This paper has the aim of revisiting the works of Beatrice and Sidney Webb in the field of industrial relations and assessing their intellectual contributions to the study of the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper has the aim of revisiting the works of Beatrice and Sidney Webb in the field of industrial relations and assessing their intellectual contributions to the study of the labour market, unions and collective bargaining in Britain.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper discusses the Webbs' studies of trade union history and union organisation, policy and methods that were first published at the end of the nineteenth century.
Findings
In refuting critiques of unions in the market economy by English classical and neo‐classical economists, and drawing on the ideas of the German school of historical economics, the Webbs incorporated organised labour into mainstream economic and political thought. Their major theoretical propositions were to set out an “agency model” of trade unions and an advanced system of democracy, in politics and at work, which unions would play a major part in promoting. In justifying the collectivisation of the employment relationship, the Webbs provided the intellectual foundations of the pluralist‐institutional model of industrial relations, which was built upon by other scholars following the end of the World War II. Their prediction that collective bargaining would decline in importance, as democracy matured, and be replaced by legal regulation, has taken place for reasons unforeseen by themselves.
Originality/value
The value of this paper is its reassessment of the Webbs' contribution to theory in the field and to the British collectivist tradition of industrial relations.
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James G. MacKinnon and Matthew D. Webb
When there are few treated clusters in a pure treatment or difference-in-differences setting, t tests based on a cluster-robust variance estimator can severely over-reject…
Abstract
When there are few treated clusters in a pure treatment or difference-in-differences setting, t tests based on a cluster-robust variance estimator can severely over-reject. Although procedures based on the wild cluster bootstrap often work well when the number of treated clusters is not too small, they can either over-reject or under-reject seriously when it is. In a previous paper, we showed that procedures based on randomization inference (RI) can work well in such cases. However, RI can be impractical when the number of possible randomizations is small. We propose a bootstrap-based alternative to RI, which mitigates the discrete nature of RI p values in the few-clusters case. We also compare it to two other procedures. None of them works perfectly when the number of clusters is very small, but they can work surprisingly well.
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Examines the debate (1891‐1923) concerning whether women shouldreceive equal pay for equal work and whether they should have equalemployment opportunities. Addresses the issues…
Abstract
Examines the debate (1891‐1923) concerning whether women should receive equal pay for equal work and whether they should have equal employment opportunities. Addresses the issues surrounding equal employment opportunities for women, whether women′s work performance was equal to that of men, the question of equal pay and, finally, the debate over equal pay vs equal job opportunity.
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Ed Fay and Julianne Nyhan
This paper aims to make a contribution to the ongoing debates about the nature, value and potential of closer collaboration between digital humanities (DH) and the library sector…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to make a contribution to the ongoing debates about the nature, value and potential of closer collaboration between digital humanities (DH) and the library sector by identifying and contextualising the types of new knowledge that were created through such a collaboration on the London School of Economics’s Webbs on the Web project.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative approach comprising a literature review, a case study of Webbs on the Web, a summary and analysis of the results of user testing and a critical analysis of the collaboration itself.
Findings
A deeper understanding of the complementary skills of library professionals and DH researchers and how they may best be utilised in digital library development will lead, ceteris paribus, to richer and more fit-for-purpose digital scholarly resources. This is exemplified by Webbs on the Web, where the unique but complementary perspectives that such groups brought to user testing enhanced the usability of the resource for a wide range of audiences. Furthermore, the kinds of collaborations that characterised this project reflect broader changes in academic communities and digital library development, and a host of mutually beneficial outcomes can be pursued as a result of such changes.
Originality/value
We demonstrate the benefits that can flow from breaking down boundaries and hierarchies between the academic library professional and DH researcher. We advance the current literature by providing concrete examples of practice; much of the current literature tends to be more abstract in nature.
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Rosetta A. Morris Morant and David C. Jacobs
The purpose of this paper is to trace the historical foundation of the efficiency wage theory and examine its conceptual framework against other wage theories, in relation to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to trace the historical foundation of the efficiency wage theory and examine its conceptual framework against other wage theories, in relation to conventional practices in human resource management.
Design/methodology/approach
Following a description of various wage theories, a conceptual analysis maps the evolutionary process of efficiency wage theory.
Findings
The concept of efficiency being applied to wages appears to evolve from Smith. The difference between the classical and the institutionalists’ perspectives appears to be the meaning ascribed to efficiency. Clark seemed to be the first one to examine the relationship between labor and productivity. Webb expanded the meaning of efficiency and demonstrated the relationship with productivity. Institutional and behavioral theorists further developed and advocated for efficiency wages. A synthesis of recent empirical studies provides support for the theory, which challenges conventional human resource management wage practices.
