This research investigated the perceptions on industrial democracy of selected stakeholder groups in the Thai industrial relations system. Three research questions were posed. How do the selected stakeholders express their knowledge of industrial democracy? What are the similarities and differences in perceptions of the ‘industrial democracy in practice’ concept held by members of the selected stakeholder groups? What are emergent best practices in industrial democracy? In order to provide some answers to these questions a number of research objectives were developed: To identify knowledge of industrial democracy in Thailand as perceived by selected stakeholders; To investigate the similarities and differences in stakeholder perceptions of industrial democracy; To compare the similarities and differences in stakeholder perceptions of industrial democracy; To identify problems and difficulties encountered from the practicing of industrial democracy within Thai business organizations; To reveal best practice in industrial democracy as expressed by the stakeholders. This research studied employee participation at five levels: board level: employee representation at board level; plant level: employee representation at plant level; shop floor level: employee participation at shop floor level; financial level: employee participation at the financial level; disclosure of information level: employee participation in disclosure of information. / This research collected data from the following ten stakeholder groups of the Thai industrial relations system: employees of non-unionized companies: shop floor level; employees of non-unionized companies: supervisory level; trade union leaders: national level; trade union leaders: company level; employers of non-unionized companies; employers organization leader group; government officials; members of tripartite bodies; human resource managers; labour academics. This research focuses on the knowledge and perceptions of stakeholders of the Thai industrial relations system relating to industrial democracy in practices in Thailand. The ontological assumption rests on the basis that realities being constructed by the stakeholders being investigated. These realities are not objective but subjective and that multiple realities exist. This research required the researcher to interact with the stakeholders in the Thai industrial relations system in relation to their knowledge and perception of industrial democracy in practice in Thailand. The epistemology of this research was subjectivist, the knower and respondent co-creating understanding. A grounded theory approach was taken. The centrepiece is the development or generation of a theory closely related to the context of the phenomena being studied. The idea is to discover theory in a systematic yet emergent way. Grounded theory is closely associated with two research traditions, produced in outline below. / These are phenomenology and symbolic interactionism. The findings are presented in a model identifying nine common characteristics enhancing the best practice of industrial democracy. The model is proposed as a tentative Thai industrial democracy model. The nine components of the model include: constructive employer and employee or trade union relationships; determination of forms and process of participation; forms and practices of participation; upholding common goals and sharing both success and failures; implementation and change management; pro-active and promotional government roles; Thai cultures and Buddhist philosophy and principles; laws as a frame of reference; learning and practicing together continually. Eight sets of Buddhist philosophy and principles are integrated into the Thai industrial democracy model. They are: the six directions; the divine abiding; the principles for helpful integration; the principles of success; the ten regal qualities; the qualities of a good or genuine person; the principles of collective responsibility; and the principles for conducting oneself as a good citizen. Seven concepts of Thai culture are also integrated in the Thai industrial democracy model. They are: the concept of helping each other; the concept of Bunkhun; the concept of Kreng Jai; the concept of face saving; the concept of criticism avoidance; the concept of sympathy; and the concept of compromising.

This thesis explores how and why gender wage inequality persisted in Australia during the period 1990 to 2003. A review of the wage data indicated that Australian inequality persisted during this period and even increased in Western Australia. An analysis of the literature and published tribunal decisions showed that the focus of action relating to gender wage equality was on the formal industrial relations system, through legislation and tribunal decisions. As the literature also indicated that these measures had failed to assist many female-dominated occupations, it was felt useful to examine the views of key stakeholders in the formal industrial relations system. Given the mainly quantitative and aggregate data analysis of previous empirical literature and the theoretical literature’s growing focus on less quantifiable social factors, it was felt that qualitative research would add to the analysis of gender wage determination. This thesis uses in-depth interviews with stakeholders in the federal and Western Australian industrial relations systems to examine the period 1990 to 2003. Their perceptions and observations are triangulated with published wage data from selected occupations. / Interviewees felt that the persistence of gender wage inequality was a complex artifact. An artifact of economic, industrial relations, social and cultural factors, combined with the biological and psychological attributes of all involved in decisions before and in the workplace. While much of the gender wage gap literature has been focused on the economic, industrial relations, or legal aspects of wage inequality, this thesis uniquely demonstrates why and how social and cultural influences also act to create persistent gender wage inequality. As much as action is taken in the legal and political arena to create equality, the players in the industrial relations system, consciously or not, both male and female, say that they have helped to (re)construct the gender wage gap. The implications are that in order to achieve gender wage equality, action cannot be left only to legislation and activity in the courts, but is also needed at the social and cultural level. Such action could be taken within the enterprise as well as in the school, community and home.

