Labor Practices Research Articles

When do firms deliver on the jobs they promise in return for state aid?

AbstractUS state governments frequently provide firms with targeted subsidies. In exchange, recipients promise to create or retain a certain number of jobs in the subsidizing state. Using novel hand-collected data, we address three questions: (i) the extent to which firms meet job creation targets promised in their applications, (ii) the factors that determine which firms meet the targets, and (iii) the benefits to firms from meeting those targets. We find that 63% of subsidies awarded to publicly traded U.S. firms between 2004 and 2015 meet their promised job creation targets. Firms with poorer labor practices are less likely to meet their targets, as are politically connected firms that receive subsidies in election years. Conversely, promised job targets are also more likely to be met for subsidies accompanied by government press releases but less likely to be met for subsidies accompanied by firm press releases; the latter likely reflects the fact that firms put out press releases for larger subsidies with more ambitious job targets. In terms of consequences, firms that meet job targets are more successful at obtaining subsequent subsidies both in and out of subsidizing states. However, while firms’ success in meeting job targets is associated with an uptick in positive media coverage, this does not flow through to ESG ratings, even on scores specific to community impact. Our results should be of interest to both academics and policymakers interested in the design of state-level economic incentives.

Student nurse-midwives' knowledge and practice conducting normal labour in Windhoek, Namibia

Background/Aims It is crucial that maternity health workers understand how to prevent complications during labour. A lack of knowledge and the skills required to manage uncomplicated physiological labour (‘normal’ labour) may result in unanticipated complications, such as vaginal lacerations and perineal tears. This study's aim was to assess the knowledge and practices of undergraduate nurse-midwife students at the University of Namibia in conducting normal labour. Methods This quantitative study used a descriptive, non-experimental design to gather data from a total of 64 student nurse-midwives. A questionnaire was used to gather participants' sociodemographics and assess their knowledge and practice of normal labour. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. Results The majority of the participants (87.3%) knew the correct supporting technique to prevent perineal tears. Most (84.1%) correctly indicated that a partograph is used to monitor labour progress. However, the majority (87.3%) did not practice episiotomy to prevent perineal tears. Conclusions Most students were knowledgeable on the use of a partograph, practices to prevent perineal tears and care of a newborn after birth. Students should receive continual education during clinical allocations, and be supervised and guided to improve practice and competency. Provision of sufficient preceptors is needed to cater for the high number of students. Future research should be conducted on the experiences and perspectives of students on conducting births and prevention of labour complications.

Jornaleros, costureras y pastores

This paper analyzes the characteristics and economic and social changes of the indigenous population that inhabited the countryside near Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the second half of the 19th century. The case study uses a set of documentary sources of different authorship, format and purpose to research the “tribe” in the city’s Veinticinco de Mayo administrative subdivision (partido), led by the caciques Guayquil, Caneullan, Teuque and Rondeau. The primary results of the analysis include the identification and reconstruction of the composition of this group, their labor and occupational practices, and use and access to land ownership in rural and urban areas within the administrative subdivision.

Should employees be entitled to legal representation during disciplinary hearings in South Africa?

This article demonstrates that employees in South Africa are denied the right to appoint external legal representation of their own choice during disciplinary inquiries. It argues that this violates their fundamental rights such as dignity, fair labour practice, and practicing their chosen occupation freely. Although Item 4(1) of Schedule 8 of the Code of Good Practice: Dismissal allows accused employees the opportunity to be represented by a trade union representative or a fellow employee, this Code is silent on whether an accused employee can obtain external legal representation of their choice during disciplinary inquiries. It further illustrates that accused employees who are brought before disciplinary hearings are placed in a position where they are forced to rely on their fellow employees or trade union officials who may not possess the skills and competency to adequately present their defences. Further, if they wish to seek external legal representation, they need to request permission from chairpersons of disciplinary hearings who usually refuse to grant such permission. This article advances an argument that it is constitutionally impermissible to adopt a paternalistic approach where dismissal is a likely sanction to subject accused employees to the discretion of chairpersons of disciplinary inquiries to decide whether to allow external legal representation. It argues further that accused employees should have a right to decide for themselves whether to obtain external legal representation of their own choice during disciplinary hearings.

