Dimensions Of Social Capital Research Articles

Social capital, power and information sharing – evidence from the Dutch meat processing industry

PurposeBuying companies in the food industry increasingly recognize the need to cultivate relationships with their suppliers. Social capital and power are important to understand buyer–supplier relationships. Maintaining these relationships appears highly dependent on the degree of information sharing.Design/methodology/approachThe study investigates how power and social capital dimensions are related to information sharing. A survey of first-tier suppliers in the Dutch meat processing industry was carried out. The data from 82 suppliers was analyzed using partial least squares.FindingsIt appears that expert power contributes to the cognitive and structural social capital. In contrast, coercive power showed no influence at all. Cognitive and structural social capital dimensions have a direct link to relational social capital, which significantly improves buyer–supplier information sharing in the food industry.Practical implicationsBuying companies can encourage supplier information sharing by building up their own expertise and cultivating social relationships. They should refrain from strong-handed practices.Originality/valueCompanies in the food and food processing industry are dependent on effective information exchange for their very survival. This study investigates the role of power and social capital in making such exchange possible and sustainable.

Tacit Knowledge Sharing: An Integration of Social Capital and Transformative Learning Theories

Tacit knowledge ingrained in individual brains can be shared and applied efficiently only with the active involvement and cooperation of the knowledge source and recipient. Since tacit knowledge sharing is not mandated by organizations, employees often view it as a time consuming activity. This turns out to be a potential hindrance to workplace learning and hence, identifying factors that drive employees to voluntarily engage in tacit knowledge-sharing constitutes an important research area. This study aims to empirically examine how the perception of social capital in work teams motivates individuals to voluntarily engage in tacit knowledge sharing with teammates, and the subsequent impact on individual creative performance. Questionnaire-based survey was employed and data was collected from 440 professionals working in the Information Technology industry. Structural equation modeling using AMOS 22 was used for hypothesis testing. As per the findings of the study, all social capital dimensions, except shared language and shared language, demonstrate a significant positive influence on tacit knowledge contribution and knowledge seeking behavior of employees. The results also provide evidence that point to a significant positive relationship between tacit knowledge contribution, tacit knowledge seeking and creative performance of employees. Furthermore, the moderating role of bisociative cognitive style of individuals on the association between tacit knowledge sharing behavior and creative performance is confirmed.

Strategies on the Benefit Sharing perspective of Preventive Resettlement Sustainable Development

In the process of Preventive Resettlement, the stakeholders of all parties have multiple interest correlations in resource allocation, profit and loss impact, risk taking and so on. Based on the benefit-sharing perspective, this paper constructs an evaluation index system for sustainable development of livelihoods of Preventive Resettlement. Selecting the case of disaster-avoiding immigrants in Chongqing. Empirical research using network analysis method, combining the Livelihood Environment of Resettlement, Analysis from five dimensions of human capital, financial capital, social capital, material capital and natural capital. Propose reasonable strategies for sustainable development of Resettlement livelihoods.

Mapping the Research Landscape of Strategic Human Resource Management in Nonprofit Organizations: A Systematic Review and Avenues for Future Research

A decade after key theoretical developments in strategic human resource management (SHRM) in nonprofit organizations (NPOs), we still lack a comprehensive understanding of the disparate strands of empirical evidence. Furthermore, this growing field requires integration and synthesis of new themes and conceptual developments. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review of SHRM studies in NPOs published between 2008 and 2017. Our review of 74 articles synthesizes a fragmented body of research and maps out the relationships into a more integrated whole. By mapping the research landscape, we provide insights into the tensions NPOs face between external pressures and values, highlighting the underexplored role of managerial discretion in shaping NPOs’ differing responses. Our review expands the resource orientation to include a social capital dimension and identifies new empirical manifestations of human resource management (HRM) types. We offer avenues for research on content, process, outcomes of SHRM, and discuss how the interplay across key themes can inform the development of the field.