Esta tese estabelece uma abordagem evolucionária de sistemas de relações de trabalho (SRT- e), a qual consiste em propor uma ferramenta analítica que possibilite estudar as mudanças em sistemas de relações de trabalho ao longo do tempo como um processo evolutivo movido pelos avanços tecnológicos. Para esse intuito, o modelo de SRT desenvolvido por John Dunlop foi tomado como base, sendo modificado para compatibilizá-lo com as contribuições da Teoria Evolucionária. A alteração foi feita no sentido de tornar endógena ao modelo as fontes de geração de variedade no SRT desenvolvido por Dunlop, através de uma maior centralidade da firma, como aquela que desenvolve e introduz novas tecnologias na economia para obter vantagem competitiva em seu processo de concorrência no mercado, e da alteração na concepção do contexto do sistema de relações de trabalho. Desse modo, a mudança proposta permite que o nexo entre tecnologias físicas, rotinas organizacionais (tecnologia social), formas de regulação das relações de trabalho constantes nas regras (tecnologia social) e a teia de regras do SRT-e (instituições) seja estabelecido, consistindo no uso da “ponte” entre tecnologias e instituições, conforme sugerida por Richard Nelson. Com base na ferramenta de análise de SRT-e, o esforço teórico da tese foi, também, o de identificar como ocorre o alinhamento entre as inovações tecnológicas de um novo paradigma tecno- econômico e as instituições das relações de trabalho. Para tanto, foi explorada a ideia da “ponte” proposta por Richard Nelson, identificando do ponto de vista teórico, como ocorre a compatibilização entre as tecnologias e as instituições das relações de trabalho, que se constitui em um dos principais alinhamentos ao pleno estabelecimento de um novo paradigma tecno-econômico, ao permitir a efetividade de exploração do potencial de desenvolvimento econômico de um dado país. A proposta da tese está centrada em quatro áreas de pesquisa: relações de trabalho, teoria institucional, organização industrial e economia da tecnologia. Nessas áreas, o embasamento teórico é dado pelos campos de Industrial Relations e pela Economia Evolucionária: Neoschumpeteriana e Neoinstitucionalista. Em relação ao primeiro, é feita uma descrição desse campo de estudo e a apresentação do modelo de análise de relações de trabalho de John T. Dunlop, tal como proposto originalmente na sua obra Industrial Relations Systems, publicada em 1958. Indicam-se as suas propriedades e também as suas limitações para tratar com a mudança em relações de trabalho em sentido evolutivo. É sobre esse modelo que se aplica os construtos teóricos daquelas outras duas correntes que compõem a Teoria Evolucionária para torná-lo, então, um Sistema de Relações de Trabalho evolutivo (SRT-e). O esforço teórico consiste em modificar o modelo de SRT dunlopiano para assimilar e adaptar os princípios da teoria da evolução de Darwin. Os princípios darwinianos de uma abordagem evolucionária são a ocorrência endógena ao modelo de: variedade, seleção e herança. Da Teoria Neoschumpeteriana se toma emprestado a concepção de concorrência schumpeteriana, da tecnologia como um determinante básico da dinâmica da economia capitalista, da firma como a instituição que introduz as novidades tecnológicas no sistema, bem como o conceito de paradigma tecno-econômico, para explicar como os avanços tecnológicos modificam o SRT-e. A Teoria Neoinstitucionalista contribui com o conceito de instituição, na sua influência na vida econômica e para dar efetividade às inovações que são lançadas na economia. É feita, então, uma junção de conceitos dessas duas correntes de modo a mostrar como é feita a co-evolução entre as tecnologias e as instituições das relações de trabalho. / This thesis provides an evolutionary