Philanthropy and philanthropic associations and organizations were highly active in European countries in the 19th century, because of the widespread poverty that affected people of the lower class. Poverty, and solutions for it, was highly debated and resulted in different policies that affected the image of and conditions for the population in need. In this time of distress, people of the philanthropic organizations, made it possible for children to be relocated to other families, to be under better conditions during their growth. Because of the religious roots and agenda that philanthropic organizations possessed, it is interesting to investigate how this might have been an act of controlling, disciplining and monitoring the socially vulnerable. This thesis intended to study the underlying motives of the said institution by analyzing discourses of the children and parents through subject positions, discipline mechanisms and surveillance. The results demonstrated that there were acts of normalization and discipline of the poor by taking them out of their said to be morally corrupted homes and conditioning them in another with Christian morality and rituals. Children and their parents were monitored through the community and children were highly observed through follow-ups when committed in the association. There were also acts of othering by describing children and parents as the opposite of the desirable norms and therefore increasing the distance between the socially vulnerable and the upper class. Mothers were especially vulnerable when describing the parents as immoral, frivolous and prurient.

abstract: This research is particularly concerned with organizations’ advocacy of value-based change aimed at improving consumers’ well-being. This work contributes to the Transformative Services Research area and presents a conceptualization of the value-laden service organization (VLSO), which I define as organizations that advocate for specific value-based behaviors from consumers both within and beyond the particular service setting. In a VLSO, consumers are expected to act in accordance with the values of the organization. If the consumer’s pre-existing value system is not aligned with the values of the service organization, the consumer may experience a sense of psychological disequilibrium, which can lead to unintended decrease in well-being. This research explores how value conflicts are managed by both the organization and by the consumers. This work emerges out of an interpretive study of a Catholic-based homeless shelter for pregnant women. From it, I identify the practices of consumers and the service organization and explored their interactions. This has resulted in a theoretical conceptualization of a Rescue Institution, which combines aspects of both a Total Institution and a Reinventive Institution in a unique way. Further, I conceptualize a cycle of agency and authenticity that maps the dynamics of the consumer in a VLSO as they negotiate the structure/agency duality. In gathering data, I used an interpretive approach over the course of three years’ of direct involvement with a service organization, St. Mary’s House. My methods included participant observation, collection of artifacts, and one-on-one in-depth interviews. I interviewed a total of 30 participants, whose transcribed interviews resulted in over 1500 pages of text. Analysis of themes and concepts occurred as a result of repeated examinations of both existing theory and data. My findings reveal key organizational and consumer practices that negotiate the tension between structure and agency. Organizational practices include rules and social norms, as well as two forms of hierarchy. Consumer practices, often in response to organizational practices, include a cycle of agency and authenticity and participation in a shadow structure. These practices collectively influence consumer’s interpretive drift, which is their adoption of the organization’s values that creates internalized change. I conclude with implications for theory and service organization management. First, value priorities mean that tradeoffs must be made, which can cause unexpected and painful conflict. The experience of change, from both the consumer and service provider perspective, can be very messy. This process includes a dynamic and individual negotiation of authenticity and agency, which will be of interest in future studies. The service providers must be open to this process, carefully navigating their responses to the consumer’s dynamic authenticity, agency and values. Service providers should expect and acknowledge the conflict in consumers’ experience in order to foster their long-term perspective and perseverance. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Business Administration 2015