Reference no: EM132802283

Assessment Details:

Format:

Heery, Bacon, Blyton, and Fiorito (2008, pp. 14-21), supplementary reading for Topic 1, discuss challenges or alternatives to the 'pluralism' frame of reference of industrial relations scholarship, most notably from 'neo-liberalism' conceptualisations of the contemporary workplace and its economic, political and social environments. Select an actual example of workplace change at a specific workplace or organisation. Discuss the extent to which one of the industrial relations orientations identified by Heery et al. (2008, pp. 14-21) is most relevant to understanding your workplace change example. Our unit textbook, Bray, Waring, Cooper and MacNeil (2018, 4th edition), provides several examples of actual workplace changes that had occurred as a result of the changing Australian industrial relations landscape experienced in past years. For example, (1)'Individual contracts and change at PastaCo' (pp. 10-11), (2)'Working life at MailCo Part 1: 2005 - technology, internal efficacy and workplace change' (pp. 21-24), and (3) 'Management unilateralism at the MFB' (pp. 369-371), which in varying contexts represent the salient factors (issues, actors, processes and outcomes) relevant to many workplace change attempts.

In your discussion highlight the role of the state (applicable government policy and/or employment regulation), management (relevant strategies and interests), and employee involvement or participation and/or employee representation to help justify your argument.
(Heery et al. PP 14-21 and 3 examples are attached in separate .pdf files. You can choose first example for the essay.)

Length: 2,000 words

Curriculum Mode: Essay

Writing essays is an 'art', and should improve on each occasion an essay is written. How you structure an essay is of equal importance to how you respond to an essay task. A well-structured essay, with sections devoted to particular topics or themes, is far more 'reader friendly' than one that rambles on, jumping from one topic to another topic. Likewise, essays with well-structured paragraphs of about 10-15 sentences that discuss one, single, point are easier to read than paragraphs that discuss a number of points. Hence, shorter sentences (about 10-15 words) with one 'subject' are better understood than longer sentences with several 'subjects'. Also, paragraphs that start with some link to the previous paragraph and close with a link to the following paragraph make the argument easier to follow.
Essays that contain an introduction showing the importance of the topic discussed, briefly outline what examples or circumstances are discussed, summarise the argument and major reasons for the argument, and briefly describe the structure of the essay (e.g. 'the first section discusses ... the second section analyses ... the third and final section speculates...') grab the reader's (and marker's) attention from the outset. So, you should rewrite your introductory paragraph after you have written the final version of the body and conclusion of the essay. Your introduction should resemble a 100-150 word abstract used for many academic journal articles.

Conclusions should summarise the argument and possible implications from the argument (i.e. the relationship to addressing the essay task), and acknowledge the limitations of the argument (e.g. other interpretations or arguments are possible if different examples or definitions are used). Conclusions that merely describe what the essay has done should be avoided.

Essays must have a clear, well defined structure, which includes:

A short introduction indicating what your argument is in relation to your workplace change example, how you intend to organise the rest of the essay in order to address the essay topic, and briefly overview your main argument.
• A body to the essay which sets out via a series of logical steps the argument(s) which you seek to make.
• A short conclusion reiterating the main points discussed in the body.
• Evidence of wide reading to support the logic of your argument with a minimum of six (6) academic references.
• A critical examination of the competing points of view on the topic (i.e. a 'balanced' argument).
• Quantitative evidence when appropriate to support its arguments (e.g. ABS data).
• Use the Harvard WSU (in text) system of citation referencing, to indicate all sources of information used and include at the end of the essay a reference list setting out in alphabetical order those works cited in the essay.
Essays which will not pass which:
• Are presented in note or report form i.e. as a list of points or as a series of short sentences or short paragraphs, which show little connection to those that precede or follow.
• Consist of a rambling set of unconnected thoughts on the topic.
• Fail to effectively address the tasks.
• Do not display reading, or comprehension of points of view, beyond those in a single article or book.
• Are padded out with long direct quotes or simply paraphrase the main references.
• Involve any form of plagiarism.
• Do not rigorously and precisely reference all sources of information used, or fail to include a complete reference list (see above).

Industrial Relations& Workplace Change Essay Advice:

Heery et al (2008) identify four (4) main industrial relations orientations or perspectives: pluralism; Marxism (or radicalism); feminism; neo-liberalism (or unitarism).

Bray et al (2018, Chapter 3) likewise discuss the key characteristics of unitarism, pluralism and radicalism. At Table 3.1 (p. 53), Table 3.2 (p. 54), Table 3.3 (p. 60), and Table 3.4 (p. 66) each of these perspectives is summarised including the respective understandings of the role of management, employees and/or trade unions, and the state are highlighted.

The key point is to identify and discuss the "interests" involved in your workplace change example, as different understandings of interests are the foundations of the 4 orientations."
(Table 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, and 3.4 areattached in separate .pdf file)

Your essay topic is to apply this "theory" to practice, with an evaluation of an actual workplace change example. Therefore, the essay does not require you to analyse or examine the merits or otherwise of one or more of these orientations or perspectives.

Rather, you are to identify which one (if any) of the orientations or perspectives "best fits" your workplace change example,and provide some explanation of the actual workplace change attempted, the processes followed, the reaction of employees, and its outcome (was it a success or failure). Therefore, your example should be a workplace change attempt that has an identifiable start and end.

In arguing one orientation or perspective is the most relevant to your example you need to discuss reasons: what features of the orientation or perspective can be observed; what features of the orientation or perspective cannot be readily observed; and perhaps even why and/or why not they are observable.

To make your argument more persuasive, it would be helpful if you mentioned the features of other orientations or perspectives that cannot be observed with your workplace change example. Put another way, your "best fit" could be a process of deduction: if not A, and not B or C, then it must be D. So, the orientation or perspective does not have to be a complete or perfect fit, but merely a better fit than the alternative orientations or perspectives.

In certain circumstances, more than one orientation or perspective is highly relevant. If so, a sound case would need to be made for such a conclusion.

As different understandings of the role of management, employees and/or trade unions, and the state apply to each orientation or perspective, you need to explore the roles or influence these industrial relations ‘actors' had for your example.
The essay is linked to the unit's learning outcomes 2, 3 and 5:

• Evaluate the importance of consultative processes and the effectiveness of particular mechanisms in the workplace change context;
• Contrast traditional approaches to the industrial relations of workplace change with key elements of an employee engagement focus to be able to analyse the implications of workplace change proposals; and
• Identify global and international issues that affect the industrial relations of the workplace change processes.

As a result, the existence or absence of consultative processes and their effectiveness, the existence or absence of employee engagement efforts, and any international trends or issues that influenced your workplace change example should be discussed.

Attachment:- Essay.rar