Showing papers on "Social network published in 1999"

The Search-Transfer Problem: The Role of Weak Ties in Sharing Knowledge across Organization Subunits.

Abstract: This paper combines the concept of weak ties from social network research and the notion of complex knowledge to explain the role of weak ties in sharing knowledge across organization subunits in a...

Where Do Interorganizational Networks Come From

Abstract: Organizations enter alliances with each other to access critical re‐sources, but they rely on information from the network of prior alli‐ances to determine with whom to cooperate. These new alliances modify the existing network, prompting an endogenous dynamic be‐tween organizational action and network structure that drives the emergence of interorganizational networks. Testing these ideas on alliances formed in three industries over nine years, this research shows that the probability of a new alliance between specific organi‐zations increases with their interdependence and also with their prior mutual alliances, common third parties, and joint centrality in the alliance network. The differentiation of the emerging network structure, however, mitigates the effect of interdependence and en‐hances the effect of joint centrality on new alliance formation.

Network location and learning: the influence of network resources and firm capabilities on alliance formation

Abstract: This paper presents a dynamic, firm-level study of the role of network resources in determining alliance formation. Such resources inhere not so much within the firm but reside in the interfirm networks in which firms are placed. Data from extensive fieldwork show that by influencing the extent to which firms have access to information about potential partners, such resources are an important catalyst for new alliances, especially because alliances entail considerable hazards. This study also assesses the importance of firms’ capabilities with alliance formation and material resources as determinants of their alliance decisions. I test this dynamic framework and its hypotheses about the role of time-varying network resources and firm capabilities with comprehensive longitudinal multi-industry data on the formation of strategic alliances by a panel of firms between 1970 and 1989. The results confirm field observations that accumulated network resources arising from firm participation in the network of accumulated prior alliances are influential in firms’ decisions to enter into new alliances. This study highlights the importance of network resources that firms derive from their embeddedness in networks for explaining their strategic behavior. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Social networks and status attainment

Abstract: ▪ Abstract This essay traces the development of the research enterprise, known as the social resources theory, which formulated and tested a number of propositions concerning the relationships between embedded resources in social networks and socioeconomic attainment. This enterprise, seen in the light of social capital, has accumulated a substantial body of research literature and supported the proposition that social capital, in terms of both access and mobilization of embedded resources, enhances the chances of attaining better statuses. Further, social capital is contingent on initial positions in the social hierarchies as well as on extensity of social ties. The essay concludes with a discussion of remaining critical issues and future research directions for this research enterprise.

Introducing Social Networks

Abstract: Introduction The Paradigm of Structural Analysis Social Relationships and Networks Personal Networks and Local Circles Graph Theory Equivalence and Cohesion Social Capital Power and Centrality Dynamics Multiple Affiliations

The Community of Practice: Theories and methodologies in language and gender research

Abstract: This article provides an introduction to this issue of Language in Societyby exploring the relationship of the concept of Community of Practice (CofP) to related terms and theoretical frameworks. The criterial characteristics and constitutive features of a CofP are examined; the article points out how a CofP framework is distinguished from other sociolinguistic and social psychological frameworks, including social identity theory, speech community, social network and social constructionist approaches. (Community of Practice, speech community, gender, sex, social practice, ethnographic sociolinguistics, discourse analysis) The term “Community of Practice” (CofP) has recently shouldered its way into the sociolinguistic lexicon. The purpose of this issue of Language in Societyis to provide analyses of language variation, discourse, and language use that illustrate the potential (and also the limits) of this concept as a theoretical and methodological basis for inquiry. It is not generally helpful to add a term to one’s field unless it is intended to serve some demonstrably useful purpose. The term “Community of Practice” bears a strong similarity to the existing term “speech community ” ‐ a concept that has proved to be a productive and useful tool for research into the orderly heterogeneity of language in its social setting; thus it must be shown how the CofP in some way takes us farther toward our goal of understanding the constraints on natural language variation. In addition, some sociolinguists may see in the CofP a tool for the description of language variation that bears a strong resemblance to fundamental principles Language in Society28, 173‐183. Printed in the United States of America

Theory and method of social representations

Abstract: This paper gives an overview of social representation theory, definitions of the key terms and of the social processes leading to a representation and to social identity. Six empirical studies are presented and details of their methods and findings are given to illustrate this social psychological approach. These studies are about the ontogenesis of gender, the public sphere in Brazil, madness on British television, images of androgyny in Switzerland, individualism and democracy in post-communist Europe and metaphorical thinking about conception. The methods are ethnography, interviews, focus-groups, content analysis of media, statistical analysis of word associations, questionnaires and experiments. Finally, social representation theory is compared to theories of attitudes, schemata and social cognition.

