Call centres and job satisfaction in Italy: employment conditions and socio-biographical patterns

ABSTRACT

The article examines job satisfaction in 21 Italian call centres. The results of research carried out on 1715 handlers indicate how dissatisfaction prevails among call centre representatives (CCRs) and how it is influenced by aspects related to some organisational characteristics (service delivered, size and organisational typology), on one side, and to different aspects of working conditions (contract, wage and tenure) and participants’ biographical and working profiles of CCRs (gender, age, educational attainment), on the others. However, the most interesting finding emerges by distinguishing different dimensions of job satisfaction (extrinsic and intrinsic-relational). In particular, the relationship between type of contract and job satisfaction is rather interesting. For non-permanent workers, in fact, the probability of being dissatisfied is decidedly greater if we consider the extrinsic dimension of job satisfaction. Instead, when the intrinsic-relational dimension is taking into account, atypical workers are no more dissatisfied than the permanent ones. Job insecurity and limited perspectives in terms of work alternatives, safeguards and rewards, seem to be the source of greatest dissatisfaction for Italian CCRs. This certainly does not surprise considering the Italian development model and its dualistic labour market, highly segmented between insiders and outsiders.     

Semi‐conditional cash transfers in the form of family allowances for children and adolescents in the informal economy in Argentina

In 2009, Argentina introduced a new transfer programme for children and adolescents younger than age 18 (Universal Child Allowance) that extended coverage under the contributory programme for family allowances to include families in the informal economy and families of unemployed persons. This article describes this innovative programme, compares it with similar programmes in Latin America and analyses its impact on coverage and its possible effects on the welfare of the population. The results indicate that the extension of access to this type of benefit has reduced considerably the coverage gap for the poor and indigent and supports efforts to consolidate the operations of different and poorly coordinated transfer programmes.     

More (new) products,more problems? A systems perspective on increased capability deployment and organizational errors

The capabilities-based view postulates that organizational capabilities are a key driver of competitive advantage. However, while increasing the pace of deploying organizational capabilities, such as new product development (NPD), may enable alignment with changing environments, it may also have unintended consequences. In this study, we advance theory on these unintended consequences by investigating how the increased deployment of NPD capability leads to organizational errors. Borrowing from organizational research employing systems theory, we argue that an increase in NPD deployment may increase the likelihood of routine discoordination and, thus, the incidence of intra-firm and interfirm errors. However, we also proffer that firms can mitigate errors from increases in NPD capability deployment by engaging in distinct internal and external activities that enable the accumulation of knowledge on how to coordinate systemic change. We distinguish between internal and external errors, demonstrating that in the context of increased NPD deployments, internal voluntary investigations ameliorate internal manufacturing errors, while supplier alliances mitigate outsourced component errors. We find support for our predictions using data from new product introductions and recalls in the U.S. automotive industry. This study sheds light on the tension inherent to accelerating the deployment of patterned organizational activities and suggests that the outcomes of deploying an organizational capability are best viewed holistically within the milieu of organizational systems the capability spans.     

Book reviews/Comptes rendus

Lisa Gilad, Ginger and Salt: Yemeni Jewish Women in an Israeli Town. Boulder D.W. Attwood and B.S. Baviskar (eds.), Who Shares? Co-operatives and Rural Development Francis Robinson (ed.), The Cambridge Encyclopedia of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and The Maldives Richard C. Davis (ed.), Rupert's Land: A Cultural Tapestry Tom Bottomore and Robert J. Brym (eds.), The Capitalist Class: An International Study Raymond Murphy, Social Closure: A theory of Monopolization and Exclusion Richard Flacks, Making History. Kevin D. Carriere and Richard V. Ericson, Crime Stoppers: A Study in the Organization of Community Policing. Dany Lacombe, Ideology and Public Policy: The Case Against Pornography Robert J. Brym with Bonnie J. Fox, From Culture to Power: The Sociology of English Canada. Barry Wellman and S.D. Berkowitz (eds.), Social Structures: a network approach John Van Willigen, Barbara Rylko-Bauer, and Ann Mcelroy (eds.), Making Our Research Useful Grahame Clark, Prehistory at Cambridge and beyond Theresa R. Richardson, The Century of the Child: The Mental Hygiene Movement and Social Policy in the United States and Canada Anne Edwards, Regulation and Repression: The Study of Social Control Michael V. Angrosino, Documents of Interaction: Biography, Autobiography, and Life History in Social Science Perspective Michael Hechter, Principles of Group Solidarity Partrick Kierans, Glenn Drover and David Williams, Welfare and Worker Participation Mary Mccannery Gergen (ed.), Feminist Thought and the Structure of Knowledge Richard V. Ericson, Patricia M. Baranek and Janet B.L. Chan, Visualizing Deviance: A Study of New Organizations Sheila Allen and Carol Wolkowitz, Homeworking: Myths and Realities Calvin W. Redekop and Samuel J. Steiner (eds.), Mennonite Identity: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives Robert A. Stebbins, Canadian Football: The View From The Helmet Anne Innis Dagg and Patricia J. Thompson, MisEducation: Women & Canadian Universities Cyril H. Levitt and William Shaffir, The Riots at Christie Pits     

Why irregular migrants arrive and remain: the role of intermediaries

Despite many efforts to combat irregular immigration, there is a widespread perception of a failure of public policies in this field. But because unauthorised immigrants are officially excluded from formal labour markets, housing markets and most welfare provisions, they can settle if they find other sources of work, income, housing, and social protection. In this regard, a crucial role is played by various intermediaries: people or institutions who favour the entrance of immigrants, their entry into the labour market, accommodation, response to their social needs, and possibly regularisation. They can act for profit, but also for moral reasons. They can break the laws and work in the shadows, but they can also work in legal forms. In this article, I will explore the identities of these intermediaries and their practices of support towards irregular migrants. My purpose is to show (1) what precisely constitutes intermediation, in what activities it can be factored, and what the main categories of intermediaries are; (2) that the implementation of migration policies is hindered not only by migrants’ practices to circumvent controls but also by the action of these intermediaries. For this reason, too, it is so difficult to eradicate.     

Hierarchical disjoint principal component analysis

AStA Advances in Statistical Analysis - Dimension reduction, by means of Principal Component Analysis (PCA), is often employed to obtain a reduced set of components preserving the largest possible...