bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The influence of age and administration rate on the brain sensitivity to propofol in rats
Authors: Larsson J. E. , Wahlström G.
Published: January 2009

Background: It is well established that the dose of propofol for induction of anaesthesia is influenced by patient age. This may be explained by differences in pharmacokinetics or pharmaco‐dynamics. To evaluate the effect of age on propofol pharmaco‐dynamics, the brain concentration of propofol at the time of an EEG end‐point was used as a measure of CNS sensitivity.

Methods: Ninety‐five rats were assigned to 4 groups. Anaesthesia was induced by continuous propofol infusion at different rates. The dose of propofol and duration of anaesthesia were determined from 23 up to 776 days of age. The rats were killed at 23,287 or 776 days of age at the EEG end‐point and samples of cerebral cortex, midbrain, cerebellum, serum and fat tissue were submitted to HPLC analysis of propofol concentrations.

Results: The induction dose of propofol varied with age and administration rate. Young animals needed a higher dose of propofol. Old animals had higher brain concentrations of propofol at the EEG end‐point than young animals. However, propofol concentrations in serum were higher in young animals. The propofol concentration in the brain was influenced by the administration rate.

Conclusion: The dose of propofol for induction of anaesthesia in rats is influenced by animal age and administration rate. Young animals need a larger induction dose than old rats, but are more sensitive as measured by the brain concentration of propofol. The larger induction dose in young rats when compared with adults is explained by pharmacokinetic differences rather than by pharmacodynamic changes.
Is development of hyperalgesia, allodynia and myoclonus related to morphine metabolism during long‐term administration?: Six case histories
Authors: Sjøgren P. , Thunedborg L. P. , Christrup L. , Hansen S. H. , Franks J.
Published: January 2009

Background: Recently, clinical reports have suggested a relationship between the occurrence of hyperalgesia, allodynia and/or myoclonus and treatment with high doses of morphine in humans. Although few clinical descriptions of these phenomena are available, experimental work supports the notion that high doses of morphine may play a pathogenetic role in the observed behavioural syndrome.

Methods: Six patients, four with malignant and two with chronic, non‐malignant pain conditions, treated with moderate to high doses of oral, continuous intravenous infusion or intrathecal morphine developed hyperalgesia, allodynia and/or myoclonus. When the side‐effects occurred, blood or CSF samples were taken and analyzed for contents of morphine, morphine‐6‐glucuronide (M‐6‐G) and morphine‐3‐glucuronide (M‐3‐G).

Results: When comparing the plasma and CSF concentrations from these patients with data from available literature obtained from patients not suffering from these side‐effects, it was demonstrated that the values deviated in five patients. In all six patients, the side‐effects disappeared after substituting morphine with other opioid agonists or after lowering the daily dose of morphine.

Conclusion: These results may indicate that elevated concentrations of M‐3‐G in plasma as well as the plasma and CSF M‐3‐G/M‐6‐G ratios may play a pathogenetic role in the development of hyperalgesia, allodynia and myoclonus.
Epidural anaesthesia for caesarean delivery in triple and quadruple pregnancies
Authors: Behforouz N. , Dounas M. , Benhamou D.
Published: January 2009

Background: Mechanical and/or hormonal factors may increase the spread of epidural anaesthesia in pregnancy, and hormonal changes are more pronounced in high‐order pregnancies. However, no previous study has evaluated the dose requirements and haemodynamic effects of epidural anaesthesia for caesarean delivery in this latter situation.

Methods: The anaesthetic requirements to obtain a T4 upper sensory level were restrospectively compared in triple (n=19) or quadruple (n=2) pregnancies to 31 singleton pregnancies who received epidural anaesthesia for elective caesarean delivery using 2% lidocaine with 1/200 000 adrenaline.

Results: In high‐order pregnancies, the gestational age at delivery was lower than in singleton pregnancies (34.9±1.9 weeks vs 38.2±1.1 weeks; P=0.0001) whereas maternal body weight (76.5±8.7 kg vs 73.4±14.8 kg; NS) and lidocaine requirements (428±95 mg vs 426±98 mg; NS) were similar. Moreover, although the overall incidence of hypotension was not different (multiple pregnancy; 65% vs 58% in singletons), ephedrine (5.4±5.3 mg vs 10.7±13.8 mg; P<0.05) and additional fluid requirements during onset of the block (4.3±1.7 mL/kg vs 5.3±2.6 mL/kg; P=0.03) were less than in singletons.

Conclusion: We found surprisingly similar anaesthetic requirements for epidural anaesthesia in high‐order and singleton pregnancies. Mechanical factors may have played an important role. Moreover, the need for ephedrine and fluids was less in high‐order pregnancies. This could be related to more pronounced physiological changes or to different physician attitudes.
Hydroxyethyl starch impairs in vitro coagulation
Authors: Niemi T. T. , Kuitunen A. H.
Published: January 2009

Background: Artificial colloids affect haemostasis. Particularly hydroxyethyl starch (HES) solutions may have detrimental effects on haemostatic mechanisms.

