...Which perspective, unitary, pluralist or radical offers the most robust explanation for the decline in Trades Unions? This essay will look at statistics on membership and density, along with important legislation to conclude whether there has been a decline in trade unions. A trade union is an organisation that looks after the interests of its members, usually employees of a particular industry. Jackson (1982, p.1) cites Webb and Webb (1942, p.1) that a trade union is “A continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the condition of their working lives”. This is a very succinct definition of trade unions, but it gets across their main purpose. Several perspectives will be examined for the function of trade unions in each, to try and determine if one perspective offers a clear and suitable explanation for a potential decline in trade unions. It has been suggested that there has been a decline in trade unions. Hamish Fraser (1999, p.231) indicates that trade union membership was on the rise well into the late 1970’s “In 1974 for the first time ever…union density…crossed the...50% mark overall and would continue to rise until 1979”. This shows that as late as 1979 trade unions were in a very strong position; they had their largest ever membership density. Using figures from Jackson (1982, p.4) we can see that in 1978 there were 462 unions within the UK with 13,112,000 members, and that 80% of total union members within the UK belonged to the...
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...punishment in order to ensure employee work performance and conduct matches the managers expectation and follows defined company agendas’ which are in turn dictated from above by directors. This method of control is centralised, and relies heavily on administrative techniques and established hierarchies within the company to communicate its policies to employees. This essay will provide a context of the development of bureaucratic control, highlight its key factors and supply some relevant examples of this type of control at Victoria University. Bureaucratic management was first proposed by German sociologist Max Weber (Williams & McWilliams, 2010) as an alternative to the monarchical system of promoting by virtue of birthright. His definition of bureaucracy was to effect control of an organisation through knowledge. As such, the premise of this thought was to promote on merit rather than heredity to ensure maximum output through the utilisation of the most qualified rather than the most connected (in this circumstance, ‘connected’ refers to the relationship one has with those in charge). This idea of fairness versus favouritism would increase overall efficiency towards the realisation of company objectives. This development was a significant deviation from previous practices in supervision, with logical policies replacing traditions. As a result of this organisational model, bureaucracy within companies became a method of creating an efficient environment within large interdisciplinary...
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...Examine the use David Simpson makes of Ẑiẑek’s theoretical work in his study 9/11: The Culture of Commemoration. “The routines of commemorative culture, whether private or public, exist to mediate and accommodate the unbearably dissonant agonies of the survivors into a larger picture that can be metaphysical or national-political and is often both at once.” (Simpson 2) David Simpson’s study 9/11: The Culture of Commemoration published in 2006 focuses on a post-9/11 America wracked by fear and paranoia. The “war against terror” implacably positions the American nation against vengeful messianic Islamist “terrorists” who represent the other, the enemy, and are identifiable en masse as “the culture of terror”. The tragic events of the day known globally as 9/11 shattered any illusion Americans might have had about an ethic of tolerance operating both within and without their borders. But Simpson notes in his introductory arguments that while that day has been represented as a rupture with known reality it had a familiarity about it that can be traced over time to the influence of television and film, and was thus already embedded within American culture as a shocking explosive tragedy waiting to happen. Simpson states unequivocally that it’s time we turned to “those who speak for theory” to guide and lead us towards a new cultural understanding of 9/11, mentioning the Slovenian philosopher and cultural theorist Slavoj Ẑiẑek as part of a respected cohort of theorists: “The...
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...translating the first German version of parts of the Introduction; Smelser has profited from the research assistance and critical analyses given by Joppke. 1. Social Change and Modernity Those who organized the conference on which this volume is based—including the editors— decided to use the terms "social change" and "modernity" as the organizing concepts for this project. Because these terms enjoy wide usage in contemporary sociology and are general and inclusive, they seem preferable to more specific terms such as "evolution" "progress," "differentiation," or even "development," many of which evoke more specific mechanisms, processes, and directions of change. Likewise, we have excluded historically specific terms such as "late capitalism" and "industrial society" even though these concepts figure prominently in many of the contributions to this volume. The conference strategy called for a general statement of a metaframework for the study of social change within which a variety of more specific theories could be identified. 2. Theories of Social Change Change is such an evident feature of social reality that any social-scientific theory, whatever its conceptual starting point, must sooner or later address it. At the same time it is essential to note that the ways social change has been identified have varied greatly in the history of thought. Furthermore, conceptions of change appear to have mirrored the historical ―2― realities of different epochs in large degree...
