Employment-related Collective Bargaining in Germany: Annual Report 2001
The latest trends and developments on employment-related collective bargaining in Germany during the reference period are analysed in this study. We start with a quantitative overview on recent collective agreements and then describe the main types of measures negotiated in the newly concluded collective agreements.
Ausmaß und Bestimmungsgründe der Mitgliedschaft in Arbeitgeberverbänden: Eine empirische Untersuchung mit Firmendaten**
Nach einer knappen Darstellimg des theoretischen und empirischen For schungsstandes uber Arbeitgeberverbande in Deutschland werden in diesem Beitrag die Mitgliedschaft in Arbeitgeberverbanden und deren Bestimmungsgrunde unter sucht. Die Auswertung neuer Daten von uber 900 niedersachsischen Betrieben zeigt, das gut die Halfte der Industriebetriebe, in denen rund zwei Drittel aller Beschaf tigten arbeiten, Mitglied eines Arbeitgeberverbandes sind. Die Organisationswahr scheinlichkeit steigt mit der Grose und dem Alter des Betriebes, dem gewerkschaftli chen Organisationsgrad der Mitarbeiter lind dem Arbeitskampfrisiko, und sie geht mit dem Ausmas an internationalem Wettbewerb zuruck. After a brief discussion of the state of theoretical and empirical research on employers' associations in Germany, this paper investigates the membership of employers' associations and its determinants. Using a new set of data on more than 900 establishments in Lower Saxony, it is found that about 50 percent offirms in manufacturing industry (which employ about two-thirds of the total workforce) are members of an employers ' association. A firm's probability of being a member increases with the size and the age of the establishment, with union density among its employees, and with the risk of industrial disputes, whereas international competition makes membership less likely.
Ceramic microwave antennas for mobile applications
Due to their medium to high permittivity values, ceramic microwave materials are attractive as building blocks for miniaturised antenna solutions. Further advantages are low dielectric losses and an excellent temperature stability of standard ceramic materials. Yet, the permittivity of the ceramic material also has a strong influence on the radiation efficiency and bandwidth of the antenna. This implies that in the design process a suitable compromise has to be found between the degree of miniaturisation on the one hand and the antenna efficiency and bandwidth on the other. We describe two approaches towards efficient miniaturised ceramic microwave antennas: the dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) with partial metallisation and the shorting post patch antenna. We focus on design steps taken to ensure both a high degree of miniaturisation and high values of the radiation efficiency, the choice of the ceramic material and the experimental performance of the antennas.