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Skillful Performance: Enacting Capabilities, Knowledge, Competence, and Expertise in Organizations (Perspectives on Process Organization Studies)
One of the most intriguing questions since the time of Plato concerns what defines skillful performance in terms of specific capabilities, knowledge, competence, and expertise. As Frederick Taylor famously noted, an answer to that question would enable us to know what to focus on and what to do to improve the performance of individuals, groups, and organizations. Although we have come to know a great deal about the 'properties' of capabilities, knowledge, competence, and expertise at large, we know significantly less about how they are enacted in skillful performance. Thus, how skillful performance draws on knowledge, how skills develop, and how competencies and capabilities are put to action are still eluding us. Process thinking has not sufficiently explored skillful performance. This book aims to address this gap. It brings together scholars from different backgrounds, traditions, and disciplines whose common perspective is distinctly process-oriented. They seek to rethink capabilities, knowledge, competence, and expertise, not as if these phenomena were already accomplished but, on the contrary, as processes in the making - as performative accomplishments. Such rethinking opens up several new conversations and extends the range of inquiry about how capabilities, knowledge, competence, and expertise are accomplished in practice, and, consequently, how they may be improved.
Social (Progressing the Sustainable Development Goals series)
Combining theoretical and empirical research with global case studies, this innovative book examines the complex relationships between social (in)equality, community well-being and quality of life. Insightful and forward-thinking, it explores strategies for fostering strong communities, focusing on the importance of social connections, shared resources and a sense of belonging.Centred on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 10, which advocates reducing income inequality, promoting social inclusion, ensuring equal opportunities and advocating for egalitarian policies, the book explores the interconnectedness between these targets and quality of life and community well-being. Chapters address critical issues such as income disparities, access to healthcare and education, community philanthropy, reforms in historic preservation recognizing inequalities and systemic barriers that perpetuate inequality. SDG 10 is a baseline in some chapters, connecting to one or more of the other 16 SDGs as collective indicators for global change.Extensive and multidisciplinary in its analysis, Social (In)equality, Community Well-being and Quality of Life will be an enlightening read for students, researchers and academics in the fields of development studies, human geography, public policy, sociology, planning and urban studies. It will also benefit international practitioners and policymakers working in sustainable development, social policy and public policy.
Social Advantage and Disadvantage
Social advantage and disadvantage are potent catch-all terms. They have no established definition but, considered in relation to one another, they can embrace a wide variety of more specific concepts that address the ways in which human society causes, exacerbates or fails to prevent social divisions or injustices. This book captures the sense in which any conceptualisation of disadvantage is concerned with the consequences of processes by which relative advantage has been selectively conferred or attained. It considers how inequalities and social divisions are created as much by the concentration of advantage among the best-off as by the systematic disadvantage of the worst-off. The book critically discusses - from a global and a UK perspective - a spectrum of conceptual frameworks and ideas relating to poverty, social exclusion, capability deprivation, rights violations, social immobility, and human or social capital deficiency. It addresses advantage and disadvantage from a life course perspective through discussions of family and childhood, education, work, old age, and the dynamics of income and wealth. It considers cross-cutting divides that are implicated in the social construction and maintenance of advantage and disadvantage, including divisions premised on gender, 'race', ethnicity, migration and religion, neighbourhood and the experience of crime.
Social and Cultural Change in Contemporary Wales (Routledge Revivals)
Social and Cultural Change in Contemporary Wales (1978) draws together recent research specifically on Wales, to overcome the overly-English takes on the ‘social structure of modern Britain’. A pattern of relative social deprivation is outlined, and such symptoms of this deprivation as second home ownership, school closure, economic peripheralism and inadequate social services become the marker of Wales’ marginality. The cultural marker of note is the Welsh language, several of the papers discussing its erosion and the steps taken to preserve and maintain it. While ethnicity serves as an integrating force, there are also divisions based upon class, which are discussed.
