Constructing Industries and Markets

Edited by M.J. Ventresca and J. Porac Recent research in organizational theory, strategic management, accounting and technology has begun to show that the analysis of industries and markets cannot be reduced to the examination of material assets and resource flows. It is increasingly recognized that social and cognitive structures shape the behaviour of commercial entities. This book develops the resulting perspective which has emerged: namely, that economic action is embedded in institutional structures and social relations. Sometimes known as 'the social constructionist' approach to markets, it embraces initiatives from a variety of disciplines variously labelled as 'neo-institutional organizational theory', 'interpretive accounting research', 'the cognitive approach to business strategy' and 'the social construction of technology'. The theoretical analysis presented in the book is supported by case studies and historical insights, with an avoidance of abstract mathematical analysis and technical jargon.