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W hile various theories have been proposed to explain how technology leads to organizational change, in general they have focused either on the technology and ignored the influence of human agency, or on social interaction and ignored the technology. In this paper, we propose a new theory of technology-mediated organizational change that bridges these two extremes. Using grounded theory methodology, we conducted a three-year study of an enterprise system implementation. From the data collected, we identified embeddedness as central to the process of change. When embedded in technology, organizational elements such as routines and roles acquire a material aspect, in addition to the ostensive and performative aspects identified by Feldman and Pentland (2003). Our new theory employs the lens of critical realism because in our view, common constructivist perspectives such as structuration theory or actor network theory have limited our understanding of technology as a mediator of organizational change. Using a critical realist perspective, our theory explains the process of change as a three-stage cycle in which the ostensive, performative, and material aspects of organizational elements interact differently in each stage.

Using narrative theory, this paper explores strategic management as a form of fiction. After introducing several key narrative concepts, it discusses the challenges strategists have faced in making strategic discourse both credible and novel and considers how strategic narratives may change within the "virtual" organization of the future. A number of narratively oriented research questions and methodological suggestions are provided.

A prominent feature of the rapidly growing field of Environmental Management (EM) is its strong emphasis on pragmatic considerations. Much of EM's legitimacy stems from its own identity as having practical relevance in resolving contemporary environmental problems. With the help of Critical Discourse Analysis, our paper engages closely with the language of practicality in Environmental Management. We show how the message of practicality emerged through three core messages in the discourse, viz. economic utilitarianism, compromise and interorganizational collaboration. We further contend that in the actual material context of the complex biospheric environment, these messages may have less than pragmatic implications. We conclude with a discussion of ecological rationality in redefining the discourse of pragmatics in Environmental Management.

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