Methods: In a crossover study blood was withdrawn from ten volunteers. Ringer's acetate, 6% low molecular weight HES (Mw 120 000/molar substitution ratio 0.7), 10% low molecular weight HES Mw 200 000/0.5) and 6% high molecular weight HES (Mw 400 000/0.7) or 4% albumin was added to venous blood samples to make either 20 vol.% or 50 vol.% concentrations of each of the solutions. Samples were analyzed by thrombelastography (TEG).

Results: All HES solutions at 20 vol.% concentration impaired haemostasis as demonstrated by decreased clot formation rate (α‐angle and maximum amplitude (MA)). In contrast, Ringer's acetate and albumin improved coagulability at 20 vol.% concentrations. Coagulation time (r+K) was prolonged at 50 vol.% dilutions of all solutions. The median r+K was greater with HES 400 (P<0.05) and HES 200 (N. S.) than with HES 120.

Conclusion: We conclude that HES at 20 and 50 vol.% concentrations has an adverse effect on in vitro measures of coagulation. A 50% dilution with high molecular weight HES seems to impair coagulation more than low molecular weight HES. Ringer's acetate and albumin caused a hypercoagulable state at a concentration of 20 vol.%, but the higher concentration decreased coagulability.
Combined spinal and epidural anesthesia for cesarean section in a parturient with moyamoya disease
Authors: Abouleish E. , Wiggins M. , Ali V.
Published: January 2009

We present the case of a parturient with moyamoya disease admitted to the hospital for elective cesarean section. Combined spinal and epidural technique was chosen because it allows better analgesia than epidural anesthesia and more hemodynamic stability than either general or spinal anesthesia. Ropivacaine was the local anesthetic of choice for the epidural portion because of the wide sensory‐motor dissociation, thus preserving adequate respiration in the case of a high block.
Comparison of topical lignocaine gel and fentanyl for perioperative analgesia in children undergoing cataract surgery
Authors: SINHA RENU , SUBRAMANIAM RAJESHWARI , CHHABRA ANJOLIE , PANDEY RAVINDRA , NANDI BISWAJIT , JYOTI BIKRAM
Published: January 2009

Background:  Opioids continue to remain the primary analgesics in children undergoing ophthalmic surgery, and their use may be associated with adverse effects like vomiting and respiratory depression. Topical anesthesia avoids these adverse effects and also complications of regional blocks. We designed this study to verify whether topical anesthesia with lignocaine gel is a feasible alternative to intravenous (IV) fentanyl for pediatric cataract surgery.

Methods:  One hundred ASA I and II children aged 3–12 years, scheduled for cataract surgery were included in this study. After induction of anesthesia, children were randomized to Group F (fentanyl), who received 2 mcg·kg−1 IV fentanyl for analgesia and Group G (lignocaine gel), who received 2% lignocaine gel applied over the cornea of the operative eye. Anesthesia was maintained with isoflurane and oxygen in nitrous oxide. All children received intramuscular ketorolac. Intraoperative supplementary analgesia was provided with 0.5 mcg·kg−1 IV fentanyl to manage increases in heart rate or blood pressure of 20% above baseline. In the postoperative period, Aldrete score and objective pain score were assessed. Rescue analgesia was provided with fentanyl in the postanesthesia care unit and syrup ibuprofen in the ward.

Results:  Significantly more children in group F (8/48) required intraoperative supplementary fentanyl as compared with group G (1/48) (P = 0.0291). In the PACU, 7/48 children of group G needed fentanyl as compared with 5/48 children in group F. Time to reach Aldrete 10 was significantly longer in group F (P = 0.01).

Conclusions:  Topical lignocaine gel is an effective analgesic and may be used as an adjunct to fentanyl during cataract surgery in children.
Use of recombinant factor VIIa for uncontrolled bleeding in neonates after cardiopulmonary bypass
Authors: GUZZETTA NINA A. , HUCH SHANE , FERNANDEZ JANET D. , TOSONE STEVEN R. , MILLER BRUCE E.
Published: January 2009

Background:  Increasingly, recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) is used adjunctively in nonhemophiliacs to control hemorrhage unresponsive to conventional therapy in a variety of settings including postcardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Studies examining rFVIIa administration to neonates after CPB are limited. The goal of this study was to evaluate retrospectively the clinical outcomes of neonates treated at our institution with rFVIIa for uncontrolled post‐CPB bleeding.

Methods:  We retrospectively identified eight neonates undergoing complex congenital cardiac surgery who received rFVIIa, either intraoperatively or postoperatively, for uncontrolled post‐CPB bleeding. Transfusion trends and prothrombin times (PT) were assessed both pre‐ and post‐rFVIIa administration. Chest tube drainage volumes were recorded pre‐ and post‐rFVIIa administration in those neonates receiving rFVIIa postoperatively in the intensive care unit. We documented such adverse events as thrombosis, dialysis (hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and in‐hospital mortality.

