Changing the Rules of the Game: The Impact of Privatization on Firm Industrial Relations

This paper examines the impact of privatization on the relative bargaining strength of management and trade unions. Findings are based on a study of Ireland’s largest telecoms provider, Eircom, which has been privatized since 1999. The privatization of Eircom adopted a stakeholder approach, under which employee share-ownership and management-union partnership played an important role in firm restructuring. Findings show that despite this approach privatization has resulted in a significant decrease in the perceived bargaining strength of unions and an increase in the perceived bargaining strength of management

Can Employee Share-Ownership Improve Employee Attitudes and Behaviour?

Purpose: To examine the outcomes of a substantial broad-based employee share-ownership scheme for employee attitudes and behaviour in a privatised firm. Methodology: Results are based on a survey of 711 employees in Eircom, an Irish telecommunications firm, which is 35 percent employee-owned. Findings: The ESOP has created sizable financial returns and has had extensive influence in firm governance at the strategic level. However, findings show only a limited impact on employee attitudes and behaviour. This is attributed to a failure in creating a sense of employee participation and line of sight between employee performance and reward. Originality: Little research has examined the impact of a large employee shareholding on attitudes and behaviour within a public-quoted firm. The substantial and unparalleled size of the Eircom ESOP presented a unique opportunity to conduct such a study. Policy implications: The aim of employee share-ownership often includes aligning employee objectives with those of other shareholders, and thus improving labour performance. The findings in this study highlight a need to provide employees with a sense of ownership and control. Findings also question the assumption that where employees have a substantial shareholding, they will focus on securing the long-term prospects of the firm

The impact of Privatisation and Employee Share-Ownership on Employee Commitment and Citizen Behaviour

Based on a survey of employees in a large telecommunications company, we examine the means through which privatisation, accompanied by an Employee Share-Ownership Plan (ESOP), impact on employee commitment and organisational citizenship behaviour. Findings show that although the ESOP has in some way moderated outcomes, privatisation has had negative consequences for commitment. Despite this, 50 percent of respondents report an increased level of citizenship behaviour. In determining changes in employee commitment and behaviour, it was found that an important role is played by how employees perceive changes in conditions of employment, involvement in workplace decision-making and management-union collaboration

Exploring Outdoor Lifestyle Brands within the Americana Music Festival Marketplace

While Americana music festivals have traditionally sought to avoid corporate brand involvement in their marketplace offerings, preferring instead to support vendors offering locally-made or artisan produced products for sale, this has begun to change as more corporate brands are participating as vendors in the festival marketplace. This research explores outdoor lifestyle brands within the Americana music festival marketplace, specifically in terms of how its marketplace offers festivalgoers not just handmade products, but exposure to outdoor lifestyle brands in an experiential setting. An ethnographic approach was employed, wherein fieldwork was conducted at ten Americana music festivals throughout the southeastern US. In-depth interviews were conducted with a variety of participants across the festivals, including festivalgoers, organizers, and festival vendors. Findings of this study offer insight into how outdoor lifestyle brands have begun to recognize the Americana music festival marketplace as a way to incorporate the brand experience into the festival experience

Americana Music Festivals: An Ethnographic Exploration of the Experiential Consumptionscape

Despite the growing popularity of music festivals, no studies have examined the consumption experience specifically within such contexts. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine Americana music festivals as a particular kind of experiential “consumptionscape” (Ger & Belk, 1996) whereby festivalgoers’ consumption of goods and services take place in a hedonic festival atmosphere crafted by festival organizers

The economic performance of the New England states in 2004: an overview

The year 2004 marked the beginning of New England’s economic turnaround. After three consecutive years of job losses — not to mention 86 years of World Series famine — the region emerged victorious. All six New England states added jobs over the course of the year and experienced reductions in unemployment. Job growth in the region, however, was sluggish compared with the nation overall. Recovery was also reflected in strong exports growth, increases in the economic activity index, and improved consumer confidence. Although consumer price inflation in New England was milder than in recent years, home prices continued to escalate at above-average rates.Economic conditions - New England