The social construction of natural disaster: Egypt and the UK

Abstract The future for Children’s Centres in England looks bleak.. A change in government in the UK in 2010 saw a change in political perspective that was manifested in one way as austerity. The effects of austerity impacted on a range of public services including Children’s Centres. Children’s Centres also came under government scrutiny resulting in a change of focus in their activities from a core offer of providing services to having a core purpose. The study used a flexible qualitative design to produce a critical discourse analysis about the social construction of Children’s Centres. A range of publicly available documents were gathered to provide naturalistic data relating to Children’s Centres. In addition, six Children’s Centre workers were purposefully selected to take part in a semi structured focus group interview. The subsequent analysis of the document and interview data revealed a range of rhetorical devices used by speakers to construct their perceptions of Children’s Centres. These constructions were organised under four dominant discourses; a discourse of recognition, a discourse of pragmatism, a discourse of pessimism and a discourse of change. One common factor in these four discourses was the role of the UK government. Children’s Centres did not appear to get recognition for some the work they did with families but there was a pragmatism about what Children’s Centres could provide during a period of austerity. There was pessimism about what was happening to Children’s Centres especially in relation to vulnerable families but what seemed inevitable was Children’s Centres were changing.

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In defiance of an ageing culture

Ageing and Society ◽

10.1017/s0144686x9900728x ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 139-148 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

MIKE HEPWORTH

Keyword(s):

Social Construction ◽

Old Age ◽

Social Constructionism ◽

Review Article ◽

Recent Book ◽

Middle Years ◽

The Social ◽

The Usa ◽

The Uk

Margaret Morganroth Gullette, Declining to Decline: Cultural Combat and the Politics of the Midlife. Charlottesville and London: University Press of Virginia 1997, 276pp, $29.95 cloth ISBN 0-8139-1721-2.Margaret Morganroth Gullette is one of America's foremost critics of the concept of ageing as a universal and comprehensive process of decline which begins in the middle years. She is a formidable critic of biological essentialism, defender of social constructionism, and opponent of ‘middle ageism’. Her most recent book, published in 1997 and not yet available in the UK, has been widely acclaimed in the USA. This review article describes Gullette's analysis of the social construction of decline in the context of her previous writings on midlife and outlines her strategy for combatting the decline model of ageing into old age.

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The Social Construction of Market Entrepreneurship: A Case Analysis in the UK Fishing Industry

Marketing Education Review ◽

10.1080/10528008.1997.11488610 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. 87-94 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Roger Mumby-Croft ◽

Christopher E. Hackley

Keyword(s):

Social Construction ◽

Case Analysis ◽

Fishing Industry ◽

The Social ◽

The Uk

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The social construction of executive remuneration in the UK

Journal of Organizational Effectiveness People and Performance ◽

10.1108/joepp-01-2017-0001 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 76-88 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Stephen J. Perkins

Keyword(s):

Corporate Governance ◽

Social Construction ◽

Social Impact ◽

Corporate Board ◽

Social Construction Of Reality ◽

Quarter Century ◽

Content Type ◽

Executive Remuneration ◽

The Social ◽

The Uk

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reflect theoretically on a quarter-century of attempts to codify “best practice” standards related to oversight of and reporting on executive remuneration. Issues around the regulation of UK executive remuneration are analysed focussing on decision making by elite actors, informed by corporate governance codification artefacts and theoretical considerations inspired by notions of the social construction of reality. Design/methodology/approach Using documentary materials to trace evolution of executive remuneration regulation in the UK, consideration is given to the social antecedents of processes governing corporate board remuneration committee practices. The paper reconstructs the social construction of the UK Corporate Governance Code and draws on relevant theoretically inclined literature to help make sense of processes involved. Findings Shaping the problems, to be addressed as “legitimate problems”, is core to efforts intended to create “persuasive narratives” around how UK executive remuneration should be regulated. Research limitations/implications The paper sketches an agenda for subsequent empirical “field” investigation to assess the social antecedents of UK executive remuneration outcomes. Practical implications Offering an alternative way of thinking about executive reward and on-going controversy as to how it may be legitimately regulated, informed by contextual considerations. Originality/value A novel look at executive remuneration from a social construction of reality perspective. Adding value to public debate on organisational effectiveness at a time of warnings from luminaries such as the Bank of England governor about the adverse social impact of “stateless companies” and calls for action against unfairness in income distribution.

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