Results:  The mean amount of transfused packed red blood cells, platelets and fresh frozen plasma decreased significantly after the administration of rFVIIa. Transfusion of cryoprecipitate trended towards a decrease but did not reach statistical significance. PT values also decreased significantly after the administration of rFVIIa. A high mortality was found in neonates exposed to both rFVIIa and ECMO; however, this was not significantly different from the mortality of neonates exposed to ECMO alone.

Conclusions:  Administration of rFVIIa to neonates for the treatment of uncontrolled post‐CPB bleeding significantly reduced transfusion requirements and normalized PT values. Future randomized, controlled trials are needed to evaluate the potential hemostatic benefit and adverse effects of rFVIIa administration to neonates following CPB.
Novel sulfur‐oxidizing streamers thriving in perennial cold saline springs of the Canadian high Arctic
Authors: Niederberger Thomas D. , Perreault Nancy N. , Lawrence John R. , Nadeau Jay L. , Mielke Randall E. , Greer Charles W. , Andersen Dale T. , Whyte Lyle G.
Published: January 2009

The perennial springs at Gypsum Hill (GH) and Colour Peak (CP), situated at nearly 80°N on Axel Heiberg Island in the Canadian high Arctic, are one of the few known examples of cold springs in thick permafrost on Earth. The springs emanate from deep saline aquifers and discharge cold anoxic brines rich in both sulfide and sulfate. Grey‐coloured microbial streamers form during the winter months in snow‐covered regions of the GH spring run‐off channels (−1.3°C to 6.9°C, ∼7.5% NaCl, 0–20 p.p.m. dissolved sulfide, 1 p.p.m. dissolved oxygen) but disappear during the Arctic summer. Culture‐ and molecular‐based analyses of the 16S rRNA gene (FISH, DGGE and clone libraries) indicated that the streamers were uniquely dominated by chemolithoautotrophic sulfur‐oxidizing Thiomicrospira species. The streamers oxidized both sulfide and thiosulfate and fixed CO2 under in situ conditions and a Thiomicrospira strain isolated from the streamers also actively oxidized sulfide and thiosulfate and fixed CO2 under cold, saline conditions. Overall, the snow‐covered spring channels appear to represent a unique polar saline microhabitat that protects and allows Thiomicrospira streamers to form and flourish via chemolithoautrophic, phototrophic‐independent metabolism in a high Arctic winter environment characterized by air temperatures commonly below −40°C and with an annual average air temperature of −15°C. These results broaden our knowledge of the physical and chemical boundaries that define life on Earth and have astrobiological implications for the possibility of life existing under similar Martian conditions.
Relationship of the iridocorneal angle, as measured using ultrasound biomicroscopy, with post‐operative increases in intraocular pressure post‐phacoemulsification in dogs
Authors: Crumley William , Gionfriddo Juliet R. , Radecki Steven V.
Published: January 2009

Objective To investigate the relationship of the iridocorneal angle as it appears on ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) to increases in IOP post‐phacoemulsification in the canine eye.

Animals studied 47 eyes of 28 dogs of various age, sex, and breed.

Methods The ciliary process and limbus were used as a reference points to measure the angle opening distance (AOD), which was set by multiplying 0.45 by the distance between the ciliary process and limbus (when measured from the ciliary process). Pressure measurements were taken at five set points: Before, immediately post‐, one day post‐, 1 week post‐, and 1 month post‐phacoemulsification.

Results A weak relationship between the AOD and the IOP one day post‐phacoemulsification (Intercept: 2.83, Slope: –1.24,P‐value: 0.0155) was observed. No relationship immediately post‐operative (Intercept: 3.45, Slope: –1.34,P‐value: 0.0651), 1 week post‐phacoemulsification (Intercept: 2.31, Slope: –0.01,P‐value: 0.9829), 1 month post‐phacoemulsification (Intercept: 1.85, Slope: –0.49,P‐value: 0.1533) was observed. The pre‐operative measurements made with UBM were: Distance from limbus to ciliary process (DLCP): (Minimum: 1.152, Maximum: 2.992, Mean: 1.91, SD: 0.468); AOD (Minimum: 0.104, Maximum: 0.764, Mean: 0.40, SD: 0.172).

