Exploring the visual in organizations and management

Historical researchers have consistently argued for history to be taken more seriously in organization studies (Kieser, 1994), even making the case for an ‘historic turn’ (Booth and Rowlinson, 2006; Clark and Rowlinson, 2004), or historical ‘reorientation’ within organization theory (Usdiken and Kieser, 2004). An historic turn would follow from the move towards more historical approaches in the wider social sciences (McDonald, 1996), as well as calls for more engagement with the humanities, both in organizational research (Zald, 1993) and the business school curriculum (Colby et al., 2011). As a historian Sewell (2005: 358) sees the ‘emergence of the diachronic metaphor of social construction’ as a manifestation of an historic, or ‘historical turn’ within social science. He cites the example of Giddens’ (1984) ‘move from the problematic of structure, synchronically understood, to that of the diachronic process of . . . “structuration”‘ (Sewell, 2005: 358). This is reflected in organization studies with the rise of more explicitly social constructionist theories, in particular new institutionalism (Powell and DiMaggio, 2012), in which several foundational studies are based on longitudinal (e.g. Fligstein, 1991) or archival research (DiMaggio, 1991). However, the ontological and methodological shift away from the synchronic excess of structural contingency theory and the reduced reliance on cross sectional correlations does not necessarily represent a conscious turn towards history.

Florence, one of the most beautiful cities in Italy and considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, held the XXVIth International Conference on Polyphenols (ICP) from 22 to 26 July 2012. It was organised under the auspices of the ‘Groupe Polyphénols’ (GP), an international association founded in France in 1972 with the aim of promoting research on plant polyphenols. The ICP takes place every 2 years, and since its first appearance in 1970 in Narbonne (France) the number of participants has increased significantly. During the past four decades, this meeting had taken place in many European countries, and even in Africa and North America. Nowadays, the ICP is recognised as a scientific meeting with a high-quality standard, where the most pre-eminent groups on polyphenol research and scientists from all over the world participate and present their recent results from scientific activities involving polyphenolic compounds. During this conference in Florence, the ‘Groupe Polyphénols’ (GP) awarded the first GP Ragaï Ibrahim Prize to Dr Joana Oliveira from the University of Porto (Portugal). This prize was created thanks to a generous donation by Dr Ragaï Ibrahim, Emeritus Professor at the University of Concordia (Canada). It is awarded every two years, during the ICP, to an active graduate student or a young postdoctoral fellow who has co-authored, during his/her doctoral studies, a particularly relevant article in the broad field of polyphenol research. Another prize, the GP Scientific Prize, was also awarded during the ICP 2012 to Dr Richard Dixon from the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Oklahoma (USA) to recognise his great contribution to the polyphenols research in biosynthesis and genetics. Around 400 participants from 42 different countries attended the ICP 2012; over 300 presentations were delivered, including 256 posters, 40 selected oral communications and 13 invited lectures. Most presentations were based on high-quality original works covering a wide range of topics, and were organised in different sessions: chemistry and physical–chemistry properties of polyphenols, influence of polyphenols on food and beverage properties, chemical synthesis and biosynthesis, molecular biology, enzymology, gene expression and regulation of polyphenols, role of polyphenols in plants and ecosystems, health properties of polyphenols, bioavailability and metabolism, cosmetics and technological applications. Many of the presentations addressed the biological properties of polyphenols and polyphenol-rich foods, and some original results highlighted the importance of those compounds in slowing down some degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, the interest on the potential impact of polyphenols on epigenetic mechanisms reducing cancer-cell survival was reinforced by some studies presented during the conference. Regarding biosynthesis, genetic and metabolic engineering, significant advances were noted in understanding the biosynthesis of polyphenols in plants and namely the regulation of the phenylpropanoid pathway and the genes involved. Moreover, progress in the knowledge of the ecological and physiological role of these compounds was also illustrated in several communications. In this special issue, a relatively short number of selected and interesting papers, focusing mainly on the development of new methodologies for polyphenol analysis, are presented. These include the study of the polyphenol composition in fruits and plant preparations, the optimisation of a new tool to study the interaction of polyphenols with proteins, and the susceptibility of hydrolysable tannins to oxidation. In addition, a few more related papers on polyphenols, selected from the recent submissions to PCA, have also been added to this issue to make it more resourceful. The next ICP (in 2014) will be held in Nagoya (Japan). Main topics will include chemistry, physicochemistry and materials science, biosynthesis, genetics and metabolic engineering, plants and ecosystems, lignocellulose biomass, food, nutrition and health, natural medicine and Kampo, and tannins and their functions. Therefore, do not miss the opportunity to join that meeting, and to share your expert knowledge on polyphenols with us!

