Global Pressures: Multinational Corporations, International Unionism, and NGOs

[Excerpt] The globalization of product, financial, and labor markets has made it easier for companies to produce many of the goods and services they sell wherever in the world the right skills can be found at the lowest cost. The desire to sell products worldwide has also created incentives for firms to have a presence in multiple countries. Together these facts have made labor relations in many industries global in scope. Globalization is of particular importance to emerging countries. Nearly 50 percent of the world’s manufacturing employment is now located in emerging countries. Globalization poses significant challenges to labor relations practices. Historically the laws, markets, institutions, norms, and practices of labor relations have developed on a national basis. Globalization has weakened, though not eliminated, the role of national systems of labor relations and given rise to a number of new institutions, structures, and processes for dealing with all of the labor relations functions discussed in previous chapters. In this chapter we will discuss these new arrangements and the challenges globalization poses to labor relations. To do so we will use the framework laid out in chapter 1 for analyzing labor relations

The Negotiations Process and Structures

[Excerpt] This chapter examines the process by which unions and employers negotiate collective agreements and the structures they use for those negotiations, continuing the analysis of the middle (functional) level of labor relations activity. It explains the dynamics of negotiations and the factors that lead to strikes and then goes on to discuss the different bargaining structures used in negotiations

The Role of the Economic, Technological, and Demographic Environments

[Excerpt] This chapter examines how various forces in the environment influence labor relations in emerging countries. We focus in particular on how factors in the economic, technological, and demographic environments influence the bargaining power of both labor and management. In doing so we are moving downward in our three-tiered framework by examining how external environmental factors influence the functional level of labor relations

Labor, Management, and Government Interactions

[Excerpt] Labor, management, and government engage in complex interactions in emerging countries, and these interactions strongly influence the evolution of labor relations in those countries. For example, unions and other workers’ movements in some countries have aligned with a particular political party or in some cases are the core constituents of a labor party that is active in the political arena. This chapter will discuss cases where particular unions were aligned with the governing leaders or party. Another way unions and workers have influenced governments is through their involvement in protests or other political actions that are part of democratization campaigns or movements. As will be discussed in this chapter, some of these efforts to promote democracy have succeeded in recent years and have led to major political transformations in particular countries

An Introduction to U.S. Collective Bargaining and Labor Relations

[Excerpt] This comprehensive textbook provides an introduction to collective bargaining and labor relations with a focus on developments in the United States. It is appropriate for students, policy analysts, and labor relations professionals including unionists, managers, and neutrals. A three-tiered strategic choice framework unifies the text, and the authors’ thorough grounding in labor history and labor law assists students in learning the basics. In addition to traditional labor relations, the authors address emerging forms of collective representation and movements that address income inequality in novel ways. Harry C. Katz, Thomas A. Kochan, and Alexander J. S. Colvin provide numerous contemporary illustrations of business and union strategies. They consider the processes of contract negotiation and contract administration with frequent comparisons to nonunion practices and developments, and a full chapter is devoted to special aspects of the public sector. An Introduction to U.S. Collective Bargaining and Labor Relations has an international scope, covering labor rights issues associated with the global supply chain as well as the growing influence of NGOs and cross-national unionism. The authors also compare how labor relations systems in Germany, Japan, China, India, Brazil, and South Africa compare to practices in the United States

The Magnetic Properties of Heating Events on High-Temperature Active Region Loops

Understanding the relationship between the magnetic field and coronal heating is one of the central problems of solar physics. However, studies of the magnetic properties of impulsively heated loops have been rare. We present results from a study of 34 evolving coronal loops observed in the Fe XVIII line component of AIA/SDO 94 A filter images from three active regions with different magnetic conditions. We show that the peak intensity per unit cross-section of the loops depends on their individual magnetic and geometric properties. The intensity scales proportionally to the average field strength along the loop ($B_{avg}$) and inversely with the loop length ($L$) for a combined dependence of $(B_{avg}/L)^{0.52\pm0.13}$. These loop properties are inferred from magnetic extrapolations of the photospheric HMI/SDO line-of-sight and vector magnetic field in three approximations: potential and two Non Linear Force-Free (NLFF) methods. Through hydrodynamic modeling (EBTEL model) we show that this behavior is compatible with impulsively heated loops with a volumetric heating rate that scales as $\epsilon_H\sim B_{avg}^{0.3\pm0.2}/L^{0.2\pm^{0.2}_{0.1}}$.Comment: Astrophysical Journal, in pres

