HOW STRONG ARE THE LINKS BETWEEN NEW MARKET CONDITIONS, NEW PRODUCTION PRINCIPLES, AND BETTER WORKING-CONDITIONS

This article reports on a study of how seven Danish small- and medium- sized enterprises introduced parts of ''just-in-time'' in their produc tion and especially how it influenced working conditions. Changes in s kill demands and strains, as well as opportunities for autonomy and co operation, were investigated through primarily qualitative methods. Th ree other Danish studies inquiring into relations between working cond itions and advanced manufacturing equipment are brought into focus. Al l these studies show how divergent are the changes in working conditio ns. (C) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.