Making Midlife Visible: A Construction of Female Stars’ Age Biographies in Contemporary Hollywood Cinema

My research project seeks to interrogate the cultural representation of ageing women by analysing the star images and changing roles of a selection of midlife stars of contemporary Hollywood cinema and television. This subject connects with recent debates surrounding gender, equality and diversity in the film industry which have highlighted, amongst other things, the invisibility of midlife women in the sector (see Buckley, 2015; New York Times, and Peck, 2016; Huffington Post). Concerns about the representation of middle-aged actresses falls within the wider topic of academic and popular discussion surrounding the life stage of ‘midlife’, which sits uncomfortably between the culturally favoured phase of ‘youth’ and the fear of old age, decline and death in an increasingly “ageless society” (Fairclough, 2012: 92). However, what sets this research project apart from existing academic analysis of ageing female stars is its interdisciplinary focus on female midlife narratives. Drawing on insights from film studies, feminist cultural studies and age studies, in particular Margaret Gullette’s (1997) concept of ‘critical age autobiographies’, my research investigates how cultural norms are mediated in popular culture. It does so by constructing critical age biographies of selected female midlife stars of contemporary Hollywood cinema, specifically focusing on Julianne Moore, Annette Bening, Viola Davis and Frances McDormand. Through a detailed analysis of their films and shifting star image within these age biographies, my project determines how ageing and female star identity are constructed in the various discourses constituting a star’s image and explores ways in which the abovementioned stars shape, resist or negotiate the cultural norms surrounding ageing through their labour in the film industry

Chancen und Grenzen freiwilliger Unternehmensverantwortung

Unternehmensinitiativen erstellen zunehmend freiwillige Verhaltenskodizes über die Arbeitsbedingungen bei Zuliefererbetrieben. Doch diese Verhaltensregeln unterscheiden sich oft in wichtigen Punkten. Zumeist ist ein Mangel an Transparenz festzustellen, der die Überprüfung der Richtlinien erschwert

Fairness in globalen Wertschöpfungsketten durch Governance-Netzwerke?

Das Paper untersucht, inwiefern die Kooperation mit Stakeholdern in globalen Wertschöpfungsketten dazu beitragen kann, dass globalisierte Produktion ökologischer und vor allem fairer gestaltet werden kann. Am Beispiel zweier Initiativen aus dem Bekleidungssektor, der Multi-Stakeholder Initiative Fair Wear Foundation und der Business Initiative Business for Social Compliance Initiative, werden verschiedene Ansätze auf ihren Beitrag hin verglichen. -- This paper explores to what extent the cooperation with stakeholders in global value chains can contribute to a more ecological and fairer design of globalised production. Two initiatives from the clothing sector are taken as examples. The multi-stakeholder initiative Fair Wear Foundation and the business initiative Business for Social Compliance Initiative are compared regarding their contribution.

A stakeholder model in economic geography: perception and management of environmental stakeholders in German manufacturing companies

In this paper we aim to show that stakeholder theory can enrich analysis in (environmental) economic geography. By applying and modifying the stakeholder salience model from management studies, we analyse which factors influence company managers in their environmental decision-making and which priorities they give to competing stakeholder claims. We test the model on data from 250 German manufacturing firms. Overall, the results strongly support the basic assumptions of stakeholder theory. They indicate that stakeholder attributes such as legitimacy, power and urgency and the stakeholders’ willingness to co-operate are more important for stakeholder salience than company- and product-related characteristics. Moreover, the results confirm the findings of a recent study of Spanish manufacturing firms by Gago and Antolín.Das Ziel dieses Beitrags ist es aufzuzeigen, dass die aus den Managementwissenschaften stammende Stakeholder-Theorie eine Bereicherung für die (umweltorientierte) Wirtschaftsgeographie sein kann. Anhand eines modifizierten Stakeholder Salience-Modells wird untersucht, welche Faktoren Manager von Unternehmen bei Umweltschutz-Entscheidungen beeinflussen und welche Prioritäten sie konkurrierenden Forderungen einräumen. Das Modell wird anhand der Daten von 250 deutschen Industrieunternehmen empirisch getestet. Insgesamt bestätigen die Ergebnisse zentrale Annahmen der Stakeholder-Theorie. Sie zeigen, dass den Anspruchs­gruppen zugewiesene Eigenschaften wie Legitimität, Durchsetzungsfähigkeit, Dringlichkeit und Kooperationsbereitschaft für deren Wahrnehmung im Unternehmensmanagement deutlich wichtiger sind als strukturelle Merkmale der betroffenen Unternehmen und ihrer Produkte. Die Ergebnisse bestätigen auch weitgehend die Befunde einer neueren Studie von Gago und Antolín zu spanischen Industrieunternehmen

A stakeholder model in economic geography: perception and management of environmental stakeholders in German manufacturing companies

n this paper we aim to show that stakeholder theory can enrich analysis in (environmental) economic geography. By applying and modifying the stakeholder salience model from management studies, we analyse which factors influence company managers in their environmental decision-making and which priorities they give to competing stakeholder claims. We test the model on data from 250 German manufacturing firms. Overall, the results strongly support the basic assumptions of stakeholder theory. They indicate that stakeholder attributes such as legitimacy, power and urgency and the stakeholders’ willingness to cooperate are more important for stakeholder salience than company- and product-related characteristics. Moreover, the results confirm the findings of a recent study of Spanish man- ufacturing firms by Gago and Antolín

"Corporate Responsibility" in der globalen Modeindustrie : Soziale und ökologische Standards für einen fairen Handel