Winner-Take-All? Visibility, Availability, and Heterogeneity on Webcam Sex Platforms

Online platforms have profoundly changed the organization of work in many economic sectors, and the sex industry is no exception. Webcam sex platforms, in particular, host large and heterogeneous populations of workers who are not formally employed and rely heavily on algorithmic systems to manage this workforce. These systems are often said to produce or reinforce unpredictable and unequal winner-take-all effects, contributing to economic pressure and precarity. Most research trying to empirically assess these claims has focused on single platforms and on the experiences of limited samples of regular workers, excluding more sporadic performers that nonetheless compete for visibility within the same ranking systems. In this article, we seek to address these limitations through a multi-platform study based on systematic ranking data collected by scraping the complete homepages of five webcam platforms over 11 weeks. The article proceeds in four steps. We first discuss existing work on algorithmic workplace management and webcam sex platforms. We then introduce the case studies, present our empirical approach, and discuss ethical considerations. The findings section is organized around two complementary lines of inquiry: an examination of visibility distributions across our sample of websites, as well as their connection with viewer numbers, and an exploration of the relationship between visibility and labor practices, which allows us to link performer availability to ranking outcomes. We conclude by highlighting the substantial differences between these designed marketplaces and discuss repercussions for both webcam sex research and the broader field of platform studies.

Causes of Unfair Labour Practices in Chinese Owned Firms in the Mining Sector in Zimbabwe

Causes of Unfair Labour Practices in Chinese Owned Firms in the Mining Sector in Zimbabwe

Implementation of an Ethical Circular Hub: Framework Proposal

There are significant regional disparities regarding circular material use rates between Western European countries and other regions in the EU. Hence, there is a severe risk that the circular transition will remain slow and unevenly distributed across EU regions. Business ethics related to circular change involves some principles and practices that guide the ethical conduct of businesses operating within the circular economy. The study aims to recommend a framework to guide regional entities to implement an Ethical Circular Hub to identify new solutions and challenges regarding stakeholder collaboration, ethical circular value chains, social equity, fair labor practices, and transparency, suggesting innovative business models. This framework proposal is based on the literature review and analysis of case studies to identify and promote the best practices in terms of Ethical Circular Hubs implementation. The outcomes of this study will help improve the regional development of policy instruments in the field of Ethical Circular Hubs, identifying ethical and circular best practices to overcome transition problems, will enable countries’ regions to integrate and benchmark successful experiences and policies from other regions into their own regional reality and contribute to a more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive society.
 Keywords: ethics, circular economy, ethical circular hubs, social impact, policies

Politicized shopping in the gig economy: Retaliation and solidarity on the “other side” of the app

AbstractIn this mixed‐methods article, the author investigates how gig workers behave when they become consumers of these products. The author finds that workers engage in politicized shopping – where they order from platform companies with comparably better labor standards – both to retaliate against companies with substandard labor practices and support their fellow gig workers. By examining worker behavior on the “other side” of the platform, this article expands our understanding politicized shopping in this emerging area of work.

Decoding designers: The work of responsibility and innovation for accessibility

AbstractWeb users with disabilities from Pakistan critique web design methods as members of online feedback communities. One practice in web design that draws criticism is the omission of accessible features from the coding of the user interface/user experience (UI/UX) in the initial stages of web design production. The initial web design is associated with “innovation,” while accessibility becomes the responsibility of those working on the financially constrained and often delayed stage of repair and maintenance. Such a social hierarchy of design‐making propagates the exclusion of accessibility from both web design and design labor practices. Using critique from online feedback communities, two disabled Pakistani software designers highlight how accessibility norms define what innovation, responsibility, and expertise are within their domain of work. Drawing together anthropological work on accessibility and science and technology studies, this article analyzes how designers with disabilities build design systems by using critique from feedback communities, open‐sourcing, and reshaping code in a boot camp, a graduate school lab, and a corporate accessibility lab. The social work of design‐making and the material form of code therefore become tools to challenge inaccessibility and norms of innovation, responsibility, and expertise.

