Work, Employment & Society recent issues

Working without commitments: precarious employment and health

Lewchuk, W., Clarke, M., de Wolff, A. — 2008-09-04

Using cross-sectional data from a Canadian population-based questionnaire, this article develops a new approach to understanding the impact of less permanent forms of employment on workers' health. It concludes that employment relationships where future employment is uncertain, where individuals are actively searching for new employment and where support is limited are associated with poorer health indicators.

Non-regular employment in Japan: continued and renewed dualities

Keizer, A. B. — 2008-09-04

Previous analyses of Japanese employment practices have often focused almost exclusively on regular employment, relegating non-regular employment to a role as employment buffer. However, recent years have seen a rise in non-regular employment which requires a renewed analysis of its role and importance. This article provides such an analysis and presents two major findings. First, it argues that a renewed duality in the labour market indicates important advantages to non-regular employment, not just in terms of flexibility, as suggested by previous interpretations and dual labour market theories, but mostly in terms of costs. However, the importance of this advantage differs between industries. Second, the article discusses the consequences of this duality. It argues particularly that the duality constrains the employment opportunities for women in spite of regulatory changes to strengthen their position. The article concludes with general insights into labour market dualism.

Forms of capital, mixed embeddedness and Somali enterprise

Ram, M., Theodorakopoulos, N., Jones, T. — 2008-09-04

What form is small business activity taking among new migrants in the UK? This question is addressed by examining the case of Somalis in the English city of Leicester.We apply a novel synthesis of the Nee and Sanders' (2001) `forms of capital' model with the `mixed embeddedness' approach (Rath, 2000) to enterprises established by newly arrived immigrant communities, combining agency and structure perspectives. Data are drawn from business-owners (and workers) themselves, rather than community representatives. Face-to-face in-depth interviews were held with 25 business owners and 25 employees/`helpers', supplemented by 3 focus group encounters with different segments of the Somali business population.The findings indicate that a reliance solely on social capital explanations is not sufficient. An adequate understanding of business dynamics requires an appreciation of how Somalis mobilize different forms of capital within a given political, social and economic context.

An exploration of small firm psychological contracts

Atkinson, C. — 2008-09-04

It is argued here that more sophisticated frameworks of analysis than currently exist are required to support deeper understanding of small firm employment relationships. A psychological contract framework is adopted, presenting data on three small firm case studies and contrasting this with existing perspectives on small firm employment relationships. The degree of heterogeneity demonstrated in employment relationships in the small firm sector leads to the argument that a single typology of `small firm' employment relationships is not possible. While small firms may differ in nature to large firms, there is a range of forces in so heterogeneous a sector that go to create employment relationships and a narrow framework, especially one predicated upon notions of size, will not adequately reflect the complexities of the relationships under consideration. A broader, less deterministic, framework such as the psychological contract supports the development of more nuanced understandings of small firm employment relationships.

Guanxi networks and job searches in China's emerging labour market: a qualitative investigation

Xianbi Huang, — 2008-09-04

This article examines whether guanxi networks are still influential in China's emerging labour market in light of economic liberalization. In-depth interviews with 65 Chinese job searchers show that guanxi networks influence job search and acquisition in a considerably transformed state sector, when jobs are highly desirable or when jobs are `soft-skill' and thus job performance is hard to measure, quantify or monitor. The influence of guanxi networks is, however, limited, resisted or eliminated when large corporations, mostly in the non-state sector, adopt transparent and standardized procedures to screen and recruit the most qualified candidates. Guanxi ties and professional ties are also interconnected in employment processes and professional ties are potentially transformable into guanxi ties.These results are discussed from institutional and cultural perspectives to contribute to a social network approach to labour market research in Chinese and non-Chinese societies.

Mismatching of persons and jobs in the Netherlands: consequences for the returns to mobility

Gesthuizen, M., Dagevos, J. — 2008-09-04

This article answers three questions.To what extent do Dutch workers voluntarily change employers or positions within the firm, do objective and subjectively experienced job characteristics influence voluntary mobility, and does voluntary mobility result in changes in these job characteristics? Analyses show that voluntary mobility occurs quite often. Objective job characteristics do not predict the odds of voluntary mobility. The subjective evaluation of aspects of the job, such as for instance the job in general, the income, the job content and colleagues, and workload, however, do. The stronger this mismatch of persons and jobs, the more likely one is to be voluntarily mobile. Panel analyses furthermore show that this voluntary mobility improves objective job characteristics such as income and status, and reduces an unfavourable evaluation of the person—job fit. Clearly, an unfavourably experienced person—job fit pushes workers out of their jobs, and on average this step brings positive returns.