Social Cohesion and Immigration in Europe and North America: Mechanisms, Conditions, and Causality (Routledge Advances in Sociology)
Concerns about immigration and the rising visibility of minorities have triggered a lively scholarly debate on the consequences of ethnic diversity for trust, cooperation, and other aspects of social cohesion. In this accessibly written volume, leading scholars explore where, when, and why ethnic diversity affects social cohesion by way of analyses covering the major European immigration countries, as well as the United States and Canada. They explore the merits of competing theoretical accounts and give rare insights into the underlying mechanisms through which diversity affects social cohesion. The volume offers a nuanced picture of the topic by explicitly exploring the conditions under which ethnic diversity affects the ‘glue’ that holds societies together. With its interdisciplinary perspective and contributions by sociologists, political scientists, social psychologists, as well as economists, the book offers the most comprehensive analysis of the link between ethnic diversity and social cohesion that is currently available.
Social Comparison: Contemporary Theory and Research (Psychology Revivals)
Assessment of abilities, opinions, and overall feelings of self-worth, are commonly acknowledged to be influenced by how ones’ attributes compare with those of other people. In contemporary social psychology, this process is known as social comparison or interpersonal comparison. Originally published in 1991, this volume presents the most recent developments in this field of study at the time. As described in the chapters the theory has gone through several iterations, taken on new problems and research paradigms, and reached out to other social-psychological areas of study. Some of this research addresses questions that are logical extensions of Festinger’s theory; some consider questions that derive from entirely different ways of construing the comparison process from Festinger’s original approach. Although all questions are not settled, the work presented here shows how far the original social comparison theory has evolved and suggests where the next insights are likely to be found. Today it can be read in its historical contex
Social Comparison, Judgment, and Behavior
Comparison with other people, a core element of social life, influences self-concept, attitudes, conformity, psychological and physical well-being, achievement, educational outcomes, and social movements. Social comparison has become particularly salient as social and income inequalities have been increasingly recognized in the United States and elsewhere globally. This volume presents classic and state-of-the-science chapters by leading experts that survey the major areas of social comparison theory and research. Authored by noted experts, the volume is divided into three sections: Basic Comparison Processes, Neighboring Fields, and Applications. The first section is comprised of chapters that update classic theories and present contemporary advances, such as the dominating effect of local versus global comparisons, an analysis of the psychology of competition, how comparisons across different domains influence self-concept and achievement, and the integral connections between stereotyping and comparison. The second section introduces perspectives from related fields, such as the decision and network sciences, that shed new light on social comparison. The third section focuses on practical applications of comparison, including relative deprivation, health psychology, the effects of income inequality on well-being, and the relationship of power to comparison. This volume is a must-read for anyone interested in the field of social comparison and its implications for everyday life.
Social Determinants of Indigenous Health
The opportunities and comfortable lifestyle available to most Australians have been denied to generations of Indigenous people. As a result some of Australia's original inhabitants suffer from what has been described as 'Fourth World' standards of health. This is out of place in a country that prides itself on egalitarianism and a fair go for all.Shifting the focus from individual behaviour, to the social and political circumstances that influence people's lives and ultimately their health, helps us to understand the origins of poor health. It can also guide action to bring about change. Social Determinants of Indigenous Health offers a systematic overview of the relationship between the social and political environment and health.Highly respected contributors from around Australia examine the long-term health impacts of the Indigenous experience of dispossession, colonial rule and racism. They also explore the role of factors such as poverty, class, community and social capital, education, employment and housing. They scrutinise the social dynamics of making policy for Indigenous Australians, and the interrelation between human rights and health. Finally, they outline a framework for effective health interventions, which take social factors into consideration.This is a groundbreaking work, developed in consultation with Indigenous health professionals and researchers. It is essential reading for anyone working in Indigenous health.
Social Divisions
Society consists of people sharply divided from one another, living different lives and with distinct identities. This updated and expanded second edition of a successful text explores each of the social divisions. The book includes three major new chapters, on religion, poverty and elites and is written by leading academics in each field.
Social Economy Science: Transforming the Economy and Making Society More Resilient
This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International licence. It is free to read at Oxford Academic and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations. Lack of progress in the area of global sustainable development and difficulties in crisis management highlight the need to transform the economy and find new ways of making society more resilient. The social economy is increasingly recognized as a driver of such transformations; it comprises traditional forms of cooperative or solidarity-based organizations alongside new phenomena such as impact investing or social tech ventures that aim to contribute to the public good. Social Economy Science provides the first comprehensive analysis of why and how social economy organizations create superior value for society. The book draws on organizational theory and transition studies to provide a systematic perspective on complex multi-stakeholder forms of action. It discusses the social economy's role in promoting innovation for impact, as well as its role as an agent of societal change and as a partner to businesses, governments, and citizens.
