Showing papers on "Embeddedness published in 1995"

The ‘other side’ of embedded ness: A case‐study of the interplay of economy and ethnicity

Abstract: As interest in ethnics and their entrepreneurial activities has grown in recent years, sociologists have come to emphasize the importance of ethnic social structures as the source of actions propelling business growth. In a sign of convergence with the ‘new economic sociology’, recent literature suggests that embeddedness in ethnic networks and communities leads to cooperative, if not conformist, behaviour among ethnic economic actors. This article looks at the ‘other side’ of embeddedness, through a case‐study of African‐American, Caribbean, Korean and white construction contractors in New York City. I argue that, in construction, the embeddedness of economic behaviour in ongoing social relations among a myriad of social actors impedes access to outsiders. Embeddedness contributes to the liabilities of newness that all neophytes encounter, breeding a preference for established players with track records. However, the convergence of economic and ethnic ties has a further baneful effect, since out...

Why ‘Work’? Gender and the ‘Total Social Organization of Labour’

Abstract: Although feminism revitalized the study of work, deconstructionist tendencies may now undermine further theoretical advance. Implicit threats to the very concept of ‘work’ pave the way for conceptual dissolution or, unwittingly, for recuperation by an unreconstructed mainstream. This paper argues for a reconceptualization of ‘work’ which builds on the new insights but avoids essentialist or ahistorical categories. The issue is approached through consideration of the simultaneous embeddedness and structural differentiation which characterize ‘work’ activities and institutions. A reorientation of perspective towards a conception of work as ‘total social organization of labour’ is proposed as a means of moving forward. By focusing on the relational organization of all labour, however and wherever it is undertaken, the concept of work as economic activity is recovered, but no longer restricted by the boundaries separating institutional spheres or the constraints demarcating traditional academic disciplines. While of general applicability, the TSOL is elaborated here in relation to gender and work in the period of mass production.

Local market socialism: Local corporatism in action in rural China

Abstract: Since the rural reform was launched in China in 1978, its growth and success, along with its problems, have received much research attention.1 Conceptualizing the reform process and experience beyond descriptive materials has also gained momentum. Two theoretical perspectives are of particular current saliency: market transition theory, as advanced by Nee2 and local state corporatism, as recently proposed by Oi.3 Both perspectives focus on the economic dynamics and analyze institutional consequences. This essay builds on these perspectives and proposes a perspective underlining the sociocultural forces that allow the simultaneous and coordinated incorporation of market and collective mechanisms. To be emphasized is the embeddedness of these forces in the local networks that lend enduring institutions and functioning to the transformation.

