Spartan Daily, December 3, 1945

Volume 34, Issue 40https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/3670/thumbnail.jp

Labour as an Agent of Production: A Classical Economy Perspective

Seminal works on labour and its contribution to the economy were attempted by classical economists. The classical political economy considered labour as the sole source of value, and only it can create an addition. The predominance of ascribed it as basis of all social life. This paper reviews the works of two classical political economy writers: Marx and Smith.Labour, labour power, abstract labour, concrete labour, Karl Max, Adam Smith, classical economy, division of labour

Spartan Daily, May 12, 1960

Volume 47, Issue 126https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/4042/thumbnail.jp

Specialization and the skill premium in the 20th century

The skill premium fell substantially in the first part of the 20th century, and then rose at the end of the century. I argue that these changes are connected to the organization of production. When production is organized into large plants, jobs become routinized, favoring less skilled workers. Building on the notion that numerically controlled machines made capital more “flexible” at the end of the century, the model allows for changes in the ability of capital to do a wide variety of tasks. When calibrated to data on the distribution of plant sizes, the model can account for between half and two-thirds of the movement in the skill premium over the century. It is also in accord with a variety of industry level evidence.Technological innovations

Rural Competitiveness: Results of the 1996 Rural Manufacturing Survey

Establishments in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan locations are surprisingly similar in their adoption of new technologies, worker skill requirements, use of government programs and technical assistance, exports, and sources of financing, according to the results of a nationwide survey of 3,909 manufacturing businesses. The most widespread concern of both metro and nonmetro businesses appears to be with quality of labor. Survey respondents report rapidly increasing skill requirements, and many report problems finding qualified workers. Quality of local labor is the most frequently cited problem associated with nonmetro business locations. Access to credit, transportation, and telecommunications infrastructure is a problem of secondary importance for both metro and nonmetro respondents. Rural communities face a considerable challenge in supplying workers with needed skills. The fastest-growing skill requirements -- computer, interpersonal/teamwork, and problem-solving skills -- are not central to traditional academic instruction.rural manufacturing, sample survey, worker skills, manufacturing location, credit availability, technology adoption, Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Variety and industrial production : the case of housing

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1984.MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCHIncludes bibliographical references (leaves 106-109).Industrial processes have addressed with various degrees of success the question of housing production. If assembly-line methods have proven their efficiency in the production and distribution of low-cost housing, they have been less successful in achieving product diversification, and now suffer from a negative image resulting from this weakness. On the other hand, open and closed systems, based on component kits of parts allowing various assemblies, show a greater potential for variety generation; but their implementation has to face resistances arising from the production systems themselves and from their implications in terms of product conception. Considering variety as an essential value in the richness of our environment, and regarding individual differences as a variety generator, the purpose of this work is to understand the match between people and industrial systems involved in housing production and to explore the capacity of industrial processes in satisfying individual requirements.by Catherine Chimits-Cazaux.M.S