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The Ansells brewery dispute: A social‐cognitive approach to the study of strikes
Author(s) -
WADDINGTON DAVID P.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
journal of occupational psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.257
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 2044-8325
pISSN - 0305-8107
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8325.1986.tb00227.x
Subject(s) - opposition (politics) , perspective (graphical) , cognition , perception , participant observation , psychology , closure (psychology) , social psychology , sociology , law , political science , social science , visual arts , art , neuroscience , politics
A participant observation method was employed in the study of a 20‐week strike at Ansells Brewery Ltd, a constituent company of Allied Breweries (UK). The strike, involving 1000 workers, began in opposition to the implementation of a four‐day working week and culminated in the permanent closure of the brewery. The strike's development is analysed according to a social‐cognitive approach, based on the psychological imagery, beliefs, values and perceptions underlying the employees' behaviour. By also adopting a historical perspective, it has been possible to show how contemporary definitions of reality are shaped by the prior history of union‐management relations, particularly with regard to the way that previous events were subjectively interpreted, and the lessons that were learned on the basis of that experience.