Principles of Classroom Management: A Professional Decision-Making Model

Abstract: All chapters begin with "The Hierarchy," "Principles of Classroom Management," and "Introduction." All chapters conclude with "Summary," "References," and "Exercises." Preface to the Third Edition. Preface to the Second Edition. Preface to the First Edition. I.FOUNDATIONS. 1.The Basics. Defining the Process of Teaching. Case 1.1: Getting Students to Respond. Case 1.2: "Why Study? We Don't Get Enough Time for the Test Anyway!" Principles of Classroom Management. Professional Decision-Making Hierarchy. Case 1.3: The Vice-Principal Wants to See Whom? 2.Nature of the Discipline Problem. Defining a Discipline Problem. Case 2.1: Can a Teacher Be a Discipline Problem? Case 2.2: Solving a Motivational Problem. Extent of the Problem. The Effect of Classroom Discipline Problems on Teaching and Learning. Case 2.3: Discipline: A Costly Waste of Time. Case 2.4: The Ripple Effect. 3.Understanding Why Children Misbehave. Societal Changes. Case 3.1: This Is the Greatest Thing That Has Happened to Me in Twenty Years of Teaching. Case 3.2: Who Really Cares? Failure to Meet Children's Basic Needs. Case 3.3: Hanging on the Corner. Case 3.4: Marital Conflict. Case 3.5: Forgetting to Sit Down. Case 3.6: There Must Be a Better Way. Case 3.7: Too Much Noise. Case 3.8: Afraid of Going to School. Case 3.9: Turning Off Students. Case 3.10: I'm Going to Be Sorry When Fifth Grade Is Over. Children's Pursuit of Social Recognition and Self-Esteem. Case 3.11: Seeking Faulty Goals. Stages of Cognitive and Moral Development. Case 3.12: "Get out of My Face." Instructional Competence. Case 3.13: Not Being Able to Teach. 4.Philosophical Approaches to Classroom Management. Case 4.1: The Tricks-of-the-Trade Approach. Teacher Power Bases. Case 4.2: The Involved Teacher. Case 4.3: Her Reputation Precedes Her. Case 4.4: "School Is Your Job." Case 4.5: Going to Recess. Theories of Classroom Management. Case 4.6: Handling Disruptive David. II.PREVENTION. 5.The Professional Teacher. The Basics of Effective Teaching. Case 5.1: The Popcorn Popper. Case 5.2: Talking between Classes. Case 5.3: Nonconstructive Feedback. Beyond the Basics. Case 5.4: Cooperative Learning in Biology. Case 5.5: Three Years of History Rolled into One. 6.Structuring the Environment. Designing the Physical Classroom Environment. Establishing Classroom Guidelines. Case 6.1: Fourteen to Ten, Music Wins. Case 6.2: Having Your Name Placed on the Board Isn't Always Bad. Case 6.3: "I Don't Know if I Can Remember." Case 6.4: "I'm Not Promising Anything." Case 6.5: Calling out Correct Answers. Case 6.6: The Smiley Face Self-Analysis. The Cultural Embeddedness of Rules and Guidelines. Creating Group Norms to Structure Appropriate Behavior. III.MANAGING COMMON MISBEHAVIOR PROBLEMS. 7.Managing Common Misbehavior Problems: Nonverbal Interventions. Prerequisites to Management. Surface Behaviors. Case 7.1: " ... 3,2,1, Blast Off." Proactive Intervention Skills. Remedial Intervention Skills. Effectiveness of Nonverbal Coping Skills. Case 7.2: Notes versus Math. Case 7.3: Let Your Fingers Do the Walking. 8.Managing Common Misbehavior Problems: Verbal Interventions and Use of Logical Consequences. Case 8.1: Blowing His Stack. Classroom Verbal Intervention. Case 8.2: Jimmy, the Little Sneak. Comply or Face the Logical Consequences: "You Have a Choice." When "You Have a Choice" Doesn't Work. Case 8.3: "Doing Nothin'." IV.MANAGING CHRONIC BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS. 9.Classroom Interventions for Chronic Problems. Case 9.1: "I Just Dropped My Book." Relationship Building. Case 9.2: Darnell. Case 9.3: Relating to Cindy. Breaking the Cycle of Discouragement. Management Techniques. 10.Seeking Outside Assistance. The Nature of Persisting Misbehavior. When Outside Assistance Is Needed. The Referral Process. Working with Parents. Case 10.1: "In Order to Drive, You Must Speak Spanish." Case 10.2: "Won't Be Much Help." Symptoms of Serious Problems. Legal Aspects of Seeking outside Assistance. APPENDIX: THE DISCIPLINE PROBLEM ANALYSIS INVENTORY (DPAI). Part I: Have I Done All I Can to Prevent Misbehavior? Chapter One: The Basics. Chapter Two: Nature of the Discipline Problem. Chapter Three: Understanding Why Children Misbehave. Chapter Four: Philosophical Approaches to Classroom Management. Chapter Five: The Professional Teacher. Chapter Six: Structuring the Environment. Part II: Am I Effectively Resolving Misbehavior? Chapter Seven: Managing Common Misbehavior Problems: Nonverbal Intervention. Chapter Eight: Managing Common Misbehavior Problems: Verbal Interventions and Use of Logical Consequences. Chapter Nine: Classroom Interventions for Chronic Problems. Chapter Ten: Seeking Outside Assistance. Index.

The Institutional Embeddedness of Economic Change. An Appraisal of the "Evolutionary" and "Regulationist" Research Programmes

Abstract: In the 1990s, institutional and evolutionary economics emerged as one of the most creative and successful approaches in the modern social sciences. This timely reader gathers together seminal contributions from leading international authors in the field of institutional and evolutionary economics including Eileen Appelbaum, Benjamin Coriat, Giovanni Dosi, Sheila C. Dow, Bengt-ake Lundvall, Uskali Maki, Bart Nooteboom and Marc R. Tool. The emphasis is on key concepts such as learning, trust, power, pricing and markets, with some essays devoted to methodology and others to the comparison of different forms of capitalism. An extensive introduction places the contributions in the context of the historical and theoretical background of

