Flexible Working in Food Retailing: A Comparison Between France, Germany, Great Britain and Japan

ISBN-13: 9780415212205 / Angielski / Twarda / 2000 / 216 str.

Christophe Baret; Steffen Lehndorff; Leigh Sparks

Opis

In developed countries, the food superstore or hypermarket has become the dominant mode of food distribution; and their success has transformed the retail sector. But each new store has changed the employment regime of the stores they replace. For retailers, labour is a major cost; with opening hours being extended, and consumer demand patterns changing, one solution has been the use of part-time labour. Extensive use of such labour characterises British food retailing for example whereas it is less common in France. This book examines the reasons for such differences, and the potential which management and employees have within the operation to manage working time to their benefit. This book makes use of a four country research programme, covering France, Germany, Great Britain and Japan. Investigations and interviews at store, company and individual level, paint a picture of working time in the sector and in each of the countries. The volume provides some explanations for national differences as well as the similarities; supply and demand issues, as well as societal and social backgrounds.

Spis treści

Introduction 1. The rise of the large format food store Leigh Sparks 2. Employment in food retailing Leigh Sparks 3. Working time configurations; theory, methods and assumptions for an international comparison Jean Gadrey 4. The organisation of working time in large French food retail firms Christophe Baret 5. The organisation of working time in large German food retail firms Johannes Kirsch, Martina Klein, Steffen Lehndorff and Dorothea Voss-Dahm 6. The organisation of working time in large British food retail firms Paul Freathy and Leigh Sparks 7. The organisation of working time in large Japanese food retail firms Thierry Ribault 8. A societal interpretation of the differences and similarities in working time practices Jean Gadrey and Steffen Lehndorff 9. Societal constraints and strategic room for manoeuvre: what options do firms have for improving employee satisfaction? Christophe Baret

O autorze

Baret, Christophe; Lehndorff, Steffen; Sparks, Leigh