Renate Ortlieb

Five Characteristics of Youth Unemployment in Europe: Flexibility, Education, Migration, Family Legacies, and EU Policy

Current levels of youth unemployment need to be understood in the context of increased labor market flexibility, an expansion of higher education, youth migration, and family legacies of long-term unemployment. Compared with previous recessions, European-wide policies and investments have significantly increased with attempts to support national policies. By mapping these developments and debates, we illustrate the different factors shaping the future of European labor markets. We argue that understanding youth unemployment requires a holistic approach that combines an analysis of changes in the economic sphere around labor market flexibility, skills attainment, and employer demand, as well as understanding the impact of family legacies affecting increasingly polarized trajectories for young people today. The success of EU policy initiatives and investments will be shaped by the ability of national actors to implement these effectively.

Diversity Strategies and Business Logic Why Do Companies Employ Ethnic Minorities

Firms have many reasons to employ ethnic minorities or refrain from employing them. Management scholars focusing on workplace diversity have made several attempts to describe these reasons, but a theoretically grounded framework is still missing. This article outlines a novel approach to this topic based on resource dependence theory. We propose a typology of diversity strategies defined by the kind of critical resources that ethnic minorities provide to organizations. Focusing on business logic, the typology offers many applications for future research on antecedents and consequences of the strategies, a diverse competence pool, and power relations. We suggest resource dependence theory as a fruitful explanatory approach to diversity and describe practical implications for different actors.

Is Simple Better? A Conjoint Analysis of the Effects of Tax Complexity on Employee Preferences Concerning Company Pension Plans

We theoretically and empirically analyze the influence of tax complexity on the employee’s decision concerning company pension plans. Our model also considers employer signaling and information intermediation by various actors. The main result of our empirical analysis is that if tax complexity is high, then only a small proportion of the study participants bases their decision on their after-tax return. This proportion increases significantly if tax complexity is low. However, even in a simple tax system, many people do not base their decisions on after-tax returns, but instead follow the advice of an independent product rating agency or a works council representative.

Diversity strategies focused on employees with a migration background: An empirical investigation based on resource dependence theory

* * * In our paper, we develop a typology of diversity strategies through combining elements of strategy research, diversity research, and resource dependence theory. We focus on the question why people with a migration background are (not) employed by organizations. We argue that employment decisions are based on the evaluation of critical resources and the quest to secure their accrual. We identify six diversity strategies, designate each by the importance of respective resources, and derive propositions regarding their relation to competitive strategies. We confront these propositions with empirical data stemming from 500 companies. Correspondence analyses reveal various relationships between diversity and competitive strategies and moderating effects of the company size and the industrial sector. In addition, the robustness of our typology is demonstrated.

The making of inclusion as structuration: empirical evidence of a multinational company

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to theoretically and empirically analyse the question how organizations become inclusive – with special regard to migrants – and the potential limits to inclusion. Design/methodology/approach – The paper develops a theoretical framework based on Giddens’ structuration theory. By a firm-level case study, the paper empirically examines the theoretical propositions. Findings – The paper proposes that inclusion bears specific kinds of the structural dimensions signification, domination and legitimation on which organizational actors draw to reproduce the inclusive organization. The empirical case reveals three areas of organizational practices – personnel recruitment and selection; training and development; meals and parties – in the making of inclusion. But the interplay of specific rules and resources also contains social practices of differentiation and hierarchization that limit inclusion. Research limitations/implications – Future studies would benefit from consider...

Migrant employees in Germany: personnel structures and practices

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the representation of migrant employees in German organizations and to demonstrate that their employment opportunities are outcomes of diversity strategies – i.e. patterns of personnel practices and the reasons that cause them or are alleged to do so.Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on a typology of diversity strategies where elements of strategy and diversity research are combined with resource dependence theory. Propositions on the strategies’ relation to personnel structures and practices are examined through empirical data stemming from telephone interviews conducted with HR managers of 500 German companies.Findings – Empirical analyses revealed that diversity strategies are tightly related to personnel structures and practices. The best employment opportunities and career prospects for skilled migrants are offered by companies pursuing a diversity strategy labelled learning. In addition, the findings demonstrate the robustness of this ...

