Although the history of trade unionism in the building trades extends back over 200 years, with building unions being among the first “new model” craft unions, the construction…
Abstract
Although the history of trade unionism in the building trades extends back over 200 years, with building unions being among the first “new model” craft unions, the construction industry has never been highly unionised. The nature of the product and the labour process, with each workplace existing only for the period of the contract and a workforce composed of mobile and often casual labour, has made union recruitment and retention a recurrent problem. A recent study suggests a decline in union density from 34.6% to 30.4% between 1983 and 1989 (Green, 1992). Whilst figures provided by other studies may differ (e.g. Waddington, 1992, Millward et al, 1992), there is no doubt about the downward trend in union membership and density in an industry which has experienced a shift from direct employment to sub‐ contracting and self‐employment.
Looks at the 2000 Employment Research Unit Annual Conference held at the University of Cardiff in Wales on 6/7 September 2000. Spotlights the 76 or so presentations within and…
Abstract
Looks at the 2000 Employment Research Unit Annual Conference held at the University of Cardiff in Wales on 6/7 September 2000. Spotlights the 76 or so presentations within and shows that these are in many, differing, areas across management research from: retail finance; precarious jobs and decisions; methodological lessons from feminism; call centre experience and disability discrimination. These and all points east and west are covered and laid out in a simple, abstract style, including, where applicable, references, endnotes and bibliography in an easy‐to‐follow manner. Summarizes each paper and also gives conclusions where needed, in a comfortable modern format.
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Richard Croucher and Jan Druker
The article examines decision‐taking in European construction companies. It confirms the increasing importance of MNEs in the industry. The extent to which corporate…
Abstract
The article examines decision‐taking in European construction companies. It confirms the increasing importance of MNEs in the industry. The extent to which corporate decision‐taking on human resource matters in construction MNEs is distinctive and is examined. Construction MNEs show an increased use of certain types of flexible working. It is shown that this is in turn linked to decreased union influence, even in some countries with strong regulatory regimes. The argument’s implication is that the emergence of a new order in the industry poses a substantial threat to construction unions. This may in the long term endanger unions’ legitimacy within the European model of co‐operation between management and employee representatives.
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Susan Corby, Geoff White, Louise Millward, Elizabeth Meerabeau and Jan Druker
This paper explores the consequences of the introduction by National Health Service (NHS) trusts (i.e. hospitals) of their own pay systems. It is based on case studies of ten NHS…
Abstract
This paper explores the consequences of the introduction by National Health Service (NHS) trusts (i.e. hospitals) of their own pay systems. It is based on case studies of ten NHS trusts and involved 73 interview sessions with a variety of stakeholders and the examination of employment data and performance indicators. The research revealed the tensions and countervailing forces inherent in NHS pay: the tension between national and local pay; the tension between simplification and the need to address the different requirements of the many occupational groups in the NHS; the tension between performance pay and feelings of equity; and the tension between equal pay and the traditional pay determination arrangements. These findings are discussed in the context of the proposed new NHS pay system.
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Tanya Bondarouk, Jan Kees Looise and Bart Lempsink
The purpose of this paper is to present the concept of human resource management (HRM) frames, to identify frame domains, and to explore their role in implementing HRM innovation…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the concept of human resource management (HRM) frames, to identify frame domains, and to explore their role in implementing HRM innovation. HRM innovation implementation is considered through the theoretical lens of social cognitive theory, and defined as a process for achieving the appropriate and committed use of HRM innovation by targeted employees.
Design/methodology/approach
An explorative case study in a construction company is conducted to illustrate the role of HRM frames in the implementation of HRM innovations. Interviews are held with 21 line managers and human resource (HR) specialists, and intensive document analysis added further data. Respondents described their understanding, assumptions and expectations of a new HRM programme, which enabled analysis of the contents of interview transcripts.
Findings
Four HRM frame domains are identified: strategic motivation, essence of HRM innovation, HRM innovation‐in‐practice and ownership. Where the HRM frames are significantly different, difficulties and conflicts in HRM innovation implementation are observed. Empirical findings illustrated how the nature, value and reasons behind the HRM innovation are interpreted by HR specialists and line managers, and that incongruent frames resulted in outcomes that deviated from those expected.
Originality/value
This paper takes a process‐based approach and considers the implementation of HRM in organisations rather than focusing on factor‐based research into HRM practices. It shows how the implementation of HRM is constructed through social‐cognitive interpretations by organisational members.
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The interpretation of any emerging form or period in art history was never a trivial task. However, in the case of digital art, technology, becoming an integral part, multiplied…
Abstract
Purpose
The interpretation of any emerging form or period in art history was never a trivial task. However, in the case of digital art, technology, becoming an integral part, multiplied the complexity of describing, systematizing and evaluating it. This article investigates the most common metadata standards for the documentation of art as a broad category and suggests possible next steps toward an extended metadata standard for digital art.
