Real-world entrepreneurial learning in rural communities: Findings from the first fifteen years of the CEO program

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to develop theory, thereby attending to the existing knowledge gap regarding the impact of family firms on entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs). Reducing such a gap is both timely and relevant given the ubiquity of family firms across the globe and the lack of theoretical development at the intersection of EE and family firm literatures. By employing social capital theory in a propositional theorizing approach, this article presents unique propositions that enrich current understanding of the EE phenomenon.Design/methodology/approachOur method adopts a three-step propositional theorizing approach. The first step outlines our conceptualization, drawing on social capital theory and identifying multiple levels of analysis pertaining to EEs and family firms. The second step precisely identifies the constructs used for the theorization process, drawing upon relevant literature. The third step involves proposition building, which produces our findings.FindingsAs a result of our propositional theorizing method, we developed 10 theoretical propositions to explain interactions between family members, nonfamily entrepreneurs, family firms and new ventures in the EE, thereby focusing on the social elements of the EE and reducing its conceptual complexity while extending the explanatory power of family social capital in the EE.Research limitations/implicationsDespite being increasingly relevant in research, policy and practice discourse, EEs remain under theorized. By theorizing in this context, we provide explanations of the mechanisms to explain social interactions between family members, nonfamily entrepreneurs, family firms and new ventures and how such interactions are likely to provide better access to the untapped resources in the EE. Furthermore, our theorization also identifies underexplored research areas paving the way for future scholars.Practical implicationsThis article is relevant to practitioners and policymakers interested in creating balanced, inclusive and effective EE policies and interventions. Our theorization generates insights that complement a bottom-up approach where the state assumes a facilitating role for actors such as family firms to positively impact their EE. This research is both timely and necessary because, if unaddressed, it will lead to ineffective and potentially exclusionary policies and EE interventions.Originality/valueWe contribute to the literature by synthesizing the two domains and thereby advancing knowledge at the intersection of EE and family firm literatures. We strengthen the link between two burgeoning research areas through a propositional theorizing mode of theory development. Under the assumptions of a grand theory, social capital theory, we highlight the benefits that derive from social interactions in the EE between family firms and other EE actors.

This research explores the close links between social capital and food security in the rural communities of North Luwu Regency, Indonesia, focusing on the valuable insights gained from agroforestry practices. Using a qualitative approach grounded in social capital theory, the study examines how key indicators—social networks, trust, communal values, and participation—significantly influence regional food production. The findings show that strong social networks, which include relationships with neighbors, family, friends, and farmer groups, positively impact trust, cooperation, and farm efficiency. Trust, often passed down through generations of farming knowledge, remains an important factor, although its dynamics are shifting with changing livelihoods and increasing reliance on agroforestry. Communal values, embodied in agroforestry practices, strengthen individual and collective identities among farmers. Finally, participation in agricultural activities remains essential in understanding social capital’s resilience in agroforestry communities, although it is declining among the younger generation. The research highlights the need for targeted interventions to strengthen the social fabric of these rural communities by strengthening networks, fostering trust, preserving communal values, and encouraging active participation. Ultimately, the study provides a clear picture of the close relationship between social capital and food security. It confirms that solid interactions between social structures and agricultural practices are crucial in shaping resilient and sustainable rural communities that meet their food needs.

Nascent entrepreneurial ecosystems are characterized by the lack of connections and interactions between various actors and have, therefore, weak social capital. To advance the evolutionary stage of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, interconnectedness among ecosystem stakeholders needs to be strengthened and diversified. While the entrepreneurial ecosystem literature emphasizes the importance of social capital for entrepreneurial ecosystem development, it has not paid sufficient attention to how social capital is created within ecosystems. This study sheds light on the role of anchor tenants, central actors in the ecosystem governance of nascent entrepreneurial ecosystems, in creating ecosystem-level social capital. This study conducted two case studies of entrepreneurial ecosystems. The first entrepreneurial ecosystem is located in Latin America (Case LA), where a large public accelerator backed by the government significantly formed a large start-up community. The second ecosystem is in Southern Africa (Case SA), where a smaller, private co-work space/business incubator contributed to changing the manner of stakeholder interactions, which led to the creation of a larger start-up community. Based on the within- and between-case analyses of these two ecosystems, this study revealed that anchor tenants create ecosystem-level social capital with a cycling mechanism of three consecutive steps: (1) creating bonding social capital, (2) creating bridging social capital, and (3) converting bridging into bonding social capital. The findings extend the current understandings of early ecosystem evolution by illuminating anchor tenants’ social capital creation activities and offer implications for social capital theory by examining the interplay between bonding and bridging social capital.

