Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Industrial relations Victoria Case studies'

Bibliography: leaves 135-143. An anthropological analysis of an industrial dispute that occurred within the East Gippsland forest industry, 1997-1998 and how the workers strove to acheive better working conditions for themselves, and to share in the wealth they had created.

Questions and problems related to the articulation of industrial re 1 at ions structures in modern soc i ety have been rna tters for long debate over a number of years. However, the establishment of industrial relations formations is a product of a variety of complex societal processes located inside and outside the irTlllediate industrial environment. This thesis examines the links that exist between wider societal processes and systems of industrial relations and workers I participation with reference to the Greek Telecommunications Sector. In the first instance (Chapter 1), issues of economy and society tha t have an effect upon indus tri a 1 re 1 at ions are exami ned wi th reference to the processes of gl oba 1 economi c deve 1 opment, ca pi ta 1 accumulation, dependency and the more recent phenomena of 'flexible specialization ' and 'post-Fordism'. These are related to the presentation of industrial relations structures (Chapter 2) which are examined using comparative evidence to illustrate their various differences and similarities. It is argued that industrial relations and workers I participation structures have to be examined in the 1ight of national and international patterns of political, social and economic development. Also, a critical evaluation of contemporary approaches to industrial relations is presented. Chapter 3 is concerned with identifying and evaluating the main issues related to Greek economic and social development. That is examined in relation to the position of the country in the international division of labour and also to the national characteristics that articulate the specific nature of labour relations. Chapter 4 presents the case of the Telecommunication Sector using empirical material drawn from various sources, from observation and from employee responses to a questionnai reo The framework of industrial participation is discussed both in relation to the internal circumstances of the industry and also to the more general environment in which it is located. Finally, Chapter 5 re-evaluates the categories of 'industrial participation' and 'employment' in the specific context of Greek societal development and considers the validity of some of the concepts used in contemporary discussions of labour organization.

The decade since 1979 has seen the most rapid introduction of microelectronic technology in the workplace. In particular, the scope offered for the application of this new technology to the area of white collar work has meant that it is a sector where trade unions have been confronted with major challenges. However the application of this technology has also provided trade unions with opportunities for exerting influence to reshape traditional attitudes to both industrial relations and the nature of work. Recent academic research on the trade union response to the introduction of new technology at the workplace suggests that, despite the resources and apparent sophistication of modern trade unions, they have not in general been able to take advantage of the opportunities offered during this period of radical technological change,the argument being that this is due both to structural weaknesses and the inappropriateness of the system of collective bargaining where new technology issues are concerned. Despite the significance of the Public Sector in employment terms, research into the response of public sector white collar trade unions to technological change has been fairly limited. This thesis sets out the approach of the National and Local Government Officers Association (NALGO), the largest solely white collar union in the world with over three quarters of a million members employed in a wide range of public service industries. The thesis examines NALGO's response at national level and, through detailed case studies, at local level in respect of Local Government and Water Industry NALGO members. The response is then evaluated and conclusions drawn in terms of a framework based upon an assessment of the key factors relevant in judging the ability of NALGO to respond effectively to the challenges brought about by the technological revolution of the last ten years.

The construction industry is one of the most dangerous industries in the world, with many workplace fatalities every day. The existence of legislation that governs Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is an intervention to ensure that all governments, employers and employees play their part in establishing and implementing policies that will help secure healthy and safe working environments. The study is qualitative and with the help of an interview guide, semistructured interviews were used to collect the data. The respondents were selected using purposive and snowball sampling methods. Ten managers from ten (five small, five large) construction firms, two employees from each firm, and the OHS inspector from the Department of Labour in Grahamstown were interviewed. Having explored management’s practices, communication methods, training and distribution of information, employee representation and participation, and industrial relations, several conclusions were reached. During the study it was found that there are a number of obstacles that are hampering effective OHS in the construction industry. Some of these include; management’s lack of commitment to a participatory approach in OHS decision-making, limited resources to invest adequately in OHS, and the lack of sufficient trade union involvement. In addition, we know very little about OHS in the construction industry, and the mere existence of OHS legislation does not help reduce the risks associated with construction work, especially when there is a shortage of skilled personnel to enforce the legislation and regulations.

An approach to organizations which views them as social constructions provides new insights into the phenomenon of organizational decline. In this view, organizations are seen not as objective entities, but, rather, are viewed as products of the human beings who comprise their membership. This view also sees human beings as actors whose behavior is governed not only by rationality, but also by unconscious processes. Any full understanding of organizational action requires an appreciation of the extent to which human beings are governed by the dynamics of the psyche, which operates outside of conscious awareness. An approach to organizational decline which encompasses these assumptions examines how the members of the organization consciously and! or unconsciously collaborate to create the conditions of decline. This research begins with a psychoanalytic model of human behavior, Bowen Theory, which explains how individuals function within relationship systems such as families and organizations. The theory also examines how dysfunction is created within those systems when the relationship process becomes ineffective or dysfunctional. Using the case study method, the dissertation describes how the decline experienced by three distinct organizations can be understood as a consequence of the relationship process created and sustained by the participants in each of the organization's human system.
Ph. D.