Comparative Study of Selected Nigerian and Indian Labour Practices and the Law

Abstract Labour practices include workplace routines like, the conditions of employment, remuneration, trade union, industrial relations, safety and welfare of workers, labour rights and responsibilities, etc. Labour relations are laced with both fair and unfair practices. This study examines the differences and similarities of labour practices in Nigerian and Indian industries, and how their respective courts interpreted their labour laws. The doctrinal research methodology involving systematic review of current legal propositions, cases, statutes, legislation, policies relating to labour practice in Nigeria and India was adopted. The study finds amongst others that both the Nigerian and Indian Labour industries are fraught with unfair labour practices and the rights of workers are the same, but India explicitly provides imprisonment for employer found guilty of unfair labour practices, and Nigerian labour legislation is silent on that. It concludes by recommending a review of Nigerian labour practice legal framework, reflecting some India’s advancement in labour practice.

Uncovering Novel Biomarkers of Inflammation as Potential Screening Targets of Disease Risk in Healthcare Shift Workers: A Pilot Study.

Shift work, experienced by nearly 30% of the U.S. workforce, is hazardous to health and has become a pervasive labor practice in the healthcare sector worldwide. It increases the risk of stroke, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Nonetheless, specific screening targets for shift workers still need to be defined. In this study, we have begun uncovering these targets as specific low-grade systemic inflammation markers and functional endotoxin-elicited responses that may foreshadow disease risk in shift workers. One hundred four participants (normothermic and normotensive) were healthy, non-smoking, and drug- and medication-free volunteers recruited from Atlanta area hospitals and medical schools. We assessed the concentration of three proteins in plasma samples from day workers and shift workers (lipopolysaccharide-binding protein, IL-10, and TNF-α), and the relationship between these baseline biomarkers and their response to an ex-vivo endotoxin challenge. We show that shift work increases low-grade systemic inflammation and disrupts discrete endotoxin responses. As shift work exposure increases, the correlation between low-grade systemic inflammation markers and their endotoxin responses was disrupted; this effect was more robust for TNF-α than for IL-10. With increased shift work exposure, these events, alone or combined, represent potential systemic and functional signals that may be harnessed to develop screening tools to identify at-risk individuals.

Consumer dining duration and spending: The role of emotional labour practice in the restaurant industry

This paper centres on examining the link between emotional labour and dinning duration within the restaurant industry. In this study emotional labour practice was modelled as one of the crucial predictors of dining duration. This study adopted a multiple case study using a cross sectional design approach. The target population was 480 dyads encounters in 6 of the most popular fast food restaurant chains in Harare. Some 214 seat-in customers were the unit of analysis while wait staff were the unit of observation. In terms of responses, 200 responses were attained and were deemed sufficient for meaningful Structural Equation Modelling. The quantitative approach employed a self-completed structured questionnaire in collecting data. A structural equation modelling was run to test the direct effects, a multi-group structural equation modelling was run to test the moderating effects of categorical variables, and a moderated multiple regression was run to test the moderation effects of the latent variables. The study revealed various factors that influence the connection between emotional labour and dinning duration such as the gender factor of the people involved, the rate and strength of the interaction between restaurant employees and the clients. The outcome directed that emotional labour is positively associated with consumer dining duration. The consumer dining duration is in turn associated with consumer expenditures within the restaurant. However, all the hypothesised moderators had no statistically significant effect. The study recommended the use of emotional labour as one of the predictors for increased revenue in the restaurant industry through increased consumer spending as mediated by the dining duration under the scenario of excess capacity and limited demand. 