Nascent entrepreneurial ecosystems are characterized by the lack of connections and interactions between various actors and have, therefore, weak social capital. To advance the evolutionary stage of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, interconnectedness among ecosystem stakeholders needs to be strengthened and diversified. While the entrepreneurial ecosystem literature emphasizes the importance of social capital for entrepreneurial ecosystem development, it has not paid sufficient attention to ‘how’ social capital is created within ecosystems. This study sheds light on the role of anchor tenants, central actors in the ecosystem governance of nascent entrepreneurial ecosystems, in creating ecosystem-level social capital. This study conducted two case studies of entrepreneurial ecosystems: Based on the within- and between-case analyses of these two ecosystems, this study revealed that anchor tenants create ecosystem-level social capital with a cycling mechanism of three consecutive steps: (1) creating bonding social capital, (2) creating bridging social capital, and (3) converting bridging into bonding social capital. The findings extend the current understandings of early ecosystem evolution by illuminating anchor tenants’ social capital creation activities and offer implications for social capital theory by examining the interplay between bonding and bridging social capital.

Sequential explanatory mixed method design is the most frequently applied in both health and social sciences literature. It is denoted by ‘QUAN → qual’ which represents the quantitative study occurs first and has greater weight in addressing the study’s aims, and the qualitative study follows to explain quantitative results. Despite the extensive use of sequential explanatory design, there are limited references to this design. Therefore, this methodological paper attempts to fill the gap by providing an illustration in developing a sequential explanatory interview schedule based on complementary-alternative medicine (CAM) study among clinical psychologists in Indonesia. The most important step to develop sequential explanatory interview schedule was the construction of aspects and questions that were immensely grounded on the most notable quantitative results. In this study, eight aspects of interview schedule were constructed after analyses of the nationwide survey. The interview schedule then piloted among participants with fairly similar characteristics to the participants in the main interviews. This process enhanced the quality of questions through feedback from participants and improved the interviewer’s skills through familiarization with questions. It is expected that this reflection report could be adopted as a practical guideline in developing interview schedule for sequential explanatory mixed method design, particularly in the field of psychology.

Purpose: The general objective of the study was to explore the role of social capital in community development. Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library. Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to the role of social capital in community development. Preliminary empirical review revealed that social networks, trust, and collective action played crucial roles in enhancing community well-being and resilience. Through empirical research conducted across various contexts, it was found that social capital served as a catalyst for community empowerment, fostering cooperation and mutual support among residents. The study highlighted the importance of context-specific factors in shaping the relationship between social capital and community development, emphasizing the need for targeted investments in social capital-building initiatives to promote inclusive and sustainable development. Overall, the findings underscored the vital role of social capital in driving positive change within communities, providing valuable insights for policymakers, practitioners, and community leaders. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The Social Capital theory, Community Development theory and Network theory may be used to anchor future studies on the role of social capital in community development. The study contributed to theoretical advancements by enhancing comprehension of how social relationships influence development outcomes, refining existing theories, and highlighting the interplay between social capital and socio-economic factors. Practically, it guided practitioners in fostering social networks, promoting civic engagement, and tailoring interventions to community needs. From a policy perspective, it influenced the design of development policies by leveraging social capital for inclusive and sustainable development, promoting social cohesion, and addressing structural barriers. Overall, recognizing social capital's importance underscored its potential as a catalyst for positive change within communities.

PurposeThe level of social capital is a crucial indicator of the evolutionary stage of entrepreneurial ecosystems. While prior studies have highlighted the role of leadership by anchor organizations in building networks within nascent entrepreneurial ecosystems, there is limited understanding of how these organizations develop bonding and bridging social capital and how their leadership catalyzes the early evolution of ecosystems. Against the background, this study endeavors to unravel the role of anchor organizations performing ecosystem leadership as creators of social capital in the early stages of ecosystem development, with a specific focus on bonding and bridging social capital.Design/methodology/approachThe study applied explorative qualitative research methods to examine two distinct entrepreneurial ecosystems – one in Latin America and the other in Southern Africa. These locations were chosen because a single anchor organization played a visible role in ecosystem leadership during the early phases of evolution in both instances.FindingsThe study reveals a tripartite sequence of steps that anchor organizations take to instigate social capital at the ecosystem level (1) creating bonding social capital, (2) creating bridging social capital and (3) converting bridging into bonding social capital. The study formulates a theoretical framework that elucidates how anchor organizations perform ecosystem leadership to create social capital, thereby generating initial evolutionary forces within ecosystems. By discerning context-specific dimensions in each ecosystem, the study identifies essential considerations for generalizing its findings.Practical implicationsFor anchor organizations, specifically startup support entities strategically dedicated to fostering local entrepreneurial ecosystems, key insights can be gleaned from this study to cultivate a burgeoning startup community, serving as a catalyst for early-phase ecosystem development. For policymakers seeking to cultivate thriving entrepreneurial ecosystems in their regions, the study provides insights into distinct approaches for leveraging anchor organizations in social capital development.Originality/valueThis study revealed strategic functions of ecosystem leadership in creating social capital, which catalyze early ecosystem evolution. Furthermore, by contrasting two different emerging entrepreneurial ecosystems, this study particularly highlights how contexts can enable or constrain ecosystem leadership in social capital creation activities. This study also illuminated the cycle mechanisms of creating bonding and bridging social capital and converting bridging into bonding social capital. This finding extends the recent discussions on the transition from bonding to bridging social capital.

