Academic literature on the topic 'Globalisation;Industrial Relations'

In the actual context of globalization, carmakers face a highly competitive market. The pace of technological innovation, the increase in international competition, the saturation of markets and the shortening of product lifespan are but some of the factors requiring a new organization of production. In order to face these radical changes, carmakers are implementing new strategies, not only by embracing the concept of globalization, but also by promoting changes in labour management practices, work organization and industrial relations. The aim of this paper is to analyze the impact of Fiat’s new managerial strategies in response to increased global competition on the situation of the industrial relations, on the role of the Unions and on the condition of workers. These strategies include an intensification of work, shift and wage flexibility, plus a severe limitations of workers’ rights (including the right to strike). On the one hand, such a strategy was presented and justified to the workers and the public as an objective necessity of global economy, and was even submitted to a referendum; on the other, the process was conducted unilaterally, under the recurring threat of transferring production abroad if the workers and their Unions refused to accept the new method. This brought to a split of the Unions and dialogue was maintained only with collaborative organisations, causing the discrimination of the other Unions and a situation of great dissatisfaction amongst all the workers. Through the words of workers and Union activists, the research showed evidence of the failure of claims that new management strategy can ensure both productivity and a new form of workplace democracy in the post-fordist factory. Despite new labour-saving technologies, lean production organisation and the adoption of new metric systems (such as Ergo-UAS), car industry would need, more than in the past, the involvement and active participation of Unions and workers. On the contrary, the paper points out how Fiat’s actual form of production organization generates new tensions and increases employee’s discontent, likely to ignite industrial conflict.

This article examines the prospects and challenges for employee participation on the boards of European Companies (SEs) under the European Company Statute. The article sets the current debate in the context of European 20th century industrial relations and 21st century globalisation. The author argues that worker involvement on the boards of companies will have to be achieved by means of persuasion and cooperation rather than confrontation.

The dismantling of centralised modes of labour regulation and the emergence of new spatial divisions of labour under 'globalisation' have produced renewed interest in 'regional industrial relations'. Yet much of the existing literature in this genre—and industrial relations scholarship in general—remains wedded to a positivist conception of space. The most promising avenues for reconceptualising the spatiality of capital-labour relations are to be found in the work of radical economic geographers. They recognise that space itself is a human construct and that capital and labour have differing mobilities and, therefore, different subjective and strategic orientations to space and to particular places. From these premises, they argue that local labour markets are the points of intersection between production and reproduction and the primary focus of attention of local modes of labour regulation. These insights, we suggest, provide the means to rethink what has been described as regional industrial relations and capital- labour relations more generally.

This paper examines foreign direct investment (FDI) and the impact on labour relations and labour regulations in China in the context of globalisation. It seeks to identify the relationships of the process of globalisation, the behaviour of multi-national enterprises (MNEs) and labour relations. Issues such as labour recruitment, forms of employment status, wages and welfare, human resource management (HRM) and the role of trade unions in foreign owned enterprises (FOEs) are examined. The paper also tackles the problems within FOEs and the response of the Government at both central and local levels. It concludes by identifying the major issues related to the relations between the globalisation and changes of labour relations and regulations, and the possible direction for developing economies to use FDI more effectively in an institutionalised environment.

