Cooperation and change in union settings: Problems and opportunities

This article examines the increased levels of change and cooperation that have recently occurred in union settings. The article reports the results of interview data from 33 union/management relationships studied over a four- to seven-year period. The types of change programs discussed include productivity sharing plans, (for example, Scanlon, Rucker, and Improshare plans), area and in-plant labor/management committees, quality circles, and quality of work life projects. The focus of the article is on the problems of implementing cooperative strategies. These occur at three stages in the process: (1) establishing the cooperative framework; (2) establishing the boundaries between the cooperative and adversary processes; (3) factors interfering with continuing commitment. The author concludes with a discussion of the implications for government, management, and unions.     

How deficiencies in motivation to manage contribute to the United States' competitiveness problem (and what can be done about it)

Data are presented to support the argument that motivation to manage is a major cause of managerial effectiveness, that it declined sharply in the college population during the activism of the 1960s and early 1970s, and that it is now severely lacking in the United States relative to many other countries. Thus America's competitiveness problems appear to be largely motivational in nature. Possible solutions are discussed, including recruiting and selecting for managerial motivation, increasing motivation to manage using training and development techniques, and changing organizational designs (telescoping the scalar chain, moving managerial tasks into non-managerial positions, resorting to professional forms, and expanding venture structures). © 1995 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Consumer information cues in television advertising: A cross country analysis

This paper compares the number of consumer information cues found in television advertisements in three countries: Australia, Ecuador, and the United States. Earlier studies conducted by Resnick and Stern in the United States and Dowling in Australia were replicated in Ecuador. Content analysis of 108 Ecuadorian television advertisements evaluated the number and types of information cues in each commercial. Results indicate that a much greater proportion of Ecuadorian television commercials contain consumer information cues than those broadcast in the other two countries. The explanation suggested for this observation is that Ecuador, due to its level of economic development, has many more products in the introductory stages of the product life cycle. This situation, in turn, requires more extensive communication of consumer information to market the products effectively. This finding implies an additional dimension, information content level, which must be considered when adapting international campaigns to conditions in developing countries.     

Strikes in Scotland

Historically Scotland has been seen as more strike prone than the UK although changes have taken place in recent years. This article looks at strike trends between 1965 and 1985 and examines a number of possible explanations for them.     

Linking quality & quantity

Interpretations are theoretical structures that explain empirical facts. The joint use of data from qualitative and quantitative studies can provide empirical facts for interpretation that are both valid and reliable. The examples reviewed in this article show how articulated qualitative and quantitative research can ameliorate three interrelated methodological problems that have hindered the gaining of an interpretive understanding of social actions. These are: (1) verstehen and the implementation of empirical studies to assess the subjective meaning of social actions; (2) the linking of understanding and explanation; and (3) the linking of macro and micro analysis.     

Potential savings from the adoption of nurse practitioner technology in the Canadian health care system.

An investigation is reported of the potential for reducing aggregate medical costs by the introduction of nurse practitioners into the Canadian health care system to an extent consistent with demonstrated safety and effectiveness. A cost model is developed for this purpose and estimates of its parameters are provided. The cost model is coupled with a demographic projection model and potential cost reductions are simulated over the period 1980-2050, under alternative assumptions. Results suggest that savings could have been in the range 10-15% in 1980 for medical services as a whole, and 16-24% for ambulatory services. The estimated savings percentages are quite insensitive to projected changes in the age structure of the Canadian population.