scholarly journals A ‘Good Employer’ Perceptions and Practice in Small Enterprises

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deirdre Coetzee ◽  
Barry Foster ◽  
Ian Laird
Keyword(s):  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Employee Voice ◽  
Small Enterprises ◽  
Attitudes And Beliefs ◽  
Employment Relations ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Income Security ◽  
Employer Perceptions ◽  
Work Security ◽  
Key Dimensions

The research explored the concept of a ‘good employer’ pertaining to employment relations and occupational health and safety (OHS) in small enterprises (SE’s). How perceptions, attitudes and beliefs of a ‘good employer’ were implemented in practice, were surveyed in a sample of SE’s using a framework developed from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) socially Decent Work Index (DWI). The study retained the DWI’s key dimensions: employment security, voice security, income security, skill reproduction security, and work security. However, measures of the key dimensions were broadened to capture the predominantly individualistic nature of employment relations in SE’s. The employers’ perceptions generally corresponded with the two dimensions of the ‘good employer’ prioritized by the ILO: employee voice and income security. In practice, there were instances of employees having input beyond operational matters. Nevertheless employers unilaterally determined pay and other terms and conditions of work. As for work security, the level of formal and informal policies and practices varied but employers who operated in higher OHS risk trade industries generally implemented comprehensive formal OHS management systems. It is argued that all it takes to be a ‘good employer’ is compliance with statutory employment minima. The employers in this study generally fulfilled this basic standard with some employers demonstrating higher levels of the characteristics that fitted with the dimensions associated with some large enterprises and the concept of a ‘good employer’ developed in the public sector. To accommodate space limitations, only brief summaries of the employer’ perceptions, attitudes and beliefs of a ‘good employer’ and Work Security are provided. This paper focuses on the results concerning voice and income security.

scholarly journals An Analytical Model for Strategic Promotion of Growth-Oriented Women Entrepreneurship in Rural Nepal

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chhitij Bashyal ◽  
Tara P Panthi
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Model ◽  
Growth Promotion ◽  
Ecological Framework ◽  
Small Enterprises ◽  
Promotion Strategy ◽  
Women Entrepreneurship ◽  
Promotion Strategies ◽  
Key Dimensions ◽  
Rural Nepal ◽  
Micro Enterprises

Entrepreneurship promotion initiatives in Nepal have paid limited emphasis on helping the growthoriented micro-enterprises transform into small enterprises. There is also a lack of knowledge and effort in customization of entrepreneurship promotion strategy to meet specific needs of entrepreneurs, particularly for women. This formative study seeks to explore such gaps and also propose an ecological framework to help future programs and policies to better address the issues identified. The study conducted interviews and enterprise observations of selected entrepreneurs of an enterprise accelerator program. The findings inform the development of a holistic framework for analyzing and designing growth promotion strategies across the dimensions of four Es: Entrepreneur, Enterprise, Ecosystem, and Economy. The study underlines the importance of forming a grounded understanding of key dimensions across the 4 Es while creating entrepreneurship promotion strategy.

University gardens for sustainable citizenship: assessing the impacts of garden-based learning on environmental and food education at Spanish higher education

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 516-534
Author(s):  
Marcia Eugenio-Gozalbo ◽  
Guadalupe Ramos-Truchero ◽  
Rafael Suárez-López
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Vegetable Consumption ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Pedagogical Practice ◽  
Agricultural Labor ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Key Dimensions ◽  
Waste Separation ◽  
Spanish Higher Education

Purpose Gardens are being used at all educational stages, because they provide with a real-world context for active and experiential learning. In Spain, there exists a movement in favor of their incorporation to higher education for a variety of purposes but prevalently as an innovative resource to teach sciences to pre-service teachers. The purpose of this study is assessing the impacts of such pedagogical practice on university students’ learning and behavioral changes in the areas of environmental and food citizenship, two key dimensions of contemporary citizenship that are essential to achieve sustainable societies. Design/methodology/approach Data was collected by means of an electronic, open-ended question survey completed by 170 students from 6 different universities where gardens are used. Answers were qualitatively analyzed using MAXQDA software to develop a system of content categories and subcategories in relation to reported learning and behavioral changes. Findings Widespread among universities was learning on organic agriculture practices, greater appreciation of agricultural labor, greater willingness to cultivate, higher awareness of environmental impacts of agriculture, improved behaviors regarding waste separation and enhanced fruit and vegetable consumption. Originality/value This work delves into how university gardens act as a vehicle through which students integrate knowledge and reflect on their environmental, food and consumption behaviors. Thus, it supports on evidences, the use of gardens at higher education to nurture two dimensions of contemporary citizenship essential to achieve sustainability.

