Three papers on the impact of workplace practices and of unions on organizational outcomes.
Published: 2005
Language: eng
Number of pages: 103
Description: The following thesis is comprised of three distinct yet related papers. Each chapter explores different research questions in the areas of Industrial Relations and Human Resources Management. The common themes among the chapters are the impact of workplace practices on organizational outcomes and the impact of union presence on organizational outcomes. In addition to these themes, the last two chapters also explore issues surrounding the shift, within the human resource function, to a more strategic role within the organization.The third chapter looks at the characteristics of organizations that use HR metrics, as well as the impact of unions and public vs. private sector on the use of HR metrics. HR metrics, which were reported by the sample organizations, are classified and analyzed in terms of their use and strategic contributions.The first chapter is entitled "The impact of workplace practices on quit rates in unionized and non-unionized workplaces." Data for this study is drawn for the Statistics Canada Workplace and Employee Survey, 1999. The research questions that are explored include: (a) How are workplace practices related to voluntary quit rates? (b) Do workplace practices have a differential impact on voluntary quits in unionized and non-unionized workplaces? (c) Which practices relate to high quit rates and which relate to low quit rates? This chapter, like the others, considers both HR and IR issues.The data for the second and third chapters is from a 2002/2003 survey of the HR function in Canada. The survey was designed by Deloitte Canada in association with the Centre for Industrial Relations, University of Toronto. Chapter two explores the shift toward a more strategic role for the HR Function. The key framework for this study is Ulrich's model of HR roles (Ulrich, 1997). This chapter examines the characteristics of organizations where the HR function is assuming a more strategic role in the organization. The impact of union presence on this strategic shift is an important research question. The chapter also looks at the impact of industry sector (public vs. private) on the changing role of the HR function.
Notes: Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Toronto, 2005.

Electronic version licensed for access by U. of T. users.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-06, Section: A, page: 2293.