Summary: The national interest is examined through a constructivist viewpoint by Weldes, who believes that realist arguments can not accurately explain the actions of the state in international politics. Melde believes that under the realist perspective, the national interest is too vague of a concept for analysts to correctly judge what actions a statesmen should take.In the realist perspective, the national interest also has the fault of the analyst being unaware of what the “national interest” truly is, since it is up to interpretation. Weldes’ constructivist approach claims that national interest are social constructs created by the state to understand their position with respect to the other states. The state creates these constructs to have a better understanding of what their goals are and the obstacles that may appear in the form of other states or other organizations. The social constructs are created as a way to have an understanding of the surroundings of the state. These surroundings can be identified as other states, non-state organizations, social movements, etc. They are then described in relation to their impact to the state, like being a threat, an ally, or neutral. Key Terms: National interest: helps to identify what is important in international politics and to legitimize the actions taken by the state in foreign affairs “Security dilemma”: states remain in inevitable and perpetual competition without the existence of the supra-state Quasi-causal: not focused on accurate cause and effect; relies on patterns that can be easily noticed and justified Domino theory: cold war belief that having one state fall to communism will lead to surrounding states following the first one Articulation: using keywords from the language to attribute to political situations and events; a catchphrase for political terms Interpellation: generating recognition and identification; creating a national identity to give illusion of unified state towards a common goal Individuals: Steve Smith: “the national interest” is a malleable term that can be used to the advantage of any state that uses it as a defense for their actions Hans Morgenthau: “the national interest” is a term that can be considered the focus of the states’ actions in international politics Alexander Wendt: uses constructivist perspective; the interpretations of interests and objects dictate how the state will react to different situations, so national interest will have a fixed meaning with boundaries in place that are different from the situations of other states Week Five Learning Outcomes This week students will: 1. Analyze collective bargaining processes and the major factors of contract negotiation. 2. Evaluate hazardous conditions and compliance issues. Readings Read the following chapters in: A Framework for Human Resource Management: 1. Chapter 9: Managing Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining 2. Chapter 10: Protecting Safety and Health  Discussions To partici ...

1. Summary:
The national interest is examined through a constructivist
viewpoint by Weldes, who believes that realist arguments can
not accurately explain the actions of the state in international
politics. Melde believes that under the realist perspective, the
national interest is too vague of a concept for analysts to
correctly judge what actions a statesmen should take.In the
realist perspective, the national interest also has the fault of the
analyst being unaware of what the “national interest” truly is,
since it is up to interpretation. Weldes’ constructivist approach
claims that national interest are social constructs created by the
state to understand their position with respect to the other
states. The state creates these constructs to have a better
understanding of what their goals are and the obstacles that may
appear in the form of other states or other organizations. The
social constructs are created as a way to have an understanding
of the surroundings of the state. These surroundings can be
identified as other states, non-state organizations, social
movements, etc. They are then described in relation to their
impact to the state, like being a threat, an ally, or neutral.
Key Terms:
National interest: helps to identify what is important in
international politics and to legitimize the actions taken by the
state in foreign affairs
“Security dilemma”: states remain in inevitable and perpetual
competition without the existence of the supra-state
Quasi-causal: not focused on accurate cause and effect; relies
on patterns that can be easily noticed and justified
Domino theory: cold war belief that having one state fall to
communism will lead to surrounding states following the first
one
Articulation: using keywords from the language to attribute to

2. political situations and events; a catchphrase for political terms
Interpellation: generating recognition and identification;
creating a national identity to give illusion of unified state
towards a common goal
Individuals:
Steve Smith: “the national interest” is a malleable term that can
be used to the advantage of any state that uses it as a defense
for their actions
Hans Morgenthau: “the national interest” is a term that can be
considered the focus of the states’ actions in international
politics
Alexander Wendt: uses constructivist perspective; the
interpretations of interests and objects dictate how the state will
react to different situations, so national interest will have a
fixed meaning with boundaries in place that are different from
the situations of other states
Week Five Learning Outcomes
This week students will:
1. Analyze collective bargaining processes and the major factors
of contract negotiation.
2. Evaluate hazardous conditions and compliance issues.
Readings
Read the following chapters in: A Framework for Human
Resource Management:
1. Chapter 9: Managing Labor Relations and Collective
Bargaining
2. Chapter 10: Protecting Safety and Health
Discussions
To participate in the following Discussion Forums, go to this
week's Discussion link in the left navigation:
1. Contract Negotiations

3. Answer the questions to the case, "Negotiating with the Writers
Guild of America," at the end of Chapter 9. Explain your
answers in 200 words. Respond to at least two of your fellow
students' postings.
2. The New Safety Program
Answer the questions to the case, "The New Safety Program,"
at the end of Chapter 10. Explain your answers in 200 words.
Respond to at least two of your fellow students' postings.
Assignments
To complete this assignment, go to this week's Assignment link
in the left navigation:
Stress and Burnout
Find at least two articles through ProQuest that examines the
problems, both to the organization and its employees, associated
with stress and burnout. Summarize your findings in a 3-5 page
paper. Be sure to properly cite your resources using APA style.
INSTRUCTOR Guidance-
Week 4 in Review
There are inherent risks in allowing emotional influences to
facilitate one's decision, especially when attempting to balance
moral and legal aspects of a situation. Ethics and integrity are
certainly at the forefront in regard to how Black will approach a
viable solution. In the short term, honesty can be quite
expensive. Many people do the right thing just because it is the
right thing to do.
The Paycheck Fairness Act is another step in the right
direction. As many have noted, the journey has been a long one,
but the journey continues. "Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.)
and Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) reintroduced the
Paycheck Fairness Act. The bill would provide a much-needed
update to the Equal Pay Act of 1963 by closing some of the
loopholes that have made the law less effective over time. So
while the Ledbetter Act gave employees back their day in court
to challenge a wage gap, the Paycheck Fairness Act would give
employees the legal tools they need to challenge the wage gap