Social Harmony and the Small Firm: A Reappraisal

1988 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Goss
Keyword(s):  
Small Firm ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Small Enterprises ◽  
Employment Relations ◽  
Labour Relations ◽  
Trade Unionism ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Media ◽  
Depth Interviews

Government, academics and the media have, over the past decade, entered fully into the spirit of ‘small business revival’. Many of the contributions to this debate, however, have taken for granted the nature of small firm employment relations. It has frequently been remarked that workers in a small firms behave in ways more compatible with the goals and interests of their employers than employees in large firms. Thus, industrial relations are assumed to be more harmonious. In support of this assertion attention is usually drawn to the relative infrequency of conflict and industrial disputes, and the absence of militant trade unionism as an indication of the small firm workers' greater commitment to the goals of the enterprise and the interests of the employer (Ingham 1970). This paper suggests that such assumptions are unwarranted and provide a potentially misleading starting point for studies of employment relations in small firms. Data from a small number of in-depth interviews with small firm personnel is used to illustrate some of the complex and contradictory processes through which capital-labour relations may be constituted within small enterprises.

scholarly journals New Actors in Employment Relations in the Periphery: Closing the Representation Gap amongst Micro and Small Enterprises

2011 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Webster ◽  
Christine Bishoff
Keyword(s):  
Trade Unions ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Small Enterprises ◽  
Employment Relations ◽  
Community Based ◽  
First Response ◽  
Workplace Organization ◽  
Micro And Small Enterprises ◽  
Mapping Exercise

This paper aims to contribute to our understanding of how the representation gap in micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in nine countries can be closed through a mapping exercise (both horizontal and vertical). The study draws on peripheral workers in MSEs predominantly from countries on the periphery of the global economy. The assumption underlying the research is that the failure of traditional industrial relations actors, especially trade unions, to respond to the representation gap has created the space and the need for new actors to fill the gap. We identify a number of dimensions in trade union responses to non-standard employment relations and focus on their awareness of the specific nature of non-standard workers’ interests and their willingness to innovate with representation models.The paper identifies four main responses by trade unions to non-standard employees. The first response is where trade unions are indifferent to workers in MSEs as they are seen as marginal and unorganizable. Secondly, there are trade unions that are very much aware of the need to revise and revitalize their representation strategies, but they respond by attempting to extend existing forms of representation. Thirdly there are those who believe that non-standard employment should be resisted. The fourth, and most interesting response, is where unions create specific kinds of representation and protection for the new forms of employment.While there were positive outcomes both individually and organizationally from this mapping exercise, as an organizational tool designed to recruit members into the union, mapping is limited. In five of the nine case studies peripheral workers were recruited into a union or worker association. The paper confirms the existence of new actors in employment relations in developing countries. In particular the emergence of NGOs and community based worker associations and co-operatives have been identified as crucial intermediaries in developing new forms of workplace organization.

Antecedents and outcomes of information disclosure to employees in the UK, 1990—2004: The role of employee voice

2010 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 419-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Peccei ◽  
Helen Bewley ◽  
Howard Gospel ◽  
Paul Willman
Keyword(s):  
Information Disclosure ◽  
Employee Voice ◽  
Employment Relations ◽  
Probit Regression ◽  
Time Lagged ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Lock In ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Positive Effect

We map changes in the pattern of information disclosure by management to employees over 14 years in the UK, using the Workplace Employment Relations Survey (WERS) panels for 1990—8 and 1998—2004. We use time-lagged probit regression to explore antecedents and outcomes of disclosure over the two periods, focusing on the effects of voice mechanisms on disclosure and on the impact of disclosure on performance.The results show a significant increase in disclosure over the first period but a levelling off in the second. Neither union recognition nor direct participation had a significant impact on disclosure in either period. Joint consultation did, however, have a significant positive effect on disclosure, but more so in the first than in the second period. In addition, prior disclosure had a positive effect on subsequent disclosure. An explanation of trends in terms of lock-in and institutional decoupling is developed. Disclosure has a positive effect on financial performance.

Roles of gender and basic need satisfaction in decent work perception and voice behavior

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 263-278
Author(s):  
Wenyuan Huang ◽  
Jie Shen ◽  
Chuqin Yuan ◽  
Min Li
Keyword(s):  
Social Information Processing ◽  
Need Satisfaction ◽  
Employee Voice ◽  
Voice Behavior ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Basic Need Satisfaction ◽  
Processing Theory ◽  
Basic Need ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeHow to foster voice behavior has always been a hot topic in organizational research; however, the mechanism through which performing decent work affects employee voice behavior remains to be fully understood. To address this deficiency, the current study investigates how basic need satisfaction may relate to perceived decent work and voice behavior and the moderating role of gender. Our research draws upon self-determination theory and social information processing theory.Design/methodology/approachThe theoretical model was tested using two-wave investigation data collected from a sample of 349 employees and 85 supervisors in Southwest China.FindingsDecent work perception was positively related to voice behavior, and this relationship was partially mediated by basic need satisfaction. In addition, the relationship between decent work perception and basic need satisfaction as well as the indirect effect of decent work perception on voice behavior via basic need satisfaction was stronger for men than for women.Originality/valueThis study highlights the pivotal roles of basic need satisfaction and gender in the consequences of decent work perception in the workplace. The authors provide new insights into the relationship between decent work perception and voice behavior and inspire scholars to elucidate other explanatory mechanisms in this link.

