(BLUEFIELD)--A scholarly paper and presentation compiled by Bluefield State College Professor of Business Dr. Steve Bourne has been selected for inclusion in the published conference proceedings of the "International Conference on Industry, Engineering, and Management Systems."

Bourne's paper, "Employment Arbitration: Present Status and Future Directions," focused upon the growing use of employment arbitration in nonunion settings. "While many people associate arbitration with a unionized workplace, many nonunion employers today require employees to sign an employment agreement stipulating that all employment disputes must be submitted to arbitration," he noted. An experienced labor arbitrator, Bourne detailed changes in the trends of employment arbitration over the past 20 years and utilized those trends to provide insight into developing an effective arbitration system in the future.

Bourne's paper was among the small percentage of those selected for publication. More than 150 business and engineering professionals and engineering practitiioners attended the conference.

October 16, 2003