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People in organisations often have difficulty communicating with each other about their understanding of the problems of the organisation. The Dramatistic Approach is an organisational inquiry method, based on a notion of ?script?, which assists people in organisations to discuss interpersonal communication problems. A ?script? is defined in this document as being an unconscious socialised social routine. The purpose of this thesis is to document an inquiry into ?Human sculpture?, a process using dramatisation to facilitate discussion about the notion of ?script? in the organisational setting. The inquiry method is action research in the post positivist research paradigm, and is written in four chapters. The use of the notion ?script? within the disciplines of therapy and organizational studies is examined. The appropriateness of the positivist paradigm for human inquiry is debated, reaching the conclusion that a post positivist paradigm needs to underpin a human inquiry of the nature of the inquiry about ?Human sculpture?. The nine cycles of the inquiry are documented. The learnings which have emerged from this inquiry are discussed, addressing the primary focus of the inquiry, the procedure and facilitation of ?Human sculpture?, as well as two secondary focii which emerged, the notion of ?script? and the facilitation of a human inquiry / Master of Science (Hons) Social Ecology

The small business sector has become an increasingly important segment of the Australian economy since the 1970s. Industrial relations in the sector have been assumed to be harmonious. However, to a large extent this belief about industrial relations is based on conventional wisdom rather empirical evidence. Industrial relations research in Australia has concentrated on medium to large businesses because the centralised nature of the industrial relations system encouraged a collective emphasis. This collective emphasis ensured peak representative bodies and larger organisations had a tendency to dominate while small enterprises and their employees were, to a large extent, excluded. The perceived non-problematic nature of industrial relations in the small business sector was another reason for the lack of focus on the sector. The low incidence of strike activity and the low levels of trade union membership have meant research has been concentrated on the more "difficult" areas of industrial relations. The lack of empirical research into industrial relations in the sector is an important shortcoming. There are a number of commentators who suggest that it is too simplistic to assume harmonious relations. It is likely that there is a range of industrial relations in small business, depending on a number of variables including the personality of the owner/manager and employees, the type of business and the current economic climate. The legislative framework will also have an important affect on industrial relations. This study addresses the lack of empirical research in industrial relations in the small business sector by examining the differences between small and large registered clubs in NSW. Registered clubs have an unusual ownership structure and unusual business goals. They are also unusual since they are non-profit organisations formed by groups of people who share a common interest and who have come together to pursue or promote that interest. Registered clubs are governed by a board of directors who are responsible for the formulation of policy and for ensuring that management carries out these policies. This study found that there were significant differences in regards to some aspects of employment relations. For example, small clubs were more likely to have lower rates of unionisation than large clubs. They were also likely to have lower levels of informal bargaining than large clubs. The methods of communication within the workplace were likely to be more informal in small clubs and they were less likely to have communications with a trade union. Despite this greater degree of informality in employment relations, small clubs were more likely to use award provisions to determine wages for their managers and employees. Interestingly, despite the lower level of unionisation and the greater use of awards by smaller clubs there were no significant differences between small and large club managers' perception of the impact of awards and trade unions on club flexibility. The findings from this study suggest the deregulation of the Australian industrial relations system may not have any significant benefits for small business.

This thesis examines the nature of labour usage within a market-leading Australian food retail firm and the employment relations consequences of the labour usage strategies employed by the firm. Retail employment is well established as a research subject in the UK, but has received comparatively little research attention in Australia. Given that retail industry employment accounts for 15 per cent of the Australian workforce, this represents a significant oversight. Within the retail industry, the supermarket and grocery sector employs 6 per cent of the Australian workforce. The sector is dominated by two major chains and is highly competitive, with a reputation for low profit margins, mundane jobs and low pay. The sector is recognised for an employment structure that is segmented with one segment holding full-time jobs with core employment conditions and the other segment, part-time jobs with poor working conditions. The dominant theory used by scholars to explain this employment structure is the dual labour market model and later iterations such as Atkinson's flexible firm model. This research assesses the value of these models, in particular Atkinson's flexible firm model, as a representation of the labour usage strategies of a market-leading Australian food retail firm. This analysis demonstrates that, in a general sense, Atkinson's model has applicability to the labour usage strategies exhibited in food retailing. The research found that, contrary to the theories of dual labour markets, a strong internal labour market operated within the firm with short hours casual employment as the port of entry. The benefits of this practice for the organisation were flexibility in labour usage and substantial wage savings, while the negative consequences were recruitment difficulties, exacerbated by high levels of staff turnover. For the employees, the consequences depended on their position in the organisational hierarchy and their individual circumstances, but involved initially accepting limited working hours and low pay in order to gain entry into the organisation. The research undertaken for this thesis leads to the development of a revised model, the casual internal labour market model, which more accurately depicts the labour usage strategies within the case study organisation. Retail researchers argue that it is necessary to understand the dynamics of the industry in order to understand the structure of labour usage. Additionally, employment relations and retail researchers both stress the need to contextualise labour usage patterns within broader environmental constraints and supply side factors. In seeking to achieve this, this research examines business strategies, retail specific employment relations literature and the Australian employment relations context. Furthermore, this study addresses the issue of retail employment strategies at several levels within one of Australia's market-leading food retailers: corporate level, store level and at the level of individual departments within the store. In doing so, this thesis highlights the differences in labour usage between stores and between departments within the stores and thereby provides a more detailed picture of the labour use practices within food retailers.

