Abstract
House journals have been used by Australian employers as a means of fostering worker commitment to managerial goals since the late nineteenth. While also playing an educational or communication role, the propaganda value of house journals was of primary importance to most employers, with such publications being central to a company's welfare policy. This paper provides an examination of house journals during the period of welfarism in Australia, 1890-1965. It begins with a brief discussion of the welfarism movement in Australia, followed by an overview of house journals in this context. The content of house journals is then analysed, with emphasis on the weight afforded to propaganda and general items relative to education and management communication. The labour response to employer-disseminated literature and propaganda is then examined to determine the value of house journals as a communication tool, and as a means of creating a spirit of cooperation, loyalty and esprit de corps in Australian industry.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Labour traditions: Proceedings of the Tenth National Labour History Conference, held at the University of Melbourne, ICT Building Carlton, 4-6 Jul. 2007 |
| Publisher | Australian Society for the Study of Labour History and Business and Labour History Group |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780980388312 |
| Publication status | Published - 2007 |
| Event | National Labour History Conference - Duration: 15 Sept 2011 → … |
Conference
| Conference | National Labour History Conference |
|---|---|
| Period | 15/09/11 → … |
Keywords
- industrial welfare
- Australia
- house organs
- employee motivation
- propaganda