Labor Relations Commons^™

An Analysis Of Safety Culture & Safety Training: Comparing The Impact Of Union, Non-Union, And Right To Work Construction Venues, Harry Miller Csp, Tara Hill, Kris Mason, John S. Gaal Edd

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

The construction industry is one of the most dangerous sectors of the US economy. As such, the safety attitudes and climate within small (residential) contracting firms may play a role in providing a safe culture and working environment. The intent of this practitioner-based research study is to compare and determine if there is a difference in safety practices—based on documented field inspections and their related original number of violations observed by OSHA—between union residential carpentry contractors in the St. Louis area and:

1) non-union residential carpentry contractors in the St. Louis area;

2) non-union residential carpentry contractors across Missouri; and …

Women In The Workforce: An In-Depth Analysis Of Gender Roles And Compensation Inequity In The Modern Workplace, Rebecca L. Ziman

Honors Theses and Capstones

This paper explores the increase in participation and education of American women in the workforce with a special focus on women in business and accounting roles. The paper then goes on to discuss the wage gap between genders, how to remedy inequality in the workplace, and highlights several reasons why pursing a solution to gender inequality is beneficial for both the employee and the company.

The Great Regression’S Impact On Construction Training Programs: Multi-Level Analyses Of Recruiting & Retention Concepts, John S. Gaal Edd

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

The intent of this practitioner-based research study is to determine if there is a difference in the attitudes of construction industry professionals—at local and international levels—towards various training-related recruiting and retention concepts. In light of the global economic malaise, training programs are being held to higher standards and, thusly, different metrics than in the past. In today’s environment, outcomes-based designs (versus outputs-based) have gained attention from both private and public funders of such training programs. Thusly, programs must adapt to the needs of the industry rather than rely on outdated materials and methods. To this end, a survey was designed …

Do Mlb Hitters Boost Performance In Their Contract Year?, Heather M. O'Neill

Business and Economics Faculty Publications

This study focuses on 256 MLB free agent hitters playing under the 2006-2011 CBA to determine whether they boost their offensive performance in their contract year. Prior studies’ results are mixed, depending on the econometric technique used and the choice of the offensive performance measure.

Having multiple year observations per player, one can incorporate the unobserved traits of the players (ability, risk aversion, work ethic, etc.) by using Fixed Effects (FE) estimation. Since these unmeasured player traits are likely to be correlated with observed predictors of performance (games played, playoff contention, age, etc.), traditionally used Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and …

Essential Skills For Leadership Effectiveness In Diverse Workplace Development, Szu-Fang Chuang

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

Globalization, technology advances, and diversity have greatly influenced international business and multinational management operations. Global managers cannot consistently apply traditional leadership when dealing with multiple cultural conflicts and managing international employees in the rapidly changed diverse workplace. This study is an initial effort to examine the new looks of leadership in the diverse workplace development and identify essential leadership skills demanded in a global context. Global leaders need to develop cultural awareness, global mindset, interpersonal skill and effective manager-employee relationship in facing the changes and challenges of the global market. Eleven essential leadership skills for the global leaders to promote …

The Value Of Nongovernmental Free Vocational Training In Vietnam; The Opportunities And Barriers In Teaching Japanese Cooking Skills To Disadvantaged Vietnamese Youth, Koji Asada

Capstone Collection

Nongovernmental free vocational training for disadvantaged youth has been provided by various organizations in the world and has had a positive impact on the learners. This is also true in Vietnam.

However, how is the training geared to employment opportunities, designed to overcome challenges to learning and employment, and with what potential impact on the learners and communities. These questions have not been well answered.

This study examines the value of nongovernmental free vocational training in Hanoi city, Vietnam, which is in the middle of rapid economic development. Specifically, this study researched the future prospects of skill training in Japanese …

Corporate Social Responsibility, Daniel H. Brown

Senior Honors Theses

This paper will address Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its far-reaching implications. Initially, the term CSR will be introduced and defined to provide the backbone for the following discussions. The paper will address the theoretical constructs of CSR, managerial strategies for implementing CSR and the application of stakeholder theory. The thesis is built upon Dr. Archie Carroll’s four-part CSR construct. In addition, international standards of CSR, with a focus on Nike, Inc.’s actions, will be evaluated.