The existing British partnership literature is notoriously polarised. Two main streams of research have emerged. Early empirical work focused upon trade union representative capacity outcomes, in other words does partnership represent a threat or opportunity to the beleaguered trade union movement. Many of the conclusions have been negative, suggesting that partnership is a dangerous strategy for trade unions. More recent empirical work has focused upon the extent to which partnership offers mutual gains outcomes to employers, trade unions and employees. While much of the research has been pessimistic, various typologies of partnership have emerged, suggesting a variety of possible outcomes. However, despite the abundance of literature, three particular limitations are noteworthy. Firstly, few studies consider how partnership plays out in different contexts. Secondly, little attention has been given to understanding more about the process of partnership. Thirdly, there are limitations to the way outcomes have been assessed. Crude use of labour outcomes, such as job losses or pay levels may tell us nothing about the quality of employment relations. Accordingly, the study has five main objectives. Firstly, partnership is explored in a variety of organisational contexts. Secondly, particular attention is paid to what partnership means to organisational actors. Thirdly, the study focuses upon two indicators of partnership process: the nature of relationships between actors, and the way issues are handled and decisions are made. Indeed, it is argued that one cannot fully understand the outcomes without exploring both process and context. Fourthly, outcomes for management, unions and employees are explored, as well as wider societal goals. Finally, the study considers some of the main challenges to partnership in the UK. Given the nature of the research questions, qualitative methods were thought to be most appropriate. In particular, a case study research design was employed focusing on three organisations in the thriving financial service sector, thus offering a very different context to traditional IR - and partnership – research in manufacturing and public services. The study also offers insights into partnership in both union and non-union firms. The bulk of the data was obtained through semi-structured interviews with a range of managers, representatives and employees in each organisation, as well as interviews with trade union officials. This was supplemented by documentary analysis and non-participant observation. Thus, the thesis makes several important contributions. Firstly, it offers fresh empirical evidence into partnership working in the UK, drawn from a variety of contexts within the internationally important financial service sector. Since the outcomes of partnership are difficult to measure the study also considers issues of process which are overlooked in the existing research. Actor relationships and bargaining explored in relation to models of integrative and distributive bargaining as proposed by Walton and McKersie (1965). Decision making processes are also explored by developing the analytical framework proposed by Budd (2004), which has not been widely employed in British industrial relations research. The thesis therefore offers a different way of evaluating the outcomes of partnership for various stakeholders, and avoids conflating union attitudes with employee opinions. In this way, the research transcends the recent advocates/critics stalemate in the literature.

This essay focuses on the development and early activism of the Association for Women Faculty, an organization created by and for women faculty and professionals at the University of Arizona. Emphasizing the pay equity struggle engaged by AWF in the early 1980s, this work analyzes the methods used to challenge salary inequities and evaluates the overall outcome of these efforts. Salary inequity in academia has functioned as a mobilizing issue since it affects nearly all women working in higher education. This essay details how the Association for Women Faculty (AWF) at the University of Arizona challenged these inequities and the methods they used to contest institutional discrimination. Through the use of primary historical documents, salary studies, and oral histories, this essay recreates AWF's history and situates this history within the feminist economic theory of the period.

The main purpose of the study is to investigate whether the stress response moderators served as effective variables in reducing the stress of the strike. For instance, if individuals differ in' their ability to actualise resources, does someone with a high SOC utilise friendships or supportive relationships more than someone with a low SOC? Does someone who has a high score for religious practice become less depressed when faced with a significant stressor than someone less involved in church activities?

