Globalization, Labor, and the Transformation of Work: Readings for Seeking a Competitive Advantage in an Increasingly Global Economy, Edited by Jonathan H. Westover, Altona, Vic.: Common Ground, 2010, ISBN: 978-1-8633-5660-2, 572 pp.

The first part of the book focuses on globalization and encompasses chapters one through three. Chapter one provides an overview of globalization and global development theory and background. Here the authors discuss concerns about the novelty of current political ideology, the emergence of a global consciousness and changing conceptions of the nation. Three readings within this chapter explore sociological theories of global development in order to: explain and critique one if its approaches (commodity chain analysis) (Dogherty), compare approaches within it (modernization theory, dependency theory, world systems theory and neoliberalism) (Westover) and offer an overview of studies in which authors show a renewed interest in the role of the state in development (Westover). Chapter two explores cases relating to economic development in an increasingly globalized world economy. Here Kauffman provides an overview of indigenous employment in four OECD countries – the USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia – in an effort to examine the link between these and the causes of economic development and underdevelopment in the aforementioned countries. Didelon and Richard then discuss the EU’s position as a major global player according to three approaches or “strategic perceptions” – continents, centre-periphery and archipelago – then critiques these approaches and offer a fourth: regionalism. This approach, the authors argue, would allow the EU to take advantage of complementarities within regional economies – such as a growing workforce in Northern Africa to counterbalance labour shortages in Europe. Finally, Akhter and Pounder offer a case study of Barbados small and mid-sized enterprises’ perceptions of and reactions to globalization, in an effort to develop knowledge pertaining to very small economies, a field yet to be developed by scholars. Chapter three explores the effects of globalization on culture and identity in an effort to relate these to the workplace and organizational culture. Here Hadgis explores leadership behaviours through a cross-cultural research lens and argues that local cultures must be taken into account in the process of globalization. Then, using the World Bank as an illustration, Muto and Khilji explore the convergence and divergence theses of organizational culture, to argue for a crossvergence theory. Morrison explores models of cultural identity development and offers a new typology designed to address the specific context of increased flow of information and globalization. Nguyen, Umemoto, Nakamori and Ito explore concepts of knowledge in cross-cultural perspectives in an effort to argue that culture can be considered as knowledge. Ghosh and Purkayastha offer a thoughtful text based on experiential knowledge to showcase dialectical tensions between different dimensions of globalization (economic and social/moral; material and human experience/consciousness effects). Benitez’s then contributes by showcasing evidence of American ethnocentrism and its redefinition in an increasingly globalized context. Finally, Marcello directs our attention to empathy and its effect on one’s use of language in an intercultural setting. Overall this chapter offers tools to encourage readers’ (and, presumably, future managers’) awareness of the extent to which culture affects worldviews and, by extension, views on behaviour, communication and leadership in the workplace. Chapter four makes up part two of the book, which deals with labour issues. This chapter opens with Westover’s exploration of the literature pertaining to global cities and their roles in the global economy. Here the author briefly presents the impacts of these spaces on the individuals who live there; namely, increasing income inequality, tendency toward fiscal crisis, a concentration of unemployment and low-paid workers, weak unions, etc. Sluyer-Beltrao then illustrates how global-level dynamics of change have led to the decline of social movement unionism, widely acclaimed as the key to union revitalization. Finally, Segal, Segal, Segal and Segal discuss how values, attitudes and behaviours …