Carola M. Frege
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199208067
- eISBN:
- 9780191709159
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199208067.003.0002
- Subject:
- Business and Management, HRM / IR
This chapter reviews the institutional development of employment research in the US, Britain, and Germany. It discusses symptoms of the current academic crisis in the study of work and employment and ...
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This chapter reviews the institutional development of employment research in the US, Britain, and Germany. It discusses symptoms of the current academic crisis in the study of work and employment and the written attempts to explain these developments. Most studies discuss the status of employment research in a single country (the US) and essentially describe but not further analyse indicators of the crisis and problems of the field. This book contributes to the evolving debate by enlarging the comparative perspective towards non-Anglophone countries such as those of continental Europe. More importantly, rather than focusing on the symptoms of this crisis, the book's historical approach allows us to go a step further and to examine the underlying path dependencies of research patterns across various countries.Less
This chapter reviews the institutional development of employment research in the US, Britain, and Germany. It discusses symptoms of the current academic crisis in the study of work and employment and the written attempts to explain these developments. Most studies discuss the status of employment research in a single country (the US) and essentially describe but not further analyse indicators of the crisis and problems of the field. This book contributes to the evolving debate by enlarging the comparative perspective towards non-Anglophone countries such as those of continental Europe. More importantly, rather than focusing on the symptoms of this crisis, the book's historical approach allows us to go a step further and to examine the underlying path dependencies of research patterns across various countries.
Carola M. Frege
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199208067
- eISBN:
- 9780191709159
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199208067.003.0003
- Subject:
- Business and Management, HRM / IR
This chapter investigates the existence of national research patterns on the basis of a comparative study of research outputs prominent employment journals in the US, Britain, and Germany. It poses ...
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This chapter investigates the existence of national research patterns on the basis of a comparative study of research outputs prominent employment journals in the US, Britain, and Germany. It poses the question as to how the problems that employment scholars consider to be important are determined in each country, and which techniques they employ to seek deeper understanding of their subject matter. How does research formulate questions, structure discourse, and evaluate arguments and evidence in each country? What are the main paradigms in each scientific community? Finally, to what extent do economic globalization and the internationalization of academic interactions have an impact on the various national research styles? Despite the increasing convergence of employment institutions and practices throughout the advanced industrialized world and despite the increasing international communication and interaction among the research communities, this survey finds that distinctive national research patterns remain in Employment Relations, which seem astonishingly resistant to the processes of universalization or modernization. These enduring cross-country variations suggest that the current crisis is mainly shaped by specific methodological and epistemological research characteristics, which are not necessarily universal or inevitable, but rather specific to the Anglophone, in particular US, context.Less
This chapter investigates the existence of national research patterns on the basis of a comparative study of research outputs prominent employment journals in the US, Britain, and Germany. It poses the question as to how the problems that employment scholars consider to be important are determined in each country, and which techniques they employ to seek deeper understanding of their subject matter. How does research formulate questions, structure discourse, and evaluate arguments and evidence in each country? What are the main paradigms in each scientific community? Finally, to what extent do economic globalization and the internationalization of academic interactions have an impact on the various national research styles? Despite the increasing convergence of employment institutions and practices throughout the advanced industrialized world and despite the increasing international communication and interaction among the research communities, this survey finds that distinctive national research patterns remain in Employment Relations, which seem astonishingly resistant to the processes of universalization or modernization. These enduring cross-country variations suggest that the current crisis is mainly shaped by specific methodological and epistemological research characteristics, which are not necessarily universal or inevitable, but rather specific to the Anglophone, in particular US, context.
Carola M. Frege
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199208067
- eISBN:
- 9780191709159
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199208067.003.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, HRM / IR
This chapter introduces the argument and structure of the book. Since its heyday of the 1950s/60s Employment Relations as an academic field has increasingly been facing a crisis (e.g., declining ...
