Going head to head: Content analysis of high profile conflicts as played out in the press

Content analyses of news coverage for high profile conflicts (the U.S. Department of Agriculture, American Airlines, Massachusetts Military Reservation, United Parcel Service) provide a natural history of the use of the contingency theory in public relations. The content analysis tracked the changing stances of organizations moving on the continuum from pure advocacy to pure accommodation, in response to a number of contingent factors that can just as readily move an organization toward accommodation as toward advocacy. Integrating conflict and conflict resolution models from the conflict literature with the contingency theory in public relations, results confirm that strategies as well as stances of an organization and its public change over time. This change over time has been influenced predominantly by two contingent factors: internal threats and external threats. Both parties in each conflict demonstrated overall advocacy and employed a contending strategy predominantly during the conflict management process.     

Intergroup conflict,law, and the concept of labor market discrimination

This article begins by reviewing problems that arise in attempts to operationalize standard social scientific definitions of labor market discrimination. It then argues that some of these problems occur because conventional studies of discrimination pay insufficient attention to the role of cultural contests and social and political conflict in disputes over what constitutes fair treatment in the labor market. It proposes a way to reconceptualize labor market discrimination that takes conflict into account and suggests that much could be learned about labor market discrimination by examining how such conflict is expressed in legal disputes occurring under the equal employment opportunity laws. The examination of such conflict also provides a way to link political struggle with labor market outcomes.This is a revised version of a paper presented at the 1988 annual meeting of the Law and Society Association.     

Gender as a differential indicator of the employment discrimination experiences of Americans with multiple sclerosis

Information from the Integrated Mission System of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was used to investigate the employment discrimination experiences of women and men with multiple sclerosis (MS). Spanning the years 1992 to 2003, the EEOC database included 3,663 allegations of discrimination filed by 2,167 adults with MS. With respect to women and men with MS, the researchers examined the comparability of a) demographic characteristics; b) industry designations, locations, and size of employers; c) the nature of discrimination alleged; and d) the legal outcome or resolution of those allegations. On average, women and men with MS were in their early forties, with the majority of both groups being Caucasian. Both women and men were most likely to allege discrimination related to discharge and reasonable accommodations, although women were more likely to file harassment charges than men. Men with MS were more likely to allege discrimination regarding hiring and reinstatement. Women with MS were more likely to file allegations against employers in the service industries, and men were more likely to file allegations against employers in the construction, manufacturing, and wholesale industries. No gender differences were found in the geographic distribution of allegations. Both groups had comparable rates of merit closures (23% vs. 27%) as a result of the EEOC's investigatory process. Implications for rehabilitation counseling and employer-oriented interventions are discussed.     

Changing Scenarios of Tamilian Culture: Some Thoughts on the Cultural Dimensions of the Ethnic War in Sri Lanka

Although the political and economic implications of the ongoing ethnic war in Sri Lanka have come under varied scrutiny, its cultural dimensions have so far been a neglected area. Ironically, the attitude of the Tamils, the minority ethnic group to the conflict, towards their culture has been rather lukewarm vis-à-vis their concern over political and/or economic rights. This has not, however, resulted in any cultural rigidity whereby Tamil culture remained wholly immune to war conditions. On the contrary, it has been subject to a state of flux. The objective of this paper is to analyse this process of transformation. After a brief analysis of the origin of the ethnic war and the reasons for the diminished interest shown by Tamils in the state of their culture, the paper goes on to examine the nature of cultural changes. It identifies an external as well as an internal dimension in the ongoing process. Of the two, the latter reveals a higher degree of dynamism, leading to a number of changes that have either occurred or are imminent. The reasons for this dynamism and its implications are discussed. The external dimension, on the other hand, has not only failed to react favourably to internal developments but has also threatened to become the fresh breeding grounds for some of the discarded notions of the internal sector. After offering reasons for such an outcome, the paper recognises that the external dimension has its utility in the dissemination of the conflict at a global level. The paper concludes that, notwithstanding the ultimate outcome of the ethnic crisis, there is sufficient opportunity for the Tamil culture to be further strengthened based especially on the mutual contributions of the internal and external dimensions.     