Influence of time on social preferences: implications for life-span development.

Abstract: Socioemotional selectivity theory holds that the reliable decline in social contact in later life is due, in part, to older people's preferences for emotionally meaningful social partners and that such preferences are due not to age, per se, but to perceived limitations on time. Confirming the theory, in both the United States and Hong Kong, older people showed a preference for familiar social partners, whereas younger people did not show this preference. However, when asked to imagine an expansive future, older people's bias for familiar social partners disappeared. Conversely, in the face of a hypothesized constraint on time, both younger and older people preferred familiar social partners. Moreover, social preferences in Hong Kong differed before and after the 1997 handover of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China, which was construed as a sociopolitical time constraint. One year prior to the handover, only older people displayed preferences for familiar partners. Two months before the handover, both age groups showed such preferences. One year after the handover, once again, only older Hong Kong people preferred familiar social partners.

Social networks and trust

Abstract: List of Figures. List of Tables. Preface. 1. Introduction: Embedded Trust. 2. Social Network Analysis and Game Theory. 3. A Game-Theoretic Model for Control Effects in Social Networks. 4. A Stochastic Model for Information Diffusion in Social Networks. 5. Contracting in Information Technology Transactions: A Survey. 6. Buying a Used Car: an Experiment. 7. Summary and New Perspectives. Appendices. A: Mathematical Details. B: Network Construction Methods for Valued Networks. C: Information on the MAT95 Questionnaire. D: The Vignette Experiment. References. Author Index. Topic Index.

Social control in personal relationships: impact on health behaviors and psychological distress.

Abstract: This study examines associations among social control, health behavior change, and psychological distress. Social control refers to interactions between social network members that entail regulation, influence, and constraint. Social control is predicted to have dual effects leading to better health practices while also arousing psychological distress. A random sample of 242 individuals answered questions about health practices, overall exposure to social control in their networks, and social control attempts made by a specific network member. Analyses yielded mixed support for the hypotheses, but analyses of responses to the social control attempts of a specific network member did reveal that social control predicted less health-compromising behavior and more health-enhancing behavior as well as more distress. The results suggest that social control warrants greater attention in efforts to understand how personal relationships influence health.

Variation in the Impact of Social Network Characteristics on Physical Functioning in Elderly Persons: MacArthur Studies of Successful Aging

Abstract: Objectives. Social support and social networks have been shown to exert significant effects on health and functioning among elderly persons. Although theorists have speculated that the strength of these effects may differ as a function of sociodemographic characteristics and prior health status, few studies have directly tested the moderating effects of these variables. Methods. Longitudinal data from the MacArthur Study of Successful Aging were used to examine the effects of structural and functional social support on changes in physical functioning over a 7-year period, measured by the Nagi scale, in a sample of initially high-functioning men and women aged 70 to 79 years. Multiple regression analyses were used to test the main effects of social support and social network variables, as well as their interactions with gender, income, and baseline physical performance. Results. After controlling for potential confounding effects, respondents with more social ties showed less functional decline. The beneficial effects of social ties were stronger for respondents who were male or had lower levels of baseline physical performance. Discussion. The effects of social support and social networks may vary according to the individual's gender and baseline physical capabilities. Studies of functional decline among elderly persons should not ignore this population variation in the effects of social networks.

Socially Shared Cognition, Affect, and Behavior: A Review and Integration

Abstract: In this article, we review 4 classes of models of socially shared cognition and behavior: supraindividual models, information-processing models, communication models, and social interaction models. Our review draws on research and theory in social psychology, sociology, and organization behavior. We conclude that these innovative perspectives on socially shared behavior represent a new approach to the study of groups and are distinct from traditional models of the group mind and crowd behavior. The key processes implicated in these models focus on the potency of immediate interaction, reciprocal influence processes between individuals and groups, goal-directed behavior, negotiated processing of information and ideas, and the maintenance and enhancement of social identity. This approach to socially shared understanding is not antagonistic toward the analysis of individual-level processes but rather maintains that individual-level processes are necessary but not sufficient to build a social psychology of sh...

Social Movements in Advanced Capitalism: The Political Economy and Cultural Construction of Social Activism

Abstract: Building on a critical overview of current social movement theory, this book presents a structural model for analysing social movements in advanced capitalism that locates them within global, national, regional and local structures. Buechler discusses a redirection of social movement theory that restores a critical, structural, macro-level, and historical emphasis to sociological theorizing about social movements. Clearly presented, this is a thoughtful introduction to the sociological study of social movements, linking the theoretical traditions that comprise the core of the discipline to the subfield of social movements. It is an excellent supplementary text for any advanced undergraduate or graduate class on collective action and social movements.