The Social Epidemiology of the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened health disparities worldwide. Across all nations, the burden of COVID-19 has fallen most heavily on the socially disadvantaged. In the United States, the COVID-19 mortality rate for Black Americans is over twice that of their White American counterparts, and people in prisons have more than double the COVID-19 mortality rate of the general U.S. population. Other social dimensions such as income, gender, sexuality, and immigration status have also played a significant role in COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and mortality. The Social Epidemiology of the COVID-19 Pandemic provides an interdisciplinary analysis of the pandemic's effect across populations and its disproportionate impact on vulnerable groups in society, including racial/ethnic minority, immigrant, and incarcerated populations. Written by leading international scholars, this essential volume describes how the COVID-19 pandemic intersects with nearly every social determinant of health, from race and ethnicity to income inequality, and how such interactions compound existing structural disadvantages. Using examples from upper-middle and high-income countries such as the United States, contributing experts delve into the differential impacts of COVID-19 by major social determinants of health and reveal the resultant effect of pandemic-related policy on health outcomes. Together, these authors underline the urgent need for further integration of social epidemiology into public health decision-making to ensure that every population receives the care it requires. Drawing from research across epidemiology, sociology, psychology, and public policy, The Social Epidemiology of the COVID-19 Pandemic illuminates the stark disparities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the valuable insights from social epidemiology that can inform a more equitable pandemic response.
Social Finance
Social Finance is a rapidly advancing area of practice, policy and research, with alot of unanswered questions. What does it amount to? What is it to be 'social' in finance? How do you value assets that offer a social as well as a financial return? This book provides a collection of authoritative essays on these and related topics. The essays embrace the different manifestations of social finance, collate existing research, set out the controversies, offer theoretical insights, and advances, and draw together the ideas of the leading thinkers in the field. Contributors to this volume are leading exponents and practitioners of social finance and leading academics from the main relevant disciplines and fields of study. This book is the first serious and comprehensive treatment of social finance and as such, will be of interest to academics with research and teaching interests in finance, social enterprise/entrepreneurship, public policy, business economics and international deveopement to name a few. If you want to understand and join in the academic and policy debates, or if you are working in one part of this field and want to understand how the landscape is being rapidly re-shaped, then this is an essential guidebook.
Social Inequalities (New Approaches to Sociology)
Part of the New Approaches to Sociology series, Social Inequalities is a relevant and valuable exploration of how we see the world, through a decolonised lens. Aimed at undergraduate and postgraduate students of sociology, this textbook offers a critical re-reading of traditional approaches to understanding social inequalities and responds to the call from university administrations, academics and students to decolonise the curriculum and challenge its lack of diversity. It presents an intersectional approach to understanding diversity and social inequalities and, in so doing, allows for alternative knowledge sources and voices to be heard. From looking at social groups such as race, age, sexuality and class alongside a nuanced evaluation of traditional sociological theories such as Marxism, functionalism and feminism – this book is an expert guide to the debates central to understanding the challenges individuals face in society. Including personal stories and case studies, students will be exposed to an authentic and real-world view of how individuals have encountered discrimination. Social Inequalities is an essential resource for anyone working and studying across sociology, and anyone interested in challenging established ways of looking at the world. Professor Anya Ahmed, Dr Deirdre Duffy and Dr Lorna Chesterton work in the faculty of health and education at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK.
Social Investment and Institutional Change (Social Welfare Around the World)
This book focuses on the main institutional changes affecting the Social Investment approach as the framework for the European social agenda. The contributions gathered address these issues from different angles, placing two fundamental issues at the centre of the analysis. The first concerns the promotion of the strategic actions of European institutions and the national governments aimed at making social investment a recovery priority in the Eurozone. The second aims to make the social investment approach compatible not only with a high road to growth, as it is in the Stock-Flow-Buffer scheme, but also with the right to balance market and non-market activities as a universal right linked to a different combination of working and living time. It will be of interest to all scholars and students of social policy and European politics.