Highly educated immigrants in the Norwegian labour market: permanent disadvantage?

Brekke, I., Mastekaasa, A. — 2008-09-04

This article analyses earnings and employment differences between native Norwegians and immigrants over the period 1993—2003. Register data for the entire population of graduates from Norwegian universities 1992—2002 are used. Immigrants' earnings and employment rates are considerably lower than those of native Norwegians. The differences decline with time of residency. Keeping time of residency constant, however, earnings differences between native men and male immigrants tend to grow over the career.

Care strategies among high- and low-skilled mothers: a world of difference?

Debacker, M. — 2008-09-04

The aim of this article is to gain better insight into the care strategies of mothers with varying qualification levels. The analysis is focused on the determinants of work—care decisions in the Belgian region of Flanders. It hypothesizes that schooling level is a crucial factor. Additionally, given the intense debates in the care literature provoked by the work of Catherine Hakim, particular attention is devoted to how personal preferences interact with schooling level. The results reveal a more subtle effect of personal preferences than is suggested by Hakim. Personal preferences impact on the work—care choices of mothers with lower qualifications but not on the choices of high-skilled mothers. Moreover, low-skilled mothers remain constrained in their choices since they cannot afford full-time formal care. The results indicate that personal preferences, rather than being the most crucial factors, impact on the work—care choices of mothers within the boundaries of structural constraints.

Time, caring labour and social policy: understanding the family time economy in contemporary families

Maher, J. M., Lindsay, J., Franzway, S. — 2008-09-04

Book Review: L. Aguiar and Andrew Herod (eds) The Dirty Work of Neoliberalism: Cleaners in the Global Economy Oxford: Blackwell, 2006, {pound}19.00 pbk (ISBN 978--1--4051--5636--3), xi + 263 pp

Williams, G. — 2008-09-04

Book Review: P. Lewis and Ruth Simpson (eds) Gendering Emotions in Organizations Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan, 2007, {pound}26.99 pbk (ISBN: 978--0--230--00148--0), xiii + 208 pp

Bonner, F. — 2008-09-04

Book Review: Jieyu Liu Gender and Work in Urban China: Women Workers of the Unlucky Generation Oxford: Routledge Taylor & Francis, 2007, {pound}70.00 hbk, no price stated pbk, (ISBN: 978--0--415--39211--2), xiv + 178 pp

McVicar, O. — 2008-09-04

Book Review: Michael A. Witt Changing Japanese Capitalism: Societal Co-ordination and Institutional Adjustment Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006, {pound}50.00 hbk (ISBN: 10 0--521--86860--2), xiii + 221 pp

Nolan, J. — 2008-09-04

Book Review: Gary Paul Green Workforce Development Networks in Rural Areas: Building the High Road Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2007, {pound}45 hbk (ISBN: 978 1 84542 872 3), ix + 144 pp

Greer, I. — 2008-09-04

Books Received

2008-09-04

Work, Employment and Society, 1997--2007: Becoming a sociologically oriented, international, multi-disciplinary journal

Rainbird, H., Rose, M. — 2008-07-22

As Work, Employment & Society enters its 21st year, the co-Editors of WES for 2005—2007 take stock of the recent progress of the Journal, as shown by three main trends: regular upward growth in submissions; pluralism in terms of theory, method, and disciplinary contribution; and increasing internationalisation of the readership, author base, substantive coverage, and reputation of WES. Key features of the Journal which are believed to have contributed both to the successful establishment of the Journal in the first place and to its continuing high achievement are identified: collegiate ethos, reliance on in-house peer review, an active Editorial Board, and insistence on meaningful feed-back to authors.

Labour market mobility and employment security of male employees in Europe: `trade-off' or `flexicurity'?