Industrial Relations and Productivity in the U.S. Automobile Industry

macroeconomics, Automobile, industrial relations, productivity

The Petrophysical Evaluation and Depositional Environment of Harrison 1 Well Using Core Data and Wireline Logs

A comprehensive petrophysical evaluation is essential to optimise development and production in complex environments in different prolific regions including West Africa. In this study petrophysical parameters in the Harrison 1 well, central Niger Delta were carefully evaluated using cores and wireline logs zones of hydrocarbon saturation were deduced using a combination of conventional logs including Gamma ray, Resistivity (Schlumberger’s platform Express-Array induction tool (PEX-AIH) and Neutron/density combination log. Cored interval ranged from 11915ftah to 12005ftah within which several analyses were carried out to deduce lithofacies, environment of deposition and prospective reservoirs for hydrocarbon. Reservoirs are located between 11933-11952ftah, 11960-11965ftah, 11975 -12005ftah. These reservoirs have excellent porosity values (though permeability decreased with depth because of increased clay content), low water saturation percentage (? 20%), high hydrocarbon saturation (?80%), favourable values of ROS and MOS. The depositional model comprises a prograding shoreface deposit which passes upward into stacks of channel deposits characterised by features typical of estuarine setting. Studies of Hydrocarbon fill using cores from Harrison 1 well under UV-light reflected recognisable fluorescing unit between  11956-12005ftah stratigraphic interval and a non-fluorescing unit between 11915 – 11955ftah meaning these intervals contains oil and gas , however  gas -oil ratio of 45:55 affirms the gas prone nature of the reservoirs within the interval of study. Keywords: Conventional logs, hydrocarbon saturation, reservoir, ROS, MOS, UV-light, water saturation

Towards a Quantitative Comparison of Magnetic Field Extrapolations and Observed Coronal Loops

It is widely believed that loops observed in the solar atmosphere trace out magnetic field lines. However, the degree to which magnetic field extrapolations yield field lines that actually do follow loops has yet to be studied systematically. In this paper we apply three different extrapolation techniques - a simple potential model, a NLFF model based on photospheric vector data, and a NLFF model based on forward fitting magnetic sources with vertical currents - to 15 active regions that span a wide range of magnetic conditions. We use a distance metric to assess how well each of these models is able to match field lines to the 12,202 loops traced in coronal images. These distances are typically 1-2". We also compute the misalignment angle between each traced loop and the local magnetic field vector, and find values of 5-12$^\circ$. We find that the NLFF models generally outperform the potential extrapolation on these metrics, although the differences between the different extrapolations are relatively small. The methodology that we employ for this study suggests a number of ways that both the extrapolations and loop identification can be improved.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap

Sequence Stratigraphy Study of UNIABR Field in Northern Delta Depobelt of Niger Delta, Nigeria

Integrated  interpretation of wireline logs and high resolution biostratigraphic data has enhanced the subdivision of the stratigraphic column within the Uniabr Field ( fictitious) (OML 4) in the Niger Delta  of Nigeria into five sequences and different  systems tracts.  It has also aided the identification of maximum flooding surfaces and type – 1 sequence boundaries. Lowstand systems tract with basin floor fans, slope fans and prograding  wedge complex plus transgressive systems tracts and highstand  systems tracts occur in the field.  Five maximum flooding surfaces and five sequence boundaries are recognized with their average depths tie to their absolute ages.  All except the second sequence boundary are clearly type – 1 sequence boundaries.  Lowstand systems tract is missing on top of the second sequence boundary and is directly overlain by transgressive systems tract, hence it cannot convincingly be pass for a type – 1 sequence boundary.  Again, five sequences are identified from the base to the top of the stratigraphic column (of the field) with varying average thicknesses and cyclicities.  Based on their cyclicities of between 1.0  and 5.0 Ma, all the sequences identified in this field are third order type.  They have potential of both serving as excellent source rocks and providing stratigraphic traps.  A structural trap is speculated between the second and third sequences at 2417m (7930ft) depth below the mean sea level. Based on palynological zonation of Uniabr – 1 Well (P450 – P650), the age range of the sediments penetrated in the Uniabr  Field is from Late Eocene to Early Miocene, thus placing the field within the northern delta depobelt of the Niger Delta. Keywords : OML 4, Systems tracts, Maximum flooding surfaces, Type-1 sequence boundaries,Niger Delta