Trade unions strategies to address inclusion of vulnerable employees in “anchored” services in Europe

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 848-873 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vassil Kirov ◽  
Pernille Hohnen
Keyword(s):  
Trade Unions ◽  
National Level ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Social Partner ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Content Type ◽  
European Trade ◽  
Desk Research

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how trade unions may address the questions of inclusion of vulnerable employees in low-wage “anchored” sectors in the European Union. Design/methodology/approach – The findings presented in the paper are mainly results of the analysis of stakeholder policies and strategies on the national level and on the European level, including both desk research and interviews with social partner representatives and other experts in the sectors as well as company case studies carried out in the examined countries in three selected sectors: cleaning, waste collection and catering. Findings – The main findings of the paper refer to the indirect way in which trade unions try to promote the inclusion of vulnerable groups in the examined sectors. On this basis are formulated policy recommendations. Research limitations/implications – The paper is based on case study research that does not cover all possible “anchored” services, vulnerable groups and types of countries, according to their employment and social models. Practical implications – This paper formulates practical recommendations to European trade unions in the services. Originality/value – The originality of the paper is related to comparative research focused on services sectors and the consequences of the spatial reorganisation of sectors for the trade union actions.

scholarly journals Hollowing out national agreements in the NHS? The case of “Improving Working Lives” under a “Turnaround” plan

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-159
Author(s):  
Ian Roper ◽  
David Etherington ◽  
Suzan Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Performance Management ◽  
Local Level ◽  
National Level ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Employee Relations ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Working Lives ◽  
The Face

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to consider the resilience of a national-level initiative (Improving Working Lives (IWL)) in the face of local-level initiative (Turnaround) in an NHS hospital and compare to Bach and Kessler’s (2012) model of public service employment relations. Design/methodology/approach Case study research consisting of 23 in-depth semi-structured interviews from a range of participants. Findings The principles behind IWL were almost entirely sacrificed in order to meet the financial objectives of Turnaround. This indicates the primacy of localised upstream performance management initiatives over the national-level downstream employee relations initiatives that form the basis of the NHS’ claim to model employer aspiration. Research limitations/implications The case study was conducted between 2007 and 2009. While the case study falls under previous government regime, the dualised system of national-level agreements combined with localised performance management – and the continued existence of both Turnaround and IWL – makes the results relevant at the time of writing. Originality/value Some studies (e.g. Skinner et al., 2004) indicated a perception that IWL was not trusted by NHS staff. The present study offers reasons as to why this may be the case.

Constructing an integrated e-invoice system: the Taiwan experience

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 370-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheng-Chi Chen ◽  
Cheng-Chieh Wu ◽  
Scott Miau
Keyword(s):  
Participant Observation ◽  
National Level ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Challenges ◽  
Level Information ◽  
Diffusion Phase ◽  
Smart Government

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the impediments and proposed solutions during the e-invoice implementation and promotion. Design/methodology/approach – A participant observation-based case study research approach was utilized to examine the process and challenges for enabling the national e-invoice service. Findings – The e-invoice evolution process is summarized into three phases: the paperless phase, the diffusion phase and the cloud-enabled phase. The co-evolutionary adaptation process was drawn to highlight the broader issues of constructing a national-level information system. Research limitations/implications – Although this research is limited from the perspective of Taiwan, it provides a good illustrative example of e-invoice implementation. Originality/value – The findings can provide preliminary understanding of how an integrated e-invoice platform can enable the development of smart government. This paper also highlights issues of legal, technical, political and organizational challenges in e-government development.

scholarly journals Explaining participation in undeclared work in France: lessons for policy evaluation

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 203-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Windebank ◽  
Ioana Alexandra Horodnic
Keyword(s):  
Policy Framework ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
French Population ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Social Actor ◽  
Tax Morale ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Economic Actor ◽  
Undeclared Work

Purpose France is a model of best practice in the European Union as regards policy to combat undeclared work. The purpose of this paper is to take the country as a case study to evaluate the competing explanations of why people engage in undeclared work which underpin such policy, namely, the dominant rational-economic-actor approach and the more recent social-actor approach. Design/methodology/approach To evaluate these approaches, the results of 1,027 interviews undertaken in 2013 with a representative sample of the French population are analysed. Findings The finding is that higher perceived penalties and risks of detection have no significant impact on the likelihood of conducting undeclared work in France. In contrast, the level of tax morale has a significant impact on engagement in the activity: the higher the tax morale, the lower is the likelihood of participation in the undeclared economy. Higher penalties and risks of detection only decrease the likelihood of participation in undeclared work amongst the small minority of the French population with very low tax morale. Practical implications Current policy in France to counter undeclared work is informed principally by the rational-economic-actor approach based on a highly developed infrastructure for detection and significant penalties alongside incentives to declare small-scale own-account work. The present analysis suggests that this approach needs to be supplemented with measures to improve citizens’ commitment to compliance by enhancing tax morale. Originality/value This case study of a country with a well-developed policy framework to combat undeclared work provides evidence to support the social-actor approach for informing policy change.

