Discussion on Fox’s Frames of Reference

Running head: DISCUSSION ON FOX’S FRAMES OF REFERENCE
Discussion on Fox’s frames of reference
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Author Note

1DISCUSSION ON FOX’S FRAMES OF REFERENCE
Executive summary
As per Fox, the management can have alternative kind of reference frame. This can be investigated
from the view-point with what one can fetch relationships of employees. According to him, it is
needed to get developed with challenges of various industrial relations seen realistically like possible
relations can be approached. In this report, critical comparison is made for Fox’s frames of
references. These are namely the unitarist, radical and pluralist approach. Implications of all the
frames are demonstrated here for employment relationship and job regulations. The practical
examples are highlighted in this study from various practices of employee relations implemented o
present day business scenarios.

2DISCUSSION ON FOX’S FRAMES OF REFERENCE
Table of Contents
Introduction:..........................................................................................................................................4
Discussion on unitarist frame of reference:...........................................................................................4
Understanding from Irish context:.........................................................................................................5
Demonstrating pluralist frame of references:........................................................................................5
Demonstrating from Irish context:.........................................................................................................7
Radical frame of reference:...................................................................................................................7
Evaluating from the context of Ireland:.................................................................................................8
Critical comparison of the perspectives:................................................................................................9
Understanding the similarities:..........................................................................................................9
Unitary theory versus Pluralist theory:..........................................................................................9
Radical theory versus Unitary theory:...........................................................................................9
Pluralist theory versus the radical theory:...................................................................................10
Understanding the differences:........................................................................................................10
Employment relations:.....................................................................................................................10
Unitarist:......................................................................................................................................10
Pluralist:.......................................................................................................................................10
Radicalism:..................................................................................................................................11
Trade Unions:..................................................................................................................................11
Unitarist:......................................................................................................................................11

3DISCUSSION ON FOX’S FRAMES OF REFERENCE
Pluralist:.......................................................................................................................................12
Radicalism:..................................................................................................................................12
Job regulations:................................................................................................................................13
Unitarist:......................................................................................................................................13
Pluralist:.......................................................................................................................................13
Radicalism:..................................................................................................................................13
Conclusion:..........................................................................................................................................13
References:..........................................................................................................................................15
Appendix:............................................................................................................................................17
Appendix 1:.....................................................................................................................................17
Appendix 2:.....................................................................................................................................18
Appendix 3:.....................................................................................................................................19
Appendix 4:.....................................................................................................................................20

4DISCUSSION ON FOX’S FRAMES OF REFERENCE
Introduction:
Fox has demonstrated management to have the alternative type of reference frame. It can be
evaluated with the perspective through which one view employee relations. As per Fox, the frame of
reference is required to be developed with the concerns of different type of industrial relations.
These can be fetched in realistic manner such that the probable resolutions could be seen. Further, it
is seen that he questioned the reason why various managers have retained the unrealistic type of
ideologies at work and can acknowledge that they can help their managers in gaining organizational
aims. The following study, makes critical comparison of the ‘frames of reference” of Fox. They are
namely radical, pluralist and unitarist. They are namely, radical, pluralist and unitarist. The
implications of every frame is highlighted for the job regulation and employment relationship. Here,
practical instances are drawn from the employee relation practices that are deployed in current day
businesses.
Discussion on unitarist frame of reference:
It views the business notably harmonious and the business as composed with teams of loyal
worker-management. It makes the assumption that the managers and workers have common element
of interest. Besides, it accepts social, economic and political framework under what management is
done. This adopts the goals, assumptions and languages of management that is searched by it to
understand and study (Gearing 2017). Further, this de-politicizes connections between classes,
groups and individuals under the working place. It treats contradictions and conflicts to be
peripheral. It highlights the examples of conflict at workplace that results from coordination failure
as per psychological interpretations. For instance, the abnormal behavior or personality clash of
deviant people can be taken as instance here. This is applicable to liberal-humanistic view-points.

