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1 – 10 of 764Although the rational and the emotional are often thought to be in conflict, this is not always the case. Here I examine two instances, Max Weber’s ideal-typical depiction of…
Abstract
Although the rational and the emotional are often thought to be in conflict, this is not always the case. Here I examine two instances, Max Weber’s ideal-typical depiction of bureaucracy and James Coleman’s proposal for a rational reconstruction of societal institutions. In the case of Weber, it is clear that the disciplined, steady and affectless performance of official duties by bureaucrats can only be possible because of an underlying foundation of emotions, both positive and negative. In the case of Coleman’s proposal, which is based on money bounties as incentives for performing important societal tasks, a multitude of deleterious and defeating emotions inhere in this ultra-rational scheme.
A bureaucratically structured education system employs formal communication to a high degree, since incumbents of the various hierarchical authority levels authorize actions to be…
Abstract
A bureaucratically structured education system employs formal communication to a high degree, since incumbents of the various hierarchical authority levels authorize actions to be undertaken by their subordinates. The process of authorization is here subjected to an analysis in terms of message structure and communication flow. A comparison of the ways in which authorizations are communicated at the various levels of the bureaucratic system leads to a number of hypotheses. It was hypothesized (1) that the mode of communication used by the superordinate Department of Education to authorize the actions of intermediate headteachers will be used in turn by these intermediates to authorize the actions of their subordinate teachers, (2) the prevailing mode of communication employed by the superordinate Education Department to authorize the actions of intermediate headtcachers will be used by intermediates to authorize the actions of their subordinates teachers even in specific cases where exceptions to the prevailing superordinate communication mode are present, and (3) inconsistency or asymmetry between Phase I and Phase II communication modes is a function of the personality of the intermediate role‐incumbent. These hypotheses were tested in a recent study of the communication of authority by headteachers of Queensland State primary schools. The first two hypotheses were supported; because of lack of data the last hypothesis could not be tested.
Kotoe Kishimoto and Eisuke Saito
The purpose of this paper is to investigate a dystopian situation with special reference to how a panoptic monitoring system emerges in schools. To satisfy this aim, there will be…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate a dystopian situation with special reference to how a panoptic monitoring system emerges in schools. To satisfy this aim, there will be a close analysis of the city of Nago in Okinawa Prefecture, where there is a huge debate over the new US Marine base construction and how it greatly influences people’s lives.
Design/methodology/approach
This study will employ a self-study by the first author, who is a clinical psychologist under the board of education in the city. This self-study aims to examine the lived experiences of the author based on interactions with critical friends.
Findings
The government’s selection of the site for the new base created a schism in the community, and the introduction of compensations led to the establishment of a communal panoptic monitoring system. This communal panoptic monitoring largely influences the relationships between pupils, teachers and parents. Further, another panoptic monitoring system has developed inside the Nago schools due to the intensification of the assessment policies given by the ministry in Tokyo.
Originality/value
This investigation purports to analyse a dystopian situation with special reference to how a panoptic monitoring system, a key element of a dystopia, emerges in schools.
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Carel Roessingh and Michiel Verver
A central theme in the literature on entrepreneurship in remote communities – be they religious, indigenous, rural or migrant communities – is the balance between continuity and…
Abstract
Purpose
A central theme in the literature on entrepreneurship in remote communities – be they religious, indigenous, rural or migrant communities – is the balance between continuity and change or tradition and modernity and the role of entrepreneurship in maintaining or uprooting this balance. The purpose of this paper is to examine this dynamic in the context of Springfield, a small settlement of Old Order Mennonites in Belize, Central America.
Design/methodology/approach
This study draws on ethnographic research conducted in the Mennonite settlement of Springfield, Belize, between 2002 and 2019, as well as written correspondence with key stakeholders from Springfield.
Findings
This paper identifies three issues of contention between the Springfield Mennonites and the Belizean state: the agricultural census issue, the buying land issue and the cow tagging issue. Each of these revolves around state demands for assimilation into (digitalized) administrative systems and Mennonite resistance to these demands based on their religious-moral code. This study describes the negotiations around these issues.
Originality/value
The focus in most literature on entrepreneurship in remote communities is on how internal community dynamics shape the balance between continuity and change and, in extension, the space for entrepreneurship. The originality of the paper lies in shifting the focus to the relationship between the community and external stakeholders, especially the state.
