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Customer service is now playing a vital role in every company′s attempt to improve the quality of its offering. Based on a number of real‐life projects carried out by the Marketing Improvements Group across many industry sectors, explores three main issues: why companies need a customer service culture; how to create and, more importantly, sustain the culture once developed; why having a good customer service culture is worth the time and resource investment. Also describes the process through which companies should go, in order to achieve a customer‐service culture change. These include: gaining the commitment of the whole company; the identification of the key issues; the establishment of causes; identifying how to change behaviour.

This paper investigates the role of arbitration panels in German employment relations. It is the main aim of the analysis to improve our knowledge of the ways through which employment related conflict is formalized within a transparent procedure.

Hypotheses are generated from a review of relevant publications on German arbitration panels. To test the hypotheses with evidence, the paper uses data from the 2006 WSI works council survey and applies binary logistical regression analysis.

The statistical analysis reveals that works councils oppose management hostility by way of making more frequent use of arbitration panels. While in a multivariate model the use of arbitration panels could be positively associated with certain attitudes of works councils and management, results for a number of institutional variables were other than expected. While foreign ownership of a particular establishment did not have a significant impact on the use of arbitration panels, firm‐level agreements, as negotiated by unions without the direct involvement of works councils, are associated with a more frequent use of such panels.

The model applied in the article could not verify establishment age because data on this subject was not available. Future surveys should fill this void.

The findings of this paper suggest that arbitration panels are a valuable tool in the process of conflict resolution. Because there is little evidence for an excessive use of such panels, future debates on the reform of the Works Constitution Act should consider strengthening this instrument rather than restricting it.

While data on the use of arbitration panels had already been documented about 20 years ago, the author presents a unique set of data, which for the first time allows the analysis of the use of arbitration panels in all industries within the private sector and is also significant in making it possible to statistically test relevant hypotheses on the usage of such panels.

In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of material poses problems for the researcher in management studies — and, of course, for the librarian: uncovering what has been written in any one area is not an easy task. This volume aims to help the librarian and the researcher overcome some of the immediate problems of identification of material. It is an annotated bibliography of management, drawing on the wide variety of literature produced by MCB University Press. Over the last four years, MCB University Press has produced an extensive range of books and serial publications covering most of the established and many of the developing areas of management. This volume, in conjunction with Volume I, provides a guide to all the material published so far.

Communications regarding this column should be addressed to Mrs. Cheney, Peabody Library School, Nashville, Term. 37203. Mrs. Cheney does not sell the books listed here. They are available through normal trade sources. Mrs. Cheney, being a member of the editorial board of Pierian Press, will not review Pierian Press reference books in this column. Descriptions of Pierian Press reference books will be included elsewhere in this publication.

This is the second in Richard Poynder's series of articles about different host services' efforts to reach fresh users. The first, on FT PROFILE, appeared in Online Review Vol. 16 No. 3. This article now looks at DATA‐STAR.

The following classified, annotated list of titles is intended to provide reference librarians with a current checklist of new reference books, and is designed to supplement the RSR review column, “Recent Reference Books,” by Frances Neel Cheney. “Reference Books in Print” includes all additional books received prior to the inclusion deadline established for this issue. Appearance in this column does not preclude a later review in RSR. Publishers are urged to send a copy of all new reference books directly to RSR as soon as published, for immediate listing in “Reference Books in Print.” Reference books with imprints older than two years will not be included (with the exception of current reprints or older books newly acquired for distribution by another publisher). The column shall also occasionally include library science or other library related publications of other than a reference character.

Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some legal aspects concerning MNEs, cyberspace and e‐commerce as the means of expression of the digital economy. The whole effort of the author is focused on the examination of various aspects of MNEs and their impact upon globalisation and vice versa and how and if we are moving towards a global digital economy.

This paper aims to marry Michael Porter’s industrial cluster theory of traded and local clusters to Richard Florida’s occupational approach of creative and routine workers to gain a better understanding of the process of economic development.

Combining these two approaches, four major industrial-occupational categories are identified. The shares of US employment in each – creative-in-traded, creative-in-local, routine-in-traded and routine-in-local – are calculated, and a correlation analysis is used to examine the relationship of each to regional economic development indicators.

Economic growth and development is positively related to employment in the creative-in-traded category. While metros with a higher share of creative-in-traded employment enjoy higher wages and incomes overall, these benefits are not experienced by all worker categories. The share of creative-in-traded employment is also positively and significantly associated with higher inequality. After accounting for higher median housing costs, routine workers in both traded and local industries are found to be relatively worse off in metros with high shares of creative-in-traded employment, on average.

This work points to the imperative for the US Government and industry to upgrade routine jobs, which make up the majority of all employment, by increasing the creative content of this work.

The research is among the first to systematically marry the industry and occupational approaches to clusters and economic development.

Workforce diversity is widely believed to enhance the knowledge and perspectives of organizations. The purpose of this study is to synthesize the existing diverse literature on workforce diversity and to enlighten the avenues for future research in managing workforce diversity.

This study performs a comprehensive review of empirical and conceptual studies published on workforce diversity and its outcomes in the top 13 peer-reviewed leading management journals between 1990 and 2019.

The assessment of diversity literature reported mixed and inconsistent results that are the critical challenges of diversity management. Furthermore, most studies have not individually identified the problems of diversity dimensions. To understand the problems, this study has divided the different dimensions of diversity (e.g. age, gender, race, education, functional background and tenure) and their results, supported by various theories. The findings of this study suggested a different reason for existing conflicts and proposed a future research agenda.

To overcome the challenges of diversity, this study has proposed the future research agenda for future research. to take optimum advantage of workforce diversity, this study contributes a theoretical perspective that enhances the understanding of existing diversity in organizations and develops diverse organizations.