ContemporaryIssuesinIR

Stage

3

Semester

2

ModuleTitle

ContemporaryIssuesinIR

ModuleReferenceCode

H8CNTIR

Status(M/E)

Mandatory

ECTSCredit

10

ModuleNFQLevel

8

Pre-requisiteModules

Code

Title

H7IR

IntroductiontoIndustrialRelations

Co-requisiteModules

Code

Title

Capstone(Y/N)

TeachingPersonnel

Title

Name

ContactHours

Non-ContactHours

Total

Lecture

Practical

Tutorial

Seminar

Assignment

Placement

Independent

48

202

250

AllocationofmarkswithintheModule

ContinuousAssessment

Project

Practical

TerminalExamination

Total

%Contribution

50%

50%

100%

IntendedModuleLearningOutcomes

Onsuccessfulcompletionofthismodule,learnerswillbeableto:

LO1. Offeracriticalaccountoftheimpactofthecontemporarycompetitiveenvironmentontheconductofindustrialrelations

LO2. Analysetherangeofstrategicchoicesavailableinthemanagementofindustrialrelationsandapproachestocollectivebargaining

LO3. AssesstheimportanceofthestateatnationalandEUlevelintheregulationoftheemploymentrelationship,andanalysemodelsofstateinterventionandtheircontemporaryimpact

LO4. Compareandcontrastapproachestolabourmanagementandindustrialrelationsinavarietyofpublicandprivatesettings

LO5. CriticallyassesstherangeofpolicychoicesconfrontingthemainprotagonistsintheIrishindustrialrelationssystemtoday

ModuleObjectives

Themoduleaimstoexplorecontemporaryissuesinindustrialrelationswithparticularreferencetotheroleofthestate,andthelinkbetweencompetitivepressuresandtheemploymentrelationship.

ModuleCurriculum

Globalisationanditsimplications“neweconomy”

The‘post-fordism’debateandtheimplicationsfortheformationofa‘neweconomy’.

Theevolutionandmeaningofglobalisation.

Thepluralistdefenceof‘workervoice’andtheneo-liberalcritiqueofcollectivebargaining.

Multinationalcorporationsandtheconductofindustrialrelations.

Theimpactofinwardinvestment:MNCsas‘modernisers’,orthe‘cuckoointhenest’.

Fracturedlabourmarkets,lowpay,poorworkandmigration

Strategicchoiceinthemanagementofindustrialrelations

TheriseofHRManditsimplicationsfortheoriesofcollectivebargaining.

Managingemployeerelationsinnon-unionsettings.

Diversityinlabourmanagementandproductmarkets.

Developingemployerstrategiestowardsindustrialrelations.

Strategicapproachestobargaining‘theoryandpractice’.

Forcing,fostering,andunionavoidanceandsuppression

The‘neweconomy’andnewformsofworkorganisation

Complianceandcooperationintheworkplace.

Workervoiceasaunionpurposeandasamanagerialtool.

The‘flexiblefirm’andnewissuesinemployment.

Thesearchforproductivityanditsindustrialrelationsimplications.

Fosteringcommitment.

Unionapproachestomanagingchange

Thelocalandregionalstateandindustrialrelations

Modelsofstateinterventioninindustrialrelations.

Thepluralisttraditioninthecontextofthe‘neweconomy’.

Thedemiseof‘socialpartnership’inIrelandandtheevolutionofstatepoliciesonunionrecognitionandbargaining.

ThedebateontheEuropeanroleinsocialpolicyandindustrialrelations.

Theimpactofneo-liberalismonformsofjobregulation

Changeinthepublicsector

Characteristicsofpublicsectorindustrialrelations

Theproblemofpaysetting

Theproblemofpublicservicereform

‘Newpublicmanagement’andpublicsectorchangeinIreland

MultinationalcorporationsandtheirinfluenceonIrishindustrialrelations

Theeconomicimpactofinwardinvestment

Changingpatternsofemployerbehaviour

Developingpatternsofunionrecognition/non-recognition

Prospectsforthedevelopmentofindustrialrelations

Futureperspectives

Strategicoptionsforthestate

Strategicoptionsfortheemployers

Strategicoptionsfortheunions

TeachingandLearningStrategy

Thelearningstrategyinvolvestheuseoflectures,casestudiesandclassdiscussionsasappropriate.LearnerswillalsohaveaccesstowebbasedsupportincludingelementsofblendedlearningviaICT.Learnerswilladdressthesubjectthrough:standardtexts;researchmonographsandlearnedjournalsattheforefrontofknowledgeinthesubjectarea;employer,unionandgovernmentpublications;casestudies.

AssessmentStrategy

Coursework

50%

EndofModuleAssessment

50%

AssessmentType

AssessmentDescription

Outcomeaddressed

%oftotal

AssessmentDate

Essay

Learnerswillbesetanessayonthepotentialconsequencesofeconomicchangeforthemanagementoflabourandofindustrialrelations,tobeansweredinnomorethan2,500words,usingreferencesfrombooksandarticlesasappropriate.

1,2,3,5

50

n/a

TerminalExam

End-of-SemesterFinalExaminationusuallycontainssixquestionsinthreegroups,withLearnersrequiredtoansweronequestionfromeachgroup.Alternatively,itmayconsistofanopenbookexaminationwithtwoextensivequestions.Allquestionswillnecessitateessay-styleresponsesandmarkswillbeawardedbasedonclarity,structurerelevantexamples,depthoftopicknowledgeandevidenceofreadingoutsidecoretexts.

1,2,3,4,5

50

End-of-Semester

ReassessmentDetail

Repeatexamination

Reassessmentofthismodulewillconsistofarepeatexamination.Itispossiblethattherewillalsobearequirementtobereassessedinacourseworkelement.

ReadingListandOtherResources

RecommendedBookReading

Wallace,J.,P.GunnigleG.Mcmahon,andMO'Sullivan2013,IndustrialRelationsinIreland,4thEd.,GillandMacmillanDublin

WILLIAMSS2014,IntroducingEmploymentRelations:ACriticalApproach,OUPOxford

Walton,RichardE.,Cutcher-Gershenfeld,JoelE.,McKersie,RobertB.2000,StrategicNegotiations:ATheoryOfChangeInLabor-ManagementRelations

SupplementaryBookReading

D’Art,D.AndT.Turner(Eds.)2002IrishEmploymentRelationsintheNewEconomy.Dublin,Blackhall.

Ackers,P,CSmith,andPSmith(eds.)1996,TheNewWorkplaceandTradeUnionism:CriticalPerspectivesonWorkandOrganizationRoutledge,London.

Legge,K.2005HumanResourceManagement:RhetoricsandRealities,PalgraveMacmillan,Basingstoke,

RecommendedArticleReading

Hyman,R2001,“The‘Europeanisation’ortheErosionofIndustrialRelations?”,IndustrialRelationsJournal,Vol.4.No.32,,280-9

Whitston,C2014,“Thereformofjointlabourcommittee