5DISCUSSION ON FOX’S FRAMES OF REFERENCE
They are concentrated individual in conflicting resolutions rooted in human relation movement. This
holds the fact the managers can permanently change the employee behavior under conflict case in
any business with deploying current techniques of conflict resolution (Greenwood and Van Buren
2017). This also claims the fact that political, technologic and economic developments from the past
are virtually eradicated with the non-sanctioned staff behaviors at firms. This moves quickly in
considering the reasons of conflict at workplace for concentrating in the techniques of conflict
resolution. This utilizes the failures of communications between employees and management with
the interference of the third-party agitators commonly the unions for explaining the conflict at
workplace.
Understanding from Irish context:
At Ireland, the managers of Fidelity Investments has denoted this as the identity of interest
model related to employment relationship that promotes the type of “top-down” management
dominated type of the workforce governance. Particularly, for the managers unitarism has served
more than any collection of shared knowledge. At, Pramerica the ideology has provided the base of
managerial type of self-confidence. Here, reassertion is that some primary harmony and dissent has
been because of uninformed agitators and poor managements (Heavey, Simsek and Fox 2015). Next,
at U-blox the ideology has consisted of persuasive ability. This demonstrated to common public and
employees that the mangers are the expert professionals that are best placed for deciding the
employment policies. At Kemp Technologies, the legitimacy of authority is been conferred with
instruments of persuasion and ideological self-assurances.

6DISCUSSION ON FOX’S FRAMES OF REFERENCE
Demonstrating pluralist frame of references:
It was adopted by Alan Fox. This was done for an extended time period prior breaking that
and then adopting the radical frame during 1970s. The perspective is that business consists of
various distinct groups having legitimate type of interests. It is understood best as the frame that fits
to the social democracy of post-second world war. This was learnt for establishing the compromises
between the classes and holding a position of pro-capitalist type. However, a skepticism of the most
unequal aspect of the skepticism has been also present. As referenced from Thatcherism, Fox has
quoted that the type of neo-liberalism succeeded the social democracy at UK as search for making
the greed to be respectable (Siebert et al. 2015). This is to decrease the extent to what people
irrespective of gender feel to be one with other in the shared social experiences. This also includes
the reversing of long-term trends towards the social provision. For ridiculing and downgrading the
compassion of language and then redistribute wealth and income from the poorer ones to the richer.
It focuses on the distance of pluralist and radical frame from the frame of unitarist forming
orthodoxy within neo-liberal type of politics. Thus the pluralist frame is seen as the most suitable
one for the left social democratic culture. Particularly, it rejects the perspective that distinct staffs
possess similar interests as the management or the business is under one healthy family. This holds
conflict between management and workers to be legitimate since every set of teams at any business
attempts the persuasion of their individual interests (Cullinane 2016).
Moreover, the pluralist system undertakes political orientation fetching time and various
interest of various teams to be coincide. However, at other time this stands on the reverse side and
results into conflict. This never necessarily adopts the notion that the conflict is prepared though
cooperation between management and unions. This is near to the concepts driving quality of work
life movements. This asserts the fact that it is the task of management to place track of various
conflicting aims and control the distinction between various groups of interest (Ackers 2019).

7DISCUSSION ON FOX’S FRAMES OF REFERENCE
Further, it states that outbreak of the conflicts delivers the mechanism of relationship regulation
between various teams. It delivers the clear sign for the parties and points out the various concerns to
be disagreed about. It divers the format of the prior warning system of probable impending
breakdown that can be a drawback for both the parties. Thus the pluralist frame suggests those
conflicts that is inevitable to be solved with compromising from the both sides. It is under the stark
contrast towards radical frame. Therefore, the pluralist fame reveals the conflict to be solved with
compromise towards everybody’s benefit. Moreover, according to this, the agreements between the
parties gets reached and with the agreed upon mutual strategy of survival between various group of
interest in business involving trade and workers management and unions (Cullinane 2016). Here, the
pluralist frame fetches the conflicts in the way that the security valve and is never harmful. This can
drive forward the organizational developments. They fetch the inevitable conflict to be anything that
must be controlled and ongoing internal conflict has been anything that maintains efficiencies,
responsiveness and vitality. It leads to the investigating of interactionist frame that is seen as the sub-
category of the pluralist system and created as a part of that (Dundon and Dobbins 2015).
Demonstrating from Irish context:
The complicacies across the power balance and role of democratic and the oligarchic
tendencies are within pluralist institutions of Ireland. This type of variably under the ideology of
pluralism at Dropbox involves more questioning viewpoints of efficacy of the social inequality and
hierarchal and structural kind of capitalism related to monopoly. This is specifically with the
perpetuation of various low-trust relation between employee and employer. Thus, the potential for
the accommodation and conflict is there are commonly under-theorized (Edwards 2017).

