Contingent workforce

Abstract: While much attention has been focused on the rise of the modern Chinese nation, little or none has been directed at the emergence of citizenry. This book examines thinkers from the period 1890-1920 in modern China, and shows how China might forge a modern society with a political citizenry.

Abstract: This study investigated differences in organizational commitment among part-time workers. This contrasts with the traditional comparison of differences between part-time workers and their full-time counterparts. The most significant predictors of organizational commitment among part-timers were their perceptions of relative equity and job satisfaction, compared with fulltimers. Neither demographics nor work status were significant after controlling for relative equity and satisfaction. Satisfaction acted as a partial mediator between the independent variable, relative equity, and the dependent variable, organizational commitment. This research indicates that organizations need to recognize that parttimers ' attitudes toward their jobs depend a good deal on their perceptions of their treatment relative to full-time employees. Due to the need for greater utilization of human resources and "flexibility" in scheduling, there has been a trend toward a fundamental restructuring of employment contracts within organizations (Belous, 1989). Increasingly, workers have been employed on contingent employment contracts. One sector of the contingent workforce that has experienced growth is the number of workers on part-time or "key-time" work schedules. This trend is particularly evident in the United States and Canada, where 18-22% of the workforce is employed on part-time schedules (Tilly, 1992; Zeytinoglu, 1992). Part-time worker profiles in the United States (Nardone, 1993), Canada (Labour Canada, 1983), and other industrialized nations tend to fall into three major demographic categories: (a) women between the ages of 25 and 54, (b) young males and females between 16 and 24, and (c) workers aged 55 and older. Although Feldman (1990) argued that research on part-time labour has become more critical, limited gains have been made in exploring the topic (e.g., Pierce, Newstrom, Dunham, & Barber, 1989) since Rotchford and Roberts (1982) referred to part-timers as "missing persons." Rotchford and Roberts expressed both theoretical and methodological concerns that given differences in the type and terms of employment offered to part-time workers and the acknowledged differences in their demographics, researchers should not ignore the potential for different responses to their jobs that might characterize the attitudes and behaviours of part-time workers. More recently, Feldman (1990) argued that research into part-time workers should be expanded beyond the traditional approach of looking at differences between full-timers and part-timers to include research on the possible differences between types of part-time workers (e.g., voluntary vs. involuntary part-timers; temporary vs. permanent part-timers; part-time employment as the principal or secondary job). Barling and Gallagher (1996) argued that the research on job related attitudes and behaviours among part-time workers has taken two general directions. The first research strategy has focused on the extent to which the work-related perceptions of part-time workers systematically vary depending upon the number of hours worked per workweek (Hom, 1979; Phelps, Downey, & Allen, 1992). The second strategy has examined the type of part-time work arrangement and the individual worker's motivation for working part-time (Feldman, 1990). Hom (1979), one of the first researchers to examine the relationship between part-timers' work hours and their job-related attitudes, suggested that part-time work could be defined in terms of its peripherality. Peripherality represents the degree of worker-employer contact, defined in terms of the number of hours worked or the regularity of the employment. Fewer hours worked illustrates a more peripheral relationship. Based on Hom's work and other research in this area (e.g., Knight & Lee, 1990; Phelps, Downey, & Allen, 1992; Wakefield, Curry, Mueller, & Price, 1987), Barling and Gallagher (1996) concluded that the one consistent finding is that part-time employment is not a unitary concept. …

Abstract: As community colleges become dependent on a contingent workforce, the recruitment, retention, and motivation of quality part-time faculty become an institutional priority. This chapter presents an overview of the practices of three exemplary colleges in providing innovative professional development for part-time faculty.