The new Equality Bill in the UK attempts to bring domestic law regarding positive action into line with EU norms. The author addresses two key criticisms of the provisions, namely: a) that they allow positive discrimination; and b) that they will be ineffective in practice. It is argued that the first criticism is misconceived; preference of a minority candidate where they are equally as qualified as a male candidate simply recognises that equality is not about treating everybody the same, but having a relevant reason for treating them differently. The second criticism is more compelling. The author recommends that the UK make the transition to a systemic model and impose positive duties on employers in a similar vein to that which has developed in Canada. However, a delicate equilibrium must be achieved; special treatment of women and minorities regardless of merit is not conducive to a society that values diversity.

This dissertation examines the total returns to the employment relationship from a variety of perspectives. In the first chapter, I examine different forms of training and study its influence on individual turnover. My second chapter examines the impact of mandatory volunteer/work experience in high school on the employment and wage decisions of youths. In my final chapter, I examine flexible work hours as a moderator in the relationship between workplace strategy and organizational performance. The first chapter highlights the importance of the type of training provided to the employee in order to avoid voluntary turnover. I compare the impact of institutional training compared to course training on voluntary turnover. Estimates indicate that employees who receive course training are more likely to leave the firm for another job, while employees who receive institutional training are more likely to stay with the firm. The results indicate that different types of training have differential impacts on the employee’s turnover decision. The second chapter utilizes a provincial policy reform that requires either working at a paid job or volunteering as a mandatory high school graduation requirement and examines its impact on employment outcomes. I propose that this reform causes a change in the perceptions of work by individuals which may lead them to sacrifice income for an altruistic purpose. In addition, the low quality of jobs found working or volunteering in high school may result in a distaste for work and hence provide motivation for enrolling in post-secondary education. The empirical results support this argument as the reform resulted in an increased likelihood of high school graduates to pursue post-secondary education, while those who entered the labour force had a lower probability of employment and lower wages. The final chapter examines the generalizeable conditions under which flexible work schedules are beneficial to firm performance. I find that flextime is not a best practice that is applicable across all firm environments. Instead, flextime only increases profitability when implemented within a workforce strategy focused on employees. Conversely, flextime when implemented with a cost-reduction strategy has detrimental effects on firm profits.

The new Equality Bill in the UK attempts to bring domestic law regarding positive action into line with EU norms. The author addresses two key criticisms of the provisions, namely: a) that they allow positive discrimination; and b) that they will be ineffective in practice. It is argued that the first criticism is misconceived; preference of a minority candidate where they are equally as qualified as a male candidate simply recognises that equality is not about treating everybody the same, but having a relevant reason for treating them differently. The second criticism is more compelling. The author recommends that the UK make the transition to a systemic model and impose positive duties on employers in a similar vein to that which has developed in Canada. However, a delicate equilibrium must be achieved; special treatment of women and minorities regardless of merit is not conducive to a society that values diversity.

<p>During the amalgamation of the seven substructures within the City of Cape Town specific problems arose around employment equity issues and consequently the City of Cape Town has introduced an Employment Equity Plan. This study investigated the perceptions held by managers regarding the barriers that can mitigate againsst the successful implementation of the Employment Equity Plan.</p>

Doctor of Philosophy(PhD) / Policy makers, service agencies and people with mental illness themselves view employment for people with mental illness as a major concern. This is due to the low rate of employment of people with mental illness, the difficulties many experience in finding and keeping satisfactory jobs, and the perception of paid employment as highly desirable for people with mental illness. The most extensive research on employment for people with mental illness has focused on establishing statistical relationships between various hypothesised predictors of employment success and vocational outcomes. While some attention has been paid to how individuals with mental illness view being employed, this has primarily focused on specific areas such as the benefits of employment, difficulties encountered and coping techniques used. My aim in this research was to develop a theoretical formulation which explains the processes that people with mental illness engage in with regard to employment. Data was gathered by way of in-depth interviews with users of psychiatric services. Some of these participants were employed, others were seeking employment, while others were not engaged in employment-related activities. At the centre of the theoretical formulation is a process I have called negotiating an appropriate vocational place. Using this process, people with mental illness make decisions about actions to take in relation to employment and these may or may not include trying to get and keep a job. Decisions are made by weighing up the benefits and drawbacks of employment and the advantages and risks of different vocational strategies. In doing so, people with mental illness are influenced by the Australian societal context, their individual social networks, their individual characteristics and circumstances (including their mental illness), and their employment options. This process of negotiating an appropriate vocational place is cyclical, ongoing and dynamic, as individuals' views and circumstances change. Knowing that people with mental illness strive toward an appropriate vocational place rather than taking for granted that they are working towards getting a job presents a challenge to policy and practice in which a successful outcome is defined as obtaining and maintaining a paid position in the workforce. Detailing and elaborating the process by which people with mental illness go about negotiating an appropriate vocational place provides a framework for practitioners, policy makers and researchers to understand the decisions made by people with mental illness and their actions in relation to employment. The understanding provided by the findings from this study will assist those working with people with mental illness and those responsible for employment policies to tailor their work more closely to individuals' desired goals. Immediate and longer term research opportunities are identified to apply the theoretical formulation derived from this study to vocational service practice with people with mental illness.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Abstract: Globalisation, Gender and Teachers’ Employment This thesis examines the nexus between globalisation and patterns of gendered employment in the education industry in New South Wales, Australia. Globalisation has had an impact on employment and gender relations in Australia through economic restructuring, through the transformation of the labour market and through public sector reform. A number of theories of globalisation recognise its impact on employment practices, but many fail to examine its impact on gender relations. This study brings the gendered aspects of globalisation into focus. The changing nature of employment in the education industry is located within the broader context of globalisation and economic restructuring in Australia. Using statistical information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and other sources, this thesis traces the impact of globalisation on the Australian economy, labour market and, in particular, the public sector. The thesis also traces historically the institutional changes in Australia that have contributed to the globalisation process. A field study was undertaken to examine casual teachers’ experiences of globalisation, economic and labour market restructuring and public sector reform in New South Wales. Interviews were conducted with 20 casual school teachers working in the New South Wales public education system. Men and women teachers, working in rural and urban locations, were asked about their experiences of globalisation and its impact on gender relations in the workplace and in the home. Although household and workplace structures in Australia are changing as a result of globalisation, these structures remain gendered. Gender relations in the household continue to structure access to the workplace. There are elements of systematic discrimination in the treatment of casual teachers in public education in New South Wales, and teachers are penalised for adopting non-standard forms of work. Globalisation has individualising and peripheralising impacts on casual teachers; however, they have developed mechanisms for resisting these aspects of globalisation. Although individuals are formed by and respond to the structural conditions created by globalisation they are able to make choices about employment patterns and gender divisions between home and paid work.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on November 27, 2007) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (PhD) -- School of Nursing and Health Studies, Central Queensland University, 2005. / Title from opening screen ; viewed 1 June 2006. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 263-279). Also available in print format.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Tulsa, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 74-80).

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Auburn University, 2006. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references.