Filtering the good from the bad: A focus on kidney development and disease to celebrate John Bertram's long‐standing career in anatomy and renal research

The purpose of this focused issue is to advance understanding of qualitative research methods in the international business context. Debates on qualitative research methods in the key international business (IB) journals have been rare. There has been no focused issue on this topic previously, either in mir or in other journals in the field, making this a 'special' issue. During the process of editing a recent handbook on qualitative research methods (Marschan-Piekkari/Welch 2004), we realized that while this collection covered many topics, often for the first time in the IB field, there were many others still outstanding. There was thus scope for continuing a dialogue about qualitative methods in the IB research community. The challenge of making qualitative research count in the quantitative world of IB remains. Qualitative research is difficult to define, since the term encompasses many different research traditions, research strategies and methods for data collection and analysis (Prasad 2005). A typical definition is that everything non-numerical is qualitative research (Marschan-Piekkari/Welch 2004, p. 19). However, even this very simplistic definition soon breaks down, since research strategies which are typically considered to be qualitative, such as case studies, can combine numerical with non-numerical data (Hurmerinta-Peltomaki/Nummela 2004). There is also no clear divide between qualitative and quantitative research in terms of research traditions, with much qualitative research in management and IB sharing the positivist assumptions of quantitative research (Prasad/Prasad 2002). This focused issue is not about reporting the empirical findings of IB studies applying qualitative methods; rather it is about the process of undertaking qualitative research in the IB field. Of course, there is a large volume of literature on qualitative research methods already. However, we would argue that the IB context warrants special treatment. As the authors of this focused issue discuss, the distinctiveness of the field stems from its multiple linguistic and cultural settings; organizational complexity; and its intellectual roots in post-War academic institutions in the USA. These issues receive little treatment in general texts on qualitative methodology. There has been some methodological debate in previous issues of mir. Earlier articles in mircan be grouped into three categories: first, reviews of existing methodological practices in IB publications (e.g., Cavusgil/Das 1997, Nasif et al. 1991); second, proposals for new quantitative techniques (e.g., the use of key informants in cross-cultural studies, as proposed by Lenartowicz and Roth 2004 and a linguistic-based measure of cultural distance as developed by West and Graham 2004); and third, calls for new methodological approaches (Boddewyn/Iyer 1999). The absence of qualitative research methods in this debate perhaps reflects the limited amount of empirical qualitative research published in this journal. A recent analysis of mir issues between 1990 and 1999 revealed that only 5 percent of articles published in this period used qualitative methods (Welch/Welch 2004). This focused issue is therefore a response to those, such as Boddewyn and Iyer (1999) in this journal, who have called for alternatives to surveys and secondary data analysis. This focused issue attracted 39 submissions from more than 15 countries. Given that there have been limited outlets for methodological articles in IB, this is a considerable number. It perhaps suggests a level of interest to which IB journals have not responded to date. Of the total number of submissions, 11 were selected for review. On the basis of reviewers' comments, six of these papers were ultimately rejected. The final five papers underwent two and, in some cases, up to four rounds of revisions. In selecting the articles, we used the following criteria: appropriateness of the topic for the focused issue; demonstrated knowledge of IB and methodological literature; quality of argument; originality and innovativeness of the contribution to IB methodology; organization and clarity of the paper; and potential application to research practice in IB. …

