Professor John Benson

John Benson is Professor, and Head of the School of Management at the University of South Australia. Prior to taking up his present appointment John was Chair of the School of International Business at the University of Tsukuba in Japan after having spend many years as a Reader in the Department of Management at the University of Melbourne. His major research interests are Japanese management and unions, the restructuring of Chinese industry, outsourcing and knowledge work. John has published numerous papers and monographs and his most recent work is an edited book with Associate Professor Ying Zhu titled Trade Unions in Asia: An Economic and Sociological Analysis (Routledge: London, 2008). John has held numerous visiting appointments including, Oxford University and the London School of Economics in the United Kingdom; University College Dublin, Ireland; Universite Jean Moulin, Lyon 3 in France; and Osaka and Hiroshima national universities in Japan.

John's research has been published in a wide variety of journals including British Journal of Industrial Relations, California Management Review, Human Resource Management, Human Resource Management Journal, Industrial Relations Journal, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Journal of Industrial Relations, and the Journal of Management Studies, and his books have been published by Oxford University Press, Routledge and Frank Cass.

John's original teaching areas were in human resource management and industrial relations, with a focus on policy, and more recently his teaching has focused on Asian management and Asian business systems. John has supervised many research projects and thesis, including those at the PhD level. During his time at the University of Melbourne John has held a number of administrative positions including Head and Deputy Head of Department.

• John has taught subjects at the undergraduate and postgraduate level in Australia, Japan, Ireland, and France.
• Subjects taught include human resource management, industrial relations, industrial relations policy and processes, research methods, Asian management and business systems, labour economics, organisational behaviour, corporate innovation, organisational management, and business strategy.

Membership of Professional Associations

Membership of Other Academic Bodies

Ph.D. (University of Melbourne); M.A (University of Melbourne); M.Ed (Monash University); B. Ec. (Monash University)

• 1. Management and Unions in Japanese Manufacturing Enterprises

  This project examines changes in, and the effects of, industrial relations and HRM in Japanese manufacturing enterprises over the period 1991 to 2006. The analysis incorporates issues such as change, convergence, managerial strategies, globalisation, and union structures. Surveys of manufacturing enterprises in the Kansai region have been conducted in 1991, 1995, 2001 and 2006. A survey of unions was conducted in 1991. Case studies and interviews with management and unions were conducted in 1992, 1993 and 1998. A number of refereed papers have been published in the British Journal of Industrial Relations, Labour and Industry, Industrial Relations Journal, Human Resource Management Journal and the Asia Pacific Business Review.

• 2. Knowledge Workers, Pay Systems and Employee Commitment

  This study investigates the role of pay strategy and how the choice of pay system impacts on supervisory style. It also seeks to investigate the attitudes of knowledge workers to pay adjustment mechanisms and the impact on employee job satisfaction and commitment. The dominance of the arbitration machinery has meant that there is a paucity of Australian enterprise research on pay practices and their effects. This is a major shortcoming as pay systems are seen as a means to competitive advantage. Data has been collected on 3,335 employees. One paper has been published in the Industrial Relations Journal and a number of other papers are being reviewed by journals or in preparation. The research is conducted jointly with Dr Michelle Brown (University of Melbourne). A more detailed summary of this project is included in Research: Annual Review 2000, University of Melbourne, page 39.

• 3. Labour-Management in Transitional Economies and Households’ Livelihood Strategies
  This study has two objectives. First, enterprise changes in labour management in China and Vietnam will be examined. During the past 20 years, both countries have undergone substantial economic reform to replace government administration of enterprises with increasing levels of market-oriented enterprise autonomy. At the heart of the reform are changes in labour management relations as the tension between capital and labour emerges to replace the former state-worker nexus. The second objective of the study is to analyse the impact of the changing enterprise labour management practices on the livelihood strategies of households, and specifically on the position of women. In socialist economies, wage differences between men and women were low, but since the reforms women’s relative position has deteriorated with respect to wages, seniority, employment levels and social benefits. This research commenced in 2003 and is funded by a three year Australian Research Committee Discovery grant. The research is conducted jointly with Dr Ying Zhu and Professor Michael Webber (University of Melbourne).

