Human Resources, especially in global organizations, is challenged to
be aware of the variations of law from country to country, not only to
understand the complexities of unions and organized labor in each
country, but also the rights of part-time, full-time, and temporary
workers; local versus foreign workers; visa issues, and migrant worker
issues as well as unionized workers. Understanding local laws and
regulations becomes even more important when the employment process is
conducted through online crowdsourcing or other, less traditional
recruiting methods.
Research and select a case study that discusses how a global United
States company handled an international labor relations union issue from
a human resources perspective. Discuss the case from the standpoint of
cultural, economic, and legal differences and indicate the international
labor relations laws that were foundational to the issue. Use the
following template to help guide your analysis:
Introduction
Briefly introduce the case, its history and the key issues (pro and con) it presents.
Is there any additional supporting evidence that can bring clarity to the case.
Analysis of the Case
Who is the key stakeholder(s) in the case?
Their Strategy / Goals
Their Rational / Assumptions
What are the challenges presented by the case?
What are the opportunities presented by the case?
Your Recommendation(s)
Based upon what you have read and your professional/academic
experience, what would your recommendations as a human resource
specialist be regarding this case? Are there any alternative options
that you would suggest?
Lessons Learned (Conclusion)
What are the most significant take-a-ways from this case as it
relates to labor relations and human resources? Are the lessons those
that can easily be integrated into an organization’s culture?
Length: 5-7 pages, not including title and reference pages
References: Include a minimum of five scholarly resources.
Your case analysis should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the
ideas and concepts that are presented in the course and provide new
thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response
should reflect graduate-level writing and APA standards.
.
Labor Relations in a Global Market
As more and more companies expand into a global marketplace, the
nature of labor relations becomes broader and more complex. Cultural,
economic, legal, political, and value differences define the nature and
strength of unions different from country to country. And, some
countries worker unions may be weak or not exist at all. In countries
with emerging economies, the informal economy takes precedent with labor
being more decentralized and labor unions being nonexistent.
There are various labor relations that are of concern in
international situations. Health and safety issues for workers may vary
due to local laws and customs. Worker security also takes on a different
dimension in certain areas of the world. Child labor issues and laws
vary from local customs.
The nature of labor unions and labor laws can be an important
variable for managers from other countries when dealing with
host-country national employees. In some countries, unions either do not
exist at all or are relatively weak, and in others they may be tied to
political parties. In other more developed countries such as the United
States, union membership and influence has been on the decline. In
lesser developed countries, unions may be more militant and aggressive.
While some countries actually require that there is labor or union
representation on their boards of directors. All these variances create
new and challenging concerns for human resources.
The role and process of collective bargaining can also vary from
country to country. The collective bargaining process spans from unions
working with individual employers to set wages and working conditions to
unions working with national association of employers or developing
industry or region-wide or even national agreements with employers. In
some countries bargaining occurs via arbitration with tribunals. Despite
these variations and differences, unions throughout the world focus on
employment issues (wages, benefits) and working conditions.
The International Labour Organization or ILO was created in 1919 as a
special branch of the United Nations focused on improving labor
conditions and living standards in countries throughout the world. Some
of the core standards of the ILO address the freedom of association and
the right to collective bargaining, eliminating forced or compulsory
labor, the abolition of child labor, and eliminating discrimination. In
addition, the ILO provides assistance and support for workforce
training; fosters cooperative organizations and rural industries;
compiles employment statistics; conducts research on issues related to
global competition, unemployment and underemployment, labor and
industrial relations, and technological change; and helps to protect the
rights of international migrants and organized labor.
Within global organizations, more expatriates are working
internationally. This creates additional human resource concerns,
especially regarding worker health and safety. In less-developed
countries, medical treatments may not be available; medical facilities
may be more primitive, and pharmaceuticals less easily obtained. In
addition, in some countries there may be threats of terrorist actions
against an organization and its workers, making both subject to
extortion, kidnapping, bombing, physical harassment, and other terrorist
activities.
References:
Cutcher-Gershenfeld, J., & Finkin, M. (2014). Multinational HR management and the law. Employment Relations Today (Wiley), 41(1), 47-55. doi:10.1002/ert.21443
Fichter, M. (2015). Labor rights and labor standards in the global
economy: The promise and limits of private power: Promoting labor
standards in a global economy and human rights and labor solidarity:
Trade unions in the global economy. New Labor Forum (Sage Publications Inc.), 24(2), 121-125. doi:10.1177/1095796015578149
Mohn, E. (2016). International Labour Organization (ILO). Salem Press Encyclopedia.
Blackett,
A. (2015). Beyond the ‘rules of the game’. International Labour Review,
154(1), 73-78. doi:10.1111/j.1564-913X.2015.00228.x
Budd,
J. J. (2014). Implicit public values and the creation of publicly
valuable outcomes: The Importance of work and the contested role of
labor…..
Cristiani,
A., & Peiró, J. M. (2015). Human resource function strategic role
and trade unions: exploring their impact on human resource
management….
Dartey-Baah,
K. (2013). The cultural approach to the management of the international
human resource: An analysis of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions….
Givan, R. K., & Hipp, A. L. (2012, March). Public perceptions of union efficacy: A twenty-four country study.
Hilgert,
J. (2014). The future of the international labour organization in the
global economy. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 52(4), 816-818
Lai, C. (2013). Trade union and global economic growth. Global Economic Review, 42(2), 168-181. doi:10.1080/1226508X.2013.791474
Marlow, M. (Oct. 2013). Do public sector unions erode business climates?
Marino,
S. (2015). Trade unions, special structures and the inclusion of
migrant workers: On the role of union democracy. Work, Employment and
Society
Nini,
Y. (2013). Cross-cultural industrial relations in the context of
socioeconomic changes: The west, the east, and the emerging markets…..
Link
Rosado
Marzán, C. F. (2014). Labor’s soft means and hard challenges:
Fundamental discrepancies and the promise of non-binding arbitration
for….
Robinson, R. R. (2014). Human beings with rights: Unions and democracy in the 21st century. Innovation Journal, 19(1), 1-9.
Samnani,
A., Boekhorst, J. A., & Harrison, J. A. (2016). Institutional-level
bullying: Exploring workplace bullying during union organizing
drives….
Stokes,
P., Liu, Y., Smith, S., Leidner, S., Moore, N., & Rowland, C.
(2016). Managing talent across advanced and emerging economies…..
Warner,
M., & Zhu, Y. (2018). The challenges of managing ‘new generation’
employees in contemporary China: Setting the scene. Asia Pacific
Business..
Rubery,
J. (Speaker). (2017). Challenges & contradictions in the
‘normalization’ of flexible labor markets [Streaming video].
http://proxy1.ncu.edu/lo
Assignment Rubric
The following shows the criteria used to grade this Assignment:
Grading Rubric
Criteria
Content (6 points)
Points
1
Introduces and analyzes a case study regarding international labor relations issue faced by a global United States company.
3
2
Evaluates
and offers from the perspective of a human resource professional
various recommendations and alternative options to the case.
2
3
Outlines lessons learned from the case study.
1
Organization (4 points)
1
Content
is organized and presented in a clear manner. Includes a minimum of
five scholarly references, with appropriate APA formatting applied to
citations and paraphrasing.
4
Total
10
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