Flexible Circulation in the Pacific Rim: Capitalisms in Cultural Context*

Abstract: Disagreements about the nature of global capitalist restructuring often arise from different conceptions of the degree to which economic practice is socially embedded Scholars who follow an economistic view believe that sociocultural relations are either irrelevant or epiphenomenal to the location of production and circulation of capital in an advanced capitalist economy In contrast, those who believe in the embeddedness of economic practice argue for the importance of preexisting social and spatial structures which influence all business behavior In this work I follow the latter approach by examining a "modern" capitalist system that is deeply embedded in sociocultural relations, yet extremely successful in the contemporary international economy I show further that the use of extended family ties, business trust, flexible credit, and the "gift" exchange of information in elite Hong Kong Chinese business society is not only relevant to contemporary economic decision making, but indeed has been particularly effective throughout the period of extensive financial deregulation and privatization of the past decade These theoretical concerns are addressed in a case study of the investment and development of the former Expo lands in Vancouver, British Columbia, by the family of the Hong Kong property magnate Li Ka-shing

Embeddedness in Practice, Numbers in Context: The Politics of Knowing and Doing∗

Abstract: In this paper, I argue that feminist geographers need to scrutinize the claims being made by the three identifiable epistemological orientations in feminist geography regarding the use of numbers, for each offers a different view of objectivity and a different way to count. I go on to pursue a refinement of a critical feminist epistemology grounded in a mediated objectivity, one located in the embeddedness of everyday life. Within this framework, I suggest that numbers are useful, but only in context.

The Structural Embeddedness of Resistance among Public Managers

Abstract: The study of resistance in organizations has been dominated by two perspectives. From a managerial perspective resistance is dysfunction that managers learn to "cope with." Most radical/critical perspectives see resistance as a weapon in the class struggle. Contrary to managerial characterizations we find that bureaucratic resistance is a common and varied mode of organizational behavior. Contrary to critical views it is often enacted to support, rather than undermine, the goals of the organization. Neither view adequately accounts for resistance by managers who are caught in conflicting role obligations. The many forms of resistance are largely unstudied, yet the informants in our ethnographic study have illuminated a variety of strategies and richly detailed accounts. We present a structural model of the relationships between resistors' strategies and antecedent conditions. Two cases from our research illustrate the model. We conclude with implications for managers, researchers, and recent prescriptions...

Competence as process and the social embeddedness of competence building.

Abstract: The resource based view treats competences as a stock. By contrast this paper argues that competences is an emerging property stemming from learning processes. Comparing Danish and American technol...

Regulation Theory, Global Competition Among Cities And Capital Embeddedness

Abstract: This paper reviews the contribution of regulation theory to our understanding of urban development and its regulation by the state. The theory provides a useful instrument for convergence of politics, economics and geography in which the crucial questions of territoriality of local states and the embeddedness of capital can be considered. But there remains much to be explored both in the mode of development of the global economy over time, and in the relationship between global economic structures and local political institutions. The further development of regulation theory demands a reconceptualisation of power and the absorption of ecological/environmental and feminist discourses into the debates.

Economic Interdependence and Challenges to the Nation-State: The Emergence of Natural Economic Territories in the Asia-Pacific

Abstract: The political economy of the Asia-Pacific region is undergoing momentous changes, including the advent of natural economic territories (NETS) that are springing to life throughout the region. Variously called "growth circles," "growth triangles" or "sub-regional economic zones," the phenomenon is marked by intensified trade, investment and technology flows among contiguous localities or territories of three or more countries. While trade among neighbors is certainly not new, the emerging breadth and depth of the economic interaction among these various sub-regions has led some to argue that trade boundaries are superseding political boundaries. Indeed, in some cases, sub-regions of nation-states are developing economic links with neighbors that may be more vital than links with the political centers of power that govern them. This has raised the question of whether there is an emerging disjuncture between economic relations generated "from below" and political authority administered "from above." It is important to pause here to define "natural" since this terminology has caused debate and some confusion among scholars. The term NETs, as coined by Robert A. Scalapino, applies to natural economic complementarities that cross political boundaries; "natural" does not imply lack of government involvement but can include government action that removes barriers to realize pre-existing complementarities.(2) In each case, however, the private sector plays the major role. The corollary of this thesis is that government action or political will alone cannot create or halt border-area interactions; it can only enhance market conditions that are rooted in natural complementarities.(3) A recent confluence of domestic, regional and international factors have made NETS a viable mechanism for economic growth and integration. The economic maturation of a number of Asia-Pacific economies in the 1980s meant, for the first time, that there were increased complementarities among them to exploit.' The failure of command economies, worldwide and regionally, led to market liberalization policies that created more opportunities at the local level, in contrast to policies that were previously highly regulatory and state-centric. The reduction in political tensions in the post-Cold War era has also altered the foreign policy calculus in the region, resolving border conflicts and easing apprehension from cross-border trade and investment. Domestic trends toward democratization and/or political decentralization have also helped to create a favorable trade environment. These factors, combined, have led to the development of some nine de facto or nascent NETS in the region, at various stages of development and with differing degrees of public- and private-sector involvement; yet all are generating innovative means of economic interaction that have limited consonance with traditional economic controls and political arrangements. It is a phenomenon particularly suited to the Asian context, where there is a strong predilection for informal agreements rather than legalistic and binding treaties, and for incremental rather than bold systemic change. NETS are emerging in Asia because they allow states to experiment with economic reform policies and to gradually expand them if successful. NETS also allow states to experiment with cooperating with each other, which they approach cautiously given the region's varying levels of economic development, its different socio-political systems and its complex security and political relationships. As a result, Asian states may find NET cooperation particularly attractive at a time when official mechanisms for economic cooperation - such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the East Asia Economic Caucus (EAEC) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) - are proving slow to achieve consensus on a regional (or global) economic framework for trade and investment.(5) Thus, the use of NETs allows states to proceed along their own paths of economic growth and development without the need to agree on overarching regional goals. …

