Grimshaw, Damian

Europe has begun to emerge from the prolonged slump caused by the global financial crisis in 2008 and exacerbated by the euro zone single-currency crisis in 2010–2011. In the last year, aggregate employment levels have risen faster than a...

This report explores how organisations in the UK design and implement employment policies in response to changing internal needs of the organisation and a range of pressures in the external environment, and also assesses how these policies shape working conditions for different groups of employees.

During recent decades, various new forms of interfirm relationships have been emerging across national contexts. This study seeks to fill a gap in the research carried out to date on the impact of these relationships on working conditions and employment practices, including human resources management policies. This report draws on 20 case studies and a review of literature to investigate the varied effects of five types of interfirm relationships on employment. These are joint ventures, clusters, public-private partnerships, strategic alliances/networks and virtual company networks. In the current economic climate, developing interfirm relationships is linked with company survival and competitiveness.

This literature review aims both to provide an up-to-date synthesis of, and contribute to, the relevant debates by analysing the varied effects of five types of interfirm relationships: public-private partnerships (PPPs), joint ventures, strategic alliances, clusters and virtual company networks (VCNs). The review uses existing literature to illustrate likely effects of each type of relationship on employment practices and working conditions.