Rosemary Batt

• Cornell University

This cross-sectional study examines the prevalence and characteristics of real estate investment trust-owned health care properties in the US health care sector.

The long-term financial stability of hospital systems represents a "grand challenge" in health care. New ownership forms, such as private equity (PE), promise to achieve better financial performance than nonprofit or for-profit systems. In this study, we compare two systems with many similarities, but radically different ownership structures, missi...

A central problem in contemporary employment relations is the fragmentation of work. This process is occurring in health systems as they decentralize services from hospitals to outpatient centers. While some unions have maintained inclusive employment systems, others have not. What explains this variation? The authors address this question through...

Private equity firms have become major players in the healthcare industry. How has this happened and what are the results? What is private equity’s ‘value proposition’ to the industry and to the American people -- at a time when healthcare is under constant pressure to cut costs and prices? How can PE firms use their classic leveraged buyout model...

Experts discuss improving job quality in low-wage industries including retail, residential construction, hospitals and long-term healthcare, restaurants, manufacturing, and long-haul trucking. Americans work harder and longer than our counterparts in other industrialized nations. Yet prosperity remains elusive to many. Workers in such low-wage indu...

Contrary to the classic assumptions in the business and human resource (HR) strategy literatures, real‐world organizations often pursue multiple and potentially contradictory performance goals. They may adopt ‘hybrid’ strategies to maximize both differentiation and low cost — leading middle managers to face dilemmas in how to achieve different goal...

Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the explanatory power of the service-profit chain (SPC) model in a context that differs from its original conception. The authors do so by considering whether the main relationships it proposes apply in the context of call centre services, characterised by remote services and cost cutti...

The goal of this paper is to develop a comprehensive research agenda to analyze trends in domestic outsourcing in the U.S. – firms’ use of contractors and independent contractors – and its effects on job quality and inequality. In the process, we review definitions of outsourcing, the available scant empirical research, and limitations of existing...

This paper examines the emergence of financial business models and the effects of new financial intermediaries and new financial strategies of non-financial corporations on the management of companies and employment outcomes.

A groundbreaking analysis of a hotly contested business model, Private Equity at Work provides an unprecedented analysis of the little-understood inner workings of private equity and of the effects of leveraged buyouts on American companies and workers.

This article explores the link between human resource (HR) practices (training, discretion, and group-based incentives) and a series of performance outcomes, including customer satisfaction, labor efficiency, sales revenues, and profitability. We examine whether HR practices have different relationships with distinct performance outcomes and whethe...

Strategic human capital research has emphasized the importance of human capital as a resource for sustained competitive advantage, but firm investments in this intangible asset vary considerably. This article examines whether and how external pressures on firms from capital markets influence their human capital strategy. These pressures have inc...

An increasing share of the economy is organized around financial capitalism, where capital market actors actively manage their claims on wealth creation and distribution to maximize shareholder value. Drawing on four case studies of private equity buyouts, we challenge agency theory interpretations that they are ‘welfare neutral’ and show that an a...

This paper examines three questions: 1) How and why have financial models of doing business emerged in the last three decades? 2) What new forms of financial capitalism have become important in the current period? 3) How do new financial intermediaries, such as private equity, and the financial strategies of nonfinancial corporations affect the man...

Private equity, hedge funds, sovereign wealth funds and other private pools of capital form part of the growing shadow banking system in the United States; these new financial intermediaries provide an alternative investment mechanism to the traditional banking system. Private equity and hedge funds have their origins in the U.S., while the first s...

Targets of private equity usually have faster job growth than other companies before they are taken over. On average they also have higher rates of profitability. The claim that private equity mostly helps struggling companies is not borne out by the facts. Moreover, the investors who provide private equity firms with the capital typically make les...

The purpose of this paper is to bridge the boundaries separating strategic and comparative institutional perspectives on human resource systems and employment relations. Each research tradition has investigated the role and outcomes of corporations as they operate in an increasingly global economy. Researchers in these traditions, however, ask diff...

