Work in the Gig Economy


Book Description

Throughout the last decade, the ‘gig economy’ has emerged as one of the most significant developments in the world of work. As a novel, hyper-flexible form of labour, gig work features a uniquely fragmented working arrangement wherein independent workers partner with digital platform organisations to provide a range of on-demand services to customers. Work in the Gig Economy: A Research Overview provides a concise overview to the key themes and debate that encompass the gig economy literature. It covers five core themes: an introduction to gig work; classification issues; the role of technology; the experiences of gig workers; and the future of gig work. As an emerging and diverse research field, contributions stem from an array of perspectives including psychology, sociology, human resource management, legal studies, and technology management. The chapters synthesise the most prominent insights into this emerging field, key thinking on the complex relationships and conditions found in gig work, and the most significant issues to be addressed as the gig economy continues to develop. A critical introduction for students, scholars and reflective professionals and policymakers, this book provides much needed direction through the rapidly growing and expansive body of research on work in the gig economy.




Social Dialogue in the Gig Economy


Book Description

As our digital economy continues to expand, gig work becomes increasingly significant. This incisive book investigates the ways in which social dialogue can reinforce decent working practices and create inclusive workplaces in the growing gig economy, putting forward a framework for structured dialogue and collective bargaining among social partners, platforms, and workers.




Temporary and Gig Economy Workers in China and Japan


Book Description

While a large number of studies exist on political-economic institutional explanations for the prevalence of precarious work, few have delved into the elusive yet critical domain of culture. This is highly pertinent to China and Japan whose shared tradition of Confucianism (broadly defined) continues to inform many aspects of society. In particular, core values such as hierarchy, harmony, and the subordination of individual interests to collective requirements impinge importantly on the iniquitous patterns of precarious work and its surrounding institutions ranging from state policy and legislation to industrial relations and social welfare. The pervasiveness and entrenched nature of culture has been especially evidenced by Japan's distinctly gendered and China's rural-urban citizenship-based labour market stratifications. By bridging culture and institutions, Temporary and Gig Economy Workers in China and Japan brings a more integrated and nuanced understanding of unequal work, casting fresh light on social change in China, Japan, and beyond. Emphasis is placed not only on macro-level structural scrutiny but also on micro-agency empiricism, i.e. real people's experiences in everyday life. This holistic and comparative approach, as demonstrated by the book, will go a long way towards tackling the negative consequences of precarious work in a wider post-pandemic world.




Clash


Book Description

Amazon and Walmart, with more than half a trillion in revenues annually, are the two largest companies in the world. They have not only redefined the retail industry—Walmart in the 1980s/1990s and Amazon since 2000—but have also been the benchmark for business best practices (e.g., the use of IT, supply chain, data analytics, customer orientation). This year, it is anticipated that Amazon will dethrone Walmart as the world’s largest company, a position that Walmart has occupied for more than two decades. By examining these two companies and their business models in depth, Professor Nirmalya Kumar elucidates on the more general phenomenon of incumbents competing with disruptors (e.g., Volkswagen vs Tesla, Marriott vs Airbnb) as well as the move to omnichannel retail where physical stores must coexist with online retailers.




Regulating Gig Work


Book Description

Digital revolution demands new approaches to regulating work. The ‘Uberisation’ of work is not, in reality, a new phenomenon. It reintroduces the practices of ‘on-demand’ engagement of labour, common prior to the development of continuing employment. What is new, however, is the capacity of digital technology to engage labour in ways that avoid characterisation as employment according to the legal tests developed in the 20th century. This book tackles the challenge of ensuring that the emerging tribes of ‘gig’ workers in labour markets across the globe are afforded decent standards of work. This book discusses how to provide decent conditions and safe working standards for on-demand workers engaged through digital platforms. It interrogates the rise of gig work, and the legal strategies that might be engaged to deal with the risk that on-demand work will fall and remain outside of employment protections. It draws on observations of practices across the globe but focusses particularly on regulatory solutions developed in Australia. The book will be a useful reference to policy making and legal reforms to address vulnerabilities of gig workers.




Beyond the Algorithm


Book Description

In Beyond the Algorithm: Qualitative Insights for Gig Work Regulation, Deepa Das Acevedo and a collection of scholars and experts show why government actors must go beyond mass surveys and data-scrubbing in order to truly understand the realities of gig work. The contributors draw on qualitative empirical research to reveal the narratives and real-life experiences that define gig work, and they connect these insights to policy debates being fought out in courts, town halls, and even in Congress itself. The book also bridges academic and non-academic worlds by drawing on the experiences of drivers, journalists, and workers' advocates who were among the first people to study gig work from the bottom up. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in gig work, the legal infrastructure surrounding it, and how that infrastructure can and must be improved.