Recent debates in comparative industrial relations scholarship have raised significant questions about the impact of changes in the international economy on national patterns of industrial relations. Globalisation, it has been argued, creates pressures for convergence that will increasingly undermine national diversity in industrial relations institutions and outcomes. At its most extreme, the globalisation thesis predicts "a universal race to the bottom" of labour standards. This globalisation thesis has been broadly criticised in the comparative industrial relations literature. Rather, a growing body of comparative industrial relations literature has pointed to evidence of continued diversity, despite the common pressures associated with changes in the international economy. This literature has focussed on the importance national level institutional variables play in explaining diversity and suggested that differences in national level institutional variables are likely to produce cross-national divergence rather than convergence. While the institutionalist approach represents an important corrective to the globalisation thesis, it has difficulty explaining similarities in patterns of industrial relations changes, despite institutional differences across countries, and is largely unable to explain changes in the institutions themselves. This thesis argues that these limitations of the institutionalist approach reflect its intellectual origins in comparative politics. The major contribution of this thesis is the development of an interaction approach the relationship between international economic change and the domestic institutions of industrial relations. This alternative theoretical approach, which is drawn from concepts in the political economy tradition in industrial relations and the international political economy literature, identifies four key variables the shape the relationship between international economic change and the domestic institutions of industrial relations: namely, the international economic regime; the national production profile; the accumulation strategy of the state; and the role of institutional effects. The thesis tests the explanatory power of the interaction approach by focussing on the comparison between two closely matched countries- Australia and New Zealand- during three periods of significant economic change in the international economy: the end of the nineteenth century; the immediate post world war two period; and, in the late 1960s. It shows that each of these periods a focus on changes in the international economy and how they impact the interests of employers, workers and the state helps explain both similarities and differences in industrial relations developments in the two countries. In doing so it demonstrates the importance of what appear to be small differences between the cases. The ability of the interaction approach to account for similarities and differences across three time periods in two most similar countries suggests that it may have broader application in cross-national comparison and that may provide the basis for a more general reassessment of the relationship between the contemporary wave of globalisation and industrial relations institutions and outcomes.

Recent debates in comparative industrial relations scholarship have raised significant questions about the impact of changes in the international economy on national patterns of industrial relations. Globalisation, it has been argued, creates pressures for convergence that will increasingly undermine national diversity in industrial relations institutions and outcomes. At its most extreme, the globalisation thesis predicts �a universal race to the bottom� of labour standards. This globalisation thesis has been broadly criticised in the comparative industrial relations literature. Rather, a growing body of comparative industrial relations literature has pointed to evidence of continued diversity, despite the common pressures associated with changes in the international economy. This literature has focussed on the importance national level institutional variables play in explaining diversity and suggested that differences in national level institutional variables are likely to produce cross-national divergence rather than convergence. While the institutionalist approach represents an important corrective to the globalisation thesis, it has difficulty explaining similarities in patterns of industrial relations changes, despite institutional differences across countries, and is largely unable to explain changes in the institutions themselves. This thesis argues that these limitations of the institutionalist approach reflect its intellectual origins in comparative politics. The major contribution of this thesis is the development of an interaction approach the relationship between international economic change and the domestic institutions of industrial relations. This alternative theoretical approach, which is drawn from concepts in the political economy tradition in industrial relations and the international political economy literature, identifies four key variables the shape the relationship between international economic change and the domestic institutions of industrial relations: namely, the international economic regime; the national production profile; the accumulation strategy of the state; and the role of institutional effects. The thesis tests the explanatory power of the interaction approach by focussing on the comparison between two closely matched countries- Australia and New Zealand- during three periods of significant economic change in the international economy: the end of the nineteenth century; the immediate post world war two period; and, in the late 1960s. It shows that each of these periods a focus on changes in the international economy and how they impact the interests of employers, workers and the state helps explain both similarities and differences in industrial relations developments in the two countries. In doing so it demonstrates the importance of what appear to be small differences between the cases. The ability of the interaction approach to account for similarities and differences across three time periods in two most similar countries suggests that it may have broader application in cross-national comparison and that may provide the basis for a more general reassessment of the relationship between the contemporary wave of globalisation and industrial relations institutions and outcomes.

This rapport examines six Swedish workplace unions, in manufacturing internationalised companies, degree of internationalised trade union work. The report is based on interviews with local shop stewards. All local workplace unions were in some form internationalised. They were placed in three different groups of strategies: Passive, Tactical and Strategic. The Passive union only tried to get information; the Tactical unions were reactive against initiative from company management and used the channels provided of Industrial Relation laws. The Strategic unions where acting from an analysis that demanded collaboration with foreign trade unions and were active in trying to build contacts.In discussing why a local workplace trade union become internationalised three explaining factors was constructed: A relation to the company which gave the union more information and resources than the minimum level of required legislation. Second; a strategic analysis involving a threat against the employees. And third; a belief that the trade union could make a difference.