A growing body of research has identified a shift in the decision-making structure of American corporations–away from one based on managerial expertise towards one based on financial expertise. Under the classic model of 'managerial capitalism', managers controlled corporate strategic and operational decision-making while dispersed shareholders had...

Many have argued that the field of human resource (HR) management has successfully transformed itself from the functional orientation of personnel management to a strategic orientation that is more relevant to the goals and effectiveness of business in the current competitive landscape. In this article, we assess that proposition by reviewing almos...

This study examines the relationship between alternative approaches to employment systems and quits, dismissals, and customer service, using cross-sectional, longitudinal data from nationally representative surveys of call center establishments. In results contrary to those of prior research, the antecedents and consequences of quits and dismissals...

This study examines the relationship between alternative approaches to employment systems and quits, dismissals and customer service, based on cross-sectional and longitudinal data from nationally representative surveys of call center establishments. Contrary to prior literature, the antecedents and consequences of quits and dismissals are quite si...

Using survey data for call centre establishments in eight countries, we examine the relationship between wages and human resource practices. High-involvement work design and the use of performance-based pay are significantly positively related to wages, whereas intensive use of performance monitoring is negatively associated with wages. These relat...

This multilevel study examines the role of supervisors in improving employee performance through the use of coaching and group management practices. It examines the individual and synergistic effects of these management practices. The research subjects are call center agents in highly standardized jobs, and the organizational context is one in whic...

The purpose of this chapter is to explore the factors that shape the level of pay and organization of work in call centers in Europe and the United States. It goes beyond prior research, which has focused primarily on the intrinsic quality of jobs, and has tended to draw on studies within countries, particularly the United States and the United Kin...

This article examines the dynamics of workplace change in European call centres. Survey data and case studies from Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain show large national and sectoral differences in institutional inclusiveness and labour market segmentation. These reflect variation in the institutional constraints and resou...

The Oxford Handbook of Work and Organization aims to bring together, present, and discuss what is currently known about work and organizations and their connection to broader economic change in Europe and America. Issues of conceptualization are not neglected but, in contrast to other comparable volumes, the emphasis is firmly on what is known what...

This introduction to the special issue on the globalization of service work provides an overview of the call center sector and its development in coordinated, liberal Mar. ket, and emerging market economies. The introduction's authors situate this research in literature on the comparative political economy and industrial relations. Drawing on quali...

This paper, drawing on a 2003–2006 establishment-level survey of 1,819 call centers in 15 countries, examines effects of industrial relations institutions and employer strategies on wage variation across coordinated, liberal, and emerging market economies. The authors find several contradictory patterns, which confirm theoretical predictions for so...

This introduction to the special issue on the globalization of service work provides an overview of the call center sector and its development in coordinated, liberal market, and emerging market economies. The introduction’s authors situate this research in literature on the comparative political economy and industrial relations. Drawing on qualita...

Les AA. etudient l'impact des programmes visant a ameliorer la participation des salaries. Ils distinguent parmi ces programmes ceux qui prevoient la mise en place d'equipes autogerees et ceux qui s'elaborent autour d'une organisation plus traditionnelle du travail. Ils presentent les resultats d'une enquete menee aux Etats-Unis aupres d'ouvriers p...

This text brings together the work of contemporary scholars to explore the changing nature of work, employment relations, occupations, and organizations in the context of the global economy. Its purpose is to provide a map of what is happening to people at work across a wide array of settings. To this end, the map is informed by a broad range of th...

This article first reviews the alternative theoretical approaches to human resource management that have been developed in the academic literature and discusses why these need to incorporate conceptual advances from services' marketing and operations management. Here, it also discusses the evidence regarding what strategies lead to better service a...

The purpose of this article is to survey and critique this varied landscape of research on groups at work, drawing out common themes and selective weaknesses with the goal of suggesting a more synthetic and informed future agenda. The discussion here is not encyclopedic, but rather focused on three quite different research traditions: those based i...

Changing Markets, Technologies and Business StrategiesManagement Practices and Performance OutcomesSystems and Mechanisms Linking Management Practices and OutcomesDiscussion and Conclusions References

This study examines the relationship between informal training and job performance among 2,803 telephone operators in a large unionized U.S. telecommunications company. The authors analyze individual-level data on monthly training hours and job performance over a five-month period in 2001 as provided by the company’s electronic monitoring system. T...

