Corporate Governance And Workplace Partnerships

This research report contains the findings of 10 case studies of Australian companies undertaken as part of a project to better understand the relationships between corporate structure, corporate governance and labour relations. We first sought to assess each of our case study companies according to whether it could be categorised as an 'insider' controlled company or as an 'outsider' controlled company. Second, we sought to examine in each of our case studies the extent to which enterprise employment systems could be said to 'complement' the style of corporate governance within the organisation in accordance with the suppositions of the comparative capitalisms literature. Third, because we were particularly interested in the quality of employment systems (beyond their mere conformity with insider/outsider styles) we identified more specifically what we thought could be said to properly characterise 'partnership' style relations at the business enterprise level.We investigated whether the case study companies reflect a recent pattern of development which links changes in ownership structure with a more market-oriented, shareholder-oriented, form of corporate governance accompanied by adverse or negative outcomes for employees.In most of our studies, in the time period under review, ownership change or capital reorganisation occurred which could be said to have exposed the companies to greater 'market' or 'outsider' pressure. In our studies we attempted to examine empirically how employment systems were readjusted in each case to deal with the greater market exposure to which most of our companies were subjected. We also investigated the role of regulation in influencing these outcomes.

This book examines how businesses manage their labour systems, and particularly how they manage the complex interaction of factors which give rise to instances of 'partnership' style relations between businesses and their employees. The book draws from the literature concerning 'Varieties of Capitalism' (VoC) and the different institutional and regulatory designs inherent in different types of political economy. The book is informed by a new and extensive set of empirical data from Australia that examines the activities of national and multinational business corporations, their outlooks and relationships with stakeholders, and relates these to new and evolving theoretical frameworks based in political economy and law. The book places the Australian regulatory model within this international debate, and assesses the extent to which the system does or does not fit into the general categorisation created in the VoC literature.

The last two decades of the twentieth century were a tumultuous time of innovation for business and labor. Perhaps the boldest and most far-reaching experiment in industry was the creation of the Saturn Corporation. Working together as partners, the UAW and General Motors built a new small car in Spring Hill, Tennessee, with American suppliers and American workers. Saturn's locally designed manufacturing system featured self-directed teams and the integration of union representatives into management's strategic and operational decision-making processes. Saul A. Rubinstein and Thomas A. Kochan have followed the Saturn story since its beginning in 1983. Through surveys as well as hundreds of interviews with company managers, union representatives, and employees, and with leaders of GM and the UAW, they trace the history of, and the lessons to be learned from, this "Different Kind of Company." The Saturn experiment embodied a new concept of labor-management relations, management, and organizational governance. Has it been a success or a failure? Is it relevant in the current industrial environment? What effect has it had on GM and the UAW? The authors resist overly simplistic conclusions; Saturn's strengths and limitations must be fairly assessed before the company's experience can provide lessons on the future of unions, labor-management relations, work organization, and corporate governance.

This thoroughly revised second edition presents up-to-date analysis from various academic streams and disciplines that illuminate our understanding of employee voice from a range of different perspectives. Exploring the previously under-represented paradigm of the organizational behaviour approach, new chapters take account of a broader conceptualization of employee voice. Written by expert contributors, this Handbook explores the meaning and impact of employee voice for various stakeholders and considers the ways in which these actors engage with voice processes such as collective bargaining, individual processes, mutual gains, task-based voice and grievance procedures

A definitive study of partnership at work in the UK, with extensive surveys and interviews in organizations from the finance, NHS and local government sectors. The authors challenge conventional assumptions about the mutual interest associated with partnership, and find evidence of work intensification where partnership has been introduced.

How much 'say' should employees have in the running of business organizations, and what form should the 'voice' take? This is both the oldest and latest question in employment relations. Answers to these questions reflect our fundamental assumptions about the nature of the employment relationship, and inform our views on almost every aspect of Human Resource Management (HRM) and Employment Relations. Voice can also mean different things to different people. For some, employee voice is a synonym for trade union representation which aims to defend and promote the collective interests of workers. For others voice, is means of enhancing employee commitment and organisational performance. Others advocate workers control as an alternative to conventional capitalist organisations which are run for shareholders. There is thus both a moral and political argument for a measure of democracy at work, as well as a business case argument, which views voice as a potential link in the quest for increased organisational performance. The key debate for employment relations is which of the approaches 'works best' in delivering outcomes which balance competitiveness and productivity, on the one hand, and fair treatment of workers and social justice on the other. Policy makers need pragmatic answers to enduring questions: what works best in different contexts, what are the conditions of success, and what are the drawbacks? Some of the most significant developments in employee voice have taken place within the European Union, with various public policy and employer experiments attracting extensive academic research. The book offers a critical assessment of the main contemporary concepts and models of voice in the UK and Europe, and provides an in-depth theoretical and empirical exploration of employee voice in one accessible and cohesive collection.

We live in a 'corporate world' in which powerful business corporations shape and influence the activities of nation states, their national economies and their social relations. But what is it that moulds the activities of the corporations themselves? Do some societies have 'styles' of regulation that enable corporations to operate freely in the pursuit of certain interests, where others are more constrained? And, if so, are Australian companies more inclined to pursue the financial interests of shareholders and owners at the expense of employees and creditors? Corporate governance may be guided in the pursuit of particular interests by many influences, including law, politics, capital and labour and other pressure groups. How these competing pressures balance out varies enormously from state to state. Bringing together the original research by lawyers, political economists and industrial relations scholars, Varieties of Capitalism, Corporate Governance and Employees is a first Australian contribution to these complex issues.

This book discusses a dilemma common to many corporation’s IT departments--the tension between top-down governance directives and the challenge to get everything properly functioning on a bottom-up basis. Making IT governance work does not simply mean adherence to an ABC of (a) going more deeply into rules, (b) implementing a framework, and (c) registering good results. Neither is this book a guide to frameworks and compliance. Its goal is to describe an entire repertoire of resources that can assist in arriving at better IT governance. Among these resources are CobiT, bottom-up governance principles such as distributed leadership constitute another, and portfolio management. This book provides a realistic governance of information and IT in corporations. The authors' view is that "new technology" can only achieve its optimum impact when it is properly managed. Money and behavior are key factors: the money that information and IT must generate and the activity and latitude of people in the organization from top to bottom. This book: Presents a clear view on the relationship of corporate governance and IT governance. Provides recent Sarbanes-Oxley history and the compliance consequences for organizations. Offers in-depth insight into IT portfolio management. Provides an overview of various IT governance opinions from such groups as Gartner, Forrester, and IT Governance Institute. Energetic, thoughtful and highly informative, this book provides a valuable and timely guide to IT governance and the complexities of IT management in an increasingly regulated world. The authors are great at focusing on the things that really matter for practitioners. The book is also very readable. Leslie P. Willcocks Professor of Technology, Work and Globalization London School of Economics