Capitalizing on National Self-Interest: The Management of International Telecommunication Conflict by the International Telecommunication Union

This article will examine the potential for conflict and the need for international cooperation in the contemporary telecommunication industry, with a particular focus on the role of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in international conflict management. After addressing particular aspects of modern telecommunication which invite international conflict, the article will present an overview of the ITU as the principal instrumentality for maintaining world order in telecommunication. The Union\u27s importance in conflict prevention, dispute resolution, and arbitration will be analyzed in detail. Finally, this article will assess the success of the ITU in conflict management and evaluate the need for change in the ITU as it enters a new era of international telecommunication

Conceptual Foundations: Walton and McKersie\u27s Subprocesses of Negotiations

[Excerpt] Walton and McKersie\u27s 1965 book, A Behavioral Theory of Labor Negotiations, provides much of the conceptual underpinnings of what grew into the modern-day teaching of negotiations in business, public policy, law, and other professional schools. We therefore believe that it is useful to outline the basic concepts and ideas introduced by these authors. We do so, however, with a word of caution. There is no substitute for the original. Every student should have the pleasure of struggling (as we did the first time it was assigned to us as students) with the tongue twisters like attitudinal structuring and the many other new terms and theoretical ideas introduced in the book

Resolving Workplace Conflict: The Alternative Dispute Resolution Revolution and Some Lessons We Have Learned

The U.S. industrial relations system has undergone a historic transformation over the past three decades. One of the most significant features of that transformation has been the dramatic rise of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) as a means of addressing workplace conflict. ADR can be defined as the use of arbitration, mediation, and other third- party techniques instead of litigation to resolve workplace disputes. In the view of some experts, the rapid diffusion of ADR in employment relations, especially in the non-union sector, has represented nothing less than a revolution in dispute resolution. The ADR revolution has spread to many other types of disputes, including family, consumer, construction, and financial disputes. In many ways, transferring the resolution of workplace disputes from public to private forums constitutes the de facto privatization of the American system of justice

Understanding ADR

[Excerpt] This essay provides a concrete understanding of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) by analyzing Owen Fiss’ article Against Settlement. Additionally, this essay provides insight regarding the role that the Human Resources (HR) function plays in the context of the dispute resolution process. Part I begins by introducing the concept of ADR. Part II provides an overview of Fiss’ overarching argument presented in Against Settlement. Part III expands on Part II by discussing the three components that make up Fiss’ argument. Part IV concludes by addressing the importance of understanding conflict management and dispute resolution from the perspective of HR professionals

Final-Offer Arbitration and Salaries of Police and Firefighters

[Excerpt] Did final-offer arbitration have a discernible impact on the salaries of police and firefighters in Massachusetts during the 3-year trial period which ended June 30, 1977? To analyze this question, we collected information on the maximum salary paid to police patrolmen, police sergeants, firefighters, and fire lieutenants for a large sample of Massachusetts municipalities. We integrated these data with police and fire impasse experiences and added several economic and environmental characteristics for each Massachusetts municipality. Then we performed several tests of the economic impact of final-offer arbitration

The Future of Conflict Management Systems

This article acknowledges Chris Merchant’s contribution to the development of the concept of a conflict management system (CMS). It discusses the relationship between a CMS and a closely related concept, an integrated conflict management system (ICMS), which is a more comprehensive or integrated approach to conflict management. The article reports on surveys of Fortune 1000 corporations that show that the implementation of a CMS in these corporations rose from 17 percent in 1997 to about 30 percent in 2011. Chris Merchant expressed optimism about the future of conflict management systems. Although her vision of the future of conflict management systems has not yet been fulfilled, one can hope that if these systems provide not only organizational efficiency but also workplace justice, her optimism will one day be justified

New Challenges to Arbitration

[Excerpt] Today we face developments in practically every aspect of our lives portending changes within the next quarter century as great as any we have experienced. Changes in one\u27s own field, as in society in general, are often imperceptible at the time they are occurring. Yet, in looking back over my thirty years of teaching in the field of arbitration, I am struck not only by the major changes which have affected the concepts and practice of arbitration, but also, and more significantly, by the new challenges which are emerging to the whole profession of arbitration as well as to the continued viability of the institution itself

From the Negotiating Arena to Conflict Management

Richard Walton and Robert McKersie’s A Behavioral Theory of Labor Negotiations has influenced generations of scholars who have studied conflict resolution and negotiations, as well as countless negotiation practitioners (Walton and McKersie 1991; for an assessment of Walton and McKersie’s influence on research and practice, see Kochan and Lipsky 2003). In this article, we extend Walton and McKersie’s theory, which focused on the negotiations between unions and employers, to consider its implications for the strategic choices made by organizations as they develop conflict management policies.We begin by discussing Walton and McKersie’s influence on the language that both scholars and practitioners use to describe not only negotiating behavior but also the strategies organizations pursue to manage workplace conflict

Level-of-Aspiration Theory and Initial Stance in Bargaining

This research focuses on the effect of initial stance in bargaining. Following level-of-aspiration theory, the research examines whether the pattern of early concession making modifies the impact of tough vs. soft initial stance. The experiment manipulated opponent\u27s concession pattern (decreasing, constant, increasing) in the early phase of bargaining within an overall tough or soft initial stance. Results indicated that a decreasing concession pattern within the early bargaining extracted larger initial concessions than a constant or increasing concession pattern. Implications for Siegel and Fouraker\u27s (1960) level-of-aspiration theory are discussed