INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS

AND THE SOCIAL

SCIENCES
Prof. Jorge V. Sibal
UP SOLAIR

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PROF. JORGE V. SIBAL
◼ Professor Jorge Villadolid Sibal is an
academician and former Dean of the
University of the Philippines School of Labor
and Industrial Relations (U.P. SOLAIR) and
an Affiliate Faculty of the U.P. Open
University. He was formerly a Lecturer at the
MBA Programs of the De la Salle University,
Philippine Women’s University and U.P.
College of Business Administration and at the
Master in Management Programs of U.P.
Mindanao, U.P. Cebu and U.P. College
Baguio. 2
Professor Sibal is an active member of the Civil
Society. He is affiliated with the following
organizations: People Management Association of
the Philippines (PMAP); PIRS, Inc. (Philippine
Industrial Relations Society); Urban Missionaries-
AMRSP; Philippine Employer-Labor Social
Partners, Inc. (PELSPI); International Industrial
Relations Association Phil. Inc. (IIRA Phil.); Center
for Labor Education, Advocacy Research and
Development, Inc. (CLEARED); Fair Trade
Alliance (FTA); Nikkeiren Alumni Association, Inc.
(NAAI); and U.P. Industrial Relations Alumni
Association, Inc. (UPAA Chapter).

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Prof. Jorge V. Sibal,
Professorial Lecturer 5, UP SOLAIR

He authored chapters of International Labor

Organization (ILO) publications: Globalization,
deregulation and workers - Changes and
Outcomes (2007)

Some of the books authored or co-authored by

Dean Sibal:

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•

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Social Sciences

◼ the study of social systems - human groups,

societies or humanity as a whole.
◼ The various disciplines in the social sciences
include Economics, Sociology, Political
Science, Management, Anthropology,
Linguistics, Communications, Humanities,
Industrial Psychology and Law (Ludwig Von
Bertalanfy, 1968).

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Sociology, Economics and Management

◼ Sociology is the broadest discipline in the

social sciences. It is the study of human
society itself.
◼ Economics and Management focus on the
production sub-system of society - how
scarce resources are transformed into goods
and services needed by society.

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Political Science, Anthropology and
Industrial Psychology
◼ Political Science and Law focus on the
leadership or governance and rule making
sub-system of society or how the society is
able to maintain stability and growth.
◼ Anthropology, Linguistics, Humanities and
Industrial Psychology focus on the socio-
cultural sub-system of society, or how people
interact and communicate with each other
and in the process form their distinct
characteristics, norms and culture.

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Various Social Science Disciplines
POLITICAL SCIENCE and MANAGEMENT-
the study of governance or leadership in an
organization.

SOCIOLOGY-
the study of
society or
social system.

ANTHROPOLOGY/
ECONOMICS- the
INDUSTRIAL
study of production
PSYCHOLOGY- the
or the conversion of
study of cultures of
resources into
society and group
goods and services.
behavior.

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Industrial Relations

◼ study of human relations in the workplace.

◼ The discipline involves Sociology,
Economics, Management, Political Science,
Law, Anthropology, Communications,
Industrial Psychology and other disciplines in
the social sciences.
◼ IR is a multi-disciplinary field of study in the
social sciences.

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IR and the Social Sciences
POLITICAL SCIENCE
/ MANAGEMENT

IR / HRM

ECONOMICS / ANTHROPOLOGY/
SOCIOLOGY INDUSTRIAL
PSYCHOLOGY

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Type of Workplace Relationships
(C.J. Margerison,1969)
IR AREAS ACADEMIC SUBJECT AREAS

Contractual Economics, Law and Political

Relations Science

Organizational Industrial Sociology

Relations

Interpersonal Social Psychology

Relations

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 Scientific process /stages

1. Sensual perception of observable phenomena or

events;
2. Cognition and formulation of hypothesis;
3. Theorizing or integrating different hypothesis and
other theories into a general theory and systems
model;
4. Testing the theory and model with research and
practice, further observations and experiments and if
possible, laboratory work or statistical inference; and
5. Proving or disproving theories and models and
hence acquiring scientific knowledge (Selltiz, 1959).
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Exercise

1. Why is IR a multi-disciplinary field of study

in the social sciences?
2. IR practices and techniques in the west may
or may not be applicable in the east. Explain
and give specific examples.

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References:

◼ Bertalanfy, Ludwig Von, 1968, General

Systems Theory, New York.
◼ Margerison C.J., 1969, “What do we mean by
Industrial Relations? A Behavioral Science
Approach,” British Journal of Industrial
Relations, Vol. 7.
◼ Selltiz, Claire (Editor), 1959, Research
Methods in Social Relations, Holt, Rinchart
and Winston Inc.
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