Asociatividad empresarial y fuentes de capital social: hacia un modelo explicativo

El trabajo se centra en la noción de asociatividad empresarial y su incidencia en eldesarrollo de ventajas competitivas, analizada desde la perspectiva de la generación de capital social (CS). El objetivo es analizar la intención de participación en redes interempresariales, sobre la base del estudio de las fuentes que crean el CS y de los propósitos y beneficios buSCados en la articulación, considerándose que el CS constituye un factor explicativo de fenómenos colaborativos. Aplicando la técnica de regresión logística, se evidencia que la variable dependiente (intención de asociatividad) se explica con una fuente de generación de CS (oportunidad) y los propósitos de lograr economías de eSCala y de capturar externalidades a través de la articulación. Se diSCuten prácticas de gestión empresarial dirigidas a acumular rentas intangibles (recursos) a través de relaciones interorganizativas, para concluir que la dimensión estructural del CS (oportunidad) resulta impreSCindible para la intención de asociatividad, mientras que la motivación y la habilidad serían fuentes deseables. Finalmente, se resalta la importancia de las redes empresariales como mecanismo para el aumento del CS, trasladando el potencial que tiene este concepto al ámbito de la gestión empresarial como fuente de creación de valor y de ventajas competitivas.

Entrepreneurial collaboration for R&D alliance performance: a role of social capital configuration

PurposeDespite increasing research on the social nature of entrepreneurial collaboration in the context of alliances, its performance implication has been under debate. The present study tests a theoretical framework to elucidate the mediated relationship between social capital (SC) and research and development (R&D) alliance performance through the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) of alliance firms.Design/methodology/approachBased on the authors’ literature review, SC is conceptualized as the sum of actual and potential assets, including structural, relational and cognitive capital, embedded within the networks of alliance partners. Alliance performance is regarded as a combination of technological performance and business performance, corresponding to the mutual and private benefits of R&D alliances, respectively. This study hypothesizes the potential impact of SC on alliance performance and the mediating role of EO in the relationship.FindingsThe results from an analysis of 218 Korean ventures that participated in R&D alliance projects as focal alliance partners show that each SC dimension drives alliance firms to enact EO, which eventually leads to increased performance in technology and business. Specifically, EO contributes to translating the implications of SC for technological performance partially and for business performance completely.Originality/valueThis study links fragmented theoretical perspectives in research, shedding new light on the importance of social nature in the context of R&D alliances, which conditions entrepreneurial collaboration for better alliance performance. The findings suggest that practitioners should adopt an ambidextrous approach to the SC–EO interface at the alliance level, which opens a gateway to achieve greater performance by alliance.

Tarım İşletmelerinde Girişimci Becerilerinin Oluşmasında Sosyal Sermayenin Rolü

Social capital is important in the formation of entrepreneurship, consisting of cultural values of society, confidence, norm and social relations. Accordingly, the main objective of this study was to examine the relationship between the social capital and the entrepreneurial skills of agricultural farms. In accordance with this purpose, the stratified random sampling method was used for sampling. A survey was conducted with 76 agricultural farms determined according to this method. The reliability and validity tests of the scales used in the study were carried out, and the social capital and entrepreneurship skills were divided into dimensions, respectively. A significant relationship was determined by correlation analysis to calculate the degree of binary changes between the dimensions. In order to determine whether there is a significant relationship between social capital and entrepreneurship skills, which is the main aim of the study, structural equality model is established. According to the results of the analysis, it was determined that there was a significant and positive relationship between social capital dimensions and entrepreneurship skills.

Internal social capital and the life cycle of agricultural cooperatives

This paper provides an integrated analysis of the structural, relational, and cognitive dimensions of social capital in cooperatives. The social capital concept is integrated with cooperative lifecycle theory to describe the change of cooperative social capital along the lifecycle. We propose that cooperatives in different stages of the lifecycle are featured with different levels of social capital. Cooperatives usually enjoy a high level of social capital in the early stages of the lifecycle. However, the level of social capital in cooperatives exhibits a declining trend along the development of the organization. The decrease of social capital will lead to an imbalance of the social and economic attributes of cooperatives. The cooperative’s governance structure must change accordingly. We argue that it is important for cooperatives to maintain and develop the social capital strategically over time. Otherwise, the comparative advantage of the cooperative business form may disappear.

Dimensions of social capital and learning culture: a case of an IT organization

PurposeEarlier studies of social capital have focused on its influence on various aspects of business. There is substantial void in the literature on how social capital enables learning culture in organizations. The purpose of this paper is to explore direct and indirect relations between dimensions of social capital and learning culture in the organizational context.Design/methodology/approachA survey-based research was conducted in which the questionnaire based on the Dimensions of Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) and social capital was used. Participants in this study were employees from an IT organization based in India. Data was subjected to structural equation modeling to understand causal relations between social capital and learning culture.FindingsThis empirical study emphatically shows that parameters of social capital positively influence individual learning. Results show that shared vision, shared narratives in the cognitive dimension; trust and identification in the relational dimension; and mutual confiding in the structural dimension have a positive influence on individual learning.Originality/valueFindings in this paper indicate that a culture of learning in organizations starts with individuals and it can be fueled and sustained by social capital embedded within the organization if managers focus on enabling the factors identified in this study through policies and practices.

