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Showing papers in "Society and Business Review in 2010"


Journal ArticleDOI

331 citations


Journal ArticleDOI

89 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors suggest that the needs of inspirations will make you searching for some sources, even from the other people experience, internet, and many books, and suggest to have more inspirations, then.
Abstract: Inevitably, reading is one of the requirements to be undergone. To improve the performance and quality, someone needs to have something new every day. It will suggest you to have more inspirations, then. However, the needs of inspirations will make you searching for some sources. Even from the other people experience, internet, and many books. Books and internet are the recommended media to help you improving your quality and performance.

74 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A systematic review of the relevant literature on organizational socialization and staff induction can be found in this paper, where the authors outline some of the areas for future research particularly if a social practice perspective is adopted.
Abstract: Purpose – Socialization is one of the fundamental processes that define how collectivities emerge. Socialization underpins the social structures that shape not only how social actors interact in community but also the boundaries of action and the rules of engagement. In the context of organizations, socialization is a process that significantly shapes organization in the way core practices shape how things are done and why they are done in particular ways. This emphasis on consistency within and between practices is seen to be greatly facilitated by specific practices like staff induction. The purpose of this paper is to review the current conceptual and empirical research on staff induction as a process of organizational socialization and outlines some of the areas for future research particularly if a social practice perspective is adopted.Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents a systematic review of the relevant literature on organizational socialization and staff induction and outlines theme...

66 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors revisited the development of strategic management and provided a rational reconstruction of core assumptions relevant to managing change, and analyzed and interpreted core assumptions underlying the strategic management approach to planning and change.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to revisit and rationally reconstruct the role of planning, strategic management, and strategic balance, in a context of managing change. The general problem dealt with is: “When is it possible to design and manage a balanced strategic change process under conditions of rapid high‐frequency change?”Design/methodology/approach – The paper revisits the development of strategic management and contains a rational reconstruction of core assumptions relevant to managing change. In the first section, the historical origin of strategic managements approach to change is rationally reconstructed. The next sections analyze and interpret core assumptions underlying the strategic management approach to planning and change. The next section explicate the conceptual strategic hierarchy showing that developments in strategy make theories of planning and control more abstract and complex, but nevertheless preserve the idea of planning and control as a demand for strategic balance. Th...

44 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
Søren Jagd1
TL;DR: In this article, the authors show that the complementary/substitution debate calls for an explicit conceptualization of the relation between trust and control as an interactive process, in contrast to earlier conceptualizations of trust as two relatively static and isolated concepts.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show that conceptualizing trust and control as interactively related processes, as opposed to more static conceptualizations of the two concepts and the relations between them, adds importantly towards understanding the challenges involved in balancing of trust and control in organizations.Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines recent literature on the conceptualization of the relation between trust and control in and between organizations.Findings – The literature review shows that trust and control has been conceptualized as either substituting or complementing each other. Further, it is found that the complementary/substitution debate calls for an explicit conceptualization of the relation between trust and control as an interactive process, in contrast to earlier conceptualizations of trust and control as two relatively static and isolated concepts.Practical implications – While the static perspective on trust and control made the problem of finding ...

38 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a survey analysis of rural microbusinesses in the North East of England compares home-based and other rural micro-businesses to illustrate their defining characteristics, and case study interviews are then used to test theory development and provide greater understanding about the motivations and aspirations of HBB owners.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to challenge calls for a monolithic rural home‐based business (HBB) sector and instead propose meaningful sub‐sectors of HBB that fit within contemporary rural economic development theory. This informs business support and policy objectives.Design/methodology/approach – Survey analysis of rural microbusinesses in the North East of England compares home‐based and other rural microbusinesses to illustrate their defining characteristics. Case study interviews are then used to test theory development and provide greater understanding about the motivations and aspirations of HBB owners.Findings – The research demonstrates that the rural HBB sector is not homogenous. For some, the home is the business, for others it is a convenient location and for others it is not the place of work, simply the registered business address. This has significant implications for the needs of each type of business and their prospects for growth.Research limitations/implications – This paper i...