8DISCUSSION ON FOX’S FRAMES OF REFERENCE
Radical frame of reference:
The interactionist, pluralist and unitarist systems undergoes through complicated time in
evaluating organizational phenomena like various sort of harassment, bullying, theft, romances,
labor strikes and sabotages. This is through the radical reference frame on conflict that the behavior
is understood. Various other types of identify them and after that ignore them. The radical frame
fetches the workplace to be holding an in-depth inherent bias in the battle between workers and
managements (Cullinane 2016). They view managers as the role of agents of the owners of the
capitals and controllers of ways of productions. The projects speaks about the managers to seek the
drive down of the wages and rise in exploitation and productivity. The radical systems holds the
logic of benefit maximization involving managers in relentlessly drive down the production costs
and maintain the process of manufacturing. The radical systems fetches the conflict as the property
of endemic of relations of capitalist employment. This can never be solved though the management
tools. The management literature refers to the organizational misbehavior for demonstrating
anything that the employees perform in workplace that is never sanctioned through management.
The struggle between the labor and capital is the primary dynamic shaping the relations of
employments (Gold 2017). Apart from that conflict, the structural antagonism arises from the battles
on the surplus distribution. Further, the resistance is been demonstrated as the covert type of
behavior counteracting and limiting attempts of management for exercising control and power at
workplace. Besides, a view is developed that witness the attempt of management to assert the control
as faced by staff resistances, creating various type of clashes related to interest. Further, the
resistance is also seen as anything intermittent having that frontier pushed fords and back opposite to
the conflict happening as a visible and single explosion.

9DISCUSSION ON FOX’S FRAMES OF REFERENCE
Evaluating from the context of Ireland:
At Asavie seminar marketing has been helpful. The seminars are efficient to engage with the
targeted market. They have been promoting seminars successfully from 2014 and their track record
reveals itself. At Bank of America Merrill Lynch, radical marketing has been specializing to drive
quality of the webinar participants for the webinar with refined strategies, optimizing techniques and
targeting methods. The webinars are the cost-effective and convenient method to educate and market
potential clients regarding business (Ackers 2019). Again, Intel has been struggling with creating
enough leads of high quality. With prolonged years of experiences, the leading generation services
along with marketing strategies are helpful to attract the suitable targeted audiences optimizing the
marketing activities through Internet. For the case of PwC, the brand advertising is the future of the
social media marketing and important to create prolonged business growth. Brand engagement and
audience engagements. The program of radical marketing brand advertising is useful to generate pre-
eminence, trust and authority in the market (Townsend et al. 2019).
Critical comparison of the perspectives:
Understanding the similarities:
Unitary theory versus Pluralist theory:
The communications at enterprise levels can be seen as one of the similarities involving two
parties of the industrial relations. It indicates to the employer and management that make
communication with others regarding the terms and conditions of employments and to make
decision and clarification of jobs. In this way despite any communications with companies can be
likely n more stay successful and can close down easily.

10DISCUSSION ON FOX’S FRAMES OF REFERENCE
Radical theory versus Unitary theory:
The both conform as far as power possession is considered. The unitary theorist make the
argument that owner has been in the management or at top level having radical theorists claiming
that owner is sustained by the people owning the ways of productions. Here, other similarity is that
unitary comprise of various groups as per economic and social status and present under pluralist
theory.

