View source for Action group (sociology)

In [[sociology]] and [[anthropology]], an '''action group''' or '''task group''' is a group of people joined temporarily to accomplish some task or take part in some organized [[collective action]].<ref name="Lickel2001">{{cite journal |last1=Lickel |first1=Brian |last2=Hamilton |first2=David L. |last3=Sherman |first3=Steven J. |title=Elements of a Lay Theory of Groups: Types of Groups, Relational Styles, and the Perception of Group Entitativity |journal=Personality and Social Psychology Review |date=2001 |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=129–140 |doi=10.1207/S15327957PSPR0502_4 |s2cid=3899125 |url=http://ivizlab.sfu.ca/arya/Papers/Others/Lay%20Theory%20of%20Personality%20Groups.pdf}}</ref>

As the members of the action group are brought together on a single occasion and then disband, they cannot be regarded as constituting a full-fledged [[social group]], for which they would need to interact recurrently in accordance with their [[social identity|social identities]].

==In shareholder context==
Action Groups are often formed by many [[shareholder]]s when they disagree with actions by the [[Board of Directors]] of a [[Public Company]] or the [[Government]] like the forced [[Nationalisation of Northern Rock]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2009/12/22/appeal-bid-denied-for-northern-rock-shareholders-61634-25444230/ |work=[[The Journal (Newcastle upon Tyne newspaper)|The Journal]]|title=Appeal bid denied for Northern Rock shareholders |access-date=2009-12-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091225142734/http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2009/12/22/appeal-bid-denied-for-northern-rock-shareholders-61634-25444230/ |archive-date=2009-12-25|last1=Pearson|first1=Adrian|date=2009-12-22 }}</ref> [[Railtrack]] with 49,000 members.<ref>[http://www.rpsag.org.uk/AppealDecision.pdf RPSAG: Appeal Decision]{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} RPSAG, 21 October 2005</ref> Action groups are co-ordinated by private investors in shareholder associations or their legal representatives in court. [[Institutional investor]]s often find loose alliances with private investor lead shareholder association actions groups useful in applying mass political pressure or to publicly embarrass Directors at [[Annual general meeting]]s into making changes.

The largest established shareholder action group associations are Sveriges Aktiesparares Riksförbund (the Swedish Shareholders' Association) part of the Euroshareholders group in the UK ShareSoc and UKSA (UK Shareholder Association),. American Shareholders Association, [[Australian Shareholders Association]], and Japan [[Sōkaiya]] also have action groups.

==In Latin American context==
In Cuba and elsewhere in Latin America, the word "action group" ({{lang|es|grupo de acción}}) was given to violent activists who gathered together to perform violent guerrilla activities e.g. (see [[Antonio Guiteras]], [[Fidel Castro]], [[Emilio Tro]], [[Lauro Blanco]], and [[Rolando Masferrer]] when young university students) [http://www.cadal.org/articulos/nota.asp?id_nota=290][https://web.archive.org/web/20060310210243/http://www.amigospais-guaracabuya.org/oagjs098.php].
Commonly regarded as gang-related killing there were said to have been 200 of these killings in the Grau administration alone.

(Martin, Lionel. ''The Early Fidel: Roots of Castro's Communism''. 1978. Lyle Stuart, Secaucus New Jersey; 1st ed, p.&nbsp;25). {{ISBN|0-8184-0254-7}}.

==In Nigeria ==
{{main|Action Group (Nigeria)}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/2737913/Student-sets-up-action-group-to-lobby-for-360p.html Student sets up action group to lobby for 360p Telegraph, 16 October 2001]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4340794.stm Defeat for Railtrack shareholders BBC News, 14 October 2005] 49,000-strong Railtrack Private Shareholders Action Group
* ''Guardian'', 15 October 2005, [https://www.theguardian.com/transport/Story/0,2763,1592837,00.html "Railtrack shareholders lose court battle for compensation"]
* [http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2009/227.html] Roger Lawson of the UK Shareholders Association said that there was a 'good chance' that they would appeal the decision.
* [http://www.sharesoc.org] ShareSoc the UK Individual Shareholder Association UKISS
* [http://www.uksa.org.uk] UK Shareholders Association UKSA
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120113003007/http://www.americanshareholders.org/ ] American Shareholders Association
* [http://www.veb.net] Dutch Shareholders Association
* [http://www.euroshareholders.eu] Euroshareholders

[[Category:Sociological terminology]]
[[Category:Anthropology]]