Shorter Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Blackman, Tim 1991: Planning Belfast. Budd, Leslie and Sam Whimster (eds) 1992: Global finance and urban living: a study of metropolitan change. London Planning Advisory Committee (1991) London: World city moving into the 21st century. Burawoy, M., A. Burton, A.A. Ferguson, K.J. Fox, J. Gamson, N. Gartrell, L. Hurst, C. Kurzman, L. Salzinger, J. Schiffman and S. Ui 1991: Ethnography unbound: power and resistance in the modern metropolis. Caves, Roger W. 1992: Land use planning: the ballot box revolution. Paul Cloke (ed.) 1992: Policy and change in Thatcher's Britain. Gray, Ian 1992: Politics in place: social power relations in an Australian country town. Isin, Engin 1992: Cities without citizens. Robins, Kevin (ed.) 1992: Understanding information: business, technology and geography. Simon, David 1992: Cities, capital and development: African cities in the world economy. Western, John 1992: A passage to England: Barbadian Londoners speak of home. Wolman, Harold and Michael Goldsmith 1992: Urban politics and policy: a comparative approach.     

Book Reviews

Beardwell, Ian Contemporary Relations: A Critical Analysis Cressey, Peter and Jones, Bryn Work and Employment in Europe: A New Convergence? Berger, Stefan and Broughton, David The Force of Labour Gennard, John and Bain, Peter A History of the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades Hendry, Chris Human Resources Management: A Strategic Approach to Employment Deakin, Simon and Morris, Gillian S Labour Law     

Book Reviews

Graham Stephen and Simon Marvin, Telecommunications and the City: Electronic Spaces, Urban Places Van der Loop, Theo, Industrial Dynamics and Fragmented Labour Markets: Construction Firms and Labourers in India Théret, Bruno, L’état, la finance et le social: souveraineté nationale et construction européenne Bulmer, Martin and Anthony M. Rees (eds.), Citizenship Today. The Contemporary Relevance of T. H. Marshall     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed: William Brown, Simon Deakin, Maria Hudson, Cliff Pratten and Paul Ryan, The Individualization of Employment Contracts in Britain Lei Delsen and Eelke de JongThe German and Dutch Economies: Who Follows Whom? John P. Tuman and John T. Morris (eds.), Transforming the Latin American Automobile Industry: Unions, Workers and the Politics of Restructuring Theo NicholsThe Sociology of Industrial Injury Ian Proctor and Maureen PadfieldYoung Adult Women, Work and Family: Living a Contradiction Jack Barbash and Noah M. Meltz (eds.), Theorizing in Industrial Relations—Approaches and Applications     

Bookshelf 2004

Books reviewed: Ola Bergstrom and Donald Storrie (eds). Contingent Employment in Europe and the United States.
Reviewed by Ian Kirkpatrick Tonia Novitz. International and European Protection of the Right to Strike.
Reviewed by Lord McCarthy Deborah Foster and Peter Scott (eds). Trade Unions in Europe—Meeting the Challenge.
Reviewed by Michael Gold Jeff Kenner. EU Employment Law. From Rome to Amsterdam and Beyond.
Reviewed by Simon Deakin Vladimir Gimpelson and Douglas Lippoldt. The Russian Labour Market: Between Transition and Turmoil.
Reviewed by Gregory Schwartz     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed in this article: John Eade, Placing London: from imperial capital to global city Jane M. Jacobs, The edge of empire: postcolonialism and the city Raymond Struyk (ed.), Homeownership and housing finance policy in the former Soviet bloc: costly populism Ya Ping Wang and Alan Murie, Housing policy and practice in China Jieming Zhu, The transition of China’s urban development: from plan–controlled to market–led Stephen Graham and Simon Marvin, Splintering urbanism: networked infrastructures, technological mobilities and the urban condition Helen Jarvis, Andy C. Pratt and Peter Cheng–Chong Wu, The secret life of cities: the social reproduction of everyday life Cynthia M. Duncan, Worlds apart: why poverty persists in rural America Richard Sennett, The corrosion of character. The personal consequences of work in the new capitalism James Donald, Imagining the modern city     

60 Years of March and Simon’s Organizations: An Empirical Examination of its Impact and Influence on Subsequent Research

We provide an analytic and systematic review of the impact of March and Simon’s seminal Organizations on management research and discuss the book’s value for current research and propose future applications of it. Building on bibliometric and text‐mining approaches, our empirical analysis reveals that although Organizations was contextually based in the industrial milieu of the 1950s, its concepts have found ongoing resonance with scholars. Further, we find that much of this resonance appears to be driven by the ability of scholars in different ‘schools of thought’ to find useful insights from March and Simon’s generalized theoretical structure. However, we also observe that scholars have been selective in their usage of ideas from the book over the last 60 years. Based our analysis, we propose a particular set of future research areas, including a focus on new organizational forms and extending March and Simon’s ideas to multi‐level research, which can benefit from more holistically drawing on Organizations and connect its original ideas to address current management problems.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article: Dickens, Peter 1992: Society and nature: towards a green social theory. Katznelson, Ira 1992: Marxism and the city. Massey, Doreen, Paul Quintas and David Wield 1991: High-tech fantasies: science parks in society, science and space. Matsumoto, Koji 1991: The rise of the Japanese corporate system. Mollenkopf, John H. and Manuel Castells (eds) 1991: Dual city: restructuring New York. Norton, Alan and K. Novy (eds) 1990: Soziale Wohnpolitik der 90er Jahre. Sayer, Andrew and Richard Walker 1992: The new social economy: reworking the division of labour. Smith, David M. (ed.) 1992: The apartheid city and beyond: urbanization and social change in South Africa. Drakakis-Smith, David (ed.) 1992: Urban and regional change in Southern Africa.     

