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Over the last decade, there has been a growing debate about the relationship between industrial relations, human resource management and business strategies. For management, this involves an ongoing reappraisal of the balance between individualism and collectivism and a critique of third party intervention in the employment relationship. Describes a case study of CRA/RTZ in Australia and New Zealand and the managerial strategy used to deconstruct collective industrial relations through the use of standardized individualized contracts.

PurposeThe paper aims to examine employment relations practices and labour market features of 4‐5 star luxury multinational chain (MNC) and domestic hotels operating in the Brisbane‐Gold Coast corridor in Australia and discuss the implications that competing on price and quality has on employment, wages and training.Design/methodology/approachThe study used data drawn from a large managerial and employee relations/demographic survey covering wages, employment status, age, gender, working conditions and training, including interview data from hotel HRM managers.FindingsThe data showed a persistence of gendered, low waged and segmented labour markets dominated by flexible labour. Competition between MNC and domestic hotels were not found to be the conduit of "new" HRM practices as a competitive edge. Both MNC and domestic hotels shape the hotel labour market in a way which perpetuates cost minimization strategies based on an increasingly skilled, yet flexible and low cost labour force.Research limitations/implicationsOf the 14 hotels, only three were domestic. MNC luxury hotels dominate the sample. Rather a straight forward convergence thesis, MNC and domestic hotels have been compelled to compete on price and standard quality.Originality/valueWhile not a deliberate strategy of a "a race to the bottom", the 4‐5 star luxury MNC and domestic hotels in the study have re‐shaped employment relations practices perpetuating a cost minimization competitive strategy suggesting that a "high road" competitive strategy as portrayed in HRM literature strategy is not the only way for firms such as hotels achieving a competitive edge.

PurposeMcJobs in the fast‐food sector are a major area of youth employment. This paper explores young people's perceptions of work in this industry.Design/methodology/approachThe paper discusses the results of a survey of students' experiences of McJobs in Australia.FindingsFast‐food workers were generally dissatisfied with the industrial relations and work organisation aspects of their jobs. Nonetheless, they were generally much more satisfied with the human resource management and social relations aspects of their jobs.Research limitations/implicationsOur research has implications for understanding the human capital development practices adopted by employers in the fast‐food industry and in other sectors, especially those that employ young people. Much of the context for work and employment relations in Australia is comparable with those in most English‐speaking countries. Therefore, our findings have implications for work in similar sectors in other countries, in particular, other English‐speaking countries.Practical implicationsThis paper has implications for people who devise recruitment policies and design of jobs. It is a useful reminder that it is no longer appropriate for people to talk in simple terms of satisfaction at work per se; it is vital to differentiate between various aspects and contexts of job satisfaction, or the of the lack of it.Originality/valueEarlier studies of fast‐food work have tended to be polemical and polarized: either apologias or very critical. This paper adopts a more balanced approach and it puts the findings into context.