On the afternoon of September 27, 2011, at the invitation of Qiao Jian, Director of the School of Labor Relations and Human Resources, John Budd, a renowned labor relations scholar from the United States and professor at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, visited the China University of Labor Relations (CULR) and delivered a lecture titled "Revealing the Deep Theoretical Framework of Human Resource Management/Labor Relations". He discussed cutting-edge issues in labor relations theory with teachers and students present, and clarified the underlying ideological foundations of the theory. Professor Budd also presented his new book, The Thought of Work, to the CULR.

Budd believes that labor relations theory has shown four trends: neoclassical economic theory, unitarism of labor-management interests, pluralism of labor-management interests, and Marxist criticism theory. In the United States, due to the dominance of neoliberal economic thinking, many Americans feel that labor relations and human resource management are meaningless. As long as the market is allowed to come into play, all problems in the labor market can be solved. Some researchers in American business schools support the unitarism of labor-management interests, believing that fundamentally labor and management interests are the same, and human resource management can better integrate this consistency. American unions hold the view of pluralism of labor-management interests, believing that there are inherent imbalances in labor-management interests and power in labor relations, requiring third-party intervention to safeguard the rights of workers. Unions and union researchers call for strengthening the labor relations profession. Marxist criticism theory mainly attracts Marxists, who believe that labor relations and human resource management are only means of coordination, and cannot solve the underlying social contradictions between labor and management, thus calling for social revolution.

Professor Budd's lecture received praise from the teachers and students. After the lecture, Professor Budd answered students' questions about worker collective actions, the extension of labor issues, and more. Professor Budd encouraged students to study and research labor relations issues from a multidisciplinary perspective, and shared his experiences and tips for applying to graduate programs in the United States.

(School of Labor Relations and Human Resources)