Universal efficiency at optimal work with Bayesian statistics

If the work per cycle of a quantum heat engine is averaged over an appropriate prior distribution for an external parameter $a$, the work becomes optimal at Curzon-Ahlborn efficiency. More general priors of the form $\Pi(a) \propto 1/a^{\gamma}$ yield optimal work at an efficiency which stays close to CA value, in particular near equilibrium the efficiency scales as one-half of the Carnot value. This feature is analogous to the one recently observed in literature for certain models of finite-time thermodynamics. Further, the use of Bayes' theorem implies that the work estimated with posterior probabilities also bears close analogy with the classical formula. These findings suggest that the notion of prior information can be used to reveal thermodynamic features in quantum systems, thus pointing to a new connection between thermodynamic behavior and the concept of information.Comment: revtex4, 5 pages, abstract changed and presentation improved; results unchanged. New result with Bayes Theorem adde

Efficiency at optimal work from finite reservoirs: a probabilistic perspective

We revisit the classic thermodynamic problem of maximum work extraction from two arbitrary sized hot and cold reservoirs, modelled as perfect gases. Assuming ignorance about the extent to which the process has advanced, which implies an ignorance about the final temperatures, we quantify the prior information about the process and assign a prior distribution to the unknown temperature(s). This requires that we also take into account the temperature values which are regarded to be unphysical in the standard theory, as they lead to a contradiction with the physical laws. Instead in our formulation, such values appear to be consistent with the given prior information and hence are included in the inference. We derive estimates of the efficiency at optimal work from the expected values of the final temperatures, and show that these values match with the exact expressions in the limit when any one of the reservoirs is very large compared to the other. For other relative sizes of the reservoirs, we suggest a weighting procedure over the estimates from two valid inference procedures, that generalizes the procedure suggested earlier in [J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. {\bf 46}, 365002 (2013)]. Thus a mean estimate for efficiency is obtained which agrees with the optimal performance to a high accuracy.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figure

Employee Participation in Profit and Ownership – Impact on Work Efficiency

The purpose of this paper is to present selected views and attitudes toward the relationship between employee participation and company results. The theoretical view and empirical research both indicate that after many years of conducting empirical research on the benefits resulting from the implementation of financial participation plans, the information provided, almost entirely by reports, is not yet sufficient to make any unequivocal conclusions concerning the influence on the results (productivity) achieved by companies. Obtaining such a consensus is additionally hindered because of the lack of clear-cut data concerning the extent to which implemented participation schemes contribute to changes in financial results. In conclusion, both the previous theory as well as the research conducted so far do not convincingly explain the relationship between financial participation schemes and the results achieved owing to their implementation, which demonstrates that there is a need to conduct further research in this field. In this case any empirical approach should concentrate on qualitative, not quantitative research, the latter of which, although broad based, does not identify the above mentioned relationships precisely enough. Another conclusion that can be drawn is the necessity to conduct further research based on larger samples of companies, taking into account the specificity of their business and working environment. It seems that some other aspects should be also taken into consideration, such as the type of the financial participation scheme introduced, because this decision may also have an influence on future results. Research should begin a long time prior to the introduction of a scheme in the company, which would allow for making future comparisons and evaluations of the influence of a given scheme on productivity.W literaturze można znaleźć znaczną ilość argumentów przemawiających za pracowniczą partycypacją finansową. Pomimo faktu, iż najważniejsze przesłanki na rzecz partycypacji finansowej wynikały z pobudek takich jak większa równość w dochodach i majątku oraz chęć poprawy relacji pomiędzy pracownikami i właścicielami przedsiębiorstw, to obecnie programy te są uznawane za element relacji przemysłowych opartych na strategiach menadżerskich oraz bardziej elastycznej polityce płac, co w rezultacie ma doprowadzić do wzrostu wydajności pracy i szybszego rozwoju przedsiębiorstwa. W związku z zauważalną większą popularnością programów własnościowych oraz udziału w zyskach, szczególną uwagę zwraca się na wielowymiarowe zależności pomiędzy finansowym udziałem we własności i wynikami ekonomicznymi, jak również na chęć wykazania, że mechanizm zależności pomiędzy własnością pracowniczą a jej wpływem na produktywność ma bardzo złożony charakter. Celem tego opracowania jest zaprezentowanie wybranych poglądów na temat postaw odnoszących się do wspomnianych zależności. Zarówno sądy teoretyczne jak i badania empiryczne pokazują, że po wielu latach analizy korzyści płynących z implementacji programów partycypacji finansowej, informacje uzyskane jedynie dzięki raportom nie są wystarczające do wypracowania jednoznacznej opinii dotyczącej wpływu partycypacji finansowej na wyniki (produktywność) osiągane przez przedsiębiorstwa. Ponadto, uzyskanie takiej opinii jest dodatkowo utrudnione przez brak przejrzystych danych oraz tego, w jakim stopniu wdrażane programy partycypacyjne przyczyniają się do zmiany wyników finansowych. W rezultacie, zarówno dotychczasowa teoria jak i obecne badania nie wyjaśniają w przekonujący sposób zależności pomiędzy programami partycypacji finansowej a wynikami uzyskiwanymi dzięki ich wdrażaniu, co jedynie utwierdza w przekonaniu, iż istnieje potrzeba prowadzenia dalszych badań w tym zakresie. W tym wypadku badania empiryczne powinny skupić się na ocenie jakościowej a nie ilościowej, która mimo swojego powszechnego charakteru, nie określa powyższych zależności w sposób zbyt dokładny. Kolejnym wnioskiem, do którego można dojść, jest potrzeba prowadzenia dalszych badań w oparciu o większe próby przedsiębiorstw, biorąc pod uwagę charakter prowadzonej przez nie działalności oraz otoczenie w którym funkcjonują. Wydaje się, że pod uwagę należy wziąć pewne dodatkowe aspekty, m.in. rodzaj wprowadzanego programu partycypacji finansowej, ponieważ decyzja ta może oddziaływać na wyniki osiągane w przyszłości. Oprócz tego, badania powinny rozpoczynać się na długo przed implementacją programu w przedsiębiorstwie, co pozwoliłoby na przeprowadzanie analiz porównawczych i ocenę wpływu danego programu na produktywność

