We study the relationship between sales assistant turnover and labor productivity in 325 stores of a large U.K. clothing retailer tracked over 1995-99. We find that the turnover-productivity relationship is contingent on type of work system. For a large group of part-timers, managed under a "secondary" work system, the relationship clearly has an inverted U-shape, but for the smaller group of full-timers, managed under a "commitment" system, the relationship is the conventional negative one. Implications for the contingency view of the link between turnover and productivity are discussed.

The Economics of Earnings analyses the wages that people earn, the jobs they do, and the labour market laws and rules within which they operate. Moving away from the conventional emphasis on point-in-time one-period decisions, it stresses informed worker choice over the life-cycle - the human capital approach. Within this framework, the book synthesises research results so as to point the way to better labour market policies. Government policy is often directed towards labour market issues such as education subsidies, training programmes, health and safety laws, and employment protection laws. By using models based on informed worker choice - the supply side - this book will assist concerned individuals in government, industry and academic study to evaluate and improve labour market policies and practices.

In initial cross-section estimates using data from the 1991-94 British Household Panel Study, the authors find that union members had lower overall job satisfaction than non-union members, and public sector workers had higher satisfaction than private sector workers. Controlling for individual worker effects (sorting) using panel methods confirms the lower satisfaction of union members, but eliminates the higher satisfaction of public sector workers. These results suggest that unions do not simply attract the dissatisfied, as previously suggested.By contrast, the greater satisfaction expressed by public sector workers seems largely a consequence of sorting, with those who are more easily satisfied being drawn to the public sector. Additional analysis of particular aspects of satisfaction, including satisfaction with pay, the work itself, and relations with the boss, generally supports these conclusions. Astrongresearch interest has been rekindled in the economics of job satisfaction.The explanation for the lower reported job satisfaction of union members has been among the most intensely debated issues. On the one hand, unions may foster a climate of complaint or voice among their members in order to improve working conditions. Sugden for providing a supportive environment at the Department of Commerce at Birmingham, where the initial research was completed. The paper benefited from comments by Clive Belfield, Robert Drago, and seminar participants at Queens University of Belfast.the voice function of unions may simply attract those workers naturally given to complaint-a phenomenon called sorting. This fundamental issue of causation remains highly disputed. In this paper we report evidence relevant to that debate based on an analysis that exploits the advantages of the longitudinal data in the 1991-94 British Household Panel Study (BHPS). We compare reported overalljob satisfaction of union and non-union workers in two separate estimates: a typical cross-sectional estimate, and a panel estimate designed to help identify sorting. To further contrast the results of cross-section and panel estimates, we also examine the The data are publicly available, and all estimations were performed using Limdep 6.0. The authors would be pleased to help with any replication attempts.

Word count: 4222 3 RESEARCH IN CONTEXT Evidence before this studyIt is widely accepted that COPD is substantially under-diagnosed worldwide. Mass population screening with spirometry is not recommended although early identification of undiagnosed patients with clinical disease is generally supported because COPD has significant patient, healthcare and societal burden which could potentially be lessened through timely diagnosis. A comprehensive systematic review of the effectiveness of case-finding studies, published in 2015, revealed 39 published studies but few included a comparator arm. Only one RCT has compared a case-finding approach with routine care to identify clinically significant COPD, identifying that opportunistic administration of a screening questionnaire at practice visits was twice as effective as routine care, but non-comparative studies suggest that high yields could be achieved from active case finding with mailed questionnaires to high risk patients. No previous trial has compared the clinical and costeffectiveness of alternative approaches to case-finding in a real-life primary care setting. Added value of this studyTargetCOPD is the first randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness and costeffectiveness of active case-finding for COPD compared with opportunistic case finding and to compare these approaches with routine care. Among 54 general practices, we found that when targeting ever smokers aged 40-79 years, active case finding was more than twice as effective as opportunistic case finding, and that together, these targeted approaches were over seven times as effective as current routine care. Active case finding was also more cost-effective than opportunistic case finding. Implications of all the available evidenceIn a real-life setting, active case-finding comprising an initial mailed questionnaire followed by spirometry should be recommended for identifying undiagnosed COPD in primary care. An important proportion of these previously undiagnosed patients have significant breathlessness and earlier identification and management with effective treatments including inhalers and pulmonary rehabilitation has the potential to improve their health. This trial provides the evidence for guidelines which was previously lacking. 4 SUMMARY Background

No abstract