Norman Jackson and Pippa Carter
Freud has noted the basic repression of the instincts necessary for the continuation of civilised social existence. This repression, at one level, is manifest in structures of…
Abstract
Freud has noted the basic repression of the instincts necessary for the continuation of civilised social existence. This repression, at one level, is manifest in structures of social order and control, of which the work organisation is a particular form. However, it has been argued that the degree of repression existing exceeds that which is defined as necessary. From this it must be inferred either that such control is, in Marcuse's term, surplus repressive, or that it proceeds from the desire of organisational participants to be subjected to such control. Surplus repression is not a noted explanation of control in orthodox organisation theory, so this article explores the implications of the explanation in terms of desire, by examining a number of practices common in work organisations in terms of their symbolic significance, using the technique of ergonomic reconstruction at the psychological level. The questions posed for management by this article relate to whether they are really doing something other than they intend, by being, perhaps unwittingly, more concerned with control at the micro level than in contributing to economic performance at the macro level. If so, it implies a somewhat different relationship between management action and economic performance than is usually supposed, and suggests that management may not be optimising its contribution to our economic recovery and betterment. This article is based on an understanding of organisational structures as symbolic structures. Inherently, this implies that they are symbolic of something. Our enquiry is into what these symbols mean, and what the ergonomic implications of such meanings are.
Norman Jackson and Pippa Carter
Speculates on what a retrospective view of the next ten years of thedevelopment of business ethics might look like. First characterizesmanagement knowledge as transient and…
Abstract
Speculates on what a retrospective view of the next ten years of the development of business ethics might look like. First characterizes management knowledge as transient and recyclable, in the nature of a fashionable commodity. Puts forward a retrospective view based on the expectation that the current interest in business ethics will follow this pattern. Second, this leads to the argument that interest in business ethics will be superficial rather than real. In the third part suggests that this is inevitable, given the need to be seen to be ethical while at the same time prioritizing profit.
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Norman Jackson and Pippa Carter
One obvious and troubling phenomenon in critical organisation studies (OS) is the lack of impact that the new epistemologies had on organisational practice. After about two…
Abstract
Purpose
One obvious and troubling phenomenon in critical organisation studies (OS) is the lack of impact that the new epistemologies had on organisational practice. After about two decades of demonstrating the biases, poor explanatory power and latent dangers of the orthodoxy, a declining utility in further revelations of this kind is sensed. Whereas, there may have been insufficient attention paid to the power aspect of the power/knowledge nexus, it is suggested that this is changing with an emergent focus on the role of political economy, which, hopefully, presages a new revolutionary urge in critical OS. This paper seeks to explore the issues.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is a necessarily selective review of the developments within OS, within a historical context, that briefly examines the fate of other attempts to challenge the dominant managerialist paradigm. The authors look at evidence from an emergent literature on political economy and from a more general set of concerns, both expert and lay, regarding (physical and social) global depredations.
Findings
Cause for both optimism and pessimism is found within emergent developments in OS. The attention being paid to political economy offers a prospect of overcoming the experienced impotence of the preceding epistemological critique. However, the authors fear that the capitalist interest, together with its apologists, will continue to resist insights and evidence that might require them to change for the benefit of humanity.
Originality/value
Stimulated by the widespread concern about the impotence of critical OS, this paper, by looking at the trajectory of the epistemological revolution, seeks to illustrate the potentiality and pitfalls facing an emergent political economy perspective.
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Pawan Budhwar, Andy Crane, Annette Davies, Rick Delbridge, Tim Edwards, Mahmoud Ezzamel, Lloyd Harris, Emmanuel Ogbonna and Robyn Thomas
Wonders whether companies actually have employees best interests at heart across physical, mental and spiritual spheres. Posits that most organizations ignore their workforce �…
Abstract
Wonders whether companies actually have employees best interests at heart across physical, mental and spiritual spheres. Posits that most organizations ignore their workforce – not even, in many cases, describing workers as assets! Describes many studies to back up this claim in theis work based on the 2002 Employment Research Unit Annual Conference, in Cardiff, Wales.
