Suchergebnisse

This paper is a semiological attempt to derive meaning from the recent reconceptualization of the German nation: the thesis of the separate socialist nation as advanced by the Socialist Unity Party (SED) of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Before entering upon the question of how the-socialist nation of the GDR is defined and what this definition means in contrast to the definition of the nation current in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), we may well ask whether it makes any difference. In spite of the furor aroused by this idea in the West German press, non-Germans may legitimately wonder whether it is not silly to quibble over whether to the GDR a separate state or a separate nation.

Whereas many advanced democracies have a long-standing tradition of collaboration between parties and interest groups, it is still contested what drives such collaboration. Linking data on political parties with survey data from over 750 Danish and Dutch interest groups we find evidence of groups focusing on collaboration with large and ideologically moderate parties in both systems. However, our findings also indicate that the importance of power and ideology for interest group-party collaboration is conditioned by crucial aspects of the institutional context in which such collaboration occurs related to party system dynamics and coalition governance. In Denmark, where governments tend to alternate between left and right, collaboration between parties and interest groups is more likely to follow a similar left-right division. In contrast, such collaboration is more likely to reflect a division between core and marginal parties in the Netherlands, where change in government composition is typically only partial.

Although critique has come to enjoy a well-recognized place in organizational research and scholarship, the typical business management classroom continues to be relatively underexposed to the critical program. This article represents an attempt to bring critical management scholarship closer to the business classroom. The article discusses issues such as the disciplinary status and relevance of criticism in management as well as the usefulness of the concept of ideology as a critical device. This is followed by the outlines of an experiential exercise (based on a Tom Peters video) followed by the outlines of an experiential exercise (based on a Tom Peters video) designed to engage business students in critical theorizing. Finally, some implications of the exercise are presented.