Unter dem Schlagwort "Corporate Responsibility" verlangen Marken- und Handelsunternehmen von ihren Produzenten in Niedriglohnländern die Einhaltung sozialer und ökologischer Standards. Derartige Auflagen sind jedoch umstritten. Grund für die Skepsis sind zum Teil enorme Unterschiede zwischen den Standards und bei deren Umsetzung. Der Beitrag zeigt, wie Standards differenziert werden können und wo die Grenzen privater Regulierung liegen

The grand illusion? : Corporate social responsibility in global garment production networks

This PhD aims to generate a better understanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in global production networks. CSR is an umbrella term that deals with voluntary activities undertaken by companies and that indicate an ethos to act responsibly in society. This research focuses on CSR practices that aim towards improving working conditions in outsourced production factories by implementing so-called social standards, which often derive from core norms of the International Labour Organization and intend to secure decent working conditions. While companies claim that they take responsibility for workers via CSR practices, civil society actors like the Clean Clothes Campaign criticize CSR as public relations exercise as companies still fail to take "sufficient" responsibility. Based on this contradiction this PhD aims to reveal the political contestation surrounding CSR and the struggles over CSR between companies and civil society organizations claiming to represent workers in global production networks. The main questions are: What practices do companies use to take responsibility for workers in outsourced production, how do they legitimize these practices, and how are these approaches contested? The research is based on theoretical concepts of "shared responsibility", "political CSR" and "democratic legitimacy". The "global production network" framework and a framework for analysing private regulation, referring to legislative, judicial, and executive regulation, are applied. Empirically, the research analyses two private standards initiatives that define and institutionalize CSR practices, namely the Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) and the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI). The findings are mainly based on 150 qualitative interviews with representatives from companies, civil society, auditing companies, and governments. Additionally, documents are evaluated. Empirical research was undertaken in Europe (mainly Germany & Switzerland) and Asia (India & Bangladesh). The research findings suggest that the CSR practices defined by BSCI and the FWF are based on rather different interpretations of the causes of worker injustice. The BSCI is based on a belief in a concept of liberal democracy. In this view companies do not need to legitimate their activities, as long as they comply with national laws. Responsibility is based on a liability model that blames producers and national governments for neglecting their responsibility towards workers. Companies joining the BSCI take the responsibility of initiating processes in developing countries that demand governments, producers and civil society actors in these countries to take responsibility. In contrast, the approach of the FWF is based on an understanding of "structural injustice" and "shared responsibility". In this view violations of labour rights are identified to be inherent in the complexities of global production networks themselves. No single actor can be blamed for the injustices, and therefore corporations "share" a responsibility, and must engage in public discourses according to their power and abilities, what is seen as a "political" form of CSR

Verwalten

- Faire und sozial gerechte Beschaffung - Energie effizient nutzen - Beschaffungsrichtlinie nach Kriterien - Energetische Optimierung der öffentlichen Liegenschaften - Solar&Spar-Projekte an Schulen - Mobilität für Behörden und Unternehmen - Die Kirchen machen mi

The grand illusion? corporate social responsibility in global garment production networks

This PhD aims to generate a better understanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in global production networks. CSR is an umbrella term that deals with voluntary activities undertaken by companies and that indicate an ethos to act responsibly in society. This research focuses on CSR practices that aim towards improving working conditions in outsourced production factories by implementing so-called social standards, which often derive from core norms of the International Labour Organization and intend to secure decent working conditions. While companies claim that they take responsibility for workers via CSR practices, civil society actors like the Clean Clothes Campaign criticize CSR as public relations exercise as companies still fail to take ‘sufficient’ responsibility. Based on this contradiction this PhD aims to reveal the political contestation surrounding CSR and the struggles over CSR between companies and civil society organizations claiming to represent workers in global production networks. The main questions are: What practices do companies use to take responsibility for workers in outsourced production, how do they legitimize these practices, and how are these approaches contested? The research is based on theoretical concepts of ‘shared responsibility’, ‘political CSR’ and ‘democratic legitimacy’. The ‘global production network’ framework and a framework for analysing private regulation, referring to legislative, judicial, and executive regulation, are applied. Empirically, the research analyses two private standards initiatives that define and institutionalize CSR practices, namely the Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) and the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI). The findings are mainly based on 150 qualitative interviews with representatives from companies, civil society, auditing companies, and governments. Additionally, documents are evaluated. Empirical research was undertaken in Europe (mainly Germany & Switzerland) and Asia (India & Bangladesh). The research findings suggest that the CSR practices defined by BSCI and the FWF are based on rather different interpretations of the causes of worker injustice. The BSCI is based on a belief in a concept of liberal democracy. In this view companies do not need to legitimate their activities, as long as they comply with national laws. Responsibility is based on a liability model that blames producers and national governments for neglecting their responsibility towards workers. Companies joining the BSCI take the responsibility of initiating processes in developing countries that demand governments, producers and civil society actors in these countries to take responsibility. In contrast, the approach of the FWF is based on an understanding of ‘structural injustice’ and ‘shared responsibility’. In this view violations of labour rights are identified to be inherent in the complexities of global production networks themselves. No single actor can be blamed for the injustices, and therefore corporations ‘share’ a responsibility, and must engage in public discourses according to their power and abilities, what is seen as a ‘political’ form of CSR

Comment on Sonja Dänzer: Structural injustice in Global production networks: Shared responsibility for working conditions

This commentary's claim is that Dänzer's argument does not sufficiently take into account the complexities of the global production of goods, the current corporate responsibility practices and the problems of attributing responsibility to single actors. I argue in favour of a shared responsibility and briefly present a discursive approach for attributing MNE's share of responsibility in global supply chains, which requires obligatory transparency