Tony Bennett

Regulated restlessness: museums, liberal government and the historical sciences

This paper examines the role of the historical sciences (natural history, ethnology, archaeology and geology) in late-nineteenth-century programmes of liberal government. Why, over this period, did the historical sciences suggest themselves as useful for governing? Why were they accorded such importance within the civic and public education strategies of museums? Why and how did they come to eclipse the role that had earlier been accorded to art in these regards? It is argued that the answers to these questions consist in the intersection between three discursive events: first, the importance of Darwins work in fashioning a version of nature that could be adapted to liberal programmes of social reform; second, the new disciplinary synthesis of geology, archaeology, natural history and ethnology which dominated the intellectual horizons of the late nineteenth century and which provided a new set of intersecting historical horizons within which to govern the conduct of individuals and populations; and, thi...

Workplace mediation and the empowerment of disputants: rhetoric or reality?

There has been a growing interest in the field of employee relations in the use of mediation in seeking to resolve disputes in the workplace. Mediation is a model of dispute resolution, it is argued, that lends itself particularly well to situations where the parties have become entrenched in their positions. The studys timeliness is evident in the Governments recent strategic focus on workplace conflict, specifically its current initiative to pilot mediation networks within the small and medium enterprises sector. The research was carried out over a nine-month period ending in March 2012. It is based on the views and experiences of 60 respondents from over 40 cross-sectoral organisations in the North of England. Findings revealed that the main reasons for the disputes referred for mediation were relationship problems, poor communication and poorly perceived management style and practice. Significantly, differences in sector or occupation could also impact on whether cases went to mediation.

New ways of promoting equality and diversity in the workplace

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on the discussions that took place and the key themes raised at a conference focusing on the role of the union equality representative, held at the British Trades Union Congress (TUC), London, in February 2009.Design/methodology/approach – The conference was structured around the contribution of a number of keynote speakers, reports back from project workers and question and answer sessions with delegates. The paper is based on observation, summary notes and conference documents.Findings – The conference demonstrated the potential for a new type of union representative to help address inequality and discrimination in the workplace, with clear examples of early successes reported by unions participating in the project. However, it also highlighted barriers that may still remain until the equality rep has the same legal rights and status accorded to other union representatives in the UK.Originality/value – This report highlights a key new initiative from the ...

The role of workplace mediation: a critical assessment

Purpose – Interest in mediation as an alternative strategy for managing conflict in the workplace has grown recently both in terms of theory, practice and government policy. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the efficacy of the process as practised in higher education, where its use is quite well developed. Its key aim is to increase the understanding of the process through a more qualitative sectorial analysis. Design/methodology/approach – The research took place over a six-month period in 2011. It is based on the views and experiences of 36 representatives from 16 universities across the North of England and four senior managers from mediation providers serving those organisations. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews with an average duration of one hour were undertaken with the majority of respondents with a small number of slightly shorter telephone interviews. All interviews were fully transcribed. Findings – The key findings of the research suggest that universities, whilst having simi...

Chapter 1.3: Pedagogic Challenges to the Hegemony of Neo-liberal Business and Management Teaching

The aim of this paper is to propose a critical pedagogic conceptual framework to test and counter the hegemony of conventional business and management teaching. Not that we abandon the conventions of mainstream learning objectives. Accounting, marketing and management as good practice, for instance, are all key skills successfully utilised in all organisations. Rather it proposes a model to enlighten students, and teachers, to the alternative ways of viewing the ‘received wisdom’ that seems to dominate our discipline.

Inside the mediation room - efficiency, voice and equity in workplace mediation

Abstract Existing research into workplace mediation in the UK has tended to focus on managerial perceptions. Consequently, there has been a unitarist emphasis on the business case for mediation, revolving around its alleged superior efficiency properties compared to conventional rights-based procedures. This paper develops the research agenda in two respects: first, it foregrounds the experiences of participants in mediation through 25 interviews with individuals drawn from a variety of contexts. Second, it extends the analysis beyond the efficiency of mediation to consider issues of voice and equity. In doing so it explores the role played by mediation within the negotiation and re-negotiation of workplace relations and also the way in which it shapes, and is shaped by, power and control. In the cases examined in the paper, mediation not only facilitated employee voice, but allowed subordinates to challenge the authority of supervisors and line managers. However, the influence of mediation on the balance of workplace power relations outside the mediation room was much more limited.

The role of trade unions in supporting victims of domestic violence in the workplace

This article explores the effects that domestic violence has on victims in their workplace and how trade unions respond. Focussing on the experiences of union representatives, the research highlights the support offered to victims, the barriers representatives face, and the under-acknowledged personal impact that these cases can have upon representatives.