The Business of Ethnography: Strategic Exchanges, People and Organizations [Paperback]

Brian Moeran (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 31, 2005 | ISBN-10: 1845201957 | ISBN-13: 978-1845201951 | Edition: English Ed

Can an anthropologist help us understand the world of business? Armed with this question, veteran anthropologist Brian Moeran embarks on an in-depth study of cultural production and creative industries in Japan. Moeran is able to shed light not only on social behavior and human relations in general but, more specifically, on the importance of strategic exchange to all business practices. Moeran's fieldwork, rooted in participant-observation of business life in communities and corporations, leads him to an original theory of how business operates. Culture is not all-powerful, Moeran shows. Instead, social structures strongly influence behavior. At the heart of this analysis is a firm belief in fieldwork and ethnography--terms much bandied about in business, management and cultural studies, but rarely undertaken in depth. The Business of Ethnography is a clarion call for anthropologists to rethink their discipline beyond traditional fieldwork sites.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Brian Moeran draws very effectively on key concepts to portray variations in his own field engagements ... his new book will help us organize our debates over relationships in the field. From a village of potters to the world of advertising, we move here in always stimulating company."--Ulf Hannerz, Stockholm University.

"An incisive, in-depth understanding of Japanese business relations--by someone who really knows."--Koichiro Naganuma, CEO, ADK, Japan

"This book is pioneering in its approach, and will be required reading for academics interested in the subject, as well as for marketers and advertisers."--Timothy Malefyt, Director of Cultural Discoveries, BBDO Advertising

About the Author

Brian Moeran is Professor of Culture and Communication, Copenhagen Business School.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Berg Publishers; English Ed edition (March 31, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845201957
• ISBN-13: 978-1845201951
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,115,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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