An Essay on Sustainable Work Systems: Shaping an Agenda for Future Research

Keith Jackson

management revue. Socio-economic Studies, 2012, vol. 23, issue 3, 296-309

Abstract: This review was drafted as the Rio+20 Earth summit was coming to a close. Its con-cluding document, entitled The Future We Want, appears weak now in terms of the practical and measureable commitment displayed by international leaders to establish development objectives designed to support social, economic and technological growth that should benefit the world’s populations and safeguard a natural environ-ment such that future generations might prosper; or, as a minimum ambition, survive. The Rio earth summit took place against a background of acute and global economic uncertainty; indeed, representatives of some so-called 'developed' economies among the 20+ continue to preside over economic meltdown: the living standards of their citizens continue on average to decline. In their role as agents influencing whether we in fact get ‘the future we want’, the political leaders of the 20+ appear determined to prioritize short-term national interests over those of the planet and its future inhabi-tants. For example, they declare that access to drinkable water is a human right but have promised little of substance that might improve the situation of over a billion people in the world for whom easy access to water is routinely denied. This essay is based on a review of the following text, now recognized internationally as being of central relevance to studies of sustainability in contexts for HRM practice and research: Docherty, P., Kira, M., & Shani A. B. (eds.). (2009). Creating sustainable work systems. Abingdon: Routledge. pp. xxiii + 296, ISBN 978-0-415-77272-3. The book reviewed here is a second (paperback) edition, and one that in turn develops on: Docherty, P., Forslin, J., Shani, A. B., & Kira, M. (eds.). (2002). Creating sustainable work systems: Emerging perspectives and practices. London: Routledge.

Keywords: sustainable work systems; Sustainable Human Resource Management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J24 M12 M14 M50 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.hampp-verlag.de/hampp_e-journals_mrev.htm#312 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:rai:mamere:1861-9908_mrev_2012_3_jackson

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
Rainer Hampp Verlag, Journals, Vorderer Lech 35, 86150 Augsburg, Germany. A subscripton is required to access pdf files. Pay per article is available at
http://www.hampp-verlag.de/Hampp_Recherche_e.htm

Access Statistics for this article

management revue. Socio-economic Studies is currently edited by Matthias Baum, Ina Ehnert, Marcel Erlinghagen, Simon Fietze, Susanne Gretzinger, Wenzel Matiaske and Sylvia Rohlfer

More articles in management revue. Socio-economic Studies from Rainer Hampp Verlag
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Rainer Hampp ( this e-mail address is bad, please contact ).