Ness, K and Green, S (2008) Respect for people in the enterprise culture? In: Dainty, A (ed.) Proceedings of 24th Annual ARCOM Conference, 1-3 September 2008, Cardiff, UK.
Abstract
This paper investigates some of the assumptions that lie behind the text of the Respect for People reports (2000; 2004), part of the follow-up from the Egan report (DETR 1998). Critical discourse analysis (CDA) is mobilised to place Respect for People within its structural, institutional, and historic context, looking at why it was produced and what effects it had. Particular emphasis is placed on linking the specifics of the text to the wider social structures of which it forms part. Conceptualising people as an asset or resource encourages an instrumental view in which it is acceptable to treat human beings as means to an end. Similarly, the 'business case' argument for respecting people means that improvements to working conditions are judged purely in accordance with their contribution to efficiency and profitability rather than in terms of moral imperatives (not killing people) or fairness (not discriminating against them). Investigation of the context of the report reveals it to be a response to conditions at a particular historical moment: labour shortages; the desire to avoid or pre-empt regulation; changes in the wider prevailing discourse; and the need to give the impression that 'something is being done'. There is seen to be an underlying contradiction between the market status of labour as a disposable commodity and its status as a 'valued human resource'. The discourse of 'Respect for People' is shaped by social structures, but also contributes to shaping them. It contributes to sustaining existing power relations, yet it is also a resource which can be drawn on to improve conditions for people working in construction.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | critical discourse analysis; human resources; respect for people |
| Index terms: | critical discourse analysis, human resource, respect for people, fairness, investigation, profitability, labour shortage, regulation, working conditions, social structure, business case, efficiency |
| Subjects: | strategic project management, economic analysis, ethical practice, data analysis and analytics, data collection methods, political science, leadership, employment law, social theory, economics, performance management, management |
| Topics: | Governance, Business Strategy, Research Practice, Project Management, Organizational Design, Legal Issues, Quality Management, Human Resources, Supply Chain Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 2 CA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here