What Shapes Public Engagement in Fracking Issues?

The engagement of residents in hydraulic fracturing (fracking) debates within regions in which extraction occurs is critically important for shaping fracking policies. Such engagement may be less likely to occur in such regions, however, due to social factors associated with fossil fuel dependence, or what has been termed petro-statism. Alberta, Canada, is just such a place, and we use survey data (N = 226) from a sample of residents in Lethbridge, Fox Creek, and Rosebud—three Alberta communities where local residents have experienced nearby proposed or active fracking for natural gas. We found the social capital attributes of trust and self-efficacy, as well as concern for the impacts of fracking, strongly predict public engagement in fracking issues in the three study sites. Annual household income, education, and working in the energy sector also shape citizens’ participation in fracking. Furthermore, we found that trust in particular institutions can have different levels of influence on personal and collective engagement.

A Social Capital Perspective on Computer-Mediated Group Communication and Performance: An Empirical Study

In light of the pervasiveness of collaborative decision making and technology in organizations, this research examines computer mediated collaboration using the lens of social capital. We draw from the Distributed Cognition Theory and others for our socio-technical investigation that incorporates the technical component as the artifact of electronic memory (group memory), and the social component as the history of interactions between members (group history). We study these under the mediating influence of the relational social capital dimensions of relational closeness and relational trust. Our study shows how social capital adds an important flavor to collaborative performance. We highlight how the traditional premise of memory being an unequivocal enhancer of group performance gets altered if one fails to consider the influence of relational social capital in the equation. We propose to practitioners that collaborative technology that offers memory cannot be viewed independently, but as a vehicle that impacts performance through the dynamics of social capital of the group. Most importantly, our research reinforces the need for a novel perspective to collaborative development. With the diaspora of technological advancement, there needs to be a transition in perceiving collaborative development as a concurrent, rather than a sequential, process of discussion and development of group activity.

Individual social capital and subjective well-being in urban- and rural Austrian areas

In this study we investigated the amount of social capital as well as its effect on subjective well-being for the whole Austrian population and separately for rural- and urban areas. By using the Austrian Social Survey 2018, we were able to analyze various social capital dimensions based on a conceptual model developed by Kawachi (2008), namely informal and formal social capital, social support as well as social and institutional trust. We observed differences between rural and urban areas in the social-capital dimension of informal social capital: Individuals in rural areas report more contacts with lower-skilled vocations and more family contacts while individuals from urban areas report more social participation and more contact with a close friend. For the Austrian population as a whole, more contacts with highly educated professions, frequent contact (at least several times a week) with a close friend, as well as social and institutional trust, foster subjective well-being. Frequent contact with up to three distinct family members fosters subjective well-being for the entire Austrian sample as well as for individuals living in rural-, but not in urban areas. This study extends previous research by showing different amounts of informal social capital between urban and rural areas as well as different effects on subjective well-being. To summarize, our results confirm the beneficial influence of certain social capital dimensions on subjective well-being in Austria taking into account control variables based on previous research, while showing different patterns and effects of informal social capital between urban and rural areas.

Motivational factors impacting rural community participation in community-based tourism enterprise in Lenggong Valley, Malaysia

ABSTRACT This study investigates factors motivating the participation of rural residents of Lenggong Valley, Malaysia, in community-based tourism enterprises (CBTEs). We used observation and focus group discussions to gain insights into the cognitive evaluation and social capital dimensions of local residents’ participation in CBTEs. Observations were made of 32 participants during their CBTE initiation, while 15 participants contributed to focus group discussions 12-months later. The findings suggest that self-determination and perceived competence were integral to residents’ continuous involvement and commitment in the CBTE project. We also found that strong social networks, trust in external groups, mutual cooperation, and shared goals were significant motivational factors for residents to participate in the project.

