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"The World's Biggest Problems, the World's Biggest Market Opportunities": Contours of Conscious Capitalism in the Czech Republic
Virtová, Tereza ; Stöckelová, Tereza (advisor) ; Gerbery, Daniel (referee) ; Murin, Ivan (referee)
This dissertation deals with the relations between economics and ethics. It specifically focuses on a contemporary trend that seeks to reform the socio-economic system from within the private sector, which the thesis conceptualises as 'conscious capitalism'. The thesis is the result of a long-term ethnographic research on socially responsible start-ups in Prague and presents conscious capitalism through three case studies. The first study focuses on the question of work ethic and subjectivity of conscious entrepreneurs and workers and the dynamics of their interrelationship in enterprises. The second study shifts the focus to the sphere of socially beneficial production and the creation of conscious products, and analyses in detail the operation of one social enterprise. The theme of the third case study is the relation of conscious capitalism to shareholder capitalism, which it on the one hand criticizes, but on the other hand builds on and uses for its own development. This dissertation belongs to the critical social science studies that address the ethical turn in capitalism (Bandinelli 2017; Chiapello 2013; Land & Taylor 2014; Morozov 2013), although its own contribution stems primarily from the research focus on the inside of the small start- ups. The work presents conscious entrepreneurship...
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"We drag the cart of capitalism on and on": Ethnography of factory production
Virtová, Tereza ; Stöckelová, Tereza (advisor) ; Abu Ghosh, Yasar (referee)
This thesis presents the main results of a five-month ethnographic research project in a global factory in the Czech Republic. It is focused on three topics. Due to a number of ethical dilemmas that accompanied the research, the first part examines ethics in anthropology, both the instruments of the institutionalization of professional ethics and "ethics in practice". As a strategy for dealing with ethical dilemmas the thesis aims at a reflexive approach, as proposed by Guillemin and Gillam (2004) not only to ensure rigor in research methodology, but also as a form of "morally adequate research work". The second research focus is the production line. The line makes sense - that is, produces stuff - only when people and machines interconnect. Symmetrical analysis juxtaposes humans and machines and explores the dynamics of agency as it shifts the borders between people and machines and the characteristics that each takes from the other. The last part of the thesis presents the factory as an actor in the labor market. Through the analysis of economic and organizational factors as well as workers" stories and interpretations and regional authorities" accounts, the final part tries to explain the perception of the factory as a stable and relatively solid employer. Keywords: global factory, ethics,...
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Self-managed factories in Argentina as a social movement
Virtová, Tereza ; Dvořáková, Vladimíra (advisor) ; Němec, Jan (referee)
This thesis aims to elaborate a case study of self-managed factories, which has been emerging in Argentina after the economic crisis in 2001. Mainly the conflictive origin, organization, role of the state and the dynamics of the movement of self-managed factories is discussed. This paper is based on European tradition of social movements' analysis and seeks to characterize movement of Argentine self-managed factories as so called old or new social movement. This dividing line will ultimately prove to be problematic.
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Multinational Corporations and Political Activism: Case Study of "The Cochabamba Water Wars"
Virtová, Tereza ; Němec, Jan (advisor) ; Rohrbacher, Tomáš (referee)
Since the 15th century, Latin America has been strongly influenced by different cultural, economic and political external influences. This thesis focuses on the analysis of some of these effects -- especially on major theories of development. Neoliberalism, which brings phenomena such as globalization or the increasing influence of multinational corporations, will be analyzed in particular. Some of these effects will be presented on the case study of "The Cochabamba Water Wars". The main objective of this thesis is to identify the causes and effects of this specific conflict.
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