Muffels, R., Luijkx, R. — 2008-07-22

The dominant view in economics is that increasing demands for flexibility on the labour market jeopardizes employment security. However, against the prediction of a negative relationship or a`trade-off' between flexibility and security, there is evidence for a positive, mutually reinforcing relationship known as the `flexicurity' thesis. Using comparative panel data for 14 European countries, we elaborate dynamic outcome indicators for flexibility and employment security to assess the differences across countries and welfare regimes in balancing the two.We estimate transition models to explain the observed mobility patterns.The outcomes confirm the impact of the institutional set-up indicated by regime type on these transitions supporting the `variety of capitalism' approach.The regulated Southern and Continental regimes perform worst and the unregulated Anglo-Saxon and Nordic regimes best in attaining high levels of flexibility and employment security simultaneously, though for both regimes with a small loss either in flexibility or in security.

The vanishing flexible: ambition, self-realization and flexibility in the career perspectives of young Belgian adults

Elchardus, M., Smits, W. — 2008-07-22

The cultural interpretation of career models, that links a preference for the flexible career to the quest for self-realization, and a preference for the linear, stable to the traditional work ethic, turns out to be empirically correct for the population considered in this analysis (inhabitants of Belgium, 19 to 36 years old). In contrast to what is posited by many authors, the traditional work ethic is, however, still quite strong. Moreover the career model that is both flexible and ambitious appears as a projection of the quest for self-realization onto the future career, but does not withstand experience with work and family life. As a consequence, many of the young people with a flexible career model shift towards either a traditional linear perspective or an ambitionless flat and rigid perspective as more life transitions are completed.

Gender differences in occupational wage mobility in the 1958 cohort

Dex, S., Ward, K., Joshi, H. — 2008-07-22

This article examines the wage growth of British men and women between the ages of 33 and 42 who were employed full time at both of these ages using the 1958 National Child and Development Study. Wage growth is examined in the differences of the log of hourly wage rates reported at the 33 and 42 year old interviews of this cohort study. Men were found to have higher wage growth rewards than women when in higher occupations and be more likely than women to be in these higher wage growth occupations. Women's wages grew more slowly over the period than men's wages because they were located disproportionately in lower growth and feminized jobs. Domestic ties did not explain the differences in wage growth for this group, where the occupational penalties of gender widened.

The paradoxical processes of feminization in the professions: the case of established, aspiring and semi-professions

Bolton, S., Muzio, D. — 2008-07-22

The past three decades have been characterized by dramatic labour market developments including the mass entry of women to exclusively male domains. Professional work is particularly indicative of this trend where growth in female membership has fuelled optimistic predictions of shattered glass ceilings and gender equality. This article seeks to challenge these predictions and to explore the associated assumptions linked with the feminization of work in the UK. It does so by focusing on three professional groups: law, teaching and management which, despite some substantial differences, present a common and recurrent theme in the gendered processes of professional projects that marginalize, downgrade and exploit women and women's work. It is argued that the fluidity of such processes lead to a series of paradoxes as the professions are increasingly dependent on the contribution of their female members and yet numerical feminization, without truly including women, serves to undermine and even reverse professional projects.

Dead men working: time and space in London's (`illegal') migrant economy

Nobil Ahmad, A. — 2008-07-22

This article explores human smuggling's consequences through a study of London's Pakistani immigrant economy, paying particular attention to the labour process and its experiential dimensions.The latter are unpacked in empirical context with due reference to literatures on illegal migration, as well as more recent writings on employment and `precariousness' that seek to make sense of the changing nature of work patterns under post-Fordist `flexible' regimes in the new global economy. All newly migrated (and some British born) Pakistanis working in ethnic economies endure long hours, poor working conditions, low pay and a general context of insecurity that is distinct from the unionized labour process that prevailed under Fordism. Smuggled migrants tend to deal with a specific set of constraints, however, including added material and psychological burdens stemming from the higher cost of migration and an inability to achieve `structural' embeddedness.