More
This chapter introduces the argument and structure of the book. Since its heyday of the 1950s/60s Employment Relations as an academic field has increasingly been facing a crisis (e.g., declining number of programmes and students), which in recent years has provoked a small, though rather eclectic discussion on its constitution and future, in particular in the US. The crisis has been related to the steady decline of trade unions and collective bargaining in most advanced industrialized countries during the last two decades. The book takes the current critical situation of Employment Relations as an opportunity to reflect upon knowledge creation in the area of work and employment from a comparative perspective. It compares employment research in the US, Britain, and Germany and traces its scholarly origins during the 19th century. The core thesis is that employment research is deeply embedded in longstanding country-specific institutional and intellectual traditions. The book explores why and how the field of study developed differently in different countries and what implications can be drawn from this for the future of the field of study.Less
This chapter introduces the argument and structure of the book. Since its heyday of the 1950s/60s Employment Relations as an academic field has increasingly been facing a crisis (e.g., declining number of programmes and students), which in recent years has provoked a small, though rather eclectic discussion on its constitution and future, in particular in the US. The crisis has been related to the steady decline of trade unions and collective bargaining in most advanced industrialized countries during the last two decades. The book takes the current critical situation of Employment Relations as an opportunity to reflect upon knowledge creation in the area of work and employment from a comparative perspective. It compares employment research in the US, Britain, and Germany and traces its scholarly origins during the 19th century. The core thesis is that employment research is deeply embedded in longstanding country-specific institutional and intellectual traditions. The book explores why and how the field of study developed differently in different countries and what implications can be drawn from this for the future of the field of study.
Manuela Samek Lodovici
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199240524
- eISBN:
- 9780191599187
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199240523.003.0011
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This chapter examines labour market regulation in Italy. It highlights the risks associated with excessive regulation of employment relations: the development of a highly segmented market, exclusion ...
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This chapter examines labour market regulation in Italy. It highlights the risks associated with excessive regulation of employment relations: the development of a highly segmented market, exclusion of first-time job seekers from regular employment, low elasticity of wages to unemployment, inefficiencies from low inter-regional and inter-sectoral labour mobility, and the presence of a large underground economy. ‘Re-regulation’ in the early 1990s has improved flexibility in wage dynamics, working time, firing procedures, and atypical work.Less
This chapter examines labour market regulation in Italy. It highlights the risks associated with excessive regulation of employment relations: the development of a highly segmented market, exclusion of first-time job seekers from regular employment, low elasticity of wages to unemployment, inefficiencies from low inter-regional and inter-sectoral labour mobility, and the presence of a large underground economy. ‘Re-regulation’ in the early 1990s has improved flexibility in wage dynamics, working time, firing procedures, and atypical work.
Carola M. Frege
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199208067
- eISBN:
- 9780191709159
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199208067.003.0008
- Subject:
- Business and Management, HRM / IR
This chapter summarises the book’s main empirical findings and theoretical implications. A core finding is that how research on work and employment was embedded in the political culture of a specific ...
More
This chapter summarises the book’s main empirical findings and theoretical implications. A core finding is that how research on work and employment was embedded in the political culture of a specific country during the 19th century is fundamental to the understanding of longstanding cross-national differences of employment research. The formation of social sciences during the 19th century coincided with transformations of the nation states, which in turn depended on the new discursive understanding of state and society. It makes sense therefore that scientific areas such as Employment Relations, which were closely connected to the advent of market economies and political democracies, became strongly embedded in country-specific state traditions. These different political legacies have major implications for the future of the academic field of Employment Relations. This book advocates that the de-politicization of employment research, in particular in Anglophone countries, may be disadvantageous in the long run. Reclaiming a political, thus policy-oriented, notion of the study of work and employment may be a risky but potentially necessary strategy for the future of the field.Less
This chapter summarises the book’s main empirical findings and theoretical implications. A core finding is that how research on work and employment was embedded in the political culture of a specific country during the 19th century is fundamental to the understanding of longstanding cross-national differences of employment research. The formation of social sciences during the 19th century coincided with transformations of the nation states, which in turn depended on the new discursive understanding of state and society. It makes sense therefore that scientific areas such as Employment Relations, which were closely connected to the advent of market economies and political democracies, became strongly embedded in country-specific state traditions. These different political legacies have major implications for the future of the academic field of Employment Relations. This book advocates that the de-politicization of employment research, in particular in Anglophone countries, may be disadvantageous in the long run. Reclaiming a political, thus policy-oriented, notion of the study of work and employment may be a risky but potentially necessary strategy for the future of the field.
