Institutional Demand-Side Discrimination Against Women and the Human Capital Model

Human capital theorists claim that the gender wage gap is due in large part to supply-side factors. They base this claim on empirical evidence. This paper challenges the interpretation of that empirical evidence. It argues that that interpretation is based on an assumption of a simplified production system that rules out any consideration of institutionally-based demand-side discrimination. It argues that insiders have an incentive to choose production techniques that benefit themselves, and that their choices will bias measures of human capital in their favor. The paper then considers a specific case study - the undergraduate U.S. academic market - where such institutionally-based demand-side discrimination exists, and offers an institutional change which could work to offset it.     

Dealing with problem employees: A legal guide for employers

One of the more difficult responsibilities of employers is dealing with problem employees. Employee misconduct and poor performance can lead to productivity issues, morale problems, and inferior quality products. For these reasons, it behooves employers to address performance issues rather than allow them to fester. By understanding which federal employment laws can be triggered when making employment decisions, avoiding common mistakes in applying these laws, and implementing key policies, employers can provide structures in the workplace that allow them to address problems effectively and minimize their legal exposure.     

Human resource practices and discrimination in South Africa: overcoming the apartheid legacy

While there is some level of isomorphism and convergence in HRM practices, country-specific differences remain, notwithstanding globalization and the influence of increasingly powerful multinationals. Much work has occurred on diversity management and cultural aspects of management in South Africa (SA). This analysis finds that local institutional context in labour relations and particularism in practices remain important, although the influence of convergent forces such as globalization, information technology and increased competition has become much more prominent in post-apartheid SA. Human resource practitioners in SA see the most important workplace challenges as performance improvement, employment equity, training and development and managing trade union expectations. This article critically evaluates the effects of recent legislative measures, particularly labour court and arbitration awards aimed at addressing the adverse impact of past unfair discrimination on pay practices and skills development. The latter are found to be interrelated, sensitive and difficult areas of discrimination in respect of legal proof.     

Native-Born Filipina/o Americans and Labor Market Discrimination

Filipina/o Americans face significant discrimination in the US labor market. Although Filipina/o Americans face both wage discrimination and occupational discrimination, the amount varies according to combinations of factors like gender, region of residence, and level of education.     

Natural groups and economic characteristics as driving forces of wage discrimination

We investigate whether the origin of an employee provides different motives for wage discrimination in gift-exchange experiments with students and migrant workers in China. In a lab and an internet experiment, subjects in the role of employers can condition their wages on the employees׳ home provinces. The resulting systematic differences in wages can be linked to natural groups and economic characteristics of the provinces. In-group favoritism increases wages for employees who share the same origin as the employer, while an increased probability of being matched with an employee with a different ethnicity reduces wages. Furthermore, wages in the laboratory increase with the actual wage level in the employees׳ home province. Nevertheless, employees׳ effort is not influenced by these variables; only the wage paid in the experiment influences effort.     

New legal pitfalls surrounding wellness programs and their implications for financial risk

In a 2013 Business Horizons article, we described the serious legal problems that can arise when companies develop corporate wellness programs, and outlined ways in which companies can minimize their financial risk. Recently, the landscape changed: For the first time, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission asserted that several wellness programs violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. In this installment of Organizational Performance, we explain the battles that are taking place along this new legal front and suggest steps companies can take to best ensure that their financial positions are not undermined by their wellness programs. In particular, we recommend (1) ensuring that wellness programs actually improve employee health; (2) revisiting whether programs are truly voluntary; (3) being cautious about including dependents in wellness programs; (4) collaborating with disabled employees to meet their needs; (5) providing clear, written explanations when asking for medical information; and (6) taking extra precautions to ensure that medical information is confidential.     

The status of academic women in the 1990s No longer outsiders, but not yet equals

This paper reexamines the status of women in the academic labor market relative to men to determine how much progress has been made in achieving equity. Two questions will be addressed here: (1) do men and women have equal access to faculty employment in higher education, and (2) are they equally successful with regard to traditional career goals and compensation? Analyses are conducted on the educational attainment of women, their representation among faculty, their time allocation and research productivity, and their success in academia as represented by their rank attainment and earnings. While the results show that women have made considerable strides in entering the academic labor market, there is still an unexplained gap between men and women in terms of their earnings and career progression.     

Of Chicken Entrails,Anthropology, and a Realistic Social Science

Barbara Bergmann has advocated direct observation of market behavior by economists. There is a history of such activity in the area of labor market but that experimental work has mainly been conducted by noneconomists. We have followed the lead of these researchers and conducted audits of employment hiring behavior, testing for discrimination on the basis of gender and sex. The technique involves sending matched pairs of job applications. Discrimination was found against female, Greek, and Vietnamese applicants. The paper recommends improvements in experimental design for future audits.     

正交鉴相电路及其鉴相精度分析

正交鉴相技术与单片微机数据处理系统相结合,产生了一种新颖的相位检测方案。本文重点讨论影响正交鉴相电路鉴相精度的各种误差因素,给出了计算公式和计算结果。     

Women and the prospects for partnership in professional accountancy firms

This paper examines three possible reasons (stereotypical discrimination, structural obstacles and employee's preferences) for the lack of women partners in professional accountancy firms in Australia, UK and New Zealand. Data are collected from an experimental survey and interviews of current partners. Whilst women's perceived preferences and organisational structural barriers contributed strongly to the lack of women partners in all sizes of firms, traditional stereotypical discrimination against women at the partnership decision point was only displayed in metropolitan large non‐Big 4 firms, and it is suggested that this is related to intense competitive pressure and a constrained partnership resource.