Moving beyond adversarialism: industrial relations and change in the Australian shearing industry

The shearers have always played a prominent role in industrial relations in Australia. This article examines the transition from a long history of adversarial industrial relations to a new found cooperation and uses the case study to reflect upon current developments in Australian industrial relations.     

Comparative industrial relations theory: the role of national culture

This paper explores the use of national culture in comparative industrial relations theory to explain the cross-national pattern of industrial relations institutions. A critical review of the existing body of theory argues that it has not adequately explained cross-national differences in the main industrial relations variables. The review also establishes that, with few exceptions, national culture is currently given negligible weight as an explanatory variable. It is argued that a cultural theory of cross-national difference is required. Following a critical assessment of the work of Hofstede, a cultural model is developed based on his definition and specification of culture. Some hypotheses linking Hofstede's dimensions of culture with our industrial relations variables are derived. As an empirical test of the model, industrial relations variables are regressed on Hofstede's cultural indices. National culture is found to be significantly associated with all the major characteristics of industrial relations systems investigated. The paper concludes that national culture is the primary determinant of cross-national variations in industrial relations institutions and that culture is likely to be a force for ongoing diversity in labour market systems.     

Investor relations on the Internet: a survey of the Euronext zone

This study investigates the investor relations activities on the Internet of companies listed on the Euronext stock exchange. For this purpose, the websites of the fifty largest listed companies in each of the countries Belgium, France and the Netherlands were screened for investor relations items. Results obtained by using a three-stage model show that most companies in the Euronext zone are at the second stage of Internet investor relations, i.e. where information available through other sources is combined to better inform investors. In the third stage companies use the full interactive possibilities of the Internet for investor relations purposes. French and Dutch companies use the Internet for investor relations purposes more widely and more intensely than Belgian companies. The study also revealed a size effect; large companies use the Internet for investor relations purposes more extensively than smaller companies. This conclusion holds for each of the three countries. The leading companies in France and the Netherlands are either at the third stage of Internet investor relations or are ready to move to this stage.     

基于企业与顾客关系的顾客价值提升策略研究

顾客关系是当今管理理论界与实践界的一个热点话题,对于很多行业的企业而言,能否与顾客维护良好的关系,从根本上决定了企业能否盈利。现有研究已经表明,顾客关系的核心本质是价值,即顾客和企业双方都能从关系的建立与维持中获得更大的价值。究竟企业该从什么角度出发,怎样基于顾客关系来寻求提升顾客价值的策略,从而提升企业的总体价值,是企业所急需探求的。文中在基于顾客关系的基础上,提出了顾客关系的涵义、顾客价值的涵义,并提炼出了实现顾客价值提升的行之有效的策略途径,从而实现顾客和企业的利益最大化。     

和谐劳动关系建设中政府对策研究

在构建和谐社会的背景下,首先明确了和谐劳动关系的内涵与意义,并阐述了政府在构建和谐劳动关系中的重要作用,接着分析了现阶段劳动关系存在的主要问题和影响,最后针对存在的问题提出了政府构建和谐劳动关系的对策。     

The dark side of solidarity: social norms and social relations in the aftermath of strikes

This paper studies how employees anticipate change in social relations after a strike in their organisation. We hypothesise that two group norms affect employees' fear that a strike deteriorates the social relations with their colleagues. We distinguish between two different norms associated with a collective action problem such as a strike. A ‘solidarity norm’ prescribes that workers should participate in collective protest when called for. A ‘free rider punishment norm’ describes whether and how violators of the solidarity norm should be treated. While the former itself theoretically does not impact intra‐group social relations, the latter one does. We test our hypotheses on a data set of 468 Dutch union members. Adherence to the free rider punishment norm significantly increases a fear for deterioration of social relations with colleagues after a strike, while adherence to the solidarity norm does not. We also find a moderating effect of expected proportion of strikers. The results are discussed with reference to industrial relations theory and mobilisation theory, further probing into mechanisms that relate social norms to the (anticipated) costs of participation and the quality of social relations after a strike.     

