Service Work - Critical Perspectives (Hardcover)

In an important sense contemporary economies are predominantly service economies. Critical social analysis, which has historically developed in relation to manufacturing settings, is beginning to address this central importance of service work. For instance, authors such as George Ritzer and Alan Bryman have developed a general approach to societies through root metaphors based in service settings (McDonaldization and Disneyization respectively). Other authors have applied particular traditions of critical social theory to the specificities of service work. This is an area of considerable and burgeoning intellectual energy and interest. At present, however, there is no one volume which brings together these different critical perspectives on services work. There is no volume which brings together these different critical perspectives and which reflects on their collective contribution, their compatibilities and their differences.