Design/methodology/approach
Describing several techno-cultural phenomena formed in the last decade, manifesting the extendibility of digital art (its ability to be easily extended across multiple modalities), the article, at first, points to the long overdue need to re-evaluate the standards around it. Then it suggests a deeper analysis through a comparative study. In the scope of the study three artworks, The Arnolfini Portrait (Jan van Eyck), an iconic example of the early Renaissance, The World's First Collaborative Sentence (Douglas Davis), a classic example of early Internet art and Fake It Till You Make It (Maya Man), a prominent example of the blockchain art, are examined following the structure of the VRA Core 4.0 standard.
Findings
The comparative study demonstrates that digital art is more multi-semantic than traditional physical art, and requires new taxonomies as well as approaches for data acquisition.
Originality/value
Acknowledging that digital art simply has not yet evolved to the stage of being systematically collected by cultural institutions for documentation, curation and preservation, but otherwise, in the past few years, it has been at the front-center of social, economic and technological trends, the article suggests looking for hints on the future-proof extended metadata standard in some of those trends.
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Ruel R. Cabahug and David J. Edwards
Conducts an in‐depth examination of the current Certification of Training Achievement (CTA) scheme and critically appraises the role of construction plant operatives within the UK…
Abstract
Conducts an in‐depth examination of the current Certification of Training Achievement (CTA) scheme and critically appraises the role of construction plant operatives within the UK construction industry. Reveals a cacophony of practitioner disapproval of the CTA scheme and the Intermediate Construction Certificate (ICC) route towards attaining the National Vocational Qualification/Scottish Vocational Qualification (NVQ/SVQ) standard.
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The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the changes that have occurred in Quality Management to demonstrate that a generational change has occurred. It then seeks…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the changes that have occurred in Quality Management to demonstrate that a generational change has occurred. It then seeks to establish a firm theoretical basis for the identified change.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is an analysis and critique of the quality management, stakeholder and management literature and is undertaken to identify emergent trends and themes. By questioning the basic assumptions underpinning the literature these trends and themes have been re‐conceptualised into a model that the authors believe helps with interpretation and explanation.
Findings
The findings in this paper are that the notion of quality, which has been around for more than a century, appears to be moving into a new phase. Having commenced as an object‐oriented measurement and control device focusing on the quality of the output (of either a product or service), it has experienced a profound expansion and reorientation to now encompass the overall management of the organisation (TQM). This paper suggests that society is now entering a third generation where notions of transparency, accountability and (social) responsibility are blending into the body of knowledge regarding quality management.
Research limitations/implications
The paper elaborates this idea further by exploring the way in which organisations engage with the broader society in which they operate. It also seeks to develop a theoretical understanding of that growing engagement. In doing this it uses the notion of transactivity, which underpins the connections between the organisation and its societal and business context. More importantly, it demonstrates how this notion provides a link between the changing concept of quality management and the increasingly significant notion of stakeholders. It finally aims to demonstrate that a transformed concept of quality management is emerging in which society plays a quintessential part.
Originality/value
The paper provides a perspective on the quality movement that will help people to identify that the many disparate individual developments in the field are in fact part of a wider, fundamental change that has major implications and consequences.
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Lyal White, Pamela Fuhrmann and Ruth Crichton
The learning outcomes of this study are to assess the shared value model and elaborate on new multi-stakeholder approaches to business, where the stakeholders include the…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes of this study are to assess the shared value model and elaborate on new multi-stakeholder approaches to business, where the stakeholders include the founders, investors, partners, employees, clients and the surrounding community; to consider the synergies between community development, environmental stewardship, sustainable business practices and the long-term health of organisations and communities, considering these as the new fundamentals of business; to examine the interconnectedness of vision, strategy, purpose and leadership in creating and evolving the shared value model; to explore the relationship between shared value practices and collective well-being, and a specific reference to nurturing transformative experiences through nature, personal development and community upliftment is made; and to assess Grootbos’ ability to translate their purpose and value proposition into a strategy and sustainable vision with a possibility of Grootbos achieving global impact through its evolving model, beyond the founder.
Case overview/synopsis
This case study explores the evolution of Grootbos Private Nature Reserve and Foundation, a luxury hospitality lodge and award-winning ecotourism destination, from humble beginnings in the Western Cape of South Africa to a global example of conservation, community, commerce sustainability and transformative experiences. The establishing of Grootbos and its growth and widespread recognition can be attributed to the vision and inspirational leadership of its founder, Michael Lutzeyer. Although much success has been achieved in conservation, community upliftment and individual development of community members within their region, Lutzeyer’s and ultimately, Grootbos’ vision extended well beyond South Africa and aspired to elevate their floral kingdom and model of development and conservation to a global platform of awareness. Although a shared value vision and strategy had transformed the business, placing Grootbos as a leader in transforming their industry and sparking an evolution in the shared value model itself through the interjection of transformative experiences, the larger question remained: How can Grootbos extend the impact, towards people and planetary well-being, beyond the scope of their individual place-based business and their industry? And in terms of the dilemma Lutzeyer and the management team at Grootbos faced: How will this vision and global ambition continue through succession, beyond Luzeyer’s personal drive at the helm?
Complexity academic level
Experienced leaders within a graduate degree program, executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) or executive education in the areas of leadership development, strategy, shared value and international business.
Supplementary material
Teaching notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS4: Environmental management.