论企业和谐劳动关系的构建

企业劳动关系和谐与否不仅与职工个人相关,而且与社会存在着极为密切的关系。我国的社会关系与劳动关系整体上是协调的,但也存在着一些不和谐的因素。文章就企业如何构建和谐的劳动关系提出若干观点。     

Employment relations in small- and medium-sized enterprises: insights from Ghana

This study examines employment relations in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana. This is done through in-depth case studies of three private firms in the service sector. A review of the extant literature on SMEs revealed a dearth of knowledge on employment relations in SMEs in Africa. Previous research into SMEs in developing countries – and Africa in particular – has focused on economic policy initiatives, problems in raising capital and obstacles to the development of SMEs. In an attempt to fill the gap in the literature, this study uses recruitment, selection and retention, remuneration, discipline and welfare practices to explore the nature of employment relations, the factors that influence and shape them, and the extent of informality involved. The findings cast doubt on the stereotype: small implies/equals informal employment relations in SMEs in Ghana. The study also identifies the factors that influence employment relations and, in addition, reveals that under competitive pressures, SMEs have developed employment relations systems that enable them to have a competitive advantage in their product market/service delivery.     

浅论广告设计中的公关运用

随着公关活动在广告传播中的盛行,整合出具有广告和公关各项优势的公关广告不仅在品牌塑造上发挥作用。为了经营这些关系,企业必须有意识地将自己各种营销工具整合起来,用心营造沟通的世界。在产品推广、危机管理中,也发挥着极大的作用。公关广告用心营造沟通的世界,推动社会的经济发展促进物质文明的进步。     

Customers,competitors and choice: employee relations in food retailing

This article examines the nature of employee relations in three of the leading food retailers in the UK. It compares and contrasts policies and practices by analysing the links between product markets, management choice, and employee relations. Special reference is made to features of work relations, employment relations, and industrial relations     

Host-country effects in coordinated,liberal and hybrid market economies: US subsidiaries in Switzerland,Germany and the UK

The paper addresses two as yet unexplored issues regarding the uptake of host-country employment relations practices, contributing to a better understanding of findings for hybrid host-market economies such as Switzerland. Host-country effects are differentiated by practices that belong to either industrial relations or education and training, as per the varieties of capitalism approach. There follows an investigation of the extent to which foreign subsidiaries' overall uptake of host-country employment relations practices is determined by the subsidiary incorporation type and size for practices related to industrial relations and education and training. Analyses of US subsidiaries in Switzerland, and, in contrast, those in Germany and the UK, on the whole support the propositions that distinguish between industrial relations and education and training-related host-country effects.     

ENTERPRISE WITHOUT UNIONS: THE MANAGEMENT OF EMPLOYEE RELATIONS IN NON-UNION FIRMS

Employee relations in non-union settings remain largely uninvestigated by industrial relations researchers. This article examines the management of employee relations in establishments in high technology industries in the Southeast of England - a sector and locality frequently identified with high levels of non-unionism. Moreover, high technology firms are frequently seen as exemplars of new human resource management techniques designed to substitute for unions. Our data from postal and interview surveys of 115 establishments suggests that HRM is only one, and by no means the dominant, approach to managing employee relations in high technology establishments.     

The Industrial Relations Journal and the European Community

British entry into the European Community creates the conditions in which, for good or ill, the country's political, economic and social arrangements could be transformed. This observation applies at least as strongly to industrial relations as to other aspects of the national life. Indeed, it may even be argued that change in industrial relations in itself not only encompasses and reflects the broader patterns of socio-cultural and economic change occurring in society as a whole, but also, on occasion, is instrumental in initiating far-reaching changes outside the immediate concerns of industrial relations. Hence, the study of industrial relations could reasonably be seen as a study of society itself, in that both are concerned with the myriad of adjustments, large and small, which need to be made in the continuous task of reconciling, or providing a framework for reconciling, conflicting interests. Certainly, the study of industrial relations in a European Community context offers academics a practical and definable way of understanding the processes of integration in the organization of which Britain is now an important member. As far as managements and trade unions are concerned, short of some unusual catastrophe befalling multinational corporations, there must increasingly be a need to understand industrial relations systems and ideologies in countries other than our own for the severely practical business of negotiating viable agreements. In short, for the purposes of academic work and the requirements of the practitioner, industrial relations needs increasingly to be researched and discussed in a transnational as well as a national context, even though the latter must remain a large part of the reality for a long time to come.     