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Lee Pugalis, Jenny Davidson, Fraser McLeay and Anna Round
Public entrepreneurship is increasingly being propounded as a key means of ‘doing more with less’ during the tough times associated with successive rounds of neoliberal…
Abstract
Purpose
Public entrepreneurship is increasingly being propounded as a key means of ‘doing more with less’ during the tough times associated with successive rounds of neoliberal restructuring and austerity. The primary aim of this chapter is to provide a critical-exploratory review of sponsorship – a disruptive interjection or particular form of public entrepreneurship.
Methodology/approach
Public entrepreneurship provides a useful theoretical frame for exploring some emergent ways of delivering public services in a post-Credit Crunch global operating environment. Empirical insights are derived from a single local authority in the United Kingdom.
Findings
There is a widespread concern that straitened economic conditions can engender the prevalence of short-term financial considerations at the expense of other objectives. Sponsorship, as a discrete form of public entrepreneurship in some circumstances has the potential to achieve multiple objectives, enriching public value. However, this is contingent of specific contextual factors.
Practical implications
By identifying some risks associated with disruptive interjections intended to open new paths for the sponsorship of public services as well as indicating some opportunities for risk reduction, it is hoped that our analysis may benefit public authorities when they are exploring or evaluating sponsorship ‘opportunities’.
Originality/value
Examining sponsorship through a public entrepreneurship conceptual frame has received limited research attention. Whether sponsorship is a ‘winning solution’ is contingent on the particular form of sponsorship as well as the specific time and place.
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Focuses on contemporary law enforcement institutions, in Canadian and US cities, to illustrate the service limitations and public conflicts that are increasingly being generated…
Abstract
Focuses on contemporary law enforcement institutions, in Canadian and US cities, to illustrate the service limitations and public conflicts that are increasingly being generated into violent encounters by the failure to move beyond the authoritarian organizational operational model. The capacity of public policing institutions to provide effective, non‐violent police services to meet the needs of the communities is determined by the nature of the police institutional and/or organizational model employed. This analysis assesses the appropriateness of current police training models, race relations training, non‐violent conflict resolution training and all other police training that may be grounded and generated from a paramilitary authoritarian hierarchical composition. This applied approach discloses much needed systemic and policy reformation by considering a more expanded understanding of this prominent social agency, the actors and the interconnectedness with other institutions.
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Reviews the roots of management theory, and discusses how, in the early part of this century, an overlooked, different interpretation of Max Weber’s work could have affected those…
Abstract
Reviews the roots of management theory, and discusses how, in the early part of this century, an overlooked, different interpretation of Max Weber’s work could have affected those roots. Examines Lowell L. Bennion’s dissertation, Max Weber’s Methodology, published in 1933, which is the first book‐length interpretation in the English language of Weber’s sociological thought. Maintains that this interpretation of Weber is central to the argument that the greater contribution of Weber to management theory lies in the central role of power and conflict in relationships, and the important question of “Why do people obey?”. Concludes that this view of Weber prompts a rich array of research questions confirming the importance of Weber’s thinking for management scholars today, and demonstrates the relevance of Weber far beyond his contribution of bureaucracy as an efficient organizational form.
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Golshan Javadian and Isaac Y. Addae
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the challenges facing Iranian women in the workforce. While Iranian women's participation in higher education is exceptionally high, their…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the challenges facing Iranian women in the workforce. While Iranian women's participation in higher education is exceptionally high, their participation in the workforce, especially the public sector, is low.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper compares the bureaucratic structures in public organizations with the “ideal” type of bureaucracy as defined by Weber (1922). Moreover, occupational segregation, which limits women's choices, is examined as another barrier for Iranian women's participation in the workforce.
Findings
The paper argues that the main reason for the low participation of women in public organizations is the ill-structured bureaucracies in these organizations. Also, occupational segregation limits the career choices of Iranian women. Some of the challenges caused by these two factors are the result of discriminative rules and regulations.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the limited knowledge concerning the issues faced by Iranian women attempting to enter and progress in public organizations. While literature suggests that western women also face the same challenges in organizations, the unique characteristics of Iranian public organizations calls for separate analysis of these barriers in the Iranian context. By introducing readers to this unique subgroup of employees, the paper represents a starting point to an important area of research.
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