industrial relations systems approach (SRT-e), which consists in proposing an analytical tool that allows to study the changes in industrial relations systems over time as an evolutionary process driven by technological advances. For this purpose, the SRT model developed by John Dunlop was taken as a base and modified to bring them into line with the contribution of the Evolutionary Theory. The change occurs towards making endogenous to the model the sources that generates variety in the SRT developed by Dunlop, through greater centrality of the firm, as the one that develops and introduces new technologies into the economy to gain competitive advantage in the process of market competition, and by changing the conception of the context of the industrial relations system. Therefore, the proposed change allows that the link between physical technologies, organizational routines (social technology), forms of regulation of labor relations contained in the rules (social technology) and the web of rules of the SRT (institutions) is established, consisting in the use of the "bridge" between technologies and institutions suggested by Richard Nelson. Based on the analysis tool of SRT-e, the theoretical effort of the thesis was also aimed to identify how the alignment between technological innovations of a new techno- economic paradigm, and labor relations institutions occurs. It was explored the idea of the “bridge”, as suggested by Richard Nelson, identifying from a theoretical point of view, how the match between technologies and the institutions of industrial relations occurs, which is one of the main alignments necessary to the full establishment of a new techno-economic paradigm, allowing to the full deployment of the economic development potential of a given country to be achieved. The thesis proposal is centered on four areas of research: industrial relations, institutional theory, industrial organization theory, and technological economy. In these areas, the theoretical basis comes from the fields of Industrial Relations and Evolutionary Theory: Neoschumpeterian and Neo-institutionalist theories. Regarding to the first one, it is made a description of this field of study and a presentation of the model of analysis of IRS, as originally proposed by John T. Dunlop in his book Industrial Relations Systems, published in 1958. It will be indicated its proprieties and limitations in dealing with change in an evolutionary sense. It is on this model that will be applied the theoretical constructs from the other two stream of economic thought (Neoschumpeterian and Neo- institutionalist) to make it, then, an evolutionary industrial relations systems (SRT-e). The theoretical effort consists in modifying the dunlopian SRT model to assimilate and to adapt the principles of Darwin's theory of evolution. The darwinian principles of an evolutionary approach are the occurrence of variety, selection and inheritance as being endogenous to the model. From Neoschumpeterian Theory, it borrows the concept of Schumpeterian competition, and technology as a basic determinant of the dynamics of the capitalist economy, and the firm as the institution that introduces technological innovations in the system. Another relevant concept used from that theory is the techno-economic paradigm, which is used to explain how the technological advances modify the SRT-e. The Neo-Institutionalist Theory contributes with the concept of institution, its influence on the economic life, and the way that it gave effectiveness to the innovations that are introduced into the economy. Then, it will be make a junction of concepts of these two currents of economic thoughts so as to show that there is a co-evolution between technologies and the institutions of industrial relations.

