Etzioni describes voluntary simplifiers (VS) as people who choose, 'out of free will - rather than by being coerced by poverty, government austerity programs, or being imprisoned - to limit expenditures on consumer goods and services, and to cultivate non-materialistic sources of satisfaction and meaning' (1998:620). Although there are many different definitions of voluntary simplicity (Johnston & Burton, 2003), this definition is useful because it includes the three major elements that set this movement apart from others: free will; limiting consumerism; and alternative sources of satisfaction.
Shadowing is a qualitative research technique that has seldom been used and rarely been discussed critically in the social science literature. This article has pulled together all of the studies using shadowing as a research method and through reviewing these studies has developed a threefold classification of different modes of shadowing. This work provides a basis for a qualitative shadowing method to be defined, and its potential for a distinctive contribution to organizational research to be discussed, for the first time.
Purpose: Recent UK legislation requires businesses to segregate their food waste and present metal, plastic, glass and paper waste for collection separately. Despite decades of research on household recycling, scant attention has been paid to the waste that employees personally create and dispose of within their workplaces. There is an implicit assumption that what is already known about recycling at home will simply transfer into the workplace. However emerging debates in the wider green behaviour literatures suggest that behaviours may not translate straightforwardly into other contexts. Methodology: This paper presents an exploratory study that comprehensively compares recycling at home and work for the first time. A one page questionnaire was hand delivered to 1000 households to ask them to indicate which materials they recycled at home and at work, and allowed them to comment on any differences. A total of 220 responses were received. Findings: The data show recycling in both contexts across the full range of materials. An aggregate analysis shows that people generally recycle in both contexts. However further analysis at the level of individual materials gives a different picture, demonstrating that individuals are less likely to recycle at work than they are at home, suggesting that spillover between these contexts is neither automatic nor consistent. Contribution: Since an individual's behaviour is shown to vary across materials, as well as across contexts this challenges the very notion of the 'recycler?. The findings challenge the extant research norms surrounding recycling research in a number of important ways. The outcome of this study is a set of six propositions which set out a future research agenda for the investigation of recycling behaviour in general, and workplaces in particular, in terms of unit of analysis, multiple material streams, and multiple contexts. Limitations: Although this study gives insights into new areas and provides the basis for building future research agendas in the waste ...
The topic of power has not featured strongly in debates about organizational learning, a point that is illustrated in a discussion of influential studies of teamworking. Despite the insights that such studies have provided into the nature of expertise and collaboration they have tended not to explore the relevance of issues of hierarchy, politics and institutionalized power relations. The paper addresses the problem by exploring the links between power, expertise and organizational learning. Power is analysed both as the medium for, and the product of, collective activity. The approach emphasizes how skills and imaginations are intertwined with social, technical and institutional structures. While studies of teamworking have concentrated on situations where imaginations and structures are tightly linked, unexpected developments may occur when these relations are loosened. Such situations occur when the needs of the moment overshadow normal routines and relationships and there is no single overview or centre of control. It is suggested that organizational learning can be conceptualized as the movement between familiar and emergent activities and between established and emergent social relations. Events in a two-year action research project are used to illustrate the approach and explore episodes of decentred collaboration.
Domestic or household recycling has a crucial role to play in meeting EU targets for overall recycling rates. However, researchers have yet to agree on the characteristics of the domestic recycler and how recycling is actually carried out in the home. In this article, recycling is investigated within the context of domestic labour in an attempt to understand how it fits in with or overrides traditional divisions. This brings an important new perspective to the recycling debate and at the same time updates the domestic division of labour literature to include green activities. It is suggested that recycling contradicts prevailing trends towards decreasing time spent on household chores, but that, like domestic labour, it is initiated and largely sustained by women alone or together with a partner. In this sense, recycling follows a similar pattern to more established household chores.
Purpose: This article analyses the comments of consumers concerning the introduction of a minimum charge on single-use carrier bags in Scotland through the Single Use Carrier Bags Charge (Scotland) Regulations 2014. Research Methods: The data analysed in this study were collected using the BBC 'Have Your Say' online messageboard. This approach provided an opportunity to analyse the perceptions of consumers, using 335 responses that were posted the day the charge was announced, and 474 responses that were posted on the day of the introduction of the charge. The collected data were inductively analysed using thematic analysis. Findings: Like many other studies of consumer perceptions of environmental policy initiatives, the results show that public perceptions of the scheme are divergent. While some perceived the scheme to be a good idea, others argued that the charge is another form of tax on the consumer. Limitations: The study only considers the responses of those motivated to signal their opinions on the online messageboard. Implications: The policy implications of the scheme are discussed in this paper, including the importance of public engagement through consultation when introducing market-based instruments to influence pro-environmental behavioural change. Contribution: The paper makes an empirical contribution through the use of social media analysis techniques to create insights into spontaneously offered public opinion of the introduction of a charge on single-use carrier bags and thus offers a critique of the instrument from the consumer point of view. Further, this study contributes to the extant knowledge of consumer perceptions of market-based interventions and adds to the debate on carrier bag consumption.