Conclusions The relationship between AOD as measured by UBM pre‐operatively is weakly associated with IOP pressure elevations at day one post‐phacoemulsification. Further study is required prospectively to establish the importance of this relationship. Initial measurements of the canine iridocorneal angle were created, suggesting a method to be used in the future to establish true canine normal measurements.
The Role of the Group in Individual Functioning: School Identification and the Psychological Well‐Being of Staff and Students
Authors: Bizumic Boris , Reynolds Katherine J. , Turner John C. , Bromhead David , Subasic Emina
Published: January 2009

Many studies have demonstrated that organisations exert a powerful impact on their members, but the mechanisms through which this occurs are not well understood. In the present paper, using social identity and self‐categorisation theories as theoretical frameworks, we explore the role that social identity plays in affecting individual well‐being of staff (N= 113) and students (N= 693) in two Australian high schools. Well‐being includes positive aspects of personal functioning, such as self‐esteem, positive affect, and job involvement, but also negative aspects, such as depression, anxiety, loss of emotional control, aggressive and disruptive behaviour. In line with predictions, social identification was significantly related to, and mediated the relationship between, organisational factors and individual psychological well‐being. This work provides a bridge between social psychological concepts and the clinical and educational domains. It reinforces the need to integrate the role of the social self and social identity processes in understanding the (individual) psychology of the person.
Beyond an Enemy Perception: Unpacking and Engaging the Private Sector
Authors: Knorringa Peter , Helmsing A.H.J. (Bert)
Published: January 2009

This article gives three reasons why development scholars concerned with civil society should move beyond an enemy perception of the private sector. First, private entrepreneurs are important social actors in development, possessing a variety of motivations and behaviours which defy monolithic perceptions. Second, entrepreneurs — active and retired — are moving away from passive charity and become active participants in civil society and in international development co‐operation. Third, private sector discourses about development need to be unpacked and critically confronted. Here we examine the case for Corporate Social Responsibility: we conclude that established enemy perceptions block learning about and from the private sector. The private sector should be both welcomed and critically engaged, and that requires established civil society thinkers to re‐examine the accuracy of their perceptions about the behaviour of private sector actors.
CSR and the Limits of Capital
Authors: Newell Peter
Published: January 2009

This contribution locates the contemporary debate about corporate social responsibility (CSR) and development within ongoing historical struggles to define the appropriate relationship between business and society. It questions the ‘fetishization’ of regulation as a palliative on the grounds of the assumptions it makes about the nature and capacity of states, markets and civil society alike to deliver effective reform, and the division it presumes between the interests of the state and capital in particular. It identifies CSR as a response to a legitimacy crisis within contemporary neoliberalism in general, one faced by global corporations in particular as its most public face, but one which potentially distracts our attention from the interventions which are necessary to address the twin challenges of alleviating poverty and achieving sustainability. Issues of distribution, mobility and consumption are identified as examples of areas of active neglect in the CSR field that deserve more attention if corporations are to make a greater contribution to poverty alleviation.
BRITISH MANAGERS: A STUDY OF THEIR EDUCATION, TRAINING, MOBILITY AND EARNINGS
Authors: Crockett Geoffrey , Elias Peter
Published: January 2009

This study uses information from the National Training Survey to investigate the education, qualifications, mobility and earnings of persons with managerial responsibilities. From this analysis, we conclude that there is a need for both private and public organisations to increase the quantity and improve the quality of the training available to their managers and potential managers. More important though is the need to monitor the impact of training programmes and reward managers accordingly.
PROTECTIVE LEGISLATION AND PART‐TIME EMPLOYMENT IN BRITAIN
Authors: Disney R. , Szyszczak E. M.
Published: January 2009

This paper analyses the likely impact of a proposed European Community Directive on part‐time work, on part‐time employment in Britain. The provisions of the Directive, which extends to part‐time employees a number of legal rights currently only available to full‐time employees, are contrasted with the complex and somewhat arbitrary present state of the law in Britain in the area of regulating part‐time work. The impact is examined by testing models which identify the determinants of the supply and demand for part‐time employees. The tests suggest that existing regulations have indeed affected the manner in which part‐time employees are utilised but that there is no evidence that the present partial protective legislation has reduced the level of part‐time employment. Government opposition to the Directive on such grounds may therefore be unfounded.
Annual Review Article 1989
Authors: Beardwell Ian
Published: January 2009

This Annual Review Article 1989 considers the rising trend in inflation and earnings and indicates that in a wide variety of industries there was a marked upturn in union bargaining activity and industrial conflict. The Review considers some significant changes in employer preferences for particular unions in new or revised bargaining structures, and concludes with an examination of the debate concerning the ‘juridification’ of collective bargaining in the context of a possible return to ‘adversarial’ as opposed to ‘new’ industrial relations.
Have British Workers Been Working Harder in Thatcher's Britain? A Re‐Consideration of the Concept of Effort
Authors: Guest David E.
Published: January 2009

Increased intensity of work has been frequently cited as part of the explanation for the productivity gains in British manufacturing industry during the 1980s. One of the main sources for this claim has been the PUL (Percentage Utilization of Labour) index, a measure of throughput at the point of production. Analysis of the underlying rationale for this measure leads to the conclusion that it is not a sound basis on which to assess workers' effort. This article examines the concept of effort in some detail and considers the validity of psychological and psychophysiological measures. Whichever measure is used, the evidence provides little support for the contention that workers' effort has been a significant factor in productivity increases.
The Financial Status and Performance of British Trade Unions, 1950–1988
Authors: Willman Paul
Published: January 2009

