Sociologists view the organization of work and the careers of workers as shaped by the stratification among organizations, the operation of often very different and distinct occupational and firm labor markets, and changing technology as applied to production or service work as well as changing business conditions. Working from this perspective and approaching its work as an intensive case study of one industry, this project will study the causes and consequences of a case of a shift in employment relationship from a market basis (freelance work) to an hierarchical basis (staff working within an organization) that has parallels in other organizations and industries. The study will apply or test transaction cost theories of industrial organization, models of cumulative advantage in career paths and recently developed approaches to the production of popular culture. The effects of changing organizational and industrial conditions on opportunities for women, minorities and older workers will also be studied. Career histories and data on employment practices within the industry under study -- television production -- will be collected and analyze using time-series and event history statistical modeling techniques.