La gestion de la relation fournisseur - supplier relationship management (SRM) - dans un contexte de globalisation nécessite de la part des entreprises à la fois la sélection de ces fournisseurs à l’échelle internationale - global sourcing - et la mise en œuvre de processus achats adaptés au contexte - international purchasing -. Ce travail de recherche s’intéresse à la relation en se situant résolument du côté du « groupe d’achat » et la question de recherche porte sur les modalités d’ajustement de la relation face à la complexité des situations d’achats à l’international. Le cadre conceptuel mobilisé est le « modèle d’interaction » issu des travaux de l’Industrial Marketing and Purchasing group (Håkansson, 1982). Le dispositif méthodologique s’appuie sur une exploration des pratiques, menée auprès de vingt-trois directeurs achats, qualifiés d’« experts » de l’activité à l’international. Nos résultats ont mis en lumière des modalités prévisibles d’ajustement de la relation, l’apprentissage et le contrôle. Un résultat supplémentaire a émergé de l’investigation : les situations d’achats inattendues: Une nouvelle analyse des entretiens ainsi que trois études de cas de PMI issues de l’échantillon a permis d’approfondir et de caractériser le phénomène « d’inattendu ». Les ajustements nécessaires à apporter dans l’immédiat relèvent alors essentiellement de « l’improvisation ». Les contributions managériales de la thèse soulignent l’importance d’un pilotage bidimensionnel – comportemental et processus - du changement dans une perspective de gestion globale de la relation fournisseur
Supplier relationship management (SRM) in a context of globalization both the selection of suppliers around the world - global sourcing - and the implementation of procurement process adapted to the context - international purchasing -. This research focuses on the relationship from the side of the "buying group". The research question addressed is how to adjust the relationship, given the complexity of international purchasing situations. The conceptual framework has mobilized the "interaction model" from the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group (Håkansson, 1982). The design of the research builds on a methodological exploration of practices conducted nearby twenty-three purchasing managers who can be qualified as "experts" in international business. Our results have highlighted predictable adjustments of the relationship, learning and control. An additional result emerged from the investigation: “unexpected” situations. A new analysis of interviews and three case studies of SME from the sample has led us to strengthen and characterize the phenomenon of "unexpected". Adjustments needed are immediate, so another kind of management is required. That is possible through the concept of "improvisation". Managerial contributions of this thesis emphasize the importance of steering two dimensions of SRM, behaviors and processes

Nous nous proposons de faire une étude des impacts du processus de la globalisation économique dans le secteur textile international et brésilien dans le contexte conceptuel de la théorie des avantages comparatifs. Nous avons utilisé comme matériel de recherche une multitude de données statistiques sur le commerce textile international, ainsi que les réponses recueillies lors de deux enquêtes réalisées dans plusieurs industries textiles brésiliennes. Les conclusions suggèrent que dans les pays développés, la dépendance des industries textiles par rapport à l'approvisionnement en matière première ainsi que le coût élevé de la main d'œuvre ne sont plus compensés par des gains de productivité liés à l'utilisation d'une technologie textile de pointe. Il s'agit de facteurs déterminants de la perte de leur compétitivité dans le secteur. Quant aux pays en voie de développement, l'existence d'une main d'œuvre bon marché aussi bien que la productivité des équipements utilisés sont fondamentaux pour garantir la compétitivité de leur industrie textile. Dans le cas particulier du Brésil, la façon dont est gérée son insertion dans le processus de globalisation économique facilite la modernisation des équipements de ses industries textiles. Toutefois les répercussions ont été désastreuses pour la culture cotonnière du pays, cette gestion étant la principale responsable de la chute de plus de 60% de la production brésilienne de coton de 1993 à 1996. Des problèmes similaires commencent également à surgir dans le domaine des fibres synthétiques et celui de la confection. Nous en avons déduit que le processus de globalisation économique fait, des tendances à long terme du marché textile, des éléments clés de l'élaboration de stratégies compétitives. Il impose, en outre, une dynamique prononcée aux avantages comparatifs des pays. Le processus de globalisation devient donc un facteur déterminant non seulement des stratégies d'approvisionnement en matière première textile, mais aussi de la technologie la plus compétitive possible et enfin, des limites de coût destiné à la rémunération de la main d'œuvre
We perform a study of the impacts of the economic globalization process on the international and the Brazilian textile sector within the conceptual framework of the comparative advantage theory. We have used as research background a profusion of statistical data concerning the international textile trade, as well as the answers of two questionnaires that were applied to a certain number of Brazilian textile industries. Our results indicate that the dependence of the textile industries localized in developed countries on the raw material and on the work force cost are the main contributing factors to their loss of competitive power. These factors are not counterbalanced any more by the productivity gains generated by their modem textile technology. In the case of developing countries, not only their low cost work force but also the modernisation of their textile machinery is crucial to strength the international level competitiveness of their textile industries. In the specific case of Brazil, the way the government administration is opening the country to the economic globalization process helps the Brazilian textile industry to modernise its machinery, with favourable effects on the performance of its yam an- fabric plants. However, it is imposing a disastrous effect on the Brazilian cotton yields, being the main responsible for a cotton production decrease about 60% during the 1993 1996 period. Similar problems concerning the production of synthetic fibres and clothes begin also to occur. We conclude that the economic globalization process turns the long time tendencies in the international textile market into key elements of strategic competitiveness, and imposes a noticeable dynamic to the comparative advantage of the countries in the textile sector. It is going to be fundamental not only to determine the textile raw material supply strategies, but also to indicate the most appropriate textile technology to be used, and finally the constraints on the work force payment costs