Working knowledge as performance: on the practical understanding of machines

Berner, B. — 2008-07-22

This article uses perspectives from science and technology studies to understand the working knowledge used by operators to understand and handle machines. Industrial production is seen as a heterogeneous assemblage of sociomaterial practices, where machines and humans interact in processes of mutual inscription and modification. Working knowledge is analysed as situated practices of knowing, or performances.This perspective is used in a meta-interpretation of earlier ethnographic research and other accounts of manual, industrial work, focusing on the mental, bodily and emotional understanding employed in crucial situations, as when learning to work, localizing machines, or coping with difficult or recalcitrant machines.

No more heroes? Reflections on the 20th anniversary of the miners' strike and the culture of opposition

Bradley, H. — 2008-07-22

Skill, education and credentials in the new economy: the case of information technology workers

Adams, T. L., Demaiter, E. I. — 2008-07-22

Joint Review: Rosemary Crompton, Suzan Lewis, and Claire Lyonette (eds) Women, Men,Work and Family in Europe Basingtoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007, {pound}50.00 hbk, (ISBN: 978--1--4039--8719--8), 288 pp: Tim Butler and Paul Watt Understanding Social Inequality London: Sage, 2006, {pound}60.00 hbk, (ISBN: 0--7619--6370--7), 232 pp

Sappleton, N. — 2008-07-22

Joint Review: S. Prideaux Not so New Labour: A Sociological Critique of New Labour's Policy and Practice Bristol: Policy Press, 2005, {pound}24.99, pbk, (ISBN: 1861344597), 170 pp: R. Levitas The Inclusive Society? Social Exclusion and New Labour, 2nd Edition Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005, {pound}19.99, pbk, (ISBN: 140394427X), 288 pp

Lindsay, C. — 2008-07-22

Joint Review: J. Fine Worker Centers: Organizing Communities at the Edge of the Dream Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2006, $49.95 hbk, $21.95 pbk, (ISBN: 978--0--8014--7257--2), 336 pp: R. Milkman L.A. Story: Immigrant Workers and the Future of the US Labor Movement New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2006, $24.95 pbk, (ISBN: 978--0-87154--635--7), 264 pp

Martinez Lucio, M. — 2008-07-22

Joint Review: Steven C. McKay Satanic Mills or Silicon Islands? The Politics of High-Tech Production in the Philippines Ithaca: ILR Press, 2006, {pound}12.50 pbk (ISBN: 0 8014 8894 X), xii + 253 pp

Vidal, M. — 2008-07-22

Joint Review: D. Walters and T. Nicols Worker Representation and Workplace Health and Safety Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007, {pound}55.00 hbk, (ISBN 978 0 230 00194 7), xi + 177 pp

James, P. — 2008-07-22

Books available for review

2008-07-22

Organizational professionalism in globalizing law firms

Faulconbridge, J., Muzio, D. — 2008-03-19

Are the challenges of globalization, technology and competition exercising a dramatic impact on professional practice while, in the process, compromising traditional notions of professionalism, autonomy and discretion? This article engages with these debates and uses original, qualitative empirical data to highlight the vast areas of continuity that exist even in the largest globalizing law firms. While it is undoubted that growth in the size of firms and their globalization bring new challenges, these are resolved in ways that are sensitive to professional values and interests. In particular, a commitment to professional autonomy and discretion still characterizes the way in which these firms operate and organize themselves. This situation is explained in terms of the development of an organizational model of professionalism, whereby the large organization is increasingly emerging as a primary locus of professionalization and whereby professional priorities and objectives are increasingly supported by organizational logics, systems and initiatives.

Sociology contra government? The contest for the meaning of unemployment in UK policy debates

Cole, M. — 2008-03-19

The 1980s witnessed an intense political and ideological struggle over unemployment in Britain, which often involved sociologists defending the unemployed against real or perceived governmental attacks on their work ethic. Notwithstanding valid criticisms of the practical efficacy of supply-side unemployment policies, this rebuttal of governmental`victim-blaming'tactics restricted a deeper critique of the meaning and purpose of work, and perversely helped to reproduce a moral discourse of work in symbiosis with the Thatcher government. Subsequent critiques of New Labour policies have frequently perpetuated this moral discourse, through explicitly or tacitly positing (paid) `work' as the preferred or only `solution' to the `problem' of unemployment.An alternative solution could be a guaranteed income policy. This could both challenge the moral discourse of work and direct policy critique away from areas that teleologically inscribe preferred lifestyles such as that of paid worker.