The context of discrimination: workplace conditions, institutional environments, and sex and race discrimination charges

This article explores the organizational conditions under which discrimination charges occur. Drawing on structural and organizational theories of the workplace, the authors demonstrate how organizational conditions affect workers' and regulatory agents' understandings of unlawful discrimination. Using a national sample of work establishments, matched to discrimination-charge data obtained from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the authors examine how characteristics of the workplace and institutional environment affect variation in the incidence of workers' charges of sex and race discrimination and in the subset of discrimination claims that are verified by EEOC investigators. The findings indicate that workplace conditions, including size, composition, and minority management, affect workers' charges as well as verified claims; the latter are also affected by institutional factors, such as affirmative action requirements, subsidiary status, and industrial sector. These results suggest that internal workplace conditions affect both workers' and regulatory agents' interpretations of potentially discriminatory experiences, while institutional conditions matter only for regulatory agents' interpretations of those events.     

How age discrimination in employment affects stockholders

We analyze the impact on stock prices, and thus on stockholders, of 84 newspaper announcements regarding corporate age discrimination lawsuits. We find that, on average, initial announcements cause a 2 percent decline in stock price, a $40 million average loss in total stock value for the large firms charged. The stock price decreases are consistent with investor concerns about the firms’ ability to attract and retain good employees given the discrimination charges. Though age discrimination in employment is a pervasive and growing problem, such findings may discourage managers from engaging in discriminatory practices. The authors thank Jane Blank and Malcolm Matthew for helpful comments. This research was supported by a University of Windsor Research Board Grant.     

The context of employment discrimination: interpreting the findings of a field experiment

Although field experiments have documented the contemporary relevance of discrimination in employment, theories developed to explain the dynamics of differential treatment cannot account for differences across organizational and institutional contexts. In this article, I address this shortcoming by presenting the main empirical findings from a multi‐method research project, in which a field experiment of ethnic discrimination in the Norwegian labour market was complemented with forty‐two in‐depth interviews with employers who were observed in the first stage of the study. While the experimental data support earlier findings in documenting that ethnic discrimination indeed takes place, the qualitative material suggests that theorizing in the field experiment literature have been too concerned with individual and intra‐psychic explanations. Discriminatory outcomes in employment processes seems to be more dependent on contextual factors such as the number of applications received, whether requirements are specified, and the degree to which recruitment procedures are formalized. I argue that different contexts of employment provide different opportunity structures for discrimination, a finding with important theoretical and methodological implications.     

大学生就业中的法律问题及对策

由于高校连续多年的扩招,高校毕业生人数逐年增多,加上我国就业形势的严峻以及就业市场的不规范,导致了大学生在就业中的诸多法律问题,如就业歧视、招聘欺诈、就业协议或劳动合同签订中的不公平等。这些问题的背后又有着诸多深层次的原因。解剖这些原因,解决这些问题,关系到社会的和谐、高等教育的持续健康发展。当然,这需要政府、社会、高校及大学生的共同努力。     

Conflict Resolution Network Schools Development Australia

This paper outlines how a school climate and culture can be changed through the implementation of a Whole School Approach to Conflict Resolution and Peer Mediation Skilling. The role of external consultancy (Conflict Resolution Network Schools Development), consisting of specialist consultants with an education background, is part of a general “grassroots” movement, led by the Conflict Resolution Network and affecting institutions, business and groups in our society. The paper firstly emphasises conflict resolution skill training (12 Skills Toolkit) to educators by the consultant. Secondly, a 10 step implementation process is presented to educators who generally hold administrative positions. Two case studies are included to provide examples of different approaches based on the initial conflict resolution skilling of teachers. Don White from James Busby High School gives a brief history of the stages of implementation of conflict resolution skills in his school. Dilcie Singh outlines the linking of a Peer Mediation program to part of the school visison “Valuing People”.     

