HRIR 3450 Exam Questions 100%
Correct Solutions
Define Industrial Relations (IR) - Answers -✔✔ an interdisciplinary field of study
(psychology, sociology, law, etc) that encompasses all aspects of employment relations
What are the 2 branches of Industrial Relations (IR) - Answers -✔✔ 1. Labour
Relations (LR): focuses on relationships between unions and management in unionized
environments
2. Employment Relations (ER): focuses on relationships between individual employees
and employers in non-union settings regulated by statute and common law
Define Human Resources Management (HRM) - Answers -✔✔ A field of study that
focuses on INDIVIDUAL employment relationships in non-unionizes workplaces.
primary concern: aligning the goals of individuals with those of the workplace
Name 5 differences between HRM and IR - Answers -✔✔ 1. IR accepts inherent
conflict between workers and managers, and HRM focuses on shared interests of
employees and management
2. In IR employees will have different interests from management, and HRM employees
and management should share the same interests
3. IR focuses on regulating the employment relationship, and HRM focuses on
employee motivation, loyalty, and efficiency
4. IR is concerned with group, and HRM is concerned with individual employees and
teams
5. IR praises seniority, HRM praises performance
Name the 2 Canadian IR "schools" - Answers -✔✔ 1. Systems Theory
2. Political Economy
Explain Systems Theory - Answers -✔✔ An IR "school" model that is used to study and
learn IR.
It accepts that inherent conflict exists between management and workers.
default: rely to much on consensus and stability
Explain Political Economy - Answers -✔✔ An IR "school" concerned with social
relations of production.
It focuses on power imbalance between workers and management
, default: exaggerates role of conflict and emphasizes exploitative nature of employment
relationships
2 main reasons why people join unions - Answers -✔✔ 1. Economic Rationale
2. Voice Rationale
Explain Economic Rationale (3) - Answers -✔✔ 1. Fairness and Equity (being treated
fairly- power in numbers)
- Equity Theory
- Wage-effort bargain (effort = reward)
2. Getting More
- increased wages (10-25% more than non-union)
- increased benefits (vacations, pension, health)
- job security
3. Taking Wages out of Competition
- lock-in wages for term of collective agreement
- organize to the extent of the market
Explain Voice Rationale (4) - Answers -✔✔ 1. Workplace Justice
- fairness + consistency in work rules and policies
- right to appeal management actions and decisions
- counter arbitrary and unilateral management decisions
2. Lobby Government & Political Actions
- workers can express concerns beyond workplace and on to some levels of
government
- social unionism
3. Organizational Involvement
- provides workers the opportunity to express or meet social, political, ideological, or
organizational citizenship needs
4. New Competitive Environment
- provide means for workers to influence or monitor management decisions based on
new technology and globalization
Collective Bargaining Agreement - Answers -✔✔ bargaining from both sides
(management and union) to decide wages and benefits
usually lasts 1-3 years in which the agreed terms are locked in
protects member's interests, responds to workplace re-organization, and balances
needs of diverse membership
how workers join unions: pre-existing conditions of employment (3) - Answers -✔✔ 1.
New employee is hired in a unionized workplace
2. existing employee is transferred or promoted to a position already unionized
3. Mandated by government statute
Correct Solutions
Define Industrial Relations (IR) - Answers -✔✔ an interdisciplinary field of study
(psychology, sociology, law, etc) that encompasses all aspects of employment relations
What are the 2 branches of Industrial Relations (IR) - Answers -✔✔ 1. Labour
Relations (LR): focuses on relationships between unions and management in unionized
environments
2. Employment Relations (ER): focuses on relationships between individual employees
and employers in non-union settings regulated by statute and common law
Define Human Resources Management (HRM) - Answers -✔✔ A field of study that
focuses on INDIVIDUAL employment relationships in non-unionizes workplaces.
primary concern: aligning the goals of individuals with those of the workplace
Name 5 differences between HRM and IR - Answers -✔✔ 1. IR accepts inherent
conflict between workers and managers, and HRM focuses on shared interests of
employees and management
2. In IR employees will have different interests from management, and HRM employees
and management should share the same interests
3. IR focuses on regulating the employment relationship, and HRM focuses on
employee motivation, loyalty, and efficiency
4. IR is concerned with group, and HRM is concerned with individual employees and
teams
5. IR praises seniority, HRM praises performance
Name the 2 Canadian IR "schools" - Answers -✔✔ 1. Systems Theory
2. Political Economy
Explain Systems Theory - Answers -✔✔ An IR "school" model that is used to study and
learn IR.
It accepts that inherent conflict exists between management and workers.
default: rely to much on consensus and stability
Explain Political Economy - Answers -✔✔ An IR "school" concerned with social
relations of production.
It focuses on power imbalance between workers and management
, default: exaggerates role of conflict and emphasizes exploitative nature of employment
relationships
2 main reasons why people join unions - Answers -✔✔ 1. Economic Rationale
2. Voice Rationale
Explain Economic Rationale (3) - Answers -✔✔ 1. Fairness and Equity (being treated
fairly- power in numbers)
- Equity Theory
- Wage-effort bargain (effort = reward)
2. Getting More
- increased wages (10-25% more than non-union)
- increased benefits (vacations, pension, health)
- job security
3. Taking Wages out of Competition
- lock-in wages for term of collective agreement
- organize to the extent of the market
Explain Voice Rationale (4) - Answers -✔✔ 1. Workplace Justice
- fairness + consistency in work rules and policies
- right to appeal management actions and decisions
- counter arbitrary and unilateral management decisions
2. Lobby Government & Political Actions
- workers can express concerns beyond workplace and on to some levels of
government
- social unionism
3. Organizational Involvement
- provides workers the opportunity to express or meet social, political, ideological, or
organizational citizenship needs
4. New Competitive Environment
- provide means for workers to influence or monitor management decisions based on
new technology and globalization
Collective Bargaining Agreement - Answers -✔✔ bargaining from both sides
(management and union) to decide wages and benefits
usually lasts 1-3 years in which the agreed terms are locked in
protects member's interests, responds to workplace re-organization, and balances
needs of diverse membership
how workers join unions: pre-existing conditions of employment (3) - Answers -✔✔ 1.
New employee is hired in a unionized workplace
2. existing employee is transferred or promoted to a position already unionized
3. Mandated by government statute
