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Group Interests (group + interest)
Selected AbstractsThe threat of corporate groups and the insolvency connectionINTERNATIONAL INSOLVENCY REVIEW, Issue 3 2009Alexander Dähnert, Article first published online: 27 OCT 200 This paper attempts to shed some light on the issue referred to by the term ,group threat'. The factual appearance of corporate groups will be emphasized, as well as the question of what particular dangers arise from groups of legal entities. It will be argued that the source of group threats lies in the supremacy of group interest over the interests of affiliates, particularly in groups acting as a single unit. However, while efficiency gains inherent in group structures have attracted considerable attention in the debate about the insolvencies of corporate groups, the aspect of how the restriction of group threats can be reconciled with these efficiency-preservation concepts has been neglected. This appears of some concern given the fact that group threats and group synergy effects are part of the same coin. Both sides of the Janus-head ought to be considered in insolvency concepts and an attempt will be made to put the specific aspect of group threats into the wider context of group insolvencies. Existing approaches will be introduced, summarized and categorized, with a particular view taken of their common characteristics. It is argued that most insolvency concepts suffer from the same fundamental deficiencies: the focus on the structure of groups, which makes the very nature of integrated companies difficult to grasp. Consequently, this calls into question the application of these concepts and leads, furthermore, to significant collateral damage in the shape of principles central to company law. Resulting from these shortcomings and from the insight that the supremacy of the group interest constitutes the fundamental source of group characteristics, this paper suggests as an alternative that the focus be placed on wrongful conduct, the argument being that it is not the static structure, but the way the group is directed and ruled, which constitutes the decisive criterion for insolvency concepts. The understanding of group threats is therefore the key to a satisfactory approach to group specific challenges in insolvency. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Making it Work: Supporting Group Representation in a Liberal Democratic OrganizationGENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 4 2001Anne McBride Providing oppressed social groups with rights of representation is one suggestion for counteracting bias towards privileged groups in society. In order to counteract a bias towards their white, male, heterosexual, able-bodied membership, a number of trade unions have provided social groups with resources to self-organize and represent their group interests to mainstream decision-makers. However, enabling group representation at the same time as individual representation is problematic in trade unions that are organized along liberal democratic lines. This case study of UNISON shows that while the union supported the self-organization of oppressed social groups, these groups were excluded from matters affecting pay and working conditions. The article argues that this outcome reflects the difficulty of reconciling the representation of social groups with the representation of individuals in a liberal democratic organization. The implications of this organizational framework are illustrated by contrasting the organizing strategies of two women's self-organized groups. While one strategy (the organization of women shop stewards) fits the prevailing organizational structure, the other (the organization of all women) attempts to be different and may have more potential for counteracting the bias towards privileged groups in the future. The article argues that a radical organizational framework is required if oppressed social groups are to gain real power within trade unions. [source] Contemporary Immigration Policy Orientations Among Dominant-Group Members in Western EuropeJOURNAL OF SOCIAL ISSUES, Issue 3 2001James S. Jackson Predictors of immigration policy attitudes were investigated among members of receiving societies in large national probability samples in 15 Western European countries. We found that a considerable proportion of the variation in immigration policy orientations toward outgroups could be explained by self- and group interests and independent measures of perceived threat. Self-reported racism also contributed independently and significantly to these policy positions. It was concluded that a general framework of proximal self- and group-position indicators (Allport, 1954), perceived threat, and prejudice/racism was useful in predicting the immigrant policy orientations of dominant members of receiving societies across Western Europe. The meaning of these findings for future research on immigration policy orientations across, and especially within, European countries is discussed. [source] Early Lithuanian nationalism: sources of its legitimate meanings in an environment of shifting boundariesNATIONS AND NATIONALISM, Issue 3 2002Algis Valantiejus The objective of this article is to formulate the problem of modernity of the nation more specifically with reference to early Lithuanian nationalism. The problem is to find out how national solidarity emerges in the modernising social context in which factors reflecting nationally relevant conflicts of group interests are more valid. The argument, to summarise, is that the decisive phase of Lithuanian nationalism came with the external religious conflict, on the one hand, and the secular liberal movement, on the other. The analysis also explains why early Lithuanian nationalism was of the ,belated' type. It was the interaction of ethno,religious factors, socio,economic interests and the rapidly increasing role of the intelligentsia that reinforced the symbolic relations of language and social solidarity. [source] Race, Region, and Representative BureaucracyPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW, Issue 5 2009Jason A. Grissom Scholars of representative bureaucracy have long been interested in the linkage between passive representation in public agencies and the pursuit of specific policies designed to benefit minority groups. Research in this area suggests that the structural characteristics of those organizations, the external political environment, and the perceptions of individual bureaucrats each help to facilitate that relationship. Work to date has not, however, sufficiently investigated the impact of region on representation behavior, which is surprising given the emphasis that it receives in the broader literature on race and politics. Drawing on that literature, this study argues that, for black bureaucrats, region of residence is an important moderator of active representation because it helps to determine the salience of race as an issue and the degree of identification with racial group interests. It tests hypotheses related to that general argument in a nationally representative sample of more than 3,000 public schools. The results suggest that black teachers produce greater benefits for black students in the South, relative to other regions. A supplementary analysis also confirms the theoretical supposition that race is a more salient issue for Southern black bureaucrats, when compared with their non-Southern counterparts. [source] Why prosocials exhibit greater cooperation than proselfs: the roles of social responsibility and reciprocityEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue S1 2001David De Cremer Two studies examined the choice differences between prosocials and proselfs by examining the influence of norms of social responsibility and reciprocity. In line with the integrative model of social value orientation, it was expected that prosocials differ from proselfs in their level of cooperation because they wish to maximize own and other's outcomes (i.e. paralleling the norm of social responsibility) and enhance equality in outcomes (i.e. paralleling the norm of reciprocity). Study 1 revealed that prosocials felt more responsible to further the group's interest than proselfs did and this social responsibility feeling appeared to account for choice differences. Study 2 revealed that prosocials were more likely to reciprocate their partner's actions than were proselfs. Also, feelings of social responsibility did not account for this observation, suggesting that enhancing joint outcomes and equality in outcomes constitute two relatively independent dimensions. The findings are discussed in light of the integrative model of social value orientation. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||||||||