Understanding strategic decision-making through a multi-paradigm perspective: The case of charitable foundations in English football

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the efficacy of using a multi-paradigm perspective to examine the relationship between CSR and strategic decision-making processes in the context of charitable foundations  Design/methodology/approach: This paper integrates and synthesizes the micro-social processes of ‘assessable transcendence' (Anagnostopoulos et al., 2014) with Whittington's (2001) perspectives on strategy. ‘Assessable transcendence' was achieved from the constant comparison of categories developed through an early iterative process in which data collection and analysis occurred during the same period. Thirty-two interviews were conducted among a sample of key managers in the charitable foundations for the first two divisions of English football.  Findings: The present study illustrates empirically that strategic decision-making in charitable foundations does not ‘seat' neatly in any one of Whittington's perspectives. On the contrary, this study indicates a great deal of overlap within these perspectives, and suggests that conflicting paradigms should be celebrated rather than viewed as signs of theoretical immaturity. Multi-paradigm approaches can potentially reveal insights into the ‘mechanics' of managerial decision-making that are not easily discernible from a mono-paradigmatic perspective. Research limitations/implications: Practical implications: Social implications:  Originality/value: This is the first empirical work that (a) examines CSR in relation to strategy within the context of the English football clubs' charitable foundations, and (b) does so by employing a multi-paradigm perspective on strategy formulation and implementation

Amazonia in the international media: agents, discourses and power

Tese de doutoramento em Estudos de Comunicação: Tecnologia, Cultura e SociedadeThis thesis seeks to understand and discuss the constructions of meaning, representations and discourses about the Amazon region in eight foreign newspapers from four countries (United States, England, India and China). The region is associated with diverse and controversial social and geopolitical clashes since the arrival of European navigators five centuries ago. Additionally, there are growing national and international interests in the Amazon as a major icon in the global struggle for the protection of biodiversity and mitigation of climate change. My focus of interest lies on the international coverage about Amazonia along a seven-year period (2010-2016) and more particularly during a critical moment of discourse, represented by the forest fires of global repercussion in 2019. In this context it is assumed that the combination of diverse, often conflicting, social actors and interests generates important tensions over power. That is, power to define the meaning of the territory, who its inhabitants and beneficiaries are, the role they play and the directions of the region, whether aimed at environmental conservation, development or a debatable third way. In any case, these controversies occur in the midst of "naturalized" discursive practices in journalistic discourses, which constitute one of the main sources of information and perception about distant physical realities for news consumers. Thus, the main objective of this research is to elucidate the dynamics of signification and representation (frames, story-lines), (de)legitimation of social actors and argumentation, used by newspapers in their discourses about the Amazonian territory. By means of Critical Discourse Analysis and frame analysis tools, the thesis shows that the distinct newspapers from different countries have a relatively individualized discursive profile to introduce and elaborate meanings about the Amazon. Still, the sense that the Amazon Rainforest constitutes a global common crosses almost all coverages, although there are dissimilarities in emphasis and solutions to protect the forest. The main differences between newspapers refer to the way they portray political actors, especially the Brazilian president, as well as other social actors, especially Indigenous peoples. It was also possible to identify macro-tendencies in the coverages from global “North” and “South”, mainly in relation to funding the conservation of the Amazon as a global environmental heritage.Esta tese busca compreender e esclarecer as construções de sentido, representações e discursos sobre a região amazônica em oito jornais estrangeiros quatro países (Estados Unidos, Inglaterra, India e China). A região suscita embates sociais e geopolíticos diversos e controversos desde a chegada dos navegantes europeus há pouco mais de cinco séculos, para além dos crescentes interesses nacionais e internacional na Amazônia enquanto grande ícone da luta global pela proteção da biodiversidade e mitigação das mudanças climáticas. O foco de interesse recai sobre a cobertura internacional sobre a Amazônia num período de sete anos (2010-2016), e mais particularmente durante um momento crítico do discurso, representado pelos fogos florestais de repercussão global em 2019. Nesse contexto, assume-se que a combinação de atores sociais e interesses diversificados, seguidamente conflituosos, gera importantes tensões sobre poder. Ou seja, poder de definir o significado do território, quem são seus habitantes e beneficiários, o papel que desempenham e os rumos da região － se voltados à conservação ambiental, ao desenvolvimento ou a uma discutível terceira via. Em qualquer caso, essas polêmicas ocorrem em meio a práticas discursivas “naturalizadas” nos discursos jornalísticos, os quais constituem uma das principais fontes de informação e percepção sobre realidades físicas distantes dos leitores. Assim, o principal objetivo desta pesquisa foi elucidar as dinâmicas de significação e representação (enquadramentos, linhas narrativas, (des)legitimação de atores sociais e argumentação, usadas pelos jornais em seus discursos sobre o território amazônico. Por meio de ferramentas da Análise Crítica do Discurso e análise de enquadramentos, verificou-se que os diferentes jornais dos diferentes países possuem um perfil discursivo relativamente diferenciado para aproximar e elaborar sentidos sobre a Amazonia. Ainda assim, o senso de que a Floresta Amazônica constitui um global common atravessa quase todas as coberturas, apesar de haver diferenças na ênfase e nas soluções para proteger a floresta. As principais diferenças entre jornais se referem ao modo como retratam atores políticos, especialmente o presidente brasileiro, bem como outros atores sociais, especialmente povos Indígenas. Também foi possível notar macro-tendências nas coberturas oriundas do “Norte” e do “Sul” global, sobretudo quanto a financiar a conservação da Amazônia enquanto patrimônio ambiental global