(1) Background: The last few decades have seen researchers giving considerable attention to the physical context of early childhood care and development (ECCD) centers because many of the underlying processes that link physical context are quite similar to psychosocial environmental factors regarding child development. However, research on the physical environments, and the employees’ understanding of the importance of physical environments, is often underestimated. The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of the physical environments of ECCD centers in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana, and ascertain whether being a private or public center (center auspices) would be associated with the quality of its physical environment. A further inquiry into the educators’ understanding of the importance of physical environment on children’s developmental outcomes was made. (2) Methods: Using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods research design, all 160 ECCD centers in the Cape Coast Metropolis were assessed using a modified version of the Children’s Physical Environment Rating Scale (CPERS) and a semi-structured interview guide. (3) Results: Descriptive statistics indicated that more than half of the ECCD centers, 56%, rated “fair” on the quality of their physical environment. Although the locations and sites of these centers were of good quality, other physical environmental characteristics (i.e., “Planning of the Centre”, “Building as a Whole” and “Outdoor Space”) of ECCD centers were also rated to be fair. A Chi-square test showed that center auspices (i.e., being private or public) were not significantly associated with the quality of the physical environments of the centers [χ2(2) = 2.490, p > 0.05], suggesting no significant difference between private and public ECCD centers in terms of the quality of their physical environment. A follow-up qualitative inquiry identified two themes as reasons why play yards in early years’ schools were not good: a ‘‘lack of funding” and “governmental support”. (4) Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the physical environments of ECCD centers are, to some extent, compromised. Stakeholders (e.g., Ghana Education Service, non-governmental/religious organizations, and private entrepreneurs) should help improve the quality of physical environments and also provide financial assistance for the provision of basic equipment (e.g., learning materials) for private and public ECCD centers in the Cape Coast Metropolis. Educators require in-service training to boost their in-depth understanding of the importance of physical environments on children’s developmental outcomes. Future studies could target children’s perceptions of their preschools’ physical environments as useful empirical information to help guide appropriate policy interventions.

Part 1: Advances on Theory and Methods of Social Capital 1. Position Generators, Affiliations, and the Institutional Logics of Social Capital: A Study of Taiwan Firms and Individuals Ray-May Hsung and Ronald L. Breiger 2. Changing Places: The Influence of Meeting Places on Recruiting Friends Beate Volker, Henk Flap and Gerald Mollenhors 3. Does the Golden Rule Rule? Rochelle R. Cote, Gabriele Plickert and Barry Wellman 4. Making Democracy Work via the Functioning of Heterogeneous Personal Networks: An Empirical Analysis based on a Japanese Election Study Ken'ichi Ikeda and Tetsuro Kobayashi Part 2: Markets And Social Capital 5. The Context Challenge: Generalizing Social Capital Processes Across Two Different Settings Bonnie H. Erickson 6. The Transaction Cost: Embeddedness Approach to Studying Chinese Outsourcing Jar-Der Luo and Yung-Chu Yeh 7. Constructed Network as Social Capital: The Transformation Of Taiwan's Small And Medium Enterprise Organization Chieh-Hsuan Chen Part 3: Social Capital in Communities 8. Production And Returns Of Social Capital: Evidence From Urban China Nan Lin, Dan Ao And Lijun Song 9. The Distribution and Return of Social Capital in Taiwan Chih-Jou Jay Chen 10. Social Capital in Communities, Development and Integration: The Four-Village Case Study in Hungary, 2000 Robert Tardos 11. Distinctiveness and Disadvantage among the Urban Poor: Is Low Network Capital Really the Problem Jeanne S. Hurlbert, John J. Beggs and Valerie A. Haines Part 4: Families and Social Capital 12. Parental Closure Effects on Learning: Coleman's Theory of Social Capital on Learning Revisited Ly-Yun Chang 13. Childcare Networks and Embedded Experiences Joseph Galaskiewicz, Beth M. Duckles and Olga Mayorova 14. The Immediate Returns on Time Investment in Daily Contacts: Exploring the Network-Overlapping Effects from Contact Diaries Yang-Chih Fu

