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  • © 2020

The Economics of Speed: Machine Speed as the Key Factor in Productivity

  • Provides a unique analysis of production systems
  • Is the only book to combine kinematics and analysis of machine speeds in productivity
  • Offers an important contribution to the knowledge that will drive productivity growth in the future

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Production Engineering (LNPE)

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Table of contents (7 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvi
  2. Introduction

    • Bernard C. Beaudreau
    Pages 1-4
  3. The Magic Hand of Speed: A Historical Account

    • Bernard C. Beaudreau
    Pages 5-28
  4. The Kinetics Approach to Production

    • Bernard C. Beaudreau
    Pages 29-55
  5. Speed-ups: Logistics and Profitability

    • Bernard C. Beaudreau
    Pages 57-70
  6. Machine Speed and the Great Depression

    • Bernard C. Beaudreau
    Pages 89-118
  7. Summary and Conclusions

    • Bernard C. Beaudreau
    Pages 119-122

About this book

This is the first book to examine the “nuts and bolts” of production processes. It proposes a truly consilient approach to modeling production processes – one that goes beyond the vague principles found in standard economics – and provides details that are consistent with the applied mechanics and engineering literature. Providing a credible analysis of some of the most pressing questions of our era, such as the productivity slowdown and the information paradox, and bridging the gap between engineering, applied physics, economics, and management science, this book is a fascinating read for anyone interested in industry, the modern economy, and how physical factors constrain productivity growth.


Authors and Affiliations

  • Département d’Économique, Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada

    Bernard C. Beaudreau

About the author

Bernard Beaudreau is a professor and program director in the Department of Economics, University of Laval, Canada. In recent decades, he has focused his work on the underpinnings of productivity growth, with a special emphasis on the physics (mechanics and thermodynamics) of the underlying production processes.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access