Pay In Nonprofits, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

In the US, April 21-April 27 is National Volunteer Week, a time to recognize all those who work without pay to support important missions or causes championed by nonprofits. Many of the issues that come up when designing pay systems in for-profits (strategy, internal equity, performance, motivation, fairness, transparency, etc.) are as important to consider in nonprofits as they are in for-profits. But some of the facts and issues differ. Using a sample of data from the 2000 US Census of Population about approximately 3 million people between the ages of 16 and 65 who worked full year and full …

Valuing Employee Stock Options, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

It helps to remember that employee options and market-traded options are quite different. The difference between them makes valuing employee options more complicated, but it also offers a lesson about how the employer's cost for a given piece of the total rewards package may not be the same as its value to a given employee. Organizations too often miss this and, as a result, can find themselves leaving money on the table. A stock option is the right to buy a share of stock at a specific price (called the strike or exercise price) at some point in the future. …

Pay And Relative Income Within Couples, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

In "U.S. Labor Market Challenges Over the Longer Term," labor economist David Autor shows that the fraction of young adults who are currently married plummeted, dropping by 30% to 70% depending on gender, education and race/ethnicity (paper prepared for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, 2010). At the same time, women's labor earnings have steadily increased. An interesting and provocative new working paper, "Gender Identity and Relative Income Within Households", by Marianne Bertrand, Emir Kamenica and Jessica Pan (working paper, November 2012), tries to determine how these two trends are related. One of the things Bertrand, Kamenica and Pan focus …

Top Athlete Pay, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

The US has a history of discussing the pay of the relatively well-paid. This is partly because pay levels of some are revealed publicly (e.g., CEOs of publicly traded companies). Americans are also characterized as being celebrity-obsessed. So discussing the pay of superstars seems inevitable. However, they do not have quality data on the compensation of the relatively highly paid in many organizations and professions. When the author speaks about compensation in front of large groups, someone (and in many cases, many people) gets incensed over what they term "outrageous" or "egregious" levels of executive compensation. Athletes are rarely mentioned. …

Economic Effects Of The Minimum Wage, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

The US minimum wage, at almost 75 years old, remains the topic of many academic studies and much policy debate despite the fact that only about 5% of hourly employees are currently paid at or below the federal minimum. There are many possible and interesting economic effects of the minimum wage. The issue that has received by far the most attention is whether increasing the minimum wage has a negative effect on employment, and if so, for whom and by how much. Economists first approach this question through the basic theory of a perfectly competitive labor market where all workers …

The Family And Medical Leave Act’S Impact On The Hospitality Industry: Implementing Policies To Ensure Continued Productivity, Katie O'Brien Coon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Family and Medical Leave Act, (FMLA), allows women and men to take up to 12 weeks leave to care for a newborn child (maternity leave) and/or care for sick family members. The Department of Labor states that:

FMLA entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave (Family and Medical Leave Act - Wage and Hour Division (WHD) - U.S. Department of Labor, 2012).

When an employee decides to take …

Ceos Off The Clock, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

There is new and interesting academic work on how executives spend their time and the personal choices they make to maximize utility. From a compensation point of view, one issue that has been at the forefront with respect to executives is perks. One CEO compensation perk that has also received increased scrutiny but is surviving better than club memberships is the use of private aircraft. In a related April 2012 paper, "Executives' 'Off-The-Job' Behavior, Corporate Culture and Financial Reporting Risk" (National Bureau of Economic Research working paper), Robert Davidson, Abbie Smith and Aiyesha Dey consider other off-the-clock behaviors of CEOs …

Paying Professors, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

One of the most interesting quirks of academia is professional tenure. Many argue that tenure is necessary so that faculty can be protected by "academic freedom" to study the issues they find important without outside interference or pressures to conform. It is also, obviously, a nonmonetary reward and this security for life could offset higher salaries. Few accounts of the tenure system, however, recognize that while tenure essentially grants a job for life, it does not come with guaranteed lifetime raises. Some academic organizations, however, give roughly across the board annual raises. They don't seriously reward performance until a faculty …