Esta tese estabelece uma abordagem evolucionária de sistemas de relações de trabalho (SRT- e), a qual consiste em propor uma ferramenta analítica que possibilite estudar as mudanças em sistemas de relações de trabalho ao longo do tempo como um processo evolutivo movido pelos avanços tecnológicos. Para esse intuito, o modelo de SRT desenvolvido por John Dunlop foi tomado como base, sendo modificado para compatibilizá-lo com as contribuições da Teoria Evolucionária. A alteração foi feita no sentido de tornar endógena ao modelo as fontes de geração de variedade no SRT desenvolvido por Dunlop, através de uma maior centralidade da firma, como aquela que desenvolve e introduz novas tecnologias na economia para obter vantagem competitiva em seu processo de concorrência no mercado, e da alteração na concepção do contexto do sistema de relações de trabalho. Desse modo, a mudança proposta permite que o nexo entre tecnologias físicas, rotinas organizacionais (tecnologia social), formas de regulação das relações de trabalho constantes nas regras (tecnologia social) e a teia de regras do SRT-e (instituições) seja estabelecido, consistindo no uso da “ponte” entre tecnologias e instituições, conforme sugerida por Richard Nelson. Com base na ferramenta de análise de SRT-e, o esforço teórico da tese foi, também, o de identificar como ocorre o alinhamento entre as inovações tecnológicas de um novo paradigma tecno- econômico e as instituições das relações de trabalho. Para tanto, foi explorada a ideia da “ponte” proposta por Richard Nelson, identificando do ponto de vista teórico, como ocorre a compatibilização entre as tecnologias e as instituições das relações de trabalho, que se constitui em um dos principais alinhamentos ao pleno estabelecimento de um novo paradigma tecno-econômico, ao permitir a efetividade de exploração do potencial de desenvolvimento econômico de um dado país. A proposta da tese está centrada em quatro áreas de pesquisa: relações de trabalho, teoria institucional, organização industrial e economia da tecnologia. Nessas áreas, o embasamento teórico é dado pelos campos de Industrial Relations e pela Economia Evolucionária: Neoschumpeteriana e Neoinstitucionalista. Em relação ao primeiro, é feita uma descrição desse campo de estudo e a apresentação do modelo de análise de relações de trabalho de John T. Dunlop, tal como proposto originalmente na sua obra Industrial Relations Systems, publicada em 1958. Indicam-se as suas propriedades e também as suas limitações para tratar com a mudança em relações de trabalho em sentido evolutivo. É sobre esse modelo que se aplica os construtos teóricos daquelas outras duas correntes que compõem a Teoria Evolucionária para torná-lo, então, um Sistema de Relações de Trabalho evolutivo (SRT-e). O esforço teórico consiste em modificar o modelo de SRT dunlopiano para assimilar e adaptar os princípios da teoria da evolução de Darwin. Os princípios darwinianos de uma abordagem evolucionária são a ocorrência endógena ao modelo de: variedade, seleção e herança. Da Teoria Neoschumpeteriana se toma emprestado a concepção de concorrência schumpeteriana, da tecnologia como um determinante básico da dinâmica da economia capitalista, da firma como a instituição que introduz as novidades tecnológicas no sistema, bem como o conceito de paradigma tecno-econômico, para explicar como os avanços tecnológicos modificam o SRT-e. A Teoria Neoinstitucionalista contribui com o conceito de instituição, na sua influência na vida econômica e para dar efetividade às inovações que são lançadas na economia. É feita, então, uma junção de conceitos dessas duas correntes de modo a mostrar como é feita a co-evolução entre as tecnologias e as instituições das relações de trabalho. / This thesis provides an evolutionary industrial relations systems approach (SRT-e), which consists in proposing an analytical tool that allows to study the changes in industrial relations systems over time as an evolutionary process driven by technological advances. For this purpose, the SRT model developed by John Dunlop was taken as a base and modified to bring them into line with the contribution of the Evolutionary Theory. The change occurs towards making endogenous to the model the sources that generates variety in the SRT developed by Dunlop, through greater centrality of the firm, as the one that develops and introduces new technologies into the economy to gain competitive advantage in the process of market competition, and by changing the conception of the context of the industrial relations system. Therefore, the proposed change allows that the link between physical technologies, organizational routines (social technology), forms of regulation of labor relations contained in the rules (social technology) and the web of rules of the SRT (institutions) is established, consisting in the use of the "bridge" between technologies and institutions suggested by Richard Nelson. Based on the analysis tool of SRT-e, the theoretical effort of the thesis was also aimed to identify how the