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Acknowledges that the subject of occupational stress has become a major workplace issue. Suggests that employers may expect training and development specialists to play an increasingly prominent role in tackling stress within the workplace. Identifies a general lack of a consensus about the nature and causes of stress. Illustrates this point by investigating perceptions of occupational stress, as outlined in information dissemination by trade unions and employers’ organisations. Uses core HR activities to provide examples of how different perspectives of occupational stress can be identified. Highlights that training and development specialists can play an important role in ensuring that a balanced and eclectic approach to occupational stress is adopted in the workplace.

The main aims of this paper are to: explore current views about the nature and causes of occupational stress as portrayed in the publications of employers and employee associations; and consider the implications of these current views in relation to the work of training and development specialists.

The current study builds on the findings of a similar study which the authors published in this journal in 2000. A library and internet‐based search was conducted to obtain publications and statements about occupational stress issued by trade unions and employers' representatives since 2001.

The analysis of publications and statements from trade unions and employers' representatives revealed an emerging consensus surrounding definitions of occupational stress based upon the UK Health and Safety Executive's definition. However, the analysis of the trade union and employer representatives' publications also revealed ongoing differences in views about the main causes of occupational stress.

The implications of the study are discussed in relation to the role of HRD (human resource development) professionals in devising policies and strategies designed to create healthier workplaces by minimizing work and family conflicts.

The study offers a topical insight into how issues surrounding occupational stress are presented by influential parties and, further, how knowledge of these views can be used by training and development specialists.

The paper seeks to identify the nature of the contribution that European works councils (EWCs) have made to six British workplaces and their employees.

A qualitative longitudinal study of the workplaces (2001‐2004) is discussed, which analyses the views of those senior managers and representatives directly involved together with those who have no immediate role but are intended to be beneficiaries of a council's activities: managers, representatives and employees.

A range of factors are identified that, in most instances, frustrated the realisation of the intended objective of EWCs. Those findings contrasted with the initial optimism concerning EWCs created by the use of quantitative research methods. Whilst councils are diverse in character, a backdrop is provided to some of the challenging representational issues and it explores the scope for managerial manipulation and control, given the limitations of the legislation and the sometimes fragmented activities of representatives.

However, it is acknowledged that in a limited number of instances EWCs have made a significant contribution.

The paper reflects the expertise of the author and will be of interest to those in the field.

This is the first of two papers that concern employee engagement, this one aims to review the literature and the second, to be in the next edition, aims to look at a detailed study at a large UK motor vehicle retailer the RRG Group.

The aim was to assess the main factors encouraging or preventing employee engagement, with specific reference to those employed within certain branches. The methods used were: assessing the qualitative data through attitudinal surveys, analyzing complete customer satisfaction (CCS) scores and telephone interviews with former employees.

Research suggests that employees are fairly constant in how involved they are in their jobs and organizations, or how alienated they have become. However, it is more realistic to assume that reactions to work fluctuate over a period of time. The link between employee engagement and work performance is explored.

The second part will, in the next edition, discuss with reference to research in the motor retail sector the key role of management in creating and maintaining an engaged workforce.

The fluctuating nature of engagement is explored in the context of the management role in enhancing work performance.

This is the second section of a two‐part study of employee engagement. The first part, in the previous issue (Vol. 42, No. 5, 2010), explored the literature that places this study in context. The key aim of the study is to assess the main factors encouraging or preventing employee engagement, focusing specifically on staff employed within nine Toyota branches of the RRG Group.

The main methods used to investigate employee engagement were: assessing the qualitative data through attitudinal surveys, analyzing complete customer satisfaction (CCS) scores and telephone interviews with previous employees who had voluntarily resigned between January and June 2009.

The business has been called the RRG Group Limited which operates within the UK Motor Retail Industry and was acquired by the Top Fortune 500 Japanese Corporation Marubeni in 2000. The Group employs approximately 650 and consists of 19 dealerships that are located in the North West of England, comprising Lexus, Peugeot, Mazda and Toyota franchises, in addition to two Accident Repair Centres. The Group is now one of the largest Toyota retail groups within Europe. The main conclusions are that engagement levels across the nine RRG Toyota franchises appear fairly high within the majority of the branches. However, there are key factors which appear to be preventing engagement at particular branches which need to be addressed in order to improve engagement such as communication, remuneration, the branch induction process and work/life balance.

The primary recommendations include leadership development for management in certain skills, a focus on fostering a two‐way conversation with employees and finally to continuously monitor and evaluate practices through annual attitudinal surveys and setting realistic action plans in order to make improvements.

The nature of the challenge for management in securing engagement and improving work performance is explored.

A key issue in international management is the extent to which management practices are converging in response to the pressures of globalisation, and the ready availability to managers in all parts of the world of the same concepts of what constitutes best practice in the different management disciplines. In some instances convergence may be encouraged by Government action. This is the case with the introduction into The Netherlands of the Investors in People (IiP) scheme that originated in the UK. IiP is a benchmark award, given to organisations that can demonstrate that they meet a set of criteria that relate to employee management and the commitment of resources to training. This article is a review of the introduction of IiP in The Netherlands, with the aim of seeing what insights are provided in relation to the cross‐cultural transfer of employment relations practice. Two case studies are used to explore the issues from the perspective of organisations working towards the standard in the two countries. It is concluded that the IiP standard can be transferred to another country, but that modifications have to be made to aspects of its organisation to take account of national differences. The implications of the transfer are discussed in relation to the convergence debate.

The librarian and researcher have to be able to uncover specific articles in their areas of interest. This Bibliography is designed to help. Volume IV, like Volume III, contains features to help the reader to retrieve relevant literature from MCB University Press' considerable output. Each entry within has been indexed according to author(s) and the Fifth Edition of the SCIMP/SCAMP Thesaurus. The latter thus provides a full subject index to facilitate rapid retrieval. Each article or book is assigned its own unique number and this is used in both the subject and author index. This Volume indexes 29 journals indicating the depth, coverage and expansion of MCB's portfolio.