Thesis (MPA)--Stellenbosch University, 2003.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Freedom of association is a constitutional fundamental freedom denied the members of the Namibian Police Service. This led to the researcher to conduct a study on current labour practices in the said organisation. The aim thereof was to establish whether the inexistence of unions has a detrimental effect on labour relations, and also to explore possibilities of introducing trade unions in the Police Service. A study was conducted within a qualitative approach with the data obtained from existing literature as well as through interviewing police officers and other public office bearers. It was ultimately found that the entire organisation is fraught with labour related problems, which would have been handled differently within unionism. The study therefore recommends that a union be formed for the Namibian Police members.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Vryheid van assosiasie is 'n konsitusionele fundamentele vryheid wat die lede van die Namibiese Polisiediens ontsê is. Dit was aanleidend tot die navorser se ondersoek van bestaande werkspraktyke in die gemelde organisasie. Die studie is daarop gerig om vas te stel of die bestaan van unies nadelig inwerk op werksverhoudings asook om die moontlikheid van die instelling van vakunies in die polisiediens te ondersoek. Die studie is met 'n kwalitatiewe benadering onderneem en data is bekom uit bestaande literatuur asook onderhoudsvoering met polisiebeamptes en ander openbare ampsdraers. Daar is uiteindelik bevind dat die hele organisasie gebuk gaan ander werksverwante probleme wat binne vakunie-verband anders hanteer sou word. Die studie beveel dan ook aan dat 'n unie vir die lede van die Namibiese Polisie ingestel moet word.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2002.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The thesis is an analysis of the strikes at Volkswagen SA during the period 1999-2000 and its social and political outcomes. Seen from a broader perspective, it is a case study of social conflict in a young democracy after the formal demise of apartheid in 1994. By the time (i.e. early in 2000) events reached a climax, the company had lost millions of Rand in revenue and more than 1300 workers their jobs. The thesis wants to explain how this came to be - despite attempts by the company to establish a pluralistic industrial relations culture that go back to the early 1990s and after, ostensibly, gaining the consent of the shop stewards committee at the factory and the NUMSA leadership for a lucrative ("A4") export agreement. After studying the literature and the press, interviewing key actors in the "drama", and closely following the proceedings of the CCMA and the Labour Court, the thesis comes up with an explanation more complex than the "conventional" ones offered during and after the strike. The immediate cause of the strike action was the nonacceptance of the terms of the export agreement by 13 shop stewards and their supporters. These shop stewards had been elected onto the VW shop steward council after their union (i.e. NUMSA) and the company had concluded the agreement. When they came out in open defiance of the agreement, they were suspended by the union for their unconstitutional action. They subsequently tried to rally their followers for their own reinstatement. However, the thesis shows that the strikes of 1999 and 2000 were merely two more outbursts of shop floor tension and conflict that had been dormant for a long time. Before and after 1994, there existed informal structures and factions at the shop floor level which refused to tow the official NUMSA "line" - a policy which increasingly started to embrace the ethos of "reconstruction" and economic competitiveness. Neither the union leadership, nor company management were able to deal with these informal structures and bring the dissident faction under control. Although the potential for more cooperation and trust did exist, both the union leadership and management failed to turn this into "social capital". The thesis suggest that this may have been possible, if there had been more direct forms of worker participation (over and above the shop stewards committee). Also, the haemorraging of the union leadership after 1994, and the increasing bureaucratisation of industrial relations did nothing to improve the situation. To make matters worse, the thesis argues, the terms ofthe export agreement were not properly communicated to the union rank and file. To top it all, the thesis provides ample evidence that the VW workers could not record any extra material gains in exchange for more flexible working arrangements in the wake of the shift from "Fordism" to "Lean Production" at the Uitenhage factory. Here, "wealth creative" industrial relations did not accompany the shift to lean production, as post-Fordist theory would like to suggest. When the 13 shop stewards and a certain percentage of the VW workforce came out in protest against this arrangement, no special efforts were made to mediate the conflict. The "fallout" of the conflict includes hundreds of millions of Rand in lost company revenue, more unemployment in one of the poorest regions of South Africa, a drawn out legal process and political divisions in worker ranks and in the Uitenhage community. Although NUMSA admits to a "wakeup call", the relationship between the COSA TU affiliated union and the state is as close as ever. In the eyes of the thesis, however, the case of the VW strike, including the direct intervention of the head of state, is proof that the young, post-settlement democracy is not yet able to deal with social conflict in a mature way.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die tesis is 'n analise van die stakings by Volkswagen SA tydens die periode 1999- 2000 en sy sosiale en politieke gevolge. Gesien vanuit 'n breer perspektief, is dit 'n gevallestudie van sosiale konflik in 'n jong demokrasie na die formele be'indiging van apartheid in 1994. Teen die tyd (vroeg in 2000) wat gebeure 'n hoogtepunt bereik het, het die maatskappy honderde miljoene Rande in inkomste verloor en meer as 1300 werkers hul werk. Die tesis wil verklaar waarom dit gebeur het - ten spyte van die pogings deur die firma sedert die vroee 1990s om 'n pluralistiese arbeidsverhoudingskultuur te skep en nadat die "shop stewards" komitee by die fabriek en die NUMSA leirskap oenskynlik sy instemming gegee het tot 'n lonende ("A4") uitvoerkontrak. Na 'n studie van die literatuur en die pers, onderhoude met sleutel akteurs in die "drama" en 'n noukeurige monitering van die verrigtinge by die CCMA en die arbeidshof, kom die tesis na vore met 'n verklaring wat meer kompleks is as die wat tydens die staking en daama aangebied is. Die onmidellike oorsaak van die staking was die nie-aanvaarding van die uitvoer ooreenkoms deur 13 "shop stewards" en hul ondersteuners. Hierdie "shop stewards" is verkies tot die VW "shop steward" komitee midat die unie (d.w.s. NUMSA) en die maatskappy die ooreenkoms gesluit het. Toe hulle openlike opposisie teen die ooreenkoms gewys het, is hulle deur die unie geskors vir hul onkonstitusionele optrede. Hulle het daama hul ondersteuners probeer mobiliseer vir die herstel van hul posisies. Die tesis wys egter dat die stakings van 1999 en 2000 bloot nog twee uitbarstings was van 'n smeulende fabrieksvloer konflik en spanning wat vir 'n lank tyd reeds sluimerend was. V oor en mi 1994 het daar informele strukture en faksies op die fabrieksvloer bestaan wat geweier het om die amptelike beleid van NUMSA te volg - 'n beleid wat toenemend die etos van "rekonstruksie" en ekonomiese mededingendheid aangeneem het. Nog die unie leierskap, nog die maatskappy bestuur was instaat om die informele strukture te hanteer en die afwykende faksie onder beheer te bring. Alhoewel die potensiaal vir meer samewerking en vertroue bestaan het, het beide die unie leierskap en die bestuur daarin gefaal om dit te omvorm tot "sosiale kapitaal". Die tesis suggereer dat dit moontlik sou gewees het as daar 'n meer direkte vorm van werkers deelname (bo en behalwe die "shop stewards" komitee) bestaan het. Die verlies aan kwaliteit leiers mi 1994, sowel as die toenemende burokratisering van arbeidsverhoudings het ook nie gehelp om die situasie te beredder me. Om dinge te vererger, redeneer die tesis, is die klousules van die uitvoer ooreenkoms nie behoorlik aan die gewone unie lede verduidelik nie. Om alles te kroon, voorsien die tesis genoeg bewyse dat die VW werkers nie enige ekstra materiele voordele kon aanteken in ruil vir meer buigsame werksreelings as deel van die skuif vanaf "Fordisme" na "Lean Production" by die fabriek in Uitenhage nie. Hier het "welvaartskeppende" arbeidsverhoudings nie hand-aan-hand gegaan met die skuif na "lean production, soos post-Fordistiese teorie wil suggereer nie. Toe die 13 "shop stewards" en 'n sekere persentasie van die VW arbeidsmag openlik daarteen geprotesteer het, is geen spesiale poging aangewend om die konflik te besleg nie. Die skade van die konflik sluit honderde miljoene Rande aan verlore maatskappy inkomste, meer werkloosheid in een van Suid-Afrika se armste streke, 'n uitgerekte regsproses en politieke verdeeldheid onder werkers en in die Uitenhage gemeenskap in. Alhoewel NUMSA erken dat hulle "wakkergeskrik" het, is die verhouding tussen die COSA TU geaffilieerde vakunie en die staat so eng soos vantevore. In die oe van· die tesis egter, is die geval van die VW staking, insluitende die direkte ingryping deur die staatshoof, 'n bewys daarvan dat die jong, post-skikking demokrasie nog nie gereed is om sosiale konflik op 'n ryp manier te hanteer nie.