The paper analyses the financial status of British trade unions from 1950 to 1988. It documents the long‐term financial decline in union real net worth, despite the maintenance of solvency, which has followed from the shortfall of subscription income over total expenditure. Unions were financially quite stable until the mid‐1960s, when financial decline became serious; despite membership growth from 1967 to 1979, wealth declined and solvency was low. Paradoxically, the period of membership decline since 1980 has seen a partial recovery in financial performance. The factors underlying decline and recovery are analysed and the prospects for the future examined.
Changes in Working Practices in British Manufacturing Industry in the 1980s: A Study of Employee Concessions Made During Wage Negotiations
Authors: Ingram Peter N.
Published: January 2009

The 1980s witnessed a considerable increase in the rate of growth of manufacturing productivity in Britain. This paper attempts to reveal the extent of systematic change at the work‐place which was associated with this improvement. The study focuses on changes in working practices introduced concurrently with negotiations over wage increases; in every year throughout the decade around one third of wage settlements involving trade unions included productivity enhancing change. It is argued that the discipline of competitive pressure and the absence of incomes policy gave rise to the growth in the incidence of wage negotiations which featured a productivity element.
Unions and Investment in British Manufacturing Industry
Authors: Denny Kevin , Nickell Stephen
Published: January 2009

This paper is concerned with the impact of unions on the investment rate in British industry. On the basis of an analysis of some 72 industries in the manufacturing sector, we find that, ceteris paribus, firms that recognize manual unions and have an average level of union density invest some 23 per cent less than firms that do not recognize unions. However, once we allow for union effects on wages and productivity, this overall effect is reduced to between 4 and 13 per cent, depending on the degree of competition in the product market.
Union Presence and Corporate Productivity Practices: Evidence from Singapore
Authors: Check‐Teck Foo
Published: January 2009

This paper explores the influences that unionisation may have on managerial processes to improve productivity. Unionisation is cast as a contextual variable, along with sector, size and culture. A recently established Singapore data base of employees' perceptions of corporate productivity practices is used to detect such possible influences. Regression analysis, with productivity practice as a dependent variable, suggests that unionisation explains some of the variations in such practices.
The Determinants of Participatory Management
Authors: Drago Robert , Wooden Mark
Published: January 2009

This paper analyses self‐reported participatory management data from a survey of over 900 private‐sector employees in Australia and New Zealand. We test for causal linkages between employee desires for participation, while distinguishing between participation at the shop‐floor and at higher managerial levels. At higher levels, where there is a significant excess demand for participation, firms often respond to employee desires with formal programmes which in turn create de facto participation at this level. At the shop‐floor level, employee desires are more often met through the informal provision of de facto participation. Participation also changes employee desires, with participation at higher levels increasing employee demands for it and participation at lower levels reducing demands for high‐level participation. We conclude that shop‐floor programmes may favour managerial interests while higher‐level co‐operative programmes may favour employee interests.
YTS and the Labour Market
Authors: Begg I. G. , Blake A. P. , Deakin B. M.
Published: January 2009

This article contains results from a survey of the influence of the Youth Training Scheme (YTS) in the labour market. Tighter conditions in this market in 1989 led to changes in the role of the YTS towards recruitment and training rather than job creation. The effectiveness of YTS in meeting skill shortages is examined, as are the motives of employers who participate in the scheme and the extent to which trainees aim for qualifications. Youth training for the labour markets of the 1990s is considered in relation to expected future trends in the demand for skilled labour in that period.
Why Did Devlin Fail? Casualism and Conflict on the Docks
Authors: Turnbull Peter , Sapsford David
Published: January 2009

Following the decasualisation of dock labour in 1967 at the behest of the Devlin Committee it was widely anticipated that Britain's ports would enter a period of industrial peace and prosperity. In fact, the docks entered a phase of unprecedented militancy which persisted throughout the early 1970s. This paper examines why Devlin failed and demonstrates how continued insecurity on the waterfront, largely as a result of technological change, continued to be a source of conflict and dissension. More fundamentally, decasualisation was a necessary but not a sufficient condition for industrial peace on the docks, as institutional reform alone did not address many of the real troubles of the industry.
A Theory of Trade Union Membership Retention
Authors: Lewis Paul , Murphy Liam
Published: January 2009

The retention rate of unemployed members can vary substantially between trade unions and may not particularly reflect the structure of the labour market within which a union operates. This raises the issue of whether retention of these members is due to supply‐side factors characterised by individuals or to the policy of trade unions towards their unemployed members.
Institutional Aspects of Youth Employment and Training Policy: A Comment on Marsden and Ryan
Authors: Sako Mari
Published: January 2009

