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Looks at the 2000 Employment Research Unit Annual Conference held at the University of Cardiff in Wales on 6/7 September 2000. Spotlights the 76 or so presentations within and shows that these are in many, differing, areas across management research from: retail finance; precarious jobs and decisions; methodological lessons from feminism; call centre experience and disability discrimination. These and all points east and west are covered and laid out in a simple, abstract style, including, where applicable, references, endnotes and bibliography in an easy‐to‐follow manner. Summarizes each paper and also gives conclusions where needed, in a comfortable modern format.

Age discrimination in employment and managers' perceptions of older workers are issues that are not typically addressed in developing countries. Nor is age discrimination in employment a priority issue for policy makers and business leaders in these countries. Research was conducted in the developing country of Cyprus to evaluate Cypriot managers' perceptions of older workers and to evaluate the potential for serious age discrimination in employment issues. Results indicate there are significant differences in managers' perceptions of older workers according the manager's gender, age, and employment at public sector versus private sector companies. Significant differences also exist among managers of different ages when describing their most productive worker. These results provide some evidence of perceptual issues about age that may lead to age discrimination in employment in Cyprus. Suggestions are provided to counter these perceptions.

Through a survey of 200 employees working in five of the thirty establishments analysed in previous research about the microeconomic effects of reducing the working time (Cahier 25), the consequences on employees of such a reduction can be assessed; and relevant attitudes and aspirations better known.

We believe that the inclusion of people with disabilities (PWDs) in the workplace, the provision of the right of PWDs to decent work involves an exemplary field of social issues that provides a firm foundation for exploring the nature and interplay of (EU and local) policies and also it could be interesting to relate this to the policy changes of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

In our chapter we decided to have a look at these relationships on a national level, but we believe that the points raised reach far beyond the borders of Hungary and Central and Eastern Europe.

First, we provide a short summary of the development of European and Hungarian policies and regulations considering the employment of PWDs and their connection to the development of EU level and Hungarian CSR policies. We identify three phases in both topics and highlight their parallel developmental shift at the beginning of the 2000s. Second, we highlight the very recent governmental policies of CSR and employment/inclusion (especially the rehabilitation contribution). Third, we argue that whilst PWDs as a topic is relevant in the declarations, guidelines and policies of international and national organizations, the rights of PWDs, their inclusion in society and the world of work are neither among the current topics of enterprises’ and corporates’ CSR practices nor in scientific debate.

Based on two case studies, we show some good practices and formalize general learning points, opportunities and the potential risks of employing PWDs as part of CSR activities.

This paper presents some of the key findings from a study about supporting carers in employment. It describes the qualitative experiences of family carers for older people who are in paid employment, paying particular attention to their views on assessment and service provision. The perspectives of other key stakeholders, including staff from statutory and independent sector agencies, are also considered. Support for carers in employment is one of the five priority action areas underpinning the National Strategy for Carers (DoH, 1999). However, the findings from this study reveal that carers in employment have a limited profile at strategic level and their specific needs are rarely addressed in mainstream health and social care planning processes. The findings also suggest that assessment and care management practices are failing to support carers in relation to their employment aspirations. The effectiveness of health and social care assessments in identifying and exploring the needs of carers in employment is limited and very few separate carer assessments are completed. Carers' first‐hand experiences of service provision are described. Deficits in current services are identified and examples of good practice are highlighted. The paper concludes by outlining the implications for policy and practice. It is suggested that flexible support, underpinned by partnerships between employers and staff from statutory and independent sector agencies, is the key to supporting carers in employment.

Reports findings from an empirical investigation into the nature of the employment relationship in small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) and how this is affected by the Employment Relations Act (1999). A two‐stage methodology was used, with a postal questionnaire of 69 companies and telephone interviews with a further 33 SMEs. The informal, paternalistic approach to employee relations in many small companies was found to be largely still intact. The government's intention of developing partnerships in the employment relationship in order to promote greater fairness in the workplace has, to a significant extent, failed. Small companies may not be granting their employees all their statutory rights. Whether this is ignorance or a deliberate strategy is unclear, but the incidence of employment tribunal cases may continue to increase for small and medium‐sized companies if they ignore the current employment legislation.

This article assesses the specific employment opportunities for women in the retail superstore. The result of a sample survey (part of a wider study of retail employment) are compared with the responses to comparable questions from the Department of Employment survey of the late 1970s. The focus is on three areas: occupational segregation in a changing retail environment; female employment and life cycle stage; and female attitudes towards employment.

The issue of AIDS/HIV is currently a concern of many employing organizations. Considers the contextual factors which surround AIDS as a workplace issue in terms of legislation, state policy, and trade union and employer positions. This is followed by an analysis of current UK corporate AIDS policies. Identifies two approaches to policy formulation: definsive and humanistic. The former regards AIDS/HIV largely in instrumental terms whereas the latter frames the issue as one of social justice and responsibility. Considers the implications of each position and explores the prospects for future research and practice.

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, it seeks to voice the concerns of educated youth in Egypt as they describe their work options and preferences. Second, it seeks to highlight the gravity of the policy gap in addressing work informality, drawing on some of the international experience in this field.

Qualitative research in the form of in-depth interviews, desk-review of policies, and descriptive statistical analysis of a recent national survey of labour in Egypt.

A large proportion of educated youth work within the realm of informality and there is a clear policy gap in addressing this issue. Contrary to what would be expected, young people value access to social security and work stability. They face systemic hurdles related to access to such benefits. Because of the legacy of guaranteed government hiring of the educated in Egypt, young people express a great appreciation of work in the government, for virtually being the only employer offering job stability and social security in the labour market.

This paper addresses a gap in the literature on youth employment in Egypt, where there is a dearth of research focusing on the lived experience of employment precariousness. The majority of studies in this field relies on statistics with little qualitative research voicing the views of this group.

Reforms are more urgent than timely to extend social security and other measures of social protection to workers within the informal economy.

The paper builds on primary data and provides insights about the way educated youth perceive their working conditions and options. The paper also provides a discussion of the social security system in Egypt, its coverage, and possible reform approaches.

Examines the impact of employment regulation on owner‐manager approaches to the employment relationship at the level of the individual firm. While there was no reported principled opposition to extending employment rights as suggested by a number of earlier studies, the cumulative effect of recent legislation was perceived by owner‐managers to be reducing their competitiveness by placing costly and time‐consuming demands on the smaller business. The case study companies were increasingly formalising their employment processes largely to defend their decisions against potential litigation. Despite certain acknowledged benefits, this increasing proceduralisation was held to be detrimental to the informality and flexibility viewed as essential to effective working relationships in the smaller enterprise. Continuing recruitment difficulties combined with the costs associated with expanding regulation led the majority of the case study companies to identify an investment in automation and labour‐saving equipment as a preferable long‐term option to the expansion of the workforce.