This thesis reconstructs the concept of International Non-Governmental Organization (INGO) accountability to beneficiaries through the development of a strategic model for INGO accountability to beneficiaries. It works through the history and arguments surrounding the rise of the debate around whether INGOs should be held accountable to their beneficiary populations. Unique definitions are developed for the terms and concepts related to this topic and a framework for understanding the strategic model for INGO accountability to beneficiaries is outlined: Accountable to whom? Accountable for what? Accountable how? A practical example of an internal assessment for measuring an INGO's accountability to beneficiaries is examined, analyzing data from Mercy Corps' internal accountability to beneficiaries survey conducted in 2010. This thesis defines accountability to beneficiaries as the process of justifying and being responsible for the manner and results of one's actions to any individual or group who is a member of the society whose interests the project or program is intended to promote. The main conclusions from this thesis are that the traditional model should be expanded to be more strategic and include a) a broader beneficiary and stakeholder population who may be affected, either positively or negatively, by the actions of an INGO, b) the actions of all members of the organization, and c) the enduring impacts of their work over time. Accountability to beneficiaries is a concept that can be applied to all INGO projects in a way that requires minimal resources and will ultimately improve the quality of the services delivered.

"November 2003"
Bibliography: leaves 354-383.
385 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm.
Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library.
"This thesis investigates South African industrial relations through a case study of the implementation of a pilot dock labour Scheme in the port of Durban (between 1994-2001) which was part of the Transport and General Workers Union's (TGWU) proposed National Dock Labour Scheme (NDLS). The case study is selected to examine dock workers in the port of Durban, Africa's largest container port." -- SYNOPSIS
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, School of Social Sciences, Discipline of Labour Studies and Dept. of Social Inquiry, 2004

M.A. (Labour Relations)
Never before has South Africa undergone as many changes as is currently the case. With the abolition of apartheid, the looming prospect of affirmative action legislation and the need to foster a positive economic growth rate, South African human resource managers are faced with unprecendented challenges. The biggest of these challenges is the effective management of human resources in a diverse organisational environment, which has, until recently focussed almost exclusively on the development of white employees. In order to increase the competitiveness of South African organisations and to generate income for the economy, human resource management policies and systems have to be adapted. These adaptions should focus on the needs of black employees, especially in the area of organisational culture, which was traditionally based exclusively on the values of white management. In view of the above it is the goal of this study to create a system of value management to integrate the traditional cultural values of employees with the core organisational values of a specific hotel complex. The study is a combined literature study and an empirical enquiry. In the empirical enquiry the core organisational values of the hotel complex are investigated, in support of the hypothesis that South African human resource management policies are not sufficiently cognisant of the traditional values of employees. Subjects such as the nature of traditional Batswana cultural values and a value management model for the integration of organisational and cultural values will furthermore be addressed in this study.

M.A. (Industrial Relations)
This study investigates the impact of and the necessity for the Corporate Social Responsibility program of the South African Breweries. The State President's announcements on 2 February 1990 have not only affected the whole of the Republic of South Africa, but also the essence and structure of the SAB. The necessity for sound corporate identity and investment programs, especially as directed towards the creation of better living conditions and a higher qualify of life for all people, is discussed against the background of transformational policy changes as well as contributions by and demands from groupings such as the ANC-COSATU-SACP alliance. The concepts of social co-responsibility and organisational involvement are emphasised and recommendations are made and policy guidelines suggested which would enable SAB to become more dynamic and to function more effectively interculturally in a changed South Africa. Attention is drawn to the value of the social contract between employers and trade unions which can benefit both parties as well as the broader community.