Does gender trump money? Housework hours of husbands and wives in Britain

Man Yee Kan, — 2008-03-19

This article uses data from various waves of the British Household Panel Survey (1993—2003) to examine the associations of housework hours with relative income and gender-role attitudes. In particular, it tests the hypothesis that the effect of relative income on housework time will be diminished due to one's gendered expectations. Findings show both men's and women's housework hours are significantly decreased with increases in their amount of income relative to their partners'.Traditionalism in gender-role attitudes is associated with longer housework hours in the case of women and shorter hours in the case of men.Women holding traditional attitudes spend longer hours on housework than other women with the same level of economic independency. Apart from this, there is no conclusive evidence to support the claim that highly economic independent women and highly economic dependent men tend to resort to a gender-traditional form of domestic division of labour.

Shift work and child behavioral outcomes

Han, W.-J. — 2008-03-19

Using a large, contemporary US dataset, the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth — Child Supplement, this article explores the relationship between maternal shift work and the behavioral outcomes for children aged four to 10. Special attention was given to subgroups of children (e.g. based on family type, family income, and mother's occupation and working hours) and the patterns of parental work schedules and work hours. Regression results suggest that maternal shift work may contribute to more behavioral problems. Of all children whose mothers worked non-day shifts, the strongest associations were found for children who lived in single-mother or low-income families, whose mothers worked in cashier or service occupations, and whose mothers worked non-day shifts full-time. Implications for future research are discussed.

Skills and occupational attainment: a comparative study of Germany, Denmark and the UK

Dieckhoff, M. — 2008-03-19

This article investigates the impact of vocational education and training on labour market outcomes in Germany, Denmark, and the UK. Using the European Community Household Panel the article analyses how workers with vocational training fare in comparison to both their untrained counterparts and those with higher levels of general education. Three outcomes are examined: wages, the odds of being in a lower-skilled job, and the odds of being in professional employment. The results show that returns to vocational training differ markedly across the three countries studied.

Age and labour market commitment in Germany, Denmark, Norway and Sweden

Hult, C., Edlund, J. — 2008-03-19

This study examines age differences in non-financial employment commitment in two types of `exit cultures'. Germany and Denmark represent the `early'-exit culture where early retirement has become the norm. Sweden and Norway represent the `late'-exit culture where labour market activity until advanced age is more common. The categorization of countries corresponds to the time for data collection (1997). The main question is whether suggested differences in exit culture are manifested in age differences in non-financial employment commitment.

The claim that age differences in commitment relate to exit culture received some support. In the two early-exit countries, the probability for men to display low employment commitment was found to increase at the age of 43—54. Also women in these countries dropped in commitment but first at 55+. In the two late-exit countries there was no important loss in commitment related to the middle or old age groups.

Disability employment penalties in Britain

Berthoud, R. — 2008-03-19

Economic disadvantage is an increasingly important component of the social position of disabled people.This article uses a large-scale and detailed survey of disabled people as an empirical platform for a discussion of their employment outcomes. It is well-established that disabled people vary in the nature and severity of their impairments, but the shape of the relationship between disability and employment cannot be predicted unambiguously from theory, and has been subject to little analysis. A new measure of `disability employment penalties', taking account of other influences on labour market position, encourages a broader view of disadvantage across distinct social constructs including gender and ethnicity.

Corruption in the post-Soviet workplace: the experiences of recent graduates in contemporary Ukraine

Round, J., Williams, C. C., Rodgers, P. — 2008-03-19

While Ukraine was bestowed market economy status by the European Union in 2005 its labour market still endures many structural problems. By exploring the experiences of young graduate employees this article highlights the difficultly in obtaining work within Ukraine's labour market and the problems they face once they have secured employment. Rather than seeing the development of a transparent labour market the collapse of the command economy has seen a relatively closed system develop. The article demonstrates how many jobs are secured through the use of connections or the demanding, and payment, of bribes.The situation does not improve once graduates obtain long-term employment. Interviewees discuss the lack of job security, the informal payment of wages and the lack of legal protection from corrupt employer practices. The article has broader resonance outside of the Ukrainian case study as the discussion of workplace corruption highlights how the issue is concerned with much more than simply cash based transactions and how those that endure it are likely to turn to the informal economy for employment.

