First published in 1972, this book rejects as inadequate the ‘trait’ and ‘functionalist’ theories of the professions and instead presents an alternative framework to analyse the contemporaneous occupational change in industrial societies. The author describes how occupational specialisation creates varying degrees of social distance between producers and consumers of goods or services, thus several institutions of control social have developed — collegiate, corporate or oligarchic patronage, mediative. The author looks at the social conditions necessary for the development of these methods of control and the apparent decline of professionalism in both developed and undeveloped societies.

First published in 1972, this book rejects as inadequate the ‘trait’ and ‘functionalist’ theories of the professions and instead presents an alternative framework to analyse the contemporaneous occupational change in industrial societies. The author describes how occupational specialisation creates varying degrees of social distance between producers and consumers of goods or services, thus several institutions of control social have developed — collegiate, corporate or oligarchic patronage, mediative. The author looks at the social conditions necessary for the development of these methods of control and the apparent decline of professionalism in both developed and undeveloped societies.

First published in 1988, this book argues that discussions of urban development often neglect to consider that much of the urban environment is designed by architects and planners, and that the particular world-view of architects and planners is crucial for the way proposals are taken up, modified and carried out. The author explores the world-view of architects and planners, considering their approach to design and the factors which influence this — work patterns, career paths and the firms in which they operate. The author also studies their place in the political decision-making process as it affects urban questions and then explores how architects and planners roles are changing.

Work and the nature of occupations are matters of central concern to the sociologist. In this basic introduction to the sociology of professions, occupations and work, first published in 1975, David Dunkerley provides a theoretical basis for the study of a subject that previously had a strong empirical tradition. Drawing on comparative literature, the author analyses the structure of occupation, the processes of occupational life and how occupations are related to the predominant culture. The effects of occupations on the non-work lives of individuals are also examined, and extended examples are given of managerial and scientific occupations as case studies.

Professions and professionalism have played an integral part in business and society. In this book, Mike Saks provides a thorough overview of this field through an analysis of a range of professions, including, amongst others, accountants, doctors and lawyers. The book offers a critical analysis of such privileged occupational groups in modern societies. Anticipating a positive if changing role for such groups in the years ahead, the book outlines conflicting theoretical perspectives on professions and discusses current developments in an accessible, multi-disciplinary style. The book documents their evolution and contemporary transformation from medieval guilds to fully-fledged professions and international professional service firms, while pointing a path towards their future in the world of work and beyond. With insights into the recent challenges provided by clients, citizens, the state and corporations in neo-liberal societies, Professions provides a concise overview that will be essential reading for students, academics and others interested in the operation of these key occupational groups in business and society.

First published in 1981, this book explores the reactions of some female writers to the social effects of industrial capitalism between 1778 and 1860. The period set in motion a crisis over the status of middle-class women that culminated in the constructed idea of "women’s proper sphere". This concept disguised inequities between men and women, first by asserting the reality of female power, and then by restricting it to self-sacrificing influence. In this book, Judith Newton analyses novels such as Fanny Burney’s Evelina, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Charlotte Brontë’s Villette and George Eliot’s The Mill on the Floss in order to demonstrate how some female writers reacted to the issue by covertly resisting inequities of power and reconciling ideologies in their art. She argues that in this time period, novels became increasingly rebellious as well as ambivalent . Heroines were endowed with power, and emphasis was given to female ability, rather than to feminine influence.

First published in 1977, this Routledge Revival is a reissue of the first comprehensive sociological study of the role of the personnel manager, which considers both the individual experience of the person working in this field and the role the occupation plays in the management of employing organizations. In the process of studying the individual experience and the organisational and social contributions of personnel managers, the book represents a step towards a sociology of work which draws on and contributes to the mainstream of sociological theory.