The new possibilities offered by digital technologies facilitate advanced forms of exchange and interaction between consumers and businesses. Thanks to the Internet, consumers are presented with new opportunities to enhance their power in relationships with businesses. Besides having access to an unprecedented amount of information, online consumers can compare a vast range of products, access independent and professional sources of expertise, and interact in an efficient and productive manner with firms and institutions. As a result, online consumers may play an active role in both marketing communication programmes and the design of products and their related sets of benefits and values. These consumers are more willing and prepared to disseminate their opinions about brands and products -whether supportive or unfavourable, and even to sanction firms among far-reaching audiences. Online consumers benefit from a collective intelligence, demand greater control over their shopping experience and the design of value propositions in terms of their own individual interests. In the context of digital technologies, businesses are better prepared to face the challenges of satisfying online consumers. In addition to benefiting from Internet-based processing systems to manage great masses of consumer data, firms may adopt advanced customer-centric paradigms and define and develop e-marketing strategies and programmes that are more precise and more closely matched to customers' needs. The potential of digital technologies to transform the marketing environment has resulted in a great deal of research on the online consumer and the business strategies and orientations which companies adopt in order to build relationships with consumers through the Internet. Initial research has mostly focused on developing consumer profiles and identifying online segments in this digital marketing environment. However, the expansion of ecommerce in general and the widespread adoption of the Internet as a marketing channel led to the appearance of a broad and varied array of research topics on consumer behaviour and e-marketing. This includes the e-shopping decision, online consumer satisfaction and loyalty, and trust in purchasing decisions on the Internet. Interest in qualitative approaches to research in e-marketing and online consumer behaviour has increased in recent times, thus facilitating a more in-depth analysis of the motivations and perceptions of connected consumers. Qualitative approaches enable researchers to access online consumer behaviour, often through direct observation, in its natural environment. They facilitate the analyses of how consumers shop and interact with one another by means of digital technologies. Importantly, such research is consumer-centric, focusing on emerging consumer perspectives rather than a researcher-defined agenda. In this way, qualitative research allows gaining deep insights and a better understanding of consumer behaviour which might not otherwise be possible by adopting solely quantitative approaches. Thus, qualitative methods may be considered as important elements in the Internet researcher's toolbox. In fact, with the development of social networking, qualitative and mixed methods approaches may emerge as important contributors to the field: in ways such as helping to discover the new forms through which the Internet empowers consumers; facilitating the exploration of new routes for co-creation of value and for consumer participation in the innovation processes; aiding with the evaluation of the impact of personalization practices developed within eCRM programmes on consumers; and, promoting the analysis of consumer behaviour in virtual consumption communities. With this editorial project we aim to reflect on and discuss the use of qualitative techniques within e-marketing research. A collection of high-quality theoretical and qualitative-empirical analyses - which have undergone a rigorous triple-blind review process - is presented. …

Guest Editor's Introduction:Historians and Histories of the Horn of Africa: Toward a Comparative View Federica Guazzini For we can get some idea of a whole from a part, but never knowledge or exact opinion. Special histories therefore contribute very little to the knowledge of the whole and conviction of its truth. It is only indeed by study of the interconnection of all the particulars, their resemblances and differences, that we are enabled at least to make a general survey, and thus derive both benefit and pleasure from history. Polybius, The Histories Although much has been written on the history and culture of the Horn of Africa, one of the most contentious, controversial, and important questions regarding the contemporary history of Africa still remains: what is the matter with the Horn? Examining cutting-edge issues in the ongoing redrawing of the political map of the Horn of Africa, the organizing committee of the international conference titled "The Horn of Africa between History, Law, and Politics" set as its goal the presentation of a rich and stimulating range of papers exploring the historical and contemporary meanings of the major changes the region has undergone. The articles in the present issue of Northeast African Studies are derived from papers presented at this conference. [End Page 1] The primary objective of the organizing committee was to examine the Horn of Africa's postindependence struggle to build transparent, accountable, and participatory governance structures, in order to predict scenarios of conflict resolution, new bases of cooperation, and modes and models of reconstruction of the legal and juridical systems in the region. Indeed, as Bereket Habte Selassie aptly underlined, the conference was "a bold and imaginative exercise in optimism" or, at least, a challenge to participants to adopt an international comparative perspective, which is of interest above all for its discussion of the major changes that have taken place since the imposition of European colonial rule on the Horn. Both African-born scholars and other experts were encouraged to attend the conference. The audience took an active part, and indeed the number of international scholars from different fields within the humanities and social sciences who participated in panel discussions reflects the lively interest resulting from the broad guidelines provided for the conference. Unfortunately, it has not been possible to publish in the present volume all the papers that were discussed. This edited collection confirms the insights of both mature and younger scholars, successfully demonstrating that the peoples of the Horn are much more complexly embedded in, and reflective of, interacting social and political processes than was understood by previous generations of scholars. Whereas historians and ethnologists of past decades tended to address each people separately, the panelists highlight the important interrelationships between groups. Each author tackles this interpretative challenge, providing different approaches, with thematic essays that strike a successful balance between political and social history. The Horn of Africa is thus increasingly treated as a cohesive area of study. The historical and social links between most of its constituent countries have always been strong. In part, this has been because of its colonial past, with Eritrea and Somalia among the Italian colonial possessions, Djibouti under French control, and Somaliland administered by Great Britain. Moreover, today these countries share a common destiny, in which the emerging political contours do not arouse much hope for the enhancement of international cooperation for peace and prosperity, for the rule of law and justice, for the gaining of support for [End Page 2] poverty alleviation. Thus, stabilizing the assessment of the past becomes a critical first step in reversing these expectations. The reader of this collection can particularly appreciate the collaboration of colleagues in their efforts to deal with political, anthropological, social, and legal questions, and in the fresh look they take at the way peoples, symbols, and ideas straddle the various regions of the Horn and at the clashes between these things in these regions. Common research questions raised during the conference focused on the institutional and cognitive structures resulting from such interactions. Among the topics included were the historical and current processes of construction of spaces of action and communication, as well as the processes of conflict and...

