ABSTRACT
This chapter explains some of the effects of microelectronics and other advanced technologies on industrial relations. It begins by a theoretical analysis of the role of technology in this sphere, with special reference to on-going debates on the labour process and on the use of technology as a form of administrative control. The chapter examines prototypical case of the employment philosophies and labour practices of a company in the 'Silicon Valley'. The saliency of segmented labour markets in understanding the differential life chances of members of the working population is also well demonstrated by the Japanese experience. In a multi-causal explanation of the origins of the dual labour market in Japan, then, although culture and growing size of enterprise and technological complexity are regarded as important variables, emphasis is also placed on the concern of employers to limit the powers of a form of independent skilled labour organisation.