32 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a conceptual approach on the links to be established between practice and socialization, focusing on how a practice perspective provides valuable insights about how social agents get things done in organizations.
Abstract: Purpose – At the core of how societies operate, lies social interaction. Organizations as significant social bodies rely on social interaction both to get things done in order to remain sustainable and to also impart a contribution to the wider society. Understanding the dynamics of social interactions in the way social agents and social action take place through the lens of social practice theory could yield powerful insights both about practices of socialization as well as the socialization of practices. The purpose of this paper is to fundamentally reveal the tensions that such interactions expose and the dynamics in negotiating individual and collective priorities.Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents a conceptual approach on the links to be established between practice and socialization.Findings – This paper focuses on how a practice perspective provides valuable insights about how social agents get things done in organizations.Research limitations/implications – This paper is linked with ...

29 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed a system of corporate governance rules that the interests of multiple stakeholders have to be considered and adequately balanced when corporate decisions are made, so that the interest of the enterprise provides the ultimate criterion to evaluate corporate decisions rather than the personal interests of one single group of stakeholders.
Abstract: Purpose – The concept of the balanced company refers to a company that is in good relations with its internal and external constituencies. Establishing such a balanced company largely depends on the corporate governance of the firm. The paper, therefore, aims to develop new insights into the appropriate design of corporate governance that fits with the notion of the balanced company.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is conceptual and integrates various perspectives from stakeholder as well as norm theories to substantiate the appropriate governance system of a balanced company.Findings – The proposed system of corporate governance rules that the interests of multiple stakeholders have to be considered and adequately balanced when corporate decisions are made. In this system, the interest of the enterprise provides the ultimate criterion to evaluate corporate decisions rather than the interest of one single group of constituencies. Corporate decisions have accordingly to serve the interest of the ent...

16 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed an interpretative framework of induction as a social practice in order to examine the ecology of the human and non-human actors involved in the production of induction.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop an interpretative framework of induction as a social practice in order to examine the ecology of the human and non‐human actors involved in the production of induction as a social effectDesign/methodology/approach – Three case studies are conducted in different types of organizations (private, public, and network) in order to analyse the relation between the induction process and the actors that influence itFindings – Three different models of induction are described: in a professional bureaucracy, socialization precedes selections and the key actor is the profession; in a small private organization, induction is almost exclusively managed by the peer group in the form of seduction by the profession; in a large network of organizations, induction is explicitly managed by the organization and becomes a means to transmit the organizational cultureResearch limitations/implications – In the description of the empirical data, it is shown how an individual un