The Chaplin Vaccine: Immunization and Taylorism in Viktor Shklovsky's Theory and Fiction

Abstract: The article examines early-Soviet figurations of cinema as a vaccine capable of inoculating workers with corporeal efficiency. Within this cultural fantasy, Charlie Chaplin was appropriated by the Soviet avant-garde to play an unlikely role of an expert in the theory and practice of labor. Tracing the cultural contexts of Chaplin's cameo in Iprit (1925), a science-fiction novel by Viktor Shklovsky and Vsevolod Ivanov, this article shows that the search for immunity from labor exhaustion opens wider vistas of the history of labor that run through the biocapital of slavery into the Soviet adoption of Taylorist practices of bodily standardization.

Grappling with the Digital: The New Industrial Geographies of Professional Wrestling

Abstract: This essay examines industrial and labor practices in the pro wrestling industry. By analyzing the WWE Network as an "industrial disruptor," this essay suggests that this disruption shifted not only who was considered the prototypical wrestler; it also changed the relations of power within the industry. While the deployment of the streaming service increased the reach of the WWE beyond the national borders of the US, it inadvertently created a pathway for local, regional, and international wrestling companies to also utilize streaming service technology to collectively work together to mitigate some of the industrial hegemony of the WWE. Moreover, the WWE's attempt to create "digital wrestling territories" has changed the relationship between the local and the global, which has reformulated digital global intimate industrial relations. Although the WWE is a global company that has retained dominance for almost forty years, the deployment of streaming services has forever changed the business of pro wrestling.

Fostering sustainability through environmentally friendly coffee production and alternative trade: The case of Café Orgánico de Marcala (COMSA), Honduras

Coffee has been a focal commodity for efforts to promote sustainability and social justice through alternative trade arrangements. Certifications such as Fairtrade have promised better prices, fair labor practices, environmental sustainability and improved livelihoods for small-scale coffee producers. A growing literature has examined alternative trade outcomes, but it remains an open question whether certifications help producers and their organizations improve livelihoods and conserve the environment. This study examines Café Orgánico de Marcala, SA (COMSA), which operates on principles of sustainability that emerged in conjunction with certifications. COMSA supports organic production through education and practices that integrate biodynamic principles, indigenous knowledge, and experimentation. COMSA has used fair trade premiums to build a multilingual school and start a recycling program, among other projects. Members and leaders acknowledge that problems exist yet point to progress. This ethnographic research uses grounded theory to examine COMSA’s approach to sustainability, its successes, and ongoing challenges.

Genderplay: Reclaiming and Reconfiguring Femininity through the Gendered Labor Practices of Transmasculine Sex Workers

Abstract This article explores the gendered labor of transmasculine sex workers as they navigate client requests for genderplay, an eroticized form of gender misrecognition. Drawing on in-depth interviews with transgender men and AFAB nonbinary sex workers, I conceptualize this specific form of gendered labor as reclaimed and reconfigured femininity, a skilled labor process that can produce unique pleasures and pains for this group of workers. Accomplishing reclaimed and reconfigured femininity requires negotiating the demands, anxieties, and erotic needs of clients, which can come into conflict with their identities as transmasculine people. Despite the potential costs of such investments of emotional labor, I find that this process can become a subversive practice of self-exploration and gender-making, as well as a source of pleasure for the workers themselves. The gendered consequences of paid genderplay are more complicated and even contradictory than they first appear. Although the process of reconfigured and reclaimed femininity described here is, in many ways, unique to sex work or to transmasculine experiences of work, it also offers fresh insight for sociological analysis of gender, labor, and pleasure.