Does Work Time Flexibility Work? An Empirical Assessment of the Efficiency Effects for German Firms

In this paper we assess the impact of flexible work time schedules on firm efficiency using representative establishment data for Germany. Following the approach by Battese and Coelli (1995), we estimate a stochastic production frontier and the determinants of technical efficiency simultaneously. The innovation of our study is that we draw on technical efficiency instead of productivity to appraise the success of flexible working hours. The results indicate that while the use of work time schedules with moderate flexibility is positively related to technical efficiency, highly flexible work time arrangements seem to be negatively correlated with an efficient organization of the work flow. However, these efficiency losses should not be interpreted as causal effects, because highly flexible work time schedules are most likely to be introduced in struggling firms. --Stochastic production frontier,flexible work hours,efficiency

Work-Sharing: an Efficiency-Wage Analysis

This paper evaluates two approaches to work-sharing by examining both within the same macro model. The standard approach involves imposing a quantity constraint on labour market participants (a maximum number of standard hours for each worker). This approach is compared to a revenue-neutral employment subsidy financed by a tax on overtime hours ? an initiative intended to harness market incentives. The paper shows that the second approach brings much preferred results ? it involves lower unemployment, higher investment, and no reduction in the wage earnings of those already employed. The analysis suggests that policymakers should not reject work-sharing just because they are (justifiably) skeptical of mandated reductions in hours. The model involves the following features: (i) it is optimization-based (so there is a well-defined reason for labour market failure); (ii) it facilitates the investigation of trade-offs (so it can be determined whether improvements in unemployment must be accompanied by reductions in productivity, investment, average hours or wage rates); (iii) it involves a small open economy (so concerns about the limits to independent policy in this setting are respected); and (iv) it can be readily calibrated (so empirically relevant quantitative results are derived).

Behaviour change at work: Empowering energy efficiency in the workplace through user-centred design

Copyright @ 2011 University of California eScholarship RepositoryCO2 emissions from non-domestic buildings - primarily workplaces - make up 18 percent of the UK's carbon footprint. A combination of technology advances and behavioural changes have the potential to make significant impact, but interventions have often been planned in ways which do not take into account the needs, levels of understanding and everyday behavioural contexts of building users - and hence do not achieve the hoped-for success.This paper provides a brief introduction to the Empower project, a current industrial-academic collaboration in the UK which is applying methods from user-centred design practice to understand diverse users' needs, priorities, mental models of energy and decision-making heuristics - as well as the affordances available to them - in a number of office buildings. We are developing and trialling a set of low-cost, simple software interventions tailored to multiple user groups with different degrees of agency over their energy use, which seek to influence more energy efficient behaviour at work in areas such as HVAC, lighting and equipment use. The project comprises an ethnographic research phase, a participatory design programme involving building users in the design of interventions, and iterative trials in a large office building in central London