After 30 years' market reforms and exported-oriented industrialization, China has created an economic miracle by playing the role of a world factory. With a case study of a high-tech electronics manufacturing firm (anonymously referred as HiTek) in Suzhou, this dissertation explores the labor process and labor relations in advanced manufacturing under the global production system and in the context of China's industrial upgrading.
In my empirical analysis, I firstly trace how global production network changes the production process and unravel the mutual influences between the labor market with local clustering and the employers' recruitment strategies. I take them as the key background factors in the shaping of the politics of flexible production. Then, I use the case study of HiTek and analyze how it implements the customized mass production with high performance and high flexibility on the shop floor in the face of volatile product markets and labor market. I point out that in order to secure the subordination and better cooperation from its workers, HiTeck gives up the direct coercive despotic factory regime and executes the flexible despotism combining with enforcing strict disciplinary management, responding to workers' interests and rights, and even establishing the internal communication mechanisms. However, I indicate that although workers obtain more legal rights, they fail to effectively improve their labor conditions under the new labor control. In the meantime, the social status of migrant workers restricts their claims for social benefits and enhances their mobility. As a result, workers have to voice and seek to make use labor market opportunities for improving their conditions. Finally, I stress that the consequence of the interaction between the global flexible production and the workers' resistance against labor control leads to the uncertain employment relationship characterized by the high turnover of workers. I also emphasize that it is Chinese workers who finally pay high costs for such a relationship: they not only fail to enhance bargaining powers with their employers, but also suffer from an insecure and uncertain environment.
The dissertation develops an analytical framework of the politics of flexible production in the age of the globalizing production. My theoretical discussion begins with the theory of production politics developed by Michael Burawoy. I emphasize that labor process should be examined not only within the workplace, but also in relation to external societal factors. I argue that the pursuit of flexibility of global production changes the structuring of labor process: the external markets are not static conditions to manufacturers, but are now becoming dynamic factors shaping production arrangements and labor control. Hence, I indicate that flexible production has brought about a sophisticated triangular relationship between the buyers from developed countries, the transnational manufacturers in newly industrialized countries, and the workers in developing countries, particularly in China. This is quite different from the previous studies wherein the focus is placed on a simple dual relationship between manufactures and workers within a single country.
薛紅.
Adviser: Tai-Lok Lui.
Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 72-10, Section: A, page: .
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 209-215).
Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web.
Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web.
Abstracts in Chinese and English.
Xue Hong.

Group relations events are intended to enable transformation through learning, but such collective experiential events are not explicitly focused on enabling individual group members to derive meaning from them. This research aims to explicate individual learning from the experiences of a group relations event, in order to formulate a process for meaning-making post an intensive experiential event. Literature reviewed provides construct definitions of systems psychodynamic aspects, as well as insight, meaning-making, coaching methods and other approaches to facilitating meaning-making. Systems psychodynamics is the theoretical paradigm that informs a qualitative phenomenological research approach. Data analysis adopted hermeneutic phenomenology to allow for the interpretation of the rich data collected. Multiple case studies were adopted using multi-pronged data collection methods, including semi-structured interviews conducted before the event, as well as both a focus group and Free Association Narrative Interviews (FANI) conducted after the event. The results are reported by case, and this is followed with an interpretation of results by various systems psychodynamic themes. Furthermore, the relationship between personality types and defences mechanisms, with the associative techniques to use for each, have been set forth as additional findings in the thesis. The research hypothesis produced by the study is a meaning-making model to facilitate post-group relations event reflections and debriefing, with the aim of enabling insight formation, learning and adaption by individuals who have participated in such events.
Psychology
Ph. D. (Psychology)