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Past literature has focused on the intergenerational transmission of gender ideologies, without considering the role cultural context plays. That is, while it is understood that…
Abstract
Past literature has focused on the intergenerational transmission of gender ideologies, without considering the role cultural context plays. That is, while it is understood that there is a positive relationship between mothers’ gender ideology and that of their adolescents, how might this relationship differ among foreign-born mothers and their native-born adolescent children? This chapter extends the literature on the construction and transmission of gender ideology between immigrant mothers and their children in two ways. First, using data from the child sample of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (N=2,202), it examines adolescent gender ideology as influenced by mothers’ gender beliefs and nativity. Second, it assesses the interaction between maternal gender ideologies and nativity as they influence adolescent ideology. Findings from this study suggest that the nativity of the mother does not affect the adolescent’s ideology, nor does it act as a moderator of maternal influence. The chapter ends with a summary and contextualization of the findings framed in developmental psychology and suggesting that factors external to the household, such as the influence of peers, may work to mitigate the effects of cultural frameworks.
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Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has now been clearly identified, categorised and theorised so that we can all be certain what is meant by the name and how it can be…
Abstract
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has now been clearly identified, categorised and theorised so that we can all be certain what is meant by the name and how it can be achieved. Indeed it is regularly practiced by all (or at least most) businesses and taught in business schools – so much so that it is largely unquestioned. This chapter looks at the development of CSR and its acceptance as a distinct discipline in its own right. In doing so it comes to the conclusion that CSR, as currently defined, has actually died and so needs to be rediscovered. The author argues the case that it is only by looking at current practice amongst businesses and the community that we can arrive at a realistic definition – which inevitably metamorphoses through time as culture and the economic environment change. Therefore what is currently identified as CSR is merely of historic interest. The implications of the argument are that research approaches need to change and so does the definition of CSR.
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Katie Bell, Helen Coulthard, Diane Wildbur and Iain Williamson
Self-disgust appears to be a prominent feature in anorexia nervosa (AN), which might help explain why AN is often such a persistent disorder. Little is known about how this…
Abstract
Purpose
Self-disgust appears to be a prominent feature in anorexia nervosa (AN), which might help explain why AN is often such a persistent disorder. Little is known about how this emotion can impact on recovering from this disorder. This study aims to develop our understanding of how people experience the emotion of self-disgust after physical recovery from AN.
Design/methodology/approach
Twelve female participants who reported previously having had a clinical diagnosis of AN but had physically recovered according to their EDE-Q scores took part in a semi-structured interview to explore their experiences of recovery and the role self-disgust played within this. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to explore the data.
Findings
Three themes were identified within the data to explain the experiences of self-disgust in those with AN: continued self-disgust following physical “Recovery”, multiple manifestations of self-disgust in recovery and increasing self-disgust in recovery as a driver for relapse.
Practical implications
Self-disgust was something each participant appeared to experience often, despite being physically recovered from AN. Disgust-based reactions to the self are enduring and highly resistant to change even whilst other aspects of the disorder become less potent. Self-disgust is multi-faceted and may trigger relapse as the signs of improvement and behaviours inherent in recovering were generally viewed as disgusting to the individuals.
Originality/value
Self-disgust is an emotion that continues to affect people with AN despite physical recovery. The recovery process itself is not linear and self-disgust is enduring and may cause those affected to relapse. Considering this emotion within therapeutic intervention may encourage those with AN to accept their recovered self.
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Yoram (Jerry) Wind and David Reibstein
Often when we think about the need for democracy and democratic values we look externally to other countries like China, Russia, the former Soviet Union, and various banana…
Abstract
Often when we think about the need for democracy and democratic values we look externally to other countries like China, Russia, the former Soviet Union, and various banana republics. Today, the role of democracy is even challenged in the United States. Some candidates are even calling for more socialism.
But, are we even living up to democratic values today? About 98 million eligible voters did not vote in the 2016 election. Increasing number of surveys highlights the loss of democratic values. The continuous attacks by our president on free press and other democratic values, truth, and science are a fundamental threat to our most treasured values.
We believe that marketing, if practiced in an enlightened, positive, and ethical way, can help restore our democracy and democratic values. We elaborate on these values and how marketing can play a role in restoring democracy.
We hope that after reading our chapter you will join our movement to restore democracy and democratic values in America.