Whole Foods Market ™ Case Study: Leadership And Employee Retention, Kristin L. Pearson

MBA Student Scholarship

Employee retention can be a challenge for Human Resources in today’s business climate, especially in retail food service occupations due to long and sometimes unpredictable hours, limited benefits, and growth potential to name a few. Despite the obstacles, Whole Foods Market has been able to overcome such limitations allowing employees flourish and as a result have set an industry benchmark for reducing voluntary turnover. This case study research is an examination of Whole Foods Market CEO John Mackey and his modern approach to leadership and its effect on employee retention. The purpose of the research is to examine the association …

F.A.C.E.S. (Faculty Academic Community Education Showcase): Professional Growth Experiences In A Career University, Paul J. Colbert, Ph.D.

MBA Faculty Conference Papers & Journal Articles

Institutes of higher education exist for the purpose of developing, fostering, nurturing, and stimulating the intellectual growth and development of students. The core values of a college education provide students conceptual and practical educational opportunities that focus on improving their skills and knowledge. These skills and knowledge translate into purposeful, real-life learning experiences. However, in the academic community, learning is not restricted to students. Faculty, too, must be supported and provided opportunities for personal and professional growth and development. Although professional development is not a novel concept in the education profession, schools often take up the gauntlet, but fall short …

Alternative Work Arrangements: An Examination Of Job Sharing, Compressed Workweeks, And Flextime, Joseph D. Lutz

Senior Honors Theses

Alternative working arrangements have become increasingly popular in workplaces across America and the world. One segment of alternative work arrangements is schedule flexibility. The three types of flexible schedules examined include: job sharing, compressed workweeks, and flextime. Each arrangement will be examined individually. First, a definition and background information will be given. Then, the benefits of the arrangement will be discussed. Next, the risks and challenges of the arrangement will be examined. Finally, there will be analysis of what conditions are necessary for the arrangement to be successful.

Securing Access To Lower-Cost Talent Globally: The Dynamics Of Active Embedding And Field Structuration, Stephan Manning, Joerg Sydow, Arnold Windeler

Management and Marketing Faculty Publication Series

This article examines how multinational corporations (MNCs) shape institutional conditions in emerging economies to secure access to high-skilled, yet lower-cost science and engineering talent. Based on two in-depth case studies of engineering offshoring projects of German automotive suppliers in Romania and China we analyze how MNCs engage in ‘active embedding’ by aligning local institutional conditions with global offshoring strategies and operational needs. MNCs thereby contribute to the structuration of field relations and practices of sourcing knowledge-intensive work from globally dispersed locations.Our findings stress the importance of institutional processes across geographic boundaries that regulate and get shaped by MNC activities.

Is There Deadweight Loss In Holiday Rewards?, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

An interesting and provocative study was conducted by Joel Waldfogel of the University of Minnesota some 20 years ago. He wrote "The Deadweight Loss of Christmas." Waldfogel was not only discussing Christmas but noted that the ideas could apply to other holidays with gift-giving rituals. The study noted that although gift giving is generally applauded by economists since it is a way to help the macro economy, there is another side to the story. A problem with gift giving (or non-monetary rewards) is that the gift giver often does not perfectly know the preferences of the person receiving the gift. …

Pay System Gender Neutrality, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

It was Francine Blau's "Equal Pay in the Office" (1977) that laid out some of the seminal research on gender differences in labor market outcomes. Blau and other pioneering researchers established decades ago that the gender pay gap (then around 40%) could not be ignored by academic economists. Many organizations are concerned with whether their individual pay systems are gender neutral, but it is not easy to test robustly a pay system's gender neutrality. To build such a test requires consideration of several issues, including control variables, occupational patterns, statistical specifications, and the often-overlooked difference between wage and salary income …

Does More Education Cause Higher Earnings?, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

College graduates earned roughly 67% more per hour than high school graduates in the US in 2010. Those with more education earn more because the world of work measures in some manner that they are simply more productive in dollars and cents terms. Some signaling theory advocates argue that if the return to education were due to learning, then the returns should be smoothly proportional to the time spent in school. However, researchers have detected a larger jump in earnings for those who complete the final year of college. Whether different schools return differently is an extension of the learning …