Introduction: Re-examining criminal process through the lens of integrity

Criminal proceedings, it is often now said, ought to be conducted with integrity. But what, exactly, does it mean for criminal process to have, or to lack, 'integrity'? Is integrity in this sense merely an aspirational normative ideal, with possibly diffuse influence on conceptions of professional responsibility? Or is it also a juridical concept with robust institutional purchase and enforceable practical consequences in criminal litigation? The 16 new essays contained in this collection, written by prominent legal scholars and criminologists from Australia, Hong Kong, the UK and the USA, engage systematically with - and seek to generate further debate about - the theoretical and practical significance of 'integrity' at all stages of the criminal process. Reflecting the flexibility and scope of a putative 'integrity principle', the essays range widely over many of the most hotly contested issues in contemporary criminal justice theory, policy and practice, including: the ethics of police investigations, charging practice and discretionary enforcement; prosecutorial independence, policy and operational decision-making; plea bargaining; the perils of witness coaching and accomplice testimony; expert evidence; doctrines of admissibility and abuse of process; lay participation in criminal adjudication; the role of remorse in criminal trials; the ethics of appellate judgment writing; innocence projects; and state compensation for miscarriages of justice

Introduction: Re-Examining Criminal Process Through the Lens of Integrity

This is the Introduction to Hunter, Roberts, Young and Dixon (ed), The Integrity of Criminal Process: From Theory into Practice (Hart, 2016). It sketches a theoretical framework for reconsidering familiar topics and issues 'through the lens of integrity', and identifies key themes unifying the volume's sixteen chapters, written by leading scholars from Australia, Hong Kong, UK, and USA. Reflecting the flexibility and scope of a putative ‘integrity principle’, these new essays range widely over many of the most hotly contested issues in contemporary criminal justice theory, policy and practice, including: the ethics of police investigations, charging practice and discretionary enforcement; prosecutorial independence, policy and operational decision-making; plea bargaining; the perils of witness coaching and accomplice testimony; expert evidence; doctrines of admissibility and abuse of process; lay participation in criminal adjudication; the role of remorse in sentencing; the ethics of appellate judgment writing; innocence projects; and state compensation for miscarriages of justice.postprin

Power and its Logic: Mastering Politics

Power is the essence of politics. Whoever seeks to understand and master it must understand its logic. Drawing on two decades of international experience in political consulting, Dominik Meier and Christian Blum give profound and honest insights into the inner workings of power. Introducing their Power Leadership Approach, the authors provide a conceptual analysis of power and present the tools to successfully exercise it in the political domain. "Power and its Logic" is a guidebook for politicians, business leaders, civil society pioneers, public affairs consultants and for every citizen who wants to understand the unwritten rules of politics

Multi-Agent Systems

This Special Issue ""Multi-Agent Systems"" gathers original research articles reporting results on the steadily growing area of agent-oriented computing and multi-agent systems technologies. After more than 20 years of academic research on multi-agent systems (MASs), in fact, agent-oriented models and technologies have been promoted as the most suitable candidates for the design and development of distributed and intelligent applications in complex and dynamic environments. With respect to both their quality and range, the papers in this Special Issue already represent a meaningful sample of the most recent advancements in the field of agent-oriented models and technologies. In particular, the 17 contributions cover agent-based modeling and simulation, situated multi-agent systems, socio-technical multi-agent systems, and semantic technologies applied to multi-agent systems. In fact, it is surprising to witness how such a limited portion of MAS research already highlights the most relevant usage of agent-based models and technologies, as well as their most appreciated characteristics. We are thus confident that the readers of Applied Sciences will be able to appreciate the growing role that MASs will play in the design and development of the next generation of complex intelligent systems. This Special Issue has been converted into a yearly series, for which a new call for papers is already available at the Applied Sciences journal’s website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci/special_issues/Multi-Agent_Systems_2019

Corporate social responsibility and the role of transnational corporations in global justice.

This thesis poses two questions: (1) Why should transnational corporations ("TNCs") have responsibilities in global justice, and (2) If the business of business is business, why should it care about global justice. My objective is to lay the foundation for a coherent theory of corporate social responsibility ("CSR") - one that presents a normative account of the moral basis for, and the constraints on, CSR. The conception of CSR here is about the role TNCs ought to play in global justice, which is distinct from what business ethics is about. Addressing the first question, my thesis is that, only when we have a rigorous conception of what responsibility is, will we be able to construct an account of who is responsible. So instead of asking 'What does an ideal cosmopolitan just global order look like.' and then trying to "fit in" TNCs, a constructivist approach that asks the basic question: 'What is responsibility.' is adopted. Moreover, the theme of 'responsibility' is supported by a notion of 'global justice as duty', contrary to the predominant rights-based approach to global justice. I then articulate a category of corporate responsibility based on capabilities and the scope of that responsibility. Despite its normative intentions, a theory of CSR cannot offer action-guiding principles unless it takes into account the real-life business constraints corporations face. I address the second question and suggest how we can think philosophically about these non-moral constraints on CSR - chiefly, companies' fiduciary duty to maximise profits and shareholder value. The question is how these business considerations fit into our philosophical remit. Contrary to normative theories that attempt to "squeeze" everything into ideal theory (e.g. theories based on economic rationality), I argue that a full realisation of the role of TNCs in global justice should prompt theorists to devote more attention to non-ideal theory