11DISCUSSION ON FOX’S FRAMES OF REFERENCE
Pluralist theory versus the radical theory:
Both are seen to be similar as far as the multiple interest sets are present inside workplace.
This indicate to the fact the within multiple groups, theories plays different roles at workplace.
Besides, law and regulation are there is the theories, in the lace that regulate relationship within trade
union and employer. Moreover, trade union also come out of theories in the place where they
indicate the staffs within collective bargaining. In this place it denotes to the radical and pluralist
theory to promote the organization of the employees.
Understanding the differences:
Employment relations:
Unitarist:
The unitarism for the employee relations indicates to the harmonized and integrated system
at any business. The new dimensional shift concentrates on strategic and integrated frameworks
concentrating on the shared workplace interest and commitment of employees. It is a primary
employee framework for human resource management. There is one source of authority at business.
It provides various concerns for the government and trade unions in adjusting the latest working
environment. Maximum of unions are familiar it conventional practices customers and working
patterns under pluralist and collectivist approach for industrial relation.
Pluralist:
As per the pluralist approach, the employee-management conflict is inevitable and rational.
Its roots are at various roles of employee and managerial groups. As a consequence, the part of

12DISCUSSION ON FOX’S FRAMES OF REFERENCE
administration is to lean on the way to governing and imposing and towards the co-ordination and
urging. The trade unions are seemed to be deemed as the legitimate representatives for staffs. Apart
from that, the conflict can be dealt through combined negotiating. It is seen not as a corrupt
component and as it is controlled it can be channeled for constructive transformation and
development. The convincing administrators must admit those struggles to take place. Higher
propensity for the conflict is present instead of harmony. Regarding pluralist view-point, the trade
unions has been the legitimate representative business enabling staff groups in influencing the
decisions of managements. Apart from that, the pluralist approach also accepts the fact that the staffs
have loyalties towards business instead of their individual management and trade unions can be seen
as the legitimate origin of these kind of loyalties.
Radicalism:
The thinking from the part of employee relation is a drastic change under globalized
scenario. Here, the managers, also of capitalist countries are seen to be pave the way towards more
liberal concepts to manage the business. The Marxist radicalism frame pointed that command
disparity has to be here between capital and labor. It states that capitalism has asked for exploitation
and ruthless attitudes of the labors in surviving in their business.
Trade Unions:
Unitarist:
The trade unions can be deemed to be not needed as loyalty between organizations and
employees are thought to be mutually exclusive.

13DISCUSSION ON FOX’S FRAMES OF REFERENCE
Pluralist:
Here, the employment unions are estimated to be authentic demonstrative of the staffs and
conflicts are solved with collective bargaining and sent to be a bad thing.
Radicalism:
Here, the basic division between labour and capital can be seen and the workplace relations
are against the background (Johnstone and Wilkinson 2016).

14DISCUSSION ON FOX’S FRAMES OF REFERENCE
Job regulations:
Unitarist:
The staffing policies must try to make unification of inspiring, motivating and efforts
employees. The broader objectives must be demonstrated with the staffs and communicated. The
reward systems must be designed to foster for securing commitments and loyalty.
Pluralist:
The business must have personnel authorities and business associations to matters and staffs
linked to union intervention and the consultations. The self-governing exterior authorities must be
utilized for assisting the dispute resolutions. Besides, union regulations must be encouraged and the
union representative must be provided scopes of carrying the duties of representatives. The
comprehensive collective type of agreements must be negotiated with the unions (Heery 2016).
Radicalism:
From the current situation, it is seen that radicalism is the platform of additional expenses
that is accounted for some other types or others. The case of capital controls can be asked where the
tariffs of the state come from the rise in expense of the inputs (Gall 2016).
Conclusion:
For creating the balance between the competing interests for employment relationships, it is
argued by Fox that business require to adopt the pluralist view-points. This is because he was been
convinced with the approach that is effective and efficient approach. Furthermore, it is seen that
every approach has few strengths and provides advantages to business and to the staffs. Nonetheless,

