How can economic sociology help business relationship management?

Purpose – By analyzing organizations as social actors and business relationships as social relationships, sociology can improve business relationship management. This paper aims to explore the issues involved. Design/methodology/approach – A business relationship is an interactive exchange between two organizations embedded in a network of business connections. The paper reviews theories of social actions and social actors and the concepts of economic field and embeddedness to illustrate some social dimensions of business relationships. Findings – Social action and social actor theories emphasize that co-operation is always encumbered with conflicts, that consciousness about the relationship is fundamental for both strongly and weakly structured actors, and that actors (people involved in a business relationship) always have some freedom of manoeuvre. The concept of economic field underscores the specificity of each business relationship and the critical need for concrete analysis. The concept of embeddedness highlights that no business relationship is possible without personal bonds. Research limitations/implications – These are the first results of a deeper and broader research directed towards a conceptual model of business relationship management. Practical implications – The paper can help managers to analyze more deeply the social dimensions of business relations with both suppliers and buyers. Consciousness, the ongoing presence of conflicts, the unavoidable role of personal bonds, and interactivity are always relevant in business relationship management. Originality/value – The paper integrates sociological and business marketing approaches. It applies essential sociological theories and concepts to business relationship management

Is an archaeological contribution to the theory of social science possible? Archaeological data and concepts in the dispute between Jean-Claude Gardin and Jean-Claude Passeron

The issue of the definition and position of archaeology as a discipline is examined in relation to the dispute which took place from 1980 to 2009 between the archaeologist Jean-Claude Gardin and the sociologist Jean-Claude Passeron. This case study enables us to explore the actual conceptual relationships between archaeology and the other sciences (as opposed to those wished for or prescribed). The contrasts between the positions declared by the two researchers and the rooting of their arguments in their disciplines are examined: where the sociologist makes use of his philosophical training, the archaeologist relies mainly on his work on semiology and informatics. Archaeology ultimately plays a minor role in the arguments proposed. This dispute therefore cannot be considered as evidence for the movement of concepts between archaeology and the social sciences. A blind spot in the debate, relating to the ontological specificities of archaeological objects, nevertheless presents itself as a possible way of implementing this movement

Language and argumentation in the controversy economic

This article offers an approach to the general structure of the controversy in economy. In our case we adopted a perspective to study a particular aspect of the rhetoric that comes from the context of a particular controversy: the controversy on the advantages of the free commerce between Daly and Bhagwati. It is sustained that the positions in economy present with relative frequency interest conflicts that are revealed in the dialectic one of the arguments. A proponent in open defense of the free commerce is not released of presumptions reflected in the field of the rhetoric. Reason why to include the language dimensions of the argumentation in economy has advantages for the field of the explanation and the epistemology in the social sciences.

Thomas S. Schelling: game theory and indirect communication

In their recent work Thomas S. Schelling (2007, 2010), reiterating original arguments about game theory and its applications to social sciences. In particular, game theory helps to explore situations in which agents make decisions interdependent (strategic communication). Schelling's originality is to extend economic theory to social sciences. When a player can anticipate the options and influence the decisions of others. The strategy, indirect communication plays a crucial role. To illustrate, we investigate how to perform the payoff matrix in cases of bribery and threatSocial Science, Schelling, game theory, strategic communications, bribes, threats

Entrepreneurship as a process of collective exploration

Clarifies the potentials of the notion of exploration for the analysis of the uncertain and collective nature of entrepreneurship, and provides detailed examination of a case study on a French academic spin-off.entrepreneurship; exploration; opportunity recognition; partnerships

What do business models do? Narratives, calculation and market exploration

Building on a case study of an entrepreneurial venture, we investigate the role played by business models in the innovation process. Rather than debating their accuracy and efficiency, we adopt a pragmatic approach to business models -- we examine them as market devices, focusing on their materiality, use and dynamics. Taking into account the variety of its forms, which range from corporate presentations to business plans, we show that the business model is a narrative and calculative device that allows entrepreneurs to explore a market and plays a performative role by contributing to the construction of the techno-economic network of an innovation.WP abstract: Analyzes the uses and functions of business models through original, qualitative case studies focused on research-based spin-offs.Business models; spin-offs; innovation; commercialization; calculation; exploration; R&D; entrepreneurship

Quality strategies: what are French universities looking for?

Using steps transposed from corporate quality strategies, French universities have entered a new stage of their modernization, illustrative of the current of New Public Management. These strategies, destined to combine missions of excellence and the transformation of thousands of young people into graduates, will be studied here with regard to different horizons which they suggest for French higher education. In change for the last 40 years, called into question over its costs, its production, and its management, university is at the crossroads of autonomy, clientelism and professionalisation. Our system of higher education must now combine savings, realignment, local governorship, partnerships and a geographical distribution of training opportunities, within the new European arena of degrees. However, it suffers from several handicaps (at once fiscal, legislative, administrative and social) aggravated by a specifically French fracture: how then can the quality strategies put in place, bring about the efficiency coveted by higher education ? This higher education system demonstrates several innovations and have begun to make surveys of the employability levels of its graduates. Thus, benchmarking is available on the condition that the criteria and indicators of the performance comparison are reached by consensus, and that's not the case: is it political arbitration (that rules over university as a public service) or market arbitration which determines the value of degrees? calibration and measurement could not be the same: who decides? which path opens to university to come out this dilemma?efficiency, French higher education, Lisbon strategy, NMP, quality, standards.

Language and argumentation in the controversy economic

This article offers an approach to the general structure of the controversy in economy. In our case we adopted a perspective to study a particular aspect of the rhetoric that comes from the context of a particular controversy: the controversy on the advantages of the free commerce between Daly and Bhagwati. It is sustained that the positions in economy present with relative frequency interest conflicts that are revealed in the dialectic one of the arguments. A proponent in open defense of the free commerce is not released of presumptions reflected in the field of the rhetoric. Reason why to include the language dimensions of the argumentation in economy has advantages for the field of the explanation and the epistemology in the social sciences.language, argumentation, theory economics, epistemology, public choice, decision theory.