In Europe, as well as in other industrialized economies all over the world, employment relations have undergone profound transformations over the last decades. Large numbers of workers have been displaced, involuntarily employed part-time, or hired on temporary employment contracts. The increasing flexibility in the staffing of organizations is experienced, by many employees, as a threat to the continuation of their employment relationships. A growing body of research suggests that such job insecurity can be of fundamental importance from the occupational health perspective as well as the managerial, due to its effects on employees' work attitudes and well-being. This book addresses the nature of job insecurity and investigates its consequences for individuals, the organizations they work for, as well as their labor unions. It also examines whether factors associated with union membership help employees to cope with employment uncertainty. The book is based on a European project involving Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Both individuals and organizations alike are harmed by the increased insecurity that prevails in working life today. By identifying and explaining those factors which result in job insecurity, and examining how the experience affects individuals, organizations, and unions, the authors wish to expand the body of knowledge concerning job insecurity. Such knowledge can lead to a greater focus on this phenomenon within working life, and result in greater effort being put into understanding how preventative measures can be implemented in the future.

Addressing the nature of job insecurity, this title investigates its consequences for individuals, the organizations they work for, as well as their labour unions. It also examines whether factors associated with union membership help employees to cope with employment uncertainty.

This volume contains empirical analyses of European psychologists and sociologists on the impact of job insecurity on trade union membership, activism and upon the attitudes of individual workers towards unions. Little is currently known about the impact of job insecurity on the union participation of workers, which is significant given the importance of trade unions in European collective bargaining systems. This volume reports innovative and pioneering research on this research gap. It answers questions such as: do workers more easily join unions because of job insecurity, or does it make them leave the union? Does it influence participation in work's council elections or affect the intention to become a union activist? And are workers less satisfied and less committed to their unions when they experience job insecurity? The book contains recommendations for policy makers, social partners and practitioners in the field of work and organizations.

(Black & White version) Fundamentals of Business was created for Virginia Tech's MGT 1104 Foundations of Business through a collaboration between the Pamplin College of Business and Virginia Tech Libraries. This book is freely available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10919/70961 It is licensed with a Creative Commons-NonCommercial ShareAlike 3.0 license.

Collective bargaining and workers’ voice are often discussed in the past rather than in the future tense, but can they play a role in the context of a rapidly changing world of work? This report provides a comprehensive assessment of the functioning of collective bargaining systems and workers’ voice arrangements across OECD countries, and new insights on their effect on labour market performance today.

An economic and military superpower with 20 percent of the world’s population, China has the wherewithal to transform the international system. Xi Jinping’s bold calls for China to “lead in the reform of the global governance system” suggest that he has just such an ambition. But how does he plan to realize it? And what does it mean for the rest of the world? In this compelling book, Elizabeth Economy reveals China’s ambitious new strategy to reclaim the country’s past glory and reshape the geostrategic landscape in dramatic new ways. Xi’s vision is one of Chinese centrality on the global stage, in which the mainland has realized its sovereignty claims over Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the South China Sea, deepened its global political, economic, and security reach through its grand-scale Belt and Road Initiative, and used its leadership in the United Nations and other institutions to align international norms and values, particularly around human rights, with those of China. It is a world radically different from that of today. The international community needs to understand and respond to the great risks, as well as the potential opportunities, of a world rebuilt by China.