Office Productivity: A Microeconomic Framework for Empirical Research

A framework for empirical research on the productivity effects of office technology is outlined. The approach taken rests on the idea that measuring the impact of office technology on productivity is essentially an issue of measuring office productivity. The framework is based on micro‐economic production theory, and the unit of analysis is the firm. The office is viewed as an information processing activity. Information processing is contrasted to realization activities, and the firm is defined as a set of information processing and realization activities. The technical efficiency of realization activities is proposed as a measure of office productivity.