Hidden Cities

Books reviewed in this article: Borden, Iain, Joe Kerr and Jane Rendell (eds.) with Alicia Pivaro The unknown city: contesting architecture and social space Coutard, Olivier (ed.) The governance of large technical systems Easterling, Keller Organization space: landscapes, highways, and houses in America Melosi, Martin V. The sanitary city: urban infrastructure in America from colonial times to the present     

The Challenges of March and Simon’s Organizations: Introduction to the Special Issue

March and Simon pushed the study of organizations into the mainstream of academic writing about business. We outline central ideas discussed by the book and its pioneering role in studying cognitive processes underlying boundedly rational human beings. Through their representational approach, March and Simon defined and explicated key mechanisms of individual and organizational decision‐making. Organizations provided an empirically‐based understanding of human behavior and coordination, and set up core scientific criteria for creating the cumulative body of management and organization research. We summarize the papers presented in this special issue and point out contributions by Organizations that have been understated, forgotten or ignored in management studies.     

SHORTER REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article: Deakin, Nicholas and John Edwards 1993: The enterprise culture and the inner city. Hasegawa, Junichi 1992: Replanning the blitzed city centre: a comparative study of Bristol, Coventry and Southampton 1941–1950. Hayter, Teresa and David Harvey (eds) 1993: The factory and the city: the story of the Cowley automobile workers in Oxford. Rydin, Yvonne 1993: The British planning system: an introduction.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article: Gans, Herbert J. 1991: People, plans, and policies: essays on poverty, racism, and other national urban problems. Leontidou, Lila 1990: The Mediterranean city in transition: social change and urban development. Plunz, Richard 1990: A history of housing in New York City: dwelling type and social change in the American metropolis. Sassen, S. 1991. The global city: New York, London, Tokyo. Shields, Rob 1991: Places on the margin: alternative geographies of modernity.     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Baldassare, M. editor, 1983: Cities and urban living. Castells, M. 1983: The city and the grassroots. Crenson, M. 1983: Neighborhood politics. Efrat, E. 1984: Urbanization in Israel. Fainstein, N. and Fainstein, S. editors, 1982: Urban policy under capitalism. Fraser, D. and Sutcliffe, A. editors, 1983: The pursuit of urban history. Harrison, M.L. editor, 1984: Corporatism and the welfare state. Hartman, C. editor, 1983: America's housing crisis: what is to be done? Husbands, C.T. 1983: Racial exclusionism and the city: the urban support of the National Front. Long, M. 1982: Moral regime and model institutions: precursors of town planning in early Victorian England. Melling, J. 1983: Rent strikes: peoples' struggle for housing in west Scotland, 1890–1916. Damer, S. 1982: Rent strike! The Clydebank rent strike of the 1920s. Mollenkopf, J. 1983: The contested city. Offe, C. (edited by Keane, J. ) 1984: Contradictions of the welfare state. Sandercock, L. and Berry, M. 1983: Urban political economy. Schill, M.H. and Nathan, R.P. 1983: Revitalizing America's cities: neighborhood reinvestment and displacement. Sharpe, W. and Wallock, L. editors, 1983: Visions of the modern city: essays in history, art and literature. Wynn, M. editor, 1983: Housing in Europe.     

An Empirical Assessment of the Influence of March and Simon’s Organizations: The Realized Contribution and Unfulfilled Promise of a Masterpiece

