Keele Management School

I worked abroad for a number of years as a linguist (French, German and Russian) and administrator in the private sector, with employment in firms including ITT and Honeywell. I obtained a First Class degree in social science through part time study while working in London in the voluntary and non-profit sector (including a period in the House of Lords), before gaining an MPhil in Economics at Cambridge, followed by a PhD at Warwick University Business School. I publish extensively, and in a range of leading refereed and practitioner journals. My work on pay and pay systems, including numerous research studies commissioned by the UK’s largest union (UNISON) on health and local government, has been submitted in successive years as Evidence to the Review Body for Nurses, and to the Low Pay Commission, the Local Government Pay Commission and Health Select Committee.

I also retain a strong interest in the international economy and globalisation, with published research on human resource issues for bank workers in the UK and France, and more recently for plant performance in the global automotive industry.

I present at many international conferences, recently sitting on the selection committee and chairing a stream for the prestigious International French Sociology of Work Conference in London (2007).

My work has been widely covered in the national media, with appearances on BBC television and numerous radio interviews. I referee grant proposals for the ESRC and Department of Health, for journals including HRMJ, BJIR, IRJ, and Social Policy and Society, and am a member of two journal editorial boards and an Associate Editor for Gender, Work and Organization.

Current projects include a study of Britain as a particular variety of capitalism, and work on gender issues including pay modernisation and part-time work.

