The Labour Process and Industrial Relations: Review of the Literature

Opening the Black Box: Economic Analyses of Internal Labour Markets

“…Much recent work on segmentation has developed within the radical approach, and has often been allied to work based on the labour process paradigm (see, for example, Bray & Littler, 1988). A number of themes have emerged from this literature.…”

Labour Market Segmentation Theory

“…In contrast with Doeringer and Piore's emphasis of technical requirements, the radical school emphasized the role of labour market segmentation as a capitalist control strategy. For the radical theorists, the development of labour market segmentation became necessary with the advent of factory production techniques in which the workforce was increasingly deskilled and homogenized (see Braverman, 1974;Bray and Littler, 1988). Segmentation provided a means by which capital could overcome the contradictions inherent in the process of deskilling: through a strategy of divide and rule, capital sought to maintain control over the production process.…”

Management Strategy towards Unions in the Australian Travel Agency Industry

“…In this there is an emerging concern with some of the areas of debate which have occupied organizational strategy theorists. As Bray and Littler (1988) argue, the three major issues of debate in the labour process literature are: the extent to which management decisions and strategies are rational; the difference between the intention and the successful realization of strategies; and the degree to which control of the labour process is the main focus for managerial policy and action, as opposed to other arenas such as finance, marketing or production.…”