March and Simon’s Organizations is a seminal work in management studies. We assess the contribution Organizations has made to management studies through a citation context analysis of 1,400 articles from top management journals. By categorizing the content from Organizations cited in subsequent works, we find that two related categories associated with cognitive limits and routines or programs account for half (50.5%) of all citation contexts since 1990. We also investigate whether citations to Organizations have been peripheral or substantial to the citing authors’ claims, how cited content has changed over time, and the extent to which citing works have provided empirical evidence to test March and Simon’s propositions or have been critical of their assertions. Our investigation reveals disturbingly few attempts to empirically validate the assertions made in Organizations. Overall, we provide a critical reflection on how well subsequent scholarship fulfils the aims and promise heralded by this masterpiece.     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Bromley, R. and Gerry, C. , editors, 1979: Casual work and poverty in third world cities. Fishman, R. 1977: Urban utopias in the twentieth century: Ebenezer Howard, Frank Lloyd Wright, and le Corbusier. Meller, H. E. , editor, 1979: The ideal city. Herbert, D. T. and Smith, D. M. , editors, 1979: Social problems and the city: geographical perspectives. Lansley, S. 1979: Housing and public policy. Robinson, R. 1979: Housing economics and public policy. Merrett, S. 1979: State housing in Britain.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article: Allen, J. and L. McDowell, 1989: Landlords and property; social relations in the private rented sector. Brake, K. 1988: Phönix in der Asche - New York verändert seine Stadtstruktur. Bratt, R. 1989: Rebuilding a low-income housing policy. Castells, M. 1989: The informational city. Chase-Dunn, C. 1989: Global formation: structures of the world-economy. Coleman, W. and H. Jacek (eds) 1989: Regionalism, business interests and public policy Damer, S. 1989: From Moorepark to Wine Alley - The rise and fall of a Glasgow housing estate. Gottdiener, M. and N. Komninos (eds), 1989: Capitalist development and crisis theory: accumulation, regulation and spatial restructuring. Hardoy, J. and D. Satterthwaite, 1989: Squatter citizen: life in the urban third world. Hirson, B. 1989: Yours from the Union: class and community struggles in South Africa 1930–1947. Lai, B.B. 1990: The romance of culture in an urban civilization: Robert E. Park on race and ethnic relations in cities. Mackenzie, S. 1969: Visible histories: women and environments in a post-war British city. Maguire, M. 1990: Work, employment and new technology: a case study of multinational investment in Northern Ireland. Montgomery, J. and Å. Thornley (eds), 1990: Radical planning initiatives: new directions for urban planning in the 1990s. Pennington, S. and B. Westover, 1989: A hidden workforce: homeworkers in England, 1850–1985. Prigge, W. and W. Kaib (eds), 1988: Sozialer Wohnungsbau im internationalen Vergleich. Schultz, S.K. 1989: Constructing urban culture: American cities and city planning, 1800–1920. Slater, D. 1989: Territory and state power in Latin America: the Peruvian case. Stewart, J. and G. Stoker (eds) 1989: The future of local government. Ward, D. 1989: Poverty, ethnicity, and the American city, 1840–1925: changing conceptions of the slum and the ghetto.     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Clark, Gordon L. 1989: Unions and communities under siege: American communities and the crisis of organized labor. Henderson, J. 1989: The globalisation of high technology production: society, space and the restructuring of the modern world. Holston, James 1989: The modernist city: an anthropological critique of Brasilia. Jasso, Guillermina and Mark R. Rosenzweig 1990: The new Chosen People; immigrants in the United States. Jessop, B. 1990: State theory: putting capitalist states in their place. Logan, J.R. and T. Swanstrom (eds) 1990: Beyond the city limits: urban policy and economic restructuring in comparative perspective. Watson, S. 1989: Accommodating inequality: gender and housing.     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Esping-Andersen, Gosta (ed.) 1993 Changing classes: stratification and mobility in post-industrial societies. Fainstein, Susan S. 1994: The city builders: property, politics, and planning in London and New York. Heinelt, Hubert and Margit Mayer (eds) 1992: Politik in europäischen Städten: Fallstudien zur Bedeutung lokaler Politik. Mollenkopf, John Hull 1992: The phoenix in the ashes: the rise and fall of the Koch coalition in New York City politics. Fainstein, Susan S. (1994) The city builders: property, politics and planning in London and New York. Power, Anne 1993: Hovels to high rise: state housing in Europe since 1850. Rothblatt, D.N. and A. Sancton (eds) 1993: American-Canadian metropolitan intergovernmental governance perspectives. Squires, Gregory D. (ed.) 1992: From redlining to reinvestment: community responses to urban disinvestment.     

Herbert simon appreciation and aspiration

The award of the Nobel Prize in Economics to a Professor of Computer Sciences and Psychology is surprising but refreshing. Unlike many economists, Simon is more concerned with how decisions are made than with what decisions are made. His writings, although academic and theoretical, are concerned with the real world and are of practical value to the administrator. He is willing to accept evidence from any relevant source and has ranged widely over not only the disciplines of the social sciences but also the philosophies. Simon is well aware of the value of quantitative methods, but remains convinced of the great importance of value judgements in decision-making. In view of the trends in modern society towards greater concern with aspects of welfare which are difficult to quantify, and the growing importance of the public sector, Simon's work is highly relevant to our times. It is in the best traditions of political economy, and is not remote from reality.     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed: Eade, John (ed.) Living the global city: globalization as local process Green, Charles (ed.) Globalization and survival in the black diaspora: the new urban challenge Kohler-Koch, B. et alInteraktive Politik in Europa: Regionen im Netzwerk der Integration [Interactive politics in Europe: the regions in the network of European integration] Sennett, Richard The corrosion of character: the personal consequences of work in the new capitalism Flyvbjerg, Bent Rationality and power. Democracy in practice Cybriwsky, Roman Tokyo: the Shogun’s city at the twenty-first century Hebbert, Michael London Pineo, Ronn and James A. Baer (eds.) Cities of hope: people, protests, and progress in urbanizing Latin America, 1870–1930 Fyfe, Nicholas R. (ed.) Images of the street. Planning, identity and control in public space Duffy, Francis, with contributions from Kenneth Powell The new office