论文秘专业人才培养模式的构建及培养对策

为适应市场变化,拓宽办学思路,我校把公关与文秘合二为一,办成文秘为主、公关为辅的公关与文秘专业,这与秘书职业由传统的办文、办事、办会发展到公关策划、商务咨询、信息收集与传播、计算机文字处理相适应。本文就文秘专业在培养目标及课程设置方面探出了一条新思路,在此与大家分享。     

Revitalizing social dialogue in the workplace: the impact of a cooperative industrial relations climate and sustainable HR practices on reducing employee harm

Abstract

The purpose of the present study is to unravel the relationship between current forms and realities of social dialogue in the workplace, the industrial relations climate, HRM, and employee harm. We tested a model specifying associations between (1) indicators of revitalized social dialogue, (2) perceived cooperation within the industrial relations climate, (3) perceived sustainability in HR practices, and (4) management perceptions regarding employee harm. The test was based on a survey conducted among 356 (HR-)managers and CEOs in Belgium. The results support the idea that a cooperative industrial relations climate and sustainable HR practices can reduce employee harm. More specifically, efficiency in social dialogue fully mediated the relationship between cooperative industrial climate and employee harm. In turn, industrial relations climate partially mediated the relationship between sustainable HR practices and employee harm. Finally, sustainable HR practices correlated positively with a cooperative industrial relations climate, suggesting that HR and employee relations reinforce rather than weaken each other.     

Why do Japanese firms prefer multiple bank relationship? Some evidence from firm-level data

We explore the determinants of the number of long-term bank relations of listed Japanese firms using a unique data set covering the sample period of 1982–1999. Japanese listed firms have about seven long-term bank loan relations on average, but show a large variation around the mean. We use data on loan and equity ownership to address the impact of the Japan-specific bank–firm relations and bank control on the number of loans decision. We find that having a relation with a top-equity holding bank increases the number of bank relations and debt-rich and cash-poor firms have more bank relations.     

利益相关者品牌生态系统维度及关键要素研究

构建利益相关者品牌生态系统,识别关键因子,目的在于对复杂的品牌关系提供内涵解释,为品牌生存与发展提供理论支持。本文在品牌生态理论框架下,采用文献分析、深度访谈等研究方法,识别了品牌利益相关者关系的构成因子,发展了各维度及所属因子的测量量表,并以品牌营销者为调查对象进行了实证研究,通过探索性因子分析和验证性因子分析,逐步提炼了品牌生态系统的关键因子,最终形成了由外部环境关系、支持者关系、合作者关系、消费者关系和品牌社群关系等构成的利益相关者五维度品牌生态系统。最后,建议品牌管理者从"媒体的多元化运作""区域政府沟通""代理商对服务满意""代言人与品牌匹配""成分品牌嵌入"及"社群关系维护"等关键要素层面分析品牌关系和竞争态势,找到有利于自身品牌的市场定位方向,集中有限资源,通过优化关键因子,进行利基市场的竞争。     

Industrial Relations Materials in Warwick University Library

Warwick University, the main UK centre for industrial relations research, with a well-established teaching programme, has developed an important collection of books and other materials on industrial relations themes. Although designed primarily for academics, the library resources and facilities are also available to industrial relations specialists in industry.     

Collectivism versus individualism in Dutch employment relations

From a very centralistic and collectivistic tradition after World War Two, Dutch employment relations now show a trend towards radical decentralisation and individualisation. What might be the consequences of this trend for labour relations? Do developments still fit within a movement towards ‘organised decentralisation’ or will the existing system of labour relations be hollowed out and destroyed? And what will be the consequences for ER management at company level? We present empirical data on how companies deal with their decentralised and individualised employment relations. It appears that, in the main areas such as labour contracts, working time arrangements, reward systems and development plans, decentralisation and individualisation are taking place. It has also become clear that management as well as workers support this and that a new form of negotiation between them is developing at workplace level, resulting in what we call ‘third contracts’ that are additional to the initial labour contract and the collective agreement. Our results also highlight the pragmatic way in which companies deal with these decentralised and individualised employment relations, which, nevertheless, remain linked to the national and collective levels of bargaining. Within the multilevel system of Dutch employment relations a new balance between collectivism and individualism is emerging.     

国有企业改制前后劳资关系的对比研究

随着国有企业改革的不断深化,国有企业中的劳资关系正从＂行政型＂转变为＂市场型＂,在这一过程中,劳资关系发生了巨大的变化,这主要包括劳资关系在基本面、劳资关系主体、利益分配模式、劳资纠纷类型、劳资关系处理方式等方面发生的变化。正确理解新型的国有企业劳资关系,对建立和谐、稳定的劳资关系,促进和谐社会建设具有十分重要的理论和现实意义。