評(píng)論
打印
Business
商業(yè)
American business
美國(guó)公司
Hard times, lean firms
艱難時(shí)局磨練高效能企業(yè)
How much longer can America keep increasing productivity?
美國(guó)的生產(chǎn)率增長(zhǎng)還能持續(xù)多久？
EVERYONE complains that corporate America is reluctant to hire additional workers.
企業(yè)不愿再增加雇傭量在美國(guó)引起民怨沸騰。
Far less attention has been paid to the flip side of the jobless recovery: the remarkable improvement in American productivity.
但很少有人關(guān)注減少失業(yè)率的有效途徑：顯著提升美國(guó)的勞動(dòng)生產(chǎn)率水平。
How long can this continue? "I see no limit," says William Hickey, the boss of Sealed Air, a packaging-maker.
這種提升能持續(xù)多久？包裝材料制造商寶廷的老總William Hickey 說(shuō)："依我看來(lái)可無(wú)限期提升。"
Is he right to be so optimistic?
他的這種樂(lè)觀估計(jì)是對(duì)還是錯(cuò)？
American firms were slow to react to the downturn at the beginning of the century, and paid the price.
新世紀(jì)之初，美國(guó)企業(yè)在應(yīng)對(duì)經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退時(shí)反應(yīng)遲鈍，并為此付出了代價(jià)。
They learned their lesson. When the economy slumped in 2008, they were much quicker to adjust.
它們吸取了教訓(xùn)，更快地適應(yīng)了2008年的經(jīng)濟(jì)大蕭條，且勞動(dòng)生產(chǎn)率也沒(méi)有如往常隨經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退而下降。
There was little of the fall in labour productivity that normally accompanies a recession, and this was not just a one-off "batting average" effect (in which average productivity rises because the worst performers are fired).
這不只是一次性實(shí)現(xiàn)的"棒球擊球率"效應(yīng)（即平均分因得分最低的選手被淘汰而提升）。專(zhuān)家們認(rèn)為這是一種依靠壓榨產(chǎn)業(yè)工人在短時(shí)期內(nèi)維持的經(jīng)濟(jì)增長(zhǎng)模式。
Rather, it was a productivity boost that has continued in defiance of expert predictions that workers can only be squeezed so hard for a short while.
然而恰恰相反，這種增長(zhǎng)是靠全力提升勞動(dòng)生產(chǎn)率實(shí)現(xiàn)的。
After falling in the first half of the year, American labour productivity (output per hour) was 2.3% higher in the third quarter of 2011 than in the same period a year earlier. This was the fastest quarterly rise in 18 months.
經(jīng)歷了上半年的下降后，2011年第三季度美國(guó)的勞動(dòng)生產(chǎn)率（每小時(shí)產(chǎn)量）同比增長(zhǎng)了2.3%，這是18個(gè)月內(nèi)最快的季度性增長(zhǎng)。
Manufacturing productivity in that quarter rose by 2.9% compared with a year earlier.
該季度制造業(yè)生產(chǎn)率同比增長(zhǎng)了2.9%。
America's productivity growth has been more robust than most other rich countries'—a feat many ascribe to its flexible labour market and a culture of enterprise.
美國(guó)的生產(chǎn)率比絕大多數(shù)發(fā)達(dá)國(guó)家增長(zhǎng)得更為強(qiáng)勁——許多人將這一成就歸功于美國(guó)靈活的勞動(dòng)力市場(chǎng)機(jī)制和特有的企業(yè)文化。
Yet some analysts expect productivity growth to stall soon.
但有些分析師認(rèn)為生產(chǎn)率不久將停止增長(zhǎng)。
Hard-pressed workers are feeling grouchy: workforce surveys report record levels of job dissatisfaction.
重重壓力令產(chǎn)業(yè)工人們牢騷不斷：勞動(dòng)力調(diào)查顯示出對(duì)工作表示不滿的人數(shù)創(chuàng)了紀(jì)錄。
Many firms have been "starving the organisation to see how it can do with a lower cost structure," says Carsten Stendevad of Citigroup, a bank.
Citigroup銀行的Carsten Stendevad說(shuō)，很多公司正"忍饑挨餓"，以 "測(cè)試自身在低成本狀態(tài)下的生存能力"。
Unless the economy picks up, he predicts that productivity growth will slow in 2012. (He admits, however, that he wrongly predicted the same thing would happen in 2011.)
他預(yù)計(jì)，只要經(jīng)濟(jì)形勢(shì)沒(méi)有好轉(zhuǎn)，2012年生產(chǎn)率增長(zhǎng)就會(huì)放緩（但他也承認(rèn)自己曾錯(cuò)誤地對(duì)2011年的情況做過(guò)同樣的判斷）。
Two things could keep productivity rising.