A perfect storm is a conjoining of forces that intensifies effects. This commentary addresses the economic perfect storm that the United States and many other developed countries face as they attempt to become globally competitive. Its forces conflate strategic change with the erosion of employment and income security as firms shed labor and old in...

There has been a surge of new interest in federal training policy. This momentum has been fueled by concerns with productivity and competitiveness, whereas past federal policy has been more focused upon distributional issues. A wide range of new proposals have been put forth, and high on the list are initiatives to work directly with firms. As maki...

[Excerpt] This report is the first large scale international study of call center management and employment practices across all regions of the globe – including Asia, Africa, South America, North America, and Europe. Covering almost 2,500 centers in 17 countries, this survey provides a detailed account of the similarities and differences in operat...

The dramatic growth of call centers in the last two decades is an important labor market phenomenon for low-wage service workers. Whereas historically service provision was personalized and service labor markets were local, advances in information technologies and new business strategies have made possible the emergence of call centers in which ser...

This paper examines the relationship between human resource practices, operational outcomes, and economic performance in call centers. The study draws on a sample of 64 call centers serving the mass market in a large telecommunications services company. Surveys of 1,243 employees in the 64 centers were aggregated to the call center level and matche...

Report of the Global Call Centre Industry Project The dramatic growth of the call center industry is a world-wide phenomenon, fueled by advances in information technologies and the precipitous decline in the costs of voice and data transmission over the last two decades. As part of this global industry, call centres in India have experienced specta...

"Each type of call center (i.e., ownership status) is associated with particular strategies and systems, which in turn influence quit rates. In-house call centers typically focus on service quality and adopt quasi-professional employment systems (higher pay, more opportunities for employee problem-solving, minimal performance monitoring). Cost cont...

In this chapter, we draw on a comparative international survey of management strategies and employment practices in U.S. and Indian customer contact call centers. We compare these practices across three types of centers: U.S. in-house, U.S. outsourced, and Indian outsourced- offshore operations. We consider two questions. First, how similar or diff...

This study examines the impact of employee voice and compliance mechanisms on voluntary turnover and other workplace behaviors. Results from analysis of a unique, nationally representative sample of establishments in the telecommunications industry show that voice mechanisms in the form of unions and problem-solving groups are associated with signi...

Advances in information technologies and marketing techniques have led to a revolution in service delivery systems over the last decade. Whereas service delivery historically was decentralized and personal and service labour markets were local, advanced information systems and marketing techniques have made centralized remote servicing via technolo...

This paper offers a political explanation for the diffusion and sustainability of team-based work systems by examining the differential outcomes of team structures for 1200 workers, supervisors, and middle managers in a large unionized telecommunications company. Regression analyses show that participation in self-managed teams is associated with s...

Drawing on a nonrandom sample of 557 dual-earner white-collar employees, this article explores the relationship between human resources practices and three outcomes of interest to firms and employees: work-family conflict, employees' control over managing work and family demands, and employees' turnover intentions. We analyze three types of human r...

This case study of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) demonstrates the value of resource dependence and contingency organizational theories-two branches of organization theory, which has most commonly been used to interpret firm behavior-for analyzing union revitalization. Consistent with predictions of those theories, the CWA responded to...

Discussion of organizational responses to the challenges dual-earner couples face in integrating their work and family lives and of the effectiveness of various workplace characteristics and organizational initiatives for supporting such work-life integration. Development of a comprehensive model of organizational family responsiveness that incorpo...

Discussion of the positive and negative effects of work-family spillover: the transfer of mood, affect, and behavior between work and home.

Drawing on a non-random sample of 557 dual- earner white collar employees, this paper explores the relationship between human resource practices and three outcomes of interest to firms and employees: work-family conflict, employees’ control over managing work and family demands, and employees’ turnover intentions. We analyze three types of human re...

