The Impact of Employee Share Ownership Plans On Employee Participation and Industrial Democracy

This article examines employee participation in recently-formed employee share ownership plan organisations (ESOPS) in the UK. the various legal/institutional forms of ESOP are outlined prior to considering the nature and determinants of participative institutions and processes. It is suggested that there are three ‘constellations’ of ESOP in terms of employee participation:‘technical ESOPS’, ‘paternalist ESOPs’ and ‘representative ESOPs’. There are relatively few innovations in participation in the first of these, while in paternalist ESOPs, innovations centre on individualistic forms of participation and communication at the level of the workplace. In representative ESOPs employees gain more of a say in strategic decisions through such innovations as employee representation on company boards. It is argued that these differences in the nature of participation are due neither to differences in legal structure nor to variations in the extent of employee share ownership. Instead, participative systems are viewed as the outcome of the philosophies and objectives of those involved in the conversion to employee ownership.     

Bottom Marx

Much of the economic analysis published in recent years has been Marxist in flavour. The publication of a dictionary of Marxist thought offers a guide to its various schools. Chris Tame dissects the contrasting interpretations of its numerous contributors.     

On the Unequal Inequality of Poor Communities

Communities differ in important ways in their needs, capacities,and circumstances. Because central governments are not ableto discern these differences fully, they seek to achieve theirpolicy objectives by relying on decentralized mechanisms thatuse local information. Household and individual characteristicswithin communities can also vary substantially. A growing bodyof theoretical literature suggests that inequality within communitiescan influence policy outcomes in ways that are either harmfulor helpful, depending on the circumstances. Until recently,empirical investigations into the impact of inequality havebeen held back by a lack of systematic evidence on community-levelinequality. This study uses household survey and populationcensus data to estimate per capita consumption inequality withincommunities in three developing economies. It finds that communitiesvary markedly in their degree of inequality. It also shows thatthere should be no presumption that inequality is less severein poor communities. The kind of community-level inequalityestimates generated here can be used in designing and evaluatingdecentralized antipoverty programs.     

Employment Decisions in Self-Directed Work Teams: A Regulatory Compliance Perspective

Organizations are increasingly relying on self-directed work teams (SDWTs) to accomplish organizational tasks. The introduction of SDWTs into the workplace poses a number of managerial challenges. This paper will focus on one such challenge, the continuing need to comply with labor and equal employment regulations. We discuss several factors that potentially affect the legal compliance process. These include: (1) the impact of an increasingly diverse workforce on individual behavior and team processes, and (2) the role of procedural justice perceptions in effective HR compliance management. We conclude with some practical solutions to the challenge of managing compliance in SDWT settings.     

An integrated approach to managing absence supports greater organizational productivity

Both absenteeism and "presentee-ism" significantly erode productivity and impact the bottom line. The author discusses what drives absence, why companies are looking at total absence management, and how employers can implement integrated programs to reduce the impact of absence and associated productivity losses on their businesses.     

Ethical and Unethical Bargaining Tactics: An Empirical Study

Competitive negotiators frequently use tactics which others view as "unethical", in that these tactics either violate standards of truth telling or violate the perceived rules of negotiation. This paper sought to determine how business students viewed a number of marginally ethical negotiating tactics, and to determine the underlying factor structure of these tactics. The factor analysis of these tactics revealed five clear factors which were highly similar across the two samples, and which parallel (to a moderate degree) categories of tactics proposed by earlier theory. Data from one sample also permitted comparisons of the appropriateness of certain tactics across gender, nationality, ethnic origin and perception of one's negotiating style.     

Changes and continuities in South Korean HRM

The operating context of South Korean human resource management (HRM) has undergone radical shifts since we wrote our first piece in 1997 for a similar collection to this. This has undoubtedly influenced the practice of HRM. Therefore, the focus of this piece is to compare the current situation with the past and delineate the amount and type of such change vis-à-vis continuity in HRM. The contextual factors and issues, political and economic background, labour market situation, the 1997 Asian financial crisis and ramifications, are analysed. Then future possible scenarios and key issues are outlined.     

Factors affecting global integration of Chinese multinationals in Australia: A qualitative analysis

This study utilizes cross-level and in-depth interviews to extend empirical and conceptual studies that have identified the factors underlying the choices made by OECD based multinational enterprises (MNEs) when determining their approach to global integration. The study examines the applicability of these factors in the context of Chinese MNEs with operations in Australia. In so doing, it pioneers the use of qualitative methods to determine which factors affect emerging market MNEs’ global integration and how these elements function and interrelate. Furthermore, the study contributes to theory-building by classifying the factors affecting global integration into organizational, industrial, and environmental groupings. The implications of this study are drawn from the data analysis and directions for future studies are advanced.