Organizing homeworkers: the use of mapping as an organizing tool

Burchielli, R., Buttigieg, D., Delaney, A. — 2008-03-19

Joint Review: Ursula Holtgrewe Flexible Menschen in flexiblen Organisationen: Bedingungen und Moglichkeiten kreativen und innovativen Handelns [Translation: Flexible People in Flexible Organizations:The Conditions of and Possibilities for Creative and Innovative Action] Berlin: Edition Sigma, 2006, 19.90 pbk, (ISBN: 3--89404--544--2) 317 pp. Ingo Matuschek, Katrin Arnold and G. Gunter Voss Subjektivierte Taylorisierung: Organisation und Praxis medienvermittelter Dienstleistungsarbeit [Translation: Subjectified Taylorization: The Organization and Practice of Technology Mediated Service Work] Munchen: Rainer Hampp Verlag, 2007, 29.80 pbk, (ISBN: 978--3--86618--105--2) 355 pp

Doellgast, V. — 2008-03-19

Book Review: Huw Beynon and Theo Nichols (eds) The Fordism of Ford and Modern Management: Fordism and Post-Fordism Volumes I and II. Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, MA, USA: Edward Elgar, 2006, {pound}285 hbk (2-volume set), xix + 992 pp. ISBN: 978--185898--948--8

Tatli, A. — 2008-03-19

Book Review: Andreas Bieler The Struggle for a Social Europe: Trade Unions and EMU in Times of Global Restructuring Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2006, {pound}55.00 hbk xvi + 254 pp. (ISBN: 0--7190--7252--2)

Bailey, D. J. — 2008-03-19

Book Review: Simon Down Narratives of Enterprise: Crafting Entrepreneurial Self-Identity in a Small Firm Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2006, {pound}45.00 pbk, vii + 144 pp. ISBN: 1--84376--767--8--160

Greenman, A. — 2008-03-19

Book Review: Olympia Kyriakidou and Mustafa F. Ozbilgin (eds) Relational Perspectives in Organizational Studies: A Research Companion Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2006, no price stated, hbk, xiii + 321 pp. ISBN: 10--1--84542--125--6

Banerjee, M. — 2008-03-19

Book Review: Mary Barrett and Marilyn J. Davidson (eds) Gender and Communication at Work Aldershot, UK and Burlington, VT, USA: Ashgate, 2006, {pound}60 hbk, xv + 294 pp. ISBN: 0--7546--3840--5

Belliappa, J. — 2008-03-19

Book Review: Marek Korczynski, Randy Hodson and Paul Edwards (eds) Social Theory at Work Oxford: OUP, 2006, {pound}63.00 hbk, xiv + 502 pp. ISBN: 978--0--19--928597--6

Winchester, S. — 2008-03-19

Book Review: L. Pettinger, J.Parry, R.Taylor and M. Glucksmann (eds) A New Sociology of Work? London: Blackwell, 2005, no price stated, pbk, 247 pp. ISBN: 1--4051--3903--X

Ketelaar, G. — 2008-03-19

Books Received

2008-03-19

In Memorium: Richard Kemp Brown

Roberts, I. — 2007-11-22

In Memorium: Richard Brown

Beynon, H. — 2007-11-22

Worker voice in the context of the re-regulation of employment: employer tactics and statutory union recognition in the UK

Perrett, R. — 2007-11-22

Since the introduction of the statutory recognition procedure the vast majority of new agreements have been voluntary in nature, yet increasingly employers are using this ambiguous state regulation as a means of avoiding recognition.The legislation allows for the game of voluntarism to be enshrined within the micro level politics and social relationships of work and employment: it crystallizes the culture and history of voluntarism in the regulation itself. It is, in effect, ironic in how it balances change with tradition. It makes the new regulation pliable and difficult to see as a step to a state-led approach.There is a resistant trend to unions generally even if recognition cases may vary in terms of employer orientations.This article focuses on such issues by addressing a broader understanding of regulation through an ethnographic case study analysis.

