Gill Dix and Sir Brendan Barber
The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the evolving role of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) across a 40-year period against a backdrop of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the evolving role of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) across a 40-year period against a backdrop of changing workplaces and institutional frameworks.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws on the statistical and evaluation evidence together with policy commentary and employment relations literature to provide a commentary on the changing world of employment relations.
Findings
Two areas have dominated policy concerns over the period: patterns of employment disputes and the question of employment regulation. The paper argues that such a focus has stimulated some dramatic changes in the way disputes manifest in Britain, and at the same time left something of a policy vacuum in relation to the wide challenges and opportunities for improving conflict handling and the employment relationship. Through the prism of Acas’ work the paper identifies some of the enduring features that are common to improving both collective and individual relationship at work.
Originality/value
The paper brings together evidence from different sources combined with the unique perspectives of Acas and its service users to draw and provide explanations for aspects of the changing face of the work.
Details
Keywords
Whilst notions of conflict have historically underpinned the rhetoric and policy focus of employment relations, more recently the locus of debate has shifted towards the…
Abstract
Whilst notions of conflict have historically underpinned the rhetoric and policy focus of employment relations, more recently the locus of debate has shifted towards the relationship between employment relations and organisational performance. Yet, Acas remains best known for its dispute resolution services. Using new data, the paper explores Acas' dispute resolution functions, but also examines a broader range of Acas interventions aimed at supporting organisations in handling conflict through arrangements for improved employment relations. It reports data on Acas customers' perceptions of the nature and impact of Acas interventions. Focusing on the activities aimed at tackling collective issues, it considers how these fit into the Government's wider “productive workplace” agenda. It concludes that Acas' strength lies in bringing the parties to the table, both to resolve disputes and also to develop innovative strategies for improving workplace effectiveness. The paper also assesses future opportunities for seeking a more strategic approach to managing conflict at work.
Details
Keywords
– This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.
Findings
The UK has long been at the forefront of labor relations, from its origins in the Combination Laws of 1799 and 1800 and subsequent repeal in 1824 to the development of trade unions in the Victorian era and the creation of the Labour Party just before the turn of the century. In the post-industrial revolution era, the UK helped hone and mature industrial policies for workers for much of the developed and developing world.
Practical implications
The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.
Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to explore comparatively the relationship between the employment relations contexts and trends in collective conflicts based at the workplace and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore comparatively the relationship between the employment relations contexts and trends in collective conflicts based at the workplace and conflicts handled individually in employment tribunals outside the workplace.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper employs an international comparative approach comparing conflict data and employment relations models in Britain, France, Italy, Portugal and Poland.
Findings
Collective disputes are at lower levels in the 2000s than in earlier periods in each of the countries studied, while accessing employment courts appears to be as or more frequent than in the past. In France and Italy, conflict appears to be more systematically legitimated in defence of citizenship rights than elsewhere. Both individual and collective conflicts are more common than in Poland and Portugal where labour regulation and employee rights appear either less effectively enforced or, as in Britain, only weakly embedded.
Practical implications
Unions in France and Italy appear more successful in focusing media attention on their collective conflicts, and in securing somewhat more positive state intervention than in the other countries, while at the same time supporting individuals taking cases to the courts. In Poland and Portugal, there are very high levels of individual employment complaints taken to the courts, and little collective strike action, while in Britain unions find it difficult to mobilise action at both collective and individual levels.
Social implications
Unions will have to become more aware of the need to win public legitimacy for resistance if they are to continue to be able to defend workers' interests both collectively and individually.
Originality/value
The paper considers whether different national institutional frameworks are presenting similar shifts from collective‐based to individual‐based resistance in workplace disputes.
Details
Keywords
Legislative action was historically the means by which U.S. states abolished capital punishment, but such action ceased for decades following the Supreme Court's 1976 Gregg…
Abstract
Legislative action was historically the means by which U.S. states abolished capital punishment, but such action ceased for decades following the Supreme Court's 1976 Gregg decision that reaffirmed the constitutionality of the death penalty. Despite the fact that several legislatures have considered abolition bills in the modern era, only three states successfully enacted such legislation. It is my purpose in this study to analyze why states are currently struggling to pass abolition legislation and to determine which factors contribute to success. I conduct a comparative, qualitative case study of New Jersey, the first state to legislatively abolish since 1976, and Maryland, a similar state whose abolition effort recently failed. I analyze the content of legislators’ debates about the abolition bills in committee and on the legislature floor, as well as news coverage of the abolition efforts in each state's largest newspapers. I reach two primary conclusions. First, an abolition bill is more likely to be passed by Democrats than Republicans, but unified Democratic control of the government is not a sufficient condition for abolition. Second, arguments about the risk of wrongful executions and the deleterious collateral consequences of the death penalty process on the family members of murder victims are powerful sources of political support for abolition, especially where doubts about the deterrent effect of the death penalty are widespread. This study reaffirms the central importance of the innocence frame in the modern death penalty debate, and it presents the first scholarly analysis of the collateral consequences frame. These findings may help activists in the abolition movement more effectively frame their arguments to appeal to legislators.
Tali Farbiash and Andrea Berger
Inhibitory control (IC) is a central executive function that shows significant development throughout the preschool years. IC is known as a factor that underlies the ability to…
Abstract
Inhibitory control (IC) is a central executive function that shows significant development throughout the preschool years. IC is known as a factor that underlies the ability to self-regulate in daily situations. This ability is challenged when a child faces negative emotions; a challenge that is seen in children’s IC performance and brain activity. This chapter elaborates on the effects that negative emotional experiences have on children’s IC functioning. Moreover, previous studies regarding the way emotional experiences are reflected in brain activity are included. Additionally, this chapter will offer a comprehensive review of the factors affecting individual differences in IC, including the role of children’s temperamental effortful control and negative affectivity. Further, the role of parenting behaviors will be discussed, focusing on the way in which maternal self-regulation influences child inhibitory control, including related educational implications.