• 4. Work and Social Cohesion under Globalisation

  This project will explore how innovation and improvement in productivity can be accommodated with notions of fairness at workplace and industry level. The impact of increasingly competitive markets on the nature of work and society and the relationships between employers and employees in five industries: finance, tourism, health, ICT and automotive components, will be examined. The views of a wide cross-section of employers and managers in these five key industries, complemented by existing survey data, will be analysed. A major outcome will be five industry workshops promoting productivity, partnership and social cohesion in a competitive global environment. Apart from a range of academic papers the policy implications of the research will be developed in a final report to the industry partners. This research is conducted jointly with Professor Danny Samson (University of Melbourne), Mr Richard Gough and Dr James Doughney (Victoria University of Technology), Professor Alistair Rannie (Monash University), Dr Malcolm MacIntosh (Royal Melbourne University of Technology) and Professor Roy Green (University of Ireland - Galway).

Books

Benson, J. and Zhu, Y. (eds.) – Trade Unions in Asia, Routledge: London, 2008.

Yukongdi, V. and Benson, J. (eds.) – Asian Business: Women and Management, Routledge: London, 2006.

Benson, J and Zhu, Y. (eds.) - Unemployment in Asia, Routledge: London, 2005.

Rowley, C. and Benson, J. (eds.) - Changes and Continuities in Asian Human Resource Management: Convergence Revisited, Frank Cass: London, 2004.

Rowley, C. and Benson, J. (eds.) - Globalization and Labour in the Asia Pacific, Frank Cass: London,2000.

Benson, J. - Unions at the Workplace: Shop Steward Leadership and Ideology, Oxford University Press, Melbourne: 1991.

Benson, J. (ed.) - Industrial Relations Teaching and Research in Australia and New Zealand, AIRAANZ, Churchill: 1983.

Refereed Journals

Benson, J. – The Development and Structure of Japanese Enterprise Unions. Japan Focus 45 2008: 1-8 (Electronic Journal).

Shen, J. and Benson, J. - Tripartite Consultation in China: A First Step Towards Collective Bargaining. International Labour Review 147 (2-3) 2008: 231-248.

Benson, J. and Gospel, H. – The Emergent Enterprise Union: A Conceptual and Comparative Analysis. International Journal of Human Resource Management 19 (7) 2008: 1365-1382.

Zhu, Y., Collins, N., Webber, M. and Benson, J. – New Forms of Ownership and Human Resource Practices in Vietnam. Human Resource Management 47 (1) 2008: 157-175.

Kavanagh, P., Benson, J. and Brown, M. – Understanding Performance Appraisal Fairness: An Employee Perspective. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources 45 (2) 2007: 132-150.

Benson, J., Yuasa, M. and Debroux, P. - The Prospect for Gender Diversity in Japanese Employment and Human Resource Management. International Journal of Human Resource Management 18 (5) 2007: 890-907.

Benson, J. and Brown, M. – Knowledge Workers: What Keeps them Committed; What Turns them Away. Work, Employment and Society 21 (1) 2007: 121-141.

Benson, J. – Japanese Management, Enterprise Unions and Company Performance. Industrial Relations Journal, 37 (3) 2006: 242-258.

Benson, J. – Employment and Human Resource Management Developments in Japan. The Journal of Comparative Asian Development, 4 (2) 2005: 55-76.

Benson, J. and Yukongdi, V. – Asian Women Managers: Participation, Barriers and Future Prospects. Asia Pacific Business Review, 11 (2) 2005: pp. 283-291.

Yukongdi, V. and Benson, J. – Women in Asian Management: Cracking the Glass Ceiling? Asia Pacific Business Review, 11 (2) 2005: pp. 139-148.

