A&M International Grad Students Present Paper at SA Conference

Four Texas A&M International University graduate students were selected to present their paper on the "Implications of Collective Bargaining Contracts for Employers" at the March Annual Conference of the Southwestern Federation of Administrative Disciplines (SWFAD).

The paper was written by Minerva Ayala, graduate student pursuing a Masters in Professional Accountancy and three Dec. 1999 A&M International MBA graduates, Oralia Villanueva, Vangie Moreno and Ammal Laaoula. Villanueva and Ayala traveled to San Antonio to present the paper.

The paper was written as part of a research project for MAN 5315, Human Resource Development, taught by Dr. Kamal D. Parhizgar, A&M International professor of management.

Faculty members from across the nation presented the majority of papers presented at the Conference. The A&M International students' paper was among only a handful of student papers selected for presentation.

The students' paper maintains that the fundamental premise between labor and management relations is the power each has and how it is used. They note that in the U.S., most collective bargaining agreements are of fixed duration, but that agreements have changed dramatically in the past decade. They highlight problems and issues, provide a review of relevant literature and an analysis of the new dimensions of collective bargaining negotiations.

The students concluded that today's managers are working with union representatives to set an agenda that includes issues of mutual concern for unions and management. They envision the workplace of the future as one that features a strategic partnering of management and union.

The students' paper was also included in SWFAD's published proceedings.

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