Search results

Die anhaltende Diskussion um die außerakademische Relevanz der Sozialwissenschaften bildet den Ausgangspunkt des Autors, vor dem Hintergrund eigener Erfahrungen in der betrieblichen Sparkassenpraxis die Verwendung sozialwissenschaftlichen Wissens in der Sparkassenpraxis zu untersuchen. Er geht im Rahmen einer Diskurs- und Dokumentenanalyse der Frage nach, ob und inwieweit sozialwissenschaftliches Wissen innerhalb der bundesdeutschen Sparkassenorganisation rezipiert und verwendet wird. Die Sparkassenorganisation soll in dieser Weise erstmals für die sozialwissenschaftliche Verwendungsforschung erschlossen werden. Obwohl die öffentlich-rechtlichen Sparkassen zusammen mit den Girozentralen / Landesbanken gemessen am Marktanteil und der Zahl der Mitarbeiter die größte Gruppe im deutschen Kreditgewerbe darstellt, liegen bisher keine soziologischen Untersuchungen zum Sparkassenwesen vor. Der Autor skizziert zunächst die Entstehung des sparkasseninternen Aus- und Fortbildungswesens sowie der Werbe-, Marketing- und Kommunikationsarbeit. Er zeigt anschließend die institutionellen Besonderheiten der Sparkassen in Deutschland auf und verdeutlicht am Beispiel der sogenannten "Standort: hier"-Kampagne die Herkunft und Verwendung sozialwissenschaftlichen Wissens innerhalb der Sparkassenorganisation. (ICI2)

While many feminist scholars have investigated the hierarchical ranking of differences between men and women in both empirical and theoretical work, differences among men have received less analysis. This article examines the epistemological creation of male differences through analysis of data from semen banks' donor catalogues. Using methods of content and discourse analysis, the authors interpret the ways in which men are advertised to be different from one another. Through marketing semen and thus constructing men, semen banks diversify their merchandise and offer consumers interesting ways to select masculinity. In conclusion, the authors speculate on the effects of semen bank strategies on our concepts of masculinity and notions of reproduction.

Condom social marketing has become central to Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) prevention programs around the world. Excluding the large family planning-oriented social marketing programs of Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India (which accounted for over 500 million condoms in 1996), sales of socially marketed condoms increased more than sixfold from 49 million condoms (in 30 countries) in 1991 to 312 million condoms (in 54 countries) by 1996 (Gardner, Blackburn, & Upadhyay, 1999). This study aims to fill the gap in information about condom social marketing costs. In the field of family planning, considerable effort has been put into analyzing costs per couple-year of protection (CYP) for social marketing and other service delivery approaches (Barberis & Harvey, 1997; Stover & Wagman, 1992). The cost of condom social marketing has yet to be analyzed independently of the cost per CYP of contraceptive social marketing. The cost per condom sold in condom social marketing programs should be analyzed independently for two reasons. First, CYP is a measure designed to aggregate multiple contraceptive methods and therefore is not appropriate for programs that only market condoms. Second, a thorough understanding of the unit costs in condom social marketing is an essential prerequisite to attempting to base AIDS prevention strategies on a rational allocation of resources (World Bank, 1997). The purpose of this study is to contribute toward an increased understanding of condom social marketing costs. Ultimately, this improved understanding may facilitate a more rational allocation of AIDS resources.

It has often been advocated that successful new service (product) development groups should bind into a cohesive unit, sharing a common direction and vision. This suggests close connections and communication between members of the department. The authors conducted two communication network studies to examine the impact of interpersonal communication (i.e., within team, cross team, and cross company) on market and technological learning during new financial service development within the marketing department of banks. They conclude that close cooperation, signified by a strong integration and a central position within the communication network, could be detrimental for learning activities. For service innovation management, the biggest challenge seems to be the preservation of heterogeneity and diversity among individuals and groups both within and across the marketing department to ensure learning. Both boundary-spanning communication and the presence of individuals within loosely coupled marketing networks seem effective communication conditions to obtain a rich learning environment.

Business today is increasingly being impacted by international considerations. This international impact is felt in areas such as locating the various sources of raw materials, coordinating production schedules with plants around the globe, selecting marketing strategies to be employed in various cultures, determining which financial decisions need to be made in a world market, and also how to best utilize a workforce rich in diversity of talents, backgrounds, and communication styles. This paper addresses the last of these considerations: namely, how to effectively manage a diverse workforce. In particular, this work is directed toward helping managers to deal with conflict in the workplace, and to effectively manage that conflict across cultural boundaries. A case situation involving a multinational bank with a diverse workforce is presented. The nature of conflict is discussed, and contributors to conflict explored. A variety of conflict management techniques is reviewed and discussed. Finally, a proposed nine‐step model for managing conflict is presented. The proposed model is then applied to the case situation to illustrate its practical applicability to business today.

THE EURODOLLAR MARKET, WHICH WAS ESTABLISHED IN THE CITY OF LONDON IN THE 1950S, CAN BE CONSIDERED THE PROGENITOR OF THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL SYSTEM WHICH EXITS TODAY. EXPLANATIONS AS TO WHY THIS DEVELOPMENT SHOULD HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN LONDON, RELY, FOR THE MOST PART, ON TWO CONTENDING THESES: THAT IT WAS THE DIRECT CONSEQUENCE OF THE MARKET MECHANISM INEVITABLY OVERCOMING OFFICIAL OBSTRUCTION, OR "FRICTION"; OR THAT DELIBERATE STATE ACTION CREATED THE CONDITIONS WHICH ALLOWED THE MARKET TO EVOLVE AND OPERATE. THIS ARTICLE, WHICH IS BASED ON ARCHIVAL EVIDENCE AND INTERVIEWS WITH STATE AND PRIVATE SECTOR FIGURES INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE EUROMARKETS, ARGUES THAT THE CITY'S POSITION AT THE CENTER OF THE EUROCURRENCY SYSTEM WAS A DIRECT CONSEQUENCE OF IT HAVING EVOLVED WITHIN AN INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK ESTABLISHED OVER 100 YEARS EARLIER. THIS SEEKS TO CHALLENGE SIMPLE STATE /MARKET DICHOTOMIES AND SUGGESTS THAT THE ORGINS OF THE EUROMARKETS CAN BE BETTER UNDERSTOOD WITH REFERENCE TO THE "GOVERNANCE OF REGULATORY SPACE."

Check-cashing businesses constitute a growing industry, particularly in low-income and non-white neighborhoods. This case study of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, finds that check-cashing businesses are concentrated in the central city while conventional banks are concentrated in outlying city and suburban communities. These services are growing, despite relatively high fees, primarily because of their convenient hours and locations for central-city residents, exclusionary behavior by conventional institutions, and financial problems of area households. More effective marketing by conventional banks and more aggressive enforcement of community reinvestment requirements by regulatory agencies would blunt development of two-tiered banking and facilitate revitalization of distressed communities.

This article addresses a weakness in culture-based organization research by exploring the effects of ethnic group culture on managerial behavior. Using a sample of Philippine commercial bank branch managers, the study found significant differences between ethnic Chinese and ethnic Filipino managers in their use of personal judgment when performing certain marketing tasks. Implications of these findings on managers and organizations are discussed.