Life studies are a rich source for further research on the role of the Afro‐American woman in society. They are especially useful to gain a better understanding of the…
Abstract
Life studies are a rich source for further research on the role of the Afro‐American woman in society. They are especially useful to gain a better understanding of the Afro‐American experience and to show the joys, sorrows, needs, and ideals of the Afro‐American woman as she struggles from day to day.
Asks on whose behalf the black woman poet in the USA speaks, what type of language she uses and what audience she has. Points out that an earlier lack of tradition meant that…
Abstract
Asks on whose behalf the black woman poet in the USA speaks, what type of language she uses and what audience she has. Points out that an earlier lack of tradition meant that originally white styles of language were used and aimed at the white audience. Looks at the rise of the blues era and the “blueswoman”. Considers the work of Phillis Wheatley, Alice Dunbar Nelson, Anne Spencer and Angelina Grimke together with Margaret Walker and singers such as Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith. Finally, outlines the development of a political era and the growing sexual freedom of black women and the impact their writings.
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Discrimination, in all its forms, has increasingly become an issue within the personnel profession. The various Acts of Parliament have essentially provided some guidelines for…
Abstract
Discrimination, in all its forms, has increasingly become an issue within the personnel profession. The various Acts of Parliament have essentially provided some guidelines for those in positions which have regular contact with both the public and individuals and groups at work.
Vibha Kapuria-Foreman and Charles R. McCann
Prior to the passage of the 20th amendment to the US Constitution in 1920, several states had extended the suffrage to women. Helen Laura Sumner (later Woodbury), a student of…
Abstract
Prior to the passage of the 20th amendment to the US Constitution in 1920, several states had extended the suffrage to women. Helen Laura Sumner (later Woodbury), a student of John R. Commons at Wisconsin, undertook a statistical study of the political, economic, and social impacts of the granting of voting rights to women in the state of Colorado, and subsequently defended the results against numerous attacks. In this paper, we present a brief account of the struggle for women’s equality in the extension of the suffrage and examine Sumner’s critical analysis of the evidence as to its effects, as well as the counterarguments to which she responded.
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John C. Beghin is the Marlin Cole Professor of International Agricultural Economics in the economics department at Iowa State University (ISU). He is the former director of the…
Abstract
John C. Beghin is the Marlin Cole Professor of International Agricultural Economics in the economics department at Iowa State University (ISU). He is the former director of the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at ISU which he led from 1999 to 2007. He is a leading scholar on agricultural trade policy analysis, with a long-term interest in nontariff measures. He has held positions at North Carolina State University, the OECD Development Centre, the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, the International Labor Office, and the University of Sydney. He has consulted for various international and governmental agencies and private clients including the American Farm Bureau Federation, FAO, OECD, US Army Corps of Engineers, US General Accountability Office, the US Grains Council, and the World Bank among others. He holds a PhD in agricultural and resource economics from the University of California, Berkeley. His research work has appeared in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Canadian Journal of Economics, Ecological Economics, Economics Letters, Environment and Development Economics, Health Economics, Journal of Comparative Economics, Journal of Development Economics, Oxford Economic Papers, Review of Economics and Statistics, and World Development, among other journals.
Markus Heidingsfelder, Peter Zeiner, Kelvin J. A. Ooi and Mohammad Arif Sobhan Bhuiyan
Deviraj Gill and Anne Broderick
The translation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) values in customer awareness and engagement with the CSR values with the corporate brand is a key challenge for UK…
Abstract
Purpose
The translation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) values in customer awareness and engagement with the CSR values with the corporate brand is a key challenge for UK retailers. This chapter examines the incorporation of CSR in the core brand discourse of Marks & Spencer (M&S), focusing on the interrelationship between CSR reporting and brand heritage.
Design/methodology/approach
Using Fairclough’s (1989) method of critical discourse analysis, this chapter reports on the key discourses around CSR to emerge from annual reports of M&S in the period from the 1940s to 2010s.
