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Outsourced information technology (IT) workers establish two different employment relationships: one with the outsourcing company that hires them and another with the client organization where they work daily. The attitudes that an employee has towards both organisations may be influenced by the interpretations or attributions that employees make about the reasons behind the human resource (HR) management practices implemented by the outsourcing company. This paper aims to propose that commitment‐focused HR attributions are positively and control‐focused HR attributions are negatively related to the affective commitment to the client organization, through the affective commitment to the outsourcing company.

These hypotheses were tested with a sample of 158 highly skilled outsourced employees from the IT sector. Data were analyzed with structural equation modeling (SEM).

The paper's hypotheses were supported. It can conclude that, if an employee interprets the HR practices as part of a commitment‐focused strategy of the outsourcing company, it has clear attitudinal benefits. The study found that the relationship between HR attributions and the commitment to the client organization is mediated by the commitment to the outsourcing company.

These findings hint at the critical role of outsourcing companies in managing the careers of these highly marketable employees.

This paper is the first to apply the concept of HR attributions to contingent employment literature in general and to outsourced IT workers in particular.

This article examines in what way strategies of new independent trade unions in London – that achieved pioneering, victories to end outsourcing – offer learning opportunities for more established trade unions. It proposes to (re-)encourage a culture of class struggle trade unionism. The article builds on existing research that outlined the organising practices of these independent trade unions but breaks down the binary analysis of independent versus established trade unions. The author uses the acronym CARE (Collectivising individual grievances, Action, Relations of trust and care, Escalating confrontations) as an analytical framework for exploring class struggle trade unionism, and examines in what ways these strategies have been (re)-learnt by established trade unions through the example of independent trade unions. In doing so, this article contributes to a much wider debate on trade union renewal.

This article offers an insider perspective of an “academic activist” (Chatterton et al., 2007). The article draws on author’s experiences and reflection as the co-founder of the trade union United Voices of the World (UVW) created in 2014, and previously involvement in the establishment of the Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB) in 2012. Findings are based on author’s ethnographic engagement as well as a selection of 29 interviews from a much larger data set on independent trade unions comprising focus groups and interviews.

This article demonstrates that class struggle trade unionism has in some ways been remembered and hence pioneered by the new independent trade unions, yet they are possible in established trade unions alike.

This is the first time an article systematically explores the strategies that established trade unions can learn – and indeed are learning – from independent trade unions.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the opportunities, challenges and lessons of information technology outsourcing (ITO) in China.

The challenges, opportunities and trends in offshore ITO in China are examined based on two trips to software centers in China, interviews and conversations with Chinese executives and government officials, research programs of outsourcing researchers and information from advisors and practitioners.

The paper extracts lessons learned about practices, processes and cultural factors that contribute to outsourcing success in China; why China attract ITO customers; how cultural dimensions and differences in accepted business practices complicate outsourcing in China; what strengths and weaknesses to expect from Chinese IT workers and outsourcing companies; and how to evaluate, select and manage Chinese suppliers.

The paper presents principles and extracts lesson learned to address the issues and opportunities for outsourcing in China.

The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into how individuals are affected by an outsourcing arrangement. The aim of this exploratory case study was to develop an understanding of individual level role stress and work outcomes among transferred employees in IT outsourcing relationships.

A research model was developed based on role theory. Through a field survey conducted in one outsourcing vendor, the research confirms the hypothesis that proposes role stress as prevalent among transferred information technology (IT) employees.

Perceived role stress was found to influence behavioural work outcomes measured as task performance, turnover intention, and affective commitment. The effect of role stress on work outcomes indicates that carefully crafted outsourcing strategies must take into account the unique position of transferred IT employees since the outsourcing arrangement may affect their work outcome.

The original value of the paper is the use of role theory to extend the scientific research and theory of outsourcing and inform managers of outsourcing decisions. The study is applied at the individual level, which is new in the sense that most outsourcing studies are applied at the organisational level.

This article is concerned with exploring changes in the organisation of work in the graphical industry. The aim is to examine the link between employer attempts to restructure work and resilience of the prevailing machinery of collective regulation within the sector. It is structured around three main areas of work organisation change, notably the search for organisational flexibility, attempts to recast the nature of work and finally the intensification of work. It concludes by arguing that threats to union organisation emanating from the restructuring of work currently appear to be at the “edges”. The argument is that a “community of interest and identity” predicated upon strong levels of union organisation has created the necessary apparatus to redress or resist attempts to dilute unionism. However the article closes by highlighting the continuing gender segregation within the sector and argues that this community of interest must extend to cover all workers within the industry.

The purpose of this study is to empirically quantify the factors that are perceived to drive or inhibit performance of information technology (IT) outsourced employees from a range of information technology outsourcing (ITO) stakeholders in South Africa.

The first phase was a qualitative study on 19 stakeholders focussed on the development of the constructs. The second phase was quantitative, with a sample of 116 ITO stakeholders of the largest IT company in South Africa.

