How Will Competition Change Human Resource Management in Retail Banking? A Strategic Perspective

The proposition that the way firms manage their labor forces should be consistent with their organization strategy might seem both obvious and noncontroversial. What this means in practice in a turbulent industry such as consumer financial service, however, is by no means obvious. Human resource management practices in banks are changing under pressures from an increasingly intense competitive environment. The nature of these changes remains unclear, and questions center around what forms the changes will take and around the effects of those changes. This paper draws on early interviews in a multi-year project on productivity in financial services firms. While the data are not sufficient to answer the question, the author believes they provide clear indications of directions to take in conceptualizing and further investigating the issues. The paper describes the issues involved with strategy, human resources and performance in retail banking. It then describes the challenges associated with applying a model relating strategy to human resource decisions and suggests some considerations for the emergent field of strategic human resource management drawing on a capabilities-based approach. It concludes with suggestions regarding further research in the study of strategic human resources in financial services. The author suggests that in retail banking, uncertainty lies both in understanding the potential value of particular business strategies and in seeing what sort of outcomes different human resource management (HRM) systems will produce. The author notes that few of the aspects of the set of human resource performance practices that are referred to in the literature as high performance workplace practices (HPW) have been embraced by retail banks. What is not known is whether HPW practices cannot deliver on valuable outcomes, or whether banks have simply failed to realize their potential. The author suggests that corporate strategic issues may influence the ability of the retail bank to meet its strategic goals, and they may influence the time horizon available to retail banks. The author suggests that in a less turbulent climate, there might be more investment in human resources. Current pressure to contain costs in the immediate short run, leaves retail banks in a difficult position. HRM must also be considered in relationship not only to corporate and business strategy, but also to technology and the design of process. In short, do certain kinds of HRM suit different technologies? The author points out that HRM practices do not function solely to serve strategic goals. Choices of particular HRM practices may reflect organization power and politics and institutionalized norms of best practices as much as they reflect strategic goals or performance imperatives. While the U.S. retail banking sector has not been organized into unions, the author suggests that the industry may see more workers beginning to push for at least some of the high performance workplace practices regardless of strategic concerns of banks, should the current period of relative labor surplus prove to be transient.

A survey and analysis of commercially available hydrogen sensors

The performance requirements for hydrogen detection in aerospace applications often exceed those of more traditional applications. In order to ascertain the applicability of existing hydrogen sensors to aerospace applications, a survey was conducted of commercially available point-contact hydrogen sensors, and their operation was analyzed. The operation of the majority of commercial hydrogen sensors falls into four main categories: catalytic combustion, electrochemical, semiconducting oxide sensors, and thermal conductivity detectors. The physical mechanism involved in hydrogen detection for each main category is discussed in detail. From an understanding of the detection mechanism, each category of sensor is evaluated for use in a variety of space and propulsion environments. In order to meet the needs of aerospace applications, the development of point-contact hydrogen sensors that are based on concepts beyond those used in commercial sensors is necessary

Experimental study of a free turbulent shear flow at Mach 19 with electron-beam and conventional probes

An experimental study of the initial development region of a hypersonic turbulent free mixing layer was made. Data were obtained at three stations downstream of a M = 19 nozzle over a Reynolds range of 1.3 million to 3.3 million per meter and at a total temperature of about 1670 K. In general, good agreement was obtained between electron-beam and conventional probe measurements of local mean flow parameters. Measurements of fluctuating density indicated that peak root-mean-square (rms) levels are higher in the turbulent free mixing layer than in boundary layers for Mach numbers less than 9. The intensity of rms density fluctuations in the free stream is similar in magnitude to pressure fluctuations in high Mach number flows. Spectrum analyses of the measured fluctuating density through the shear layer indicate significant fluctuation energy at the lower frequencies (0.2 to 5 kHZ) which correspond to large-scale disturbances in the high-velocity region of the shear layer

Rates of Performance Loss and Neuromuscular Activity in Men and Women During Cycling: Evidence for A Common Metabolic Basis of Muscle Fatigue