Developing An Employee Training Addendum For A Sustainable Hospitality Operation, Devonne A. Williams

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

As sustainability has become an important part of everyday life for American consumers, it is important that the hospitality industry do whatever it takes to meet their needs. Consumers expect businesses that they patronize to have policies in place for waste reduction, air and water conservation, and improved air quality and environment. Without the support of the front line employees, however, a hospitality operation has no chance to obtain sustainable success in these arenas. By creating addendums to previously existing employee handbooks, businesses are able to provide their employees with new policies and expectations of sustainable behaviors. This professional paper …

Linking Compensation And Job Losses During A Recession, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

For more than 60 years, no permanent Lincoln Electric employee has been laid off for lack of work. 2010 marked the 10th consecutive year year that the company increased its dividend and stock price gains have fairly consistently outperformed the S&P 500 during the past five years. For most organizations, when costs need to be cut, shedding some workers is part of the solution. Work Sharing Unemployment Insurance tries to mitigate the negative repercussions of layoffs. Under WSUI, workers are eligible for a prorated fraction of unemployment insurance benefits. Proponents of WSUI contend that hiring, firing, and retraining costs are …

Does That Pay Practice Really Have Any Impact?, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

Few organizations take the time to credibly study whether some pay, benefits, work-life balance or other total rewards practices have any impact on the organizations' bottom line or employee outcomes like productivity or turnover. It's too difficult to do well, organizations don't actually want to know the answer, and/or organizations don't have the know-how or time. One successfully executed, evidence-based study of a new compensation practice is Safelite AutoGlass. Edward Lazear compared the productivity change worker by worker, for only those employees present under both pay arrangements. Lazear found that not only did productivity increase after the change from hourly …

Conflict Management Education In Medicine: Considerations For Curriculum Designers, Jeffery Kaufman

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

It is important to address conflict in the medical field for a variety of reasons ranging from reducing turnover to increasing the quality of care received by patients. One way to assist with the management of medical conflict is by teaching resolution techniques to medical personnel. There is an opportunity for conflict management curriculum to address many of the issues facing physicians, administrators, staff and patients, however, it is also necessary for those developing that curriculum to understand the nature of the environment and appropriate conflict management tools to be used in that environment as part of the design process. …

Pay Ratios And Pay Inequality, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

Some argue that reporting the ratio of CEO pay to that of the median-compensated worker in the organization is useful since it highlights the sometimes large discrepancy between the pay of an average worker and that of corporate executives. One argument against reporting the ratio of CEO pay to median worker pay is that this is much more difficult to calculate in practice than in theory. The hourly earnings of workers at the bottom have been incredibly flat for the last generation. Only the top 5% have seen large gains over time. For CEOs, the gains are substantial. the multiple …

Motivating With Efficiency Wages And Delayed Payments, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

In the delayed payment system, companies motivate workers to work hard year after year by paying them less than the value they create for the company early in the workers' tenure and more than the value they create for the company later in the workers' tenure. With efficiency wages, workers are essentially paid a wage that is higher than the next-best offer they could get. A paper by Alan Krueger found that at company-owned fast food restaurants, employee compensation is higher and the delayed payment profile is steeper than at franchised outlets. In a recent paper, Matthew Freedman and Renata …

Do Major League Baseball Hitters Come Up Big In Their Contract Year?, Heather M. O'Neill, Matthew J. Hummel

Business and Economics Faculty Publications

In sports, especially baseball, there is a lot of talk about contract year performance. Beginning in spring training and continuing throughout the season, sports journalists and fans converse about how players in the last year of their contract will perform. Experts in the media, often ex-baseball players themselves, speculate contract year players will have break-out seasons in order to secure a better contract in upcoming contract negotiations. This leads to the question: do baseball players increase their effort and performance during their contract year to increase the value of their next contract?

The Important Role Of Change Management In Environment Management System Implementation, Mary Eileen Graham, S Ronnenberg, F Mahmoodi

Falk College Research Center

No abstract provided.