Integral equation of the Volterra type: an application to a firm-sponsored off-the-job training

This paper is concerned with deriving, using the Volterra integral equation, a production function for a single product firm financing off-the-job training from its revenue from output. The short-run scenario where labour is the only variable factor of production is studied within the ambit of the law of diminishing returns and the condition for profit-maximization. The study utilizes the Cobb-Douglas production function wherein capital is fixed as a theoretical underpinning. The results indicate that the production function of the firm is a transcendental function and that the proportion of output required to finance the training lies within an interval with a definite upper bound.