Case studies in work, employment and human resource management Tony Dundon and Adrian Wilkinson (eds) (Cheltenham, UK), Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, (2020) 320 pages, £28 paperback, £120 hardcover

• Published date: 01 July 2022
• Author: Andrew Kozhevnikov
• Date: 01 July 2022
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/ntwe.12245

DOI: 10.1111/ntwe.12245

BOOK REVIEW

Case studies in work, employment and human

resource management

Tony Dundon and Adrian Wilkinson (eds)

(Cheltenham, UK), Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, (2020) 320 pages, £28 paperback, £120 hardcover

This book, edited by Tony Dundon and Adrian Wilkinson, offers an excellent collection of case

studies relevant to human resource management (HRM), work and employment studies,

industrial relations, employment law, sociology of work, organisation studies and other cognate

disciplines. While covering a broad range of topics, the book is likely to interest readers of New

Technology, Work and Employment. Some cases explicitly address (as their primary or

secondary point of interest) the impact of new technologies at work (e.g., technical skills in

Chapter 2; Uber and gig economy in Chapter 14; technology‐enabled people management in

Chapter 37), whereas some others consider relevant HRM and employment matters in high‐

tech contexts (e.g., games industry in Chapter 28; Ford in Chapter 32; Apple in Chapter 41). In

addition, the book should appeal to the readers' broader critical interests of HRM, work and

employment by providing dynamic accounts of timely and important issues, considered from

the points of view of various stakeholders, rather than just managers and business owners. The

volume consists of eight thematic sections which, in turn, comprise 42 chapters presenting one

case study each, with thought‐provoking questions and, in most cases, useful references at

the end.

The book opens with an introduction by Dundon and Wilkinson (Chapter 1). Then, the four

case studies in Section I report on issues pertaining to ‘people resourcing’. In Chapter 2,

Scholarios and Hurrell explore diversity and inclusion in the strategic recruitment of young

people in a law firm and demonstrate how championing diversity and inclusion can be a useful,

although challenging, recruitment strategy. A selection process in the finance sector and issues

surrounding it (such as inconsistency and lack of clarity) are addressed by Hurrell, Mazzoni

and Scholarios in Chapter 3. In Chapter 4, Roe and Athelstan‐Price examine wellbeing at work

through the case of a woman with autism and mental health issues in a UK educational

institution. They specifically underscore the complexity of mental health policies as well as

the ambiguity of their interpretations. Then, in Chapter 5, flexible working during and after the

2008 recession is discussed by Johnstone and Procter, who, worryingly, report that the

postrecovery period (from 2011) witnessed further segmentation of the workforce with different

degrees of uncertainty and precarity.

Section II includes six case studies around ‘HR strategy, rewards and performance’. Kellner

(Chapter 6) explores factors shaping HRM strategy in an Australian food franchise, such as the

expansion of the business, legal compliance and brand protection, and Johnson (Chapter 7)

New Technol Work Employ. 2022;37:338–341.338

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