Work practices in the meat-processing industry have changed in recent years. The industry has moved away from workers dressing a whole carcass towards a chain-based system, with each worker performing a single task along a moving production line. The nature of the meat-processing workforce has also changed. It is no longer dominated by seasonal…

The article discusses the various approaches used by small and large firms to upgrade workers, how major changes in industry affect upgrading, and the effects of economy on job upgrading. (BP)

Training, education, and personnel development (T/E/D) are on the rise as corporate functions. The T/E/D field is undergoing change, and the article discusses the findings of a current study regarding costs, training needs, executive involvement, and effective use of T/E/D. (Author/BP)

This document contains five case studies of plants within large enterprises in the automobile industry (Ford, Toyota, Volkswagen, Renault, and Volvo), plus reports of each company's views on human resource development, new technology, and changes in work organization and skill formation. The document is composed of five narrative sections,…

An industry-focused upgrading model, based upon job redesigns of entry-level and higher skill positions and a multi-step diagonal/vertical progression ladder was installed in a company having a 150-employee blue collar work force. The model provided for rapid promotion and wage increases of both present employees and new hires, supported by skills…

Poloni reviews implications for unions of recent economic, social, technological, and political changes in Central and Eastern Europe. Flechsenhar states that unions play a role in the development and restructuring of developing countries by providing special services to meet the economic and social needs of their members. (SK)

A study was undertaken to describe how changes in the network of transactions that occur between manufacturers and suppliers have affected the scope and nature of training and related human resource practices within supplier firms. Data came from the published literature, expert opinion, and a phone survey of 15 individuals ranging from…

Includes "Waking up to the New Economy" (Huey); "Service Is Everybody's Business" (Henkoff); "Government Learns Humility" (Norton); "The New Work Force Builds Itself" (Richman); "The Productivity Payoff Arrives" (Magnet); "America May Be More Productive than You Think"; "The Geography of an Emerging America" (Labich); and "Global--Or Just…

Industrial expansion remains essential for the development and structural transformation of most sub-Saharan African economies. The advantages of industrialization go beyond the provision of manufactured goods and the diversification of exports to the modernization of society. Growth rates in formal manufacturing tell little about the economic…

Forty case studies made by research teams of independents or governmental agencies in Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States were analyzed to provide managements and trade unions with illustrations of present systems of technical and manpower changes at the enterprise level and to describe the…

The 29 case studies in this report seek to define the policies and practices followed by firms in programing technological change and manpower adjustments. The purpose of the report is to make these policies and practices more broadly known and to extend the range of effective adjustments provided by individual managements. The inquiries were…

Between 1992 and 1995, 2,117 nonmanagerial employers in 31 public and private sector organizations throughout the United Kingdom were interviewed for the following purposes: analyzing the need for training and development (T&D); obtaining feedback on existing training provision; identifying barriers to T&D that might affect individuals'…

This paper discusses human resources development (HRD) in Japanese industry. Chapter I addresses changing industrial and occupational structures as a foundation for planning and constructing management strategy, especially for business restructuring. The actual situation regarding business diversification is considered, and an attempt is made to…

The transformation of Singapore from a stagnating colonial port city in the late 1950s into a newly industrialized city-state in the early 1990s was the outcome of planned adjustments to changing internal and external conditions. Training and retraining programs played a role in these adjustments. Although full employment prevailed in 1979, the…

Although the United States has the largest economy in the world, it has vulnerabilities. The growth rate of productivity has slowed. The U.S. net national savings rate is at an all-time low. The nation's educational system is performing well below the best international levels. A disenchanted electorate views federal institutions with increasing…