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...contents List of figures List of tables About the authors About the contributors Preface Authors’ acknowledgements Tour of the book HRM as I see it: video and text feature Publisher’s acknowledgements Key topics grid xviii xx xxi xxii xxv xxxiii xxxiv xxxvi xxxviii xl 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 5 6 8 9 9 13 16 17 18 18 20 22 22 24 25 27 30 I the arena of contemporary human resource management 1 the nature of contemporary HRM John Bratton Outline Objectives Introduction The development of HRM Keynesianism: collectivism and personnel management HRM in practice 1.1: A new role for HR professionals Neo-liberalism: individualism and HRM Management and HRM The meaning of ‘human resource’ The meaning of ‘management’ The nature of the employment relationship Scope and functions of HRM Theoretical perspectives on HRM HRM in practice 1.2: Twenty-first-century senior HR leaders have a changing role The Fombrun, Tichy and Devanna model of HRM The Harvard model of HRM The Guest model of HRM The Warwick model of HRM The Storey model of HRM HRM and globalization: The HRM model in advancing economies? Ulrich’s strategic partner model of HRM Studying HRM Critique and paradox in HRM viii contents ix Case study: Canterbury Hospital Summary, Vocab checklist for ESL students, Review questions and Further reading to improve your mark 33 34 37 37 37 38 38 39 41 44 44 45 46 48 50 52 54 55 56 56 58 60 62 65 66 69 69 69 70 70 71 72 72 73 73 74 77 78 80 81 88 92 2 corporate strategy and strategic...
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...Subscriptions: http://bas.sagepub.com/subscriptions Reprints: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsReprints.nav Permissions: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav Citations http://bas.sagepub.com/cgi/content/refs/38/3/268 Downloaded from http://bas.sagepub.com at Biblioteca di Ateneo - Trento on April 28, 2010 Carroll / CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY BUSINESS & SOCIETY / September 1999 Corporate Social Responsibility Evolution of a Definitional Construct ARCHIE B. CARROLL University of Georgia There is an impressive history associated with the evolution of the concept and definition of corporate social responsibility (CSR). In this article, the author traces the evolution of the CSR construct beginning in the 1950s, which marks the modern era of CSR. Definitions expanded during the 1960s and proliferated during the 1970s. In the 1980s, there were fewer new definitions, more empirical research, and alternative themes began to mature. These alternative themes included corporate social performance (CSP), stakeholder theory, and business ethics theory. In the 1990s, CSR continues to serve as a core construct but yields to or is transformed into alternative thematic frameworks. The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has a long and varied history. It is possible to trace evidences of the business...
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...50 Key Concepts in Gender Studies Jane Pilcher & Imelda Whelehan Fifty Key Concepts in Gender Studies i Recent volumes include: Key Concepts in Social Research Geoff Payne and Judy Payne Key Concepts in Medical Sociology Jonathan Gabe, Mike Bury and Mary Ann Elston Forthcoming titles include: Key Concepts in Leisure Studies David Harris Key Concepts in Critical Social Theory Nick Crossley Key Concepts in Urban Studies Mark Gottdiener The SAGE Key Concepts series provide students with accessible and authoritative knowledge of the essential topics in a variety of disciplines. Cross-referenced throughout, the format encourages critical evaluation through understanding. Written by experienced and respected academics, the books are indispensable study aids and guides to comprehension. JANE PILCHER AND IMELDA WHELEHAN Fifty Key Concepts in Gender Studies SAGE Publications London • Thousand Oaks • New Delhi iii © Jane Pilcher and Imelda Whelehan 2004 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in writing from the Publishers. SAGE Publications Ltd 1 Oliver’s Yard 55 City Road London EC1Y 1SP SAGE Publications Inc 2455 Teller Road Thousand Oaks, California 91320 SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd B-42 Panchsheel Enclave Post Box 4109 New Delhi 100 017 British Library...
