ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview over contemporary sociological views on the spheres of production, work, and industrial relations. The first two sections are focusing on the historical origins of the concept of production, and on the classical contributions of Karl Marx, Joseph Schumpeter, and Max Weber to the concept of capitalism. In the third section, key aspects of the management of capitalist production of work, such as the transformation problem, and the role and historical change of management, are considered. The chapter concludes with a brief outline of the historical development of industrial relations and their social functions in advanced capitalist countries.