This Comment questions the reasons why Marsden and Ryan (1990) have come to favour prescribing apprenticeship and occupational markets for reviving training in Britain. Their assessment failed to take account of (a) other advantages of internal labour markets over occupational markets, (b) institutions other than those in labour markets, and (c) training features common in well functioning occupational and internal markets as revealed by a comparison of Germany and Japan. The examination of these factors casts a doubt on the feasibility and desirability of Marsden and Ryan's policy recommendation.
Workers Are Working Harder: Effort and Shop‐floor Relations in the 1980s
Authors: Edwards P. K. , Whitston Colin
Published: January 2009

There has been considerable debate as to whether levels of worker effort rose in Britain during the 1980s. Case‐study evidence from four organizations suggests that effort levels did indeed increase. The extent to which workers were aware of this was, however, moderated by the limited extent of the change, by the fact that it was sometimes accompanied by other changes, and by the recruitment of new workers. Future research should investigate in more detail the components of effort, workers' view on why effort levels have changed, and managerial interpretations.
The Swedish Model: Relevant for Other European Countries?
Authors: Delsen Lei , van Veen Tom
Published: January 2009

By the late 1970s, supply‐side theory had become something of a new economic orthodoxy. From the supply‐side perspective, labour market inflexibility explains mass unemployment. In this context the presumably greater flexibility of the labour market in the USA was seen as an explanation of its superior employment record relative to European economies. Unlike most European countries, Sweden, which is highly regulated, does reasonably well in employment terms. The authors conclude that the Swedish model has proved its value with regard to labour market policy, especially with regard to the duration of unemployment, and that the Swedish model still contains relevant characteristics for other European countries. Active labour market policy is a way out of the unemployment trap. The active labour market policy may serve as an alternative for deregulation in order to augment the flexibility of the labour market.
Unnecessary Conflict: NHS Management's View of the 1989–90 Ambulance Dispute
Authors: Nichol Duncan
Published: January 2009

This article gives the NHS management's view of the 1989–90 ambulance dispute. It is a factual and objective account of events before, during and after the dispute.
European Integration and Transnational Management‐Union Relations in the Enterprise
Authors: Marginson Paul
Published: January 2009

The Single European Market has generated considerable interest in the prospects for European‐level management‐union arrangements in transnational companies. European works councils have emerged in a small but growing number of transnationals. The circumstances in which companies might promote such arrangements are analysed. Attention is paid to whether companies are organized along international product or territorial lines and to their product diversification strategies. Transnationals will also be influenced by trade union pressure at European level and by aspects of the industrial relations system in their home country.
Pay, Gender and the Social Dimension to Europe
Authors: Rubery Jill
Published: January 2009

Equal pay for men and women was a principle enshrined in the Treaty of Rome and was the subject of a European Directive in 1975. This investigation of progress towards equal pay in three member‐states, Germany, Italy and the UK, reveals the importance of differences in employment structures and reward systems in determining relative pay for women. Differences in the structure and size of pay differentials among countries suggest that more attention needs to be paid to the general system of labour market regulation than to explicit equal‐pay policies. Women would be more likely to benefit from a strategy of establishing labour standards and regulation than from equal‐pay Directives which have little effect on the general practices and principles of pay determination.
Patterns of Continuity and Change in Managerial Attitudes and Behaviour in Industrial Relations, 1980‐1990
Authors: Poole Michael , Mansfield Roger
Published: January 2009

In this paper, data are reported from a longitudinal study of managers' attitudes and behaviour in industrial relations based on a sample of fellows and members of the British Institute of Management. An account of two surveys, carried out in 1980 and 1990, follows an examination of theories of the managerial role in industrial relations and the presentation of a research model. Managerial attitudes and behaviour are then analysed with respect to views on trade unions, personal commitments to collective representation, collective bargaining, employee participation and involvement and views on the role of government. The findings have an added significance because survey dates roughly correspond with the so‐called ‘Thatcher years’. The conclusion is that some major changes in industrial relations have occurred during the decade in question, but there are also substantial continuities which cannot be ‘read off’ directly from the dramatic alterations in the political, economic and legal environment.
Annual Review Article 1992
Authors: Rothwell Sheila
Published: January 2009

The article presents an overview of some of the significant developments in British industrial relations in 1992 from a managerial perspective. Against a background of deepening recession and redundancy, and some attempts to reorganize more flexibly, company approaches to equal opportunities, to training and development and to employee involvement (both individual and collective) are outlined. Interpretation reveals contradictory trends and a contrast between the rhetoric and the reality of innovation. Unless greater future emphasis is given to meeting employee as well as organizational needs, further problems seem likely to emerge.
A Trade Union View of WIRS3
Authors: Monks John
Published: January 2009

WIRS3 paints a picture of a lessening of support for unionism among employees, yet an optimistic view is taken of the potential for a positive response from organized labour in the 1990s. The European model of social partnership between unions and employers is seen as the way forward for Britain in the context of a changing political and economic situation.
Cohort Size Effects on the Wages of Young Men in Britain, 1961‐1989
Authors: Nickell Stephen
Published: January 2009