Coordination in the agri-food sector: The role of social capital and remoteness in the emergence of Italian network contracts

The organization of the agri-food sector is dominated by hybrid forms of interaction among independent firms. To explain the participation in this form of arrangements, the bulk of the literature has focused on firm-level characteristics. In this paper, we assess the role that the territorial dimension, in terms of social capital and geographical remoteness, plays in the explaining Italian firms’ participation to Network Contracts (NC). NC have been institutionalized in Italy in 2009 to provide a legal framework for the formation of a wide range of hybrids, encompassing both vertical and horizontal coordination. Data on the population of NCs are aggregated at the municipality level and analyzed through a zero-hurdle model, that properly addresses skewed data with many zeros and admits different underlying processes to explain the zero values. Results show that the territorial dimension plays a major role in explaining the participation to NCs. Proxied through a synthetic indicator, the social capital is strongly significant and negatively related to the number of NC members at the municipality level. However, such a relation proves to be more complicated when different dimensions of social capital are taken into account and when trying to disentangle its effect on horizontal and vertical NC. With respect to geography, remoteness seems to hinder the formation of NCs, as the more peripheral a given municipality, the lower the number of participants. NCs seems to be a legal framework that is able to overcome the constraint to coordination set by the lack of social capital, but it does not show to overcome the problem related to remoteness.

Effect of social capital on food security status of rural farm households in Enugu State, Nigeria

This study analysed the effect of social capital on food security status of rural farm households in Enugu state, Nigeria. Multistage random sampling technique was employed in collecting data from 180 farm households using structured interview schedule. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, food security index, Tobit regression and Pearson product moment correlation. Results showed that the farm households had mean monthly food expenditure/consumption of ₦14,600. Result of social capital dimensions showed that the farm households belonged to at least 2 associations and had cash contribution index of 68.01% and participated in two out of three decision making processes of their association. Result also showed that 58.33% of the farm households were relatively food secure. Result of Tobit regression analysis showed that cash contribution index, membership density index, association heterogeneity index and decision making index significantly influenced the rural farm households’ food security status. The Pearson correlation analysis showed that there was a significant positive correlation between social capital and food security status of the farm households at 5% level. The study recommends that relevant agencies with mandate to enhance food security status of farm households should make policies aimed at promoting membership of farmers to local agricultural associations/cooperatives where opportunities for access to social capital abound.
 Keywords: Farm households, food security, social capital

CONCEPTUALIZATION OF SOCIAL CAPITAL IN CROSS-SECTIONAL DESIGN STUDIES: RAPID REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Social capital is a concept that is widely studied in different fields of science, in different dimensions of this concept, and consists of a number of elements, including trust, sense of belonging and affiliation. Given the multidimensional nature of social capital, researchers point to the challenges of its conceptualization and operationalization of its elements. Objective: To identify cross-sectional design studies, with nationally representative samples from European countries, where each study assessed following social capital elements: either trust and sense of belonging, or trust and affiliation, to identify other included social capital elements, to clarify how these elements are operationalized, to identify what social capital determinants are taken into account and what social capital manifestations have been evaluated.Method: Cross-sectional design studies, with nationally representative samples for European countries, conducted between 2014 and 2019, were sought in Science Direct, ProQuest, SAGE, EBSCO, Google Scholar, using the key words “social capital”, “trust”, “sense of belonging” and their synonyms. The methodological quality was assessed by Appraisal tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (Axis). Results: From initially identified 173 studies, the literature review included 3 studies. The included studies identify determinants of social capital (socio-demographic factors (2 studies) and political affiliation (1 study)) and manifestations of social capital (self-rated health (1 study), loneliness (1 study), willingness to pay for environmental quality (1 study)). The included studies define the bonding, bridging and linking types of social capital, as well as the structural and cognitive dimensions of social capital. The studies assessed and operationalized the following social capital elements: trust (3 studies), sense of belonging (1 study), support (1 study), frequency of contacts (2 studies), participation in associations (1 study), religious affiliation (1 study), civic activity (2 studies).