Findings
Findings identify how messages relating to CSR are shaped and presented to stakeholders, noting the textual patterns that emerge in the M&S discourse. Patterns included a substantial reliance on relational values, the strategic adoption of expressive values toward specific groups (employees, suppliers), and textual cues such as metaphor and over-wording as a means to draw out links to M&S brand heritage.
Research implications
The chapter highlights how we, as academics, need to consider both (a) the evolution of CSR reporting and how this reflects brand messages over time and (b) how CSR reporting is becoming integral in brand positioning for UK retailer brands.
Practical limitations
In dealing with archival materials, it is necessary to be selective and this can limit the range of textual patterns that might be articulated in the discourse analysis.
Originality/value
Limited research to date has examined the integration of CSR and brand heritage in organizational discourses. This study offers an in-depth examination of how this integration of CSR messages in brand communication has evolved for M&S – one of the United Kingdom’s foremost retail brands.
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The purpose of this paper is, first, to examine environmental, economic and social sustainability. Second, to build upon Jones et al.’s (2011) preliminary investigations into the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is, first, to examine environmental, economic and social sustainability. Second, to build upon Jones et al.’s (2011) preliminary investigations into the sustainability agendas of the world’s top ten retailers through an examination of Marks and Spencer’s (M&S) Plan A sustainability strategy. Third, to complement this with a case study examination of its first eco-learning store.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study of M&S’s first eco-store using a consideration of the published literature and interviews with members of staff.
Findings
Retailers exert a significant influence on sustainability issues due to their position in the supply chain between producers and customers. It is argued that M&S’s Plan A environmental strategy demonstrates evidence of an economically successful “strong model of sustainability” compared with the world’s top ten retailers. In total, 15 factors emerged which may provide a checklist for organisations undertaking and managing their own sustainability change programmes.
Research limitations/implications
The research examined only public material produced by M&S and was not privy to internal documentation. Also, due to the traditional limitations of the case study approach findings about the first eco-store may not have transferability to other situations.
Practical implications
Environmental strategies can produce positive financial and social benefits. The grounded approaches used by M&S’s Plan A and first eco-store provide many illustrations of the possible future directions of retailing. Whole life accounting overcomes some of the limitations of annual accounting methods.
Originality/value
The triple bottom line and whole life accounting at M&S have been little discussed. The prototype eco-learning store in Sheffield provides practical insights into a holistic strategy.
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Patricia Cairns, Barry Quinn, Nicholas Alexander and Anne Marie Doherty
The purpose of this paper is to explore the role played by leadership in divestment decision making and indeed during the corporate restructuring phase for retail organisations…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the role played by leadership in divestment decision making and indeed during the corporate restructuring phase for retail organisations. In doing so, the paper aims to contribute to a growing body of research that seeks to develop understanding of the factors leading to retail divestment and the nature of corporate response to divestment.
Design/methodology/approach
A multiple case approach is utilised. The cases are selected from a database of international retail divestment activity over a longitudinal period.
Findings
The paper demonstrates that divestment can be a response to “failure”, however, support is also provided for the assertion that divestment can be a strategic decision to devote resources more efficiently elsewhere, either at home or abroad. A key finding is the role of leadership and managerial stability in relation to divestment and restructuring at home and abroad.
Research limitations/implications
The themes presented in this paper are developed from observational data. The validity of the themes should be examined further through in‐depth, qualitative case studies of divestment activity. Future research could examine the role of new CEOs both in relation to the divestment itself and during the process of restructuring following divestment.
Practical implications
The role of leadership and managerial stability in divestment and corporate restructuring processes are highlighted. Insights are provided into the organisational response to divestment actions and the implications for further international strategies.
Originality/value
Academic debate on divestment has highlighted a wide range of reasons that lead to retailers divesting international operations and the strategic value of divestment. This paper adds to existing knowledge by examining the role of leadership within the divestment process.