In this article we outline three alternative production models and discuss their applicability to call centre management. These include the classic mass production model, the professional service model and the mass customisation model. We then develop a theoretical framework that identifies potential causal links between management practices, worke...

In this paper, we examine the predictors of aggregate quit rates at the establishment level. We draw on strategic human resource and industrial relations theory to identify the sets of employee voice mechanisms and human resource practices that are likely to predict quit rates. With respect to alternative voice mechanisms, we find that union repres...

This study examined the relationship between human resource practices, employee quit rates, and organizational performance in the service sector. Drawing on a unique, nationally representative sample of call centers, multivariate analyses showed that quit rates were lower and sales growth was higher in establishments that emphasized high skills, em...

Using data from a 1998 establishment-level survey in the telecommunications industry, the authors examine the predictors of aggregate quit rates. They draw on strategic human resource and industrial relations theory to identify the sets of employee voice mechanisms and human resource practices that are likely to predict quit rates. With respect to...

Recent organizing drives and strike activity among technical and professional employees raise the question of whether the employment conditions of these workers are deteriorating more generally. To consider this question, this paper reviews empirical research and national surveys on trends in employment contracts and working conditions of technical...

Using data from a nationally representative sample of telecommunications establishments, this study finds that HR practices and workforce unionization influence managerial pay levels and the ratio of manager-to-worker pay. High performance HR practices, including investment in the skills of the workforce, in computer-based technologies, and in perf...

This paper examines the economic logic of organizing field technicians into self-managed teams, an approach to work organization that shifts the division of labour from a hierarchical to horizontal one. Economic efficiencies arise through the integration of direct and indirect labour tasks and the alignment of'the organizational structure with the...

This study examines factors related to within-occupation wage inequality among service and sales workers in the telecommunications industry. The author draws on a 1998 survey of a nationally representative sample of 354 service and sales centers in the industry to examine the relative importance of management practices and union institutions in sha...

This report, based on a study of a group of highly accomplished professionals in New York City, is one of the first to take up labor market issues in the new media industry. It describes the challenges faced by professionals and employers alike in this important and dynamic sector, and identifies strategies for success in a project oriented environ...

This paper examines variation in the use of high involvement work practices in service and sales operations. I argue that the relationship between the customer and front-line service provider is a central feature that distinguishes production-level service activities from manufacturing. In particular, through strategic segmentation, firms are able...

This book explores the reasons for persistent differences in work practices both within and between industries. The authors found that the strategy that a firm chooses to follow often determines the kind of work practices it fosters. Therefore a firm may not adopt the approach now advocated by many management thinkers--in which decision-making is p...

The author analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of Total Quality Management and Self-Managed Teams, as compared to mass production approaches to service delivery, among customer service and sales workers in a large unionized regional Bell operating company. Participation in self-managed teams was associated with a statistically significant improve...

This paper explores the effects of union presence on the performance of entrepreneurial firms in the mid-1990s (both at the initial public offering (IPO) and after the event). Contrary to prior studies, we find that within our sample, union presence raises Tobin’s q by 14.5 percent. For the critical outcomes of earnings growth and growth in share p...

This paper estimates the economic costs and benefits of implementing teams among highly-skilled technicians in a large regional telecommunications company. It matches individual survey and objective performance data for 230 employees in matched pairs of traditionally-supervised and self-managed groups. Multivariate regressions with appropriate cont...

Virtually all countries are undergoing deregulation and privatisation of their telecommunications sectors. Yet despite the globalisation of markets, technological borrowing, and great similarities in public sector legacies across countries, the outcomes of deregulation and restructuring are not converging to a single point. Rather, the differences...

In the United States, as in other advanced industrial countries, worker participation in management has taken on increasing importance, placing pressures on employers and unions to change how they deal with employees/members, and with each other. This paper examines two of the most impressive cases in the U.S.: the partnerships between General Moto...

This paper analyzes how organizational restructuring is affecting managerial labor markets. Drawing on field research from several Bell operating companies plus a detailed survey of managers in one company, this paper considers how organizational restructuring affects the employment levels, the nature of work, and the career trajectories of lower a...