This paper offers a conceptual discussion of repetition and joy in the context of information and their relation to the good life.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper offers a conceptual discussion of repetition and joy in the context of information and their relation to the good life.
Design/methodology/approach
Joy is defined as an integrative element of the good life which can be achieved through repetition. This may be surprising, given that our most ready-to-hand associations with “repetition” are negative in tenor rather than positive. Building on the work of repetition theorists Søren Kierkegaard and Gertrude Stein, we can discern three different forms of repetition: that looking backwards (e.g. rereading), that looking forwards (e.g. art-making) and that looking inwards (e.g. chiasmus). Throughout this paper, information-related examples are given and discussed as vignettes that move the conversation forward.
Findings
These examples lead to a nascent theory of why the repetition of information can spark joy and not just tedium. First, its stability and predictability that instill comfort in us. Second, its unifying force that brings us to experience wholeness. Third, its invitation to keep the repetition going through creation, further helping us feel part of the world. And finally, its paradoxicality—as strict repetition is impossible—which requires change, paving the way for satisfying surprises and delights.
Originality/value
Repetition is a ubiquitous and theoretically interesting phenomenon when it comes to information, and though it is implicit in some information science research, it has not yet been theorized directly. Moreover, this paper connects this issue to an emerging “positive” orientation in information studies.
Details
Keywords
Man has been seeking an ideal existence for a very long time. In this existence, justice, love, and peace are no longer words, but actual experiences. How ever, with the American…
Abstract
Man has been seeking an ideal existence for a very long time. In this existence, justice, love, and peace are no longer words, but actual experiences. How ever, with the American preemptive invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq and the subsequent prisoner abuse, such an existence seems to be farther and farther away from reality. The purpose of this work is to stop this dangerous trend by promoting justice, love, and peace through a change of the paradigm that is inconsistent with justice, love, and peace. The strong paradigm that created the strong nation like the U.S. and the strong man like George W. Bush have been the culprit, rather than the contributor, of the above three universal ideals. Thus, rather than justice, love, and peace, the strong paradigm resulted in in justice, hatred, and violence. In order to remove these three and related evils, what the world needs in the beginning of the third millenium is the weak paradigm. Through the acceptance of the latter paradigm, the golden mean or middle paradigm can be formulated, which is a synergy of the weak and the strong paradigm. In order to understand properly the meaning of these paradigms, however, some digression appears necessary.
Details
Keywords
Helga Drummond and Fayyadh Bani Al‐Anazi
This study compares leadership styles and employee reactions in public and private sector organisations in Saudi‐Arabia. The results both confirm and contradict media reports of…
Abstract
This study compares leadership styles and employee reactions in public and private sector organisations in Saudi‐Arabia. The results both confirm and contradict media reports of conservatism and inefficiency in the Saudi‐Arabian public service. The practical and theoretical implications of the findings are discussed. Saudi‐Arabia is popularly regarded as a wealthy country. Yet whilst some individuals enjoy extreme riches, the nation as a whole is ranked by the World Bank as a middle income nation. The future, moreover, is potentially bleak. Faced with a chronic budget deficit, the government's immediate priority is to identify new sources of income whilst simultaneously seeking to reduce expenditure. There is also the added pressure of needing to develop new industries as oil reserves become exhausted. Although Saudi‐Arabia's economic difficulties reflect the effects of Gulf War and the current depression of oil prices, the real cause of the apparent malaise may rest with the performance of its government executive: Saudi Arabia is not facing an economic crisis…but is suffering from over‐centralised government ministries best noted for the opportunities they have missed… Too many ministers have been too long at their posts for the good of the country. Clearly the suggestion is that an injection of entrepreneurial enthusiasm, ability and cosmopolitan outlook is required in order to make progress not least because many of Saudi Arabia's industrial and service organisations are in total or substantial government control. Although such claims of malaise in government and government controlled organisations are based upon media reports, empirical studies suggest that they may be alid. Saudi‐Arabian managers are apparently averse to innovation and risk, restrained by fear of failure. Such caution is reflected in relatively high reliance upon authority and relatively low delegation compared to north American organisations. The evidence is conflicting, however, as some enquiries suggest a high preference for consultation and participation amongst Saudi‐Arabian managers. We wish to suggest two weaknesses in the existing corpus of knowledge. First, existing studies concentrate upon the perceptions of the leaders rather than the led. A manager may perceive himself, (it is invariably him in Saudi‐Arabia), as participative or authoritative but there is no guarantee that this perception is shared by his subordinates. Second, existing studies fail to allow for the possibility of variation in leadership styles between different organisations. Whilst it may be true that Saudi‐Arabian managers are generally risk averse when compared to their north American counterparts, this does not mean that all Saudi‐Arabian managers are equally cautious and reactive. Such a broad brush approach may mask important differences between organisations. The present study seeks to explore such issues by comparing leadership styles in a range of Saudi‐Arabian organisations from the subordinates' standpoint. The theoretical rationale for the choice of organisations is explained in more detail later in this article. Here it is sufficient to note that the basis of comparison is the assumed level of bureaucratic formality. The research organisations range from the nearest equivalent to a European or North American private company, to the Saudi Civil Service.
Victoria Rodner and Chloe Preece
In the contemporary visual art market, for art to be valuable, it must be deemed authentic. In this chapter, we deconstruct the space within which the authentication of art takes…
Abstract
In the contemporary visual art market, for art to be valuable, it must be deemed authentic. In this chapter, we deconstruct the space within which the authentication of art takes place to understand the structural underpinnings of value and its ideological foundations. Through a three-part model, we demonstrate how authenticity in the art market, as a socially constructed concept, relies on the interpretation of cultural brokers who demonstrate recognition of the artist's vision in the work by placing it within an art context and thus legitimising it as culturally valuable. In our spatial analysis, we illustrate the complexity of visual art products and their valuation, demonstrating how authenticity operates through multiple dimensions. Ultimately, we demonstrate that authenticity is an autopoietic market practice which serves to further monopolise power.