alignment between technological innovations of a new techno- economic paradigm, and labor relations institutions occurs. It was explored the idea of the “bridge”, as suggested by Richard Nelson, identifying from a theoretical point of view, how the match between technologies and the institutions of industrial relations occurs, which is one of the main alignments necessary to the full establishment of a new techno-economic paradigm, allowing to the full deployment of the economic development potential of a given country to be achieved. The thesis proposal is centered on four areas of research: industrial relations, institutional theory, industrial organization theory, and technological economy. In these areas, the theoretical basis comes from the fields of Industrial Relations and Evolutionary Theory: Neoschumpeterian and Neo-institutionalist theories. Regarding to the first one, it is made a description of this field of study and a presentation of the model of analysis of IRS, as originally proposed by John T. Dunlop in his book Industrial Relations Systems, published in 1958. It will be indicated its proprieties and limitations in dealing with change in an evolutionary sense. It is on this model that will be applied the theoretical constructs from the other two stream of economic thought (Neoschumpeterian and Neo- institutionalist) to make it, then, an evolutionary industrial relations systems (SRT-e). The theoretical effort consists in modifying the dunlopian SRT model to assimilate and to adapt the principles of Darwin's theory of evolution. The darwinian principles of an evolutionary approach are the occurrence of variety, selection and inheritance as being endogenous to the model. From Neoschumpeterian Theory, it borrows the concept of Schumpeterian competition, and technology as a basic determinant of the dynamics of the capitalist economy, and the firm as the institution that introduces technological innovations in the system. Another relevant concept used from that theory is the techno-economic paradigm, which is used to explain how the technological advances modify the SRT-e. The Neo-Institutionalist Theory contributes with the concept of institution, its influence on the economic life, and the way that it gave effectiveness to the innovations that are introduced into the economy. Then, it will be make a junction of concepts of these two currents of economic thoughts so as to show that there is a co-evolution between technologies and the institutions of industrial relations.

Esta tese estabelece uma abordagem evolucionária de sistemas de relações de trabalho (SRT- e), a qual consiste em propor uma ferramenta analítica que possibilite estudar as mudanças em sistemas de relações de trabalho ao longo do tempo como um processo evolutivo movido pelos avanços tecnológicos. Para esse intuito, o modelo de SRT desenvolvido por John Dunlop foi tomado como base, sendo modificado para compatibilizá-lo com as contribuições da Teoria Evolucionária. A alteração foi feita no sentido de tornar endógena ao modelo as fontes de geração de variedade no SRT desenvolvido por Dunlop, através de uma maior centralidade da firma, como aquela que desenvolve e introduz novas tecnologias na economia para obter vantagem competitiva em seu processo de concorrência no mercado, e da alteração na concepção do contexto do sistema de relações de trabalho. Desse modo, a mudança proposta permite que o nexo entre tecnologias físicas, rotinas organizacionais (tecnologia social), formas de regulação das relações de trabalho constantes nas regras (tecnologia social) e a teia de regras do SRT-e (instituições) seja estabelecido, consistindo no uso da “ponte” entre tecnologias e instituições, conforme sugerida por Richard Nelson. Com base na ferramenta de análise de SRT-e, o esforço teórico da tese foi, também, o de identificar como ocorre o alinhamento entre as inovações tecnológicas de um novo paradigma tecno- econômico e as instituições das relações de trabalho. Para tanto, foi explorada a ideia da “ponte” proposta por Richard Nelson, identificando do ponto de vista teórico, como ocorre a compatibilização entre as tecnologias e as instituições das relações de trabalho, que se constitui em um dos principais alinhamentos ao pleno estabelecimento de um novo paradigma tecno-econômico, ao permitir a efetividade de exploração do potencial de desenvolvimento econômico de um dado país. A proposta da tese está centrada em quatro áreas de pesquisa: relações de trabalho, teoria institucional, organização industrial e economia da tecnologia. Nessas áreas, o embasamento teórico é dado pelos campos de Industrial Relations e pela Economia Evolucionária: Neoschumpeteriana e Neoinstitucionalista. Em relação ao primeiro, é feita uma descrição desse campo de estudo e a apresentação do modelo de análise de relações de trabalho de John T. Dunlop, tal como proposto originalmente na sua obra Industrial Relations Systems, publicada em 1958. Indicam-se as suas propriedades e também as suas limitações para tratar com a