Brown, M. and Benson, J. – Managing to Overload? Work Overload and Performance Appraisal Processes. Group and Organization Management, 30 (1) 2005: pp. 99-124.

Benson, J. and Debroux, P. – The Changing Nature of Japanese HRM: The Impact of the Recession and the Asian Financial Crisis. International Studies of Management and Organization, 34 (1) 2004: pp. 32-51.

Rowley, C., Benson, J. and Warner, M. – Toward an Asian Model of Human Resource Management? A Comparative Analysis of Japan, Korea and China. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 15 (4/5) 2004: pp. 917-933.

Benson, J. and Rowley, C. – Changes in Asian HRM: Implications for Theory and Practice. Asia Pacific Business Review, 9 (4) 2003: pp. 186-195.

Benson, J. and Debroux, P. – Flexible Labour Markets and Individualized Employment: The Beginnings of a New Japanese HRM System? Asia Pacific Business Review, 9 (4) 2003: pp. 55- 75.

Rowley, C. and Benson, J. – Changes and Continuities in Asian HRM. Asia Pacific Business Review, 9 (4) 2003: pp. 1-14.

Deng, J., Menguc, B. and Benson, J. - The Impact of Human Resource Management on Export Performance: An Investigation of Chinese Enterprises from Four Special Economic Zones. Thunderbird International Review, 45 (4) 2003: pp. 408-429.

Brown, M. and Benson, J. – Rated to Exhaustion? Reactions of Unionists and Non-unionists to Performance Appraisal, Industrial Relations Journal, 34 (1) 2003: pp. 65-79.

Benson, J. and Zhu, Y. – The Emerging External Labor Market and the Impact on Enterprise’s Human Resource Development in China. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 13 (4) 2002: pp. 449-466.

Dalton, N. and Benson, J. - Innovation and Change in Japanese Human Resource Management. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 40 (3) 2002: pp. 345-362.

Benson, J. and Littler, C. – Outsourcing and Workforce Reductions: An Empirical Study of Australian Organisations. Asia Pacific Business Review, 8 (3) 2002: pp. 16-30.

Rowley, C. and Benson, J. - Convergence and Divergence in Asian Human Resource Management. California Management Review, 44 (2) 2002: pp. 90-109.

Benson, J. and Brown, M. – Individual Performance Related Pay and Enterprise Outcomes in Australia and Japan. International Journal of Employment Studies, 8 (2) 2000: pp. 1- 26.

Rowley, C. and Benson, J. – Globalization, Labour and Prospects. Asia Pacific Business Review, 6 (3/4) 2000: pp. 300-308.

Rowley, C. and Benson, J. – Global Labour? Issues and Themes. Asia Pacific Business Review, 6 (3/4) 2000: pp. 1-14.

Benson, J. and Debroux, P. – Japanese Trade Unions at the Crossroads: Dilemma’s and Opportunities Created by Globalization. Asia Pacific Business Review, 6 (3/4) 2000: pp. 114-132.

Benson, J. – Employee Voice in Union and Non-union Australian Workplaces. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 38 (3) 2000: pp. 453-459.

Benson, J. and Zhu, Y. - Manufacturing Enterprises' Human Resource Management in China in the 1990s. China Industrial Economy, 4, 2000: pp. 62-65 (in Chinese).

Benson, J., Debroux, P, Yuasa, M. and Zhu, Y. – Flexibility and Labour Management: Chinese Manufacturing Enterprises in the 1990s. International Journal of HRM, 11 (2) 2000: pp. 183-196.

Benson, J. and Zhu, Y. – Market, Firms and Workers: The Transformation of Human Resource Management in Chinese State-owned Enterprises. Human Resource Management Journal, 9 (4) 1999: pp. 58-74.

Benson, J. – Outsourcing, Organisational Performance and Employee Commitment. The Economic and Labour Relations Review, 10 (1) 1999: pp. 1-21.