Economic culture, economic policy and economic growth in russia 1861-1914

Abstract: Economic historians have been suspicious of the term "economic culture," and it is not a term that has gained any currency in scholarly discourse. The reasons for its absence from the literature are not hard to find. The dominant paradigm in economics has typically eschewed non-economic variables. Beginning with the intellectual revolution during the 1870's that established the marginal utility school, the mainstream tendency within economics assumed that abstract individuals seek to maximize a utility function, subject to resource constraints. Economic theory could thus be deduced, without recourse either to the economic structures and political forms in which human agents operated or to their cultural attributes. More recent developments in economic theory have attached greater importance to economic institutions and social relations, as determinants of economic behaviour and economic change.1 But institutions and social relations are more than just manifestations of power. The identities that are assumed by or attributed to states or peasant communities, for example, are typically expressed in cultural terms. States adopt distinctive practices, symbols and styles of communication. Peasant communities distinguish themselves from one another and from the world beyond by forging cultural identities. The processes of production and exchange also possess a cultural dimension. A "firm" reproduces itself in cultural as well as economic terms. Transactions in the market depend upon the creation and maintenance of cultural norms and agreed rules of conduct.2 This is not the only possible approach to "economic culture." Economic ideologies may also be analyzed in terms of the familiar components of culture, namely a set of perceptions and a language in which those perceptions are expressed. Culture also gives rise to a set of practices that are shaped by perception. Recent work on western Europe has examined the contending cultures of market economy, on the one hand, and non-market economic norms, on the other.3 This approach opens up particular opportunities to the economic historian of pre-revolutionary Russia, who can readily identify several prevalent perceptions, languages and practices that informed economic organization and behaviour. For example, what I shall christen

The substantive economy of money : Karl Polanyi in the tradition of "old institutionalism"

Abstract: The purpose of this contribution is to suggest an interpretation of substantivist thought initiated by Karl Polanyi. An approach such as this is concerned with “historical economics”, in the precise sense that substantive concepts do not come from a retrospective projection of modern prejudgements, but rather from an attempt to apprehend universal categories of economic analysis in order to clarify the genuine singularities of different economic systems . In doing this I shall highlight the coherence of institutionalist thought founded by economists such as Mitchell, Commons and Veblen, into which the reflections of Karl Polanyi fit. In this way, Polanyi thinks of money as an institution that submerges the economy into social relationships. As an analytical result, stripping money of its institutional character and trying to reduce it to a commodity, can only create chaos. In order to give an account of Polanyi's project, I will show, in the first part of my analysis, how Polanyi wants to move away from the idea that economy is created on pure rational logic.As a result, economy owes its very existence to "institutionalised processes" which produce the very inflexibilities necessary for both collective and individual action. Taking this into account, it is impossible to presuppose the unity of “the cattalactic triad” i. e. external trade, money and markets. From this point on, it is possible, in the second part of this analysis, to specify certain interesting results for the economic history of money. From a transhistorical viewpoint, this institution sets the rules for the quantification and extinction of debts. However, in contrast to modern money, archaic money is characterised by a separation of functions which compel us to talk about “money uses”. Consequently, it is better to speak in terms of accounting and payment practises rather than using the single word of “money”. Furthermore, the independence of money in relation to market is a characteristic of numerous archaic societies. Nevertheless, in spite of their differences, both ancient and modern monies politically produce social integration.