Tony Elger and Chris Smith
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199241514
- eISBN:
- 9780191714405
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199241514.001.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, International Business
This book uses research on Japanese firms in the UK to contribute to broader debate about the role of international firms in reconstructing contemporary work and employment relations. Japanese ...
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This book uses research on Japanese firms in the UK to contribute to broader debate about the role of international firms in reconstructing contemporary work and employment relations. Japanese manufacturing subsidiaries in Britain have often been portrayed as carriers of Japanese best practice models of work organization and employment relations. This research challenges this view on the basis of intensive comparative workplace case studies of several Japanese manufacturing plants in Britain. It develops an analysis of system, society, and dominance effects to identify the competing pressures upon such firms, and argues that factory managers have to negotiate the implications of these cross pressures. Thus, the analysis focuses on the ways in which Japanese and British managers have sought to construct distinctive production and employment regimes in the light of their particular branch plant mandates and competencies, the evolving character of management-worker relations within factories, and the varied product and labour market conditions they face. It also explores the scope and bases of consent and dissent among employees working in these modern workplaces. On this basis, it highlights the constraints as well as the opportunities facing managers of such greenfield workplaces, the uncertainties that arise from intractable features of capitalist employment relations, and the ways in which employment and production regimes are adapted and remade in specific corporate and local contexts. Finally, it assesses the strengths and weaknesses of three competing contemporary images of international subsidiaries, as transplants, as hybrids, and as branch plants.Less
This book uses research on Japanese firms in the UK to contribute to broader debate about the role of international firms in reconstructing contemporary work and employment relations. Japanese manufacturing subsidiaries in Britain have often been portrayed as carriers of Japanese best practice models of work organization and employment relations. This research challenges this view on the basis of intensive comparative workplace case studies of several Japanese manufacturing plants in Britain. It develops an analysis of system, society, and dominance effects to identify the competing pressures upon such firms, and argues that factory managers have to negotiate the implications of these cross pressures. Thus, the analysis focuses on the ways in which Japanese and British managers have sought to construct distinctive production and employment regimes in the light of their particular branch plant mandates and competencies, the evolving character of management-worker relations within factories, and the varied product and labour market conditions they face. It also explores the scope and bases of consent and dissent among employees working in these modern workplaces. On this basis, it highlights the constraints as well as the opportunities facing managers of such greenfield workplaces, the uncertainties that arise from intractable features of capitalist employment relations, and the ways in which employment and production regimes are adapted and remade in specific corporate and local contexts. Finally, it assesses the strengths and weaknesses of three competing contemporary images of international subsidiaries, as transplants, as hybrids, and as branch plants.
Carola M. Frege
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199208067
- eISBN:
- 9780191709159
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199208067.003.0004
- Subject:
- Business and Management, HRM / IR
This chapter provides a theoretical framework to analyse the ‘cultural embeddedness’ of national research patterns and its implications for the future of employment research. The underlying ...
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This chapter provides a theoretical framework to analyse the ‘cultural embeddedness’ of national research patterns and its implications for the future of employment research. The underlying theoretical assumption is that employment research, as any other social science, is not just determined by its subject matter (e.g., employment institutions and practices) but is socially constructed. The book emphasizes that social science disciplines or fields of study are not universal or determined by an invisible scientific law but shaped by specific socio-historical contexts. Thus, this book perceives social sciences as being continuously re-invented by strategic (academic) actors and structural conditions which are influenced by cultural legacies. In particular, the longitudinal perspective of this book allows us to analyse how preexisting social, political, and intellectual conditions of the 19th century shaped the emergent national traditions of employment research and its academic organization. The trajectories or path dependencies of employment research, which arguably still have an impact on research today, will be discussed on the basis of three different dimensions, substantive, institutional, and ideational: the subject field of academic inquiry (labour movement histories); scientific knowledge institutions (social science traditions); and the underlying intellectual traditions (industrial democracy discourse).Less
This chapter provides a theoretical framework to analyse the ‘cultural embeddedness’ of national research patterns and its implications for the future of employment research. The underlying theoretical assumption is that employment research, as any other social science, is not just determined by its subject matter (e.g., employment institutions and practices) but is socially constructed. The book emphasizes that social science disciplines or fields of study are not universal or determined by an invisible scientific law but shaped by specific socio-historical contexts. Thus, this book perceives social sciences as being continuously re-invented by strategic (academic) actors and structural conditions which are influenced by cultural legacies. In particular, the longitudinal perspective of this book allows us to analyse how preexisting social, political, and intellectual conditions of the 19th century shaped the emergent national traditions of employment research and its academic organization. The trajectories or path dependencies of employment research, which arguably still have an impact on research today, will be discussed on the basis of three different dimensions, substantive, institutional, and ideational: the subject field of academic inquiry (labour movement histories); scientific knowledge institutions (social science traditions); and the underlying intellectual traditions (industrial democracy discourse).