BackgroundReablement is a multi-professional and internationally established home-based health care service for mainly older people with the aim to reduce the need for long-term care and to promote self-determination. However, it is unknown which factors would facilitate the implementation of reablement in health care services. Therefore, the aim of this work was to identify relevant factors for the implementation process and to elucidate their importance based on the perspectives of experts.MethodsWithin an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design, a literature search followed by framework analysis was carried out using the five domains of the Consolidated Framework of Implementation Research (CFIR) to collect potentially relevant factors for implementation of reablement. A survey was then drawn up encompassing the factors identified. Within the survey international reablement – experts were asked to rate the relevance of these factors .ResultsThe literature search identified 58 publications that served as sources for the framework analysis, where 40 potentially relevant factors were clustered into the five CFIR domains. These 40 factors were rated by experts in an online-survey. Based on the analysis of survey-data, 35 factors were considered as relevant for implementation of reablement services. The CFIR-domain characteristics of individuals, including teamwork and communication skills, was seen as most relevant.ConclusionsThe implementation of reablement services is complex and requires the consideration of numerous factors, especially regarding the CFIR-domain characteristics of individuals. From the perspective of the survey´s participants one important factor of a successful implementation was the engagement of the persons involved. It requires team members with a strong, shared vision. Communication skills are highly important to promote teamwork and intensive training is needed to establish these skills. Further research on the implementation of reablement services is essential to realize its full potential.

Extended Abstract 1. INTRODUCTION An advantageous development strategy for rural regions, known as rural sustainable development, contrast to the antecedent ones, is based on a systematic and holistic approach which involves fundamental aspects shaping a rural development system and a harmonized bonding between them. Given the definitions of sustainable development, its basic components are progressive economy, social welfare, environmental quality, and good governance. It means that there should be a healthy life that should be achieved by satisfying the basic needs for people, together with keeping the environmental quality up, and realizing a high standard of living. In general, a sustainable development is a process through which a comprehensive, forward-looking approach, and a persistent satisfaction are established via making a reasonable relation between humans and environment as well as within its components; a rational intervention in order to keep the relation sustained dynamically, an integration of advanced technology with indigenous knowledge and recognizing the right of individuals. To evaluate the rural sustainability in terms of condition of the area and the problem posed in this study, it is necessary to integrate the sustainable development indexes with social capital theory. 2. RESEARCH FOUNDATIONS One of the important features in social sustainable development is the use of capital concept in its social dimension. Though the word capital has primarily been applied in economics since two past decades, it has progressively been adopted in social domains and is now considered as a significant concept in the development issues. Social capital has been added to three other categories of capital concept, which are commonly referred to as physical or manufacturing, natural, and human capitals in economic analyses. Typically, the economic growth and development are based on physical or manufacturing, natural, and human capitals which are recognized as the wealth of a nation. It is recently found that these three kinds of capital function merely in a part of economic growth process because they do not have any effect on the way in which the agents economically interact and adjust each other. Therefore, in order to find out the discrepancy in growth of different countries which have an identical situation based on these three kinds of capitals, it is need to look for a missing link, which is social capital. The main concern of policy makers is why the difficult economic condition and the lives of people are getting worse while the government is injecting huge investment into both manufacturing and service sectors? Commonly, when we are talking about economic problems we highlight a scarcity of physical capital without considering the social capital. However, need of social capital in recession or inflation conditions that require trustworthiness is much more felt than other capitals and the social capital along with the other capitals can solve many problems in economy. 3. METHODOLOGY The method of this research is descriptive-analytical. The data was collected through both field and library sources using a researcher–designed questionnaire (according to findings of theoretical framework). The indexes and variables were operated by using suitable items and the questionnaire’s validity was measured by Chronbach alpha test. The population consisted of inhabitants of villages in western suburb (including 19 villages; 1324 households with a total population of 5717 individuals). The sample was selected through Cochran method (people above 15 years as criterion) in terms of geographically distributed population by random sampling method. The ultimate data was analyzed using SPSS software. 4. CONCLUSION The findings of the study indicate that there exists a direct and strong correlation between social capital and rural sustainability, and that as the range of social capital expands, the villages become more sustainable. Given the findings, it can be said that the social capital has a capability to make a village socially and environmentally viable, dynamic, and sound. The results obtained based on this hypothesis show that all the social capital indicators can function to achieve to a sustainable development in the villages. The rural communities believe that the social capital is effective in promoting the quality of life and environment. In addition, the higher the tested social capital indicators are, the more improved and desirable village sustainability will be. It is due to the fact that the social confidence improves the interaction of villagers followed by increased collaborations. Therefore, social capital increases the confidence and participation among villagers contributing to a better and a more persistent village.