mudança em relações de trabalho em sentido evolutivo. É sobre esse modelo que se aplica os construtos teóricos daquelas outras duas correntes que compõem a Teoria Evolucionária para torná-lo, então, um Sistema de Relações de Trabalho evolutivo (SRT-e). O esforço teórico consiste em modificar o modelo de SRT dunlopiano para assimilar e adaptar os princípios da teoria da evolução de Darwin. Os princípios darwinianos de uma abordagem evolucionária são a ocorrência endógena ao modelo de: variedade, seleção e herança. Da Teoria Neoschumpeteriana se toma emprestado a concepção de concorrência schumpeteriana, da tecnologia como um determinante básico da dinâmica da economia capitalista, da firma como a instituição que introduz as novidades tecnológicas no sistema, bem como o conceito de paradigma tecno-econômico, para explicar como os avanços tecnológicos modificam o SRT-e. A Teoria Neoinstitucionalista contribui com o conceito de instituição, na sua influência na vida econômica e para dar efetividade às inovações que são lançadas na economia. É feita, então, uma junção de conceitos dessas duas correntes de modo a mostrar como é feita a co-evolução entre as tecnologias e as instituições das relações de trabalho. / This thesis provides an evolutionary industrial relations systems approach (SRT-e), which consists in proposing an analytical tool that allows to study the changes in industrial relations systems over time as an evolutionary process driven by technological advances. For this purpose, the SRT model developed by John Dunlop was taken as a base and modified to bring them into line with the contribution of the Evolutionary Theory. The change occurs towards making endogenous to the model the sources that generates variety in the SRT developed by Dunlop, through greater centrality of the firm, as the one that develops and introduces new technologies into the economy to gain competitive advantage in the process of market competition, and by changing the conception of the context of the industrial relations system. Therefore, the proposed change allows that the link between physical technologies, organizational routines (social technology), forms of regulation of labor relations contained in the rules (social technology) and the web of rules of the SRT (institutions) is established, consisting in the use of the "bridge" between technologies and institutions suggested by Richard Nelson. Based on the analysis tool of SRT-e, the theoretical effort of the thesis was also aimed to identify how the alignment between technological innovations of a new techno- economic paradigm, and labor relations institutions occurs. It was explored the idea of the “bridge”, as suggested by Richard Nelson, identifying from a theoretical point of view, how the match between technologies and the institutions of industrial relations occurs, which is one of the main alignments necessary to the full establishment of a new techno-economic paradigm, allowing to the full deployment of the economic development potential of a given country to be achieved. The thesis proposal is centered on four areas of research: industrial relations, institutional theory, industrial organization theory, and technological economy. In these areas, the theoretical basis comes from the fields of Industrial Relations and Evolutionary Theory: Neoschumpeterian and Neo-institutionalist theories. Regarding to the first one, it is made a description of this field of study and a presentation of the model of analysis of IRS, as originally proposed by John T. Dunlop in his book Industrial Relations Systems, published in 1958. It will be indicated its proprieties and limitations in dealing with change in an evolutionary sense. It is on this model that will be applied the theoretical constructs from the other two stream of economic thought (Neoschumpeterian and Neo- institutionalist) to make it, then, an evolutionary industrial relations systems (SRT-e). The theoretical effort consists in modifying the dunlopian SRT model to assimilate and to adapt the principles of Darwin's theory of evolution. The darwinian principles of an evolutionary approach are the occurrence of variety, selection and inheritance as being endogenous to the model. From Neoschumpeterian Theory, it borrows the concept of Schumpeterian competition, and technology as a basic determinant of the dynamics of the capitalist economy, and the firm as the institution that introduces technological innovations in the system. Another relevant concept used from that theory is the techno-economic paradigm, which is used to explain how the technological advances modify the SRT-e. The Neo-Institutionalist Theory contributes with the concept of institution, its influence on the economic life, and the way that it gave effectiveness to the innovations that are introduced into the economy. Then, it will be make a junction of concepts of these two currents of economic thoughts so as to show that there is a co-evolution between technologies and the institutions of industrial relations.