15DISCUSSION ON FOX’S FRAMES OF REFERENCE
it is seen that the biggest concerns of the approaches arises as the all the ideas are out of balance at
any company. Hence, it can assured that the current frames of references is helpful and conceptual
instrument for the administrators since it encirclements the employee and the employer interest. This
indicates the attitudes towards the conflict between them and union’s roles as operative variables in
employment relationships. Besides, he suggested that the ideologies can serve some objectives.
Firstly, there is self-reassurances. This involves blaming staffs for different anti-management
activities. Secondly, there is persuasion. This is simple to control as the staffs trust the fact that the
aims of the enterprise are worthwhile. Thirdly, there is legitimacy. Here, the management sanctions
and actions are legitimate as everyone accept that every interests are identical in nature. Certainly,
Fox’s perspective are still in relevance today.

16DISCUSSION ON FOX’S FRAMES OF REFERENCE
References:
Ackers, P., 2019. Neo-pluralism as a research approach in contemporary employment relations and
HRM: complexity and dialogue. In Elgar Introduction to Theories of Human Resources and
Employment Relations. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Ackers, P., 2019. Workplace Participation in Britain, Past, Present, and Future: Academic Social
Science Reflections on 40 Years of Industrial Relations Change and Continuity. In The Palgrave
Handbook of Workers’ Participation at Plant Level (pp. 557-574). Palgrave Macmillan, New York.
Cullinane, N., 2016. Pluralism. In Encyclopedia of Human Resource Management. Edward Elgar
Publishing Limited.
Dundon, T. and Dobbins, T., 2015. Militant partnership: a radical pluralist analysis of workforce
dialectics. Work, employment and society, 29(6), pp.912-931.
Edwards, P., 2017. Book Review: Framing Work: Unitary, Pluralist and Critical Perspectives in the
Twenty-first Century.
Gall, G., 2016. Conflict. In Encyclopedia of Human Resource Management. Edward Elgar
Publishing Limited.
Gearing, F.O., 2017. The face of the Fox. Routledge.
Gold, M., 2017. ‘A Clear and Honest Understanding’: Alan Fox and the Origins and Implications of
Radical Pluralism. Historical Studies in Industrial Relations, (38), pp.129-166.
Greenwood, M. and Van Buren, H.J., 2017. Ideology in HRM scholarship: Interrogating the
ideological performativity of ‘New Unitarism’. Journal of Business Ethics, 142(4), pp.663-678.

17DISCUSSION ON FOX’S FRAMES OF REFERENCE
Heavey, C., Simsek, Z. and Fox, B.C., 2015. Managerial social networks and ambidexterity of
SMEs: The moderating role of a proactive commitment to innovation. Human Resource
Management, 54(S1), pp.s201-s221.
Heery, E., 2016. Framing work: unitary, pluralist, and critical perspectives in the twenty-first
century. Oxford University Press.
Johnstone, S. and Wilkinson, A., 2016. Developing Positive Employment Relations: International
Experiences of Labour–Management Partnership. In Developing Positive Employment Relations (pp.
3-24). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
Siebert, S., Martin, G., Bozic, B. and Docherty, I., 2015. Looking ‘beyond the factory gates’:
Towards more pluralist and radical approaches to intraorganizational trust research. Organization
Studies, 36(8), pp.1033-1062.
Townsend, K., McDermott, A.M., Cafferkey, K. and Dundon, T., 2019. Theories used in
employment relations and human resource management. In Elgar Introduction to Theories of
Human Resources and Employment Relations. Edward Elgar Publishing.

18DISCUSSION ON FOX’S FRAMES OF REFERENCE
Appendix:
Appendix 1:
Figure 1: “The frames of references”
(Source: Budd and Bhave 2019, p.41)

19DISCUSSION ON FOX’S FRAMES OF REFERENCE
Appendix 2:
Figure 2: “View-points in management”
(Source: Gold, M., 2017, pp.129-166)

20DISCUSSION ON FOX’S FRAMES OF REFERENCE
Appendix 3:
Figure 3: “Different techniques of conflict resolution”
(Source: Dundon and Dobbins 2015, pp.912-931)