Ruth V. Aguilera
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199263677
- eISBN:
- 9780191718373
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199263677.003.0008
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Corporate Governance and Accountability
The chapter identifies the ‘exceptional’ traits of the Spanish economic organization model, its main transformations over time, and the complementarities and tensions between corporate governance and ...
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The chapter identifies the ‘exceptional’ traits of the Spanish economic organization model, its main transformations over time, and the complementarities and tensions between corporate governance and employment systems. It is argued that Spain has followed its own idiosyncratic path to a new model of corporate governance. This route has been distinct and unique, and determined by Spanish institutional legacies, constraints, and opportunities. The Spanish system is evolving towards a hybrid model that adopts practices from different systems, especially the Anglo-Saxon one.Less
The chapter identifies the ‘exceptional’ traits of the Spanish economic organization model, its main transformations over time, and the complementarities and tensions between corporate governance and employment systems. It is argued that Spain has followed its own idiosyncratic path to a new model of corporate governance. This route has been distinct and unique, and determined by Spanish institutional legacies, constraints, and opportunities. The Spanish system is evolving towards a hybrid model that adopts practices from different systems, especially the Anglo-Saxon one.
Carola M. Frege
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199208067
- eISBN:
- 9780191709159
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199208067.003.0005
- Subject:
- Business and Management, HRM / IR
This chapter examines the histories of the subject field, which originate in the beginnings of industrialization and democratization during the 19th century in each country. It argues that employment ...
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This chapter examines the histories of the subject field, which originate in the beginnings of industrialization and democratization during the 19th century in each country. It argues that employment research has been shaped by the development of its subject, employment institutions and regulations, and in particular by the different histories of trade unions in each country and their relationship to the state.Less
This chapter examines the histories of the subject field, which originate in the beginnings of industrialization and democratization during the 19th century in each country. It argues that employment research has been shaped by the development of its subject, employment institutions and regulations, and in particular by the different histories of trade unions in each country and their relationship to the state.
Carola M. Frege
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199208067
- eISBN:
- 9780191709159
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199208067.003.0007
- Subject:
- Business and Management, HRM / IR
This chapter explores the ideational embeddedness of employment research in country-specific intellectual traditions, which developed throughout the late 18th century and the 19th century. The focus ...
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This chapter explores the ideational embeddedness of employment research in country-specific intellectual traditions, which developed throughout the late 18th century and the 19th century. The focus here is placed on the national discourses on political and industrial democracy, thus on the ideational relationship between state, democracy and economy. It is particularly these discourses that shaped the developing paradigms of employment research.Less
This chapter explores the ideational embeddedness of employment research in country-specific intellectual traditions, which developed throughout the late 18th century and the 19th century. The focus here is placed on the national discourses on political and industrial democracy, thus on the ideational relationship between state, democracy and economy. It is particularly these discourses that shaped the developing paradigms of employment research.
Anthony Ferner and Phil Almond
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199274635
- eISBN:
- 9780191706530
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199274635.003.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, HRM / IR
This chapter explains the background and rationale behind the study of the management of international HR and employment relations in US multinationals in four European host countries: the UK, ...
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This chapter explains the background and rationale behind the study of the management of international HR and employment relations in US multinationals in four European host countries: the UK, Germany, Ireland, and Spain.Less
This chapter explains the background and rationale behind the study of the management of international HR and employment relations in US multinationals in four European host countries: the UK, Germany, Ireland, and Spain.
Carola M. Frege
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199208067
- eISBN:
- 9780191709159
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199208067.003.0006
- Subject:
- Business and Management, HRM / IR
This chapter explores the broader context of scientific knowledge institutions and social science traditions in the three countries, which originate in the 19th century and were shaped by different ...