Building social capital and learning relationships through knowledge sharing: a social network approach of management students’ cases

PurposeThis study has adopted theoretical frameworks of social capital, social networks and the Community of Practice to study how different types of relationships influence the knowledge sharing relationship. This paper aims to suggest that building social capital, particularly structural capital, is part of expected key in knowledge sharing networks.Design/methodology/approachUsing social capital theory, through social network analysis of 111 management students in the US business school, identified key social capital dimension in knowledge sharing networks. To incorporate the interdependency among examined relationships, network logistic regression with the quadric assignment procedure was used.FindingsThe proposed research model showed that about 98% of the existence of knowledge sharing relationship could be correctly predicted. Among three dimensions of social capital, this study found a superior influence of the structural dimension (i.e. task interdependence) in predicting having a knowledge sharing relationship. The significant effect of trust and friendship network on knowledge sharing was also found. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research were also discussed.Originality/valueExisting literature as to how people learn through knowledge sharing is limited in at least two important ways. First, scholars of knowledge management acknowledge that organizational knowledge originates from dyadic relationships between or among individuals at work. However, prior research has heavily relied on survey responses from one’s perception of knowledge sharing experience, viewing as unidirectional. Second, substantial attention of prior research has been devoted to the factors of individual attributes. Emphasizing individual interactions as the fundamental building blocks of learning, this study focuses more on relational characteristics of knowledge sharing based on social capital theory.

Socially Sustainable Supply Chain Management and Suppliers’ Social Performance: The Role of Social Capital

The implementation of socially sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices (i.e. assessment and collaboration) to tackle suppliers’ social deficiencies (e.g. the use of child labour) often requires a level of cooperation that can be difficult to establish. Despite this daunting challenge, scant scholarly attention has been paid to explore how the implementation of socially SSCM practices can be effectively facilitated and enhanced. Drawing on social capital theory, this study examines the individual impact of assessment and collaboration practices on suppliers’ social performance and explores whether and how these effects can be moderated (strengthened) by the level of social capital (i.e. relational, cognitive, and structural) embedded in the buyer–supplier relationship. Based on a survey of 119 manufacturing companies in the UK, we found that assessment practices are less likely to influence suppliers to improve social performance compared to collaboration practices. However, when relational and structural capital are manifested in the relationship, assessment practices become significant in driving suppliers’ social performance. We also found that the positive impact of collaboration practices is more pronounced when relational and cognitive capital are established in the relationship. This paper contributes to the growing socially SSCM literature by disentangling the vital and relative importance of social capital dimensions on the implementation of socially SSCM practices.

SOCIAL CAPITAL IN MANAGING COMMUNITY PLANTATION FOREST: A CASE STUDY AT KPH BOALEMO, GORONTALO PROVINCE

Community Plantation Forest (HTR) is one among alternatives expected to fulfill the needs of timber. Limited capital, which is simply known as financial capital, is considered as the main problem in HTR development. However, there is also other capital but less known and understood namely social capital. This study aims to determine the social capital that can be utilized in HTR management. The study was conducted in Rumbia Village, Boalemo District, Gorontalo Province. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive qualitative method in three steps: data reduction, data display and verification. In this study, the social capital is discussed in its dimensions of trust, norm and network. Results of the study show that strengthening social capital in its dimension of trust, norm, and network would encourage independence of both the farmers and forest farmer groups in HTR management. If the social capital does not work properly, gap among farmers could occur and even becomes a barrier or limits in involvement of members of the farmer group in the management of HTR. The farmers had high trust to forestry extension officer. It became a dimension of social capital that should be developed further in HTR management to reach optimally benefits from HTR land. In addition, the farmers also had a high compliance to social norms of traditions, religion and customary rules. The social capital hold by the farmers should be addressed in proper way by local and central government in order to develop successful HTR management.

Determinants of individual social capital in dairy cooperatives in West Shoa, Ethiopia

ABSTRACT While previous studies recognise the importance of social capital for cooperatives’ social and economic outcomes, there are no empirical studies on the determinants of farmers’ social capital in cooperatives. This paper investigates the determinants of social capital using data from farmers in dairy cooperatives in Ethiopia. First, principal component analyses (PCAs) are performed on the data set of dimensions of social capital: structural, relational and cognitive. After applying PCA, composite indicators are developed as measures of farmers’ dimensions of social capital. Second, seemingly unrelated regression is employed to identify the determinants of the dimensions of social capital. The results suggest that marital status, education level and length of membership have a positive effect on the structural dimension. The relational dimension has a positive relationship with the ownership of a radio, the number of close friends, and membership in associations, while training access and number of close friends positively influence the cognitive dimension. The study concludes that improving farmers’ social capital in dairy cooperatives requires investment in the educational system, creating and developing local associations, promoting cooperatives through mass media, and strengthening the existing training programmes.