the primary advantages, including the 5G's main features in healthcare and their limitations and probable solutions and applications to the latest scenario.

Motivational Factors Affecting Construction Labor Productivity: A Review

Research on motivational factors affecting construction labor productivity (CLP) has attracted numerous researchers worldwide many years so far. This study aims to review studies on motivational factors affecting CLP from the outcomes of previous studies. Based on a comprehensive review, publications on this domain were analyzed in terms of geographical distribution, adopted research methods, common motivational factors, and knowledge gaps. The findings indicated that the majority of studies were carried out in the Asia continent, followed by Europe, Africa, and America. Also, almost studies adopted methods of empirical research for identifying and evaluating of motivational factors with a prevalent procedure that includes five stages, namely, identifying motivational factors based on a review of existing literature; pilot study; data collection; data analysis; and concluding critical motivational factors. Additionally, the results also revealed that the mostly identified motivational factors contain rewards; good relationship; promotion opportunities; job security; good supervision; the amount of salary; and a good work environment. It is recommended that engineering managers, project managers, employers should use the findings of this study to make policies or decisions to ensure effective management and improve construction workforce productivity.

Trends in the Institutional Transformation of the Russian Economy and Their Impact on the Quality of the Labor Force from the Perspective of Workforce Productivity

The research featured the transformations of formal and informal institutions and their effect on the quality of labor force and workforce productivity. Such trends in institutional transformation as digitalization, government regulation, and environmentalization are known to affect labor market, labor legislation, education, and public administration. The research objective was to identify the main trends in institutional transformation and assess their impact on the quality of the labor force. The methods included a content analysis of documents, an analysis of statistical data, and a regression analysis. The article introduces an extended review of scientific publications, a description of trends in institutional transformation from the standpoint of labor productivity, and a forecast of workforce productivity as affected by the abovementioned institutional changes. The research results can help to plan strategies for personnel development on the business, industrial, regional, and state scale. If strategizing of labor resources is based on relevant global and national trends, it can increase company’s performance, ensure economic growth in the region, and improve the living standards of local population.

Investigating Human-Machine Interfaces’ Efficiency in Industrial Machinery and Equipment: A Kenyan Context

The twenty-first century has seen a vast technological revolution characterized by the development of cyber-physical systems, integration of things, and new and computationally improved machines and systems. However, there have been seemingly little strides in the development of user interfaces, specifically for industrial machines and equipment. The aim of this study was to assess the efficiency of the human-machine interfaces in the Kenyan context in providing a consistent and reliable working environment for industrial machine operators. The researcher employed a convenient purposive sampling to select 15 participants who had at least two years of hands-on experience in machines operation, control, or instrumentation. The results of the study are herein presented, including the recommendations to enhance workforce productivity and efficiency.

Proposed Office Facilities Layout in Low Voltage Electric Panel Manufacturer

<p>The electrical equipment industry in Indonesia is one of the factors that triggers economic growth. Labor productivity determines the success of project implementation. The non-optimal facility layout is one of the factors that triggers low labor productivity. The non-optimal facility layout affects the flow of information in the company. This study examines the problem of non-optimal office facility layout with TSP, ARC and ARD methods at PT. Duta Wijaya Elektrindo Engineering (PT. DWP). The method stated above can minimize the total distance traveled between office facilities so that work efficiency and workforce productivity may increase. The results of data processing indicate that the recommended office facility layout recommendations that are in accordance with the level of closeness between departments based on PST, ARC and ARD is the first recommendation. With reduced total distance traveled in the first layout of the proposed office facilities, the level of employee productivity and work efficiency will increase. The smallest total distance traveled on the proposed layout of the office facilities is 244.22 meters with a reduction of 36% from the initial conditions.</p>

Distributed Operations in Response to COVID-19: Assessing Workforce Perceptions of Productivity and Success

During the midst of the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a large Navy Working Capital Funded government laboratory transitioned from a traditional on-site/physical daily operational presence to a distributed, virtual maximum telework posture. The direction given in March 2020 was that unless performance of a specific approved tasking was required at the physical workplace, the laboratory workforce was to telework from a safe location while practicing social distancing. To this extent, a majority of the organization’s workforce continued performing the duties associated with their programs and projects in a virtual and secure distributed environment. This new norm certainly raised questions and considerations related to the effectiveness of the workforce while under maximum telework. As a result, two surveys were conducted to assess the perceived work-effectiveness of the organization. The perceived work-effectiveness was assessed at the operational (work unit) level, focusing on project impacts of telework, and from the macroorganizational perspective. The first survey was conducted on a project that was 2 weeks into this virtual maximum telework environment. The second survey was performed one layer above the project at the division level, thereby extending the aperture of the data. Both surveys provided a great deal of information and insight on how project teams perceived work performance and effectiveness during telework. The purpose of the study was to understand the impact of distributed telework in workforce productivity and project success as well as assess workforce perceptions on the effects of telework.

Assessment of the impact of the tax burden upon workforce productivity

The article examines the impact of such factors as the average monthly salary of employees, investment in fixed assets, tax burden, cost value for research and development, and workforce productivity. For building the model, the author applies statistical data on socioeconomic development indicators of 32 constituent entities of the Russian Federation for 2017. Tax burden lowers the workforce productivity; therefore, the use of tax incentives and preferences contributes to the achievement of the goals of economic growth. The research is based in the general scientific methods of analysis and synthesis, as well as econometric analysis. The article is dedicated to the creation of correlation-regression model of impact assessment. The conclusion is drawn that three out of four determinants indicate a significant positive correlation with workforce productivity. The effective tax incentive mechanism may become a catalyst for the economic development and contributes to securing employment.