Benson, J., Debroux, P. and Yuasa, M. – Labour Management in Chinese-based Enterprises: The Challenge of Flexibility. Business and the Contemporary World, 10 (4) 1998: pp. 633-661.

Benson, J. – Labour Management During Recessions: Japanese Manufacturing Enterprises in the 1990s. Industrial Relations Journal, 29 (3) 1998: pp. 207-221.

Benson, J. - Dual Commitment: Contract Workers in Australian Manufacturing Enterprises. Journal of Management Studies, 35 (3) 1998: pp. 355-375.

Benson, J. and Debroux, P. - HRM in Japanese Enterprises: Trends and Challenges. Asia Pacific Business Review, 3 (4) 1997: pp. 62-81.

Benson, J. - A Typology of Japanese Enterprise Unions. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 34 (3) 1996: pp. 371-386.

Benson, J. - Change and Continuity: Contemporary Employment Practices in Japan. International Employment Relations Review, 2 (1) 1996: pp. 21-31.

Benson, J. and Ieronimo, N. - Outsourcing Decisions: Evidence from Australian-based Enterprises. International Labour Review, 135 (1) 1996: pp. 59-73 (also in French and Spanish).

Benson, J. - Management Strategy and Labour Flexibility in Japanese Manufacturing Enterprises. Human Resource Management Journal, 6 (2) 1996: pp. 44-57.

Benson, J. - Future Employment and the Internal Labour Market. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 33 (4) 1995: pp. 603-610.

Benson, J. - Firm Performance: Unions and Management in Japanese Manufacturing Enterprises. Hiroshima Journal of International Studies, 1, 1995: pp. 117-132.

Benson, J. - Wage Dispersion in the Australian Power Industry. Labour Economics and Productivity, 7 (1) 1995: pp. 83-94.

Benson, J. - Japanese Unions: Managerial Partner or Worker Challenge? Labour and Industry, 6 (2) 1995: pp. 87-102.

Benson, J. - The Economic Effects of Unionism on Japanese Manufacturing Enterprises. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 32 (1) 1994: pp. 1-21.

Benson, J. - Strategic Labour Relations: Management Practices in Japanese and Australian Manufacturing Enterprises, Japanese Studies, 13 (1) 1993: pp. 6-23.

Benson, J. - The Pattern of Workplace Industrial Relations in Australia. Review of Law and Political Sciences, 90 (4) 1993: pp. 1-23 (in Japanese).

Benson, J. - Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration in Australia: A System in Transition. Comparative Law Review, 26 (1) 1992: pp. 69-80.

Benson, J., Griffin, G. and Smith, G. - The Public Interest and the Industrial Relations Act 1988 (Cth). Public Law Review, 3 (2) 1992: pp. 113-126.

Benson, J. – Strikes in Australia: An Analysis of Recent Trends. The Otemon Bulletin of Australian Studies, 17, 1991: pp. 221-238.

Benson, J. - Trade Unions in Australia: A Workplace Perspective. Konan Journal of the Social Sciences, 4, 1991: pp. 35-50.

Benson, J. - Labour Relations at the Enterprise in Australia. The Otemon Bulletin for Australian Studies, 16, 1990: pp. 31-52.

Benson, J., Griffin, G. and Soares, K. - The Impact of Unfair Dismissal Legislation in the Victorian Jurisdiction. Australian Journal of Labour Law, 2 (2) 1989: pp. 141-156.

Griffin, G. and Benson, J. - Barriers to Female Membership Participation in Trade Union Activities. Labour and Industry, 2 (1) 1989: pp. 85-96.

Benson, J. - Workplace Union Organisation in Australia. Labour and Industry, 1 (3) 1988: pp. 407-430.

Benson, J. and Griffin, G. - Gender Differences in Union Attitudes, Participation and Priorities. Journal of Industrial Relations, 30 (2) 1988: pp. 203-214.

Griffin, G. and Benson, J. - Factors Related to Membership Participation in Public Sector Trade Union Activities. Australian Journal of Management, 12 (2) 1987: pp. 11-23.