Introduction. To date, in the normative legal acts, scientific and methodological developments, scientific sources there is no list of problematic issues in organizing scientific research in the interests of higher military educational institutions and military education authorities of Ukraine, which does not allow to form an effective system of measures for its improvement..Purpose. To identify and systematize the problematic issues of organization of scientific research in the interests of higher military educational institutions of Ukraine.Methods. The method of analysis, synthesis and the method of expert evaluations are used.Results. According to the results of an expert assessment of the state of organization of scientific research in the interests of military education of Ukraine, the problematic issues are proposed, which are proposed to be systematized in groups:problematic issues of regulatory and legal regulation of relations in the process of organization of scientific research in the interests of military education of Ukraine;problematic issues of scientific and methodological provision of organization of scientific research in the interests of military education of Ukraine;problematic issues in the management of scientific research in the interests of military education of Ukraine;problematic issues of resource support for scientific research in the interests of military education in Ukraine.Originality. The problem issues of organization of scientific research in the interests of military education of Ukraine are specified and systematized.Conclusion. The differentiation of problem issues in organizing scientific research in the interests of educational institutions and education management bodies in the Armed Forces of Ukraine is presented in the article as it is expedient to consider as directions of improvement of the system of organization of scientific researches in the interests of higher military educational institutions.

How has sociology evolved over the last 40 years? In this paper, we examine networks built on thousands of sociology-relevant papers to map sociology's position in the wider social sciences and identify changes in the most prominent research fronts in the discipline. We find first that sociology seems to have traded centrality in the field of social sciences for internal cohesion: sociology is central, but not nearly as well bounded as neighboring disciplines such as economics or law. Internally, sociology appears to have moved away from research topics associated with fundamental social processes and toward social-problems research. We end by discussing strategies for extending this work to wider science production networks.

This paper seeks to elucidate the geographies of brands and branding through interpreting their geographical entanglements. Focusing upon goods and services, it argues, first, that the object of the brand and the process of branding are geographical because they are entangled in inescapable spatial associations. Second, these spatial associations matter because they are geographically differentiated and uneven. Third, geographically entangled brands and branding are closely related to spatially uneven development through the articulation and reinforcement of economic and social inequalities and unequal and competitive sociospatial relations and divisions of labour. Despite their apparent pervasiveness and significance for geographical inquiry, the geographical entanglements of brands and branding have been under-investigated in Geography and hardly recognized and poorly specified in other social science research. A critical account is provided that demonstrates the entangled geographies of brands and branding in their: (1) geographical origins, provenance and sociospatial histories; (2) spatial circuits of value and meaning and uneven development; and (3) territorial and relational spaces and places. Reading the changing forms, extent and nature of the geographical entanglements of brands and branding provides a novel but relatively overlooked window to consider and illustrate the vital spaces at the intersections of economic, social, cultural and political geographies, the tensions between relational and territorial notions of space and place and the politics and limits of brands and branding. Learning from wider social science, the paper demonstrates the importance of geography by projecting more clearly specified and sophisticated treatments of space and place into accounts of brands and branding.

