Labor Unions
Essays

The intent of this analysis is to evaluate the differences between China and Germany, Germany and Australia, and China and Australia. Taking the role of an Employee Relations (ER) Manager who is responsible for managing workforces in these areas, each country is compared based on their history, role of stakeholders, bargaining and labor laws. China vs Germany In comparing China and Germany's current Employee Relations practices, a framework including each country's current economic system, their respective histories, role of stakeholders, bargaining practices and labour laws are presented. Comparative Analysis Chinese versus German Economic & Employment Systems The Chinese economic and employment systems today reflect the highly socialistic, centrally planned economy versus the social market economy of Germany. The Chinese have defined their employment system and the role of employers with a strong focus on central planning as well. The Iron Rice Bowl and the HuKou systems are designed specifically for the purpose of providing citizens with lifetime employment. The Chinese economic and employment models resemble the Soviet Union in that both nations have a centralized office for managing labor grievances, in addition to openly allowing state-financed monopolies to exist. The goal of communist-based egalitarianism has failed to deliver results for the migrant factory workers who keep the manufacturing industries of China working, while the new economic ruling class, located predominantly in coastal cities, looking increasingly capitalist. China's future as a communist-based government is threatened by this widening gulf of migrant workers relative to the newly-minted wealthy class of entrepreneurs who are savvy enough to gain the Communist party's support for their new ventures. Germany has taken a radically different approach than China in terms of their employment systems. They are focused on a more social or collaborative approach between government and labor, looking to provide a foundation for continual economic growth by ensuring the long-term productivity of their workers. The German approach to managing employment is to concentrate on high skill, high trust, high quality wage models that seek to revolutionize industries. The example of this is shown for the vehicle manufacturing industry. The German focus on high skill, high trust and high quality wages has led to the need for collective bargaining and greater coordination with labor unions. History China's current economic and employment systems are predicated on Confucian ideologies of seeking social harmony and cohesion of social relationships. These philosophies still permeate the nation's culture, despite the Liberation in 1949 to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) form of government. In 1978, China adopted a socialist model of state-planned economies both at the regional and state levels. It also created, in 1978, an open door policy for initiating economic transformation. This led to the Chinese economy flourishing in a less restrictive environment. Today China continues to navigate between a communist and capitalist approach to their economic and employment practices with the latter becoming more dominant due to the potential to grow the wealth of the CCP. Germany was resurged as a global economic power after the devastation the country faced after the Second World War. Germany has emerged as the largest and strong European economy with the high export focus that rivals China. Following the reunification of Eastern and Western Germany, the economic growth of the country has slowed significantly. Between 1994 and 2008, Germany reported only 1.5% economic growth for example. Unemployment rates continue to escalate yet are not as severe as France or the United Kingdom. As of the analysis completed for the course, unemployment is hovering at 8.4%.

In a work written in the mid 1980s Mortimer Adler stressed the fact that democracy, if it is to work effectively must educate all those who it offers suffrage to as suffrage, or the right to vote has finally been…

Human Resource Management can be described as "The comprehensive set of managerial activities and tasks concerned with developing and maintaining a qualified workforce -- human resources -- in ways that contribute to…

¶ … Laws Affecting the Human Resources Industry

A labor union is an association of workers who have come together in order to attain common goals in relations to such as better working conditions. The job of the leadership of the union is to negotiate with the…

Through the use of social theory it is theorized that the concept of globalization is capable of taking on various alternative interpretations. This theory is due to the understanding that the discourses surrounding the…

MEETING the DEMAND for TALENT in the MIDDLE EAST: HUMAN RESOURCE'S ROLE in ATTRACTION and RETENTION of TOP TALENT

Change is often resisted at both the individual and organizational levels despite the potential for positive outcomes. The reasons for this are varied and the process of identifying them can be difficult. Robbins and Judge (2010) note that most organizations have developed practices and procedures over an extended period and being based on behaviors to which employees are strongly committed are by and large stable. In order for an organization to keep up in an ever evolving world it must learn and change accordingly. This paper examines the characteristics of a learning organization, barriers to change, and some of the elements that must be present in order to bring about organizational change.

¶ … employees use the 360 degree feedback method, or in other words, they evaluate themselves. Each employee is evaluated by a colleague, a superior and a person inferior hierarchically.

¶ … history of unions in Western Pennsylvania is strong and rich. Factors including locality and population growth made western Pennsylvania, more specifically Pittsburgh, an ideal place for various industries.