Utility Of Social Network Analysis Research Articles

Towards sustainable manufacturing: A comprehensive analysis of circular economy key performance indicators in the manufacturing industry

In the pursuit of sustainable development, the concept of Circular Economy (CE) has emerged as a transformative alternative to the traditional linear economic model characterized by take, make, use, and dispose practices. However, there is a growing recognition of the limitations of the linear economy in addressing contemporary global challenges, leading to a pressing need for a more regenerative approach. This study aims to explore and analyze Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) associated with the circular economy, particularly focusing on the manufacturing industry, to provide a valuable guide for enterprises looking to integrate CE principles effectively and reinforce sustainability. The novelty of this study lies in its comprehensive examination of KPIs that embrace sustainability's triple bottom lines - environmental, economic, and social dimensions. The systematic selection of relevant KPIs and the utilization of Social Network Analysis (SNA) to identify the most influential CE KPIs within the manufacturing industry add depth to the research. By identifying and upgrading significant KPIs representing various facets of CE development, this study contributes to a more meticulous understanding of how enterprises can measure their progress towards circularity. In each of the triple bottom lines of sustainability, five significant KPIs were recognized and upgraded to the second assessment process, where these 15 KPIs are analyzed using SNA to obtain 5 aggregated KPIs. The comprehensive analysis of the obtained fifteen KPIs culminates in aggregated CE indicators, primarily strategies and initiatives (SI), material efficiency (ME), productivity of remanufacturing (OR), technology investment (ROR), and eco-innovation (EI). The aggregated Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) displayed an extreme value of the weighted average index attributed to strategies and initiatives KPI with a value of 0.067. These aggregated KPIs provide a practical framework for manufacturers to assess and optimize their circular economy practices. It's essential to note that all binary values incorporated in the proposed approach are derived from an extensive literature review. These values may vary depending on the specific objectives of individual manufacturing firms or focus groups. As a result, the proposed approach is adaptable to diverse manufacturing industries, allowing customization to suit the unique input criteria of each firm or group. Significantly, the current work emphasizes the influential role of manufacturers in shaping a sustainable future in alignment with development goals.

Mapping routine interactions in port operations: Insights from social network analysis

Social network analysis proves to be a valuable instrument for comprehending and visually representing intricate relationships among diverse entities within a network. This study aims to explore the application of social network analysis within the context of hinterland port operations. In pursuit of this aim, we examined the interactions amongst various stakeholders, including port authorities, truck drivers, port agent companies, vigilant guards, import/export firms, and terminal operators. As a result, we unveiled patterns, pinpointed bottlenecks, and unearthed opportunities to amplify efficiency and collaboration within this system. This inquiry contributes to the existing body of knowledge concerning the utilization of social network analysis within the maritime industry while also providing insights to enhance port performance.

Who Founded Quilcapampa?

During the Middle Horizon (600–1000 CE), the Wari state’s influence expanded across a broad swath of the central Andes. To better understand the organization of this state and its relationship to outlying regions, we conducted a social network analysis with a database of human images—cataloged as “agents”—as depicted on Wari-associated art. Agent analyses depended on trained, visual acuity for interpreting ancient artistic expressions that distinguished individual identities among various Middle Horizon cultures. The social network analysis used agent locations and co-occurrences on the same object to model the period’s complex social dynamics. The resulting networks suggest a Wari political structure that was more fractured and decentralized than previously imagined during the early Middle Horizon. This article explores aspects of these networks in relationship to four agents excavated at Quilcapampa, a short-lived Wari-affiliated enclave founded during the ninth century on the coastal plain of southern Peru. Considering the place of these agents within Middle Horizon social networks—when combined with what is known about Quilcapampa, the southern Peruvian coast, and the period in general—allows for a reconstruction of who founded Quilcapampa and the possible reasons for the settlement’s founding. The results provide insights into ninth-century changes to Wari’s organization that would be difficult to obtain from purely descriptive analyses of each agent, demonstrating the utility of social network analysis of the human image for investigating political relationships in societies without writing.

Social Network Analysis as a Tool to Inform a Children's Hospital's Efforts to Improve Population Health.

A children's hospital explored the feasibility and utility of social network analysis as a tool for system building in community child health, to identify gaps and opportunities in community partnerships, and to assess its role as a contributor to collective impact. We employed social network analysis with the PARTNER survey to assess relationships among community-based organizations and a children's hospital's community-oriented programs. We utilized a two-stage, snowball sampling strategy to identify community partners. We analyzed social capital, network density, degree centralization, perceived trust, and perceived value. Network mapping depicted the hospital programs' relationships with community partners. Of the 153 contacted potential respondents, 76 responded for a response rate of 50%. Respondents reported a total of 1116 ties, ranging in strength from awareness and cooperation to coordination and integration. Approximately 60% of network members could reach 100 or more members in 2 steps or less. The overall network trust score was 74%. Network mapping indicated that hospital programs enhance bonding relationships within sectors, bridge gaps between partners from different sectors, and provide linkages to resources such as funders. Deficits in bonding, bridging, and access to funding are evident when the hospital's programs are omitted from network maps. Findings support the feasibility and utility of social network analysis as a tool for system building in community child health. The study demonstrates the potential of a children's hospital's programs to provide social capital in the form of bonding, bridging, and linking relationships.

Understanding the Development, Evaluation, and Sustainability of Community Health Networks Using Social Network Analysis: A Scoping Review.