In the neoliberal era, there has been a global trend towards increased labour market insecurity and inequality, even in countries traditionally emblematic of union strength and socio-economic security such as Sweden. In this study, I present the first ethnographic research conducted in anthropology of negotiations between the central Swedish union and employer peak bodies (known as the ‘labour market partners’). These negotiations were conducted in 2020 against the background of a political crisis and political pressure to modernise and liberalise longstanding and fundamental job security protec- tions in the Employment Protection Act (LAS). Through the lens of these negotiations, I investigate the role of the labour market partners in moderating neoliberal trends and how the partners see their relationship and role in society. I investigate, for example, why Swedish employers support unions and a system that ostensibly curbs their own power. I employ the notions of moral economy and em- bedding to look beyond economic self-interest, to the moral and institutional norms that help explain the partners’ co-operation over time and the role they see themselves as playing as guardians of the social peace.  I also incorporate interview material describing diverse workers’ experiences of the current job security protections under LAS. I argue that workers’ voices and experiences reveal a parallel moral economy, where current job security protections are revealed to be important but inadequate, and that job security is a highly nebulous, ambivalent and contextual phenomenon. I argue the moral economy of job security is one of entangled reciprocity between employer, worker and the state, and I consider the proposed reforms in this context. The study shows that even in the context of increasing market- isation of labour and society, reciprocity and cooperation both at the workplace and during the LAS negotiations serve to de-commodify labour and embed the economy in various moral norms. In this way, the research contributes to the anthropological literature on embeddedness and moral economy. It also contributes to both an ethnographic and theoretical understanding of job security.

The script, Millennium Bridge, is an investigation into the passions and fears that are shaping contemporary Australia today. Charting the political climate of the past decade, at the play's centre a man is building a bridge from Australia to Asia. The central dramatic question being asked is "In an environment where the emphasis on economic prosperity overrides that of human rights and freedom of speech--what will be the consequences for the Australian people?" The accompanying analysis of the ten-year period it took to write Millennium Bridge illuminates the significance of institutional issues on a play and playwright's development. Written from the perspective of a mid-career playwright, the paper argues that the professional and personal circumstances within which a work of art is created (and their effect on the playwright's confidence and financial capacities) are a significant determinant of the productivity of playwrights.

The script, Millennium Bridge, is an investigation into the passions and fears that are shaping contemporary Australia today. Charting the political climate of the past decade, at the play's centre a man is building a bridge from Australia to Asia. The central dramatic question being asked is "In an environment where the emphasis on economic prosperity overrides that of human rights and freedom of speech--what will be the consequences for the Australian people?" The accompanying analysis of the ten-year period it took to write Millennium Bridge illuminates the significance of institutional issues on a play and playwright's development. Written from the perspective of a mid-career playwright, the paper argues that the professional and personal circumstances within which a work of art is created (and their effect on the playwright's confidence and financial capacities) are a significant determinant of the productivity of playwrights.