Mapping and measuring social capital : a conceptual and empirical study of collective action for conserving and developing watersheds in Rajasthan, India

Abstract: Social capital is a popular current concept in the development literature and in development agencies. But is it real enough to be measured in the field and validated with reference to the achievement of desired outcomes of development programs? Is it something that could be purposefully increased? This paper reports on the observed relationship between capital and development outcomes in 64 villages of Rajasthan, India. All of these participated for the last seven years in an Indian government and World Bank-funded program for watershed conservation and development. They provide an empirical basis for evaluating whether social capital can be identified and evaluated in quantitative terms. The authors find that an index of such social capital variables is related positively and consistently with superior development outcomes both in watershed conservation and in cooperative development activities more generally. In addition to social capital, they found two variables--political competition and literacy--also having some significant associations with the measured developed performance. Other factors that were expected to be associated with superior outcomes based on theories and hypotheses in the literature are not, however, confirmed by data analysis using correlation, regression, and factor analysis techniques.

Family Demography, Social Theory, and Investment in Social Capital

Abstract: Many demographers trained in sociology frame their work with ideas from economics if only implicitly. While economic concepts are of great value the field of demography especially family demography can benefit from the introduction of sociological theory and conversely sociological theory can be enhanced and refined by the work of social demographers. The authors discuss social capital a concept based in sociology which is being widely incorporated into current social science. The social capital concept is an extension of the social exchange theory commonly used by family demographers. It shares with neoclassical economics and materialist anthropology the premise that demographic phenomena are the outgrowth of human behavior. According to social exchange theory exchange takes place in a variety of institutional contexts including but not limited to the markets which economists usually envision. Another premise of social exchange theory is that exchange occurs between individuals who are known to each other as well as between the anonymous traders of economic exchange. The authors advance and defend the notions that in the context of social exchange theory investing in social capital is a major motivation for human behavior and that the formation of sexual partnerships the birth and rearing of children and both intragenerational and intergenerational transfers are major forms of investment in social capital in almost all societies.

Social network characteristics associated with risky behaviors among runaway and homeless youth.

Abstract: Runaway and homeless youth are at high risk for substance abuse and unsafe sexual behavior. Our study describes the personal social networks of these youth and examines network characteristics associated with risky behaviors. In 1995 and 1996, we interviewed a purposive sample of youth aged 14 through 21 who were living in Washington, DC and were identified on the streets or through shelters or other service agencies (N = 327). Although we found that most youth reported current social relationships, a significant minority (26%) did not. Youth without a social network were significantly more likely to report current illicit drug use, multiple sex partners, and survival sex than youth with a network. For youth with a network, the networks were small, strong in affective and supportive qualities, comprised primarily of friends, typically included an alcohol or illicit drug user, and usually were not a source of pressure for risky behaviors. Our results indicate that networks had risk-enhancing and risk-decreasing properties in that network characteristics were associated in both positive and negative directions with risky behaviors. Language: en

The social psychology of collective action : identity, injustice and gender

Abstract: Introduction. Social Psychological Approaches to Collective Action. Social Beliefs and Participation: Exploring Associations. Explaining Initial Involvement: Why Join Women's Groups? Outcomes of Participation. Explaining Non-activism. Conclusions. Appendixes. References. Index.

Enhancing the resilience of children and young people in public care by mentoring their talents and interests

Abstract: It is argued that the progress and resilience of young people in public care can be greatly enhanced by attention to the value of cultural, sporting and other activities in their lives. Sensitive mentoring of the young person in these activities by concerned adults – members of the child’s social network or volunteers – can foster the potential of the young person, build self-esteem, strengthen mental health and open new social relationships beyond the care system. A series of case illustrations are used to demonstrate how such involvement in activities can greatly improve the prospects for a more successful transition out of care. It is suggested that the potential of this neglected dimension of care can only be fully realized through alert professional practice, imaginative engagement with potential ‘natural’ mentors, supportive agency policy, effective care planning systems, and relevant training and professional supervision for social workers.

Organized crime: A social network approach

Abstract: This article applies the anthropological approach of social networktheory to the study of organized crime in its local, domestic and transnational contexts. It argues that a social network approach transcends existing criminological paradigms like organizational, patron-client and enterprise theories in that it emphasizes a common supposition held by each paradigm – that human relationships form the basis for organized criminal activity. By understanding the dynamics behind these relationships and the networks they create, one can subsequently gain a clearer picture of organized criminalactivity across time, space and culture.

