Hospital Workers: Class Conflicts in the Making

1975 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Ehrenreich ◽  
John H. Ehrenreich
Keyword(s):  
Work Ethic ◽  
Meaningful Work ◽  
Work Force ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Hospital Workers ◽  
The Real ◽  
Hospital Work ◽  
Unskilled Workers ◽  
Modern Hospital ◽  
Conditions Of Work

There is a real and conscious need for hospital workers to have meaningful work and to be adequately recognized for this work, both materially and in terms of respect and status within the institutions in which they are employed. These needs are frustrated by the conditions of work in the large modern hospital. Two main stabilizing forces, operating in part on different sets of workers, prevent hospital workers from collectively asserting their needs against the hospital's priorities. For the unskilled and semiskilled workers there are forces which lead to a typical industrial work ethic–alienation from the content of their work. For the skilled workers, there is the ideology of professionalism. The result is an increasing division of the nonmanagerial hospital work force into two groups with opposing class identifications: a proletarianized body of semiskilled and unskilled workers and a large group of skilled workers who are allowed to participate, through the ideology of professionalism, in the real status of the doctors.

scholarly journals International trade in services and inequalities

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 1069-1075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvain Petit
Keyword(s):  
Wage Inequality ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Business Services ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Short Run ◽  
Unskilled Workers ◽  
Tourism Services ◽  
The Impact

This study investigates the impact of the international openness in tourism services trade on wage inequality between highly skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled workers in the tourism industry. The sample covers 10 developed countries and expands over 15 years. A cointegrated panel data model and an error correction model were used to distinguish between the short- and long-run effects. The results are compared to those of openness of business services and manufactured goods. The findings point out that tourism increases wage inequality at the expense of the least skilled workers in the long run and the short run.

Abstract P036: Socioeconomic Status and Risk of Diabetes over 35 Years

Circulation ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 125 (suppl_10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lena M Bjorck ◽  
Christina Stahl-Heden ◽  
Masuma Novak ◽  
Wai Giang Kok ◽  
Annika Rosengren
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Population Sample ◽  
Diabetes Type 2 ◽  
Diabetes Type ◽  
Low Ses ◽  
Occupational Class ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Unskilled Workers

Background and aim: The link between low socioeconomic status (SES) and CHD is well established but whether low SES is also an independent predictor for development of diabetes type 2 is not clear. The aim of this study was to investigate whether SES, measured as occupational class, predicted subsequent development of diabetes type 2 over an extended follow-up. Methods: A total of 6941 men 47-55 years old, without prior diabetes, from a population sample of 9998 men, were investigated during 1970-73. Of the men, 23.7% were unskilled workers, 27.2% were skilled workers, 19.7% occupied either a supervisory manual position or were lower officials, 17.9% were officials at an intermediate position, and 11.6% were professionals, executives or senior officials. Follow-up was achieved through the national Swedish patient registry. Results: A total of 900 men (13%) were registered at any time with a diagnosis of diabetes over a 35-year follow-up. Compared with men in the highest occupational class, men with intermediate non-manual occupations had a multiple-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 1.10, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.84-1.44, lower officials and foremen had an HR of 1.37 (1.06-1.78), semiskilled and skilled workers 1.39 (1.08-1.78), and unskilled workers 1.66 (1.30-2.13) after adjustment for smoking at baseline, BMI, blood pressure, serum cholesterol, treatment for hypertension and leisure time physical activity. Conclusions: Low SES is an independent risk factor for long-term risk of diabetes in men, with a 66% independent higher risk in unskilled workers, compared to professionals/senior officials.