4. itself." http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/economy-a-
budget/279603-our-journey-is-not-complete-equal-pay-requires-
passage-of-paycheck-fairness-act#ixzz2Rf2EJWoY
It would seem the accounting practices opened the door for the
leaders to do the wrong. As Dessler (2011) explained ". . . the
lack of accounting transparency enabled the company's
managers to make Enron's financial performance look better
than it actually was" (p. 258). This lack of good accounting
methods is really where the problems began, yet so many people
overlook it. Why? It is too easy to blame leadership. It would
seem that the leaders at Enron rejected the "key fundamentals of
accounting", which includes it being "guided by principles,
standards, concepts and assumptions . . . [as well as positive
ethical decisions]" (Ashford University, 2007, p.8). Accounting
methods void of such key principles was at the root of Enron's
downfall, and the leaders utilized it to further their unethical
and immoral decisions.
Ashford University. (2007). MBA essentials: Accounting,
finance, economics. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
Dessler, G. (2011). A framework for human resource
management. (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice
Hall, Inc.
In a study reported by LiveScience.com and originally
published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, "the
researchers asked a group of people if they considered
themselves moral, and if they would cheat on a test. The people
who said they would never cheat described themselves as very
moral -- no surprise there. But the people who said they would
indeed cheat also described themselves as very moral"
(McManus, 2008). http://responsibility-
project.libertymutual.com/blog/a-moral-identity-
crisis#fbid=gk4D29atSPj
One must assess what role subcultures had on Enron's ultimate
path. Access the following link
(http://www.thesustainableworkforce.org/index.php/research-
outputs/articles/item/65-the-role-of-organizational-subcultures-

5. and-employment-modes-in-the-translation-of-hr-strategy-into-
hr-practice), an article titled The Role of Organizational
Subcultures and Employment Modes in the Translation of HR
Strategy into HR Practice.
Sustainable Workforce; Palthe, J. & Kossek, E. 2003. The role
of organizational subcultures and employment modes in the
translation of HR strategy into HR practice, Journal of
Organizational Change Management, 16(2): 287-308.
Week 5 Instructors GuidanceLabor Relations refers to the
ongoing interactions between management and employees.
"Labor relations includes employees’, employers’ and unions’
legally protected activities, unfair labor and management
practices, union organizing activities, union recognition and
representation elections, collective bargaining and union
contract administration"
(http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/laborrelations/Pages/LaborR
elIntro.aspx). Commonly associated with unionization, a
multitude if issues result from the practice of labor relations,
including:
The organization of unions
Union recognition
Election of union officials
Certification and decertification
Authorization and deauthorization.
The relationships are complex and often adversarial. Where one
stands on unionization is often attributable to one's position in
the organization, the industry itself and an exhaustive list of
internal and external factors. Unions were undoubtedly the
result of years of abusive practices by organizations in a time
where manufacturing was the dominant economic force. Labor
relations became highly regulated and subject to collective
bargaining agreements and dispute resolution. Many laws were
enacted (National Labor Relations Act; Labor Management

6. Relations Act; Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure
Act to name a few) to facilitate and control the interactions.
Unionization has seen a clear decline nationally, which has led
many unions to seek membership in developing countries. This
move has created both benefits and problems.
Workplace Safety and Health
Workplace safety is an area of great concern and focus in the
field of HR. It seems every day there is another instance of
workplace violence or reports of injury resulting from
accidental or negligence activities -- all of which adds in most
cases to further laws in an attempt to create a safe work
environment. Read the following for the "Latest News" in
regard to safety and security:
http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/safetysecurity/Pages/default.
aspx.
Work place safety is at the forefront of HR topics in light of the
recent (and ongoing) instances of workplace violence.
Monitoring the work environment is a critical aspect of
avoidance and detection. Here is a list of important
considerations that identifies warning signs and possible
appropriate actions:
Warning signs of troubled employees:
Employees usually don’t “snap”; indicators of problems tend to
build up over time. Here are some indicators that often precede
critical incidents: 1) increased tension at work, 2) increased use
of alcohol or drugs, 3) increased absenteeism, 4) poor
appearance or hygiene, 5) depression/withdrawal, 6) violation
of company policies, 7) severe mood swings or unstable
responses to problems, 8) anger or rage, 9) paranoia, 10)
bringing personal problems to work, 11) talking about weapons
or violence, 12) suicidal comments, 13) pending discipline or
termination.
Some training steps/preventive measures
1) Every company should have a zero tolerance policy on

7. threats and violence.
2) If employees sense something, they should be encouraged
to say something to supervisors, a tip line, their EAP, or a crisis
team.
3) If an employee is terminated, all other employees should
know right away that Joe is no longer with the company.
4) All employees should be aware of a “code word” alert
that can be shared by PA, phone, or other methodologies.
5) All employees should be trained in “what if” scenarios.