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Journal of Management and Business Research, 2023
40（ 3 ）：299-334
DOI： 10.6504/JMBR.202309_40(3).0003 |
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| University Social Responsibility as Practice: An Analysis of Actor-Network Theory in Exploring Fields with Objects |
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| This article unpacks the practical experience with University Social Responsibility (USR) and reflects the initial ambiguity of the challenges faced by USR frontliners in nascent organizational fields. Drawing on the literatures of actor-network theory (ANT) and practice theory, a process model is developed to explore how actors dynamically construct actor networks through a course of practice works under the accountable context of the USR field. Asking the exploratory question of “how” informed the conduct of empirical participatory action research in 2017-2022 in the historical town of Tamsui. Place-based culture-visiting service of alternate reality games are encapsulated in the objects, which are chosen for socially engaged inquiry. The research findings are as follows. “The creation of service objects” creates agency for each group of stakeholders facing the challenges of ambiguity. In addition, under the advocacy of USR-as-practice, the “engagement model” in USR-driven actor networks are proposed. The agency mechanism of “exploring fields with objects” is derived from the dynamic evolution of social practice. Finally, theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed. |
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| University Social Responsibility (USR), actor-network theory (ANT), practice theory, participatory action research, objects-creating |
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