This paper analyses practice as activity and develops a frame-work for analysing organizations as networks of activity systems. The approach is applied in a study of a high technology company. Key tensions in the organization are outlined and a comparative study of three strategy development teams is described. Activity theory provides the means to analyse organizations as distributed, decentred and emergent knowledge systems. It is suggested that the processes of `perspective making', `perspective taking' and `perspective shaping' are central to the integration of different expert groups that need to co-operate in the pursuit of multiple, perhaps competing, objectives.
An activity theoretical analysis is presented of an organization that is operating in a rapidly changing sector and whose competitiveness depends significantly upon the design skills of its engineers. The company designs high-technology make-to-order products. Like other organizations that compete through knowledge and innovation, the prosperity of this company depends upon its organizational learning, that is, upon the effectiveness with which it can mobilize, apply and develop its distinctive knowledge base as circumstances change. In the difficult context that the company faces, the speed with which projects can move from the initial concept phase through design to production has to become especially important. The paper outlines a general strategy that was developed as the company sought to control this process and traces the consequences for design practices. An activity theoretical approach is used to model the changes that were attempted and the outcomes which emerged and to introduce a discussion of possible future options. The approach (i) emphasizes the relevance of a historical perspective on organizational change, (ii) features the changing nature of expertise in contemporary manufacturing and (iii) discusses the potential significance for collective learning of tensions and incoherencies within a work system.
This exploratory research study examines the experiences of a purposive sample of leaders of Social Enterprises (SEs) in Scotland to discover how leaders deal with the challenges of running this type of organisation at a period of financial constraint, yet where SE is proposed by politicians as a panacea for dealing with social and community development. The method consists of semi-structured interviews undertaken with a purposive sample of leaders from a range of SEs. Findings suggest that respondents are aware of, and seeking to address, threats to their existence from funding cuts. There are differences regarding approach or emphasis, and the challenge of balancing philanthropy with commercial health seems significantly to impact on the design and purpose of organisations. The best leadership practice combines ideological fervour with commercial acumen. The ability of SEs to survive depends not only on the quality of their outputs, but also on flexibility of structure and culture and stakeholder commitment. Good leaders are aware of these complexities and seek to respond to them. Recommendations are made for development interventions to support SEs as they deal with the challenges described above. If the future of SE in Britain relies on its ability to operate commercially, this study offers original and useful insights into some of the challenges for leaders in achieving their aims, not least that of securing survival. At an early stage of the Conservative administration, and its promotion of the so-called Big Society theme, this study sheds unique light on the perceptions of those who might carry this vision forward, and the challenges they face. Further research with a wider sample is proposed to extend understanding of the issues.
Purpose To meet stated waste reduction goals, the UK government via Defra (Department for environment, farming and rural affairs) is attempting to reduce household mainstream waste. One approach is to encourage children in environmentally-friendly behaviour. We take this as a starting point to document the environmental content of dedicated childrens channels, and to consider whether television could act as an ecological socialising agent for waste reduction behaviour. Approach Our content analysis of four childrens television channels over 168 hours recorded the extent to which the waste hierarchy (reduce, reuse and recycling behaviour) was included in all forms of broadcast output: programmes, advertisements, trailers, sponsorship and idents. Outcomes We found 6,921 instances of waste activity, distributed across 666 broadcasts which included eleven identifiable materials, such as plastic and cardboard. Whilst reuse behaviour was well represented (5,751), instances of reduction (406) and recycling were relatively infrequent (275) and there were 489 instances of materials being placed in refuse bins. Contribution By placing childrens television on the environmental agenda, we raise the possibility of channels examining their own broadcast material to assess its environmental content, and how that content is distributed across the waste hierarchy and in relation to broadcast output. Further research Our case study was based on four channels and within the specific context of waste. There are many more channels (e.g. available on cable/satellite) and more environmental behaviours that can be examined with a view to meeting other targets " for example those connected to climate change such as travel, domestic energy consumption, and food choices, all of which are included on childrens television. The response of the intended audience to the environmental content can be assessed.
Consumers have a key role to play in meeting government targets for reduced energy consumption, more sustainable waste management practices, and lifestyles with fewer environmental consequences. We discuss some of the assumptions underpinning academic debates about sustainable consumption and describe a research design which has helped us move beyond some of the less helpful conventions. We interviewed consumers in order to obtain a detailed understanding of several of their recent (non-)purchase processes. We identified three groups who have distinct strategies for greening their lifestyles: Translators, Exceptors, and Selectors. We illustrate these groups using empirical data. This detailed understanding of how individuals approach the problem of greening not only provides new insight into how the problem of consumption may be approached in conceptual and practical terms, but also explains some of the difficulties encountered by previous research. We revisit the literature to examine the challenges that this typology offers extant ways of thinking about 'the green consumer'. We identify ways in which we might influence the groups in our typology through marketing strategies and policy initiatives.
