Franchise, Margin & Locale: Constructing a Critical Management Studies Locale in Aotearoa/New Zealand

Abstract

Most academic disciplines have their symbolic and material 'homes' in the metropolitan centres of the United States of America (USA) and the United Kingdom (UK). Consequently researchers working in Aotearoa/NZ face a choice as to the kinds of relations they develop with these metropolitan centres. We argue that researchers tend to adopt three particular modes of response: franchise, margin and locale. In this paper we illustrate each mode by reflecting on a joint research programme, Music and Organisation. We suggest researchers need to move beyond franchise and margin responses and develop methods of research that explore local issues using local empirical materials but that also re-appropriate, in distinctive ways, imported theoretical and conceptual machineries.