Myths of the entrepreneurial elite

Today there is a fascination with a new category of elites: the globalized management businessman. The notion of "elite" refers here to a group of people believed to be more competent in a particular fi eld than others; Jack Welsh (GEC), Bill Gates (Microsoft) are among the best-known examples. The members of this social group have their own perception of reality and they also have a distinct class identity, recognizing themselves as separate and superior to the rest of society. Newcomers are socialized and co-opted by the group on the basis of internal criteria established by the existing group members. Therefore group members are more or less interchangeable and may move from one institution-in this case a corporation-to another within the group. Whether defi ned as heterogeneous or homogeneous, this group utilizes cultural mythologies that serve to legitimize their status and power: these are the focus of this article.