Changing Workplace Relations in the Chinese Economy attempts to deal with how Chinas economic reforms have undermined the iron rice-bowl system which since the 1950s has provided both lifetime-employment and cradle-to-the-grave welfare for many workers, particularly those in state-owned enterprises. It starts by examining the background of these reforms and how they have changed workplace relations in the Chinese economy; it will also look at key themes relating to the role of trade unions and the management of human resources in both state-owned and joint-venture firms; finally, a number of illustrative case-studies involving industrial relations and human resource management are set out. A set of contributors, drawn from a wide range of disciplines and nationalities who are expert in these fields, have contributed chapters to the volume.