Decent Work in the Digital Age


Book Description

This book explores the legal and practical implications of the digital age for employment and industrial relations. To that end, the book analyses the problems arising from the digitalisation of work and the negative effects on working conditions in fields such as platform work, robotisation, discrimination, data protection, and freedom of speech. It also looks at how to ensure decent working conditions for workers affected by digitalisation, by investigating the minimum standards that should be ensured to mitigate negative effects – and how these could be best guaranteed by legislation and collective bargaining. The book presents a theoretical framework on the impact of automatisation, robotics, and digitalisation on the very basic principles of individual and collective labour law. The chapters provide an in-depth analysis of new patterns of work prompted by digitalisation, including: classification of platform workers; recognition of employment and social security rights; competition law aspects of platform work; remote (tele)work arrangements; algorithmic decision-making and remote surveillance; data protection and privacy; and social media in working environments. The book is an important reference for academics and researchers, social partners, and policy makers with an interest in labour law and industrial relations.




The New Roaring Twenties


Book Description

The world and its economic foundations are shifting beneath our feet! We are at the threshold of the new roaring twenties—a resurgent era of technology-driven advancement with greater financial equity and economic expansion. Not unlike the famed decade of the previous century, our next ten years will be filled with striking cultural shifts, new challenges, and, ultimately, abundant financial opportunities. Paul Zane Pilzer, the economist/entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author of 13 books, sees a better world on the horizon. In The New Roaring Twenties he imparts inspiration and a new template for escaping the shadow of a global pandemic, with all its fallout, and stepping into the resplendent possibilities of the future. Pilzer details 12 economic and societal pillars that will be essential for navigating our new world: Economic: Explosive technology-driven wealth An energy revolution Job market upheaval Accelerated arrival of AI robots The gig economy Universal basic income Societal: Growing influence of millennials Expansion of the sharing revolution Consumer surplus Shift from GDP to gross national happiness A new Pax Americana/China The Russian wild card The New Roaring Twenties offers solid ground in a shifting world, revealing the principles that will allow you to find new pathways to financial success and personal happiness.




Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management for Complex Work Environments


Book Description

Navigating the complexities of organizational behavior and human resource management can be daunting in today's fast-paced workplaces. The ever-changing landscape, driven by technological advancements and evolving employee expectations, challenges professionals and academics alike. Many struggle to fully grasp and adapt to these shifts, which can lead to low employee engagement, ineffective leadership, and ethical dilemmas. What is needed now is a comprehensive solution that provides insights and strategies to address these challenges head-on. Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management for Complex Work Environments takes on this role, and delves into critical topics such as leadership, employee well-being, team dynamics, and ethical decision-making. By exploring these subjects, readers gain a deeper understanding of the intricacies of modern workplaces and how to navigate them effectively. The book bridges the gap between theory and practice, offering actionable insights applied in real-world scenarios. It is a valuable resource for professionals looking to enhance their skills and knowledge in organizational behavior and human resource management.




Humanistic Management in the Gig Economy


Book Description

Zusammenfassung: Gig-workers are often not regarded as employees by the platforms they work with. Yet they do not always have all the freedoms enjoyed by independent contractors. The world of work is changing, and this is one area in which the new realities need to be better understood in order to promote human dignity, protect the vulnerable and foster flourishing. To achieve this, justice and fairness need to be researched and innovatively translated into new forms of work in diverse ways and in various cultures. This edited collection explores and examines ways in which the humanistic management and fairness considerations help to humanise the way gig-workers are treated, with particular attention paid to economies in the global south. Countries represented in the case study section are Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Kenya, Nigeria, South Korea, and Uganda, and both traditional and innovative lenses of fairness and ethics are applied to these new forms of work. The book will be of great interest to scholars and students of work and employment, digital business, human resource management and business ethics. Kemi Ogunyemi is Professor of Business Ethics at Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University, Nigeria, where she also teaches managerial anthropology, self-leadership and sustainability management. She was for many years the director of the Christopher Kolade Centre for Research in Leadership and Ethics as well as the academic director for the School's Senior Management Programme. Her consulting and research interests include personal ethos, work-life ethic, social responsibility, sustainability, governance and anti-corruption risk assessment