Regulation – the movie: a semiotic study of the periodic review of UK regulated industry
Abstract
This paper explores the regulatory process of UK privatised utilities as manifest in the periodic review of prices. Two separate review processes are identified, operating concurrently – a covert dialogue between the regulator and the regulated and an overt dialogue taking place in the public arena. Using a semiotic analysis of the review the authors argue that the overt event is the real review. Furthermore they argue that the unfolding of each review is so similar that it can be likened to a film script which is constantly re‐enacted. The purpose of the review as a legitimating vehicle for the regulator and regulated, who exist in a symbiotic relationship, is explored in terms of the semiotics involved and the myth creation role of legitimation in order to explain the significance of the regulatory process.
Keywords
Citation
Crowther, D., Cooper, S. and Carter, C. (2001), "Regulation – the movie: a semiotic study of the periodic review of UK regulated industry", Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 14 No. 3, pp. 225-238. https://doi.org/10.1108/09534810110394859
Publisher
:MCB UP Ltd
Copyright © 2001, MCB UP Limited