The Sociology of Work (RLE: Organizations)

A Critical Annotated Bibliography

Parvin Ghorayshi

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• Topic: Business
• eBook ISBN:
  9781135938055
• Subtopic: Business General
• Index: Business

This reference volume reflects the changing world of work. It includes research on the various dimensions of work, such as the structure of the labour force, labour market segmentation, technology, employment/unemployment, trade unions, and industrial democracy. This book provides an integrated view of the various dimensions of work, its distinguishing characteristics and issues both peculiar, as well as common to industrialized countries. By adopting an interdisciplinary and interactional perspective, this volume provides the scholar and the lay reader with a range of approaches and debates that have made a significant contribution toward understanding the changing nature of work and its social impact.

CHAPTER ONE

THE WORLD OF WORK

Ideology of Work

1. Aho, S. “Labour Society in Crisis? A Discussion.” Acta Sociologica, 28(1) 1985, 55–61.

Hannah Ardent used the concept of labor society to criticize modern age life and thinking for worshiping labor and neglecting all other human conditions. Sociologists have increasingly been using this concept to refer to industrial societies; it is claimed that in modern Western societies the economic, moral and social order is labor--in a way which is without parallel in history.

Provocative, this discussion shows that the labor society is in crisis.

2. Ali, A., M. Al-Shakhis. “Managerial Beliefs about Work in two Arab States.” Organization Studies, 10(2) 1989, 169–186.

Shows that Saudi and Iraqi executives are not homogeneous groups. Their country affiliation, rather than demographic or organizational variables, is found to be more important in influencing work orientations. Iraqi managers tend to have more egalitarian and humanistic beliefs about work than do Saudi managers.

Of particular value to those interested in comparative industrial behavior.

3. Anthony, P.D. The Ideology of Work. London: Tavistock, 1977.

Analyses the various ideologies that have been developed to persuade people to work. Ideologies are necessary because work for most people, has always been associated with danger and unpleasantness. This preoccupation with ideology is highly developed in both advanced capitalist and state socialist countries.

Provides a fascinating account of the ideas that have been used to justify work.

4. Beaty, D. T. and O. Harari. “South Africa: White Managers, Black Voices.” Harvard Business Review, 65(4) 1987, 98.

Many of the terms used by Western scholars of industrial relations can, in South Africa, mean something quite different to blacks than they do to the whites. While white managers see the work place as separate from politics, black workers see it as an extension of apartheid. Productivity seems to be inseparable from politics in this country.

Excellent evidence of the complex links between politics, work attitudes and productivity.

* Brecher, J. (Item 79)

* Burawoy, M. (Item 39)

5. Cannings, K. “Managerial Promotion: The Effects of Socialization, Specialization and Gender.” Industrial and Labour Relations Review, 42(1) 1988, 77–88.

Reports the results of a survey of managers in a large Canadian corporation, showing that women managers earn much less than their male counterparts and are less likely to be promoted.

Shows the decisive impact of gender ideology on work and mobility.

6. Chang, S.K.C. “Managerial Attitudes and Leadership Power in U.S. Companies in Taiwan, R.O.C.” International Journal of Comparative Sociology, 28(1–2) 1987, 14–29.

Examines the differences in management style between top level Chinese and American managers of U.S. companies in Taiwan, finding that these managers tend to follow almost identical patterns of management style. Thus, the policy of multinational corporations in Taiwan, which limits the promotion of Chinese managers into upper level positions, appears to be without empirical foundation.

Provides a solid basis for developing corporate policies and staffing decisions.

7. Cherrington, D.J. The Work Ethic: Working Values and Values that Work. NewYork: Amacom, 1980.

Increased government regulation, inadequate investment, and a less co-operative attitude between business and government have been cited as some of the factors which have caused a decline in productivity in America. Cherrington believes these factors are important, but do not explain the whole story. The missing factor is referred to as the X factor, which is identified with the changing values of the employees--values that differ substantially from the traditional work ethic.

Of particular interest to those concerned with normative aspects of work productivity.

8. Coles, R. “Storytellers’ Ethics.” Harvard Business Review, 65(2) 1987, 8.

Provides a survey of selected literature, raising important questions on how individuals conduct their lives, as well as the impact of their actions on society.

An illuminating and innovative addition to the study of the business ethic.

* Doering, M. (Item 141)

9. Edwards, P.K. Managing the Factory: A Survey of General Managers. Oxford: Blackwell, 1987.

Examines the attitudes of managers and their involvement in the management of labor in large corporations. There is little support for the simplistic ‘macho management’ type of analysis, in which union-bashing and the fear of unemployment are used to gain compliance. Instead, the managers’ focus is on improving their employer's competitive position through greater flexibility and enhanced productivity.

Redirects the focus of analysis from that of the managed to the managers. Useful to academics and managers, as well as those who have an interest in industrial relations.