• Conley, H., Kerfoot D. and Thornley, C. (eds) (2011) ‘Editorial: Modernising the State’, Gender, Work and Organization (forthcoming) Print ISSN: 0968-6673, Online ISSN: 1468-0432 (forthcoming)
• Thornley, C. and Coffey, D. (2011) ‘Model Employment? The challenges ahead for public sector employers and unions in tackling the gender pay gap’ in T. Wright and H. Conley (eds) A Handbook of Discrimination at Work, Gower (forthcoming)
• Thornley, C., Jefferys, S. and Appay, B. (eds) (2010), ‘Globalisation and Precarious Forms of Production and Employment: Challenges for Workers and Unions’, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, pp 1-258, ISBN: 978-1848445932
• Thornley, C., Jefferys, S. and Appay, B (2010), ‘Introduction: Globalisation and Precarious Forms of Production and Employment: Challenges for workers and unions’ in C. Thornley, S. Jefferys and B. Appay (eds) Globalisation and Precarious Forms of Production and Employment: Challenges for Workers and Unions, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar
• Coffey D. and Thornley, C. (2010) ‘Legitimating Precarious Employment: aspects of the post-Fordism and Lean Production Debates’’, in C. Thornley, S. Jefferys, and B. Appay (eds) Globalisation and Precarious Forms of Production and Employment: Challenges for Workers and Unions, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar
• Coffey, D. and Thornley, C. (2010) ‘Swing Plants and Punishments: a study of a Ford closure decision’, in The International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management ( vol. 10, no. 1), ISSN (Online): 1741-5012 - ISSN (Print): 1470-9511
• Coffey, D. and Thornley, C. (2009) Globalization and Varieties of Capitalism: New Labour, Economic Policy and the Abject State, Palgrave MacMillan
• Thornley, C. and Thornqvist, C. (eds) (2009) Special Issue ‘State Employment and the Gender Pay Gap’, Gender, Work and Organisation (forthcoming)   
• Thornley, C. and Thornqvist, C. (eds) (2009) Special Issue ‘State Employment and the Gender Pay Gap’, Gender, Work and Organisation (forthcoming) 
• Coffey, D. and Thornley, C. (2008) Globalization and the Varieties of Capitalism Debate: New Labour, Economic Policy and the Abject State, Palgrave MacMillan (forthcoming) 
• Thornley, C. (2008) ‘Efficiency and Equity Considerations in the Employment of Health Care Assistants and Support Workers’, Social Policy and Society , March 
• Coffey, D. and Thornley, C. (2008) ‘Lean Production: the Original Myth Reconsidered’, in V. Pulignano, P. Stewart, A. Danford, and A.M.Richardson (eds) Flexibility at Work: Developments in the International Automotive Industry’, Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave MacMillan (forthcoming) 
• Thornley, C. (2007) ‘Working part-time for the State: Gender, Class and the Public Sector Pay Gap’,Gender, Work and Organization (Issue 14.5, September) 
• Coffey, D. and Thornley, C. (2007) ‘”Can Japan Compete?” Reconsidered’, in D. Bailey, D. Coffey, and P.R. Tomlinson (eds) Crisis or Recovery in Japan: State and Industrial Economy, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar pp195-216 
• Thornley, C. (2006) ‘Unequal and Low Pay in the Public Sector’, Industrial Relations Journal , Vol 37, Issue , pp 344-358 
• Coffey, D. and Thornley, C. (2006) ‘Automotive Assembly: Automation, Motivation and Lean Production Reconsidered’, Assembly Automation: The International Journal of Assembly Technology and Management, Vol 26, No 2, pp 98-103 
• Thornley, C. (2005) ‘Still Waiting?:Non-Registered Nurses in the NHS - An Update’, London: UNISON pp9-28 (Commissioned Research) 
• Thornley, C (2004) Perceptions at Work: Women and Men in Local Government, London: UNISON, pp1-64 (Commissioned Research) 
• Thornley, C. (2003/4) ‘What Future for Health Care Assistants: High Road or Low Road?’ in C. Davies (ed) The Future Health Workforce, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN 1-4039-1903-8 pp143-160 Coffey, D. and Thornley, C. (2003) ‘Across the Policy Divide’ in Coffey, D. & Thornley, C. (eds.) Industrial and Labour Market Policy and Performance: Issues and Perspectives, London: Routledge,   ISBN 0-415-26786-2 pp1-8 
• Jefferys, S., Thornley, C. and Contrepois, S. (2003) ‘HRM, Commitment, Insecurity and Low Pay: Some Indicative Evidence from the European Banking Sector’ in Coffey, D. & Thornley, C. (eds.) Industrial and Labour Market Policy and Performance: Issues and Perspectives, London: Routledge, ISBN 0-415-26786-2 pp130-145 
• Thornley, C. (2003) ‘Labour Market Policy and Inequality in the UK’ in Coffey, D. & Thornley, C. (eds.) Industrial and Labour Market Policy and Performance: Issues and Perspectives, London: Routledge, pp83-108 
• Coffey D. and Thornley, C. (eds) (2003) Industrial and Labour Market Policy and Performance: Issues and Perspectives, London: Routledge  pp1-198 
• Thornley, C (2003) More Cold Comfort: The State of Local Government Pay, London: UNISON, pp1-10 (Commissioned Research) 
• Thornley, C (2003) Failing to Deliver: Local Perspectives on Single Status, London: UNISON, pp1-48 (Commissioned Research) 
• Thornley, C (2002) Cold Comfort: The State of Local Government Pay, London: UNISON, pp1-16 (Commissioned Research) 
• Thornley, C. (2002) ‘Tackling Pay Inequality: a new role for the public sector?’ in Federation News, Autumn Edition, London: The Institute of Employment Rights/General Federation of Trade Unions, pp9-11 
• Thornley, C. (2002) ‘Double Jeopardy: Non-Registered Nurses in the NHS’, Gender Research Forum, Women and Equality Unit (Department of Trade and Industry), November (electronic publication) 
• Thornley, C. (2002) ‘Review of Ann Bradshaw, The Nurse Apprentice 1860-1977, and The Project 2000 Nurse: The Remaking of British General Nursing 1978-2000' in Historical Studies in Industrial Relations Journal, Number 13, Spring, pp137-144 
• Thornley, C. (2002) ‘Leaders of the Pack’, Local Government Chronicle, 1st February 
• Thornley, C. (2001) ‘Divisions in Health-care Labour’ in C. Komaromy (ed) Dilemmas in UK Healthcare, 3rd Edition, Open University Press, Buckingham,pp 85-107  