Social Justice in a Turbulent Era (In a Turbulent Era series)
This incisive book examines how the values of social justice can be protected against attacks from the interacting economic, social, environmental, and health crises of the 21st century. Global contributors outline key elements of a political programme that resists the shift to the right caused by this turbulence through centring fairness, equality, respect and inclusion.Integrating policy, practical, and political perspectives, this book analyses the Covid-19 pandemic, the rise of racism and xenophobia, the growth of right-wing populism and nationalism, the 2008 economic crisis, and the impacts of climate change. Arguing that the current era is unique for the global nature of its turbulences, it illustrates how and why the gap between the advantaged and disadvantaged has grown more rapidly due to recent crises. Contributors focus on how these crises relate to and reinforce each other, providing roadmaps for political action across national borders.This book will be essential reading for academics in sociology, politics, public and social policy, sustainability, and human rights. Providing ideas and models to support the practical struggle for social justice, it will also be an invaluable guide for activists, politicians, and policymakers.
Social Media Analytics in Predicting Consumer Behavior
Information is very important for businesses. Businesses that use information correctly are successful while those that don’t, decline. Social media is an important source of data. This data brings us to social media analytics. Surveys are no longer the only way to hear the voice of consumers. With the data obtained from social media platforms, businesses can devise marketing strategies. It provides a better understanding consumer behavior. As consumers are at the center of all business activities, it is unrealistic to succeed without understanding consumption patterns. Social media analytics is useful, especially for marketers. Marketers can evaluate the data to make strategic marketing plans. Social media analytics and consumer behavior are two important issues that need to be addressed together. The book differs in that it handles social media analytics from a different perspective. It is planned that social media analytics will be discussed in detail in terms of consumer behavior in the book. The book will be useful to the students, businesses, and marketers in many aspects.
Social Mobility for the 21st Century: Everyone a Winner? (Sociological Futures)
Social Mobility for the 21st Century addresses experiences of social mobility, and the detailed processes through which entrenched, intergenerationally transmitted privilege is reproduced. Contributions include (but are not limited to) family relationships, students’ encounters with higher education, narratives of work careers, and ‘mobility identities’. The book intends to challenge both the framework of the more traditional approach, and the politicisation of mobility which casts ‘mobility’ as a possession, a commodity or a character trait, and threatens to castigate the ‘non-mobile’ as carrying a personal responsibility for their situation. This book presents critical analyses of routes into social mobility, the experience of social mobility, and the political and social implications of social mobility’s ‘panacea’ status. Drawing on the work of established scholars and more recent entrants, the chapters offer a fresh look at social mobility, opening up the topic to a wider readership among the profession and beyond, and stimulating further debate. This book will appeal to higher level students and scholars of sociology alike, as well as having a broad cross-disciplinary appeal.
Social Movements and Everyday Acts of Resistance: Solidarity in a Changing World (Routledge Studies in Political Sociology)
This book focuses on small-scale mobilisation and everyday social movements that take the form of grassroots resistance and solidarity initiatives. Through a series of case studies drawn from the UK, Europe, India, and Latin America, it examines the dynamics and role of micro-acts of resistance, with attention to a range of themes including organisational issues, the construction of collective identity, strategies, tactics and participation, and media representations and public perception of small-scale social movements. As such, it will appeal to scholars and students of sociology, media and communication and politics with interests in social movements, political mobilisation and activism.
Social Networks in Language Learning and Language Teaching
Sociocultural research has long recognized the necessity of sustained interpersonal interaction for language development. However, less is known about the underlying relationships that promote language acquisition and their relevance for language classrooms . Presenting cutting-edge research on social networks and their applications in language teaching, this book explores the relationships that mediate language learning in and out of classrooms. Highlighting the complexity of language in multilingual contexts, chapters engage social network analysis to understand the role of instructional practices, socialization, motivation, language status, online communications technology, and language policies in the development of social resources for language learning. Discussing popular language teaching frameworks such as translanguaging, Social Networks in Language Learning and Language Teaching provides a nuanced account of the influences of social context on language learning, exploring classroom applications and pointing the way to a robust research agenda.
Social Policy in Changing European Societies: Research Agendas for the 21st Century
Adopting an interdisciplinary approach this book provides a cutting-edge, in-depth account of social policy research today, how we got here, and where future research should be headed. It defines the core research agenda for the future covering multiple social policy fields, including care, family, health, and housing policy as well as gender equality, labour market policy, and welfare attitudes.The book brings together a unique combination of scholars from social policy, sociology, political science, international relations, and law, who explore how European societies have changed over the last 20 years, the future challenges which need to be addressed and the role for social policy research. The editors argue that to advance research on European social policy, we need to develop a better understanding of the interplay between multiple policies, invest more resources in theoretical development, and effectively utilize perhaps the greatest asset of European social policy research – its multidisciplinarity.Offering crucial insights into the dynamic nature of social policy research, this book will be a valuable guide for social policy scholars and students. Its discussion of a broad range of social policy areas will also be useful for practitioners and policymakers across a wide range of social policy fields.
