This paper seeks to problematize the role(s) that lay-workers can play and the nature of their relationship with other, well-established professional groups. Views are extracted from the literature on how best to manage the introduction of lay-workers into professional settings and the paper...

Over the past two decades three problem structuring methods have become particularly well known: soft systems methodology (SSM), strategic choice (SC), and strategic options development and analysis (SODA) (Rosenhead and Mingers, 2001). Discussion of these methods often focuses upon the...

This paper presents findings of a study examining state-voluntary sector inter-organizational relationships, and the capacity of third-sector organizations to exercise autonomy over employment matters in this relationship. The aim is to provide insights into an under-researched area of the...

The use of networked organizational arrangements to conduct exchanges is one of the most distinctive features of high-tech research intensive industries. Advances in biotechnology and genomics research have enabled a generic technology platform that has fuelled a more 'open' approach to...

In the UK automobile and aerospace industries, the struggle over job control and rewards for labour expended in the production process was particularly intense in the period of steady economic growth, high and stable employment, and low inflation, following the Second World War. This struggle...

The ability of small firms to access finance is hindered by persistent market failure, which creates funding gaps for new businesses, particularly in technology sectors, seeking small amounts of finance. This has prompted various forms of public sector intervention to increase the supply of both...

The view that excessive regulation constrains small business growth has been a persistent theme within business and policy communities, although recent studies have demonstrated the actual effects of regulation to be relatively modest. A prior small-scale study proposed four reasons why...

Previous research provides unequivocal evidence that women-owned businesses start with both lower levels of overall capitalization and lower ratios of debt finance. Structural dissimilarities between male-owned and female-owned businesses explain most, but by no means all, of these contrasting...

A new book dedicated to academic research on call centres is welcome, not least for one obvious reason. In the last decade and a half, the call centre has transformed the structure and nature of interactive service work and employment in advanced countries, amounting to nothing less than 'a...

The UK government's Best Value initiative is intended to ensure that councils provide best value in service delivery and emphasizes the importance of ensuring a clear customer/citizen focus across all services. The Accounts Commission and Audit Scotland have statutory responsibilities for...