• Thornley, C (2001) High Hopes: Single Status in Local Government: National and Regional Perspectives, London: UNISON, pp1-38 (Commissioned Research) 
• Thornley, C (2001) Still Invisible: Non-Registered Nurses in the NHS, London: UNISON, pp1-36 (Commissioned Research) 
• Thornley, C. (2001) ‘More Work for Less Pay’, Nursing Times, 11 October, v97 No11 
• Thornley, C. (2001) ‘Who are you calling Unqualified’, letter to Nursing Times, 25th October 
• Thornley, C. (2000) ‘A Question of Competence?: Re-evaluating the roles of the Nursing Auxiliary and Health Care Assistant in the NHS’, Journal of Clinical Nursing, Blackwell Scientific, 9, pp451-458 
• Thornley, C (2000), ‘Single Status in Local Government: A Model for Elsewhere?: An Initial Commentary’ in Women, Diversity and Democracy in Trade Unions, Oxford Women’s Studies Network/ESRC Seminar Series: Women, Work and Trade Unions, Oxford Brookes University 
• Thornley, C. (2000) ‘UNISON and Low Pay Policy’, in M. Terry (ed) Redefining Public Service Unionism, Routledge, London pp167-174 
• Thornley, C., Ironside M. and Seifert, R. (2000) ‘UNISON and Changes in Collective Bargaining in Health and Local Government’, in M. Terry (ed) Redefining Public Service Unionism, Routledge, London pp137-154 
• Thornley, C. and Coffey, D. (1999) ‘The Low Pay Commission in Context’, Work, Employment & Society, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp525-538 
• Thornley, C. (1999) ‘Review of Celia Davies, Gender and the Professional Predicament in Nursing’, inThe International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 14, pp69-75 
• Thornley, C. (1999) Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Evidence and Perspectives on the Recruitment and Retention of Non-Registered Nursing Staff in the NHS, London: UNISON, pp1-26 (Commissioned Research) 
• Jefferys, S., Thornley, C., Conterpois, S. and Andersen, T. (1999) ‘Country, Sector and Company effects on Employee Commitment: A tale of three banks in Britain, France and Denmark’, Working Paper 99-7, Department of Organization and Management, Aarhus School of Business, Denmark pp1-36 
• Thornley, C. (1999) ‘Out of Sight, Out of Mind’, Nursing Times, V95, N45 
• Thornley, C. (1998) ‘Contesting Local Pay: The Decentralisation of Collective Bargaining in the NHS’,British Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 36, No. 3, pp 413-434 
• Jefferys, S., Thornley, C. and Contrepois, S. (1998) 'Commitment in the face of Insecurity? Some Evidence from the Banking Sector’,  in E. Heery and J. Salmon (eds) ‘The Insecure Workforce’,Management Research News, V21 No2/3 pp 64-66 
• Thornley, C. (1998) A Question of Fairness: Nurses’ pay trends 1979-98, London: UNISON, pp1-34 (Commissioned Research) 
• Thornley, C. (1998) Neglected Nurses, Hidden Work: An Investigation into the pay and employment of nursing auxiliaries/assistants in the NHS, London: UNISON, pp1-52 (Commissioned Research) 
• Thornley, C. (1998) ‘Ignored and Unrewarded’, Nursing Times, V94, N41 
• Jefferys. S., Thornley. C. and Contrepois. S. (1998) ‘Commitment, Insecurity and Low Pay: Some Evidence from the Banking Sector’, Centre for Industrial Policy and Performance Bulletin No. 12, Leeds University, pp5-8 
• Thornley, C. and Coffey. D. (1998) ‘The Low Pay Commission in Context’, Centre for Industrial Policy and Performance, Occasional Paper Series, Leeds University, ISBN: 1 900840 16 2, pp1-20 
• Thornley, C., Conterpois, S. and Jefferys, S. (1997) ‘Trade Unions, Restructuring and Individualisation in French and British Banks’, European Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp 83-105 
• Thornley, C. (1997) The Invisible Workers: An Investigation into the Pay and Employment of Health Care Assistants in the NHS, London: UNISON, pp1-22 (Commissioned Research) 
• Thornley, C. (1997) The Invisible Workers: Health Care Assistants and Support Workers, UNISON, London pp1-4 (Commissioned Research) 
• Thornley, C. (1997) ‘The Bitterest Pill’, People Management, V3 No16, pp36-37 
• Thornley, C. (1997) ‘Phantoms of the Hospital’, Nursing Times, V93, No42, pp 18 
• Thornley, C. (1997) ‘Who Cares? The New Low Paid in the NHS’, The New Review of the Low Pay Unit, No 48, pp 12-15 
• Thornley, C. (1996) 'Segmentation and Inequality in the Nursing Workforce: Re-evaluating the Evaluation of Skills', in R. Crompton, D. Gallie and K. Purcell (eds) Changing Forms of Employment: Organisations, Skills and Gender, Routledge, London, pp160-181 
• Thornley, C (1996) ‘Review of P. Johnston 'Success While Others Fail: Social Movement Unionism and the Public Workplace' and C. Hart 'Behind the Mask: Nurses, their Unions and Nursing Policy', in Historical Studies in Industrial Relations Journal, Number 1, pp187-192 
• Thornley, C. (1996) Dispelling the Myth: Nursing Pay Trends 1979-1996, London: UNISON, pp1-22 (Commissioned Research) 
• Thornley, C. (1996) ‘Dispelling the Myth’, UNISON Nurses Special Issue, UNISON, London 
• Thornley, C. (1996) Poor Prospects: Local Pay Bargaining in Action, London: UNISON, pp1-20 (Commissioned Research) 
• Thornley, C. (1996) ‘Daylight Robbery’, Nursing Times, V92, No35 pp22 
• Thornley, C (1995) 'Gendered Healthcare', Extended Review of C. Davies 'Gender and the Professional Predicament in Nursing' and S. Walby, J. Greenwell, L. Mackay and K. Soothill 'Medicine and Nursing: Professions in a Changing Health Service', in Work, Employment and Society, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp607-609 
• Thornley, C. (1994) 'Nursing Pay Policy: Chaos in Context', Management Research News, Volume 17, Numbers 7/8/9, pp123-125 
• Thornley, C. and Winchester, D. (1994) 'The Remuneration of Nursing Personnel in the United Kingdom', in D. Marsden (ed) The Remuneration of Nursing Personnel, International Labour Office, Geneva, pp229-269 
• Thornley, C. (1994) Back to the Future: Learning the Lessons from 1930s Local Pay Determination for Nurses, London: UNISON, pp1-16 (Commissioned Research)