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This chapter explores the broader context of scientific knowledge institutions and social science traditions in the three countries, which originate in the 19th century and were shaped by different state policies on higher education and scientific research. These scientific traditions matter, in particular, when seeking explanations for cross-national methodological and epistemological differences in employment studies.Less
This chapter explores the broader context of scientific knowledge institutions and social science traditions in the three countries, which originate in the 19th century and were shaped by different state policies on higher education and scientific research. These scientific traditions matter, in particular, when seeking explanations for cross-national methodological and epistemological differences in employment studies.
Roderick Martin, Peter D. Casson, and Tahir M. Nisar
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199202607
- eISBN:
- 9780191707896
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199202607.003.0002
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Finance, Accounting, and Banking
Investor engagement ranges across a spectrum, from indirect/laissez-faire relations to direct investor involvement in specific areas of management practice. The methods of engagement range from ...
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Investor engagement ranges across a spectrum, from indirect/laissez-faire relations to direct investor involvement in specific areas of management practice. The methods of engagement range from informal discussion, the preferred mode of engagement, through to formal methods, such as shareholder resolutions. Investor engagement is placed in the context of other influences on management behaviour. Strategy and innovation are two areas of management practice where investors have especially high incentives to intervene.Less
Investor engagement ranges across a spectrum, from indirect/laissez-faire relations to direct investor involvement in specific areas of management practice. The methods of engagement range from informal discussion, the preferred mode of engagement, through to formal methods, such as shareholder resolutions. Investor engagement is placed in the context of other influences on management behaviour. Strategy and innovation are two areas of management practice where investors have especially high incentives to intervene.
Jill Rubery, Jill Earnshaw, and Mick Marchington
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199262236
- eISBN:
- 9780191698859
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199262236.003.0003
- Subject:
- Business and Management, HRM / IR, Organization Studies
Debates about the changing nature of work and the prospects for the retention of the so-called standard employment relationship have become more widespread recently. This literature has focused to ...
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Debates about the changing nature of work and the prospects for the retention of the so-called standard employment relationship have become more widespread recently. This literature has focused to large extent on the fragmentation of work and increasing insecurity, often associated with the proliferation of ‘non-standard’ forms of employment. Growing numbers of pseudo self-employed workers, agency temps, zero hours contractors, and home-based teleworkers have all attracted attention to the issue of whether these forms of work fall within our understanding of the standard employment relationship; a bounded and long-term relationship between a single employer and an employee. These concerns within the literature are mirrored in the practice of employment law where increasing numbers of cases apply to situations where the definition of employee status is in some sense ambiguous, and employment regulations have increasingly been extended to include within their scope workers who fail the full test of employee status. So far, however, attention in both social science and employment law has focused mostly on the appropriateness of a narrow definition for the employee side of the employment relationship. This chapter argues there is a parallel need to question the employer side of this conceptual box. Employment change needs to be understood through the changing nature of organizations and inter-organizational relations.Less
Debates about the changing nature of work and the prospects for the retention of the so-called standard employment relationship have become more widespread recently. This literature has focused to large extent on the fragmentation of work and increasing insecurity, often associated with the proliferation of ‘non-standard’ forms of employment. Growing numbers of pseudo self-employed workers, agency temps, zero hours contractors, and home-based teleworkers have all attracted attention to the issue of whether these forms of work fall within our understanding of the standard employment relationship; a bounded and long-term relationship between a single employer and an employee. These concerns within the literature are mirrored in the practice of employment law where increasing numbers of cases apply to situations where the definition of employee status is in some sense ambiguous, and employment regulations have increasingly been extended to include within their scope workers who fail the full test of employee status. So far, however, attention in both social science and employment law has focused mostly on the appropriateness of a narrow definition for the employee side of the employment relationship. This chapter argues there is a parallel need to question the employer side of this conceptual box. Employment change needs to be understood through the changing nature of organizations and inter-organizational relations.
Anthony Ferner and Anne Tempel
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199274635
- eISBN:
- 9780191706530
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199274635.003.0002
- Subject:
- Business and Management, HRM / IR
This chapter presents a conceptual framework for understanding the cross-national transfer of human resource management and employment relations policies in US multinationals. The framework draws on ...