14 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate whether profit maximizing behaviour can be defended from an ethical point of view, and what possible restrictions should be made on following this interest, and argue that some constraints in the form of, e.g., protecting human rights must be used as a supplement.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether profit maximizing behaviour can be defended from an ethical point of view, and what possible restrictions should be made on following this interest.Design/methodology/approach – The main structure of the paper is as follows. First, it states the problem. Second, it considers which ethical theory is relevant for evaluating the situation at hand, and argues that rule‐consequentialism is the most appropriate one, but that some constraints in the form of, e.g. protecting human rights must be used as a supplement. Third, it analyses the consequences of profit seeking and profit maximization, and argue that these have a number of beneficial effects. The methodology and approach is one of critical argumentation.Findings – Profit maximization as a firm goal has traditionally been meet with suspicion in the literature on business ethics, being seen as either immoral or amoral. It is argued herein that this practice should be evaluated according to rule‐...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on the lives of nine Americans in particular -some famous, some unknown, others misunderstood, but all among our nation's financial founding fathers, who were instrumental in creating and nurturing a financial system that drove economic growth in the nascent United States.
Abstract: When you think of the founding fathers, you think of men like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin - exceptional minds and matchless statesmen who led the colonies to a seemingly impossible victory over the British and established the constitutional and legal framework for our democratic government. But the American Revolution was about far more than freedom and liberty. It was about economics as well. Robert E. Wright and David J. Cowen here chronicle how a different group of founding fathers forged the wealth and institutions necessary to transform the American colonies from a diffuse alliance of contending business interests into one cohesive economic super-power. From Alexander Hamilton to Andrew Jackson, the authors focus on the lives of nine Americans in particular - some famous, some unknown, others misunderstood, but all among our nation's financial founding fathers. Such men were instrumental in creating and nurturing a financial system that drove economic growth in the nascent United States because they were quick to realize that wealth was as crucial as the Constitution in securing the blessings of liberty and promoting the general welfare. The astonishing economic development made possible by our financial founding fathers was indispensable to the preservation of national unity and of support for a government that was then still a profoundly radical and delicate political experiment. Grand in scope and vision, "Financial Founding Fathers" is an entertaining and inspiring history of the men who made America rich and steered her toward greatness.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a qualitative study of induction practices in two branches of a Danish retail bank and a Danish management consulting company is presented, based on 30 semi-structured interviews and on some observations in the case companies.
Abstract: Purpose – Induction is the process of newcomers entering and becoming part of an organization. In one sense newcomers represent an opportunity for organizations to learn and change, but in another sense newcomers are instigated into an existing institutional order. The purpose of this paper is to explore how induction of newcomers can be understood as both organizational renewal and the maintenance of status quo, and to develop ways of describing this in terms of learning.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is designed as a qualitative study of induction practices in two branches of a Danish retail bank and a Danish management consulting company. The data are based on 30 semi‐structured interviews and on some observations in the case companies. The data have subsequently been analyzed phenomenologically and thematically in light of a pragmatist understanding of learning.Findings – The paper provides two main findings. The duality of induction, in terms of organizational renewal and the maintenance of ...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore organizational induction as socially situated learning processes, and suggest induction should be viewed as opportunities for organizational learning as much as the training of newcomers to adhere to organizational standards.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore organizational induction as socially situated learning processes. It presents an empirical study of inductees going through an induction program in a medium sized bank and discusses their induction as a dual process of becoming a practitioner and constructing practice. Design/methodology/approach – The research performed is qualitative: ethnographic methods including participant observation and interviews are used, and analysed through an interpretative methodology. Findings – The paper suggests that the divide between the teaching curricula in the induction course and the learning curricula in real life banking contribute to the inductees' ability and desire to engage in the construction of customer service officer practice; the divide itself legitimizes differences in particularities of the practice, and enhances the inductees' ability to enact, accomplish, and construct practice actively. Research limitations/implications – The paper suggests induction should be viewed as opportunities for organizational learning as much as the training of newcomers to adhere to organizational standards. Originality/value – The paper presents a novel empirical case exploring socially situated learning. Looking at the confluence of authoring and performative acts allows us to expose the agentic dimension of practices; thus emphasising the construction involved in any practising.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the Pilbara as an illustrative case study of some of the tension that arises out of a largely unmediated engagement of regional communities with neo-liberal globalisation and demonstrate the usefulness of Harvey's general matrix of spatialities as an analytical framework for examining such phenomena.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the Pilbara as an illustrative case study of some of the tension that arises out of a largely unmediated engagement of regional communities with neo‐liberal globalisation and to demonstrate the usefulness of Harvey's general matrix of spatialities as an analytical framework for examining such phenomena.Design/methodology/approach – In deploying Harvey's matrix, attention is focused on one key intersection where tensions between differing perspectives and representations of regional development in the Pilbara are best conceptualised. These tensions are examined using qualitative data collected from 21 semi‐structured in‐depth interviews and policy documents from state and federal governments.Findings – The analysis indicates that there are various and sometimes conflicting values and perceptions about the effects of occupying one of the “spaces of global capitalism”. This is most evident in that while the extensive natural resources located in the region ge...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the staff induction processes of two small firms in The Netherlands (management consultancy and biotech start-up) from a practice-based view, and found that small firms can effectively develop and master their staff induction process (as practices), but do this on the basis of ad hoc problem solving rather than a dynamic capability.
Abstract: Purpose – The dynamic capability view serves to explain how particular practices ensure the firm's performance and competitiveness within a continuously changing environment. In this paper, the staff induction processes of two small firms in The Netherlands (management consultancy and biotech (BT) start‐up) are examined from a practice‐based view. The authors explore whether the staff induction processes of these firms can be regarded as practices, and if so, whether and how these firms have developed a dynamic capability in staff induction.Design/methodology/approach – Case studies are conducted in the management consultancy and biotechnology sectors to explore the practising of dynamic capability.Findings – The findings suggest small firms can effectively develop and master their staff induction processes (as practices), but do this on the basis of ad hoc problem solving rather than a dynamic capability. If small firms develop any dynamic capability at all, they apparently do so towards specialized reso...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the constitutive aspects of socialization practice and explore how these shape the evolution of the socialisation practice and of the overall organizational functioning in the web of other organizational practices.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the ongoing debate on organizational socialization by exploring the constitutive aspects of socialization practice. By taking a practice stance, the paper explores how the constitutive aspects shape the evolution of the socialization practice and of the overall organizational functioning. The aim is to address a clear gap in the literature as it does not have fully investigated socialization as an evolving practice in the web of other organizational practices.Design/methodology/approach – The research relies on a case study analysis, which focuses on a multinational consulting firm. The paper focuses on the evolution of two main practices within the company one of which is socialization and the second is knowledge management.Findings – The main result emerging from the field study is that the evolution of the socialization practice as well as its alignment with other organizational practices is affected by a set of constitutive aspects. The analysis ...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the balance between values and economic efficiency in the public sector in comparison with the private sector is discussed, and the concept of balance in relation to the development of the management of private service companies as a useful alternative to new public management is discussed.
Abstract: Purpose – The paper discusses the balance between values and economic efficiency in the public sector in comparison with the private sector. The argument is that the public sector, hence the public welfare service institutions, can learn much from the private service sector, hence the private service firms with regard to the relation to values, ethics, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and efficiency in order to improve the balance between values and efficiency in the public sector.Design/methodology/approach – The paper discusses the concept of balance in relation to the development of the management of private service companies as a useful alternative to new public management (NPM). It discusses this with regard to three issues: the evolution of the management of private companies; what can the public sector, hence the public welfare institutions, learn from the evolution of management of private companies? How would it be possible for governments to work for an alternative to NPM, on the basis of t...


