Provocative book of institutional and cultural critique
Offers a critique of materialism, consumerism, and branding
Debunks inflated rhetoric and narcissism of contemporary world
Employs a wealth of wide-ranging empirical examples
Provocative book of institutional and cultural critique
Offers a critique of materialism, consumerism, and branding
Debunks inflated rhetoric and narcissism of contemporary world
Employs a wealth of wide-ranging empirical examples
In this book, Mats Alvesson aims to demystify some popular and upbeat claims about a range of phenomena, including the knowledge society, consumption, branding, higher education, organizational change, professionalization, and leadership. He contends that a culture of grandiosity is leading to numerous inflated claims. We no longer talk about plans but strategies. Supervisors have been replaced by managers. Goods have become brands. Wealthy countries try to show that they are knowledge societies through mass higher education but with limited effect on real qualifications or qualified job opportunities for graduates. The book views the contemporary economy as an economy of persuasion, where firms and other institutions increasingly assign talent, energy, and resources to rhetoric, image, branding, reputation, and visibility.
Using a wide range of empirical examples to illuminate the realms of consumption, higher education, organization, and leadership, this provocative and engaging book challenges established assumptions and contributes to a critical understanding of society as a whole.
Readership: Academics, researchers, and graduate students in Organization, Sociology, Consumer Studies, Higher Education, and Cultural Studies; and the general reader interested in cultural and organizational critique