The Moral Conditions of Work

2019 ◽  
pp. 21-35
Author(s):  
Joanne B. Cuilla
Keyword(s):  
Personal Autonomy ◽  
Meaningful Work ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Work Process ◽  
Workplace Ethics ◽  
Conditions Of Work ◽  
Safe Environments

The characterization of meaningful work as objective or subjective is subject to considerable disagreement. While broadly agreeing that meaningfulness has both objective and subjective aspects, this chapter seeks to transcend this debate by separating the moral conditions of work from the concept of meaningful work. Workplace ethics are important pathways for experiencing meaningfulness in work and in life. The chapter argues that most of the objective features of meaningful work are related to the moral conditions of work. These include, for example, being treated fairly and with respect, having personal autonomy on the job, and working in safe environments. When the moral conditions of work are present, then work becomes worthy of a human being. By teasing out the moral from the meaningful, the author shows us how advances in humanizing the conditions of work arise out of struggles between employers and workers over who controls the work process.

scholarly journals DIRECTED TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE: A KNOWLEDGE-BASED MODEL

2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tailong Li ◽  
Shiyuan Pan ◽  
Heng-fu Zou
Keyword(s):  
Technological Change ◽  
Wage Inequality ◽  
Scale Effects ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Developed Country ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Biased Technological Change ◽  
Unskilled Workers ◽  
Directed Technological Change

In a knowledge-based growth model where skilled workers are used in innovation and production, skill-biased technological change may lower average R&D productivity via an innovation possibilities frontier effect that eliminates scale effects. We show that skill-biased technological change increases the skill premium even if the elasticity of substitution between skilled and unskilled workers is less than two. Trade between developed countries promotes skill-biased technological change, thus raising wage inequality. Trade between developed and developing countries has differing effects: it induces relatively skill-replacing technological change and lowers wage inequality in the developed country but has the opposite effects in the developing country. Finally, we show that trade can stimulate or hurt economic growth.

Analisis Penentu Perbezaan Upah Mengikut Kemahiran Di Malaysia

2011 ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nik Azma Wail ◽  
Rahmah Ismail ◽  
Ishak Yussof
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Wage Rate ◽  
Wage Differentials ◽  
Economic Transformation ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Wage Ratio ◽  
Unskilled Workers ◽  
And Training ◽  
Discriminatory Practice

Di Malaysia, permintaan terhadap kemahiran buruh telah mengalami perubahan kesan daripada perubahan struktur ekonomi. Kesan selanjutnya, berlaku perubahan dalam nisbah upah antara kemahiran yang memihak kepada buruh yang lebih mahir. Terdapat banyak faktor yang menentukan tingkat upah pekerja seperti modal manusia khususnya pencapaian pendidikan, pengalaman dan latihan, faktor demografi dan sektor pekerjaan. Walau bagaimanapun, setelah mengambil kira semua perbezaan dalam pemboleh ubah yang berkaitan dengan produktiviti ini, perbezaan upah mengikut jenis pekerjaan atau kemahiran masih berlaku yang boleh disebabkan oleh perlakuan diskriminasi majikan. Kertas ini bertujuan mengenal pasti penentu perbezaan upah mengikut kemahiran di Malaysia. Analisis berdasarkan kepada data 2,216 ketua isi rumah yang dikutip pada tahun 2007/2008, hasil kajian ini menunjukkan pemboleh ubah modal manusia memainkan peranan utama dalam menentukan tingkat dan perbezaan upah mengikut kemahiran. Selanjutnya, hasil kajian juga menunjukkan 64.25 peratus daripada perbezaan upah pekerja mahir dengan pekerja separuh mahir dapat diterangkan oleh pemboleh ubah dalam model upah dan 35.75 peratus tidak dapat diterangkan. Bahagian yang tidak dapat diterangkan ini termasuklah amalan diskriminasi oleh majikan terhadap pekerja mereka. Bagi perbezaan upah antara pekerja mahir dengan tidak mahir pula, sebanyak 77.20 peratus dapat diterangkan dan 22.80 peratus tidak dapat diterangkan. Kata kunci: Perbezaan upah; diskriminasi; pekerja mahir; pekerja separa mahir; pekerja tidak mahir In Malaysia, demand for skills has been changing dramatically as a result of economic transformation. This subsequently resulted in changes in wage ratio between skills, which is more favourable towards skilled workers. However, it has been argued that wage rate does not merely depend on the demand for labour, but there are other factors that can influence workers’ wages. These include human capital variables like educational attainment, experience and training; demographic factors and job sectors. Even after taking into account the variations in these productivity-related variables, occupational wage differentials may still prevail as a result of employers' discriminatory practice. This paper attempts to measure wage differentials determinants by skills in Malaysia. The analysis is based on 2,216 heads of households data collected in 2007/2008. The result revealed that human capital variables play a major role in determining the level of wage and its differentials between skills. Moreover, the result demonstrates that 64.25 percent of skilled-semi skilled wage differentials are explained by the incorporated variables in the wage model, whereas 35.75 percent are unexplained. This unexplained portion includes the employers’ discriminatory practice against their workers. For the skilled-unskilled wage differentials 77.2 percent are explained and 22.8 percent are unexplained. Key words: Wage differentials; discrimination; skilled workers; semi-skilled workers; unskilled workers

