This leading, authoritative textbook has been carefully and
substantially revised to provide the indispensable foundational resource
for the sociology of work. The fourth edition has been transformed to
combine unrivalled explanations of classic theories with the most
cutting-edge research, data and debates.
Keith Grint and Darren Nixon examine different sociological approaches
to work, emphasizing the links between social processes, institutions of
employment and their social and domestic contexts. The fourth edition
includes:
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a new chapter on work and identity, exploring issues such as the rise
of consumption and the cultural economy, work-life balance, the social
meaning of work and unemployment;
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a fully rewritten chapter that comprehensively reviews trends in the
contemporary service economy, particularly the rise of emotional and
aesthetic forms of labour and the polarization of employment in the
knowledge or informational economy;
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a new concluding chapter that examines the structure of the global
economy, taking in debates around globalization, precarious labour and
public sector reforms and unemployment in the wake of the financial
crisis and austerity;
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updated bibliographic references and data throughout, with
particularly significant revisions to the sections on gender and work,
ethnicity and work, and work technologies.
The book has been designed to support readers' understanding of, and to
develop their critical approach to, the field of 'work', with a range of
empirical evidence and examples helping to reveal the complex picture of
work-society relations. Written in a lively and accessible style, the
book also provides suggestions for further reading and seminar
discussion questions.
This fourth edition will continue to be essential reading for students
of the sociology of work, industrial sociology, organizational behaviour
and industrial relations. Students studying business and management
courses with a sociological component will also find the book
invaluable.
