Exit-voice and employee absenteeism: A critique of the industrial relations literature

Industrial relations research that has examined the effects of collective voice on employee absenteeism through traditional exit-voice analyses suffers from a number of important theoretical and empirical limitations. The research is limited theoretically in that the framework used cannot discretely classify absenteeism as a form of either exit or voice. This inability reflects a larger problem with the exit-voice framework’s lack of adequate attention to the conditions under which collective voice mechanisms fail and the consequences of such failure for the behavior of industrial relations actors. Exit-voice studies of absenteeism have important methodological problems, particularly in the way absenteeism and voice criteria have been operationalized. These defects in the literature can be addressed through the integration of behavioral theory and research on such topics as absenteeism, exit, voice, loyalty and neglect, and the literature on organizational justice.     

After unification: trade unions and industrial relations in eastern Germany

Following unification the West German unions quickly established themselves in the former East. The system of Works Councils and Co-determination was also imposed on the new Länder. This article examines the experience of unions in the east and considers the impact on industrial relations of the unification process.     

Part-time employment and industrial relations developments in the EEC*

Voluntary part-time work is now an established feature of EEC labour markets. In this article the author discusses the issues surrounding the Council's directive on voluntary part-time work and argues that it represents an acknowledgement by governments, employers and trade unions that part-time workers do not constitute a part of the marginal labour force.     

The context of industrial relations in Great Britain and West Germany

Malcolm Warner and Arndt Sorge compare selected manufacturing units matched in products, technology, the task environment, dependence, location and size in Britain and West Germany. Despite the near-identical character of overall tasks according to matched criteria, the analysis clearly reveals industrial relations and organisational diversity between the two nations.     

Manpower economies,management and industrial relations in the Civil Service*

Since 1979 manpower economies have been a major component of the government's strategy of organisational change in the Civil Service. The authors examine the nature of this strategy and its impact on management and the conduct of industrial relations in the Civil Service.     

Exploring the dynamics of industrial relations in US multinationals: evidence from the Republic of Ireland

While previous work has identified a shift in the host business system which facilitates multinational corporations in their quest to introduce non‐union approaches, little or no qualitative data have been brought to bear on this issue. This article presents case‐based evidence on the dynamics of this trend in Ireland, focusing specifically on management approaches to collective employee representation as well as providing an exposition of the patterns of trade union recognition and avoidance in evidence.     

Human resource and industrial relations practices of UK and US multinationals in Germany

Most of the research about HRM and IR practices of MNCs in their host country has been conducted in deregulated countries such as the UK and the US. Host countries with relatively weak institutional arrangements facilitate the transfer of home-country practices. In contrast, those with institutionally strong systems, such as Germany, impose stronger pressures for adaptation. This paper reports research about nine US and four UK subsidiaries operating in Germany. It examines how their HRM and IR practices are shaped by German labour and IR institutions, how they differ from a control group of indigenous firms and what room for manoeuvre is left for the introduction of home-country practices. The main conclusions are that small and medium-sized subsidiaries in particular can to some extent avoid the pressures exerted by German labour and IR institutions. This facilitates the transfer of home-country practices. However, even larger affiliates that comply with the German institutions can transfer practices from their parent company. The highly regulated German system leaves some room for flexibility. Nevertheless, the institutional environment prevents large companies from following a unitarist HRM and IR approach.     

Economic reforms,industrial relations and human resources in the People's Republic of China: an overview

In this article, the impact of the post-1978 economic reforms on the Chinese labour-management system on the main sectors of employment (state, collective, private and joint ventures) is systematically discussed. The author concludes that as greater enterprise autonomy becomes more common, the labour-management system will evolve into a more ‘marketised’ hybrid form albeit ‘with Chinese characteristics’.     

Introducing benchmarking in the Czech Republic and Slovakia

Abstract

In many cases the introduction of performance evaluation, performance management and performance financing schemes do not produce the expected results and even create perverse effects. The risks connected with their improper implementation are much higher in developing and transition countries, where the public sector is over-politicized, policy and management capacities are inadequate and resources and experience are limited or often almost absent.

Our study provides basic selected data on the use of benchmarking in public administration bodies in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The findings are clear. In spite of its high potential, benchmarking is not used regularly and properly either in Slovakia or in Czechia. Subjective barriers of its implementation, for example lack of accountability, the rent seeking attitudes of elected politicians and ineffective public services schemes might be most important limits. The situation is slowly improving, but the progress will be naturally limited by territorial fragmentation.     

Financing Enterprises in the Czech Republic: Debt and Firm-specific Variables

This paper investigates the effects of firm specific variables on indebtedness, and thus financing decisions in the Czech Republic during the first years of transition. By estimating a Structural Equation Model with latent variables, the paper analyses the determinants of credit demand and supply in order to understand to what an extent they testify the transformation of both enterprises financing strategies and credit allocation policies and thus the emergence of a new financial discipline. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Efficiency in Banking: Empirical Evidence from the Czech Republic

The paper examines the cost efficiency of the Czech-banking system in the 1990s by applying the distribution free approach model. Reported results indicate that foreign banks were on average more efficient than the other banks, although their efficiency was comparable with the ‘good’ small banks’ efficiency in early years of their operation. Based on the estimated results it is argued that early privatisation of state-owned commercial banks and more liberal policy towards foreign banks in the early stage of transition would have enhanced the efficiency in the banking system. Anita Taci - The views and opinions are those of the author and not necessarily those of the EBRD.     

Managing the locals: employee relations in South Asian restaurants

This paper examines the management of employee relations in South Asian firms in the UK independent restaurant sector. Key working practices pertaining to the employment relationship are examined in a particular socio-economic and spatial context. Acknowledging such contexts facilitates an appreciation of how ethnicity and employment relations interact, rather than abstracting culture from the material context in which it operates. Consistent with this analytic focus, a mixed embeddedness perspective (Kloosterman et al. 1999) is adopted which recognizes the importance of both economic and social aspects of ethnic minority entrepreneurship. A qualitative methodology, drawing upon 23 case histories (involving both employer and employee perspectives) is deployed. The indications from this research suggest that the employment relationship is an outcome of the fluid interaction of social, economic and geographical contexts. This renders problematic both culturalist and purely economic approaches to ethnic minority entrepreneurship. Future research should carefully consider how the employment relationship is influenced by its embeddedness within specific communities.     

Household wealth in the Czech Republic: A comparative perspective

This paper focuses on household wealth dynamics in the Czech Republic. We estimate benchmark levels of household financial assets and liabilities on the basis of a comparison with Group of Seven (G-7) countries and compare them with the actual levels. Our results show that a further increase in both assets and liabilities would be justified by economic fundamentals. Furthermore, the G-7 benchmark indicates that both the level and composition of assets will need to change in the Czech Republic in response to the pressures that will arise from an aging population and the expected transfer of risks to households.     

Trends and developments in industrial relations and industrial relations law: Trade union discipline and non-strikers

Perhaps the most controversial change introduced in the 1988 Employment Act was the statutory right given to union members not to be disciplined by their unions for continuing to work during lawful industrial action approved by a majority in a secret ballot. Here the authors examine the legal contexts, implications for trade unions and the wider industrial relations and political significance of this important new right.