The case studies and analyses developed in this timely book provide insight into the structural features of small- and medium-sized firms in the information technology sector, and the implications of these features for the careers of people who are employed by them.Using research conducted in Australia, Canada, England and the United States, the contributors explore how individuals manage their paid work within firms that are struggling to survive and compete in global economies. The book discusses the tensions that arise as workers and owners struggle for personal and firm survival, two processes that are often contradictory and occasionally produce conflict. The firms in this study show how the character of the small, New Economy is changing the relationship between employers and employees in increasingly significant ways.A broadly international audience of scholars, students, human resource professionals and policymakers in business, public policy, economics and sociology will find this book of great interest.

In the new knowledge-based economy, information technology is a major field of employment. However, the fast pace of technological innovation, globalization, and the volatile stock market have made IT an increasingly risky business - for some employees more than for others. This volume examines how women and older workers in small IT companies are disproportionately vulnerable to economic uncertainty within their industry. Drawing on original survey and interview data, the authors explore how gender and age affect work and workplace culture to produce a fresh contribution to the literature on inequality.

In the new knowledge-based economy, information technology is a major field of employment. However, the fast pace of technological innovation, globalization, and the volatile stock market have made IT an increasingly risky business – for some employees more than for others. This volume examines how women and older workers in small IT companies are disproportionately vulnerable to economic uncertainty within their industry. Drawing on original survey and interview data, the authors explore how gender and age affect work and workplace culture to produce a fresh contribution to the literature on inequality.