Gambling partners? The risky outcomes of workplace partnerships

Jenkins, J. — 2007-11-22

This article analyses the motivations and dynamics of union—management partnership at two manufacturing plants located in the industrial region of South Wales in the UK. Each plant was a subsidiary of an international parent corporation: one in the aluminium sector and one in autocomponents manufacture. For meaningful partnership to be achieved, it is assumed that both union and management partners engage in reciprocal elements of risk in the hope — or gamble — that mutually beneficial outcomes will be forthcoming. But this article will argue that the causal association between partnership and substantive outcomes is contested. It suggests that analysis of partnership should focus on the context in which it is found, the motivations of key actors, and the nature of reciprocal risk for labour and management, in order to gain optimum insight into modern industrial relations and illuminate the political implications for the collective representation of labour's interests in contemporary capitalist society.

Labour process and decision-making in factories under workers' self-management: empirical evidence from Argentina

Atzeni, M., Ghigliani, P. — 2007-11-22

This article focuses on the process of workers' self-management brought about by a wave of factory occupations, which has taken place in Argentina in the last few years, with the support of preliminary evidence from qualitative fieldwork conducted in four factories.The aim of the article is to explore the dynamics of the decision-making and the re-organization of the labour process in the light of the constraints imposed on self-management by market mediations. The act of occupying a factory gives room to workers' control of the labour process and to a more democratic, collective decision-making, but workers' need to compete in the market reduces the sphere of collective decision, leading to centralization of power and divisions between directive and productive workers, hampering the possibility for workers to enrich their job and avoid self-exploitation.

Implications of family-friendly policies for organizational culture: findings from two case studies

Callan, S. — 2007-11-22

Formal policies intended to enable employees to meet family commitments may be important indicators of an organization's intent, but they do not guarantee that the informal culture is supportive of employees' families or their attempts to manage occasionally conflicting priorities (Lewis, 1997; Lewis and Lewis, 1996). Two case studies were conducted to identify salient aspects of the culture of two organizations and the extent to which changes in culture result from the implementation of family-friendly policies.The wider issue of the ease with which purposive cultural change or organizational learning may be engendered to ameliorate employees' work—life balance is also considered.

Dutch workers and time pressure: household and workplace characteristics

van der Lippe, T. — 2007-11-22

Balancing work with family life has become one of the most important issues for families nowadays. In this article I study the varying degrees of success of governance structures in households and firms in dealing with competing time claims. Using Dutch data from firms, employees and their spouses and performing regression analyses with robust estimation to test the hypotheses, the results show that more modern organizations characterized by heavy deadlines and a large amount of autonomy for individual employees give more feelings of time pressure. With respect to the organization of the household, especially the presence of young children, time spent on domestic and paid work and existing household rules explain feelings of time pressure. Gender also appears to be important. Men are influenced more by workplace characteristics, and women more by household characteristics.

Reorienting companies' hiring behaviour: an innovative `back-to-work' method in France

Salognon, M. — 2007-11-22

Current `back-to-work' programmes, particularly in France, tend to be built on a concept of personal responsibility for (long-term) unemployment and follow an `adaptive' approach: improving the `employability' of the unemployed, which is seen as an individual capacity, independent of the work and evaluation context. Our contribution justifies an alternative approach to back-to-work initiatives, so that society's share of responsibilities for long-term unemployment and social exclusion is taken into account within a collective, emergent and context-related conception of employability. Our study is based on observation of an innovative back-to-work programme in France (IOD) which seeks to change employers' assessment and recruitment practices to help vulnerable candidates who are generally discriminated against when seeking work.This interventionist approach aims to alter the demand side of the labour market and bring about changes in companies' practices to encourage more stable jobs and reduce selectivity in hiring.

For better or worse? Workplace changes and the health and well-being of Norwegian workers

Osthus, S. — 2007-11-22

Previous research has not always distinguished between downsizing and broader organizational redesign, or at least not analysed the two together, and may therefore have confounded the effects of the two on employees' health and well-being. Analyses of cross-sectional data on Norwegian employees ( N = 1944) suggest that downsizing and internal reorganization affects employees in predominantly negative ways. Neither downsizing nor internal reorganization of work are related to employees' level of task discretion. Internal reorganization is related to high work demands, job insecurity, low job satisfaction and work related health problems. Downsizing is related to high work demands and job insecurity, but the associations with job satisfaction and work related health problems are rather weak. Downsizing is more closely related to job insecurity than is reorganization, but reorganization is more closely related to high work demands, low job satisfaction and work related health problems than is downsizing.