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine inspiring ideas in which Japanese companies are finding innovative ways to tap into base of the pyramid (BOP) markets to increase their profit while simultaneously reducing poverty and contributing to BOP society.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine inspiring ideas in which Japanese companies are finding innovative ways to tap into base of the pyramid (BOP) markets to increase their profit while simultaneously reducing poverty and contributing to BOP society.Design/methodology/approach – This paper examines a potential and some issues of Japanese business in BOP market through case analysis of Yakult Honsha Co Ltd and Nihon Poly‐Glu Co Ltd.Findings – The paper reveals that Japanese companies have a particular aptitude and strength for BOP business. The paper have three findings: Japanese company has a source of BOP business; Japanese companies have aptitude and strength for BOP business; and the time is ripe for Japanese companies to break into the BOP market.Research limitations/implications – There are few cases of Japanese companies which are engaging in BOP business. It could be kind of difficult to get a general result on Japanese business.Practical implications – This paper shows that a high pot...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyze induction as a practice, and show how this practice turns itself into an institution, in spite of the embeddedness of action scripts into rational schemes, and the successive steps of selections and integration of induction process appear as ways of testing the compatibility of newcomers with the immunity system of the organization.
Abstract: Purpose: Induction and institutions may have followed the same tracks for a long period of time, but their interaction is scarcely analyzed. On the one hand, induction prepares newcomers to work in an organization that is completely new to them. On the other hand, institutions apparently need induction processes to maintain themselves in the same time they renew their members. The objective of the present study is to analyze induction as a practice, and to show how this practice turns itself into an institution, in spite of the embeddedness of action scripts into rational schemes. Methodology/Approach: We introduce the case of a retail bank and a consulting company in France. Both have formalized induction systems, but they show enough differences to be considered as offering two complementary approaches of a same practice. The same method has been applied to both fields. It consisted in analyzing induction as an aggregate of ostensive (action scripts), performative (actions themselves) elements and artefacts (material productions). Findings: The successive steps of selections and integration of induction process appear as ways of testing the compatibility of newcomers with the immunity system of the organization. Moreover, throughout both case studies, the ostensive aspect of induction has remained stable for years, although markets and business models have changed a lot. Induction seems to be frozen as far as practicing (i.e. the implementation of action scripts) is concerned. The study of practising (i.e. the dialectic interaction of ostensive, performative elements and artefacts) shows that constant and individually lead adaptive moves preserve the institutionalized practice without any shape of rigidity. Limitations: The choice of the two companies could be discussed to infinity. Both companies deliver utilities. Both prove to be attached to specific traditions (a possible bias for further analysis). The length of observation periods may have been too short to draw definitive conclusions about the absence of change. The starting point of this research was focused on practices as major factors of change and learning, nevertheless the field study lead to counterintuitive results. Practical implications: It is quite common to emphasize manifold discrepancies between managers' patterns and what people actually do. Nevertheless, beyond the irreducible gap between procedure and performance, we would like to isolate the influence that institutional factors exert on actual performances. Stakeholders and managers have to get conscious of their institutional responsibility beyond their organizational and contractual one. Change has to be operated at those three levels. Originality/value of paper: Stability vs. change, uniformity vs. diversity depend on the lens by which we look at practices. If we take into consideration the ocean of actions that are performed day after day inside the firm, diversity and change appear. However, if we adopt a longer range look at what happens and correlate it to appropriate institutional factors, stability and uniformity emerge from permanent change. That disqualifies both technocratic attempts to standardize performance from abstract patterns and naive designs of spontaneous emergence of “not embedded” behaviors.