This paper investigates the relationship between the pay of young men relative to adult men and the size of the youth cohort. The evidence presented indicates that during the post‐war period, relative hourly earnings and relative union negotiated wage rates were both negatively influenced by the size of the youth cohort. This fact indicates that the relative availability of young workers influences their rates of pay even if these are the outcome of union negotiations.
The Influence of Managerial Relations on Waves of Employee Involvement
Authors: Marchington Mick , Wilkinson Adrian , Ackers Peter , Goodman John
Published: January 2009

One of the most enduring issues in the debate about employee involvement (EI) and workers' participation is how it survives over time, and to what extent the dynamics of EI is linked with labour‐management relations. In this article, which draws upon data collected in a two‐year study of 25 organizations, it is suggested that managerial relations is a significant factor in explaining waves of EI, and one that is frequently overlooked. Waves of EI can be assessed in terms of the twin concepts of centrality and prominence, terms that are amplified below. The introduction of EI techniques is motivated by a number of forces, but one of the most important is a desire by managers to be noticed, to engage in ‘impression management’, via the creation of new schemes. Despite having high‐profile introductions, these schemes soon tend to fade in importance, to a large extent because of problems within management such as internal political rivalries, low supervisory commitment to schemes, inadequate training provision or the downgrading of EI by management arising from conflicting priorities.
Trade Union Membership in Europe, 1960–1990: Rediscovering Local Unions
Authors: Hancké Bob
Published: January 2009

This article compares union density rates in seven Western European countries between 1960 and 1990. In contrast to conventional analyses, the paper argues that, in countries where workplace union organization is well developed, and where unions have managed to turn the official institutions for workers' participation such as works councils into extensions of their operations, they fared better during the 1960s and 1970s than in countries where this was not the case. This difference in the fate of unions was even more pronounced during the 1980s. Unions with strong locals lost few members or actually gained some, while unions without strong local structures saw union density drop by between one‐quarter and one‐third.
Performing for Pay? The Effects of ‘Merit Pay’ on Motivation in a Public Service
Authors: Marsden David , Richardson Ray
Published: January 2009

Abstract: Despite the growing use made of performance‐related pay schemes, their true impact remains sadly under‐researched. This article, a case study of the scheme introduced into the Inland Revenue in 1988, and typical of recent UK public‐sector schemes, is an attempt to reduce the area of mystery.

We assess the scheme by its likely impact on employee motivation, which we gauge through a variety of employee and management opinions and attitudes, as expressed in more than 2000 responses to a questionnaire. Our conclusion is that, although the scheme was thought by staff to have a number of virtues, it was very unlikely to have raised employee motivation appreciably; it may indeed have been demotivating on balance. We also consider the likely reasons for this result.

If the scheme did not improve employee motivation, it is hard to see how it could have enhanced employee performance. The study has potentially important implications for the government policy of seeking to improve the functioning of the public sector through performance‐related pay.
Opting Out of Pay Devolution? The Prospects for Local Pay Bargaining in UK Public Services
Authors: Bach Stephen , Winchester David
Published: January 2009

Abstract: Throughout the 1980s, government ministers strongly advocated the decentralization of pay determination in the public services. Despite this exhortation, by the end of the decade rates of pay and salary structures were rarely determined at workplace level. This paper explores the resilience of national pay determination and considers whether it will survive the radical restructuring of public services initiated in the last few years. The analysis focuses mainly on the health and education services, arguing that distinctive organizational, occupational and political characteristics of the services still constrain the devolution of pay bargaining. In the face of tight budgets and the recent introduction of pay restraint, service managers have sought to make paybill savings through unilateral changes in work organization rather than through devolved collective bargaining.
Gender Discrimination in Training: An Australian Perspective
Authors: Miller Paul W.
Published: January 2009

Analysis of the Australian How Workers Get Their Training survey indicates considerable male‐female differentials in the incidence and duration of training. For external training, which women can undertake without the sanction of the firm, the gender effect is that women undertake more training than men, other things being the same. However, for in‐house training, which requires the sanction of the firm, the gender effect is that women undertake less training than men, other things being the same. One interpretation of this is that the gender effect reflects both the discriminatory attitudes held by firms and the greater propensity to train among women, with the relative weights varying across types of training according to the discretion that women have in determining the training outcome.
Maintaining the ‘Status Quo’? An Analysis of the Contents of British Collective Agreements, 1979–1990
Authors: Dunn Stephen , Wright Martyn
Published: January 2009

Abstract: The contents of over 100 collective agreements, drawn from 50 bargaining units in both 1979 and 1990, are examined. Recognition clauses remain largely extant. Some extension and formalization of procedural provisions is recorded, particularly regarding time off work for shop‐stewards. Closed‐shop clauses are deleted from a number of mainly white‐collar agreements but remain extant in the majority of manual agreements. More flexible working practices are recorded in many agreements. The form of flexibility agreement varies markedly, with some agreements demonstrating greater formalization and others shifting towards more general managerial prerogative clauses. Possible explanations for this pattern are considered.
Did the Retreat of UK Trade Unionism Accelerate during the 1990–1993 Recession?
Authors: Geroski Paul , Gregg Paul , Desjonqueres Thibaut
Published: January 2009

