scholarly journals Lean Production, Izzat and Industrial Conflict in the Indian Auto Sector: A Case Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 541-565
Author(s):  
Sagi K. Mathew ◽  
John Burgess
Keyword(s):  
Trade Unions ◽  
Lean Production ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Cultural Institutions ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Hrm Practices ◽  
Cultural Conditions

Summary The purpose of this article is to highlight the role that Izzat played in the unfolding industrial disputation that emerged at the Toyota plant in Bangalore between 1999 and 2007. Isolated instances contributed to a build-up of employee and community resentment at what was perceived as an attack on Izzat. Behind the events is the attempt to transpose Japanese “lean production and management systems” into an Indian subsidiary where local industrial and cultural conditions were not suitable for the imposition of such practices from headquarters to a subsidiary. The result of the analysis contributes to the understanding of workplace industrial relations (IR) in India and the centrality of Izzat. Within India, the significance of trade unions; the respect of employees; the importance of family and community; the importance of seniority; and the role of respect and honour are factors that multinationals often fail to understand in the design and implementation of their production and HRM systems. The study contributes to the debate over the transferability of standardized HRM policies and practices. MNEs should play a proactive role in supporting the employees of subsidiaries to adjust to and accommodate new paradigms in workplace industrial relations. The aggressive production and HRM practices at the Toyota plant were not compatible with the norms and cultural institutions of the Indian workforce. One of the key implications of this research is that foreign production, organizational and industrial relations systems and practices cannot be transplanted into host-country environments without the due recognition of key cultural conditions, notably Izzat in India.

Approaching the 21st Century: Perspectives on Korean Industrial Relations

1997 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seoghun Woo
Keyword(s):  
Trade Unions ◽  
Presidential Address ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Direct Interaction ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Government ◽  
Time Changes ◽  
Future Direction ◽  
Major Factors

This paper argues that the future direction for the development of Korean industrial relations will evolve through direct interaction between employers and trade unions (either conflictual or cooperative). The government is likely to play a less interventionist role in industrial relations, compared with the past, and to adopt the role of mediator between unions and employers. Characteristics of Korean industrial relations during the pre- 1987 period is firstly examined; four major factors are used to explain the industrial relations practice during this time. Changes after 1987 are also considered. Special consideration is given to interaction between the environment and the three major industrial relations participants, and the interactions between them. Both macro and micro aspects of industrial relations are examined. The special Presidential Address (26/04/1996), known as New Conception of Industrial Relations, is also analysed in terms of its implications for future industrial relations issues in Korea.

scholarly journals Learning to live with the law? The legislative attack on British trade unions since 1979

1970 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Dickens
Keyword(s):  
Trade Unions ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Legal Intervention ◽  
British Trade ◽  
Industrial Action ◽  
The Law ◽  
Labour Legislation

This article takes as its focus the labour legislation of the Conservative governments in Britain under Mrs. Thatcher since 1979. It locates the legislation in its broader context and examines three main prongs of what is seen as a legislative attack on the trade unions: the move away from collective industrial relations; the restricted terrain for lawful industrial action; and legal intervention in internal union affairs. The immediate impact, use of and response to this legislation is discussed and a broader question raised concerning whether, as well as having to adjust to the new legal framework, British trade unions are reappraising their attitude to the role of law in industrial relations more generally.

Australian Labour Market Issues: an Historical Perspective

1998 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 690-715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joe Isaac
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Historical Perspective ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Institutional Arrangement ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Women's Wages ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Wage Inflation

This paper provides an historical perspective on topics related to recent developments in the Australian industrial relations system discussed in this issue of the Journal— the 'living wage' concept and the safety net, 'fairness' in relative wages, women's wages, the Accord, labour market decentralisation and the role of trade unions. It concludes that recent legislation was not necessary to facilitate increased productivity because the prevailing system had shown sufficient responsiveness to the needs of the economy, both macro and micro. By limiting the jurisdiction of the AIRC and reducing the power of the weaker unions, recent legislation bas created a dual system with a less equitable pay structure and an institutional arrangement less able to deal with wage inflation under more buoyant economic conditions.

scholarly journals HRM trends in transition economies: Two reflections of the shared background

Sociologija ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Biljana Bogicevic-Milikic ◽  
Nebojsa Janicijevic
Keyword(s):  
Transition Economies ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Transition Process ◽  
Employee Relations ◽  
Performance Measurements ◽  
Hrm Practices ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Hr Function

This paper intends to investigate whether the speed of a transition process influences the degree of HRM developments in transition economies. We therefore focused our investigation on the HRM practices in two transition countries - Slovenia and Serbia, which used to be constitutional parts of the former Yugoslavia and used to share the same political and cultural background for many years. The analysis was focused on the following areas of HRM: the role of the HR function, HRM strategy involvement, training and development, performance measurements and rewards, employee relations and the role of trade unions. The research findings show that the HRM policies and practices in Serbia and Slovenia, regardless of the shared background, diverge in all analyzed aspects. The results obtained confirm that the transition process, per se, may explain almost all differences between HRM practices in Serbia and Slovenia.

The Ambiguous Role of Trade Unions in Startup Formation

2018 ◽  
pp. 308-325
Author(s):  
Sylvia Rohlfer
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Trade Union ◽  
Resource Availability ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Occupational Choice ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
The United States ◽  
Firm Formation ◽  
The Individual

In this chapter the authors analyze the role of trade unions for firm formation from the perspective of the individual entrepreneur. The industrial relations and entrepreneurship literature reviewed shows that trade unions matter in firm formation decisions in three ways: with regard to the occupational choice problem, the management of potential employees and the resource availability for the startup. Taking the Spanish economy as an example the findings from an empirical study demonstrate the perceived actual and potential role of unions for firm formation. The findings are compared with trade union activity in Germany and the United States in order to draw recommendations for trade union strategists.

The Closed Shop and the National Health Service: A Case Study in Public Sector Labour Relations

1988 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Harrison
Keyword(s):  
National Health Service ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Health Service ◽  
National Health ◽  
Health Authority ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Labour Relations

ABSTRACTDuring the second half of the 1970s, the practice of the closed shop became widespread in some parts of the British public sector, but was resisted in others. This paper examines the issue in relation to the National Health Service, where trade unionists made frequent demands for the closed shop and where many managers were apparently not unwilling to concede it. Yet very few closed shops actually resulted. The paper examines the origin and patterns of these demands, health authority policies towards them, and their outcomes in terms both of the operation of the closed shops which were agreed, and the reasons for failure to agree. The conclusion is that although NHS industrial relations had apparently matured very rapidly between 1973 and 1977, the trade unions were neither strong enough nor united enough to enforce the closed shop; nor were industrial relations so far developed as to make the practice a natural next step.

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