Issues in Industrial Relations
The many issues of industrial relations are concerned with a company's treatment of its employees and workers. What used to be merely domestic issues of labor management have now become global issues of cross-national management, as the international business sector has grown. And when the influence of one multinational principal is perceived as more relevant than others, it can trigger a possible examination of that principal's relationship with its home-based workers, and possibly even doubt and uncertainty of future dealings.
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Standardization
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Although the United States government has staked an interest in promoting standardized labor practices in developing countries, their efforts, according to John W. Budd and James G. Scoville, editors of The Ethics of Human Resources and Industrial Relations, have been challenged by critics who argue that demands, such as restrictions on child labor practices and the improving of adult labor practices, will only harm the workers of those countries, resulting in the loss of needed jobs.
Bargaining Rights
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Bargaining rights refer to union recognition and the rights of individual workers to join together and bargain for a change in policy and organization. According to digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu, The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) maintains that a key element to the recognition of bargaining rights is the intent to come to an agreement; a-meeting-of-the-minds, as it were. One of the major issues in American industrial relations is the discrepancies and variations found between the NLRA, the Railway Labor Act and the different policies found from state to state. These differences determine who in the workforce is granted bargaining rights and who is not.
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Lookism
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The topic of appearance discrimination in the workplace has become a popular issue in industrial relations. One such issue is the idea that men and women were missing out on promotions, pay raises, top-level assignments and equal inclusion in the workplace all because of their weight. What resulted was a 2001 study by professors Rebecca Puhl and Kelly Brownell confirming that there was, in fact, stereotyping occurring amongst managers and administrators, and that it often started at the hiring level. The study, which appeared in Obesity Research, raised the awareness of lookism as yet another issue in industrial relations.
Multinational Corporations
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Another issue in industrial relations is the probability of the American approach to human resource management in multinational corporations not only becoming globally popularized in the host countries, but also influencing their governmental business policy. This issue of influence is a particular concern to those who have a future interest in developing nations who rely heavily on the presence of American multinational corporations to boost their present economy, as well as foster business for the future. According to Phil Almond and Anthony Ferner, editors of American Multinationals in Europe: Managing Employment Relations Across National Borders, the international business community has conflicting views regarding the effects of America's presence in multinational corporations. One view regards the United States as a leader and innovator in cross-national corporate management, while another view questions the hegemonic role that American multinational corporations have come to assume.
Considerations
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When considering America's role in various issues of industrial relations, it is important to remember that the global business community is not as wide and disconnected as it once was. Countries who share interests in multinational businesses also share interests in the governmental and operational policies of developing nations that represent potential markets and future profits. Because of this, the way in which American companies relate to their workers may be forced to undergo a radical change or relinquish their dominant position in the theater of global opinion.
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