Les syndicats d’entreprise chinois souffrent d’un manque apparent de pertinence pour les salariés. Dans l’intervalle, les gouvernements et les fédérations de syndicats locaux mènent de plus en plus de réformes syndicales d’entreprise en vue de promouvoir la négociation collective et la démocratie syndicale. Ces deux tendances se produisant simultanément, c’est ainsi que les questions de recherche suivantes viennent à l’esprit: (1) D’une manière générale, la négociation collective et la démocratie syndicale améliorent-elles la pertinence des syndicats pour les salariés? (2) Dans le cas chinois, les réformes de la négociation collective et de la démocratie syndicale menées par les gouvernements et les fédérations de syndicats locaux améliorent-elles la pertinence des syndicats d’entreprise pour les salaries? Afin d’explorer et d’expliquer les variations de l’identification syndicale des employés et de l’identification des employés avec l’employeur, cette thèse développe un nouveau cadre théorique composé de quatre lignes d’analyse. Cette thèse examine d’abord les récits instrumentaux et constructivistes de l’identification syndicale des salariés. La possibilité d’une double identification, d’une identification unilatérale, ou d’une double désidentification ouvre une troisième ligne d’analyse, qui se concentre sur la relation entre l’identification des salariés – la configuration combinant l’identification syndicale des salariés et l’identification des salariés à l’employeur – et le cadre de référence pour les relations de travail. Enfin, en prenant en considération la spécificité du système chinois de relations de travail, cette thèse considère l’intervention du Parti-État en vue d’explorer comment une telle intervention affecte la démocratie syndicale et s’il existe ou non d’autres facteurs en jeu dans la relation entre la démocratie syndicale et l’intervention du Parti-Etat. Afin d’explorer ces quatre lignes d’analyse, cette thèse s’est appuyée sur des études de cas comparatives de six filiales d’entreprises multinationales étrangères dans, ce que nous appelons à des fins d’anonymat, la zone de développement économique et technologique de Binhai. Deux iv séries d’enquête sur le terrain comprenaient des entretiens dans chaque entreprise de l’échantillon avec le responsable syndical, trois à cinq membres du comité syndical, quatre ou cinq délégués syndicaux (le cas échéant), et cinq à sept membres syndicaux. Les principaux résultats empiriques sont résumés comme suit. Premièrement, trois types d’identité des syndicats d’entreprise chinois – le pont critique, le pont constructif, et le pont communicatif – à titre de pont entre les salariés et leur employeur et qui est assumé par un syndicat d’entreprise. Il existe par ailleurs une correspondance entre l’identité syndicale et l’identification des salariés. Deuxièmement, l’identification du syndicat des salariés est associée au caractère instrumental de syndicat et à la démocratie syndicale. La démocratie syndicale affecte non seulement directement l’identification du syndicat des salariés, mais affecte également le caractère instrumental de syndicat et, à son tour, a un impact indirect sur l’identification du syndicat des salariés. Les synergies entre le cadre de référence des relations de travail, la capacité stratégique syndicale, et la vitalité délibérative conduisent à la construction de l’identité syndicale. Troisièmement, le cadre de référence va du pluralisme adversarial à l’unitarisme autocratique, puis à l’unitarisme consultatif, et enfin, à l’unitarisme coordonné. En affectant l’instrumentalité syndicale, le cadre de référence affecte indirectement l’identification syndicale des salariés. Le cadre de référence affecte également l’amélioration des intérêts des salariés par un employeur et à son tour, a un impact indirect sur l’identification des salariés à l’employeur. Enfin, l’intervention du Parti-Etat affecte la démocratie syndicale mais comme modérée par la capacité stratégique.
Chinese enterprise unions suffer the apparent absence of relevance for employees. In the meantime, local governments and federations of trade unions are increasingly conducting enterprise union reforms with a view to promoting collective bargaining and union democracy. With these two trends occurring simultaneously, the following research questions come to mind: (1) Do collective bargaining and union democracy improve the relevance of trade unions for employees? (2) Do the reforms of collective bargaining and union democracy conducted by local governments and federations of trade unions in China improve the relevance of enterprise unions for employees? In order to explore and explain the variations in employee union identification and employee identification with the employer, this thesis develops a novel theoretical framework consisting of four lines of analysis. This thesis first examines the instrumental and constructivist accounts of employee union identification. The possibility of dual identification, unilateral identification, or dual disidentification opens up a third line of analysis, which focuses on the relationship between employee identification – the configuration combining employee union identification and employee identification with the employer – and the frame of reference for labour relations. Finally, in taking the specificity of the Chinese labour relations system into consideration, this thesis considers the intervention of the Party-State with a view to exploring how such intervention affects union democracy and whether or not there are other factors at play in the relationship between union democracy and the intervention of the Party-State. In order to pursue these four lines of analysis, this thesis drew on the comparative case studies of six subsidiaries of foreign multinational enterprises in, what we label for the purpose of anonymity, the Binhai Economic-Technological Development Area. Two rounds of fieldwork involved interviews in each sample enterprise with the union officer, three to five union committee members, four or five union stewards (when applicable), and five to seven union vi members. The major empirical findings are summarized as follows. First, three types of identity of the Chinese enterprise unions discussed – critical bridging, constructive bridging, and communicative bridging – emerge in terms of the role of the bridge between employees and their employer, which is played by an enterprise union. There is a link between trade union identity and employee identification. Second, employee union identification is associated with union instrumentality and union democracy. Union democracy not only directly affects employee union identification but also affects union instrumentality and in turn, has an indirect impact on employee union identification. Synergies between the frame of reference for labour relations, union strategic capacity, and deliberative vitality lead to union identity construction. Third, the frame of reference ranges from adversarial pluralism to autocratic unitarism, then to consultative unitarism, and finally, to coordinated unitarism. By affecting union instrumentality, the frame of reference indirectly affects employee union identification. The frame of reference also affects the improvement of employee interests by an employer and in turn, has an indirect impact on employee identification with the employer. Finally, the intervention of the Party-State affects union democracy but as moderated by strategic capacity.

This research is based on the premise that employees respond to dissatisfaction in general and organizational injustice in particular in two primary ways: by speaking up and/or by staying silent. This qualitative, theory-generating study examines the phenomenon of organizational injustice (including its antecedents and consequences) and employees' responses toward three research goals: 1) greater understanding of organizational injustice; 2) greater conceptual consensus through concept development of voice and silence; 3) a process model of organizational injustice, voice and silence. Also, new knowledge about voice and silence is linked to organizational practice by examining the availability of various voice systems and perceptions of their efficacy. The research design is influenced by several organizational research streams, as well as grounded theory and clinical methods. Thirty-two employees, each representing different organizations and occupying both managerial/professional positions and clerical/line positions participated in semi-structured, open-ended interviews in which they described 33 cases of workplace injustice. The interview design includes two methods: 1) a retrospective critical incident technique to discuss a workplace experience which participants defined as unjust; and 2) a projective exercise in which participants were asked to imagine that they could speak with impunity to the person(s) involved or responsible for their perceived injustice. Interview cases were supplemented by 30 archival cases of employees' voicing of discontent through a government-sponsored voice system. Significant results concerning the phenomenon of organizational injustice included the introduction of a four-category typology which departs from traditional classifications with its inclusion of interactional injustice (interpersonal mistreatment by a boss) as a distinct category, the systematic delineation and description of interactional injustice according to eight emergent behavioural dimensions, the identification of organizational antecedents to workplace injustice according to four emergent groupings (i.e., structural, procedural, cultural and global) and the identification of individual- and organizational-level consequences. In addition, the concepts of voice and silence emerged as forms of resistance to organizational injustice. Voice was found to encompass two distinct but related constructs: formal and informal voice. Specific strategies by which participants resisted injustice were identified for voice (formal and informal) and silence. A process model of voice and silence in organizational injustice was also introduced.

