News Corporation, Technology and the Workplace

Book excerpt: This book, which includes extensive interview material and primary research, examines technological innovation and workplace restructuring carried out by News Corporation in its newspaper holdings in Britain, the United States and Australia. Timothy Marjoribanks finds that while some outcomes at various local sites were similar, many were dramatically different. His study reveals that the nature of existing social relations in a particular location has a major impact on workplace reforms. The book finds that the prevailing balance of power between trade unions and workers, management and employers, and the role of the state in these relationships are the most influential factors in determining the course of events. Significantly, it emphasises the importance of analysing the connections between events occurring locally, nationally and globally if we are to understand the growing influence of corporate actors such as News Corporation.