Graeme Salaman and John Storey
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780198782827
- eISBN:
- 9780191825996
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198782827.001.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies, Business History
The book is a rich account and analysis of the John Lewis Partnership. The JLP is well-known, revered, and admired, enjoying an enviable reputation for commercial success and principled business ...
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The book is a rich account and analysis of the John Lewis Partnership. The JLP is well-known, revered, and admired, enjoying an enviable reputation for commercial success and principled business practice. And yet, among the public, commentators, and government, it is not known well at all. This book offers a deeper, more analytical understanding, revealing the tensions and dilemmas that characterize even this most well-intentioned of organizations. The US/UK model of the firm, emphasizing shareholder value and openness to the market, is prone to a number of problematic consequences, for employees, suppliers, and sometimes shareholders. JLP represents a contrast to this model—one with implications beyond the small niche of mutually-owned firms. JLP has lessons for organizations that are unlikely to move towards the Partnership’s distinctive shared ownership; this book identifies these lessons. Key questions addressed include: how does JLP work in practice? What is the link between co-ownership, the JLP employment model, and the performance of the businesses? What is the role of management in the success of John Lewis and Waitrose? Are mutuality, co-ownership, and business performance at odds? What is the significance of democracy within JLP? And probably most significantly: what are the implications for policy-makers, managers, and economic agents of the JLP? This book is based on detailed knowledge of the JLP and its constituent business gathered by the authors over a fifteen-year period. They conclude that JLP is more complex, more impressive, and more interesting than its admirers realize.Less
The book is a rich account and analysis of the John Lewis Partnership. The JLP is well-known, revered, and admired, enjoying an enviable reputation for commercial success and principled business practice. And yet, among the public, commentators, and government, it is not known well at all. This book offers a deeper, more analytical understanding, revealing the tensions and dilemmas that characterize even this most well-intentioned of organizations. The US/UK model of the firm, emphasizing shareholder value and openness to the market, is prone to a number of problematic consequences, for employees, suppliers, and sometimes shareholders. JLP represents a contrast to this model—one with implications beyond the small niche of mutually-owned firms. JLP has lessons for organizations that are unlikely to move towards the Partnership’s distinctive shared ownership; this book identifies these lessons. Key questions addressed include: how does JLP work in practice? What is the link between co-ownership, the JLP employment model, and the performance of the businesses? What is the role of management in the success of John Lewis and Waitrose? Are mutuality, co-ownership, and business performance at odds? What is the significance of democracy within JLP? And probably most significantly: what are the implications for policy-makers, managers, and economic agents of the JLP? This book is based on detailed knowledge of the JLP and its constituent business gathered by the authors over a fifteen-year period. They conclude that JLP is more complex, more impressive, and more interesting than its admirers realize.
Yehouda Shenhav
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199250004
- eISBN:
- 9780191697869
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199250004.001.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies, Business History
Management is a powerful mode of thought and code of conduct in the modern world, closely associated with the American way and a natural extension of economic progress. This is a book about the ...
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Management is a powerful mode of thought and code of conduct in the modern world, closely associated with the American way and a natural extension of economic progress. This is a book about the history and development of management and managerial rationality in the United States of America in the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century. Through careful analysis of contemporary records in the engineering profession, the author shows how management invented itself and carved its own domain in the face of hostility and resistance from both manufacturers and workers. The book demonstrates how the new language and rhetoric of management emerged, and how it confronted and replaced the language of traditional capitalism: ‘system’ instead of ‘individuals’; ‘jobs’ instead of ‘natural rights’; ‘planning’ instead of ‘free initiatives’. It can be read simultaneously as an historical account of the genesis of modern management, a chapter in the history of American capitalism, a critical analysis of industrial engineering, and as a sociology of (managerial) knowledge.Less
Management is a powerful mode of thought and code of conduct in the modern world, closely associated with the American way and a natural extension of economic progress. This is a book about the history and development of management and managerial rationality in the United States of America in the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century. Through careful analysis of contemporary records in the engineering profession, the author shows how management invented itself and carved its own domain in the face of hostility and resistance from both manufacturers and workers. The book demonstrates how the new language and rhetoric of management emerged, and how it confronted and replaced the language of traditional capitalism: ‘system’ instead of ‘individuals’; ‘jobs’ instead of ‘natural rights’; ‘planning’ instead of ‘free initiatives’. It can be read simultaneously as an historical account of the genesis of modern management, a chapter in the history of American capitalism, a critical analysis of industrial engineering, and as a sociology of (managerial) knowledge.
Mark Casson
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199213979
- eISBN:
- 9780191707469
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199213979.001.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Business History, Organization Studies
The British railway network was a monument to Victorian private enterprise. Its masterpieces of civil engineering were emulated around the world. But its performance was controversial: praised for ...
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The British railway network was a monument to Victorian private enterprise. Its masterpieces of civil engineering were emulated around the world. But its performance was controversial: praised for promoting a high density of lines, it was also criticized for wasteful duplication of routes. This book provides a history of the railway system written from a modern economic perspective. Using counterfactual analysis, it reveals enormous inefficiency in the Victorian system. This inefficiency was due to weaknesses in regulation and defects in government policy. British railway companies developed into powerful regional monopolies, which then each invaded each other's territories. When denied access to existing lines in rival territories, they built duplicate lines instead. Plans for an integrated national system, sponsored by William Gladstone, were blocked by Members of Parliament because of a perceived conflict with the local interests they represented. Each town wanted more railways than its neighbours, and so too many lines were built. The costs of these surplus lines led ultimately to higher fares and freight charges, which impaired the performance of the economy. The outcome would have been far better if Gladstone's proposals had been implemented.Less
The British railway network was a monument to Victorian private enterprise. Its masterpieces of civil engineering were emulated around the world. But its performance was controversial: praised for promoting a high density of lines, it was also criticized for wasteful duplication of routes. This book provides a history of the railway system written from a modern economic perspective. Using counterfactual analysis, it reveals enormous inefficiency in the Victorian system. This inefficiency was due to weaknesses in regulation and defects in government policy. British railway companies developed into powerful regional monopolies, which then each invaded each other's territories. When denied access to existing lines in rival territories, they built duplicate lines instead. Plans for an integrated national system, sponsored by William Gladstone, were blocked by Members of Parliament because of a perceived conflict with the local interests they represented. Each town wanted more railways than its neighbours, and so too many lines were built. The costs of these surplus lines led ultimately to higher fares and freight charges, which impaired the performance of the economy. The outcome would have been far better if Gladstone's proposals had been implemented.
Accounting for Oneself
Adjusting to a World in Motion
Advancing the Human Right to Health
Aid and Development
The AIDS Generation
Aliens and Strangers?
The Alternatives to War
Altruism in Humans
American Arcadia