Sugar production in Natal agricultural estates and industrial mills began in the 1800's. The Canestone Sugar Mill and Estates (now 145 years old) which is the focus of this study, is still in operation although renovations and improvements have been done over the years. Initially the owners of these sugar farms in the Natal area employed Black labourers but soon realized that this method of cheap and available labour was not entirely suitable for their needs. In the late 1850's they initiated a process of change which saw the first group of Indian nationals arrive in South Africa in 1860. This group of people came specifically to work on these sugar farms; and their descendants, some now in their 5th generation, are still employed by the Canestone Sugar Company. With time, the standards of living have altered and the conditions of work have transformed. Thus, the level of communication has been modified and possibly improved. So the assumption can be made that there has been an element of change in existence. The following is an account of how the lives of the Canestone Sugar workers have been modified over the years with specific changes that took place from the 1960s to 1998. This thesis considers the world of Canestone from the 1960's to 1998, an area where sugar manufacturing in the North coast of Natal was extremely successful. The main intention of the work is to explain how a majority workforce of illiterate people was monopolised by a handful of literate people who used literacy and the art of writing to subjugate thousands of people into accepting, non-questioning beings. Account is taken of orality and general primary oral practices that were entertained by management whenever necessary. This thesis breaks new ground as the first detailed account of the challenges of change in a new-found democracy, described in an agrarian and industrial context. It also attempts to identify the way in which managerial changes in corporate environments can take place. In this dissertation I have compiled the many stories of the workers of the Canestone Sugar Company into one story. Against a backdrop of South African history of colonialism, apartheid and its new-found democracy, the Canestone Sugar Company reflects vestiges of the old era. In attitude, perception, and behaviour there are indications of this in the company; interviewees stated that "this is a white man's paradise "where "the black man had to pay for his head" and where many felt that the company "drank their blood, left them with their bones" and where they worked "worse than animals" until "their sweat turned into blood". I shall investigate the present status of the individuals of this multicultural working community. The individuals that I interviewed share a common work culture and they experience a subservient position as a result of the power dynamics that are in place. Van den Berghe looked at Canestone with an unbiased opinion and results of his work are the starting point of my discussion. His proposals, made in the early sixties, have not reached fruition as a great sense of dissonance still exists between the workforce and the management. This dissertation looks at how the Company has changed, and what role communication has played in the process.
Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban,2002.

In this study an attempt is made to explore the individual-organization interface -- i.e., the nature of the relationship that prevails between an organization and its members -- and determine its effects upon such outcome variables as job satisfaction, instrumentality belief and work performance. Attributes of the individual (human needs) and the organization (dimensions of organizational climate), when combined, are hypothesized to influence this interface. This investigation is based upon a sample of fourteen shipping agencies drawen from among some agencies within the Durban Customs Clearing and Forwarding Industry. Agencies in this sample are divided into two broad categories, namely members and non members of the Durban Forwarders Association. Two hundred and eighty-three managerial and clerical employees from these agencies participated in this study. Scales designed to measure a set of work related needs, organizational climate, job satisfaction, instrumentality belief and work performance are administered to groups of employees from each of the participating agencies. These scales, except for that measuring organizational climate, are subject to a statistical procedure designed to calculate reliability. Only the scales that satisfy a minimum requirement of seventy percent for reliability are used in any further analysis. A factor analysis is carried out on the refined data for the scale of work related needs. Four factors emerged, surgency, passivity, assertiveness and financial incentive. The need indices together with these factors are intercorrelated using a Pearson's Product Moment Correlation. The results show that there are distinctly different patterns of organizational climate prevailing in member and non member organizations. Member agencies tend to be affiliation orientated; non member agencies, achievement orientated. A multivariate analysis is repeatedly calculated to identify the need-climate combinations that are related to one or more of the outcome variables. Canonical correlation is then employed to calculate the variance explained by each group of combination variables. The results show that the outcome variables explain approximately eighteen percent of the total variance in the data. In conclusion it is suggested that more research be undertaken using different sets of outcome variables to establish grounds for comparing the results of similar studies. It is further suggested that research of the nature can be used by an Organization Development Consultant as a diagnostic tool for the purpose of assessing the relationship that prevails between the individual and the organization.
Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban. 1986.

