Graduate Research Papers

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Open Access Graduate Research Paper

Abstract

The building construction industry experiences wild fluctuations in demand. Additionally, the industry is characterized by a competitive bid structure. A high labor turnover rate is the natural consequence of these conditions. Compounding this problem is the building industry's highly labor intensive nature. Since contractors will perform the hiring process so frequently, their procedures must be able to identify the best qualified applicants.

The current economic recession has brought many construction firms to a point of near idleness. The unemployment rate among skilled craftsmen is high. This has created a buyer's market in which the contractors can choose the most qualified applicants. As business conditions improve the employers will be flooded with applications for a relatively few positions. Along with experienced construction workers, these applicants will likely include many unemployed factory workers. Contractors will need an effective method of separating the skilled craftsmen from the laid off worker whose listed experience was actually a summer job.

The number of non-union, or open shop, contractors has been increasing dramatically (Northrup & Foster, 1975). Open shop contractors have a freedom in personnel decisions that is not common in union companies. These firms need to develop a hiring system that will replace the procedures which are determined by the union contract in union firms.

Year of Submission

5-1984

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Industrial Technology

First Advisor

M. Roger Betts

Comments

The copyrighted work referenced in this graduate research paper, Master Builders of Iowa Population Frame, currently is not being made available in electronic format through UNI ScholarWorks.

If you are the rightful copyright holder of this dissertation or thesis and wish to have it removed from the Open Access Collection, please submit a request to scholarworks@uni.edu and include clear identification of the work, preferably with URL.

Date Original

5-1984

Object Description

1 PDF file (55 pages)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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