The Role of Employment Relations in the Competitive Strategies of Low Cost Airlines in Australia. Employment-relations issues are key determinants of an airline's performance. Air transport is important for Australia. Australia has experienced failing airlines (e.g. Ansett, Compass); its most successful airline, Qantas, charges high fares and one of its priorities is improving its employment relations. This project will investigate airlines' critical success factors with special attention to the ....The Role of Employment Relations in the Competitive Strategies of Low Cost Airlines in Australia. Employment-relations issues are key determinants of an airline's performance. Air transport is important for Australia. Australia has experienced failing airlines (e.g. Ansett, Compass); its most successful airline, Qantas, charges high fares and one of its priorities is improving its employment relations. This project will investigate airlines' critical success factors with special attention to the links between corporate strategies and employment relations. Besides investigating Qantas, it will link with MIT's Global Airline Industry Program to consider the transformation of Australia's aviation industry and, in particular, the innovations pioneered by low-cost airlines: JetStar and Virgin Blue.Read moreRead less
The Rise and Retention of the 'Authoritarian Taylorism' Perspective as Orthodoxy in the Employment Relations Field. In the late 1980s revisionist historians of the employment relationship began questioning the belief that Taylorism is an authoritarian, anti-union school of management. These scholars argued that the managers and theorists who predominated within the U.S. interwar Taylorist movement were unique in the management community in the extent to which they promoted industrial democracy, ....The Rise and Retention of the 'Authoritarian Taylorism' Perspective as Orthodoxy in the Employment Relations Field. In the late 1980s revisionist historians of the employment relationship began questioning the belief that Taylorism is an authoritarian, anti-union school of management. These scholars argued that the managers and theorists who predominated within the U.S. interwar Taylorist movement were unique in the management community in the extent to which they promoted industrial democracy, mutual gains, and gender equality. In the light of this knowledge, this project explores how it could be that the authoritarian Taylorist perspective became accepted by all schools within the employment relations field and what the notion of progressive Taylorism offers employment relations analysis and reform.Read moreRead less
Enterprise Labour Flexibility, Worker Security and Wellbeing: China and India Compared. Arguably China and India are currently the two nations most likely to reshape employment practices and the nature of work globally in the coming years. Sections of the Australian community who will benefit from the research include politicians, employees and employers as all three require a detailed knowledge of the labour policies and practices of these two major trading partners as they continue to confront ....Enterprise Labour Flexibility, Worker Security and Wellbeing: China and India Compared. Arguably China and India are currently the two nations most likely to reshape employment practices and the nature of work globally in the coming years. Sections of the Australian community who will benefit from the research include politicians, employees and employers as all three require a detailed knowledge of the labour policies and practices of these two major trading partners as they continue to confront the unending problem of labour market management and workplace reform. The research will also be of value to investors considering investing in either country and who need to make decisions regarding where to invest and how investments might be optimised. Read moreRead less
Small business job creation: employer and employee perspectives of job quality. Small business is high on the policy agenda as employment growth is trending downwards. Recent recommendations to increase small business employment highlight the importance of both quantity and job quality. This project will investigate what is a quality small business job from employer and employee perspectives. The research will focus on new small business jobs in the Latrobe Valley - a 'less favored' region. The ....Small business job creation: employer and employee perspectives of job quality. Small business is high on the policy agenda as employment growth is trending downwards. Recent recommendations to increase small business employment highlight the importance of both quantity and job quality. This project will investigate what is a quality small business job from employer and employee perspectives. The research will focus on new small business jobs in the Latrobe Valley - a 'less favored' region. The findings will fill a significant gap in knowledge about the process of job generation and lead to a better understanding of the determinants of job quality from different perspectives, which can assist economic policy development.Read moreRead less
Implications of Emerging Forms of Labour Management in Transitional Economies for Households Livelihood Strategies: China and Vietnam. This project aims to (1) investigate institutional changes to labour management during the economic transitions of China and Vietnam and (2) analyse their impact on the livelihood strategies of households. The research will be based on a large interview study of officials, managers and workers in the TCF and electronics industries in four cities. The project wi ....Implications of Emerging Forms of Labour Management in Transitional Economies for Households Livelihood Strategies: China and Vietnam. This project aims to (1) investigate institutional changes to labour management during the economic transitions of China and Vietnam and (2) analyse their impact on the livelihood strategies of households. The research will be based on a large interview study of officials, managers and workers in the TCF and electronics industries in four cities. The project will contribute details about China and Vietnam to the theoretical literature about the management of labour and the relations between restructuring / transition and gender at work. The project will inform policy makers, businesses, nongovernment groups and academics about the social implications of transition.Read moreRead less
Efficiency, justice and voice: a study of effective ways to prevent and settle workplace disputes. Formal and informal dispute procedures are used to settle workplace conflict which, if not managed well, imposes major costs on society. This project aims to improve the design and implementation of dispute procedures. The research uses an innovative analytical approach based on the concepts of efficiency, workplace justice and employee voice.