Social Problems in the Age of COVID-19 Vol 1: Volume 1: US Perspectives
Written by a highly respected team of authors brought together by the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP), this book provides accessible insights into pressing social problems in the United States in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and proposes public policy responses for victims and justice, precarious populations, employment dilemmas and health and well-being.
Social Psychology [2 volumes]: How Other People Influence Our Thoughts and Actions [2 volumes]
This book provides an introduction to social psychology that covers its history, theories, and core concepts. It explains intrapersonal (how others influence our views about ourselves) and interpersonal (how we think about and act toward other people) applications of this discipline in today's society.Human beings are social by nature. Because of this, the people around us have a profound impact on how we think about ourselves and others—from our sense of self esteem to our opinions and attitudes to our interactions in a group setting. Social Psychology: How Other People Influence Our Thoughts and Actions describes these subtle but powerful effects in our daily lives, offering a complete and balanced view of the topic. Readers will discover the history of social psychology, grasp its theories and core concepts, learn about important issues and debates related to this topic, and see how these ideas are directly applicable to therapy and other real-world situations.Chapters cover how an individual's self-concept is developed and the various social forces on it, how a social psychology experiment may be conducted, and examples of social psychology in everyday life, such as group dynamics and cultural phenomena. Readers will also see how social psychology plays a role in our criminal justice system, including in the context of the prison system population; in the cultural issues associated with Latino and Native American populations; in our social collective concern about mass shootings, epidemics, and terrorism; and in the dynamics, processes, and tactics of a nationwide presidential election campaign seeking to influence the masses.
The Social Psychology of Collective Victimhood
Throughout the world, many continue to experience collective violence and its long-lasting consequences. This book examines the social psychological processes involved in experiences of collective victimization and oppression, as well as the consequences of these experiences for individuals and for relations within and between groups. In twenty chapters, authors explore questions such as: How are experiences of collective victimization passed down and understood? How do people cope with and make sense of these experiences? Who is included and excluded from the category of "victims," and what are the psychological consequences of such denial versus acknowledgment of collective victimization? And finally, what are the ethics of researching collective victimization, especially when these experiences are recent or politically contested? The authors examine these questions and others across a range of different contexts of collective violence in different parts of the world, including ethnic and religious conflicts, the aftermath of genocides, post-Apartheid, consequences of settler colonialism, racism, the caste system, and national histories of victimization.
Social Researching: Politics, Problems, Practice (Routledge Revivals)
Social Researching (1984) examine the ‘stories’ about ‘real’ research in social sciences and its problems, and discusses funding, publication, the history of major projects, postgraduate work and issues raised by feminists doing research, as well as the practical, ethical and political difficulties.
The Social Sciences of Quantification: From Politics of Large Numbers to Target-Driven Policies (Logic, Argumentation & Reasoning #13)
This book details how quantification can serve both as evidence and as an instrument of government, whether when dealing with statistics on employment, occupational health and economic governance, or when developing public management or target-driven policies. In the process, it presents a thought-provoking homage to Alain Desrosières, who pioneered ways to study large numbers and the politics underlying them.It opens with a summary of Desrosières's contributions to the field in which several generations of researchers detail how this statistician and historian profoundly influenced them. This tribute, based on personal testimonies, bears witness to the vitality of the school of thought and analytical framework Desrosières initiated. Next, a collection of essays explores the statistical argument in the neoliberal era, examining issues such as counting the homeless in Europe, measuring the performance of public services, and quantifying the effects of public action on the unemployed in France.The third part details the uses of quantification. It reveals that although statistics are frequently used to the advantage of those in power, they can also play a vital role in challenging and resisting both the conventions underlying the measurements as well as the measurements themselves.Featuring the work of economists, historians, political scientists, sociologists, and statisticians, this title provides readers with a thoughtful look at an influential figure in the history of statistics. It also shows how statistics are used to direct public policy, the degree of conflict that is possible in their production, and the disputes that can develop around their uses.