The durations that muscular force and power outputs can be sustained until failure fall predictably on an exponential decline between an individual’s 3-s burst maximum to the maximum performance they can sustain aerobically. The exponential time constants describing these rates of performance loss are similar across individuals, suggesting that a common metabolically based mechanism governs muscle fatigue; however, these conclusions come from studies mainly on men. To test whether the same physiological understanding can be applied to women, we compared the performance-duration relationships and neuromuscular activity between seven men [23.3 ± 1.9 (SD) yr] and seven women (21.7 ± 1.8 yr) from multiple exhaustive bouts of cycle ergometry. Each subject performed trials to obtain the peak 3-s power output (Pmax), the mechanical power at the aerobic maximum (Paer), and 11–14 constant-load bouts eliciting failure between 3 and 300 s. Collectively, men and women performed 180 exhaustive bouts spanning an ~6-fold range of power outputs (118–1116 W) and an ~35-fold range of trial durations (8–283 s). Men generated 66% greater Pmax (956 ± 109 W vs. 632 ± 74 W) and 68% greater Paer (310 ± 47 W vs. 212 ± 15 W) than women. However, the metabolically based time constants describing the time course of performance loss were similar between men (0.020 ± 0.003/s) and women (0.021 ± 0.003/s). Additionally, the fatigue-induced increases in neuromuscular activity did not differ between the sexes when compared relative to the pedal forces at Paer. These data suggest that muscle fatigue during short-duration dynamic exercise has a common metabolically based mechanism determined by the extent that ATP is resynthesized by anaerobic metabolism

A Concise Account of the Kingdom of Pegu by William Hunter, edited by Michael W. Charney

This account, written by the surgeon, William Hunter, relates his experiences in Pegu in 1782-1783. The observations were made on a voyage that had been ordered by the British East India Company. The account was originally printed at Calcutta in 1785 by John Hay under the title of A Concise Account of the Kingdom of Pegu; Its Climate, Produce, Trade, and Government; The Manners and Customs of its Inhabitants. Interspersed with remarks Moral and Political. The additional appendices, one on “An Enquiry into the cause of the variety observable in the fleeces of sheep, in different climates,” and “A Description of the Caves at Elephanta, Ambola, and Canara” are unrelated to Burma and are thus not included in the text

Determination of gas volume trapped in a closed fluid system

Technique involves extracting known volume of fluid and measuring system before and after extraction, volume of entrapped gas is then computed. Formula derived from ideal gas laws is basis of this method. Technique is applicable to thermodynamic cycles and hydraulic systems

Union Participation in Strategic Decisions of Corporations

This paper reviews workforce participation in strategic decisions - those that affect the basic direction of the company - when workforce interests are represented collectively through unions. We consider the problem of corporate governance and review the rationale for what we term strategic partnerships' between management and labor. The paper describes the prevalence of such partnerships in the U.S., focusing on two institutions through which unions have engaged in discussion of strategic issues: negotiated union-management partnership agreements, and union representation on corporate boards. We offer detailed accounts of specific strategic partnerships and of union involvement on corporate boards, showing that unions face a range of challenges in constructing partnerships that extend possibilities for effective representations of workers' interests.

Long-Lived In-Situ Solar System Explorer (LLISSE): Potential Contributions to the Next Decade of Solar System Exploration

Venus, while having similar size, mass, and location in the solar system to Earth, varies from Earth in many ways and holds many scientific mysteries despite many missions that have focused on it in the past. Primary differences include Venus' climate, atmosphere, and perhaps most notably the extreme surface conditions. The layers of sulfuric acid clouds and high pressure CO2 laden atmosphere make remote sensing at Venus much less effective than at other solar system bodies. In addition, surface conditions present formidable engineering challenges due to the high temperature, pressure, and reactive chemistry. To date, landed missions have not been able to last more than about 2 hours on the surface [1]. This has resulted in significant knowledge gaps about the surface conditions of this important body in the solar system. The science community has effectively no in-situ temporal data at the Venus surface. These data are critical for the development of a thorough understanding of Venus' weather and the processes by which chemical species interact with each other and are transported throughout the atmospheric column. The LLISSE platform, and its variants, are a foundation for future mission concepts based on a core set of long-lived technologies providing significant new science as well as demonstrating new technical capabilities. After completion, LLISSE has the potential to be a complimentary element to missions going to Venus and would provide unique and important science to missions whether they be orbiters or short duration landers

Where Do Women's Jobs Come From? Job Resegregation in an American Bank

We document changes in the gender composition of jobs in a large American bank. This change was occasioned by a restructuring initiative that created new positions. Through interviews with employees and direct observation of work in four geographic regions, we identify five factors that underlie the process of resegregation: managers built gendered assumptions into the new jobs; managers framed employees' choices based on these assumptions; employees responded to these cues and to the characteristics of the jobs; management made job assignments that were consistent with both their assumptions and employees' choices; and both managers and employees developed shared gender norms associated with the new positions.