Sensory Communication

Contains table of contents for Section 2, an introduction and reports on fourteen research projects.National Institutes of Health Grant RO1 DC00117National Institutes of Health Grant RO1 DC02032National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Grant R01 DC00126National Institutes of Health Grant R01 DC00270National Institutes of Health Contract N01 DC52107U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research/Naval Air Warfare Center Contract N61339-95-K-0014U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research/Naval Air Warfare Center Contract N61339-96-K-0003U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-96-1-0379U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research Grant F49620-95-1-0176U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research Grant F49620-96-1-0202U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Subcontract 40167U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research/Naval Air Warfare Center Contract N61339-96-K-0002National Institutes of Health Grant R01-NS33778U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-92-J-184

Sensory Communication

Contains table of contents for Section 2, an introduction and reports on twelve research projects.National Institutes of Health Grant R01 DC00117National Institutes of Health Grant R01 DC02032National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Grant 2 R01 DC00126National Institutes of Health Grant 2 R01 DC00270National Institutes of Health Contract N01 DC-5-2107National Institutes of Health Grant 2 R01 DC00100U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N61339-96-K-0002U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N61339-96-K-0003U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-97-1-0635U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-97-1-0655U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Subcontract 40167U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-96-1-0379U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research Grant F49620-96-1-0202National Institutes of Health Grant RO1 NS33778Massachusetts General Hospital, Center for Innovative Minimally Invasive Therapy Research Fellowship Gran

Essays on technology, labor mobility, and organizations

This dissertation includes two essays that explore in depth how computers are altering the economics of human resources management. The first essay is an empirical study relating offshoring to the displacement of US workers. I use micro-data from several sources to evaluate how firms\u27 decisions to offshore information technology (IT) work affect hiring and displacement outcomes for their US-based IT workers. Offshoring raises the risk of displacement for the average IT worker by about 1-2% each year. Moreover, workers who produce services that do not require face-to-face contact, such as computer software programmers, are at significantly higher risk than those who provide services that require face-to-face interaction, such as sales or project management. I also find that displaced workers are less likely to be hired into offshoring firms, resulting in a net reallocation of these workers from firms that are offshoring to firms that are not. I also cross-validate many of these findings using external survey data. In the second essay, I explore the role of IT worker mobility in generating spillovers of knowledge related to workplace computerization. I use new longitudinal and nationally representative inter-firm mobility data to model employee flows among firms and find evidence that the diffusion of information technology related know-how through IT worker mobility played an important role in driving productivity growth over the last two decades. The estimates indicate that doubling the external stock of IT-related knowledge to which a firm has access is equivalent to raising internal IT investment by 30%. I discuss implications for managers, policy makers, and regional planners

Essays on technology, labor mobility, and organizations

This dissertation includes two essays that explore in depth how computers are altering the economics of human resources management. The first essay is an empirical study relating offshoring to the displacement of US workers. I use micro-data from several sources to evaluate how firms\u27 decisions to offshore information technology (IT) work affect hiring and displacement outcomes for their US-based IT workers. Offshoring raises the risk of displacement for the average IT worker by about 1-2% each year. Moreover, workers who produce services that do not require face-to-face contact, such as computer software programmers, are at significantly higher risk than those who provide services that require face-to-face interaction, such as sales or project management. I also find that displaced workers are less likely to be hired into offshoring firms, resulting in a net reallocation of these workers from firms that are offshoring to firms that are not. I also cross-validate many of these findings using external survey data. In the second essay, I explore the role of IT worker mobility in generating spillovers of knowledge related to workplace computerization. I use new longitudinal and nationally representative inter-firm mobility data to model employee flows among firms and find evidence that the diffusion of information technology related know-how through IT worker mobility played an important role in driving productivity growth over the last two decades. The estimates indicate that doubling the external stock of IT-related knowledge to which a firm has access is equivalent to raising internal IT investment by 30%. I discuss implications for managers, policy makers, and regional planners