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This chapter presents a conceptual framework for understanding the cross-national transfer of human resource management and employment relations policies in US multinationals. The framework draws on institutionalist theory, arguing that multinationals’ embeddedness within the institutions of their parent-country business system influences how these firms operate abroad. However, weaknesses in current strands of institutionalism need to be addressed. In particular, existing theory has tended to neglect questions of power. The chapter considers how institutional and power perspectives may be integrated. It focuses on the interaction between power and institutions at multiple levels, notably at the organizational level of ‘micropolitics’ within multinationals, and at the macro-level of nation states. The cross-national transfer of HR policies and practices within multinationals is seen as the movement of practices across institutional domains by actors with divergent interests in the transfer, and with differential power resources with which to effect or inhibit it.Less
This chapter presents a conceptual framework for understanding the cross-national transfer of human resource management and employment relations policies in US multinationals. The framework draws on institutionalist theory, arguing that multinationals’ embeddedness within the institutions of their parent-country business system influences how these firms operate abroad. However, weaknesses in current strands of institutionalism need to be addressed. In particular, existing theory has tended to neglect questions of power. The chapter considers how institutional and power perspectives may be integrated. It focuses on the interaction between power and institutions at multiple levels, notably at the organizational level of ‘micropolitics’ within multinationals, and at the macro-level of nation states. The cross-national transfer of HR policies and practices within multinationals is seen as the movement of practices across institutional domains by actors with divergent interests in the transfer, and with differential power resources with which to effect or inhibit it.
David Marsden
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198294221
- eISBN:
- 9780191596612
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198294220.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Macro- and Monetary Economics
‘A theory of Employment Systems’ explains why there are such great international differences in the way employment relations are organized within the firm. It takes account of the growing evidence of ...
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‘A theory of Employment Systems’ explains why there are such great international differences in the way employment relations are organized within the firm. It takes account of the growing evidence of international diversity. It sets out from the theory of the firm first developed by Coase and Simon, and explains why firms and workers should use the employment relationship as the basis for their economic cooperation. The originality of the employment relationship lies in its flexibility. It gives managers the authority to organize work, but it also establishes limits on employees’ obligations. Neither Coase nor Simon dealt with these limits, yet without them, no one would be prepared to work as an ‘employee’, and so there would be no employment relationship, and firms would not exist as employing organizations.The book argues that these limits are provided by four basic types of employment rule. Which one predominates in a given environment is the source of societal diversity in employment relations. The theory is extended to show why such diversity extends deep into key areas of human resource management, such as performance management, incentive pay, and skill development. It also explains why the open‐ended employment relationship continues to dominate work despite the growth of market‐mediated work relations. The book covers evidence from the US, Japan, France, Germany, and Britain.Less
‘A theory of Employment Systems’ explains why there are such great international differences in the way employment relations are organized within the firm. It takes account of the growing evidence of international diversity. It sets out from the theory of the firm first developed by Coase and Simon, and explains why firms and workers should use the employment relationship as the basis for their economic cooperation. The originality of the employment relationship lies in its flexibility. It gives managers the authority to organize work, but it also establishes limits on employees’ obligations. Neither Coase nor Simon dealt with these limits, yet without them, no one would be prepared to work as an ‘employee’, and so there would be no employment relationship, and firms would not exist as employing organizations.
The book argues that these limits are provided by four basic types of employment rule. Which one predominates in a given environment is the source of societal diversity in employment relations. The theory is extended to show why such diversity extends deep into key areas of human resource management, such as performance management, incentive pay, and skill development. It also explains why the open‐ended employment relationship continues to dominate work despite the growth of market‐mediated work relations. The book covers evidence from the US, Japan, France, Germany, and Britain.
Damian Grimshaw, Mick Marchington, Jill Rubery, and Hugh Willmott
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199262236
- eISBN:
- 9780191698859
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199262236.003.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, HRM / IR, Organization Studies
This introductory chapter begins with a discussion of the blurring of organizational boundaries and fragmentation of work, which are increasing uncertainty and ambiguity in employment relations. It ...