Workers of the world: International labour movement responses to globalization. Industrial relations was the most significant issue in the 2007 federal election. The return of the Labor Government suggests the majority of Australians wished to preserve workers' rights to bargain collectively for better wages and working conditions. This project speaks directly to such concerns by analysing the global forces that have prompted anti-worker policies internationally and the worldwide responses on th ....Workers of the world: International labour movement responses to globalization. Industrial relations was the most significant issue in the 2007 federal election. The return of the Labor Government suggests the majority of Australians wished to preserve workers' rights to bargain collectively for better wages and working conditions. This project speaks directly to such concerns by analysing the global forces that have prompted anti-worker policies internationally and the worldwide responses on the part of labour movements. It will also incorporate Australian scholarship and subject-matter into a major comparative study for an international audience, at a time when the global political pendulum has swung in the direction of confronting corporate excesses and improving employees' living and working standards.Read moreRead less
Labour Matters: The Recomposition of Trade Union Action in a Globalising Era: Australia and Canada1983-2003. Trade unions are struggling to craft innovative responses to globalisation's pressures, while seeking to shore up their traditional role in 'porous' national economies. We compare Australia with Canada 1983-2003: semi-peripheral countries facing similar pressures from globalisation, but responding differently in governance and trade union action. Labour innovation is set against the backd ....Labour Matters: The Recomposition of Trade Union Action in a Globalising Era: Australia and Canada1983-2003. Trade unions are struggling to craft innovative responses to globalisation's pressures, while seeking to shore up their traditional role in 'porous' national economies. We compare Australia with Canada 1983-2003: semi-peripheral countries facing similar pressures from globalisation, but responding differently in governance and trade union action. Labour innovation is set against the backdrop of changes in employment regulation and employment security. We examine innovation through national and transnational union campaigns that parallel in two countries, to evaluate innovation in Australia. Postgraduate research training in internationally comparative social science methodology is provided and results disseminated in academic, practitioner and public fora.Read moreRead less
Casual Employees and Trade Union Representation in Australia: An analysis of channels and barriers to effective trade union representation. This study aims to describe and explain the barriers and channels to effective representation of casual workers in Australian unions, using analysis of ABS data, a survey of casual workers, semi-structured interviews with union officials, and case-studies of union campaigns. The study offers an innovative multi-disciplinary framework for analysis of two of t ....Casual Employees and Trade Union Representation in Australia: An analysis of channels and barriers to effective trade union representation. This study aims to describe and explain the barriers and channels to effective representation of casual workers in Australian unions, using analysis of ABS data, a survey of casual workers, semi-structured interviews with union officials, and case-studies of union campaigns. The study offers an innovative multi-disciplinary framework for analysis of two of the most significant and interlocking trends affecting Australian workplaces: the growth of casual work and the decline of union influence. Outcomes will include published contributions to the international academic literature on labour restructuring and union renewal and a policy-oriented discussion paper for an Australian audience.Read moreRead less
Protected Action Ballots and Protected Industrial Action under the Fair Work Act: The Impact of Ballot Procedures on Enterprise Bargaining Processes. Under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), lawful industrial action may be taken by employees in support of collective bargaining, provided that they have first authorised the action in a secret ballot. This research project explores the effect of the statutory process by which a bargaining representative of such employees seeks permission from the Fair W ....Protected Action Ballots and Protected Industrial Action under the Fair Work Act: The Impact of Ballot Procedures on Enterprise Bargaining Processes. Under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), lawful industrial action may be taken by employees in support of collective bargaining, provided that they have first authorised the action in a secret ballot. This research project explores the effect of the statutory process by which a bargaining representative of such employees seeks permission from the Fair Work Commission to conduct a ballot. It will examine the impact of the ballot requirement and statutory process on decision-making by bargaining representatives and subsequent employee access to industrial action in order to understand the effect of the regulatory scheme on enterprise bargaining behaviour. It is the first empirical study of strike ballots, analysing an important public policy area.Read moreRead less