Consumer reactions towards femvertising: a netnographic study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Marina Lima ◽  
Beatriz Casais
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Female Empowerment ◽  
Women Consumers ◽  
Cultural Changes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Online Comments ◽  
Consumer Reactions ◽  
Corporate Social

PurposeThis paper identifies consumer reactions towards female empowerment in advertising in order to explore the supporting arguments for criticisms of lack of authenticity and the figuring of sexist stereotypes.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a multi-case study research with content analysis of 905 coded online comments in a video hosting website towards four femvertising campaigns.FindingsResults indicate that femvertising plays an important role in the emotional connection between women and brands, but consumers may react negatively to femvertising when brands do not show knowledge about the real feminist values, maintaining sexist stereotypes. Consumers also blame companies of hypocrite and exploitation to sell products if there is not authenticity and brand-cause fit.Originality/valueFemvertising appears as a consequence of cultural changes and corporate social responsibility in order to engage women consumers. This paper contributes with explanations to sustain the dichotomic reactions towards femvertising, showing evidence of why some people react favourably and other people react negatively.

scholarly journals Organising to beat the Trade Union Act (2016) voting thresholds: a case study of organising and tactics from the University and College Union

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
James Richards ◽  
Vaughan Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Trade Union ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theoretical Contribution ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
College Union ◽  
The University ◽  
Further Development

PurposeA retrospective action-research case study of one branch of the University and College Union (UCU) is used to show how threshold requirements of the Act can be systematically beaten.Design/methodology/approachThe paper responds to calls for “best practice” on how trade unions may react to member voting threshold requirements of the Trade Union Act 2016 (the Act). A broader aim is to make a theoretical contribution related to trade union organising and tactics in “get the vote out” (GTVO) industrial action organising campaigns.FindingsFindings are presented as a lead organiser's first-hand account of a successful GTVO campaign contextualised in relation to theories of organising. The findings offer “best practice” for union organisers required to beat the Act's voting thresholds and also contribute to theories surrounding trade union organising tactics.Research limitations/implicationsFurther development and adaptation of the proposed model may be required when applied to larger bargaining units and different organising contexts.Practical implicationsThe findings can inform the organising practices/tactics of trade unions in relation to statutory ballots. The findings also allow Human Resource (HR) practitioners to reflect on their approach to dealing with unions capable of mounting successful GTVO campaigns.Social implicationsThe findings have the potential to collectively empower workers, via their trade unions, to defend and further their interests in a post-financial crisis context and in the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic.Originality/valueThis is the first known empirical account of organising to exceed voting thresholds of the Act, providing practical steps for union organisers in planning for statutory ballots. Further value lies in the paper's use of a novel first-hand account of a GTVO campaign, offering a new and first, theoretical model of organising tactics to beat the Act.

The role of the Troika on the Greek central government accounting reforms

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 316-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Cohen ◽  
Sotirios Karatzimas
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Extreme Case ◽  
Resource Dependency ◽  
Reform Process ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of the Troika’s advent played in the progress of the budgeting and the financial reporting systems reform at the Greek central government level. Design/methodology/approach The approach of an extreme country case study is adopted. The data used in the paper have been identified through document analysis performed on the relevant documents produced by the Troika, the Greek Ministry of Finance, and other relevant sources. The reform process is seen through the lens of the neo-institutional theory and the resource dependency theory. Findings Although both reforms targeted the introduction of best international practices – particularly useful in periods of financial distress and scarce resources – the advent of the Troika affected their progress and changed the priorities. As a result, the reform was redirected toward strengthening the cash budgeting system. Research limitations/implications The study is subject to the limitations of an extreme case study research. Practical implications This is a case where resource dependency changes political priorities and directions and affects the evolvement of state budget and accounting reforms under way. Originality/value The role of external fund providers in public sector financial management reform priority-setting, in the case of a developed Eurozone country, is analyzed. The study contributes to the research agenda on accounting practices in times of austerity.

The “comply or explain” principle in the Republic of Slovenia

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 839-857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danila Djokic ◽  
Mojca Duh
Keyword(s):  
Case Study Research ◽  
Public Companies ◽  
Gradual Improvement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Comply Or Explain

Purpose This paper aims to provide an overview of the quality of corporate governance (CG) disclosures in the framework of CGS and the “comply or explain” code principle in Slovenia. It aims to observe the differences among companies of the prime, standard and entry markets in terms of the differences in governance standards and regulatory frameworks. Design/methodology/approach This paper analyzes the historical development, legal approach and methods used in the regulation of the “comply or explain” principle in Slovenia. In the 2014 SEECGAN research – Slovenia, we measured the quality of CG by applying the newly created SEECGAN index methodology covering seven segments of CG and assessing 98 attributes. This paper upgrades the results of this research with additional case study research. Findings The analysis from 2011 to 2014 on the “comply or explain” principle showed a gradual improvement of transparency in Slovenian public companies. The 2014 SEECGAN research – Slovenia revealed that the number of specific and high-quality explanations of deviations has increased. The study in this paper showed that the governance practice in some cases is still not in line with code recommendations and does not disclose the deviations from the code. Originality/value Disclosures of the Slovenian public companies are presented for the period 2004-2018. This paper points out the improvements to be realized to change unsatisfactory practices. The measurement of the quality of CG by the 2014 SEECGAN research – Slovenia introduced a methodology, which could be recognized and improved by the EU and/or its member states.