Der Einfluss von Arbeitsbedingungen und Haushaltskontext auf krankheitsbedingte Fehlzeiten

Zusammenfassung. In diesem Beitrag analysieren wir den Einfluss von Arbeitsbedingungen und Haushaltskontext auf krankheitsbedingte Fehlzeiten fur Frauen und Manner. Damit sollen Unzulanglichkeiten einer bisher diesen Bereich dominierenden zweigeteilten Forschungsperspektive - mit Fokus auf der Arbeitssphare fur Manner und Fokus auf dem privaten Umfeld fur Frauen - uberwunden werden. Die empirische Analyse basiert auf Daten des Sozio-okonomischen Panels. Die Ergebnisse einer Ordered-Probit-Schatzung zeigen, dass sowohl die Arbeitsbedingungen als auch der Haushaltskontext krankheitsbedingte Fehlzeiten beeinflussen, und zwar fur Frauen wie fur Manner. Geschlechterbezogene Unterschiede bestehen insbesondere in Hinblick auf die relative Bedeutung der Arbeitsbedingungen sowie auf das Zusammenleben mit Kindern uber drei Jahren. Diese Ergebnisse belegen die Uberlegenheit des von uns gewahlten umfassenderen Forschungsansatzes gegenuber der genannten zweigeteilten Forschungsperspektive.

Cultural standards of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Empirical findings and implications for strategic human resource management

According to theoretical approaches to strategic human resource management (SHRM), knowledge about a country’s business culture and the ability to develop appropriate skills are a source of competitive advantage. This article analyses cultural standards in the transition economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On the basis of narrative interviews with twelve Austrian managers and feedback sessions with thirty Bosnian business experts we identify seven cultural standards, for example regarding bureaucratic behaviour, decision making and customer focus. Therewith we contribute to culture specific human resource management (HRM) research and deficient crosscultural literature for transition economies.

River Rafting, Polonaise oder Bowling: Betriebsfeiern und ähnliche Events als Medien organisationskultureller (Re-)Produktion von Geschlechterverhältnissen

Stellen Sie sich folgendes Szenario vor (beschrieben von van Maanen und Kunda 1989, S. 44): An einem malerischen, ublicherweise ruhigen Strand auf Hawaii versammeln sich zwei- bis dreihundert Frauen und Manner im einheitlichen, weisen Sportdress, auf dem Unternehmensinsignien prangen. Uniformierte Kellner servieren Erfrischungsgetranke. Manner im roten Sportdress organisieren Teamspiele wie Eierlaufen, Sackhupfen und Wetttrinken. Drei Stunden lang wird lauthals gesungen und gespielt. Trophaen werden verteilt und in Empfang genommen. Dann lost sich die Menschenmasse ebenso wohlgeordnet und zugig wieder auf, wie sie sich formiert hat. Der Spuk ist voruber. Ein neugieriger Tourist fragt einen der Beteiligten, was hier geschieht. Er erhalt die Antwort: „Oh, we’re just working on our culture“.

Frauen mit Migrationshintergrund: Zwei soziale Kategorien im Fokus der Personalforschung und -praxis

Fur eine betriebliche Personalpolitik, die auf die Chancengleichheit von Frauen und Mannern zielt, ist die Berucksichtigung weiterer sozialer Kategorien neben Geschlecht hochst relevant. Darauf wird seitens der internationalen Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung mit dem Konzept der Intersektionalitat (vgl. Knapp in diesem Band) aufmerksam gemacht, und dies ist auch bedeutsam fur gleichstellungspolitische Konzepte wie Gender Mainstreaming und Diversity Management (vgl. Krell/Muckenberger/Tondorf sowie Krell/Sieben in diesem Band und Sieben/Bornheim 2011): Die Verschrankung von Geschlecht mit weiteren Kategorien wie ethnische Herkunft, Nationalitat, Alter, soziale Schicht oder sexuelle Orientierung ist fur die individuellen Chancen und Lebensentwurfe bedeutsam, kann (Mehrfach)benachteiligungen bedingen und stellt eine Herausforderung fur die gleichstellungspolitische Praxis dar.