Dans le cadre de ce mémoire, nous nous penchons sur les relations du travail (RT) dans les entreprises multinationales (EMs) ayant des opérations au Canada. Notre question de recherche est la suivante: « Le pays d’origine d’une entreprise multinationale a-t-il un impact sur les pratiques de relations du travail dans ses opérations canadiennes? » Deux thèses principales ont été élaborées afin d’expliquer les choix des EMs dans l’adoption et l’implantation de pratiques. La première thèse, celle de la diversité, tient pour acquis que plusieurs déterminants endogènes et exogènes à l’EM influencent ses pratiques (Mcgraw et Harley, 2003). Tant les caractéristiques du pays hôte que celles du pays d’origine influenceraient les choix de pratiques des EMs contribuant ainsi à leur diversité (Almond et al., 2005). Par exemple, certains chercheurs avancent que les EMs sont littéralement imprégnées des caractéristiques provenant du pays qui les a vues naître, qu’elles feraient littéralement partie de leur ADN affectant ainsi les pratiques qu’elles mettent en place dans leurs filiales à l’étranger (Berger, 2006). Par ailleurs, la thèse de la convergence soutient que les EMs auraient tendance à utiliser les mêmes pratiques en cette ère de mondialisation et d’hégémonie économique américaine (Mcgraw et Harley, 2003). Les tenants de cette thèse croient plutôt à une convergence des pratiques à travers les EMs en raison notamment de la vaste diffusion du modèle anglo-saxon de gestion, de l’approche des best pratices et du one best way (Mcgraw et Harley, 2003; Royle, 2006). Convergence ou divergence des pratiques? Le débat demeure entier dans la littérature. Outre sa contribution à ce débat, notre recherche permet d’en apprendre davantage sur le comportement des EMs étrangères au Canada, mais aussi d’examiner les spécificités des EMs canadiennes. Le modèle conceptuel développé par ce mémoire se base sur la thèse de la diversité en examinant plus particulièrement l’effet du pays d’origine. Selon la littérature, plusieurs variables influencent les pratiques des EMs, soit le pays d’origine (Almond et al., 2005; Kvinge et Ulrichsen, 2008; Marginson, 2008; Edwards et Ferner, 2002; Collings, 2003; Ferner, 1997, Moore et Rees, 2008; etc.) et les caractéristiques propres à l’EM (Bartlett et Ghosal, 1998; Kidger, 2002; Perlmutter, 1969; Edwards, 2003). Aux fins de notre recherche, notre variable dépendante, les pratiques de RT, comporte cinq dimensions, soit la reconnaissance syndicale des nouveaux établissements, la politique d’implication du syndicat, la perception à l’égard des représentants syndicaux, la structure de la négociation collective et l’autonomie de la filiale dans l’élaboration de politiques en matière de RT (Bélanger et al., 2006). L’hypothèse principale de notre recherche est : le pays d’origine d’une EM a un impact sur le choix des pratiques de RT dans ses opérations canadiennes. Cinq sous-hypothèses, touchant cinq dimensions du concept de RT, ont été testées : 1) les EMs américaines reconnaissent moins souvent le syndicat dans leurs nouveaux établissements que les EMs d’autres pays; 2) les EMs américaines ont une moins bonne perception patronale du syndicat que celles provenant d’autres pays; 3) les négociations collectives sont plus décentralisées dans les EMs américaines que dans celles d’autres pays; 4) les EMs américaines impliquent moins les syndicats dans la prise de décision que celles provenant d’autres pays; 5) l’autonomie dans l’élaboration de politiques concernant la représentation syndicale est plus faible dans les EMs américaines que dans les EMs d’autres pays. Sur le plan méthodologique, cette étude utilise des données secondaires provenant de l’Enquête sur la gestion des ressources humaines, les politiques publiques et la chaîne de valeur mondiale menée par Bélanger, Harvey, Jalette, Lévesque et Murray (2006). Nous étudions un sous-échantillon de la base de données, soit une centaine d’EMs dont les employés sont syndiqués. Les résultats indiquent que les opérations canadiennes des EMs canadiennes se différencient de celles des EMs américaines par une meilleure perception patronale des syndicats et une plus grande implication syndicale. De plus, les EMs européennes reconnaissent plus le syndicat dans leurs nouveaux établissements, perçoivent davantage de la collaboration de la part du syndicat et octroient une plus grande autonomie en matière de RT à leurs opérations canadiennes que les EMs américaines. Enfin, les opérations canadiennes des EMs du reste du monde se distinguent de celles des EMs américaines par une meilleure perception patronale de collaboration de la part du syndicat.