Workplace discrimination and traumatic brain injury: the national EEOC ADA research project

Using the Integrated Mission System of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the employment discrimination experience of Americans with traumatic brain injury is documented. Researchers compare and contrast the key dimensions of workplace discrimination involving Americans with traumatic brain injury and persons with other physical, sensory, and neurological impairments. Specifically, the researchers examine demographic characteristics of the charging parties; the industry designation, location, and size of employers against whom complaints are filed; the nature of discrimination (i.e., type of adverse action) alleged to occur; and the outcome or resolution of the investigations. Findings indicate that persons with traumatic brain injury were more likely to encounter discrimination after obtaining employment as opposed to during the hiring process. They were also more likely to encounter discrimination when they were younger or Caucasian or when employed in the Midwestern or Western United States. Implications are addressed.     

Workplace discrimination and HIV/AIDS: the national EEOC ADA research project

This article utilizes data from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's Integrated Mission System database to document the levels of employment discrimination involving individuals with HIV/AIDS. The researchers explore the theory that the nature of HIV/AIDS related employment discrimination is rooted in deeper stigmatization than discrimination against other disability groups. Researchers compare and contrast key demographic characteristics of Charging Parties and Respondents involved in HIV/AIDS related allegations of discrimination and their proportion of EEOC merit resolutions to those of persons with other physical, sensory, and neurological impairments. Findings indicate that, in contrast to the general disability group, HIV/AIDS was more likely to be male, ethnic minorities, between the ages of 25-44, in white collar jobs, in the South and West and to work for businesses with 15 to 100 employees. Additionally, the allegations in HIV/AIDS were more likely to receive merit resolution from the EEOC by a large difference of ten percent.     

Teaching Students to Manage Intercultural Conflicts Constructively

This article focuses on teaching students how to resolve their conflicts with schoolmates and faculty constructively. The topics discussed are: (a) the nature of conflict; (b) the strategies used to resolve conflicts; (c) the problem‐solving negotiation procedure; (d) the procedure for mediating schoolmates’ conflicts; and (e) the implementation of a conflict resolution and peer mediation program in the school. Finally, the use of conflict resolution procedures to manage conflicts between students with and without disabilities will be discussed.     

Values of Public Relations: Effects on Organization-Public Relationships Mediating Conflict Resolution

This article identified two important measures of public relations effects i.e., organization-public relationships and conflict resolution, and investigated how they functionally related to public relations strategies. The research hypothesis posited that the effect of public relations strategies on conflict resolution was mediated by organization-public relationships. Two survey data sets were used and incorporated to derive possible answers for the proposed research hypothesis and research question. The 1st data set (n = 301) was used as a starting point for investigating the complex relationships among variables. The 2nd data set (n = 235) was tested, and replication procedures were adopted to further cross-validate the results obtained from the 1st study. The results supported the research hypothesis positing that the effect of public relations on conflict resolution is mediated by organization-public relationships. Theoretically, this study makes evident the values of public relations in terms of relationship management and conflict resolution. On a pragmatic level, the results of this study may serve to benefit public relations practitioners interested in generating favorable relationships and resolving conflict with their publics in general, and conducting international business in Far Eastern countries in particular.     

An organization-environment framework for assessing program implementation

Evaluations of health programs are typically conducted from a rational bureaucratic framework in which client change and client outcome are seen as logical outcomes of program activity. This paper proposes a theoretical framework for examining organizational consequences of program implementation. Factors in the internal environment (e.g., the hospital) and the external environment (e.g., the community) which contribute to the program's success or failure, are considered. Observational and structured interview data are used to compare two state funded perinatal projects, one an organizational "success" and the other a costly failure. Attributes of external environments which may be important to successful implementation include demand for services, provider competition, access to information, social beliefs, and professional commitment. Important features of the internal environment include host organization commitment and conflict, and structural attributes: complexity, formalization, centralization, and coordination. The paper concludes with theoretically-based questions which serve as guidelines for process evaluation.     

