October 13, 2008

October 13, 2008

​

 

Paul Krugman wins the 2008 Nobel Prize in Economics

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2008 to Paul Krugman of Princeton University for “his analysis of trade patterns and location of economic activity."

Nobelprize.org Press release, October 13, 2008

Paul Krugman blog for the New York Times

 

Ontario Faculty Bargaining

A recent issue of the Ontario University Report looks at the recent University of Windsor Faculty Association strike and the collectively bargained gains made by faculty in salary, benefits and working conditions in Ontario over the last two years. Windsor Faculty Association members ratified the proposed collective agreement by 91 per cent on Saturday October 4, 2008 – the strike began on September 17, 2008.

Ontario University Report, OCUFA, Volume 2 No. 6, September 2008

Windsor University Faculty Association, Strike 2008

The Windsor Star : “Back to school, WUFA ratify new contract; University of Windsor classes back in session Monday”, October 04, 2008

 

Towards a Respectful Workplace

The research team on workplace violence & abuse (workplace bullying), based at the University of New Brunswick, has created the website, Towards a Respectful Workplace, with the goal sharing the results of their research, encouraging discussion about how to develop more respectful workplaces, and identifying starting points and guiding principles for organizations.

Towards a respectful Workplace website

 

Canada’s Growing Bio-Economy

BioTalent Canada is a non-profit national organization that provides human resources tools, information and skills development to ensure that the biotechnology industry has access to job-ready people. The organization is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Sector Council Program. BioTalent Canada has recently released two labour market studies on the biotechnology industry in Canada as well as a very extensive HR Tool Kit.

Splicing the data - The critical role of human resources in Canada's bio-economy - A labour market report: Report, July 15, 2008 (28 pages, PDF)

Segmenting the Data - Regional labour market information on biotechnology in Canada: Report, September 26, 2008 (13 pages, PDF)

BioTalent Canada is currently consulting with biotechnology industry stakeholders to develop HR Best Practices in the areas of recruitment and retention for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The goal of the resulting online BioTalent HR Tool Kit is to help strengthen SMEs capacity to develop HR policies specific to their unique recruitment and retention needs. The downloadable and easy-to-use BioTalent HR Tool Kit includes practical guidelines, templates, policies and procedures that can be tailored to an organization’s individual requirements.

BioTalent HR Tool Kit

 

Personality Testing for Creativity and Academic Success

“U of T psychologists have developed a personality inventory that can predict who will excel in academic and creative domains, even when respondents are trying hard to fake their answers.” The study titled, “Predicting creativity and academic success with a ‘‘Fake-Proof” measure
of the Big Five,” by Jacob B. Hirsh, Jordan B. Peterson, is published in the Journal of Research in Personality, #42 (October 2008) p. 1323–1333. The article is currently available to University of Toronto staff and students via the Science Direct database.

Article from the U of T e-bulletin about the study, October 9, 2008

 

New Pension Journal

The inaugural issue of The Rotman International Journal of Pension Management, a new pension journal from the Rotman International Centre for Pension Management at the University of Toronto, is available on-line. The journal will provide a regular look at the strategic governance and management issues faced by leaders within the global pension industry.

Rotman International Journal of Pension Management, Volume 1, Issue 1, Fall 2008

 

Gender Pay Gap and Transgender People

A recent article titled, “Before and After: Gender Transitions, Human Capital, and Workplace Experiences,” by Kristen Schilt and Matthew Wiswall, in The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, has found “that average earnings for female-to-male transgender workers increase slightly following their gender transitions, while average earnings for male-to-female transgender workers fall by nearly 1/3.”

Article, September 11, 2008 (28 pages, PDF)

Workplace Prof Blog, “The Value of Maleness,” October 14th, 2008 posting (scroll down)

 

Employment and Labour Law Students’ Society Blog

The University of Ottawa’s Employment and Labour Law Students’ Society launched its new blog in August 2008. The blog is a source of news, commentary and discussion on the study and practice of labour and employment law. As well a recent posting on Doorey’s Workplace Law Blog features a link to the full text of the most downloaded articles on labour and employment law from the Social Science Research Network.

Employment and Labour Law Students’ Society Blog

Doorey’s Workplace Law Blog, October 15, 2008

 

New Labour Law Rule: Think Global, Act Local

In a case that pitted B.C. health unions against contentious labour legislation, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled last fall that collective bargaining is protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The decision significantly changes the lives of many Canadian labour law practitioners and policy-makers, says Kevin Banks, assistant professor in Queen’s University Faculty of Law. [extract from Queen’s University IRC website]

Interview with Kevin Banks

 

Education and Earnings Mobility of Second Generation Canadians

A study from the Institute for Research on Public Policy titled, Immigration in the Long Run: the Education and Earnings Mobility of Second Generation Canadians, has found that the majority of second generation Canadians is more educated and earns more than those with Canadian-born parents.  The author, Miles Corak, found that Canada’s mobile society proves particularly beneficial for the children of immigrants.

Study, October 9, 2008 (32 pages, PDF)

 

Canadian Families Need Better and More Affordable Child Care

A study from the Institute for Research on Public Policy titled, New Evidence about Child Care in Canada: Use Patterns, Affordability, and Quality, has found that while nearly 80 percent of preschool children with employed or studying mothers receive nonparental care regularly, much of Canada’s existing child care services fail to provide adequate stimulation. The study, by Gordon Cleveland, Barry Forer, Douglas Hyatt, Christa Japel and Michael Krashinsky, reviews the strengths and weaknesses of different forms of public assistance and suggests that direct funding of child care centres, nursery schools, preschools, regulated family child care providers and kindergartens, to improve affordability and quality, would have the greatest positive impact overall.

Study, October 7, 2008 (44 pages, PDF)

 

Creative China?

In a study titled Creative China? the University, Human Capital and the Creative Class in Chinese Regional Development, by Richard Florida, Charlotta Mellander and Haifeng Qian, both educational and occupational measures of talent were employed to examine the relationships between talent, technology and regional economic performance in China. As well the study identifies the effects of tolerance, differing levels of consumer service amenities, and the location of universities on the distribution of talent. Richard Florida is currently Professor of Business and Creativity at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. He is also the founder of the Creative Class Group, a global advisory services firm.

Study, October 2008, (36 pages, PDF)

Creative Class website

 

Book of the Week

Myths and Realities of Executive Pay, by Ira T. Kay and Steven Van Putten. New York : Cambridge University Press, 2007. 259 p. ISBN 978-0-521-87195-2

The authors of this book believe that CEO’s of American companies are not overpaid. They claim that the pay model widely used for executives in the United States, based on pay-for-performance, is essential for the success of corporations and for the U.S. economy. High executive pay, according to the authors, reflects the demand for top talent and must be evaluated in terms of the performance that leads to the pay.

About the Authors:
Ira T. Kay is global practice director of executive compensation consulting at Watson Wyatt Worldwide in Washington, DC. 
Steven Van Putten is the east region practice leader of Watson Wyatt's executive compensation consulting practice.

 

Back to top

This publication is protected by Canadian copyright laws and may not be copied, posted or forwarded electronically without permission.

Questions or Comments: contact us at cirhr.library@utoronto.ca.

Editor: Vicki Skelton
Designer: Nick Strupat

Copyright © 2008 Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources, University of Toronto. All rights reserved.

Date posted