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A smart place to work? Big data systems, labour, control and modern retail stores

Leighton Evans Orcid Logo, Rob Kitchin

New Technology, Work and Employment, Volume: 33, Issue: 1, Pages: 44 - 57

Swansea University Author: Leighton Evans Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1111/ntwe.12107

Abstract

The modern retail store is a complex coded assemblage and data-intensive environment, its operations and management mediated by a number of interlinked big data systems. This paper draws on an ethnography of a retail store in Ireland to examine how these systems modulate the functioning of the store...

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Published in: New Technology, Work and Employment
ISSN: 02681072
Published: 2018
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa39011
first_indexed 2018-03-12T14:33:28Z
last_indexed 2020-07-13T18:58:22Z
id cronfa39011
recordtype SURis
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spelling 2020-07-13T15:31:50.0411016 v2 39011 2018-03-12 A smart place to work? Big data systems, labour, control and modern retail stores cc05810f3465ddddd6814e131f4e9a79 0000-0002-6875-6301 Leighton Evans Leighton Evans true false 2018-03-12 CACS The modern retail store is a complex coded assemblage and data-intensive environment, its operations and management mediated by a number of interlinked big data systems. This paper draws on an ethnography of a retail store in Ireland to examine how these systems modulate the functioning of the store and working practices of employees. It was found that retail work involves a continual movement between a governance regime of control reliant on big data systems which seek to regulate and harnesses formal labour and automation into enterprise planning, and a disciplinary regime that deals with the symbolic, interactive labour that workers perform and act as a reserve mode of governmentality if control fails. This continual movement is caused by new systems of control being open to vertical and horizontal fissures. While retail functions as a coded assemblage of control, systems are too brittle to sustain the governmentality desired. Journal Article New Technology, Work and Employment 33 1 44 57 02681072 retail, control, discipline, code/space, labour, big data, automation. 12 3 2018 2018-03-12 10.1111/ntwe.12107 COLLEGE NANME Culture and Communications School COLLEGE CODE CACS Swansea University ERC 2020-07-13T15:31:50.0411016 2018-03-12T09:17:09.2379330 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Culture and Communication - Media, Communications, Journalism and PR Leighton Evans 0000-0002-6875-6301 1 Rob Kitchin 2
title A smart place to work? Big data systems, labour, control and modern retail stores
spellingShingle A smart place to work? Big data systems, labour, control and modern retail stores
Leighton Evans
title_short A smart place to work? Big data systems, labour, control and modern retail stores
title_full A smart place to work? Big data systems, labour, control and modern retail stores
title_fullStr A smart place to work? Big data systems, labour, control and modern retail stores
title_full_unstemmed A smart place to work? Big data systems, labour, control and modern retail stores
title_sort A smart place to work? Big data systems, labour, control and modern retail stores
author_id_str_mv cc05810f3465ddddd6814e131f4e9a79
author_id_fullname_str_mv cc05810f3465ddddd6814e131f4e9a79_***_Leighton Evans
author Leighton Evans
author2 Leighton Evans
Rob Kitchin
format Journal article
container_title New Technology, Work and Employment
container_volume 33
container_issue 1
container_start_page 44
publishDate 2018
institution Swansea University
issn 02681072
doi_str_mv 10.1111/ntwe.12107
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
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hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Culture and Communication - Media, Communications, Journalism and PR{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Culture and Communication - Media, Communications, Journalism and PR
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description The modern retail store is a complex coded assemblage and data-intensive environment, its operations and management mediated by a number of interlinked big data systems. This paper draws on an ethnography of a retail store in Ireland to examine how these systems modulate the functioning of the store and working practices of employees. It was found that retail work involves a continual movement between a governance regime of control reliant on big data systems which seek to regulate and harnesses formal labour and automation into enterprise planning, and a disciplinary regime that deals with the symbolic, interactive labour that workers perform and act as a reserve mode of governmentality if control fails. This continual movement is caused by new systems of control being open to vertical and horizontal fissures. While retail functions as a coded assemblage of control, systems are too brittle to sustain the governmentality desired.
published_date 2018-03-12T04:19:27Z
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score 11.089386

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