The Effects of Knowledge Embeddedness on the Diffusion of Case Technologies within Organizations

Abstract: Systems development in organizations is well recognized as a knowledge-intensive eft'ort Since the relevant application domain knowledge is thinly spread across an organization, the acquisition, sharing, and integration of knowledge are significant activities during the development process Advocates of computer-aided software engineering tools (CASE) claim that these tools offer a potentially valuable feature for facilitating such knowledge integration and management activities: the central repository, which is a location for storing, retrieving, and maintaining a variety of applications development information Yet, the effects of the CASE repository on the diffusion of the technology have received limited attention in prior research This study examines whether the embedding of applications development knowledge witllin the CASE repository influences the diffusion of the CASE technology across applications projects in organizations We develop a construct called knowledge embeddedness, which refers to the extent to which relevant applications development knowledge is systematically populated within the CASE repository Based on data gathered from 168 organizations, through a large-sample survey of CASE user groups, we found strong support for the relationship between knowledge embeddedness and diffusion of CASE technology These results have interesting implications for future research and practice 1 INTROI)UCTI()N storing, retrieving, and maintaining a variety of applications development information (Martin 19908; 1990b) McCIure Systems development in organizations is well-recognized as a ( 1989) considers the repository to be "the heart of CASE," a knowledge-intensive effort, eg, "knowledge is the raw material mechamsin for managing all information concerning a software of software design teams" (Walz, Elam, and Curtis 1993) Since systeiii Yourdon ( 1992) calls the repository the "single most the relevant application domain knowledge is thinly spread across important technological development in the CASE an organization (Curtis, Krasner and Iscoe 1987), the acquisition, industrytoday's CASE environinent could be regarded as a sharing, and integration of knowledge are significant activities SE repo number of tools cliistered around the repository (p 137)" Such during the development process (Walz, Elam and Curtis 1993) claims imply that the CA sitory could play a key role in Advocates of computer-aided software engineering tools (CASE) influencing the diffusion of the technology within an claim that these tools offer a potentially valuable feature for organization's systems development projects Yet, despite the facilitating knowledge integration and management activities: the growing volume of research on impacts of CASE (for instance, central repository or encyclopedia, which is a location for Banker and Kauffman 1991; Necco, Gordon, and Tsai 1989;

Hausbank or Fournisseur? Bank services for small and medium sized enterprises in Germany and France

Abstract: Deregulation of financial systems, internationalisation of financial markets and globalisation of product markets have led to considerable changes in the institutional and economic environment of banks and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). In this paper we examine the impact of these overall changes on the evolution of the exclusive "Hausbank"-relationship in Germany and the loose "fournisseur" (supplier) relationship in France. The cross-country comparison is informed by theoretical concepts which stress the social embeddedness of economic action. It aims at developing a more dynamic approach by first, looking at changes in the institutional framework; secondly, examining banks' and SMEs' financing behaviour; and thirdly, analysing how the main actors - state, banks and SMEs - have mutually influenced each other's strategies and behaviour. The results show that internationalisation and globalisation impact differently on the bank-company relationship depending on the historical legacy, the socio-economic conditions and the mutual relationships between the main actors in each country.

Actor and organization in urban change

Abstract: The aim of this essay is to discuss effects on urban changes of the inauguration of neighbourhood councils (kommundelsnamnder). With an organizational theoretical perspective as point of departure the claims of influence over the physical environment from different central and local actors is discussed. One result is that the decentralization of relevant parts of the municipal administration created a new kind of knowledge within the local actors, and, as a consequence of this, new claims of influence over the physical planning, a concern that remained centralized. The reorganization envisaged an unbalance between an old organization‐structure with established routines for action and the new organization with new perspectives and motives for action. Another result is the strong financial and political embeddedness of a few dominating construction‐companies as a result of years of building‐projects in the commune, a situation that was jeopardized by the decision to allow a number of private companies to bu...

Social Embeddedness of the Economy

Abstract: In this short review article different sociological approaches to economy are outlined. The cognitive, cultural, structural, and political aspects of the key term of the new economic socio­ logy the social embeddedness of the economy are surveyed. The effects of social networks on economic action, institutions, and outcomes are emphasized. The new economic sociology’ and economic theory are briefly contrasted and compared.

Strategic management education for the global economy: coming to grips with institutions

Abstract: Economic globalization is making Strategic Management researchers increasingly aware of the important extent to which international business strategies are shaped by national, regional, and international institutions — by differing business‐state and management‐labor regimes, industrial organization, and capital allocation systems, techno‐economic processes, etc. As yet, however, relatively limited attention to the “institutional embeddedness” of corporate strategy has developed within Strategic Management education. This paper seeks to encourage debate on incorporating analysis of the institutional shaping of corporate strategies by discussing four issues recommended to be systematically addressed in Strategic Management texts, lectures, and case work. The topics are: (1) the transition from the “Fordist” to “Post‐Fordist” global economy; (2) comparative business systems analysis; (3) political forces of the global economy; (4) global warming and environmental management.