Contemporary Issues in. Management. Edited by Lindsay Hamilton Laura Mitchell Anita Mangan. Keele University, UK

Transcription

1 Contemporary Issues in Management Edited by Lindsay Hamilton Laura Mitchell Anita Mangan Keele University, UK Edward Elgar Cheltenham, UK Northampton, MA, USA

2 Füll Contents List of contributors xi Introduction from the editors 1 Guide to the chapters 3 Final note 10 1 The corruption of business: A Statement of a contemporary problem Introduction Business amorality A note on historical context Economic institutional truths Universal belief in shareholder primacy The theory of shareholder primacy The impacts of false ideology Reversing the corruption of business Conclusion 25 2 Ambiguity as organisational practica: An American Pragmatist perspective Introduction The role of ambiguity in organisations The turn to practice in Organisation s tu dies: American Pragmatism The place of ambiguity in American Pragmatism Conclusion 37 3 Dignity and meaningfiil work in organisations Introduction What does dignity mean? Two 'contemporary' frameworks Dignity on the ground Discussion Conclusion 50

3 viii Contemporary issues in management 4 Is paternalism still relevant? Changing culture in a mutual UK insurance Company Introduction Perspectives on paternalism The methods and methodology The case study Moving to and from paternalism A regime shift Discussion and conclusion 68 5 Youth employment, masculinity and policy Introduction Enterprising and flexible workers: A lifelong commitment to the capitalist agenda Young people learning to become enterprising workers Ambiguity, agency and space for alternate understandings of being a worker Summary 86 6 Hard work, productivity and the management of the farmed environment in anthropological perspective Introduction Theorising work and the work ethic Work, hard work and their rhetorical deployment Using hard work negatively Environmental payments as 'money for old rope' Hard work and environmental benefits go hand in glove Discussion and conclusion Disjointed, degraded and divided? A tale of dirty work at the chicken factory Introduction Contemporary meat work What is' dirty work'? Different 'dirty workers'? Life (and death) in the chicken factoiy Close-knit culture versus individualisation and resistance Conclusion Migration into the United Kingdom: Employers and the function of migrant labour Introduction 122

4 Füll Contents ix 8.2 Theorising migration: Complexity and limitations Migration to the UK and Western Europe: An historical comparison Migration to the UK from the European Union: Contemporary developments Employers, the 'function' of migrant workers and the neo-liberal State Conclusions Interpreting technology: Telework and the myth of liberation Introduction The Separation of work and home The myth of telework T echnology and boundary work: The Iife of the Any Bank teleworker Discussion and conclusion Media as mediation: Uncertainty and representation in the construction of news Introduction The taming of uncertainty The re-presentation of events News as natural and obvious Groupthink and'pack journalism' Conclusion Care of the underdog: Animals, culture and the creation of moral certainty in the rescue shelter Introduction The work of care at Caring Companions Concluding discussion: The creation of moral certainty Final remarks Where are the alternative organisations in Organisational Behaviour textbooks? Introduction Analysing the 'common sense' view of business: A discursive approach The 'one best way' oflearning about business Defining alternative organisations 193

5 x Contemporary issues in management 12.5 Thinking about the alternatives Interpreting the world from multiple perspectives 201 Epilogue: Reflections on practice 205 Glossary 209 Index 217