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... Nature of communication People define terms in different ways, and those differences in definition can have a profound impact on the extent to which we understand each other and the way we move forward with both academic and everyday pursuits. Given the variety of ways in which words are used and understood, we are often ill-served to search for the single, so-called correct definition of a term. In other words, it is better to evaluate definition in terms of their utility rather than in terms of their correctness. So we should not assume that there is always a single right way to define a concept. There is a great deal of variation in the definitions. Some are very abstract and some are extremely specific. Few definitions are cited below. Communication is the process by which an individual (the communicator) transmits stimuli (usually verbal) to modify the behavior of other individuals (the audience). (Hovland Janis and Kelly in 1953) Communication is the process by which we understand others and in turn endeavor to be understood by them. It is dynamic, constantly changing and shifting in response to the total situation (Anderson, 1959) Communication is all of the procedures by which one mind can affect another (W. Weaver, 1949) Communication means that information is passed from one place to another. (Miller, 1951) These definitions are incomplete in the sense that Weaver’s definition is...
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...Ethical Issues in Business Thomas Donaldson and Patricia Werhane Some definitions: Ethics – the study of whatever is right and good for humans Business ethics – business actions etc in light of some aspect of human value. - it requires the evaluation of business practices. - Goes beyond facts to include the “ought to” of a situation. The two traditional issues involved with ethics: 1. Ethical Relativism – are there universal values that apply to everyone or is everything relative to individual, country, company etc. a. Relates to cultural relativism. This presumes that different peoples reason about morality varies by culture, education and religious traditions. b. Arguments for ER are: i. Empirical evidence of cultural relativism. ii. There is no viable universal standard that can be applied to everyone. c. Arguments against ER are: i. Just because finding universals is hard – that does not imply that ER is correct. ii. Just because a particular issues is not resolved does not imply that it is, in principle, not ever resolvable. iii. Taking ER to its full extent means that you can’t justify any moral judgements at all. d. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (1977) attempted to legislate that what we say is moral is how we should behave. This Act was driven by the issue that you are being inconsistent with yourself if you say something is immoral yet do it anyway just because you are in a foreign country. 2. Truth telling – can you ever justify...
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...Report No 55 Gender and Development: Concepts and Definitions Prepared for the Department for International Development (DFID) for its gender mainstreaming intranet resource by Hazel Reeves and Sally Baden February 2000 BRIDGE (development - gender) Institute of Development Studies University of Sussex Brighton BN1 9RE, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1273 606261 Fax: +44 (0) 1273 621202 Email: bridge@ids.ac.uk Website: http://www.ids.ac.uk/bridge/ © Institute of Development Studies ISBN 1 85864 381 3 Contents 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 2. Quick Definitions ................................................................................................... 2 3. Detailed Explanations and Further Reading ....................................................... 4 Culture ..................................................................................................................... 4 Gender Analysis ...................................................................................................... 6 Gender Discrimination ............................................................................................. 7 Gender Division of Labour....................................................................................... 8 Gender Equality and Equity................................................................................... 10 Gender Mainstreaming ................
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...Report No 55 Gender and Development: Concepts and Definitions Prepared for the Department for International Development (DFID) for its gender mainstreaming intranet resource by Hazel Reeves and Sally Baden February 2000 BRIDGE (development - gender) Institute of Development Studies University of Sussex Brighton BN1 9RE, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1273 606261 Fax: +44 (0) 1273 621202 Email: bridge@ids.ac.uk Website: http://www.ids.ac.uk/bridge/ © Institute of Development Studies ISBN 1 85864 381 3 Contents 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 2. Quick Definitions ................................................................................................... 2 3. Detailed Explanations and Further Reading ....................................................... 4 Culture ..................................................................................................................... 4 Gender Analysis ...................................................................................................... 6 Gender Discrimination ............................................................................................. 7 Gender Division of Labour....................................................................................... 8 Gender Equality and Equity................................................................................... 10 Gender Mainstreaming ................
