Advances

(Advances gives a glimpse of the many significant research projects at the university. Tell us about your discoveries by e-mailing: wisweek@news.wisc.edu.)

Doing well by doing good
The adoption of employee-friendly policies by corporations may or may not improve bottom-line performance, but they at least pay for themselves, contrary to many popular notions.

That’s one finding from a new review by Ted Baker of the business faculty. Baker reviewed more than 70 studies conducted on the effects of so-called high-performance work practices. Such practices include employment security, high wages, incentive pay, employee ownership and professional development.

Among his findings:

The adoption of high-performance work practices does not always improve financial performance, but it is consistently tied with strong or, at worst, neutral performance. “Indeed,” says Baker, “most of the evidence points to the clear possibility that changes aimed at building a skilled workforce, permitting people to make contributions beyond the day-to-day routine and rewarding them for their results can pave the road to stronger financial performance and greater competitive advantage.”

Baker’s findings are summarized in a book titled “Doing Well by Doing Good,” published by the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, D.C.

Where the cows roam
Grazing offers many dairy farmers an alternative way to stay profitable, according to a new study that documented the financial performance of graziers over several years.

“In contrast to a large, modern confinement system, an alternative grazing system can provide a family with a satisfactory income on a farm that one family can operate with their own labor and management,” says Tom Kriegl, an analyst with the Center for Dairy Profitability.

Wisconsin’s dairy landscape has undergone dramatic changes during the past 10 years. The state has lost about 1,000 dairy farms a year during that period. To become more competitive, some farmers have enlarged their conventional operations, in which they harvest feed for cows that remain housed in barns. But the period has also seen an increase in farmers who practice grazing, in which cows harvest most of their own forage from pastures during much of the year. In a recent study, researchers at the UW–Madison’s Program on Agricultural Technology found that 23 percent of Wisconsin dairy farmers grazed some part of their herds in 1999. That is triple the percentage of farmers who used grazing in 1993.

For a copy of the report, contact the center, 263-5665, or visit: http://www.wisc.edu/dairy-profit/gzprofit2wgc4yr.pdf

Science writer visits
George Johnson, a prolific, award- winning science writer and author, has been named a science writer in residence for spring semester. Johnson writes about science for The New York Times from Santa Fe, N.M. He is a winner of the American Association for the Advancement of Science 1999 Science Journalism Award for large newspapers.

As a science writer in residence, Johnson will spend a week on campus beginning Sunday, April 9. He will give a free lecture, “Scientists versus Science Writers: A Story from the Frontlines,” 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 11, Memorial Union.

Johnson will spend most of his time on campus working with students, faculty and staff interested in science writing. The Science Writer in Residence Program was established in 1986. It continues with support of the UW Foundation and is sponsored by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and the Office of News and Public Affairs.