Baltutis, M. and Benson, J. - Repetition Strain Injury and Career Development. Human Resource Management, 24 (3) 1986: pp. 30-37.

Benson, J. and Griffin, G. - Women at Work: A Case Study of the Insurance Industry. Industrial Relations Journal, 16 (4) 1985: pp. 75-84.

Griffin, G. and Benson, J. - Women and Trade Unions: An Attitudinal Survey. New Zealand Journal of Industrial Relations, 9 (1) 1984: pp. 23-32.

Benson, J. - The Bureaucratic Nature of Schools and Teacher Job Satisfaction. Journal of Educational Administration, 21 (2) 1983: pp. 137-148.

Benson, J. - Worker Involvement: An Analysis of the SECV Working Parties - A Reply. Journal of Industrial Relations, 24 (4) 1982, pp. 583-588.

Benson, J. - Trade Union Attitudes to Job Sharing in Australia and some Implications for the U.K. Industrial Relations Journal, 13 (3) 1982: pp. 13-19.

Benson, J. - Worker Involvement: An Analysis of the SECV Working Parties. Journal of Industrial Relations, 24 (1) 1982: pp. 41-52.

Benson, J. - Union Involvement in Health Issues: The 1977-1978 VICRAIL Asbestos Dispute. New Zealand Journal of Industrial Relations, 6 (2) 1981: pp. 57-65.

Benson, J. - National Wage Determination and the Maintenance of Real Disposable Income: A Comment. Journal of Industrial Relations, 22 (4) 1980: pp. 476-477.

Benson, J. and Goff, D. - The 1977 Latrobe Valley SECV Maintenance Workers' Strike. Journal of Industrial Relations, 21 (2) 1979: pp. 217-228.

Business Journals

Raman, M. (Interview with John Benson). – Is There One Right Way to Manage HR? Indian Management, July 2002: pp. 66-70.

Littler, C., Benson, J. and Jenson, B. – Outsourcing in Australia: The HR Dimensions. Human Resources Management Bulletin, 8, October, 1999: pp.1-12.

Benson, J. - The Sleeping Giant Slumbers No More (State Owned Enterprises in China: Recent Changes in Human Resource Management), People Management, 2 (12) June 1996: 22-26.

Ieronimo, N. and Benson, J. - Outsourcing for Competitive Advantage? National Business Bulletin, June 1995: 82-83.

Book Chapters

Benson, J. and Zhu, Y. - Trade Unions in Asia: Organization, Strategy and Issues in Trade Unions in Asia, ed. by J. Benson and Y.Zhu, Routledge, London, pp. 1-10 (2008).

Benson, J. – Trade Unions in Japan: Collective Justice or Managerial Compliance? in Trade Unions in Asia, ed. by J. Benson and Y.Zhu, Routledge, London, pp. 24-42 (2008).

Zhu, Y. and Benson, J. - Trade Unions in Asia: A Comparative Analysis in Trade Unions in Asia, ed. by J. Benson and Y.Zhu, Routledge, London, pp. 256-266 (2008).

Benson, J. Outsourcing for a Competitive Advantage: The Human Resource Dimensions, in Global Outsourcing Strategies: An International Reference on Effective Outsourcing Relationships, ed. by P. Barrar and R. Gervais, Gower Publishing, London, pp. 127-137 (2006).

Benson, J. – Convergence and Diversity: Emerging Patterns of Human Resource Management in Japan, in The Changing Structure of Labour in Japan? Japanese Human Resource Management between Continuity and Innovation, ed. by R. Haak, Palgrave Macmillan, London, 40-57 (2006).

Zhu, Y. and Benson, J. – Unemployment in Asia: Implications of Globalisation, Regional Integration, and Social and Economic Transformation, in Unemployment in Asia, ed. by J. Benson and Y. Zhu, Routledge, London, pp. 194-204 (2005).

