Regalia Regulating Work in Small Firms

Perspectives on the Future of Work in Globalised Economies
1. Auflage 2019
ISBN: 978-3-030-21820-1
Verlag: Springer International Publishing
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 255 Seiten

Reihe: Progress in Mathematics

Exploring the diversity of small firms, this contributed volume focuses on the crucial topic of work and the ways in which it is regulated, and offers reflections on the future of labour more generally. Traditionally managed through informal and adaptive processes, small firms allow us to understand the challenges and opportunities facing larger companies within an increasingly fragmented global production system. Analysing the case of Italy, a country characterised by a high number and wide variety of small firms, the authors draw on the results of a survey involving over 2,300 firms and face-to-face interviews with owner-managers working in 60 small and micro firms across several different sectors. Providing detailed analysis which will be useful for scholars of human resource management and small business, as well as managers, practitioners and policy-makers, the book enables a better understanding of the world of work in a globalised economy.

Ida Regalia is a Professor of Economic Sociology and Comparative Industrial Relations at the University of Milan, Italy.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Regalia, Ida

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Preface;5
2;Contents;11
3;Notes on Contributors;13
4;List of Figures;16
5;List of Tables;17
6;Part I Introduction;18
7;1 Regulating Work in Times of Productive Fragmentation;19
7.1;The Growing Importance of Small Businesses;22
7.2;What We Know About Our Topic;26
7.3;Beyond the Fordist Model of Employment Relations;33
7.4;How to Read This Book;36
7.5;Appendix;39
7.6;References;41
8;Part II An Empirical Exploration;46
9;2 Employment Relations in Small Italian Firms: An Overview;47
9.1;An Economy of Small Firms with Strong Territorial Ties;48
9.2;A Dense, Flexible and Highly Informal System of Labour Regulation;53
9.3;Small Enterprises: How Are They Characterised?;57
9.3.1;Structural Characteristics;57
9.3.2;Productive and Market Characteristics;59
9.3.3;In Summary: Economic and Occupational Performance;62
9.4;Actors, Agency: Employers, Workers and Their Organisation;63
9.4.1;Employers and Employers’ Associations;64
9.4.2;Workers, Trade Union Membership, Workplace Representation;66
9.5;Work and Working Conditions: How Do People Work in Small Firms?;68
9.5.1;Recruitment;68
9.5.2;External or Numerical Flexibility;69
9.5.2.1;Non-standard Contracts of Employment;70
9.5.2.2;Outsourcing of Production Phases;71
9.5.3;Internal Flexibility;72
9.5.3.1;Working Hours;72
9.5.3.2;Organisation of Work;75
9.5.4;Training;78
9.6;Employment Relations in the Workplace;80
9.6.1;Processes;80
9.6.1.1;Owners/Managers: Decisional Processes;80
9.6.1.2;Workers: Direct Contacts and Protest;84
9.6.1.3;Collective Bargaining;86
9.6.2;Outcomes;87
9.6.2.1;Bonuses and Other Forms of Compensation;87
9.6.2.2;Bargaining Issues;88
9.6.2.3;Company Welfare and Measures to Reconcile Life and Work;89
9.7;Firms’ Internal and External Employment Relations;91
9.7.1;Contacts with Trade Unions Outside the Firm;92
9.7.2;Participation in Bilateral Bodies;94
9.7.3;Relationships with Local Institutions;97
9.8;To Conclude: An Overall Assessment;100
9.9;References;104
10;3 Small Firms and the Labour Market;108
10.1;Between the In- and the Outside: The Labour Markets of Small Firms;111
10.1.1;Recruitment;111
10.1.2;Training;118
10.1.3;Employment Contracts and Internal Flexibility;123
10.1.4;Dismissals and Turnover;132
10.2;Conclusions;139
10.3;References;141
11;4 The Regulation of Employment Relationships at the Enterprise;144
11.1;Patterns of Regulation;147
11.1.1;“A Reference Point”: The Role of Sectoral Collective Bargaining;147
11.1.2;The Management of Specific Aspects of the Employment Relation;152
11.2;Wage, Bonuses, and Incentives;153
11.3;Work Organisation- and Task-Related Issues;156
11.4;Working Time;158
11.5;Training;160
11.6;Factors Influencing Patterns of Regulation;161
11.7;Conclusions;168
11.8;References;172
12;5 Small Firms and the External Context: Embeddedness Versus Dependency;177
12.1;A Complex Network of Inter-institutional Relationships;179
12.1.1;Public Policy and Collective Bargaining;179
12.1.2;Regional and Local Governments;185
12.1.3;The Actors of Industrial Relations;190
12.1.4;Other Actors;196
12.2;The “Disputed” Arena of Labour Regulation;201
12.3;Conclusions;206
12.4;References;211
13;Part III Conclusions;214
14;6 Prospects for Employment Relations: Between Informal and Formal and Inside and Outside;215
14.1;Does It Still Make Sense to Talk of Small Firms?;215
14.2;A Plurality of Patterns and Outcomes;218
14.3;Informality and Formality;224
14.4;Between Inside and Outside;228
14.5;Beyond the Small Firm;232
14.6;For a New Perspective on Employment Relations;239
14.7;References;244
15;Index;247