Up In the Air: How Airlines Can Improve Performance by Engaging Their Employees

A key strength of this book is its combination of applying theory and practice in negotiating and the links to application of scholarly evidence to develop the issues. In terms of readability, it can only develop further as there are few books that link theory and practice in a readable form for undergraduates and postgraduates, and there is no Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development CIPD text for human resource management professionals. A second edition should develop the negotiating strategy Chapter 3 at executive level to develop the insightful perspec- tives that include the rapid-growth economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China into the cross-cultural examination of negotiating at both workplace and business.

There are nine appendices that develop the application of negotiation and application for practitioner that are easy to follow but also easy to analyse and apply. It argues that negotiation is not simply the aim of resolving conflict but also evaluates strategy in negotiation. This book should be a key text for both business and employment relations scholars who approach negotiating as a subject still neglected within the context of both collective bargaining and the study of organisational behaviour.

In , EPI made The State of Working America more widely available in electronic form at its website, though there are plans to issue another print edition in early EPI has taken a new departure with the publication of Failure by Design: Written by EPI economist Josh Bivens, Failure by Design provides a more aggressively presented diagnosis of what is wrong with US economic policy and what will need to be done to rescue the long sputtering economy.

It is decidedly brief, one-fourth the size of The State of Working America, though it contains an array of data from its sister publication. For Bivens, an array of policies rendered the United States vulnerable to economic stagnation: With an economy designed to create non-union, low-paying jobs, workers were instead compensated with easy credit and generous access to adjustable rate mortgages, a high-debt culture making them vulnerable to financial ruin when the economic climate turned stormy. Overall, this work is valuable as a compact guide to the economic breakdown, and it provides evidence that the much loathed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act ARRA averted a more spectacular collapse.

Still it is remarkable how little of the ARRA stimulus funded government projects and public works: As much as Bivens merits praise for delivering rich data and economic analysis free of stultifying jargon, his work is open to critique on a few fronts. The work may exhibit insularity by not including any of the EPI charts showing how US economic performance stacks up against rival nations.

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There are left-leaning social scientists who will lament that EPI seems timid these days in tackling the economic deforma- tions of the military-industrial complex, with depredations now on graphic display in the multi-trillion dollar US wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Right-wing quarters will object to his frequent claims that economic science gave universal approval to increasing government deficits: Furthermore, the statement asserted: As such, it is a triumph of hope over expe- rience to believe that more government spending will help the U. Harvard University has a formidable phalanx of economists condemning efforts to unleash government spending as a tonic for overcoming recession: Alesina, Barro, Mankiw, and later Feldstein.

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This topic is addressed specifically in reference to the airline industry presented through a comparison of airline strategies in the United States as well as the rest of the world. The focus is on the performance of the airline through a variety of measures including costs, productivity, quality and morale in comparison to the employment relations strategy pursued; more specifically the extent to which the airline pursues a commitment or control approach in its relationship with employees and the extent to which its relationship with the union represents one of avoidance, accommodation or partnership.

The authors argue that increased price competition does not always have to be at the expense of good jobs and quality of service, and thus Chapter one establishes the analytical framework for the book through an employment systems matrix focusing on the relationship with employees, and on the relationship with unions.

The former specifically distinguishes between commitment and control and the latter between avoidance, accommodation and partnership. Throughout the course of the book, different airlines are located within one of the six potential employment systems within the matrix.

Up in the air: How airlines can improve performance by engaging their employees [Book Review]

Chapter two presents an historical overview of the development of regulation in the US airline industry. Regulation was introduced in the early s to alleviate poten- tially destructive price wars between large airlines and to encourage steady growth and stability. Such regulations made it all but impossible for new airlines to enter the market, as over this period the airlines were unable to influence price, and had limited flexibility in choosing routes and thus competed on quality of service and economies of scale.

Deregulation came about in the United States in though later in the rest of the world when it was believed that opening the market, relaxing control over routes, ending price regulation and encouraging competition would benefit the customer—and so marked the rise of the low-cost, no-frills airline industry. Chapter three is particularly interesting and illustrates how the wider political systems in place within a country can have a direct impact upon the employment relations strategies adopted by airlines operating from that country.

Related resources Full-text held externally DOI: Up in the Air: Access to files Full-text and supplementary files are not available from Manchester eScholar.

Full-text is available externally using the following links: Full-text held externally DOI: Abstract The article reviews the book "Up in the Air: Kochan, and Andrew von Nordenflycht explore such questions in a well-informed and engaging way, using a mix of quantitative evidence and qualitative studies of airlines from North America, Asia, Australia, and Europe.

Up in the Air provides clear and realistic strategies for achieving a better, more equitable balance among the interests of customers, employees, and shareholders. Specifically, the authors recommend that firms learn from the innovations of companies like Southwest and Continental Airlines in order to build a positive workplace culture that fosters coordination and commitment to high-quality service, labor relations policies that avoid long drawn-out conflicts in negotiating new agreements, and business strategies that can sustain investor, employee, and customer support through the ups and downs of business cycles.

Low-Cost Competition in the Airline Industry 2.

Also of interest

Developments in the U. Developments in the Airline Industry in Other Countries 4. Alternative Strategies for New Entrants: Kochan , Andrew Von Nordenflycht.

Up in the Air. Drawing on examples from across the world, including 'legacy' airlines such as British Airways and new entrants such as Ryanair and easyJet, the authors analyse the competitive and employment-relations strategies that airlines have adopted. Outcomes for customers, employees, and other stakeholders are analysed.

Up in the Air

The authors suggest that the genuine partnerships should feature: It pays adequate tribute to the importance of the old 'legacy' airlines in the industry, many of which have been national flag-carriers, though it pays particular attention to new entrants. Although the focus is on On the whole, the book is intellectually stimulating and a pleasure to read.

It asks the right questions and combines thorough empirical research and informed analysis to answer them. The ideas, arguments and empirical analysis presented merit close attention and wide discussion.

The authors even offer a road map to success for consumers, employees, and investors. While the book makes a significant contribution to the literature on human resource management and employment relations in the aviation industry, it is also useful as a starting point for future research. The authors are an impressive combination of Australian, European and U. This book is equally valuable in the classroom and the boardroom. The authors' use of a comparative industrial relations approach enriches one's understanding of the complex nature of employment It would be lamentable not to recognize that this book's value extends far beyond airlines.

The airline industry has a dynamic internal and external environment with employees spread around a nation or world; frontline employees make important decisions at any hour of the day or night.