This study focused on constructing a psychological retention profile by investigating the relationship between an individual’s psychological career-related attributes (psychological contract and psychosocial career preoccupations), biographical variables (generational cohorts, gender, race, marital status, job level and employment status) and retention factors (compensation, job characteristics, training and development, supervisor support, career opportunities, work/life balance and commitment) in order to inform retention management practices for diverse groups of employees in the context of higher educational environment in South Africa. A quantitative survey was conducted on a purposively selected sample of academic and support staff (N = 579) at the University of South Africa. The canonical correlation analysis indicated employer obligations and state of the psychological contract as the strongest psychological career-related variables in predicting the retention factor variables of compensation, training and development opportunities, supervisor support, career opportunities and organisational commitment. The canonical correlation data were used to inform the structural equation modelling, which indicated a good fit between employer obligations and compensation and training and development opportunities and between the state of the psychological contract and supervisor support and career opportunities. Hierarchical moderated regression showed that psychosocial career preoccupations significantly moderated the relationship between the psychological contract and training and development opportunities as retention factor. Moderated mediation modelling found that the effect of positive perceptions of employer obligations on high levels of retention factors satisfaction through the state of the psychological contract increased when the scores on psychosocial career preoccupations were high. The results also indicated that the effect of positive perceptions of employer obligations on high levels of retention factors satisfaction through positive state of psychological contract increased when the age group of participants was lower (i.e. younger generations). Tests for significant mean differences revealed significant differences in terms of the biographical variables. On a theoretical level, the study expanded the understanding of the individual and behavioural elements of the hypothesised psychological retention profile. On an empirical level, this study delivered an empirically tested psychological retention profile in terms of the behavioural elements. On a practical level, individual and organisational interventions in terms of the psychological retention profile were recommended.
Industrial and Organisational Psychology
D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

Im Zentrum der Studie stehen erfolgreiche betriebliche Anpassungsprozesse im Prozess der ostdeutschen Industrietransformation. Trotz einer breiten Forschung zur ostdeutschen Transformation ist dieses Phänomen bislang weitgehend ununtersucht. Während die Transformationsforschung in weiten Teilen vor allem von der Erwartung einer Angleichung der ostdeutschen an die westdeutschen Strukturen geprägt ist, folgen die realen Anpassungsprozesse im Zuge der ostdeutschen Industrietransformation einer eigenen, durch die spezifischen ostdeutschen Problemlagen bestimmten Logik. Auf der Mikroebene der Unternehmen entwickelte sich so eine Unternehmenslandschaft mit spezifischen Strukturmerkmalen und Eigenheiten der von den Unternehmen verfolgten Geschäftsmodelle. Auf der Makroebene sind die Unternehmen mit aus Westdeutschland transferierten Institutionen konfrontiert, die im ostdeutschen Kontext teils nur schwach institutionalisiert und begrenzt funktionsfähig sind, auch wenn der Institutionentransfer formal als gelungen gilt. Dies gilt insbesondere für die industriellen Beziehungen und die duale Berufsausbildung als Kerninstitutionen des (west-) deutschen Kapitalismusmodells. Die Studie untersucht anhand von zwölf Unternehmensfallstudien die Entwicklung und Ausprägung erfolgreicher betrieblicher Anpassungsstrategien sowie die institutionelle Einbettung der von den Unternehmen verfolgten Geschäftsmodelle. Die Arbeit stellt dabei die ostdeutschen Akteure und ihr strategisches Handeln ins Zentrum der Forschungsperspektive. Sie vertritt die These, dass die besonderen ostdeutschen Rahmenbedingungen das Handeln der ostdeutschen Akteure wesentlich stärker prägen, als dies von der Transformationsforschung wahrgenommen wird. Auf der Mikroebene müssen Unternehmen und Betriebe sich mit eigenen Strategien insbesondere auch gegen westdeutsche Wettbewerber durchsetzen. Bei der Entwicklung von Wettbewerbsstärken sind sie vor allem auf vorhandene, zu DDR-Zeiten herausgebildete industrielle Kompetenzen verwiesen, die die Transformationsforschung überhaupt nicht als betriebliche Ressource anerkennt. Auf der Makroebene müssen sie mit Institutionen umgehen, die zwar dem westdeutschem Vorbild nachgebildet wurden, aber in Ostdeutschland nicht dieselbe Funktionalität entfalten. Trotzdem unterfüttert die institutionelle Einbettung ihrer Geschäftsmodelle die von den Unternehmen verfolgten Strategien. Abschließend diskutiert die Arbeit, inwiefern das komplementäre Zusammenspiel originärer Geschäftsmodelle und spezifischer Formen der Institutionalisierung für Ostdeutschland einen eigenen sozioökonomischen Entwicklungspfad begründet.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
From 1851 to 1954, under various names, the Indiana Cotton Mills was the dominant industry in the small town of Cannelton, Indiana, mostly employing women and children. The female industrial laborers who worked in this mill during the middle and end of the nineteenth century represent an important and overlooked component of midwestern workers. Women in Cannelton played an essential role in Indiana’s transition from small scale manufacturing in the 1850s to large scale industrialization at the turn of the century. In particular, this work will provide an in-depth exploration of female operatives’ primary place in Cannelton society, their essential economic contributions to their families, and the unique tactics they used in attempts to achieve better working conditions in the mill. It will also explain the small changes in women’s work experiences from 1854 to 1884, and how ultimately marriage, not industrial work, determined the course of their later lives.