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- Frostenson, Magnus, 1970-, et al.
(author)
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Decoupled but necessary : The internal significance of codes of conduct in retail firms
- 2010
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this paper, we examine the significance of codes of conducts (CoCs) in the internal work context of two retail firms. We do this in a threefold way. First, we identify in what way employees use and refer to CoCs internally. Second, we identify the function and relevance of CoCs inside a company. Third, we explain why CoCs tend to function in the identified ways. We find practical and conscious decoupling in our cases, which – counter-intuitively – seems to facilitate the process of establishing a CoC in the organisations. This is explained by the contents of the codes and by the normative meta-logic they represent. Although decoupling may exist as a reality within the two retail firms, it is counteracted by the normative master ideas expressed in the codes. This normative meta-logic serves as a unifying understanding of the meaning of work. Based on this, we argue that we must look upon decoupling from a more contextual viewpoint. We claim that it is wise to go above the single-levelled analysis of decoupling and open up for a two-level analysis which takes into account not only the concrete application of CoCs but also their function and meaning. An implication of this is that what might appear as a decoupled code cannot be dismissed as irrelevant to the ‘core’ of the organisation.
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| 2. |
- Frostenson, Magnus, et al.
(author)
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Organising Corporate Responsibility Communication through Filtration : A study of web communication patterns in Swedish retail
- 2011
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In: Journal of Business Ethics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0167-4544 .- 1573-0697. ; 100:1, s. 31-43
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Corporate responsibility (CR) communication has risen dramatically in recent years, following increased demands for transparency. One tendency noted in the literature is that CR communication is organised and structured. Corporations tend to professionalise CR communication in the sense that they provide information that corresponds to demands for transparency that are voiced by certain stakeholders. This also means that experts within the firm tend to communicate with professional stakeholders outside the firm. In this paper, a particular aspect of the organisation of CR communication is examined, a phenomenon that we refer to as the ‘filtration effect’. By comparing CR communication in parent companies and their subsidiaries, we show empirically that there is considerably less CR communication at the subsidiary level compared to the parent level. We see filtration as a sign of conscious organising of CR communication that implies particular attention to certain stakeholder groups with clearly defined demands and expectations on companies. The strong filtration effect noted in the study suggests that CR communication does not seem to be very much adapted to customers, which may be problematic both from a communicative and ethical perspective. The study covers Sweden’s 206 largest retail firms.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Frostenson, Magnus
(author)
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Läraren som konkurrensmedel : kunskapskälla, stödperson eller icke-person?
- 2011
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In: Utbildning och Demokrati. - 1102-6472 .- 2001-7316. ; 20:2, s. 27-48
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The purpose of the article is to show empirically how upper-secondary schools describe, understand and present teachers in their external communication. The ambition is to demonstrate to what extent and how teachers’ competencies are stressed by local school management in a competitive setting. Swedish upper-secondary schools’ Internet communication to external audiences is content analyzed. Private and public schools are compared. The study finds that teachers’ qualities and competencies are rarely communicated. Other aspects are emphasized. When teachers are mentioned, it is usually as a depersonalized category whose function is stressed, for example the role of the teacher in the pedagogical concept or idea that the school adopts. In practice, no differences between private and public schools are found. The findings of the study can be understood in the context of the ongoing discussion on teachers’ status. By being “non-existent” in the external communication, the image of the teachers as a group with low professional status is sustained.
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