Understanding Employees’ Perspective on Employment Relations: A Study on Selected Small Enterprises in India

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhishek Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Research Methods ◽  
Small Enterprises ◽  
Employment Relations ◽  
Indian Economy ◽  
Considerable Portion ◽  
Indian Perspective

A considerable portion of the Indian economy operates under the Small Enterprises or SEs where the studies on employment relations have largely remained neglected due to some reason or other. As such research in the field of employment relations in SEs will make a fruitful contribution to the existing ER/HRM literature (Wilkinson, 1999). There is complete lack of studies on employees’ perspectives in the field of employment relations undertaken from an Indian perspective. Employment relations in the Indian SEs are intricate, complex and understudied due to the precarious nature of employment and the absence of HRM mechanism. Therefore, it becomes imperative to understand how employees perceive employment relations in selected SEs in India. The sample consisted of 40 enterprises belonging to SEs in India. The author has ascertained ‘Mixed’ research methods for the present research. Finally, discussions have been made highlighting employees’ perspectives on employment relations in selected SEs in India.

Providing a foundation for decent work and adequate income during health and economic crises: constitutional approaches in 193 countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 1087-1105
Author(s):  
Aleta Sprague ◽  
Amy Raub ◽  
Jody Heymann
Keyword(s):  
Working Conditions ◽  
Constitutional Rights ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Equal Rights ◽  
Member States ◽  
Income Security ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Right ◽  
Almost All

PurposeAs coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spreads globally, the economic and health consequences are disproportionately affecting marginalized workers. However, countries' existing labor and social security laws often exclude the most vulnerable workers from coverage, exacerbating existing inequalities. Guaranteeing the rights to adequate income even when ill, decent working conditions and nondiscrimination in constitutions may provide a foundation for protecting rights universally, safeguarding against counterproductive austerity measures, and providing a normative foundation for equality and inclusion as economies recover. The purpose of this article is to examine the prevalence of these rights globally and assess some of their early impacts amid the pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe authors created and analyzed a database of constitutional rights for all 193 United Nations member states. All constitutions were double coded by an international multidisciplinary, multilingual team of researchers.FindingsThis study finds that 54% of countries take some approach to guaranteeing income security in their constitutions, including 23% that guarantee income security during illness. Thirty-one percent guarantee the right to safe working conditions. Only 36% of constitutions explicitly guarantee at least some aspect of nondiscrimination at work. With respect to equal rights broadly, constitutional protections are most common on the basis of sex (85%), followed by religion (78%), race/ethnicity (76%), socioeconomic status (59%), disability (27%), citizenship (22%), sexual orientation (5%) and gender identity (3%). Across almost all areas, protections for rights are far more common in constitutions adopted more recently.Originality/valueThis is the first study to systematically examine protections for income security and decent work, together with nondiscrimination, in the constitutions of all 193 UN member states.

scholarly journals Determining the Associations between Dietetic-Related Activities and Undergraduate Dietetic Students’ General Cultural Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1202
Author(s):  
Jeanette Mary Andrade
Keyword(s):  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Attitudes And Beliefs ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
Dietetic Students ◽  
The Impact

Background: As required by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics, undergraduate dietetic programs need to include classroom learning activities to support cultural competence among dietetic students. Though these activities vary in terms of type, length, and engagement, it is not known the impact these activities have on students’ general knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs (KAB) towards cultural aspects. Therefore, the study’s purpose was two-fold: (1) validate a general cultural KAB instrument for dietetic students, and (2) determine associations among dietetic-related cultural activities and students’ KAB. Methods: A general KAB instrument was developed based on a literature review and dietetic curriculum. The original instrument (34 items) consisted of two dimensions (i.e., knowledge and attitudes/beliefs) that was reviewed by content matter experts (n = 4) and a focus group with dietetic graduate students (n = 6), resulting in a 41-item tool. This instrument was further piloted in a diverse population of undergraduate dietetic students across the United States. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Cronbach alpha (α) for internal consistency were conducted. Multiple linear regressions and Spearman correlation analyses determined associations between demographics, activities, and KAB scores. Statistical significance was determined at p < 0.05. Results: Students (n = 187) completed the questionnaire. From the EFA, the Knowledge dimension included 12 items and the Attitudes/Beliefs dimension included 10 items. Internal consistency for the overall instrument (α = 0.86), Knowledge (α = 0.93), and Attitudes/Beliefs (α = 0.74) was high. Students’ cultural knowledge was associated (r = 0.30; p < 0.05) with cultural-related activities. Similarly, students who had lived or studied abroad had better attitudes and beliefs towards cultural aspects. Conclusions: The KAB had good validity. Cultural learning activities enhanced cultural knowledge, however to a lesser extent influenced the attitudes and beliefs of dietetic students.

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