Viewpoints

About: Viewpoints is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2502 publications have been published within this topic receiving 42870 citations.

The institutionalisation of unaccountability: loading the dice of corporate social responsibility discourse

Abstract: This paper reports on an in-depth empirical study into recent government-led Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives in Spain. It is found, based on interviews and document analysis, that processes of stakeholder consultation relating to these initiatives are characterised by debate and a plurality of different viewpoints. However, this polyphony can be contrasted sharply with the institutional outcomes of these processes. Institutional outcomes represent the viewpoints of only a subset of the actors involved in the stakeholder consultation processes. It is consequently inferred that stakeholder consultation processes serve problematic functions: on one level, these processes legitimise dominant discourses on CSR by giving the impression that the latter are the outcome of a democratic dialogue that is free from power relations; on another level, these processes themselves show to heretic social actors the futility of their heresy and thus encourage those actors to actively adopt the dominant discourse. We conclude that business capture of Corporate Social Responsibility is ingrained into institutional processes in that domain. This raises serious questions regarding the potential for civil society actors to engage with and move the signifier of Corporate Social Responsibility in a more challenging direction.

Internet Inquiry: Conversations About Method

Abstract: This collection of dialogues is the only textbook of its kind. Internet Inquiry: Conversations About Method takes students into the minds of top internet researchers as they discuss how they have worked through critical challenges as they research online social environments. Editors Annette N. Markham and Nancy K. Baym illustrate that good research choices are not random but are deliberate, studied, and internally consistent. Rather than providing single "how to" answers, this book presents distinctive and divergent viewpoints on how to think about and conduct qualitative internet studies. Key Features and Benefits Presents each chapter in the form of a question in order to provoke explicit consideration of key issues Illustrates choices made within larger disciplinary contexts to help students blend approaches, think broadly, and conduct internet research with the benefit of multiplicity Offers a range of perspectives in each chapter to vividly demonstrate that there are many ways to answer methodological challenges well Includes contributors from multiple disciplines and across the globe Provides a highly reflexive writing style that allows readers to see processes that are rarely visible in finished research reports Intended Audience This edited volume is an excellent supplementary text for a variety of advanced undergraduate and graduate courses such as Internet Research, Research Methods, Qualitative Research Methods, and Computer-Mediated Communication in the departments of communication, media studies, sociology, and anthropology. It will assist new scholars as well as seasoned practitioners in this arena make informed choices in how they conduct inquiry.

Service-oriented Design : A Multi-viewpoint Approach

Abstract: As the technology associated to the ?Web Services? trend gains significant adoption, the need for a corresponding design approach becomes increasingly important. This paper introduces a foundational model for designing (composite) services. The innovation of this model lies in the identification of four interrelated viewpoints (interface behaviour, provider behaviour, choreography, and orchestration) and their formalization from a control-flow perspective in terms of Petri nets. By formally capturing the interrelationships between these viewpoints, the proposal enables the static verification of the consistency of composite services designed in a cooperative and incremental manner. A proof-of-concept simulation and verification tool has been developed to test the possibilities of the proposed model.

The New Economic Sociology: Developments in an Emerging Field

Abstract: struggles for space, recognition, and power in management, it would also have been interesting to get the viewpoints of executives and functions with which marketing is competing. Unfortunately, only marketing people were interviewed. Despite this critique, this is an interesting, well-written, and original piece of research. Chalmers notes that there is not much research on how marketing is being defined and practiced at the firm level, how this may be an element as well as an outcome of competition for senior management positions, and how gender is involved. I agree and think that her book is a valuable addition to our understanding of gender and management. As such, it is of relevance not only for people with an interest in gender but also for those interested in identity constructions, organizational and professional politics, and the constructions of management.

Understanding participant perspectives: Q-methodology in national forest management

Abstract: Many policy practitioners and theorists have argued that value-free, objective solutions to policy problems do not exist. While participant values and subjective viewpoints influence policy problems, empirically determining participant perspectives and preferences has been a daunting task. This paper demonstrates how Q-methodology, a technique for systematically revealing subjective perspectives, can contribute to better problem identification and definition; estimation and specification of policy option; and selection, implementation, and evaluation of policies. Two case studies in national forest management are reviewed and demonstrate how Q-methodology can (1) identify important internal and external constituencies, (2) define participant viewpoints and perceptions, (3) provide sharper insight into participant-preferred management directions, (4) identify criteria that are important to participants, (5) explicitly outline areas of consensus and conflict, and (6) develop a common view toward the policy. © 1999 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.