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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Singapore
Index
The National Productivity Board (NPB) was established
in 1972
to improve productivity in all sectors of the economy.
Increasing
individual and company productivity at all levels was a
government
priority, given Singapore's full employment picture and
relatively
high wages. Greater worker productivity than the country's
neighbors and competitors was viewed by the government as
a
necessity as well as one of Singapore's major advantages.
The National Productivity Board followed a "total
productivity"
approach, which emphasized productivity measurement,
product
quality, a flexible wage system, worker training, and
assistance to
small- and medium-sized enterprises. In order to promote
productivity in both the public and private sectors, the
board used
mass media publicity, seminars, conventions, and
publications to
remind Singaporeans that productivity must be a permanent
pillar of
the economy. The board sponsored a productivity campaign
each year
with such slogans as the one for 1988, "Train Up--Be the
Best You
Can Be."
The National Productivity Board offered management
guidance
services to small- and medium-sized enterprises to assist
them in
improving their productivity and efficiency, as well as
referring
companies to private management consultancy services
available in
Singapore. Beginning in the early 1980s, the board also
spearheaded
campaigns to introduce productivity management techniques
used
extensively by Japanese business and industry, such as
quality
control circles.
Data as of December 1989
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