미국 노동분쟁의 ADR 절차와 시사점

In South Korea, specific work procedures have not been established to activate the alternative dispute resolution before and after labor disputes in the relief procedure. In particular, there is no special law that can uniformly and consistently apply the alternative solutions to labor disputes, and the subjects, procedures, and contents of the application are scattered in the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act or the Labor Relations Commission Act. Nevertheless, the Labor Relations Commission actively participates from the collective bargaining stage, or the local labor commission leads the cooperation from the local governments to deploy the experts of alternative dispute resolution from the community. Therefore, in order for South Korea to actively introduce and revitalize the methods of alternative dispute resolution in labor cases, it is firstly necessary to establish the legal bases, procedures, and contents for the alternative dispute resolution.
 Therefore, this paper aims to derive implications after examining the ADR procedure in the case of unfair labor practices and employment discrimination in the United States. Firstly, the ADR procedure in the United States provides the legal basis in accordance with the Administrative Dispute Resolution Act of 1996, a federal law. Specifically, the ADR procedures and contents of unfair labor practices and employment discrimination cases can be found through the Federal Code of Regulations. Secondly, the agency conducts the ADR procedures according to the work in charge of each agency. In other words, it means that the division of labor by agency is possible depending on the task in charge. Thirdly, the timing of the commencement for the ADR procedure is possible even before applications for unfair labor practices and employment discrimination relief are received. In other words, the ADR procedure may proceed at any stage before and after the issuing for relief. Fourthly, the ADR procedures are based on spontaneity, neutrality, confidentiality, and enforceability. Therefore, either party may withdraw the ADR at any time, and is left at the sole discretion of the party, without incurring any charges or expenses. Fifthly, the National Labor Relations Board has signed the agreement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to provide mediators, while the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission uses not only internal mediators but also external contract mediators. Sixthly, the Employment Equality Opportunity Commission enters into the universal mediation agreement with employers. In other words, the Employment Equality Opportunity Commission encourages employers to enter into the universal mediation agreement to utilize the mediation at the regional, local, or national level. Seventhly, the National Labor Relations Board's ADR reconciliation and withdrawal rate and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's adjustment resolution rate exceed 70%, so its effectiveness is excellent.

‘Audiencing’ the travel blog: Examining how practices of audiencing influence the affective labour of travel bloggers online

This article demonstrates how applying the concept of audiencing allows us to better understand how the presence of different audiences online mediates the affective labour practices of content creators. The article focuses on one distinctive example of online content creators: British travel bloggers. First, the article argues that audiencing provides an important lens to witness the diversity of affective labour practices being undertaken by travel bloggers, contributing to the wider literature around affective work. Second, the article also demonstrates how travel bloggers are an important focus of study, as they utilise visual and narrative experiences of place as the key foci through which they tailor their affective work to different relationships of audiencing. This finding contributes to the labour on audiencing, by demonstrating how creative labourers use a stimulus (such as discussions of place) as a mechanism through which to tailor their affective work.

Is Labor in Sport a Commodity? The Case of American and Japanese Professional Baseball

An important rule that underpins international and domestic labor law is the principle that labor is not a commodity. This principle has interesting application to the labor regulation in professional team sports such as baseball that utilize drafts, salary restraints, the reserve system, and free agency. The article will examine whether these and other labor controls in Major League Baseball in the United States and Nippon Professional Baseball League in Japan commodify labor. Baseball’s labor controls and practices will be assessed to determine if labor is treated as a commodity, and if so, whether there is undue commodification. In doing so, a construct will be created of labor practices that commodify labor on a spectrum. These labor practices and controls will also be evaluated in the context of antitrust law and restraint of trade. The article concludes by suggesting ways to improve the treatment of players that will decommodify labor.

Do CSR efforts that focus on helping the environment influence brand purchase more than other forms of CSR?

Much has been written about corporate social responsibility (CSR). However, different types of CSR efforts may differentially influence consumer responses. We posit that CSR efforts that emphasize helping the environment affirm the moral values of universalism and benevolence. We advance a novel theory and provide empirical evidence regarding the unique emotional and behavioral effects of environment-based CSR relative to other CSR efforts, such as employee/fair labor practices and philanthropy/cause CSR. Specifically, we theorize and find that environment-based CSR has a stronger impact on brand purchase than these other types of CSR efforts, given its strong influence on consumers’ feelings of elevation and brand-self connections. The current study holds important implications for CSR theory, managers, and future research.