In recent years there has been widespread discussion concerning the purported shift away from Taylorism towards a new production paradigm premised upon techniques of high performance management (HPM). This paper argues that in seeking to capture the essence of the phenomenon commentators...

This paper presents evidence to show how vocational qualifications act as boundary objects in the stimulation of learning at work and how they, in turn, become the catalyst for the creation of artefacts that have a purpose and existence beyond the life cycle of an accreditation process....

This paper examines two competing systems of organising theconstruction process and their consequences for learning. Under the adversarial system, contractors compete solely on price, risks are shifted onto those next in line and disputes are institutionalised through complicated, but inevitably...

Ordering and managing stock is a key function to organisationalperformance in the retail sector in general and in food retail in particular. The advent of such technologies as EDI (electronic data interchange) and EPOS (electronic point of sale scanners) has allowed retail companies to...

Sales work is a key feature of the contemporary service economy which has prompted considerable academic debate. This has centred on the processes of standardization exemplified by sales routines and scripts. It is frequently suggested that these management devices are unproblematically embraced...

This paper explores the nature of the relationship between Head Office and stores in a large British supermarket chain. It focuses on the role played by a range of technological tools available for managing the stock and connecting different parts of the productive system and the implications...

In recent years there has been widespread discussion concerning the purported shift away from Taylorism towards a new production paradigm premised upon techniques of highperformance management (HPM). This paper argues that in seeking to capture the essence of the phenomenon commentators...

This paper argues that trainging often has a wider role than just the acquisition of technical skills and that company training ought to be analysed as part of a broader labour management strategy for companies. Evidence is adduced for this, drawing on both ecnomic and management literatures,...

This report presents findings from the Employer Perspectives Survey which involved 1,114 interviews with senior managers in establishments where individuals from the 2001 Skills Survey were employed. The aim of the Employer Perspectives Survey was to investigate the relationship between the...

This paper investigates changes in the use of generic skills in Britain's workplaces, and examines which generic skills may be having an impact on wages over and above traditional human capital indicators such as education and work experience. We use instruments borrowed and adapted from...