有兩個(gè)因素能使生產(chǎn)率持續(xù)增長(zhǎng)。
First, workers are terrified of losing their jobs.
其一，工人們害怕失業(yè)，這使得鼓勵(lì)他們加班或干其它的活變得更加容易。
This makes it easier to persuade them to put in extra hours or shoulder new tasks. Even in unionised firms, there have been reports of greater flexibility.
據(jù)媒體報(bào)道，即使企業(yè)里有工會(huì)，維權(quán)活動(dòng)仍更具彈性。
Workers have been staying on the job longer rather than "featherbedding" their hours by, for example, queuing up early to clock off as soon as the shift ends.
工人們將更多的時(shí)間用于工作，而不是一到換班時(shí)間便早早排隊(duì)下班等"浪費(fèi)行為"。
Second, tough times are forcing firms to strain every brain cell to become more efficient.
其二，困難的時(shí)局正促使企業(yè)為提高效率而繃緊每一根神經(jīng)。
Sealed Air, for example, has made numerous incremental tweaks, such as upgrading a machine that makes absorbent pads for supermarket meat trays so that its output increased from 400 units per hour three years ago to 550—with the same number of workers.
以希悅爾包裝公司為例，該公司逐步做出了大量技術(shù)改進(jìn)，如通過(guò)升級(jí)一款生產(chǎn)超市裝肉托盤(pán)用吸水紙的機(jī)器，在工人數(shù)量相同的條件下，產(chǎn)量由三年前的每小時(shí)500件提升到550件。
The willingness of firms to invest in such enhancements has varied enormously. Some would rather hoard cash or buy back their own shares than spend it on more efficient machinery or information technology.
企業(yè)對(duì)這類(lèi)技術(shù)改進(jìn)的投資意愿各不相同（大相徑庭）。有的企業(yè)寧愿積蓄資金或購(gòu)買(mǎi)自己的股票也不愿投資于產(chǎn)能提升和信息技術(shù)領(lǐng)域。
Yet there are signs that leading industrial firms are starting to increase their capital spending, says Jeff Sprague of Vertical Research Partners, a research outfit.
而研究組織"縱向研究伙伴"的Jeff Sprague認(rèn)為，主要工業(yè)企業(yè)已有增加投資的跡象，并尤其指出，企業(yè)正投資于"消除瓶頸"。
In particular, he has noticed firms investing in "debottlenecking" which, as its name suggests, means removing hold-ups in production processes, sometimes with an additional production line.
這一概念名稱(chēng)意味著清除生產(chǎn)過(guò)程中的障礙，有時(shí)還要為此增加生產(chǎn)線。
There are hefty gains to be made from using more automation, says Mr Hickey, adding that although he worries about diminishing returns, "we haven't hit the wall yet."
Hickey說(shuō)，更廣泛地使用自動(dòng)化技術(shù)可獲得更大規(guī)模的收益，并坦言自己雖然擔(dān)心收益止升回落，"但我們還沒(méi)有觸及增幅上限。"
Service businesses, too, are wringing efficiency improvements from new technology.
服務(wù)業(yè)也正通過(guò)運(yùn)用新技術(shù)努力提升效率。
Hertz allows customers to rent cars at automated kiosks, just as airlines have for some time allowed passengers to check in without talking to anyone.
Hertz汽車(chē)租賃公司如今可使顧客通過(guò)自動(dòng)化租車(chē)亭實(shí)現(xiàn)汽車(chē)租賃，就像航空公司曾使旅客不用與任何人交談便可辦理登機(jī)手續(xù)一樣。
Fast-food firms, such as McDonald's and Starbucks, are continuously innovating with their products and service.
快餐企業(yè)如麥當(dāng)勞、星巴克等正堅(jiān)持產(chǎn)品和服務(wù)創(chuàng)新。
In short, the recession has forced American firms to become more muscular.
總之，此輪經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退迫使美國(guó)企業(yè)變得更加強(qiáng)健。
This should help them thrive when the good times return. It should also give them an edge over foreign rivals.
這將有助于它們?cè)诮?jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇后蓬勃發(fā)展，并提高對(duì)外國(guó)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手的優(yōu)勢(shì)。
But all such advantages are temporary.
但這所有的優(yōu)點(diǎn)都是暫時(shí)的。
As Mr Hickey points out, a factory that Sealed Air opened in Mexico was expected to be far less productive than one in America, but within four years had caught up.
Hickey指出，寶廷在墨西哥的一家工廠的產(chǎn)能曾被認(rèn)為會(huì)遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)落后于其在美國(guó)的一家工廠，但四年之內(nèi)，前者便追平了后者。