It is widely believed that recessions are periods of accelerated structural change, with major reorganizations or adjustments being made under intense pressure. These changes are made to ensure the survival of firms, exploit opportunities created by difficulties facing other firms, or take advantage of temporary falls in the opportunity cost of initiating and carrying out changes. This line of argument suggests that we should expect to see firms making major changes in their investments in human capital, and in their industrial relations practices. Our results are only partially consistent with this view. What seems to be clear from the data generated by our surveys is that firms are not reluctant to make changes in their bargaining strategies and industrial relations systems. This should be no surprise. Unlike investments in plant and equipment, these changes do not require much cash, and the opportunity cost of making them is much lower in recessions than in booms. However, the observed changes in union recognition have not occurred primarily in firms that were severely affected by the recession. Increases in pay decentralization and reorganization of work‐force arrangements were no more likely to be initiated by distressed firms than by firms only moderately affected by the recession. It follows, then, that the retreat of UK unionism observed during the 1990–3 recession was, in the main, a continuation of existing secular trends. The mild acceleration in the pace of change revealed by our survey may be cyclical, but the trend is unlikely to be reversed as recovery gathers pace.
The Importance of Sex for the Propensity to Unionize
Authors: Sinclair Diane M.
Published: January 2009

The paper aims to determine whether or not ceteris paribus women workers are less interested in joining trade unions than male employees by an analysis of the importance of sex for the individuaľs union membership decision. Cross‐tabulations and discriminant analyses are used to examine the Work Attitudes and Histories Survey of the Social Change and Economic Life Initiative of1986. An employee's sex is revealed to be related to propensity to unionize, a finding attributable mainly to women's concentration in low‐paid occupations and to the significantly lower favourability to trade unions expressed by female workers, compared with male employees.
Generating Equality? Equal Pay, Decentralization and the Electricity Supply Industry
Authors: Gilbert Kay , Seeker Judith
Published: January 2009

Despite the existence of effective equal pay legislation in the UK since 1975 aimed at eradicating pay discrimination, women are still in receipt of only 79.5 per cent of the hourly earnings received by men (EOR 1994b). Whitehouse (1992) claims that a centralized collective bargaining model is more likely to lead to equality for women in the labour market than a liberalized individualistic model. The model was tested at an aggregated level for 13 OECD countries. This article provides a case study which charts a trade union claim for equal pay over a period often years (1984–94), which may be seen as an examination of the Whitehouse proposition at a disaggregated level. The paper highlights the barriers to equality bargaining and analyses the case study to identify the criteria necessary for achieving equality.
Financial Management and Financial Performance in British Trade Unions
Authors: Willman Paul , Morris Timothy
Published: January 2009

This article examines changes in the financial performance of British trade unions in the early 1990s. Using survey data, it looks for a relationship between changes in financial management and changes in financial performance. Unions have continued to increase the concentration of financial decision‐making and the sophistication of financial systems. However, financial concerns have become no more central to union decision‐making and as a result financial management improvements do not lead to improvements in financial performance. We argue that new financial management techniques lead to increases in the cost base as union organizations become more centralized and bureaucratic. The implications for representative effectiveness are discussed.
Among the Ashes: Trade Union Strategies in the UK and German Steel Industries
Authors: Bacon Nicolas , Blyton Paul , Morris Jonathan
Published: January 2009

The trade unions in the steel industry have faced two waves of restructuring, the first centring on closures, capacity reductions and mass redundancies, the second involving fundamental changes to patterns of work organization, labour utilization and industrial relations. Overall, the trade unions involved have failed to develop an adequate response to management‐led change, relying instead on traditional methods and lines of interest representation. The challenges embodied in such developments as teamworking and craft restructuring are considered, together with union responses and the structural and ideological constraints on those responses. Contrasts are drawn with more successful union involvement in comparable changes in the German steel industry. In the conclusion, the authors review the dilemmas facing the UK unions in the steel industry and the main areas for a new agenda.
Annual Review Article 1995
Authors: Goodman John
Published: January 2009

This paper follows the pattern of most of its predecessors, first in serving as a record of events and developments in some areas germane to the employment relationship in Britain between October 1994 and October 1995, and second in offering some interpretative comment on elements of continuity and change. The decelerating economic recovery brought continuing but modest reductions in unemployment and some increase in price inflation. However, tax increases, perceived job insecurity, generally low earnings increases and other factors inhibited any widespread sense of economic well‐being and restrained consumer demand. Among the key events were the TUC's strategic initiative on employee representation and union recognition, and the debates surrounding the Greenbury Report on executive remuneration packages and a national minimum wage. Industrial disputes reached record lows. Employment prospects, job insecurity and work‐related stress were recurrent issues, with the different approaches of the main political parties to employment matters being clarified ahead of the coming general election.