* Jackson, R.M. (Item 54)

* Jencks, C. (Item 97)

* Le Masters, E.E. (Item 102)

* Mies, M. (Item 26)

10. MOW International Research Team. The Meaning of Working, London: Academic Press, 1987

Uses national representative samples of the work force, and selected socially important target groups, to investigate, within industrialized nations, the meaning people attach to their work. Assesses the meaning of working in Belgium, Britain, The Federal Republic of Germany, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, the USA, and Yugoslavia; summarizes the main findings, and explores possible action and policy implications.

An important addition to the field of occupational and organizational psychology.

* Newman, K.S. (Item 104)

11. Ogunbameru, O.A. “The African Proletariat in Industrial Employment: A Reappraisal.” International Social Science Journal, 36(100) 1984, 341–354.

Questions the common portrayal of African workers as unproductive, inefficient, uncommitted to their work and prone to high turnover, demonstrating instead that low productivity and lack of commitment are not innate features of African workers, but the consequence of factors such as constant breakdown of machines, lack of security, low and irregular pay and poor working conditions.

A contribution to the literature on work attitude.

12. Pahl, R.E. On Work: Historical, Comparative and Theoretical Approaches, Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1988.

Aims to clarify the confusion and ambiguities about work--its meaning, nature and purpose in our lives. Examines the past experiences of work, the emergence of new patterns of work, work done by women--paid and unpaid, domestically, work outside employment--and the new forces of today's capitalist economy--from home working to the new factories in the Third World.

A remarkable collection of studies, this publication provides an in-depth view of various dimensions of work. An excellent textbook for sociology of work.

* Plath, D.W. (Item 106)

13. Prandy, K., A. Stewart, and R.M. Blackburn. White Collar Work. London: Macmillan Press, Ltd., 1982.

Examines how white collar workers experience work, and how they respond when the rewards of work do not correspond to their experiences. Also looks at the level of rewards individuals receive, the expectations workers hold about their jobs, and assesses how workers try to change their situations.

Has much to offer on workers’ attitudes toward their jobs and unions. Raises important methodological questions when measuring expectations.

14. Rezsohazy, R. “Recent Social Development and Changes in Attitudes to Time.” International Social Science Journal, 38(107) 1986, 33–48.

The way people regard and employ time is largely dependent on their economic conditions, the organization of their daily life and their cultural setting, including religion. Ideas about, and attitudes to, time have a deep impact on people's economic behavior, political actions, and their relationships in the various sectors of society. Identifies the new attitudes with regard to the passage of time in its past, present and future dimensions.

Helpful for understanding variations in work attitudes in different societies.

15. Shlapentokh, V. “Evolution in the Soviet Sociology of Work: From Ideology to Pragmatism.” Work and Occupations, 14(3) 1987, 410–433.

Traces the sociology of work in the Soviet Union through a number of different periods which are characterized by the dominance of different theoretical and ideological orientations. The Soviet sociology of work has changed considerably since its emergence in the late 1950’s. In fact, in recent years, Soviet sociologists of work have been able to develop a variety of approaches which enrich our understanding of workers’ attitudes.

* Triska, J.F. (Item 123)

16. Wallman, S. Social Anthropology of Work, NewYork: Academic Press, 1979.

Uses the Marxist debate, and case studies from pre-industrial to advanced industrial societies, to explore the concept of work from various points of view. It takes a broad, cross-cultural frame of reference, and places work in the context of social relationships and symbolic values. It also describes very well the experience and organization of work in a variety of social structures, paying particular attention to the systematic relation between culture, organization and structure.

Well-organized and informative. Ideal for a complementary textbook for a course on the sociology of work.

* Westsood, S. (Item 230)

* Willis, P. (Item 128)

* Wipper, A. (Item 129)

Understanding the Global Dimension

17. Alden, V.R. “Who Says you Can't Crack Japanese Market?” Harvard Business Review, 65(1) 1987, 52.

Questions myths about the Japanese market: That they are not serious about opening their market; that they have high trade barriers; and that their government helps them to penetrate foreign markets. On the contrary, shows that the American companies have entered Japan's seemingly impenetrable market and are thriving.

An important contribution for understanding the present economic relations at the world level.

18. Beneria, L. and M. Roldan. The Crossroads of Class and Gender: International Homework, Subcontracting, and Household Dynamics in Mexico City. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987.

The recent global restructuring and economic recession created conditions in both industrialized and industrializing countries that have encouraged employers and workers to seek greater flexibility in their work arrangements. Homework provides such flexibility and enables workers to cope with high unemployment rates, and it also increases the family budget. Homeworkers offer firms a mechanism that can lower the costs of production and avoid conflict with their unions.

The exploration of the mutual reinforcement of class and gender at home and in the capitalist economy is among this work's major contributions.

19. Bessant, J., S. Cole. Stacking the Chips: Information Technology and the Distribution of Income. London: Frances Pinter, 1985.

This book takes the world economy for ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Title Page
• Original Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Preface of the General Editor
• Acknowledgments
• List of Journals
• Introduction
• Chapter One: The World of Work
• Chapter Two: The Division of Labor
• Chapter Three: The New Technology at Work
• Chapter Four: The Hazards of Work
• Chapter Five: The Trade Union, Industrial Conflict and Strike
• Chapter Six: Industrial Democracy: Alternative Forms of Organization
• Index