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This article estimates the empirical relationship between workplace diversity in terms of nationality and individual worker job satisfaction in the context of a multicultural country. It also examines the role of the level of communication between coworkers in moderating this relationship.

Using merged survey and administrative data, the paper estimates OLS and ordered Probit regression estimates of the correlations between two measures of workplace diversity and self-reported job satisfaction.

The relationship between nationality diversity and job satisfaction is negative. While there is some evidence of a nonlinear relationship, it depends on the specification and measure of diversity used. Contrary to expectations, the level of interaction between colleagues does not moderate this relationship.

The research highlights the need for employers to actively manage the diversity within their firms.

The paper adds to the diversity and job satisfaction literature by focusing on the nationalities of coworkers. It also is the first to measure the impact of the levels of interactions with coworkers on the diversity-satisfaction relationship.

The purpose of this paper is to estimate the return to multiple language usage in the workplace.

This article aims to estimate the effect that using an additional language at work has on earnings for a sample of workers in the European Community Household Panel survey. OLS and fixed‐effects specifications of log‐earnings regressions are estimated by country with controls for standard human capital, job, and personal characteristics.

The results indicate that the use of a second language in the workplace raises earnings by 3 to 5 percent in several Western European nations, with even greater returns found in some. The estimated returns are found to be correlated with the extent of tourism in the country, but not other measures of trade.

This is the first paper to estimate returns to usage of an additional language in the workplace across the European Union, and contributes to our knowledge of the benefits of multi‐lingualism.

Advocates of minority groups often claim that the corporate management lays off minority workers first at the onset of recessions and hires them last once the recovery begins. Assertions of this sort are rooted in the belief that the labour market remains inherently discriminatory in spite of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action laws. Often times the popular media reinforces such assertions. An article in The Wall Street Journal claimed that during the U.S. recession of 1990–91 only blacks suffered a net employment loss (Sharpe, 1993), whereas another report by a Hispanic organisation contended that Hispanics were one of the few minority groups who did not recover from the last recession.

Previous studies examined the effects of diversity according to gender, race and age, whereas the present study focused on nationality. The authors wanted to find out the impact of workplace diversity on job satisfaction.

The analysis relied on two data sources. The first was the 2013 survey of “Working Conditions and the Quality of Work Life” in Luxembourg. The sampling plan was based on data from Luxembourg’s social security administration. There were four variables: The first was the size of the firm (less than 15 employees, between 15 and 49, and more than 50). The second was employee status (blue collar worker, or employee). The other variables were gender and age.

Results showed workplace diversity has a negative impact on job satisfaction. But the data also revealed job satisfaction increased for the minority nationalities when a certain threshold for diversity was reached. The authors said this might be because when there were enough workers “like themselves”, satisfaction grew.

The authors said their study would become increasingly important as globalization increased the proportion of foreign workers inside firms. They said that from a managerial perspective, it was crucial to know if national diversity was linked to employees’ attitudes.

This paper reviews published arbitration awards dealing with fighting covering 1980 to 1990 as reported in the Bureau of National Affairs (BNA) and Commerce Clearing House (CCH). It attempts to show arbitral guidelines developed from the case sources. Where disagreement in approach to issues by arbitrators is noted, competing schools of thought are presented The majority of arbitrators define fighting as a physical encounter with the intent of offensively striking another person that must normally occur on company premises. For an employee to be considered acting in self‐defense s/he must have been assaulted by another employee and be of the mind that force is necessary to prevent bodily harm. Moreover, an employee acting in self defense must use only the amount of force necessary to protect himself or herself from danger. The right to discipline for off‐premises fights may be accorded to an employer when the fight is related to disagreements which have had their origins in the work place or is a continuation of a dispute occurring in the plant, or is otherwise clearly work‐related Discipline may also be issued when a supervisor is attacked away from the plant premises. A major factor leading to the mitigation of discipline can occur when both parties to a fight are determined to be equally guilty (i.e., there was no clear provocateur), but one is given a harsher penalty than the other. When assessing penalties imposed for fighting, arbitrators also take into account the length of service and/or the work record of an involved employee. The contrition or lack of contrition by one or both employees may also lead an arbitrator to modify or sustain the degree of the penalty imposed depending on the severity of the altercation. An arbitrator may reduce the degree of discipline based on management's failure to diffuse conditions leading to a fight when these are known in advance, or for inaction to break up a fight before it becomes serious.

We have conducted a study of academic faculty use of databases for research, their need for evaluative guides to databases, and the appropriateness of currently‐available guides. Although the response rate was low (19%), the follow‐up survey suggested only a minimal non‐response bias. Our findings suggest that academic faculty are typically unaware of the range of databases available and few recognize the need for databases in research. Of those faculty who do use databases, most delegate the searching to a librarian or an assistant, rather than performing the searches themselves. We identified thirty‐nine database guides; these tend to be descriptive rather than evaluative.

Communications regarding this column should be addressed to Mrs. Cheney, Peabody Library School, Nashville, Tenn. 37203. Mrs. Cheney does not sell the books listed here. They are available through normal trade sources. Mrs. Cheney, being a member of the editorial board of Pierian Press, will not review Pierian Press reference books in this column. Descriptions of Pierian Press reference books will be included elsewhere in this publication.

Communications regarding this column should be addressed to Mrs. Cheney, Peabody Library School, Nashville, Term. 37203. Mrs. Cheney does not sell the books listed here. They are available through normal trade sources. Mrs. Cheney, being a member of the editorial board of Pierian Press, will not review Pierian Press reference books in this column. Descriptions of Pierian Press reference books will be included elsewhere in this publication.

HEAR what Mr. Les Huckfield has to say. Why? Because he is the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department of Industry. “Britain's potential for becoming a very great industrial nation exists; we have the ideas, the men and women to put them into practice; all we need is the will to succeed.”