Organizational education research strategies and research methodologies are grounded in theoretical, ontological and epistemological foundations. Against a primarily objectivist research paradigm, organizational education empirical research works from a historizing, futuring, triangulation, mixed methods and a reflexivity oriented position. Against narrow substantialist and entity-based perspectives, organizations are understood as ‚becoming‘ and ‚doing‘ in the process of ‚organizing‘. The topics of emergent or disruptive change and intentional, formal or informal learning is focus of organizational education research. Research strategies in this sense support a complexity and a culturalizing perspectivity and argue for a ‚polylogic‘ and ethics oriented standpoint on rationalities and truth. From here, research strategies of multiperspectivity, process orientation, comparative orientation, participation orientation, as well as aesthetization and design orientation become crucial for organizational education research. Organizational education research always is interested in theoretically grounded and analytically oriented research, which can be participatory and design oriented, too. Research strategies in general make use of the whole spectrum of qualitative and quantitative methodology and methods as well as their further and ongoing developments.

The relevance of time in organizations and organizational studies: Introduction to the special issue The relevance of time in organizations and organizational studies: Introduction to the special issue This special issue addresses the relevance of time in organizations and organizational research. Given that time is inherent to all activity and interaction, it is an important factor for understanding the functioning of people in the workplace. The realization of this fact has recently led to a rediscovery of the theme in contemporary industrial and organizational psychology. In this introductory article, we offer a historical overview of the work devoted to time in I/O psychology, which shows a clear shift from objective time, as given, to subjective time, as experienced. We provide some examples from practice to show that both approaches are relevant for our field of research. Additionally, we describe the history and current state of affairs regarding theory development and research methodology. We go on to provide an introduction to the articles in this special issue. Finally, we briefly outline some directions for future research.