Return of the unexpected: Rural workforce recruitment and retention in the era of COVID-19.

Social capital theory is a valuable theoretical framework in the field of higher education—as it has been used to examine differences in important educational outcomes based on students’ social network and the resources embedded in that network. Despite multiple well-established methods proposed by seminal researchers, there is limited synthesis of how to assess social capital, perpetuating inconsistent findings and evidence for educational interventions. The aim of the study is to evaluate quantitative social capital assessments, based on survey design and operationalized measures, and recommend methods, operationalized measures and assessment instruments for social capital. Using seven educational databases and Web of Science, we reviewed 93 English language, quantitative studies from peer-reviewed journals, published from 1980 to 2022; to be included, studies had to measure the social capital of students entering and currently in undergraduate studies. Results from the 93 articles revealed that generators (18 papers), social network analysis (5 papers), and standard Likert measures (80 papers) were commonly used to assess social capital. Standard Likert measures, while most common, were rarely aligned with social capital theory, reducing the validity of the measures. Results also showed that operationalizations of social capital were heavily rooted in social network theory, where social capital is accessed through social networks (86 papers) and actions from alters (65 papers) in the students’ network. However, direct measures of social capital—that is, network characteristics, access to supports, and seminal definitions of trust and community—were less common. This study provides important consensus and recommendations for researchers to select assessment instruments appropriate for their study and rooted in principles of assessment validity. We recommend researchers select survey methods (e.g., social capital generators) and operationalizations (e.g., actions from alters) that are well aligned with social capital theory. Assessment instruments designed using strong theoretical frameworks, such as Lin’s network theory of social capital, add to the validity of the researchers’ instrument design, use and interpretation of the students’ social capital scores.

This article contributes to the discussion on the sustainability of the sharing economy by adopting the Social Capital Theory to expand explanations of the sharing economy’s role and scope of relations with local communities in the context of overtourism. As mutual relationships have not been fully recognized through a theoretical perspective, the article aims to examine the sustainability of the process of the sharing economy impacting urban tourism communities in light of Robert Putnam’s approach to Social Capital Theory. On the basis of a selective systematic review, the article discusses the sustainability of the sharing economy through the lens of bridging and bonding social capital. We argue that a new configuration of social capital, i.e., a sharing platform-modified social capital, arises from the unsustainable and disruptive power of the sharing economy implemented by virtual platforms, thereby contributing to an overtourism syndrome. However, from a medium- and long-term perspective, the sharing economy also impacts the bridging nature of social capital, which should lead to a more sustainable balance in its structure. This initial framework for understanding the impact of the sharing economy on sustainability of local communities provides an alternative approach to studying residents’ perceptions and attitudes towards tourism in the areas affected by overtourism.

PurposeAlthough health question-and-answer (Q&A) communities have become popular in recent years, only a few communities have successfully retained and motivated their members to share knowledge. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the ways by which social capital and motivation influence knowledge sharing intention from the perspectives of health professionals and normal users in health Q&A communities.Design/methodology/approachThe developed theoretical model integrates individual motivation and social capital theories. On the basis of a sample comprising 363 members from health Q&A communities in China, the authors tested the hypotheses by using structural equation modeling.FindingsThis study empirically finds that social capital positively affects intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, which then positively influence the intention of health professionals and normal users to share knowledge. Motivations of members fully mediate the effects of social capital on knowledge sharing intention. Specifically, intrinsic motivation influences knowledge sharing intention more for health professionals than for normal users, whereas extrinsic motivation influences knowledge sharing intention more for normal users than for health professionals.Originality/valueThis study explores the factors that affect the intentions of sharing knowledge in health Q&A communities by integrating social capital and motivation theories. Individual motivations can then bridge social capital and knowledge sharing intention. The effects of the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations of two user types were further examined and compared. These findings can extend the understanding of the underlying drivers of intention to share knowledge in the context of e-health.