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      “We’re all in this together”? The search for collective belonging in a globalised single industry town

      Hurd, Fiona; Dyer, Suzette L.
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      Suzette Dyer We are all in this together .pdf
      Accepted version, 327.2Kb
      DOI
       10.1108/IJSSP-08-2015-0089
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      Hurd, F., & Dyer, S. L. (2017). ‘We’re all in this together’? The search for collective belonging in a globalised single industry town. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 37(1/2), 106–122. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-08-2015-0089
      Permanent Research Commons link: https://hdl.handle.net/10289/13141
      Abstract
      Purpose

      Communities of work are a phenomenon closely associated with government social and industrial policy, and can be tracked in contemporary examples globally. This research explores community identity within a town which was previously single industry, but has since experienced workforce reduction and to a large degree, industry withdrawal.

      Design/methodology/approach

      Using an inductive approach, the researchers interviewed 32 participants who had resided (past or present) within the instrumental case study town. A thematic analytical framework, drawing on the work of Boje (2007) was employed.

      Findings

      A significant theme to emerge from the participants was the public assertion of social cohesion and belonging. However, what was interesting, was that beneath this unified exterior, lay accounts of multiple forms of demarcation. Drawing on Benedict Anderson’s (1983) notion of the imagined community, and Bauman’s (2001) identity in globalization, this contradiction is conceptualised as boundary-making moments of identification and disidentification.

      Research limitations/implications

      This research is specific to the New Zealand context, although holds many points of interest for the wider international audience. The research provides a broad example of the layering of the collective and individual levels of identity.

      Social implications

      This research provides a voice to the wider individual, community and societal implications of managerial practices entwined with political decisions. This research encourages managers and educators in our business schools to seek to understand the relationship between the political, corporate, community and individual realms.

      Originality/value

      This research makes a significant contribution to understandings of the interconnectedness of social policy, industry, and the lived experiences of individuals. Moreover, it contributes to the broader single industry town literature, which previously has focused on stories of decline from a North American context.
      Date
      2017
      Type
      Journal Article
      Publisher
      Emerald
      Rights
      This is an author’s accepted version of an article published in the journal: International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy. © 2017 Emerald
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      • Management Papers [1091]
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