Critical Business Ethics: From Corporate Self‐interest to the Glorification of the Sovereign Pater

Research in critical business ethics has demonstrated how economic self‐interest is the primary reason that businesses adopt nominally ethical practices. After reviewing this body of research, the authors propose that it can be further developed by questioning its conception of self‐interest, by exploring its non‐economic dimensions and by reconsidering the meaning of the ‘self’ that is said to have such interests. Drawing insights from feminist theory and political theology, the paper interrogates corporate business ethics as a public glorification of corporate power based on a patriarchal conception of the corporation. Genealogically rooted in early Christian ceremonial practices used to glorify God the Father, this is a glorification for the sake of glory rather than just for the sake of commercial ends. The authors further argue that corporate business ethics is rendered as the feminized servant of the sovereign corporate patriarch, always at hand to glorify the master. The meaning of corporate business ethics is hence one where the feminine is not absent, but rather is servile to a masculinity conceived in relation to domination, greatness and sovereignty. Collectively, this shows how the power wielded and desired by corporate business ethics far exceeds the pursuit of financial self‐interest; it is also related to modelling the corporation on a male God. The paper concludes by considering how research in critical business ethics can be extended through forms of inquiry that destabilize the ethical glorification of the corporation, and displace its masculinist privilege.     

A Network Therapy Clinic for Clients with Intellectual Disability

Over the past 30 years a systemic approach has been applied to complex cases involving intellectual disability and behaviours of concern. This paper describes a model that draws on systemic family therapy and network therapy as well as the use of a reflective team. A single session intervention was provided for families of people with intellectual disability. A systemic consultation was used as a pre‐session meeting for professionals working with the family. The systemic consultation and single session therapy allowed the family and the professional network to gain insight. Involving the professionals in the therapy session also enhanced the alliance between professionals and family. This approach assists everyone involved in the case to find a way to progress.     

Trial and Lifetime Smoking Risks Among African American College Students

Abstract

The authors surveyed 614 African American university students to determine the magnitude of cigarette use, identify risk factors, and develop models to predict smoking. More than half (58.3%) of the participants had smoked at least once, and 9.3% of that group were lifetime smokers. Among the lifetime smokers, 71.3% had smoked during the 30 days preceding the survey. More women (66.8%) than men (56.1%) had tried smoking and were classed as lifetime smokers. Residence, parental, and peer smoking (current and childhood) were associated with trying smoking; age, race/ethnicity, and marital status were additional factors for becoming a lifetime smoker. The risk of being a lifetime smoker was reduced when neither friends nor parents of the student smoked and the student viewed spirituality as important. The results of this study add to the growing understanding of health risk behaviors among African Americans and can be useful in reducing smoking.     

A Study of Effective and Ineffective Listening Dyads Using the Systems Theory Principle of Entropy

In this investigation, listening was conceptualized as the process of how individuals perceive, process, remember, and understand oral messages (Bostrom, 1990; Rhodes, 1989; Watson and Barker, 1984; Wolvin &; Coakley, 1992). Using the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI; Bem, 1976; Bem, 1985) and the Listening Styles Profile (Watson, Barker, &; Weaver, 1995); four predominant listening styles were examined as a function of respondent sex and gender-role self-perception. Consistent with expectations, the data show that gender-role self-perception mediated reported listener styles. Independent of sex, the findings revealed that communal respondents prefer a people-oriented listening style; whereas agentic respondents prefer an action, time, and content-oriented listening style. Significant sex-differences were also evident in listening styles. Females reported a relational, people-oriented style of listening while males reported a more action, content, and time-oriented style of listening. Further, no sex by gender role self-perception interaction was evident. The implications of these findings for future research and application are discussed.     

Youth mentoring and spiritual development

Mentoring through faith-based programs could reach some of the most severely disadvantaged youth, yet efforts could be undermined if proselytizing occurs.     

现代消费主义的理性思考

消费是人为了生存而进行的一种基本活动,一种生活方式。但随着科学技术的发展和经济的增长,现代社会已经进入到了生产过剩的时代,这必然引起大量的挥霍性消费随之而来。为此,本来作为人的生存方式的消费就成为一种违背人类可持续生存和发展利益的消费,最终也成为人类生存的最大威胁之一,因而,再次审视现代社会的消费观的理论基础是一项迫切的任务。     

Conceptualizing social-ecological drivers of change in urban forest patches

Urban Ecosystems - We introduce a conceptual model of the urban forest patch as a complex social-ecological system, incorporating cross-scale interactions. We developed this model through an...     

How Does Performance Management Affect Workers? Beyond Human Resource Management and Its Critique

While performance management (PM) is pervasive across contemporary workplaces, extant research into how performance management affects workers is often indirect or scattered across disciplinary silos. This paper reviews and synthesizes this research, identifies key gaps and explores ‘recognition theory’ as a nascent framework that can further develop this important body of knowledge. The paper develops in three main stages. The first stage reviews ‘mainstream’ human resource management (HRM) research. While this research analyses workers’ reactions to performance management in some depth, its focus on serving organizational goals marginalizes extra‐organizational impacts. The second stage reviews more critical HRM research, which interprets performance management as a disciplinary, coercive or inequitable management device. While this literature adds an important focus on organizational power, there is scope to analyse further how PM affects workers’ well‐being. To develop this strand of PM research, the third stage turns to the emerging field of recognition theory independently developed by Axel Honneth and Christophe Dejours. The authors focus especially on recognition theory's exploration of how (in)adequate acknowledgement of workers’ contributions can significantly affect their well‐being at the level of self‐conception. Although recognition theory is inherently critical, the paper argues that it can advance both mainstream and critical performance management research, and also inform broader inquiry into recognition and identity at work.