TAMARA Corporate Discourse Room

 

Where we hold discourse on TAMARA of discourse that will lead us to future calls for papers. Send us an item to post 

Jan 2008 Tamara would like to get established on the key index serves. I put some of these on the main tamarajournal.com site. If you can help us in that regard it would be appreciated.

 

 

 

                   Mon, 02 Oct 2000 22:34:25 -0700

Hi, David!

Just wanted to write to turn you on to the work of a French author who
is not well known in English speaking countries, but in many other parts
of the world, Edgar Morin. I found out about him in Italy, and have
since become a fan. I'm attaching some very brief pieces of his written
for the UNESCO COURIER.

His main English text is HOMELAND EARTH, a very powerful work, published
by Hampton in my (our!) series. I highly recommend it. Morin worked closely with Barthes, Castoriadis, Lefort, and others...an alternative voice to French postmodernists, with some of the same concerns, but a different language and approach.

Here's a few links to his work, starting with an interview:

http://www.france.diplomatie.fr/label_france/ENGLISH/IDEES/MORIN/morin.html 



And on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/074530852X/qid=970551125/sr=1-1/002-0829020-1305636 

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1572732482/qid=970551125/sr=1-5/002-0829020-1305636 

Take care,

M.
--
Alfonso Montuori, Ph.D.

 

I like the Tamara site: it's bright and funny and ...useful!

Looking ahead: after we have unmasked the villans,
de-constructed their stories and exposed the dark
side of their dealings, what are we going to do?
How do we re-construct human-friendly ways of
doing business? Or, rather, do we see ourselves
're-constructing' at all? 

Keep up the good work,

Francesca Bargiela  francesca.bargiela@ntu.ac.uk   September 2, 2000

Here is another idea: What about a PR stint with the 
Freedom Forum, which has "First Amendment Centers" at 
Vanderbilt, N.Y., Arlington, San Francisco, Cocoa Beach, 
Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, Johannesburg and London. I think 
you, and others, could certainly make a freedom of speech 
case and how your experiences motivated the inception of
TAMARA.

Here at Vanderbilt they have panel discussions with academic
"celebrities" like bell hooks quite frequently. They are 
filmed for national public tv and moderated by John 
Seigenthaler, an old time activist.


Would be exciting to follow up on this, and I can, if 
that's where you want to go.

Reply-To: susanne.m.fest@vanderbilt.edu
Date: Thu, 4 May 2000 19:35:39 -0400 (EDT)

WHEN CORPORATIONS WRITE THE DISCOURSE AND MAKE IT ILLEGAL TO CRITIQUE  - One of the overlooked authors of management discourse and writing is the multinational corporation (MNC). The relative lack of relevant scholarship on this topic prompts the launching of this journal. For example, Monsanto For example, "two veteran news reporters for Fox TV in Tampa, Florida have been fired for refusing to water down an investigative report on Monsanto's controversial milk hormone, rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone)" [Rachel's, 1998: 1]. "Texas cattlemen, led by billionaire Paul Engler, owner of Cactus Feeders, Inc., filed suit against Lyman, Oprah, Harpo Productions (which produces Oprah) and King World Syndicator (King World was released from the suit by summary judgment). The lawsuit alleged Lyman and Oprah had violated a Texas law which forbids someone from "knowingly making false statements" about agricultural business.  The cattlemen have alleged that the all-powerful and God-like Oprah is responsible for the decline in beef futures" (Lyman, 1998). 

Lyman, Howard (1998) "Howard Lyman, LL.D., found not liable in landmark case in Amarillo." Voice for a Viable Future." http://www.vegsource.com/lyman/trial_statement.htm http://www.vegsource.com/lyman/lawsuit.htm  

Rachel's (1998) "Milk, rBGH, and Cancer." Rachel's Environment and Health Weekly, Issue #593 (April 9) http://www.notmilk.com/rehw593.html

McLibel - "McDonald's spends over $2 billion a year broadcasting their glossy image to the world" (McSpotlight).  The McLibel Trial is the infamous British court case between McDonald's and a postman & a gardener from London (Helen Steel and Dave Morris). Helen and Dave, represented themselves, defended the public's right to criticize companies whose business practices affect people's lives, health and environment, arguing that multinational corporations should no longer be able to sue for libel. And this in the UK whose libel laws are tilted in favor of corporations prevailing in such suits.

"Yes, we appreciate that McDonald's only sell hamburgers and loads of other corporations are just as bad. But that's not the point. They have been used as a symbol of all multinationals and big business relentlessly pursuing their profits at the expense of anything that stands in their way" (McSpotlight). 

"If someone is trying to make you do something which you don't believe in, then you have to stand up to them and say "no, I'm not going to give in to your intimidation and bullying." Helen Steel, McLibel defendant and part-time bar worker (From the Film Storyboard). 

"We pride ourselves on the fact that we've all got free speech. but in reality that simply isn't the
situation." Keir Starmer, McLibel barrister 

"The verdict was devastating for McDonald's. The judge ruled that they 'exploit children' with their advertising, produce 'misleading' advertising, are 'culpably responsible' for cruelty to animals, are 'antipathetic' to unionization and pay their workers low wages" (McSpotlight). 

 

Nike Corporation spends $750 million a year on ads and sports star endorsements to broadcast their Swoosh image to the world.  This does not include promoting itself as eco-friendly and Where are the forums for other voices to be heard? This is one, but how many journal and book publishers and authors are too intimidated to critique Nike? If intimidation rules, then we get some very watered down, PR gloss, in management and organization texts.

"For example, Hodge, Anthony, and Gale's (1996) Prentice Hall, 5th Edition text presents Nike and Phil Knight stories in three chapters of their text on Organization Theory written from a purposely, managerialist perspective. In chapter four (pp. 88-89), The Nike is applauded for bring a strong "work ethic" to the Third World workers, but for the authors the "real" problem is not Asian workers, but the unpredictability of over-paid sports labor in the U.S., counterfeit production of Nike and Reebok products by subcontractors, and rising costs of production" (Boje, D. M. 1998 "How Critical Theory and Critical Pedagogy can Unmask Nike's Labor Practices", paper presented to the Critical Theory pre-conference of the Academy of Management meetings, San Diego, CA, August 8th). 

 

THERE ARE SCIENCE WARS IN GENERAL 

THERE ARE SCIENCE WARS IN ORGANIZATION SCIENCE

 

TAMARA's attention will turn to issues in the Global  South? We might link the role of corporations (and international donors) to the social, ecological and political issues of  globalization in assessing who is gaining and who is losing?  

There is an implicit  North-South alliance that introduces issues of power and international racism. 
It is appalling how Northern corporations function in the Global South, demonstrating a lack of concern for local environmental and social ethics and needs, disrupting human-ecology interactions within which labor functions. Such exclusions lead not only to malpractices that are internationally 
endorsed as 'norm' and 'equitable', but lends to social and ecological violence that characterizes much of life in the postcolonial South. The issue is to rethink labor practices, within a larger context that compels a reframing of the institutions and ethics of development and globalization. 

It is time for TAMARA