Business is not a Game: The Metaphoric Fallacy

Hamington, Maurice

doi:10.1007/s10551-008-9859-0

Cited by 31 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Metaphors are often so common in our daily lives that we do not think of them as metaphors. Hamington 25 argues that, when metaphors become so pervasive that people forget they are metaphors, metaphors become equivalent to what they are describing, introducing an element of misunderstanding that he calls "the metaphoric fallacy". In this process, the significance of aspects of the terms that are not alike starts to grow, and what was originally metaphorically hidden is now ascribed to the target domain.…”

Section: Theoretical Background: Metaphorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metaphors in climate discourse: an analysis of Swedish farm magazines

Asplund¹

2011

JCOM

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Section: Theoretical Background: Metaphorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metaphors in climate discourse: an analysis of Swedish farm magazines

Asplund¹

2011

JCOM

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“…See (Nelson 1992) and for applications to up-down thinking about gender, for an application to the "economy is a machine" metaphor, and (Hamington 2009) for an application to the "business is a game" metaphor. 3 In the words of feminist philosopher Karen Warren, "The ability to care (and emotional intelligence generally) is necessary (psychologically, physically, and causally) for moral reasoning...So...One should care because one cannot reason morally, be motivated to act morally, choose to act morally, or value certain practices as moral...unless one cares."…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Care Ethics and Markets: A View from Feminist Economics

Nelson

2010

SSRN Journal

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It is common to think of care ethics and justice ethics as being opposed to each other, and also to think of economic life as being opposed to social life. As a result, it may be hard to see how care ethics, seen as interpersonal, could be applicable to business, when the latter is perceived as asocial. This essay uncovers the origins of these beliefs in unhelpful dualistic cognitive habits and in gender-biases in the development of the discipline of economics. In particular, feminist analysis reveals the mythical nature of both "economic man" and the belief in mechanical "profit maximization." The essay calls for unveiling and recognizing the ethical and connected dimensions that already characterize business life, and including these in thinking about how to create a more humane economy.

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“…This is puzzling because a substantial body of research has suggested that metaphorical communication might have significant downsides (Merkl-Davies & Koller, 2012;Ramsay, 2004;Steen, 2011). In particular, cognitive linguists have pointed out that the familiar source domains used as frames in metaphorical communication are a priori conceptual reductions and simplifications (Hamington, 2009) that involve little detail and precision, never fully correspond to the target domain (Black, 1962), and never encompass all facets of a given concept (Shenkar et al, 2008). For instance, conceptualizing exploration in organizations through the source domain of improvisation in a jazz ensemble neglects the fact that improvisation in jazz, in contrast to exploration in an organization, typically evolves within a relatively institutionalized structure, including a set of "standard" songs and routinized melismas or "licks" (Hatch & Weick, 1998).…”

Section: Ceos' Use Of Metaphorical Communication: Benefits and Costsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Silver Bullet or Ricochet? CEOs’ Use of Metaphorical Communication and Infomediaries’ Evaluations

König

Mammen

Luger

et al. 2018

AMJ

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We combine literature on rhetoric and socially situated sensemaking to illuminate the challenges that emerge when chief executive officers (CEOs) try to influence infomediaries by using metaphorical communication-figurative linguistic expressions that convey thoughts and feelings by describing one domain, A, through another domain, B. Specifically, we theorize that because different infomediaries are situated in different thought worlds, CEOs' use of metaphorical communication has contradictory effects on journalists' and securities analysts' evaluations: while it triggers more favorable statements from journalists, it prompts more unfavorable assessments from analysts. Moreover, we integrate findings from cognitive psychology to argue that these contradictory effects increase the more a firm's performance falls behind market expectations. Our hypotheses find support in an extensive analysis of 937 quarterly earnings calls in the U.S. pharmaceutical, hardware, and software industries, and of journalists' statements and analysts' earnings forecasts and recommendations. Our novel theorizing and findings suggest that the use of discursive frames, especially in the form of metaphorical communication, in firms' interactions with critical audiences creates thought-provoking and thus-far neglected dilemmas. In developing and testing these thoughts, we contribute to and link ongoing conversations in management science, especially discussions of organizational reputation, executive communication, and impression management.

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Business is not a Game: The Metaphoric Fallacy

Abstract: ethical theories, fallacies, game metaphors, language,

Cited by 31 publications

References 11 publications

Metaphors in climate discourse: an analysis of Swedish farm magazines

Metaphors in climate discourse: an analysis of Swedish farm magazines

Care Ethics and Markets: A View from Feminist Economics

Silver Bullet or Ricochet? CEOs’ Use of Metaphorical Communication and Infomediaries’ Evaluations

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