The study revealed that the ITO stakeholders had misaligned perceptions on inhibitors and somewhat congruent perceptions with regards to drivers of performance. Managers and poor performers’ perceptions of inhibiting factors of performance were significantly different. The empirical evidence showed that the key drivers of performance were intrinsic factors and leadership, whilst the inhibiting factors were mainly related to poor leadership.

The major limitation was that the population was represented by one large organisation in the South African IT industry and its clients, thereby excluding the rest of the IT industry participants, specifically the medium and small IT companies. The quota sample resulted in a non-probability study, and thus, the results of this study may not necessarily be generalised to other populations. This study’s findings on differences between good and poor performers must be investigated in other industries.

For outsourced employees to perform optimally, some key intrinsic factors must be fulfilled. Passion and pride, aligned to a meaningful job role, will unleash outstanding performance. Organisations need to ensure that there is regular feedback to managers on their performance and subsequent leadership development. Alignment of managers and poor performers’ perceptions on drivers and inhibitors could improve performance.

These findings demonstrate the large gap in perceptions about the key drivers and inhibiters of performance.

The study reveals that top performers tend to have higher order and intrinsic motivators, compared to poor performers, who have a mixture of extrinsic and intrinsic needs, and managers have a misaligned expectation of extrinsic motivators.

This paper aims to use the Capability Approach in order to shed light on the capability for voice of workers in an industrial restructuring process.

The research relies on conceptual frames and distinctions borrowed from Amartya Sen, Jon Elster and Jürgen Habermas. It is based on an empirical case study: the restructuring of the Brussels plant of the Volkswagen (VW) group in 2006‐2007.

The central distinction established in the paper is the one between deliberation and bargaining. The structures that characterized social dialogue at the VW plant in Brussels did not totally deprive Belgian workers of capability for voice. But they seriously limited its scope.

The empirical investigation is focused more on trade unions than on internal management relationships.

The paper presents an analysis of the real opportunities for deliberation and bargaining that goes beyond the mere formal implementation of social law.

The paper discusses application of the Capability Approach to empirical procedures of collective bargaining in the context of a globalised restructuring process in the automotive sector.

The purpose of this article is to assess the future of work, focusing on careers, stress and well‐being.

Assesses the future of work, which will focus on small to medium‐sized enterprises, self‐employed portfolio careers and outsourced workers in virtual organisations.

The future of flexible working does not have to be a “doom and gloom” scenario; it can prove to be a liberating experience, giving choice and control to the individual – but individuals have to arm themselves with the right skills and attitudes, and engage in a constant programme of personal development.

This paper outlines how individuals in the future will have to take responsibility for their own personal development in regard to their work towards balancing work and the family, and better utilising disposable personal time.

Given the global economic recession, anti‐offshoring political campaign platforms and proposed anti‐offshoring legislation in many developed countries, organizations face pressure to keep jobs in their home country. The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which organizations are responding to anti‐offshoring pressures. It aims to ask whether client organizations are changing their buying patterns for information technology outsourcing (ITO) and business process outsourcing (BPO) services because of anti‐offshoring pressures.

A survey was administered to respondents representing 84 client organizations that purchase ITO and BPO services. Nine countries are represented, but the data primarily capture US client responses.

Overall, it was found that client organizations are not changing their buying patterns because of anti‐offshoring pressures. Client respondents report strong satisfaction with offshore outsourcing of IT and business services. In particular, clients favorably reported on the costs savings and increased flexibility with offshore ITO and BPO. Consequently, the majority of respondents have not altered how they select service providers or service locations because of anti‐offshoring pressures.

The economic recession is prompting at least two pressures on client organizations: reduce costs and keep jobs at home. Based on the authors' findings, the former is more influential. Even though respondents indicated a moderate to high level of uncertainty about possible anti‐offshoring legislation being passed, client organizations continue to source IT and BP services without much consideration to anti‐offshoring pressures.

Academic researchers have conducted very few studies that examine the effects of public pressure on sourcing strategies of client organizations. This research contributes to the body of knowledge by filling that gap. ITO and BPO clients and practitioners, as well as politicians, lobbyists, and labor advocates will find the results pertinent.

There is growing interest in innovative online problem-solving models such as crowdsourcing to serve individuals, firms and the society as a whole. Crowdsourcing is the combination of efforts from various sets of individuals who are either volunteering or working part-time for socioeconomic production, basically in the cyber world. This hybrid work model is already in use by businesses and entrepreneurs; some of the platforms include Amazon mechanical Turk, 99designs, Hit RECORD and Design Crowd.

Much has been parleyed and published, and this is primarily because of the efficient socioeconomic potentials crowdsourcing offers.

This paper addressed the following three questions to help have a better understanding of crowdsourcing: who can perform crowdsourcing? why it is relevant to crowdsource in this present proliferated internet age and if there are going to be some changes in the future and the last but not the least what can be done to promote it in the society?

This paper discusses the three W’s and concludes with challenges facing the crowdsourcing work model.