This is a comprehensive history of 20th-century American welfare capitalism, that is, the history of nonunion corporations that looked after the economic security of employees. The text is based around three case studies of "modern manors": Eastman Kodak, Sears and TRW. The author's argument is that welfare capitalism did not expire during the Depression, as traditionally thought. Rather, it adapted to the challenges of the 1930s and became a powerful, though overlooked, factor in the history of the welfare state, the labour movement and the corporation. "Fringe" benefits, new forms of employee participation, and sophisticated anti-union policies are just some of the outgrowths of welfare capitalism that provided a model for contemporary employers seeking to create productive nonunion workplaces. Although employer paternalism has faltered in recent years, many Americans still look to corporations, rather than to unions or government, to meet their needs. Jacoby explains why there remains widespread support for the notion that corporations should be the keystone of economic security in American society and offers a perspective on recent business trends.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
Sanford Jacoby analyzes welfare capitalism in magisterial fashion in his book Modern Manors... Jacoby concludes his book by suggesting that the success of firms like Microsoft and Wal-Mart give lie to the argument that paternalistic companies were effectively destroyed by the labor-friendly reforms of the New Deal... Jacoby's analysis underscores the efforts ... to bring work back into the perspective of social science and social criticism. -- Alan Wolfe The American Prospect A powerful and authoritative work that explores the hidden history of some of America's most celebrated companies... [An] impressive book. -- Nelson Lichtenstein New York Times Book Review Jacoby's book is beautifully written, lovingly crafted, and thoroughly researched. It is exquisitely sensitive to the multiplicity of elements that play out in the relations between workers and their employers over time... For its combination of novel arguments, nuanced insights, rigorous evidence, and a deep appreciation of the phenomenon being studied, this book should set the standard in our field. -- Daphne Gottlieb Taras Relations Industrielles / Industrial Relations This is an excellent book. Jacoby has written an authoritative analysis. .. . A product of meticulous research and sound judgement, this volume is essential reading for all students of American labour history. -- Peter Fearon Labour History Review
Sprache
Verlagsort
Zielgruppe
Für Beruf und Forschung
Für höhere Schule und Studium
Produkt-Hinweis
Illustrationen
Maße
Höhe: 229 mm
Breite: 152 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-0-691-01570-5 (9780691015705)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Sanford M. Jacoby is Professor of History, Management, and Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the author of Employing Bureaucracy: Managers, Unions, and the Transformation of Work in American Industry, and the editor of Masters to Managers: Historical and Comparative Perspectives on American Employers and Workers of Nations: Industrial Relations in a Global Economy.
Acknowledgments 1 The Coming of Welfare Capitalism 2 Modernizing Welfare Capitalism 3 Preserving the Past: Eastman Kodak 4 Changing Styles: Sears Roebuck 5 Recasting Company Unions: Thompson Products 6 Beyond the Manor: Politics and Public Opinion 7 The Cold War of Industrial Relations: Welfare Capitalism and Unionism in the 1950s and After Postscript Notes Index