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...Research Paper No. 2006/54 Central Banks as Agents of Economic Development Gerald Epstein* May 2006 Abstract In the last two decades, there has been a global sea change in the theory and practice of central banking. The currently dominant ‘best practice’ approach to central banking consists of the following: (1) central bank independence (2) a focus on inflation fighting (including adopting formal ‘inflation targeting’) and (3) the use of indirect methods of monetary policy (that is, short-term interest rates as opposed to direct methods such as credit ceilings). This paper argues that this neo-liberal approach to central banking is highly idiosyncratic in that, as a package, it is dramatically different from the historically dominant theory and practice of central banking, not only in the developing world, but, notably, in the now developed countries themselves. Throughout the early and recent history of central banking in the US, England, Europe, and elsewhere, financing governments, managing exchange rates, and supporting economic sectors by using ‘direct methods’ of intervention have been among the most important tasks of central banking and, indeed, in many cases, were among the reasons for their existence. The neo-liberal central bank policy package, then, is drastically out of step with the history and dominant practice of central banking throughout most of its history. Keywords: financing, institutions, central banks, history, development JEL classification: E5, N2, O2 ...
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...Nihilism!!! What is Nihilism? A common (but misleading) description of nihilism is the 'belief in nothing'. Instead, a far more useful one would substitute 'faith' for 'belief' where faith is defined as the "firm belief in something for which there is no proof." A universal definition of nihilism could then well be the rejection of that which requires faith for salvation or actualization and would span to include anything from theology to secular ideology. Within nihilism faith and similar values are discarded because they've no absolute, objective substance, they are invalid serving only as yet another exploitable lie never producing any strategically beneficial outcome. Faith is an imperative hazard to group and individual because it compels suspension of reason, critical analysis and common sense. Faith is "don't let those pesky facts get in the way of our political plan or our mystically ordained path to heaven"; faith is "do what I tell you because I said so". All things that can't be disproved need faith, utopia needs faith, idealism needs faith, and spiritual salvation needs faith. Fuck faith. The second element nihilism rejects is the belief in final purpose, that the universe is built upon non-random events and that everything is structured towards an eventual conclusive revelation. This is called teleology and it's the fatal flaw plaguing the whole rainbow of false solutions from Marxism to Buddhism and everything in between. Teleology compels obedience towards the...
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...cover next page > title author publisher isbn10 | asin print isbn13 ebook isbn13 language subject publication date lcc ddc subject : : : : : : : : : : : cover next page > < previous page page_i next page > Page i 1100 Words You Need to Know Fourth Edition Murray Bromberg Principal Emeritus Andrew Jackson High School, Queens, New York Melvin Gordon Reading Specialist New York City Schools . . . Invest fifteen minutes a day for forty-six weeks in order to master 920 new words and almost 200 useful idioms < previous page page_i next page > < previous page page_ii next page > Page ii © Copyright 2000 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. Prior edition © Copyright 1993, 1987, 1971 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photostat, microfilm, xerography, or any other means, or incorporated into any information retrieval system, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the copyright owner. All inquiries should be addressed to: Barron's Educational Series, Inc. 250 Wireless Boulevard Hauppauge, NY 11788 http://www.barronseduc.com Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 00-030344 International Standard Book Number 0-7641-1365-8 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bromberg, Murray. 1100 words you need to know / Murray Bromberg, Melvin Gordon. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 0-7641-1365-8 1. Vocabulary. I. Title: Eleven hundred words you need...
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...Multinational Corporations and Foreign Direct Investment This page intentionally left blank Multinational Corporations and Foreign Direct Investment Avoiding Simplicity, Embracing Complexity Stephen D. Cohen 1 2007 1 Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Copyright # 2007 by Oxford University Press Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Cohen, Stephen D. Multinational corporations and foreign direct investment: avoiding simplicity, embracing complexity / Stephen D. Cohen. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN-13 978-0-19-517935-4; 978-0-19-517936-1 (pbk.) ISBN 0-19-517935-8; 0-19-517936-6 (pbk.) 1. International...
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