Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@@The Constitution of Society: Outline of the Theory of Structuration.
TL;DR: Giddens as mentioned in this paper has been in the forefront of developments in social theory for the past decade and outlines the distinctive position he has evolved during that period and offers a full statement of a major new perspective in social thought, a synthesis and elaboration of ideas touched on in previous works but described here for the first time in an integrated and comprehensive form.
Abstract: Anthony Giddens has been in the forefront of developments in social theory for the past decade. In "The Constitution of Society" he outlines the distinctive position he has evolved during that period and offers a full statement of a major new perspective in social thought, a synthesis and elaboration of ideas touched on in previous works but described here for the first time in an integrated and comprehensive form. A particular feature is Giddens' concern to connect abstract problems of theory to an interpretation of the nature of empirical method in the social sciences. In presenting his own ideas, Giddens mounts a critical attack on some of the more orthodox sociological views. "The Constitution of Society" is an invaluable reference book for all those concerned with the basic issues in contemporary social theory.
Citations
More filters
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine the impact of information technology on the number of middle managers in organizations and find that IT both increases and decreases middle managers' numbers in the middle management.
Abstract: This article reviews studies that examine the impact of information technology (IT) on the number of middle managers in organizations. Contradictory evidence is found to suggest, paradoxically, that IT both increases and decreases the number of middle managers. This "empirical paradox" is resolved by looking at the effects of IT on middle managers as contingent upon the degree of centralization of computing decisions, and of organizational decisions more broadly. When both computing decisions and organizational decisions are centralized, top managers tend to use IT to reduce the number of middle managers. When these decisions are decentralized, middle managers use IT to increase their numbers. A recent case study provides preliminary support for this perspective by showing an interesting case of reduction in middle managers.
167 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that agency theory may too closely reflect the US institutional context to explain the governance heritages that exist elsewhere, and they propose a nationally bounded model for determining what constitutes opportunistic behavior and what can be done to limit it.
Abstract: We reason that agency theory’s behavioral assumptions may too closely reflect the US institutional context to explain the governance heritages that exist elsewhere. We propose that what constitutes opportunistic behavior and what can be done to limit it may vary due to differences in national background and formal institutions. We then test the validity of this nationally bounded model using historical sociology analysis of three nations whose corporate governance heritages are believed to differ (USA, Sweden, and France). Specifically, we review their political, cultural, and economic institutions to explore the different ways that their governance practices have evolved and infer causes for these historical variations.
167 citations
Cites background from "Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@..."
...However, this support is at clear odds with neo-institutional economists (e.g. Fligstein 1990; Greif 1998; North 1990; Williamson 2000) and sociologists (e.g. Berger and Luckmann 1967; DiMaggio and Powell 1983; Dobbin 1994; Giddens 1984; Granovetter 1992; Guillen 1994; Polanyi 1944; Whitley 1992)....
[...]
TL;DR: In this paper, the role of narratives as the vehicle of meaning and intermediation between individual and social collective in the context of ongoing transitions is explored and analyzed in relation to nuclear power in Japan, Germany and United Kingdom.
Abstract: In order to reconfigure global socio-economic systems to be compatible with social imperatives and planetary boundaries, a transition towards sustainable development is necessary. The multi-level perspective (MLP) has been developed to study long-term transformative change. This paper complements the MLP by providing an ontological framework for studying and understanding the role of narratives as the vehicle of meaning and intermediation between individual and social collective in the context of ongoing transitions. Narratives are established as an analytical entity to unpack how disturbances at the level of the socio-technical landscape are translated into and contribute to the transformation of socio-technical regimes. To illustrate and test the approach, it is applied to the case of the Fukushima catastrophe: The narratives in relation to nuclear power in Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom are scrutinized and it is explored how these narratives have co-determined the policy responses and thus influenced ongoing transformation processes in the power sectors of the respective countries.
166 citations
Cites background from "Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@..."
...Giddens refers to resources as the structure of domination and to rules as the structures of legitimation (norms) and signification (meaning) (Giddens 1984)....
[...]
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify "learning to be a tribal" as a communal practice that occurs through three interconnected processes of engagement, imagination and alignment, and distinguish between the three main forms of communal consumption found in the marketing lite.
Abstract: Purpose – Studies of marketplace cultures emphasize the benefits of communal consumption and explain the ways that brand managers can leverage subcultures and brand communities. The ephemeral and often non‐commercial nature of consumer tribes means that they are more difficult to manage. This paper, aims to suggest that a necessary pre‐requisite for understanding how to engage with consumer tribes is to identify how consumers become members of tribes.Design/methodology/approach – Data are drawn from a five‐year ethnographic study of the archetypical club culture tribe that utilized a variety of data collection methods including participant observation and in‐depth interviewing.Findings – The paper identifies “learning to be tribal” as a communal practice that occurs through three interconnected processes of engagement, imagination and alignment.Originality/value – This paper makes three contributions: it clearly distinguishes between the three main forms of communal consumption found in the marketing lite...
166 citations
TL;DR: The results show that commenters are driven by social-interactive motives to participate in journalism, and to discuss with other users, however, the data suggest that commenters do not obtain cognitive gratifications to the desired extent.
Abstract: User comments allow ‘annotative reporting’ by embedding users’ viewpoints within an article's context, providing readers with additional information to form opinions, which can potentially enhance deliberative processes. But are these the only reasons why people comment on online news and read these comments? This study examines factors that motivate, or demotivate and constrict, such participation by surveying nearly 650 commenters, lurkers, and non-users in Germany. From a normative perspective, the results are ambivalent. The results show that commenters are driven by social-interactive motives to participate in journalism, and to discuss with other users. However, the data suggest that commenters do not obtain cognitive gratifications to the desired extent. Presumably, their exchange is socially and not deliberatively motivated. Reading comments is fuelled by both cognitive and entertainment motives, but regression analyses show that the entertainment dimension − a dimension that is not usually consid...
166 citations
Cites background from "Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@..."
...This view is taken by Giddens (1984) who distinguishes between factors that can either constrain or enable actions such as comment reading....
[...]
References
More filters