The purpose of this research is to study labour relations in multinational corporations (MNCs) operating in Canada. Our research question is : “Does the country of origin of an MNC have an impact on the labour relations practices in its Canadian operations? ». Two main theses are put forward in the literature in order to explain the choices of MNCs in the adoption and the establishment of practices. The first one is the diversity thesis, which takes for granted that several endogenous and exogenous determinants of the MNC influence its practices (Mcgraw and Harley, 2003). The characteristics of the host country as well as those of the country of origin influence the choices of practices of MNCs, which are contributing to their diversity (Almond and al., 2005). For example, some researchers explain that MNCs are literally impregnated with characteristics coming from the country from which they originated, that it would be literally part of their DNA affecting the practices that they set up in their abroad subsidiaries (Shepherd, 2006). At the opposite, the convergence thesis asserts that MNCs tend all to use the same practices because of globalisation and American economic hegemony (Mcgraw and Harley, 2003). The supporters of this thesis believe in a convergence of the practices through MNCs because of the vast diffusion of the Anglo-Saxon model of management, the best practices and the one best way approaches (Mcgraw and Harley, 2003; Royle, 2006). Is there a convergence or a diversity of the practices? The debate remains strong in the literature. In addition to contributing to this debate, our research further explores the behaviour of foreign MNCs in Canada, and the particularities of Canadian MNCs. The conceptual model developed here is based on the diversity thesis, more specifically the effect of the country of origin. According to the literature, several variables influence the practices of MNCs: the country of origin (Almond and al., 2005; Kvinge and Ulrichsen, 2008; Marginson, 2008; Edwards and Ferner, 2002; Collings, 2003; Ferner, 1997, Moore and Rees, 2008; etc) and the characteristics specific to the MNCs (Bartlett and Ghosal, 1998; Kidger, 2002; Perlmutter, 1969; Edwards, 2003). In this research, the dependent variable, the labour relations practices, has five dimensions: union recognition in the new establishments, the trade union implication policy, management perception of the trade union representatives, the collective bargaining structure and the autonomy of the subsidiary in the development of labour relations policies (Bélanger and al., 2006). The principal assumption of our research is: the country of origin of a MNC has an impact on the choice of the practices of labour relations in its Canadian operations. Five sub-assumptions, corresponding to the dimensions of the concept of labour relations, were tested: 1) American MNCs less often recognize trade unions in their new establishments than MNCs of other countries; 2) American MNCs have a worse managerial perception of the trade union than those coming from other countries; 3) Collective bargaining is more decentralized in American MNCs than in those of other countries; 4) American MNCs are less likely to include trade unions in their decision-making than those coming from other countries; 5) There is less autonomy in the development of policies concerning trade union representation in American MNCs than in MNCs from other countries. The methodology of this study uses secondary data coming from the Survey on Employment Practices, Public Policy and the Global Value Chain carried out by Bélanger, Harvey, Jalette, Lévesque and Murray (2006). We study a subsample of the data base, composed of one hundred MNCs whose employees are unionised. The results show that Canadian operations of Canadian MNCs differ from those of American MNCs. Canadian MNCs have a better perception of the unions and involve more unions in decision-making. European MNCs are more likely to recognize trade unions in new establishments, perceive greater union collaboration and grant greater autonomy regarding labour relations to their Canadian operations, as compared to American MNCs. The Canadian operations of MNCs of the rest of the world are distinguished from American MNCs by a stronger perception of union collaboration.

This chapter examines the direction and magnitude of changes in key domains such as the labour force, employment, and productivity in India in relation to some historical antecedents of Western industrial economies. The findings suggest that India is at the early stages of a qualitative transformation leading to improvement in worker participation rates along with structural changes in the distribution of workforce into sectors, status groups, gender divisions, and skill categories. There have also been some impressive gains in managing the labour market from the supply side by way of improving the age-structure and skill content of the workforce. However, the post-war construct of employment and industrial relations adapted from Western economies, based on which the transformation of labour market was planned and nurtured in Indian context, is literally falling apart under the onslaught of globalisation.