ABSTRACT
This chapter presents results for the first of the four case study organisations. This is Water Co., a small-to-medium sized enterprise (SME) that employs 120 people across five different sites in the UK. It is a relatively young company, having been established in the mid 1980s at the height of the Thatcherite enterprise culture, and therefore provides an interesting context for exploring non-union employment relations. It is also foreign owned. An American-Canadian mineral water company owns Water Co. in the UK, although in practice a distant relationship is maintained between the American-Canadian owners and the UK senior management team. In effect, managerial decision-making powers remain with the Chief Executive for both commercial and employment matters for all UK sites.