Practical implications
The findings solidify the usefulness of efficiency wage theory not only as a motivational management tool but also as a source for social and economic well-being.
Originality/value
The contribution of this historical account is that it synthesizes the root and development of efficiency wages theory. It also highlights the social context of the theory and provides an interface between economic and management perspectives.
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L.J. Harman, L.J. Russell and L.J. Karminski
February 20, 1969 Master and servant — Wrongful dismissal — Gardener — Written contract — Express term for three months' notice of termination of contract — Deterioration in work…
Abstract
February 20, 1969 Master and servant — Wrongful dismissal — Gardener — Written contract — Express term for three months' notice of termination of contract — Deterioration in work — Complaints of “dumb insolence” — Final act of insolence — Whether indicating repudiation of responsibilities under contract — Whether summary dismissal justified.
Robert Webb, Cormac Bryce and Duncan Watson
This paper aims to investigate the effect of UK building society demutualisation on levels of efficiency at the largest five commercial banks in the UK.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the effect of UK building society demutualisation on levels of efficiency at the largest five commercial banks in the UK.
Design/methodology/approach
This research utilises data envelopment analysis (DEA) within a rarely adopted windows framework to analyse efficiency. The study also incorporates a novel risk proxy in the profit‐orientated approach to determine DEA input/output which proves a useful innovation to the methodology.
Findings
The overall aggregate results suggest that converting building societies outperformed their bank counterparts in all areas of efficiency and that scale efficiency dominates pure technical efficiency. Interestingly, the results also indicate that the level at which institutions continue to find economies of scale had increased when compared to previous research.
Originality/value
The period of building society demutualisation offers an empirical opportunity to examine deregulation upon market participants. It is felt that this study offers academics, regulators and participants within the financial services environment an insight into the efficiency impact of deregulation.
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The Jason Bourne series of films (2002–2016) are widely acknowledged with helping to successfully re-invent the action thriller genre in the 2000s by focusing more on motivation…
Abstract
The Jason Bourne series of films (2002–2016) are widely acknowledged with helping to successfully re-invent the action thriller genre in the 2000s by focusing more on motivation and plot than over-the-top spectacle. Featuring a profoundly wounded son figure in the titular character, the films are indicative of an awareness of the vulnerabilities and reactions of a fatherless masculinity within a post-Cold War political reality.
This chapter will argue that Bourne's onscreen pain and subsequent violent responses to his various narrative predicaments are a result of being repeatedly betrayed by a series of older males, in many cases, father surrogates. Bourne's experience of this paternal disruption and betrayal is the key psychological motivating factor, with the films and the story arc of the character only being resolved when both he and the audience finally discover and reconcile the role that his biological father played in shaping his destiny and his life. This ‘father hunger’ – in effect a need for a continuative masculinity – that Jason Bourne experiences, and that is arguably at the heart of the franchise, will be analysed and explored within the contexts of post-Jungian screen theory. Alongside the deliberately casting of ‘quality’ actors (such as Brian Cox, Joan Allen, Tommy Lee Jones, David Strathairn) and other formalist elements of the text, archetypal energies and symbolism are also rife throughout the film, and can be, in part, credited with the critical and commercial success of the films. Finally, the films are put in their cinematic context in terms of the influence they subsequently exerted on other action film franchises – particularly James Bond (1962 to present).
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In his explication of nationalist activity in Scotland since 1707, Tony Dickson, although falling into the realms of economic expressivism, must be commended for raising a number…
Abstract
In his explication of nationalist activity in Scotland since 1707, Tony Dickson, although falling into the realms of economic expressivism, must be commended for raising a number of important issues which have until recently been elusive, or, at least, never considered together. It is the inter‐relation of these issues which, for the first time, allows us to begin to develop a specific theory of Scottish Nationalism. These issues may be compartmentalised into three broad pre‐requisites:
Brian Hillier and M.V. Ibrahimo
Generalizes existing models of credit markets under asymmetricinformation. The general model accommodates the adverse selectionarguments of Stiglitz and Weiss and the favourable…
Abstract
Generalizes existing models of credit markets under asymmetric information. The general model accommodates the adverse selection arguments of Stiglitz and Weiss and the favourable selection arguments of de Meza and Webb, and contains their models as special cases. Market equilibrium may exhibit credit rationing, while aggregate investment may be above or below the first‐best level. A novel issue presented is that inefficiencies may involve not merely the volume of investment but also its composition.