Benson, J. – Unemployment in Japan: Globalisation, Restructuring and Social Change, in Unemployment in Asia, ed. by J. Benson and Y. Zhu, Routledge, London, pp. 39-57 (2005).

Benson, J. and Zhu, Y. – Unemployment in Asia: Influences and Issues, in Unemployment in Asia, ed. by J. Benson and Y. Zhu, Routledge, London, pp. 1-10 (2005).

Benson, J. – The Australian Industrial Relations System: Background and Operations, in Handbook for Japanese Companies – Australia, ed. H. Nagai, Japanese Association of Overseas Corporations, Tokyo, pp. 1-11 (2005).

Benson, J., Debroux, P. and Yuasa, M. – The Pursuit of Flexibility: The Transformation of Labour Management in Chinese Enterprises, in Changing Workplace Relations in the Chinese Economy ed. M. Warner, Macmillan, London, pp. 77-99 (2000).

Benson, J. - Structural Change in the Japanese Employment System, in Readings in Human Resource Management ed. R. Stone, Jacaranda Wiley, Brisbane, pp. 387-392 (1998).

Benson, J. and Debroux, P. - HRM in Japanese Enterprises: Trends and Challenges, in Human Resource Management in the Asia Pacific Region, edited by C. Rowley, Cass, London, pp. 62-81 (1998).

Benson, J. – Management Practices and Firm Performance: Japanese and British Manufacturing Enterprises, in Economic and Managerial Performance in Japan and Britain ed. K. Maekawa and M. Campbell, Hiroshima University Monograph Series, Hiroshima, pp. 155-191 (1997).

Benson, J. - Management Practices and Labour Strategies: Recent Japanese Experience in Current Research in Industrial Relations ed. T. Bramble, B. Hartley, R. Hall and G. Whitehouse, AIRAANZ, Brisbane: pp. 38-46 (1997).

Benson, J. and Hince, K. - Understanding Regional Industrial Relations Systems, in Regional Employment Relations ed. L. Pullen, M. Fastenau and D. Mortimer, Centre for Employment Relations, University of Western Sydney, Sydney: pp. 35-48 (1996).

Benson, J. and Underhill, E. -The Impact of Multiple Unionism on the Enterprise, in Economics and Labour Relations of Australian Workplaces: Quantitative Approaches, ACIRRT, Sydney: pp. 231-263 (1993).

Benson, J. and Worland, D. - Melbourne International: Developing Career Pathways and More Flexible Working Conditions, in Workplace Reform and Award Restructuring, ed. K. Maddern, AGPS, Canberra: pp. 27-35 (1992).

Benson, J. and Griffin, G. - Gender Differences in Union Attitudes, Participation and Priorities, in Contemporary Australian Industrial Relations, ed. B. Dabscheck,G. Griffin and J. Teicher, Longman Cheshire, Melbourne: pp. 198-210 (1992).

Benson, J. and Worland, D. - Hotel International, in Workplace Industrial Relations, ed. R. Lansbury and D. McDonald, Oxford University Press, Melbourne: pp. 96-125 (1992).

Benson, J., Brigden, K. and Nieuwenhuysen, J. - Australian Labour-Management Relations, in Labour - Management Relations, Australia and Japan, Keizai Doyukai and CEDA, Tokyo and Sydney: pp. 28-57 (1989). Published in English and Japanese.

Benson, J. - Worker Involvement: An Analysis of the SECV Working Parties in Democratic Government and Politics, Open University, Milton Keynes, U.K. pp.49-56 (1987).

Benson, J. and Griffin, G. - Factors Related to Membership Participation in Trade Unions, in Industrial Relations: Research Themes ed. K. Hince and A. Williams, AIRAANZ, Wellington: pp. 285-298 (1987).

Benson, J. and Hince, K. - Understanding Regional Industrial Relations, in Australian Labour Relations: Readings (4th ed.) ed. G.W. Ford, R. Lansbury and J. Hearn, Macmillan, Sydney: pp. 129-146 (1986).