Although initially sparked by the collapse of MG Rover, this inquiry into the UK automotive industry was broadened to examine the following subjects: the principal reasons for the different records of success by different companies;how companies arrive at investment and closure decisions; the role played by trade unions; the appropriate Government response to closure announcements and what the Government could do to help the supply chain and workforce if plants are closed. Overall it foresees mixed prospects for car manufacturing in this country and thinks it is important that the industry and Government put extra effort into improving skills, increasing R&D, adopting lean manufacturing techniques and strengthening the local supply chain.

work of the Committee In 2007 : First report of session 2007-08, report, together with formal Minutes

EBOOK: Strategy: Analysis and Practice

Economic restructuring has been a notable feature of so-called mature industrial economies such as the UK and Australia in the last two decades, with deregulation, privatisation, technological change and globalisation combining to reshape such economies. Some industries have grown, while others have declined. Moreover, while overall employment in the UK and Australia has grown, many newly-created positions require skills not found in the industries shedding labour, or are in casualised and low paid occupations. Many lesser-skilled workers leaving declining industries are therefore at risk of long-term unemployment or leaving the workforce entirely. Both mental and physical health can be affected after redundancy. It is therefore crucial that the measures put in place in many domains of social policy (such as formal health policy, employment assistance, community development, housing assistance and so on) to adequately address the difficulties confronting this group. This volume takes a closer look at the impact of manufacturing - notably automotive - plant closures in the UK (Birmingham) and Australia (Adelaide) in recent years and policy responses to those closures. It attempts to tease out differences in policy response and effectiveness, and attempts to identify areas where policy could be made to work better in terms of adjusting to large scale manufacturing change and resulting job losses. In so doing, it begins, for the first time we believe, to take a comparative approach to understanding the impact of plant closures and policy responses. This book was published as a special issue of Policy Studies.

This title was first published in 2002. This compelling text provides fresh insight into an area that is often touched upon, but rarely examined in any great detail - the relationship between Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) and their host governments. Taking Japanese Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) strategy, arguably the model of FDI, Young-Chan Kim takes a revealing look at why the United Kingdom (UK) has dominated among the EU member states for FDI destination, while ironically losing its nationalized car manufacturers. Scholars of business history, international business and business economics will find this work invaluable.

Despite thirty years of equal pay legislation, the gender pay gap remains, although it is narrowing. It is hard to eliminate, because men and women tend to work in different occupations and traditional female occupations tend to be lower paid and lower valued than men's. But such occupational segregation limits the pool of recruits available to employers. In its 2005 report, the Women and Work Commission (http://www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk/publications/women_work_5threp.pdf) made 40 recommendations to tackle job segregation and the gender pay gap and this report seeks to examine what action has been taken to implement those recommendations and to identify any further steps needed. The report finds: there are insufficient training opportunities for women in non-traditional occupations and, until recently, little advice available for older women who want to change their work direction or who return after a break; the announced extension in apprenticeships is welcome but must not just follow traditional occupational breakdowns; it is important to address the undervaluation of 'traditional' women's jobs; the dearth of quality part-time jobs is a waste of the experience and skills of many older women and one of the main reasons for the persistence of the gender pay gap. The extension to the private sector of the gender equality duty imposed on the public sector from April 2007 could encourage greater transparency and positive action, but it is too still early to judge the success of this duty. It is clearly the case that the gender pay gap remains worryingly stubborn. The Committee recommends that if the pay gap continues to decline only slowly, the Government should look at further measures such as the extension of the gender equality duty and consider making pay audits mandatory.

This book provides a concise, engaging, and accessible introduction to human resource management which is academically rigorous and appropriate for both undergraduate and postgraduate students taking courses in business studies and related areas. Adopting lecturers receive a copy of a DVD featuring video interviews with practitioners.

This report examines how the Post Office closure programme is being implemented and areas where it could be improved. The Network Change Programme began in July 2007 and the final consultation is scheduled to end in October 2008. This challenging timetable has meant that consultation has been curtailed, and the whole process has been rushed. The Committee does not accept that a reduction to 7,500 offices is acceptable, and a minimum of 11,500 fixed outlets is recommended. Post Office Ltd should be clearer in its approach to public consultation about closures. The Committee is also concerned that access criteria - proximity of population to offices, local transport and geographical constraints - have not been fully taken into account, nor the principle of services being fully accessible to all. The process has been improving with more experience, but there is still room for further improvement and clarity.

The Committee's report examines the work of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) as part of a programme of short inquiries into the non-departmental public bodies associated with the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (formerly the DTI). A NAO report (HCP 593, session 2005-06; ISBN 0102936161) published in November 2005 highlighted three key areas of concern about the OFT and its approach to its work, focusing on making best use of its resources; improving the management of investigations; and improving the measurement of its achievements and the communication of its work. The Committee commends the OFT for its positive response to address these concerns, and although it is too soon to make a balanced assessment of the results, they are encouraged by the evidence of progress so far. The report also examines issues relating to staffing constraints, the merger referral threshold, the OFT's role in voluntary industry codes of practice, and the OFT's Consumer Direct telephone service.

Focusing on the city’s role as the nexus for new forms of relationships between politics, economics and society, this fascinating book views the city as a political phenomena. Its chapters unravel the city’s plural histories, contested political, legal and administrative boundaries, and its policy-making capacity in the context of multi-level and market pressures.