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.
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TL;DR: This paper tracks a Grounded Theory research project undertaken to study the phenomena of collaboration and knowledge sharing in the Australian Film Industry and uses this to illustrate and emphasize salient points to assist potential users in applying the method.
Abstract: Selecting the most appropriate research method is one of the most difficult problems facing a doctoral researcher. Grounded Theory is presented here as a method of choice as it is detailed, rigorous, and systematic, yet it also permits flexibility and freedom. Grounded Theory offers many benefits to research in Information Systems as it is suitable for the investigation of complex multifaceted phenomena. It is also well equipped to explore socially related issues. Despite existing criticism, it is a rigorous and methodical research approach capable of broadening the perceptions of those in the research community. This paper provides detailed and practical guidelines that illustrate the techniques, utility, and ease of use of grounded theory, especially as these apply to information systems based research. This paper tracks a Grounded Theory research project undertaken to study the phenomena of collaboration and knowledge sharing in the Australian Film Industry. It uses this to illustrate and emphasize salient points to assist potential users in applying the method. The very practical approach shared in this paper provides a focused critique rendering it a valuable contribution to the discussion of methods of analysis in the IS sphere, particularly grounded theory.
305 citations
Cites background from "Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@..."
...The first bias, double hermeneutic, as termed by Giddens (1984), suggests the subject of the research is influenced by the research and by the researcher....
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TL;DR: The role of expertise in European public policy has become the object of a passionate debate as mentioned in this paper, and it has been argued that knowledge, in various guises, can foster learning, enlightenment, problem-solving attitudes and policy change.
Abstract: The role of expertise in European public policy has become the object of a passionate debate. On the one hand, it has been argued that knowledge, in various guises, can foster learning, enlightenment, problem-solving attitudes, and policy change. On the other, the public policy of the European Union (EU) is in the firing line because of its technocratic bias. However, what is meant by technocracy in the case of the EU? How can political scientists be fascinated by the positive input of knowledge, and, at the same time, horrified by technocratic policy-making? The aim of this article is to tackle this puzzle by suggesting a conceptual framework. Concepts such as technocracy, epistemic communities, and bureaucratic politics refer to different modes of the politics of expertise. Empirically, they should be contrasted with the logic of politicization. Case studies discussed in this article suggest that the power of expertise is being counterbalanced by politicization. The conclusion is that the main challenge...
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TL;DR: In this paper, a study of how an RD and the use of local genres tacitly shaped by members within their own research teams is presented, and the authors suggest that these patterns reflect the more general processes of explicit and implicit structuring, resulting in both the reinforcement and change of social interaction within communities.
Abstract: In a study of how an RD and the use of local genres tacitly shaped by members within their own research teams. We suggest that these patterns reflect the more general processes of explicit and implicit structuring, resulting in both the reinforcement and change of social interaction within communities. Explicit st ructuring included the planned replication, planned modification, and opportunistic modification of existing genres, while implicit structuring included the migration and variation of existing genres. We believe that these two processes provide suggestive models for understanding the initial and ongoing use of new electronic media within a community.
305 citations
TL;DR: Centering resonance analysis (CRA) as discussed by the authors is a text analysis method that has broad scope and range and can be applied to large quantities of written text and transcribed conversation.
Abstract: Scholars increasingly theorize about the power of communication to organize and structure social collectives. However, two factors threaten to impede research on these theories: limitations in the scope and range of existing methods for studying complex systems of communication and the large volume of communication produced by even small collectives. Centering resonance analysis (CRA) is a new text analysis method that has broad scope and range and can be applied to large quantities of written text and transcribed conversation. It identifies discursively important words and represents these as a network, then uses structural properties of the network to index word importance. CRA networks can be directly visualized and can be scored for resonance with other networks to support a number of spatial analysis methods. Following a critique of existing methodologies, this paper describes the theoretical basis and operational details of CRA, describes its advantages relative to other techniques, demonstrates its face validity and representational validity, and demonstrates its utility in modeling organizational knowledge. The conclusion argues for its applicability in several organizational research contexts before describing its potential for use in a broader range of applications, including media content analysis, conversation analysis, computer simulations, and models of communication systems.
304 citations
Posted Content•
TL;DR: This article proposed a theoretical framework to explain how third-person opportunity beliefs (beliefs that one has recognized an opportunity for someone with the right knowledge and motivation) are formed and how they evolve to become first-person opportunistic beliefs.
Abstract: Although (opportunity) beliefs are becoming increasingly recognized as fundamental to understanding entrepreneurial cognition and strategic action, little is understood about the mechanisms that are responsible for the formation and evolution of these beliefs. Introducing the mechanisms of gists, matching, and updating from philosophy's and psychology's coherence theory, we propose a theoretical framework to explain how third-person opportunity beliefs (beliefs that one has recognized an opportunity for someone with the right knowledge and motivation) are formed and how they evolve to become first-person opportunity beliefs (beliefs that one has recognized an opportunity for himself or herself). We conclude by examining how the model contributes to literatures ranging from entrepreneurial cognition and action, to strategic myopia and organizational attention, to opportunity recognition, discovery, and creation. Copyright © 2007 Strategic Management Society.
304 citations
Cites background from "Locating the 17th Book of Giddens@@..."
...Instead, we take a more intersubjectivist stance (e.g., Davidson, 2001; Giddens, 1984) in which actors are considered procedurally rational but not necessarily substantively rational (see North, 1990 for further articulation of this distinction)....
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...In this sense, the entrepreneur envisioned during the exposition of the proposed theoretical framework is more consistent with the focal actors of Giddens’ (1984) Structuration theory or North’s (1990, 2005) institutional economics than orthodox economics....
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