Browsing by Author "Hossain, Dewan Mahboob"

This research aims at exploring the main discourses and understanding the power relationship in the language and presentation of the disclosures on social inequality issues in corporate narratives. The research was conducted in three stages. The objective of the first stage was to explore the main discourses and understand the power relationship in the language and presentation of the disclosures on social inequality issues in the sustainability reports of Fortune 500 companies. The main purpose of the second stage was to explore the main discourses and understand the power relationship in the language and presentation of the disclosures on social inequality issues in the annual reports of the companies of a developing economy – Bangladesh. The method that was applied in both of these stages is Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). It was found that the three dominant social inequality discourses that exist in these reports are: (i) discourses in relation to economic inequality, (ii) discourses related to gender inequality and (iii) discourses related to racial and ethnic inequality. It was seen that companies used the language and presentation style strategically to convince the readers. The companies tried to portray themselves as ‘distress relievers’ and ‘capable’ enough to deal with the social inequality issues. They portrayed themselves as the symbols of ‘kindness’ and ‘development’. In this way, the spirit of capitalism was glorified. In the third stage of this research, the main reasons behind the disclosure/non-disclosure of social inequality issues by Bangladeshi companies were explored by conducting interviews with the professional accountants of Bangladesh. It was found that these professional accountants think that though in these reports, the discourse of ‘social welfare’ gets highlighted; there lies profit and survival motives behind them. In general, very few Bangladeshi companies report on social inequality issues. According to the interviewees, the main reason behind this lies in the socio-cultural structure of Bangladesh. In general, in Bangladesh, people who are powerful do not discharge accountability to the less powerful group. The interviewees mentioned that Bangladeshi companies are very powerful agents in Bangladeshi society. They hold money and political power. That is why they can ‘avoid’ being accountable. The research concludes that as the representatives of ‘capitalism’, companies are mostly inclined to generating profits. Though the discourse of ‘social welfare’ is highlighted in these reports, it is in fact a ‘secondary’ issue. The companies make strategic use of language and presentation (such as graphs and other visuals) that create a ‘surface illusion’ of ‘welfare’ and ‘development’ in the minds of the readers. This ‘illusion’ hides the main motive – generating profit.

This study is an attempt to identify the nature of attitudes towards female co-workers in the workplace. The research looks into specific issues such as financial benefits, recruitment and promotion process, participation in the decision-making process and getting strategic positions where female employees get different treatment compared to male employees in the education sector. In order to fulfil the research objectives, an exploratory study on the faculty members at the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh was conducted. Data were collected through an in-depth interview method which emphasised on a case study technique. The University’s faculty members who consisted of ten males and ten females were interviewed. It was found that, in many ways, the gender attitudes and practices that exist in the University of Dhaka reflect the norms and practices of the overall society of Bangladesh. The interviewees commented that the female teachers are more inclined to perform family responsibilities. That is why, in some cases, they lose some financial benefits. As they do not get enough time to socialise with their colleagues, they lag behind in organisational politics and in some cases; they face problems in their recruitment and promotion. In general, Bangladeshi women are introvert and submissive in nature, they do not give their opinions in case of decision-making. They remain more involved in family affairs than their professional affairs. Apparently, they are not eager to hold any strategic position in the University. To these women, family is more vital than work. It was found also that in many cases the job at this University is flexible. As a public university, the University of Dhaka has standardised rules and policies; informally the departments follow many flexible practices. Women on the other hand, take the advantage of this informal flexibility in order to give more time to their families at the expense of their professional work and career.