Fox and Pluralist Persceptive
Review of Fox 1966
Since the publishing of ‘Industrial Sociology and Industrial Relations’ paper by A. Fox, Ireland has gone through an economic whirlpool, from bust to boom and now currently back to bust. The economic climate has a significance impact on the way companies caters for its employees. According to Frank Burchill ‘economic growth and full employment shift the balance of power towards labour and lead to demands on the distribution of income from capital to labour ’ . [ (Burchill, 1992) ]. Thus companies adapt to reach the further requirements and demands for its employees when there is a shortage of labour. An example of this is when Boots, the pharmacy, agreed to recognize the employees’ trade union in Ireland, ‘Boots pharmacists’ Association’ but still does not recognize any trade union in the UK. It should be also taken into account that Boots chain was introduced into Ireland during the Celtic Tiger and the importance of this fact.
According to the majority of labour relations books, there are three main theories in the role of industrial relations. These provide ‘a logical and consistent means of understanding and interpreting industrial relations realities’ (J.Wallace, P.Gunnigle, G.Mc Mahon, 2004). Fox states that the unitary system has ‘one source of authority and one focus of loyalty, which is why it suggests the team analogy’. (Fox, 1966). This is echoed by Salamon but continues by saying ‘(who has) a set of common values, interests and objectives shared by all members of the organisation. (Salamon,1998). Fox argues that the unitary system is an ‘ideal prescription which reflect wishful thinking rather than accurate observations’ (Fox, 1966 ). The second system is the pluralistic theory. According to Salamon ‘the pluralistic theory assumes that the organization is composed of individual who coalesce into a variety of distinct sectional groups, each with its own interest’s objectives and leadership’. (Salamon, 1998). Finally the Marxist
Since the publishing of ‘Industrial Sociology and Industrial Relations’ paper by A. Fox, Ireland has gone through an economic whirlpool, from bust to boom and now currently back to bust. The economic climate has a significance impact on the way companies caters for its employees. According to Frank Burchill ‘economic growth and full employment shift the balance of power towards labour and lead to demands on the distribution of income from capital to labour ’ . [ (Burchill, 1992) ]. Thus companies adapt to reach the further requirements and demands for its employees when there is a shortage of labour. An example of this is when Boots, the pharmacy, agreed to recognize the employees’ trade union in Ireland, ‘Boots pharmacists’ Association’ but still does not recognize any trade union in the UK. It should be also taken into account that Boots chain was introduced into Ireland during the Celtic Tiger and the importance of this fact.
According to the majority of labour relations books, there are three main theories in the role of industrial relations. These provide ‘a logical and consistent means of understanding and interpreting industrial relations realities’ (J.Wallace, P.Gunnigle, G.Mc Mahon, 2004). Fox states that the unitary system has ‘one source of authority and one focus of loyalty, which is why it suggests the team analogy’. (Fox, 1966). This is echoed by Salamon but continues by saying ‘(who has) a set of common values, interests and objectives shared by all members of the organisation. (Salamon,1998). Fox argues that the unitary system is an ‘ideal prescription which reflect wishful thinking rather than accurate observations’ (Fox, 1966 ). The second system is the pluralistic theory. According to Salamon ‘the pluralistic theory assumes that the organization is composed of individual who coalesce into a variety of distinct sectional groups, each with its own interest’s objectives and leadership’. (Salamon, 1998). Finally the Marxist
Bibliography: : Burchill, F. (1992). Labour Relations. London: The Macmillain Press Ltd. Wallace, J. Gunninle, P. McMahon, G. (2004). Industrial Relations in Ireland. Dublin: Gill and Macmillian. Salamon, M. (1998). Industrial Relations, Theory and Practise. Essex: Pearson Education Ltd Fox, A. (1966). Industrial sociology and industrial relations . London : Donovan Commission Research Paper No. 3. D 'art and Turner (2002). Irish Employment Relations in the New Economy. Dublin. Blackhall Publishing.