The general topic of this chapter is the relation of the society outside organizations to the internal life of organizations Part of the specific topics have to do with the effect of society on organizations, and part of them concern the effects of organizational variables on the surrounding social environment I intend to interpret the term “social structure” in the title in a very general sense, to include groups, institutions, laws, population characteristics, and sets of social relations that form the environment of the organization That is, I interpret “social structure” to mean any variables which are stable characteristics of the society outside the organization By an “organization” I mean a set of stable social relations deliberately created, with the explicit intention of continuously accomplishing some specific goals or purposes These goals or purposes are generally functions performed for some larger structure For example, armies have the goal of winning possible military engagements The fulfillment of this goal is a function performed for the larger political structure, which has functional requirements of defense and conquest I exclude from organizations many types of groups which have multiple purposes (or which perform multiple functions for larger systems, whether these are anyone's purposes or not), such as families, geographical communities, ethnic groups, or total societies 1 also exclude social arrangements built up on the spur of the moment to achieve some specific short-run purpose For instance, I will not consider a campaign committee for some political candidate as an “organization,” although a political party would definitely meet the criterion of continuous functioning and relatively specific purposes

Social structure and organizations

While research on ethnic enclaves has shown that workers employed in the enclave appear to enjoy at least some of the advantages associated with the primary sector, this « enclave effect » has not been adequately explained. In contrast to existing explanations that conceptualize the enclave as a special case of the primary sector, we emphasize the distinctive characteristics of ethnic economies, and explain the « enclave effect » using a single, consistent account of recruitment and skill acquisition processes in primary, secondary, and enclave labor markets. Unlike other sectors of the economy, the ethnic enclave is characterized by an external, informal training system that shapes the employment relationship and increases the availability and quality of information for workers and employers. We apply the concept to a case study of the New York garment industry

http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/2096266.pdf

Primary, Secondary, and Enclave Labor Markets: A Training Systems Approach

▪ Abstract Day labor, the practice of searching for work in open-air, informal markets such as street corners or in formal temp agencies, has become an increasingly visible and important means of securing employment for a broad segment of immigrant, primarily male, displaced workers. Our understanding of day labor has been limited by regionally focused or city-based case studies, poorly constructed methodological approaches, inconsistent definitions, and little comparative research. This review discusses the emerging research on day labor, paying particular attention to the practice of day labor, including the market's origins, its contemporary development, and its hiring and wage practices. The review also provides a synopsis of informal, open-air and formal temp agency day labor practices, their spatial and organizational configurations, and an outline of the legal issues and public policies that structure, to a large degree, worker and employer relations in this industry. The review emphasizes the mult...

Day Labor Work

In the prevailing models of modern society, there is little room and precious little time left for the small firm and the independent entrepreneur. Marx argued that the lower strata of the middle class would gradually sink into the proletariat and, whatever the reception of his other views on the development of capitalist society, these particular prognostications were seconded by most subsequent observers. The conventional view is that working for oneself has been reduced to a marginal phenomenon and that small businesses persist either because market size has not yet permitted sufficient economies of scale, or because some residual need for specialization or a hankering after personalized services has postponed the advent of standardization.

Immigrant enterprise A critique and reformulation

Final Offer Arbitration and the Chilling Effect

Unions, Management, and the Public.

Arbitration and Industrial Discipline.

Introduction to Labor Economics.

Discusses a case against compulsory arbitration of labor disputes. Forms of third-party intervention; Principal categories of labor disputes; Involvement of grievances in disputes settled by compulsory methods; Contract issues and the national interest. (Abstract copyright EBSCO.)

Compulsory Arbitration: Some Perspectives:

This article undertakes to delineate the main types of labor market structures in the United States, using as its differentiating criterion the "established practices" in employment, characteristic of each segment of the market. Some sectors of the labor market are found to be marked by unilateral rule-making by employers, others are primarily government regulated, while the largest and most important parts are governed by union-management agreements. The nature and extent of formal employment rules and employee rights vary widely in the different segments of the market. (Author's abstract courtesy EBSCO.)

Orme W. Phelps

Papers

Unions, Management, and the Public.

Arbitration and Industrial Discipline.

Introduction to Labor Economics.

Compulsory Arbitration: Some Perspectives:

A Structural Model of the U.S. Labor Market