The bankers of this world have failed miserably. Economists have not fared much better. Top managers have failed to know what was going on in their organization (or worse). At lower levels of banks employees have failed to realize that they were gambling with other people's money. Economists have not found it suitable to include data on the behaviour of markets during crisis (Gorton, 2012). Professionally and morally the financial crisis is a disaster. The problems for regulators and scholars are profound. There are compelling reasons to seek new bearings by re-positioning the banker as a responsible person in a socially responsible industry. Such re-positioning is an exercise in ontological reasoning on "the appropriate banker". It uses actor-network-theory, dialogue studies, virtue ethics, and a socio-cultural approach to learn to build a model to guide observation of bankers in action. In her practice the main risk for the appropriate banker is 'disconnect' (not listed among the risks bank management systems should model). (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Is it possible to capture history in the making? Or does history only evolve in retrospect as we try to make sense of our experiences? We reflect on these questions, and suggest how visual research methods can be of use when trying to locate present and past events in their historical context. Our main argument is that video recordings create analytical spaces that outlive particular events, and which can be used to identify and interpret episodes of historical importance. We discuss two ways in which we have done this. First, as a 'short loop' method, by which we enlist our research subjects' help to interpret and contextualize 'what is going on' in a video clip re-viewed a few months after the event. Second, as a 'long loop' method of analysis, in which we revisit an old recording to find out how a discussion and decision, which several years later turned out to be of strategic importance, was understood at the time of the event. In both cases the incorporation of time into theories and theorizing is facilitated by the analytical spaces created with the help of video recordings. We end the paper by suggesting a way to combine the two methods.

In this article the organizing of discourse in management teams is illustrated by a close examination of a video recorded discussion of a strategic initiative inside an industrial network in crisis. The deliberation/decision treated here controlled significant parts of the successful action toward a major customer over the next 5 years. The purpose is to convey a sense of the complexity of the situation and how members collectively work out a project narrative that will guide action over the next few years. The extreme uncertainty of the situation requires members to construct a project narrative that will mobilize (action) bias and overcome hesitation. The situation is pre-rational in the sense that it is not calculable. Instead it is assumed that a more general conception of “virtuous action” is at play. Virtue ethics is referred to and some methodological aspects are discussed in conclusion.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to address the distinctive problems of interventionist research that originate from intervention in ongoing practices as opposed to the experiment's design of a theory‐relevant context.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is an essay, based on arguments of mapping closely and understanding the work environment of the managers under study, and of re‐framing (or re‐education) practices.FindingsThe paper finds that the intervention is valued in terms of improved practice, as well as theoretical contribution.Research limitations/implicationsLearning theories (organizational and individual) should be included in the toolbox as well as methods of observing ongoing practices.Practical implicationsInterventionist research changes the way organizations think about how they organize their work (the appellate case); learning theory impacts work organization very concretely.Originality/valueManagement itself is intervention in organizational work practices, intervention in management practices will be something akin to Argyriset al.'s second loop (or Rorty's abnormal discourse) learning, which can be understood as re‐framing (or re‐education) practices. The use of case narratives and storytelling as ways of data capture are of particular interest in that respect.

Interventionist research is not unobtrusive since the researcher deliberately seeks to make an impact on the world in order to gain knowledge. In this Chapter we examine the fundamental nature of interventionist research in management accounting, its philosophical anchoring, variations, and forms of output. We also give brief illustrations. The distinguishing character of this kind of research is the need for the researcher to cross the border between the etic (outsider) and the emic (insider) perspectives-there and back again. This shift between differing logics provides opportunities for new insights since the researcher wants to achieve solutions that work in the field and come back with evidence of theoretical significance.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to give advice on how to achieve more productive academic writing work by commenting on 13 rules for good work. This is an increasingly important aspect of academic work for young scholars as publication is the main basis for promotion and salary increases in Europe today.Design/methodology/approach - The approach is to draw on many years of experience as editor of management journals and, when possible, give illustrative comments.Findings - The claim brought forward by the entire list of academic writing rules is that by living up to them the academic will improve his or her publication record, which will effect life income.Originality/value - There is an expanding literature on academic writing, mostly in book form. This paper provides the essentials in compressed form.

Interventionist research is not unobtrusive since the researcher deliberately seeks to make an impact on the world in order to gain knowledge. In this chapter we examine the fundamental nature of interventionist research in management accounting, its philosophical anchoring, variations, and forms of output. We also give brief illustrations. The distinguishing character of this kind of research is the need for the researcher to cross the border between the etic (outsider) and the emic (insider) perspectives - there and back again. This shift between differing logics provides opportunities for new insights since the researcher wants to achieve solutions that work in the field and come back with evidence of theoretical significance.