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This introductory chapter begins with a discussion of the blurring of organizational boundaries and fragmentation of work, which are increasing uncertainty and ambiguity in employment relations. It considers popular accounts of new organizational forms and then turns to academic literature on fragmentation. This is followed by a description of the research project presented in this book.Less
This introductory chapter begins with a discussion of the blurring of organizational boundaries and fragmentation of work, which are increasing uncertainty and ambiguity in employment relations. It considers popular accounts of new organizational forms and then turns to academic literature on fragmentation. This is followed by a description of the research project presented in this book.
David Marsden
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198294221
- eISBN:
- 9780191596612
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198294220.003.0003
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Macro- and Monetary Economics
The diffusion of employment rules is analysed as an evolutionarily stable strategy. The primary mechanism is that once a particular rule begins to dominate in a sector, it makes sense for others to ...
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The diffusion of employment rules is analysed as an evolutionarily stable strategy. The primary mechanism is that once a particular rule begins to dominate in a sector, it makes sense for others to adopt it because it is widely understood by workers and managers. They can therefore spread in the absence of action by the state and collective bargaining—essential if we are to understand employment relations in ‘non‐union’ firms. However, such rules can be further reinforced by incorporation into collective agreements and employment law.Less
The diffusion of employment rules is analysed as an evolutionarily stable strategy. The primary mechanism is that once a particular rule begins to dominate in a sector, it makes sense for others to adopt it because it is widely understood by workers and managers. They can therefore spread in the absence of action by the state and collective bargaining—essential if we are to understand employment relations in ‘non‐union’ firms. However, such rules can be further reinforced by incorporation into collective agreements and employment law.
Roderick Martin
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198775690
- eISBN:
- 9780191695377
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198775690.003.0006
- Subject:
- Business and Management, International Business, Political Economy
This chapter provides a bird's eye view of employment relations in CEE, and in doing so explores the reasons for the relative quiescence of organized labour since 1989. The chapter is organized into ...
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This chapter provides a bird's eye view of employment relations in CEE, and in doing so explores the reasons for the relative quiescence of organized labour since 1989. The chapter is organized into eight sections. Following a brief introduction, the second section examines national and sectoral-level institutional arrangements, including the development of tripartism and macro- and meso-level corporatism. The third section examines management strategies at the enterprise level, and the relation between overall enterprise strategies and employment relations. Sections 4 to 7 examine the different aspects of enterprise-level employment relations: recruitment, training, wages policies, and redundancy. The eighth and final section summarizes the discussion and returns to the issue of labour quiescence.Less
This chapter provides a bird's eye view of employment relations in CEE, and in doing so explores the reasons for the relative quiescence of organized labour since 1989. The chapter is organized into eight sections. Following a brief introduction, the second section examines national and sectoral-level institutional arrangements, including the development of tripartism and macro- and meso-level corporatism. The third section examines management strategies at the enterprise level, and the relation between overall enterprise strategies and employment relations. Sections 4 to 7 examine the different aspects of enterprise-level employment relations: recruitment, training, wages policies, and redundancy. The eighth and final section summarizes the discussion and returns to the issue of labour quiescence.
David Marsden
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198294221
- eISBN:
- 9780191596612
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198294220.003.0002
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Macro- and Monetary Economics
The work rules that delimit managerial authority have to satisfy two fundamental requirements for there to be an effective contract. They must be easily enforced by ordinary workers and their line ...
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The work rules that delimit managerial authority have to satisfy two fundamental requirements for there to be an effective contract. They must be easily enforced by ordinary workers and their line managers, and they must match the firm's job demands with workers’ skills. These are necessary and sufficient conditions for a viable employment relationship. Combining these two constraints gives rise to a typology of work rules that is later shown (Ch. 5) to explain international (societal) diversity in employment relations. The way each of these rules deals with common forms of opportunistic behaviour in employment is explored.Less
The work rules that delimit managerial authority have to satisfy two fundamental requirements for there to be an effective contract. They must be easily enforced by ordinary workers and their line managers, and they must match the firm's job demands with workers’ skills. These are necessary and sufficient conditions for a viable employment relationship. Combining these two constraints gives rise to a typology of work rules that is later shown (Ch. 5) to explain international (societal) diversity in employment relations. The way each of these rules deals with common forms of opportunistic behaviour in employment is explored.