Civics education in Malaysia: a clash between ethics, religion and cultural norms

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vishalache Balakrishnan
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Digital Citizenship ◽  
Civics Education ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Research ◽  
Qualitative Approaches

PurposeTo showcase the importance of digital citizenship in the current era. This article compares the nine features of digital citizen provided by Ribble and Bailey (2007) with a case study conducted in a multicultural setting and identifies the tensions between ethics, religion and cultural norms in that environment.Design/methodology/approachA case study approach has been used in this research. Why case study? Because it is unique and provides in-depth, unique and invaluable findings. Case studies researchers have contributed to the development of case study research from diverse disciplines. Historical examples of case studies go back as far as the nineteenth century with the biography of Charles Darwin (Stewart, 2014). The dominance of positivism in science in the late 1940 and 1950s in social science sidelined qualitative approaches such as case studies. Although case study research was often criticized for its inability to support generalizations, and thus, provided limited validity and value as a research design (Merriam, 2009; Stewart, 2014), case study research provides intensive analysis of an issue. A Case study is intrinsic, instrumental and collective (Stake, 1995, 2006). Case study research encourages the detailed enquiry of a unit of analysis within its context.FindingsFindings show that current society needs to be educated on the nine aspects of digital citizenship. In the current era, changes are so rapid that every now and then, there must be collaboration and cooperation between different agencies to ensure that the tension between religiosity, cultural norms and ethics would be able to find some common ground. With more knowledge and wisdom on human rights, sustainability education and project-based learning in Civics Education, teachers, students, parents and community should often meet to decide on controversial issues and find ways to ensure that each one in society has the knowledge, skills and values for digital citizenship to grow and flourish.Originality/valueThe article is original in nature and has much social impact.

Relational influence on entrepreneurial orientation: an exploratory study of small religious enterprises in Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Silva Corrêa ◽  
Julio Araújo Carneiro-da-Cunha ◽  
Vânia Maria Jorge Nassif ◽  
Ernesto Michelangelo Giglio
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Entrepreneurial Orientation ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pentecostal Churches ◽  
Competitive Aggressiveness ◽  
Belo Horizonte ◽  
Restricted Use

Purpose Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) is highly emerging in the management literature. However, recent studies highlight the necessity to associate with reflections on this theme, usually approached from an economic perspective, propositions also derived from relational approaches. This paper aims to investigate associations between EO and social networks, specifically about the still little explored relational coupling/decoupling theme. Design/methodology/approach This paper provides an empirical and qualitative study of religious entrepreneurs. A total of 18 pastors responsible for creating and leading independent neo-Pentecostal churches located in Belo Horizonte/Brazil, selected using the snowball technique, participated in this qualitative, case-study research. Two analysis categories guided data collection: pastors’ EO (behaviors suggestive of their innovativeness, proactivity, competitive aggressiveness, risk-taking and autonomy) and churches’ social framework (the resources and attributes that pastors obtain from their institutional structure). Findings The study concludes that pastors combine attributes representing their EO and their social structure in developing their religious endeavors. Research limitations/implications Among the limitations are the restricted use of semi-structured interviews as a data collection source and the absence of data proving the churches’ performance. Originality/value The paper contributes by showing that entrepreneurs can influence the structure of their networks by using EO; proving that networks influence pastors’ EO; revealing recursivity between EO and networks; emphasizing a relational dimension of the EO construct and presenting new theoretical propositions that can be explored and tested in future investigations.

scholarly journals Service system well-being: conceptualising a holistic concept

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 766-792 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Wei Cheryl Leo ◽  
Gaurangi Laud ◽  
Cindy Yunhsin Chou
Keyword(s):  
Service System ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Holistic Concept ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Multi Stakeholder ◽  
Service Managers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a concept of service system well-being by presenting its collective conceptualisation and ten key domains. Design/methodology/approach Service system well-being domains were established using multi-level theory and a qualitative case study research design. To validate the domains initially developed from the literature, 19 in-depth interviews were conducted across two case studies that represented the service systems of a hospital and a multi-store retail franchise chain. A multi-stakeholder approach was used to explore the actor’s perspectives about service system well-being. Key domains of service system well-being were identified using deductive categorisation analysis. Findings The findings found evidence of ten key domains of well-being, namely strategic, governance, leadership, resource, community, social, collaborative, cultural, existential and transformational, among service system stakeholders. Research limitations/implications Service system well-being is a collective concept comprising ten domains that emerged at different levels of the service system. The propositions outlined the classification of and interlinkages between the domains. This exploratory study was conducted in a limited service context and focussed on ten key domains. Practical implications Service managers in commercial and social organisations are able to apply the notion of service system well-being to identify gaps and nurture well-being deficiencies within different domains of service-system well-being. Originality/value Based on multi-level theory, the study is the first to conceptualise and explore the concept of service system well-being across multiple actors.

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