A Marital Conflict Resolution Model: Redefining Conflict to Achieve Intimacy*

The approach to conflict resolution used in this model is to redefine conflict as alternative choices. Six assumptions about conflict are reviewed, suggesting it is the way conflicts are processed, not the conflict per se, which affects the relationship. The model is built on skills: Listening, speaking, deciphering basic needs, unlocking alternative choices, and introspection about the process. Some perspectives and principles provide a conceptual framework for use of the seven sequential procedures. Effectively processed conflicts result in greater personal and relationship understanding and potential for growth.     

The Labor Market Effects of Sex and Race Discrimination Laws

We study the effects of state sex and race discrimination laws that were passed prior to federal antidiscrimination legislation. State sex discrimination laws targeted discrimination in pay only. Because an equal pay constraint raises the relative price of female labor, we would expect the relative employment of females to decline. We find robust evidence that state equal pay laws for women reduced relative employment of both black women and white women. We also find some evidence of positive effects of race discrimination laws on earnings of blacks relative to whites, although no evidence of employment effects. (JEL J15 , J16 , J18 , J23 )     

Locus of Control and low-wage mobility

We investigate whether non-cognitive skills – in particular Locus of Control – are important determinants of mobility processes for male workers at the low-wage margin. Our results reveal a significant amount of state dependence in low pay even after controlling for non-cognitive skills. Furthermore, compared to individuals with an external Locus of Control, individuals with a more internal Locus of Control have a significantly higher probability of being higher-paid instead of low-paid. Conditional on being low-paid, individuals with an internal Locus of Control have a significantly higher probability of moving to higher-paid employment in the following year than individuals with an external Locus of Control. Our results suggest that having an internal Locus of Control is an important non-cognitive skill in the context of low wages. It may help individuals to avoid low-wage jobs and to move from low-paid jobs to higher-paid jobs.     

A “Nutcracker” Theory of Modern Organizations: A Conflict View

Abstract

This paper presents a point of view toward formal organizations which departs from the equilibrium models contained on both bureaucratic and open system theory. Specifically, a conflict perspective is taken in terms of which organization disequilibrium is understood to be typical of organizations as a consequence of their being continually subject to the threat of withdrawal of monetary and non-monetary supports from both internal members and external publics with which organizations are interdependent. The factors contributing to these circumstances of conflict are attributed to recent maturations of rights of citizenship and participatory democracy, the social organization of these sources of conflict are termed the “nutcracker” effect.     

Working collectively in competitive times: case studies from New Zealand and Australia

Collectives offer an alternative organisational structure toservice delivery organisations that seek to embody criticalsocial change. This model is challenging to implement as itsassumptions and values are contrary to the dominant socio-politicalclimate of economic rationalism. This paper explores experiencesof two workers employed as coordinators in collective-basedorganisations in Australia and New Zealand. They share the joysand challenges of these experiences, and conclude with fivekey reflections about implementing this model: keeping reflectiveand honest about philosophical assumptions, keeping processcentral, having robust conflict resolution processes, reflectabout the external factors influencing organisational structure,and finding ways to value workers.     

The meaning of workplace discrimination for women with disabilities

Studies have found that persons with disabilities who are also members of other minority groups or women encounter dual discrimination. This paper describes how women with disabilities who are in the workplace experience discrimination. In order to determine whether discrimination was a viable issue, theoretical contexts of feminist theory, disability theory, and attribution theory were examined as well as literature examining employment of women with disabilities. For this study, three women with various disabilities were interviewed regarding the effect of their disability on their typical workday, their employment and job seeking history, and employment opportunities. Qualitative data were also provided through mapping by the participants and pictorial data of worksites. Data were grouped into themes of pre-conceived notions of others, attitudes of others, accommodation issues, inclusion issues and exploitation issues. From these themes definitions of discrimination, nondiscrimination in the workplace were developed. Conclusions include the need for more research on workplace experiences of other or more specific populations that experience discrimination as well as the need for ethical reflection on the part of the researcher regarding vulnerable populations.