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Robert Gordon's Institute of Technology

Approaches and attitudes of managers to collective bargaining in North East Scotland.

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

The two main themes of this thesis are: firstly, the development of a typology of management style in the context of British industrial relations; and, secondly, the utilisation of this typology in the examination of management and industrial relations in the North East of Scotland. The typology of management style that was developed in the early part of the thesis threw into relief the basic variations in approach of management to industrial relations, with specific reference being made to the centrality of collective bargaining to establishment industrial relations. Six categories of management style were determined, and the indicators of each category were identified. The examination of management and industrial relations in the North East of Scotland was based on a survey of establishments in six non-oil related "traditional" manufacturing industries - food processing, fish processing, textiles, papermaking, manufacturing engineering and fabrication engineering - and four oil-related industries - offshore drilling, offshore catering, oil exploration and production, and oil-related service/engineering. The nature of management-workforce relations in each establishment was examined and the management style in each establishment was identified in terms of one of the six predetermined categories, in order that inter-establishment and inter-industry comparisons could be undertaken. The survey revealed that the nature of industrial relations in the "traditional" manufactucing sector of the North East economy did not differ, in general, from that portrayed in comparable national studies - collective bargaining was the norm, irrespective of the level or levels of negotiation, the scope of bargaining and the formality with which industrial relations were conducted. In contrast, the results of the survey demonstrated that the operational nature of the oil-related industries was such that industrial relations were predominarttly non-negotiatory; however, where collective bargaining was utilised, it was distinguished by the formality with which it was conducted.

Degree

thesis:*
Name dc:type.qualificationname
PhD
Level dc:type.qualificationlevel
Doctoral
Grantor dc:publisher.institution
Robert Gordon's Institute of Technology
Year dc:date.issued
1984

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Buchan, James McDonald
Advisor dc:contributor.advisor
  • D. Gourlay and W. Brown

Subjects

dc:subject × 5

Rights

Language dc:language
en

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Identifier
oai:rgu-repository.worktribe.com:1993298
https://doi.org/10.48526/rgu-wt-1993298
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:rgu-repository.worktribe.com:1993298

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Robert Gordon University
Base URL
rgu-repository.worktribe.com/oaiprovider
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Buchan, James McDonald. Approaches and attitudes of managers to collective bargaining in North East Scotland.. Doctoral thesis, Robert Gordon's Institute of Technology, 1984. https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/1993298/1/BUCHAN%201984%20Approaches%20and%20attitudes