This paper aims to examine further how and when the phenomenon of humour is used in the workplace and how it leads to inclusion and exclusion. Since the middle of the 20th century, research has repeatedly shown the positive impact of humour on individuals' health and performance at work. Humour has a dual function as both an including and excluding practice, and it has the potential to both maintain and challenge relationships and group cohesion. The findings suggest that humour has a central and essential role in the workplace. With the help of humour, one can approach challenging situations, whether it is about the first meeting with strangers or dealing with conflicts. The findings also suggest how humour can make social structures and norms visible that strive to preserve the group culture and the social order. This paper concludes that when group members become aware of those standards, they could re-evaluate if it appears offensive and exclusive. With this study, we want to make organizations in Sweden aware of the positive effects of humour on working life and its prominent place on the organizational management's agenda.

The diploma thesis deals with the issue of catering of employees, three selected workplaces, with regard to the job position, the way of meals and also the possible health problems related to the performance of their work. The aim of this diploma thesis is to find out whether there is an influence of the working environment on employees' meals, as well as how eating habits reflect their health status during working hours. The theoretical part deals with health issues, the Health 2020 program and also with procedures to protect and prevent disease. The practical part analyzes and evaluates the data obtained through the questionnaire survey among the three selected workplaces. It is clear from the questionnaire survey that the position affects not only the way of eating, but also the possible health problems. KEYWORDS Health, Health 2020 Program, Health Protection, Employees, Questionnaire Surveys, Chronic Diseases, Workplace Relations, Catering

Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner samt Statistikmyndigheten (SCB) prognostiserar att det kommer råda brist på sjuksköterskor i framtiden. Behovet av att förbättra kompetensförsörjningsarbetet finns och ett sätt är att sträva mot att bli en attraktivare arbetsgivare med ett starkare arbetsgivarvarumärke. Syftet med uppsatsen är att ta reda på vilka faktorer som är viktiga för sjuksköterskor för att de ska anse att en arbetsgivare är attraktiv och vilja arbeta där. Sju yrkesverksamma sjuksköterskor med varierande erfarenhet i yrket intervjuades och svarade på öppna frågor gällande bland annat relationer på arbetsplatsen, utvecklingsmöjligheter, upplevelsen av vad som är viktigt på arbetsplatsen, synen på arbetsgivaren och rekrytering. Intervjuerna transkriberades och analyserades med hjälp av en innehållsanalys. Resultatet visar att arbetsgivare behöver värdesätta sin personal. Därtill krävs ett bra ledarskap som bland annat innebär en chef som ser alla anställda, är rättvis, gör medarbetarna delaktiga genom att tillvarata deras kompetens och idéer. Utöver det krävs fungerande arbetsgrupper som bidrar till trivsel på arbetsplatsen. För att behålla sjuksköterskor behöver de få arbeta med patienter, göra nytta, ha adekvat lön, att arbete med utveckling möjliggörs, samt att tid och resurser finns till att bedriva en god vård. Arbetsgivare behöver förstå den stolthet som finns i sjuksköterskeyrket och att sjuksköterskor inte bara är händer i vården utan att deras största motivator i yrket är patienterna. Sjuksköterskor vill bli sedda som kompetenta medarbetare som kan bidra med kunskap och erfarenhet och arbetsgivaren behöver se, värdesätta och framförallt ta tillvara på det. Detta är faktorer en arbetsgivare behöver känna till för att kunna utveckla ett starkt arbetsgivarvarumärke inom vård och omsorg. / Sweden's Municipalities and Regions and the Statistics Authority (SCB) predict that there will be a shortage of nurses in the future. The need to improve skills supply work exists and one way is to strive towards becoming a more attractive employer with a stronger employer brand. The purpose of the essay is to find out which factors are important for nurses in order for them to consider an employer attractive and want to work there. Seven professional nurses with varying experience in the profession were interviewed and answered open questions regarding, among other things, relationships in the workplace, development opportunities, the experience of what is important in the workplace, the view of the employer and recruitment. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a content analysis. The result shows that employers need to value their staff. In addition, good leadership is required, which means, among other things, a manager who sees all employees, is fair, makes the employees involved by making use of their skills and ideas. In addition to that, functioning work groups are required that contribute to well-being in the workplace. In order to retain nurses, they need to be able to work with patients, to benefit, to have an adequate salary, to be able to work with development, and to have time and resources to provide good care. Employers need to understand the pride that exists in the nursing profession and that nurses are not only hands in care, but that their biggest motivator in the profession is the patients. Nurses want to be seen as competent employees who can contribute with knowledge and experience, and the employer needs to see, value and above all take advantage of that. These are factors an employer needs to know in order to be able to develop a strong employer brand within healthcare.