scholarly journals Comparative Advantage and Skill-Specific Unemployment

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Larch ◽  
Wolfgang Lechthaler
Keyword(s):  
Heterogeneous Firms ◽  
Unskilled Worker ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Skilled Worker ◽  
Industry Trade ◽  
Trade Model ◽  
Unskilled Workers ◽  
Endogenous Selection ◽  
Two Sectors ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract We introduce unemployment and endogenous selection of workers into different skill-classes in a trade model with two sectors and heterogeneous firms. This allows us to identify three different channels through which trade liberalization can affect unemployment: specialization, changes in productivity, and mobility. These three channels may work in opposite directions and their relative importance depends on the type of trade (intra-industry trade vs. inter-industry trade) and the skill-class of a worker. We show that the gains from trade are distributed very unequally. When a skilled worker abundant country opens up to trade with a country that is unskilled worker abundant, the biggest losers are the skilled workers in the import sector in the skill abundant country. However, average unemployment among skilled workers goes down, while average unemployment among unskilled workers goes up.

COLLABORATION AND COORDINATION IN HOSPITAL WORK THROUGH ACTIVITY-AWARE COMPUTING

2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (04) ◽  
pp. 413-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
MONICA TENTORI ◽  
JESUS FAVELA
Keyword(s):  
Human Activities ◽  
Design Principles ◽  
Hospital Workers ◽  
Physical Computing ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Pervasive Technology ◽  
Hospital Work ◽  
Collaborative Applications ◽  
Design Paradigm ◽  
One Step

Collaborative applications enhanced with pervasive technology are gradually being introduced in hospitals to support the intense collaboration and coordination experienced by hospital workers. However, an environment filled with many different systems introduces an extra burden for hospital workers in selecting those services that are adequate to the task at hand. Activity-Based Computing has emerged as a new interaction and design paradigm to reorganize the way humans interact with computers by emphasizing the activity being executed rather than the technologies required to perform such activity. This is done by allowing users to handle activities as a basic computational unit instead of documents and applications. The problem of this paradigm is that humans must explicitly define computational activities and they often have trouble labeling and delimiting tasks. To cope with this, we propose to take this vision one step further by binding the physical, computing and user's context into the activity being executed by a user towards the design of activity-aware applications. Based on a workplace study conducted in a hospital, we propose an agent-based architecture and a set of design principles to let human activities be mirrored in computational activities associating resources and adapting the computational infrastructure based on the activity being executed. To exemplify the architecture and the principles proposed, we implemented an activity-aware map that personalizes the information shown to hospital workers, enforces availability, and sends collaboration and coordination warnings to the users.

scholarly journals The World Technology Frontier

2006 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 499-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Caselli ◽  
Wilbur John Coleman
Keyword(s):  
Skilled Labor ◽  
Simple Explanation ◽  
Unskilled Labor ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Poor Countries ◽  
Aggregate Production Function ◽  
Unskilled Workers ◽  
Cross Country ◽  
Rich Countries ◽  
Lower Income Countries

We study cross-country differences in the aggregate production function when skilled and unskilled labor are imperfect substitutes. We find that there is a skill bias in cross-country technology differences. Higher-income countries use skilled labor more efficiently than lower-income countries, while they use unskilled labor relatively and, possibly, absolutely less efficiently. We also propose a simple explanation for our findings: rich countries, which are skilled-labor abundant, choose technologies that are best suited to skilled workers; poor countries, which are unskilled-labor abundant, choose technologies more appropriate to unskilled workers. We discuss alternative explanations, such as capital-skill complementarity and differences in schooling quality.

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