Journal ArticleDOI
Nikolaj Kure1
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore the analytical productiveness of a discursive power perspective in understanding interdisciplinary teams' inefficient decision processes, and discuss the ethical consequences of such an approach.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the analytical productiveness of a discursive power perspective in understanding interdisciplinary teams' inefficient decision processes, and to discuss the ethical consequences of such an approachDesign/methodology/approach – Based on a case study of an interdisciplinary team in a Danish hospital, the paper analyzes the team's decision practices as a result of discursive power operations that privilege and marginalize groups and personsFindings – The paper shows that a discourse of equality dominates the team's decision practices This produces a tendency among members to word observations as reflections whereas expert assessments are rendered unlikely and unwelcome The paper demonstrates that this analysis is productive in understanding why interdisciplinary teams struggle to develop efficient decision processes Furthermore, the paper suggests that managers should respond ethically to these discursive power operations with political interventionsOri

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the role of human translators is to construct meaningful narratives that mobilize and enrol human as well as non-human actors in the translation of clinical pathways in a psychiatric ward, where different translation proposals and translation criteria are continuously constructed, negotiated, tested out and weighted or balanced against each other through the use of narratives.
Abstract: Purpose – Taking the model of association as a point of departure the research question asked in the paper is: what is the role of translators and their criteria for choices in the translation of clinical pathways in a psychiatric ward?Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on an explorative single case‐study. Data were collected through participative observation and document studies. A temporal bracketing approach to process studies were used where the chain of events were broken down into chronologically organized episodes and then submitted to rigorous analysis.Findings – The case‐analysis demonstrates that the role of human translators is to construct meaningful narratives that mobilize and enrol human as well as non‐human actors. Different translation proposals and translation criteria are continuously constructed, negotiated, tested out and weighted or balanced against each other by humans through the use of narratives. The analysis also demonstrates that other actors than humans may act a...