The notion of embeddedness (Granovetter, 1985) neglects of the material dimension of economic relations. This paper contributes to the literature of market devices (Callon et al., 2007) with an exploration of the material dimensions of economic embeddedness in the case of the everyday market activities of a group of non‐professional investors in the UK. It examines the attributes of a materially embedded market through the categories of socio‐economic embeddedness specified by Uzzi (1997) and draws attention to the superficial and rhetorical nature of the face‐to‐face social relations encountered in this market. The paper seeks to invigorate the notion of embeddedness by expanding the mechanisms through which socio‐economic relations are understood to arise. The paper offers support to the literature of market devices’ assertion that a concept of materially embedded economic relations can accommodate politics, culture, and regulation, and that it offers a nuanced perspective on agency and identity in the marketplace. 相似文献
Moves toward increased professionalism are now an almost taken-for-granted aspect of change across the nonprofit sector both in the United States and in the United Kingdom. This paper uses the case of UK charity retail to explore the impacts of this move to professionalism, on managers at the local level. In doing so it seeks to develop appropriate techniques for managing change both in charity retail and more broadly, in nonprofit organizations per se. The professionalization of charities' trading activities has resulted in a series of changes at the local level; these include the introduction of new forms of staff, changes to policies regarding the sourcing, pricing, and presentation of stock, and an increased emphasis on sales targets, league tables, and incentive schemes designed to motivate managers to increase sales. These policies set at head office level have had significant impact on the day-to-day working experiences of branch managers. This paper explores managers' reactions to these changes and examines the extent to which such policies could be said to be successful. To conclude, recommendations are made as to the most appropriate approaches to professionalizing charity retail operations. These conclusions are broadened to offer insights into appropriate techniques for managing change in nonprofit organizations. 相似文献