Full Description
In the United States work underlies our very concept of who we are. Changes in society and technology have influenced how and where we work, and transformations within the workplace in turn have altered our society.
A Nation at Work addresses the fundamental economic, demographic, policy, and business facts about how the workforce and workplace are changing in the early twenty-first century. Illustrated with over thirty-five graphs, Part I covers essential topics about the American workforce and workers. Part II gathers essays and speeches from the nation's outstanding journalists and workplace analysts. The book incorporates facts and data, including invaluable tables and listings for useful Internet sites, books, and organizations.
Comprehensive in scope, A Nation at Work will help readers reach a better understanding about their own work and the world of work around them.
Contents
List of Illustrations
Preface and Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I The Workforce, the Economy, and Public Policy
Chapter 1. Social, Economic, and Demographic Trends
Sidebar. Policy Brief: Pension Plans and Social Security
Sidebar. Policy Brief: Poverty and Its Role in U.S. Policy
Sidebar. Policy Brief: Unemployment Insurance and Low-Income Workers in the New Economy's First Recession
Chapert 2. Recruiting, Educating, and Training the Workforce
Sidebar. Policy Brief: The Workforce Investment Act
Chapter 3. Regulating the Workforce
Sidebar. Policy Brief: Affirmative Action—Pros and Cons
Part II The Economy and the Workforce: A Critical Reader
Chapter 4. Globalization, Technology, and Trade
Information Technology and the New Economy by U.S. Department of Commerce
Notions of New Economy HInge on Pace of Productivity Growth by Louis Uchitelle
A Decade of Difference: The Newly Improved U.S. Economy by Jack Guynn
Manufacturing's Place in the Twenty-first-Century Economy by Leo Reddy
Manufacturing amidst Economic and Market Jitters—Still America's Best Bet for Growth by W. R. Timken Jr.
Shining Factory on a Mountaintop by Nancy Mills
Stocks Matter, but Jobs Matter More by E. J. Dionne Jr.
The Economic Importance of Improving Math-Science Education by Alan Greenspan
What We Work for Now by Jerome M. Segal
The Real Foundation of the Software World: Behind-the-Scenes Programmers Are Bricklayers of Internet Economy by Steve Lohr
The New Antiglobalists: Exploring the Psychology of Seattle, Washington, and Beyond by William Finnegan
The Discarded Factory: Degraded Production in the Age of the Superbrand by Naomi Klein
The Positive Effect of Trade on U.S. Jobs by Ernest H. Preeg
America's Labor Pains by Thomas L. Friedman
Where No Business Is Good Business by Jack El-Hai
Dialogues with James Fallows by Michael Lews and James Fallows
Mass of Newly Laid-Off Workers Will Put Social Safety Net to the Test by Jason DeParle
Chapter 5. Ethics and Justice in the New Workplace
Shock Absorbers in the New Economy by Chris Benner
Scrubbing in Maine by Barbara Ehrenreich
No Shame in (This) Game by Katherine S. Newman
Abusive Chid Labor Practices by Linda Chavez-Thompson
New Ethics or No Ethics? Questionable Behavior Is Silicon Valley's Next Big Thing by Jerry Useem
Two Companies Battle High Turnover and Win! by Deborah S. Roberts
Sidebar. Building Bonds
Workplace Upheavals Seems to Be Eroding Employees' Trust by Sue Shellenbarger
Chapter 6. Balancing Work and Family
The Daily Grind: Catch a Break from a Stressed-Out World by Ellen Galinsky
An Accident Waiting to Happen by Ann Crittenden
Day Care Is Moving to the Night Shift by Barbara Carton
Mommy-Track Backlash by Alden M. Hayashi
Is Telework Coming of Age? Evaluating the Potential Benefits of Telework by Carl E. Van Horn and Duke Storen
Work at Home? First, Get Real by Susan B. Garland
Child Care, the Perk of Tomorrow? by Steven Greenhouse
The State of the Workplace for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Americans, 2000 by Human Rights Campaign
Sidebar. General Description of Hewlett-Packard's Domestic Partner Benefits
Should Washington Implement National Ergonomic Standards? by Edward Potter
Home-Office Debate Isn't New by Eileen Boris and Nelson Lichtenstein
Right to Refuse Unsafe Work by Communications Workers of America
FIshing for a Living Is Dangerous Work by Dino Drudi
Logging Is Perilous Work by Eric F. Sygnatur
What Is Stress and Why Is It Hazardous? by HR.com
Chapter 7. Technology on the Job
The Knowledge Web by Michael Moe
The Long Boom: Boom Fatigue by Jon Gordon
Twelve Learning Interventions That Combat Technophobia by Linda Ristow Puetz
E-Business 2.0: The Real Transformation Begins by John Thompson
Rig de Rigueur: Eighteen Wheels and a Laptop by Robert Strauss
A Vision of E-Learning for America's Workforce by The Commission on Technology and Adult Learning, American Society of Training and Development/National Governors Association Center for Best Practices
Chapter 8. The Changing Face of the Workforce
Gray Flannel Suit? Moi? by Thomas Stewart
Sidebar. Escape from the Cult of Personality Tests
New Opportunities for Older Workers by Committee for Economic Development
Finished at Forty by Nina Munk
Sidebar. Suspect Age Bias? Try Proving It
The Working Caste by Leah Platt
The H-1B Straitjacket: Why Congress Should Repeal the Cap on Foreign-Born Highly Skilled Workers by Suzette Brooks Masters and Ted Ruthizer
Labor Movement: Mexicans Transform a Town in Georgia—and an Entire Industry by Joel Millman and Will Pinkston
Bibliography
Internet References
Index
