INTEGRATING INDUSTRIAL-GEOGRAPHY AND INDUSTRIAL-RELATIONS RESEARCH

The way in which employment is managed is a crucial dimension in the operation and restructuring of industry. but has been sorely neglected in studies of labour and industry. In concert with processes of economic restructuring, and in broadly similar manner to other Western economies, labour-management (industrial) relations in Australia are undergoing extensive change. This article reviews key themes in industrial geography, industrial relations and human resource management, identifying and developing connections between these diverse schools of thought. Within this conceptual framework, a case study of the Australian coal industry is used to illustrate aspects of restructuring and the benefits of enhanced 'dialogue' between these disciplinary realms.