Global Trends in Flexible Labour: (Critical Perspectives on Work and Organisations)

There has been a significant growth in flexible or "non-standard" forms of employment. Within a conceptual framework that focuses on the nature of employment relationships, this text explores the spatial and temporal connections between work and non-work and the development of flexible labour within a global arena. In addition, it considers the circumstances which have given rise to a variety of "non standard" forms, including the impact of deregulation, government policies, unemployment, globalization, employer strategies and trade union responses. Providing an international and comparative focus, it offers an account of an increasingly common form of work.

Table of Contents:
Flexible Labour and Non-Standard Employment: an Agenda of Issues; A.Felstead & N.Jewson Economies of Time: a Framework for Analysing the Restructuring of Employment Relations; M.Harvey Flexible Work in the Virtual Workplace: Discourses and Implications of Teleworking; N.Armstrong Contingent and Non-Standard Work in the United States: Towards a More Poorly Compensated, Insecure Workforce; S.Rosenberg & J.Lapidus Explaining the Relationship between Flexible Employment and Labour Market Regulation; P.Robinson Changing Regulatory Frameworks and Non-Standard Employment: a Comparison of Germany, Spain, Sweden and the UK; C.Cousins The Expansion in Non-Standard Employment in Australia and the Extension of Employer's Control; J.Burgess & G.Strachan Gender Contracts, Welfare Systems and Non-Standard Working: Diversity and Change in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy and the UK; S.Yeandle Global Restructuring and Non-Standard Work in Newly Industrialised Economies: the Organisation of Flexible Production in Hong Kong and Taiwan; T.L.Lui & T.Man-yiu Chiu New Managerial Strategies of Japanese Corporations; E.Kyotani

About the Author :
ALAN FELSTEAD is Director of Research and Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Labour Market Studies, University of Leicester. NICK JEWSON is Director of the Ethnicity Research Centre and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology, University of Leicester.

Review :
'A remarkable coverage of one of the most important issues of HRM.' - Philip Smithies, Bradford/Ilkley Community College 'All the chapters are very careful with their interpretation of the evidence, so that they can confidently be used as reliable guides through several conceptual minefields.' - Paul Edwards, Warwick Business School, in Management Learning 'There is much fresh and interesting work in Global Trends in Flexible Labour...The book is a great source of data with good explanations of definitions and differences in criteria.' - Terri Mylett, Labour & Industry 'A useful and timely comparative dimension to the study of work and organisations, particularly in the light of benchmarking requirements in sociology which require emphasis on comparative dimensions.' - Margaret Edwards, Liverpool John Moores University 'Excellent...Up-to-date research and writing by...experts in the field.' - Dr. Len Holden, Leicester Business School 'Interesting...up-to-date and gives an international perspective. No other text to compare it with.' - Ellen Whitworth, University of Leeds 'This text provides the ONLY source of evidence-based analysis of recent trends in flexible employment in an international context.' - Colin Bryson, Nottingham Trent University 'This is a much needed textbook in the field of internationalization. Most of the literature on flexible labour tends to be national - this book provides the international/comparative perspective.' - Dr Branine, University of Stirling 'Excellent text...topical, well-written...good clear diagrams and references.' - Julie Prowse, De Montfort University