Sociologists and `the Japanese model': a passing enthusiasm?

McCormick, K. — 2007-11-22

This article critiques the construction of `the Japanese model' of employment relations by sociologists in English language sociological research monographs, organization textbooks and introductory general textbooks. It demonstrates how marked differences emerged across the different genres and relates them to the different purposes of researchers and textbook writers.The article examines three particular puzzles. First, why did general textbooks adopt `the Japanese model' in the 1990s when media commentaries were announcing the demise of the Japanese model in Japan? Second, why did the 1990s textbooks use 1980s organization textbooks rather than research monographs for their sources? Third, why are general textbooks ready to distance themselves from the model in 2006 when researchers confirm continuing vitality in the Japanese model in large Japanese companies? Answering these questions reveals how sociological knowledge of Japanese employment has been generated, disseminated and used in research, teaching and policy debates.

The fatal flaws of diversity and the business case for ethnic minorities

Noon, M. — 2007-11-22

A new labour aristocracy? Aesthetic labour and routine interactive service

Warhurst, C., Nickson, D. — 2007-11-22

Review Essay: Digging the grave of apartheid: the history of black mineworkers in South Africa

Heyes, J. — 2007-11-22

Book Review: Richenda Gambles, Suzan Lewis and Rhona Rapoport The Myth of Work Life Balance:The Challenge of Our Time for Men,Women and Societies Chichester: John Wiley, 2006, no price stated hbk, no price stated pbk xxii+114 pp. ISBN: 0 470 09461 3

Shearn, M. — 2007-11-22

Book Review: Prodromos Panayiotopoulos Immigrant Enterprise in Europe and the USA London: Routledge, 2006, hbk, xvi + 264 pp. ISBN: 10: 0 415 35371 8

Psoinos, M. — 2007-11-22

Book Review: D. Byrne Social Exclusion Maidenhead: Open University Press, 2005, 2nd Edition, {pound}20.99 pbk, 204 pp. ISBN: 0 335215947

Lindsay, C. — 2007-11-22

Book Review: Stephen Edgell The Sociology of Work: Continuity and Change in Paid and Unpaid Work London: Sage, 2006, {pound}20.99 pbk ISBN 07619 4853 8, {pound}. 65.00 hbk ISBN 07619 4853 8), xii + 344 pp

Cuzzocrea, V. — 2007-11-22

Book Review: W.K. Roche and J.F. Geary Partnership at Work: The Quest for Radical Organizational Change Basingstoke: Routledge, 2006, {pound}65 hbk, no price stated pbk 292 pp. ISBN: 0 415 30434 2

Bondy, K. — 2007-11-22

Book Review: Dan Coffey The Myth of Japanese Efficiency:The Car Industry in a Globalising Age Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2006, {pound}53.96 hbk ISBN: 13 978 1 84542 041 3 202 pp

Belzak, S. — 2007-11-22

Book Review: G. Gall Sex Worker Union Organising Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006, {pound}55.00 hbk, no price stated pbk, x+ 252 pp. ISBN: 1 4039 4925 5

Aldred, R. — 2007-11-22

Book Review: S.M. Collins and Lael Brainard (eds) Offshoring White-Collar Work Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2006, price not stated, pbk xxx + 490 pp. ISBN: 0 8157 1284 7)

McCann, L. — 2007-11-22

Book Review: Barbara Kersley, Carmen Alpin, John Forth, Alex Bryson, Helen Bewley, Gill Dix and Sarah Oxenbridge Inside the Workplace: Findings from the 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey Basingstoke: Routledge, 2006, {pound}80.00 hbk, xviii + 392 pp. ISBN: 0 415 3781

Olsen, W. — 2007-11-22

Book Review: Suzanne E.Tallichet Daughters of the Mountain: Women Coal Miners in Central Appalachia Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2006, no price stated hbk, no price stated pbk, xii + 212pp. ISBN: 0 271 02904 8

Bonner, F. — 2007-11-22

Books Received

2007-11-22