Previous articleNext article No AccessRevisions/ReportsModernization and Family History: Perspectives on Social ChangeTamara K. HarevenTamara K. Hareven Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Signs Volume 2, Number 1Autumn, 1976 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/493339 Views: 57Total views on this site Citations: 29Citations are reported from Crossref Copyright 1976 The University of ChicagoPDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Varangrat Nguanchoo, Prasit Wangpakapattanawong, Henrik Balslev, Angkhana Inta Hmong Medicinal Plant Knowledge Transmission and Retention in Social Modernity, Human Ecology 50, no.33 (Jun 2022): 419–433.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-022-00326-4Ting Li, Yongai Jin Leaning to the disadvantaged or pursuing maximum utility? The allocation of intergenerational relationship resources in C hinese families with multiple children, Family Relations 71, no.22 (Sep 2021): 526–541.https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12592Junru Cui, Can Cui, Richard Ronald, Shan Yu, Xueying Mu The dynamics of gender in the intergenerational transmission of homeownership: A case study of young couples in Shanghai, Population, Space and Place 27, no.66 (Feb 2021).https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.2428Ting Li, Wenting Fan, Jian Song The Household Structure Transition in China: 1982–2015, Demography 57, no.44 (Jun 2020): 1369–1391.https://doi.org/10.1007/s13524-020-00891-7Li Mo A Longitudinal Study of the Long-Term Predictors of China’s Divorce Rate, Marriage & Family Review 56, no.33 (Jan 2020): 217–240.https://doi.org/10.1080/01494929.2020.1712299María M. Camou Family Formation, Gender and Labour During the First Globalization in Montevideo, Uruguay, (Feb 2019): 261–276.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99480-2_11 허민숙 Korean Women's Oral History: Urban Immigrant Women's Experiences and Value Changes in The Era of Development, Family and Culture 26, no.33 (Sep 2014): 177–211.https://doi.org/10.21478/family.26.3.201409.006Peter L. Callero The Globalization of Self: Role and Identity Transformation from Above and Below, Sociology Compass 2, no.66 (Nov 2008): 1972–1988.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9020.2008.00177.xPeter L. Callero The Political Self, (Jan 2003): 57–70.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9188-1_5Hans-Peter Blossfeld, Rolf Müller Guest Editors’ Introduction, International Journal of Sociology 32, no.44 (Nov 2016): 3–35.https://doi.org/10.1080/15579336.2002.11770257Rebecca Ann Bach The Homosocial imaginary of a woman killed with kindness, Textual Practice 12, no.33 (Dec 1998): 503–524.https://doi.org/10.1080/09502369808582321Tamara K. Hareven What Difference Does It Make?, Social Science History 20, no.33 (Jan 2016): 317–344.https://doi.org/10.1017/S0145553200018691JANE ADAMS Resistance to “modernity”: southern Illinois farm women and the cult of domesticity, American Ethnologist 20, no.11 (Oct 2009): 89–113.https://doi.org/10.1525/ae.1993.20.1.02a00050 S. Philip Morgan , Antonio McDaniel , Andrew T. Miller , and Samuel H. Preston Racial Differences in Household and Family Structure at the Turn of the Century, American Journal of Sociology 98, no.44 (Oct 2015): 799–828.https://doi.org/10.1086/230090Jane Adams "Woman's Place is in the Home": The Ideological Devaluation of Farm Women's Work, Anthropology of Work Review 12, no.44 (Dec 1991): 2–11.https://doi.org/10.1525/awr.1991.12.4.2Catherine S. Chilman The Background of the Present Abortion Controversy, Affilia 3, no.22 (Jul 2016): 41–54.https://doi.org/10.1177/088610998800300205Louise A. Tilly Women's History and Family History: Fruitful Collaboration or Missed Connection?, Journal of Family History 12, no.1-31-3 (Mar 1987): 303–315.https://doi.org/10.1177/036319908701200117Dwight Hoover The Long Ordeal of Modernization Theory, Prospects 11 (Jul 2009): 407–451.https://doi.org/10.1017/S0361233300005469Mika Applebaum, Herb Applebaum Anthropology of Work Review, Anthropology of Work Review 4, no.44 (Dec 1983): 1–12.https://doi.org/10.1525/awr.1983.4.4.1Ran Lachman Modernity Change of Core and Periphery Values of Factory Workers, Human Relations 36, no.66 (Jun 1983): 563–580.https://doi.org/10.1177/001872678303600605Rama S. Pandey Strategies of Healthy Sex Role Development in Modernized India, (Jan 1982): 141–149.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-7737-2_16Maxine Baca Zinn Sociological Theory in Emergent Chicano Perspectives, The Pacific Sociological Review 24, no.22 (Apr 1981): 255–272.https://doi.org/10.2307/1388707Maxine Baca Zinn Employment and Education of Mexican-American Women: The Interplay of Modernity and Ethnicity in Eight Families, Harvard Educational Review 50, no.11 (Apr 1980): 47–62.https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.50.1.x5t1n1n3q888k324KATHLEEN A. MOONEY Ethnicity, economics, the family cycle, and household composition*, Canadian Review of Sociology/Revue canadienne de sociologie 16, no.44 (Jul 2008): 387–403.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-618X.1979.tb01240.xMary H. Blewett The union of sex and craft in the haverhill shoe strike of 1895, Labor History 20, no.33 (Jul 2008): 352–375.https://doi.org/10.1080/00236567908584538 Hanna Papanek Comment on Gusfield's Review Essay on Becoming Modern, American Journal of Sociology 83, no.66 (Oct 2015): 1507–1511.https://doi.org/10.1086/226713 Karen A. Miller Women and Modernity: A Response to Papanek, American Journal of Sociology 83, no.66 (Oct 2015): 1511–1513.https://doi.org/10.1086/226714 Tamara K. Hareven The Dynamics of Kin in an Industrial Community, American Journal of Sociology 84 (Sep 2015): S151–S182.https://doi.org/10.1086/649239Jay D. Schvaneveldt, Robert S. Pickett, Margaret H. Young Historical Methods in Family Research, (): 99–116.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-85764-0_4

The articles gathered together in this special issue were submitted in response to a call for manuscripts, issued in 2009, on ‘Communicating the environment’. While the recent decade has seen the rise to dominance of ‘climate change’ as a focus for media, public and political environmental concern, as well as for science/social science research on the environment, the call for papers deliberately aimed more broadly at attracting contributions from the wider field of social science, media, communication and cultural studies research on environmental communication. The articles brought together here thus represent a rich and exciting range of research foci and, equally important in our view, of theoretical frameworks and research approaches to the study of environmental mediation and communication. Comprising a range of different national and media foci, they offer analyses of a diverse range of media forms including film/animation, television, promotional videos, newspapers and magazines, and with contributions by scholars from New Zealand, Canada, the US, the UK, Belgium, Denmark and Germany. The environmental issues examined range from climate change, nuclear power and agricultural biotechnology, to media portrayals of ‘nature’ and ‘environment’. Not surprisingly, given the rise of ‘framing analysis’ in the last two decades, several of the articles draw on, deploy and advance ‘framing analysis’, while often combining the insights from theories of ‘framing’ with content analysis and discourse analytical approaches. In our view, a particular strength of this special issue is

If I Have Seen Further, It Is Because I Stand on the Shoulders of Giants

Liberating our conceptualization of 'evidence'.