Social network, social support, and loneliness in older persons with different chronic diseases

Abstract: Objectives:This study examines whether patterns of social network size, functional social support, and loneliness are different for older persons with different types of chronic diseases. Methods:I...

Environment and Social Theory

Abstract: Written in an engaging and accessible manner by one of the leading scholars in his field, Environment and Social Theory, completed revised and updated with two new chapters, is an indispensable guide to the way in which the environment and social theory relate to one another. This popular text outlines the complex interlinking of the environment, nature and social theory from ancient and pre-modern thinking to contemporary social theorizing. John Barry: examines the ways major religions such as Judaeo-Christianity have and continue to conceptualize the environment analyzes the way the non-human environment features in Western thinking from Marx and Darwin, to Freud and Horkheimer explores the relationship between gender and the environment, postmodernism and risk society schools of thought, and the contemporary ideology of orthodox economic thinking in social theorising about the environment. How humans value, use and think about the environment, is an increasingly central and important aspect of recent social theory. It has become clear that the present generation is faced with a series of unique environmental dilemmas, largely unprecedented in human history. With summary points, illustrative examples, glossary and further reading sections this invaluable resource will benefit anyone with an interest in environmentalism, politics, sociology, geography, development studies and environmental and ecological economics.

Examining Community in the Digital Neighborhood: Early Results from Canada's Wired Suburb

Abstract: Can supportive, sociable and meaningful relations be maintained online? Will life online replace, complement, or supplant life in the flesh? Netville is a residential development located in suburban Toronto equipped with a high-speed network as part of its design. The clustering of homes within this area allowed us to study the social networks, civic involvement, Internet use, and attitudes of residents. We are interested in how living in a residential community equipped with no cost, very high speed access to the Internet affects the kinds of interpersonal relations people have with coworkers, friends, relatives, and neighbors. This paper explores the research goals and methods used in the Netville project and introduces preliminary results on the effect of living in a new residential development equipped with no-cost, very high-speed access to the Internet on neighborhood social relations.

Social Networks and Configurations in Inner-City Schools: Aggression, Popularity, and Implications for Students with EBD:

Abstract: In this study we explored the relationship between individual characteristics and peer social affiliations among inner-city minority children. A total of 506 students in Grades 4 through 7 (293 girls, 213 boys) from four schools were involved as participants. Assessments on aggression, popularity, academic competence, "Olympian" (e.g., good at sports, good-looking), and affiliation (e.g., smiles a lot, friendly) were obtained from teachers and the students themselves. Students also provided information on social groups within the school as analyzed by the Social Cognitive Map (SCM) procedure. The results indicated that members of the same peer social group were similar on multiple behavioral dimensions. High social network centrality was associated with high levels of popularity among girls. Among boys, however, high social network centrality was associated with high levels of aggressive behavior. Findings are discussed in light of their educational and interventional implications for students with emotio...

Positive Affectivity and Accuracy in Social Network Perception

Abstract: We investigated how positive affectivity influences people's perception of the patterns of social relationships around them. Positive affectivity was measured as trait positive affect. The outcome variable was accuracy in the perception of informal patterns of social interaction in a group (i.e., the group's network structure). Data on the perception of the relationships of friendship and work-related advice at an Italian university were collected from 24 members. Positive affectivity improved the accuracy of people's perception of the friendship network linking all respondents to each other (global accuracy), but hindered the accuracy of the perception of one's personal advice ties (local accuracy). These results suggest that, although happy people may feed unrealistic images of their personal social connections, their superior ability to develop an accurate picture of the broader dynamics of social interaction among people around them may give them an important advantage for social and professional accomplishment in a given social setting.

The New Literacy Studies and the "Social Turn.".

Abstract: DOCUMENT RESUME

Quality of social support in mental and physical health

Abstract: The current study investigates the relationship between social support and mental and physical health. Results indicate that poor functional support (or quality of support) is related to physical health problems while structural support (or social network size) is not. Moreover, although both poor functional and structural support are related to depression and anxiety, functional support is more strongly related to these outcome variables, the strongest relationship being associated with depression. Depression and hostility are also related to social isolation, although the relationship is again stronger for depression. The results suggest that the quality of social relationships is more important than quantity for optimal mental and physical health. The clinical relevance of these findings is that the quality of social support in the lives of individuals is central to recovery and should be addressed in medical and mental health treatment planning whenever it is an etiological or maintaining factor.