Identify the scope of the literature which reports use of social network analysis to inform, support, or evaluate health promotion-focused community network/partnership development. A comprehensive search (not date-limited) of PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science Core Collection, PsycInfo, and the Cochrane Library Database for Systematic Reviews. Criteria for inclusion included published in the English language and used social network analysis to inform, support, or evaluate development of community networks/partnerships aiding health promotion efforts. Studies were excluded if they did not use social network analysis or were not focused upon health promotion. Three of the four authors extracted data using a summary chart to document information regarding study aims, target issue/population, methods, and key outcomes of the social network analysis. The extracted data were qualitatively analyzed by 3 authors to categorize key social network analysis outcomes into categories. Ninety-seven studies representing 9 geographical regions were included, with the majority (69) published after 2010. Key outcomes included the effectiveness of social network analysis to identify network characteristics, track network change over time, compare similar networks across locations, and correlate network attributes with outcomes. Findings support the utility of social network analysis to inform, support, and evaluate development of sustainable health promotion-focused networks/partnerships.

The utility of social network analysis for informing zoo management: Changing network dynamics of a group of captive hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas) following an introduction of two young males.

Comprehensive knowledge of social groups within zoos allows for better understanding of the issues surrounding group stability and how to provide captive animals with optimal care. A developing area of sociality research that works to improve this understanding is social network analysis (SNA), which allows scientists to apply quantitative measures of group systems to represent social structure. In December 2015, Oakland Zoo introduced two new males to the hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas) exhibit. We examined the changing group structure of these baboons over the course of 6 months (July-December 2016) using social network analysis, specifically focusing on the changing social structure of the existing group and the utility of SNA methods for optimal care of captive animals. This study found that over time, the new males decreased their overall individual centrality, while some individuals had an increase in betweenness, a measure of an individual's intermediary role in the network. The results also illustrate the utility of social network analysis as tool for zoo management to examine how husbandry may have an impact on their animals, specifically for social species. Further research on the social networks of hamadryas baboon multi-clan formation could provide more information about the societal structure of this primate species, as well as the use of social network analysis as a valuable tool in captive animal management.

Assessing the relevance of parks in a multi-sectoral park-health programme

ABSTRACT Rationale/purpose: Multi-sectoral partnerships have become a common strategy for addressing persistent public health issues, such as physical inactivity, mental health disorders and chronic illnesses. Yet, little is known about the role of the park and recreation sector to such health sector initiatives. The purpose of our study was to analyse the flow of information across a multi-sectoral mental health group hiking programme in Canada. Design/methodology/approach: We used an online questionnaire to survey social service agency staff involved in delivering the programme in 63 communities. We collected data about their information seeking practices regarding four types of information: hiking and parks, mental health, funding sources, and the Mood Walks programme. Findings: Social network analysis confirmed that social service agencies turned to park and recreation sector partners for information about hiking and local hiking amenities but did not seek information from them about mental health, funding sources, or the programme itself. Practical implications: Park and recreation sector partners are viewed by other sectoral partners as sources of critical information in the delivery of this park-based health initiative. Research contribution: This study illustrates the utility of social network analysis in understanding multi-sectoral park-based health programmes and confirms the relevance of the park and recreation sector to public health initiatives in nature settings.

Learning While Doing: Community-Engaged Action Research With Age-Friendly Community Leaders

Age-Friendly Community Initiatives (AFCIs) are expanding throughout the United States to make social and built environments within local communities more responsive to population aging. With over 450 initiatives affiliated with the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities, Cities, and States (125 of which began in 2019-early 2020), rapid growth on the ground necessitates that theory and research develop alongside practice innovations. This symposium showcases the intersection of cutting-edge scholarship with community-based efforts to generate knowledge of community change processes that is immediately actionable by community leaders. Collectively, these papers emphasize the benefits of action research and developmental evaluation in community gerontology towards building the theories of age-friendly change that will set the stage for outcomes research. The first paper will present on work with 83 AFCIs in rural Maine involving interviews with organizational leaders to inform which types of supports could stimulate age-friendly changes to communities’ built and social environments. The second paper will share a mixed-methods approach used to develop a global toolkit for dementia-friendly communities. The third presenter will describe the collaborative development and utilization of social network analysis to help age-friendly leaders plan their work, while simultaneously advancing research on variation in AFCI implementation. The final paper will present an evaluative framework that identifies roles and outcome measures for collective impact at the intersection of public health and age-friendly communities.

Network analysis of collaboration and information sharing in the management of the Lower Mekong River Basin

Collaboration in a natural resource management setting is vital to effective management. This paper evaluates collaboration and information and data exchange among organizations involved in the management of the Lower Mekong River Basin (LMB). As in other major river basins throughout the world, the LMB faces complex management challenges related to transboundary cooperation and competing demands from users in different countries. In response to stakeholder interest in strengthening collaboration and information sharing and identifying organizations well positioned to serve as research and information hubs to foster collaboration in LMB resource management, we conducted an organizational network survey of national, regional and international organizations that work in the LMB. An examination of network structure was conducted using key network measures and Jackson's (2017) social capital typology was used to examine which organizations in the network were well suited to serve as research and information hubs. The analysis showed that while the LMB network was relatively dense compared to other natural resource research and/or management networks, a lack of connections across national and organizational type boundaries could be a hindrance to transboundary collaboration and communication. The analysis also identified two organizations that were particularly well situated within the LMB network to act as brokers for knowledge and information exchange, with each organization occupying a complementary position in the network. This study illustrates the utility of social network analysis in identifying opportunities and hindrances for collaboration and information exchange and the potential roles of key actors in complex multi-scaled natural resource management contexts.

Social Network Analysis of a Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) Group in Captivity Following the Integration of a New Adult Member

Management of primates in captivity often presents the challenge of introducing new individuals into a group, and research investigating the stability of the social network in the medium term after the introduction can help inform management decisions. We investigated the behavior of a group of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) housed at Chester Zoo, UK over 12 months (divided into three periods of 4 months) following the introduction of a new adult female. We recorded grooming, proximity, other affiliative behaviors, and agonistic behaviors and used social network analysis to investigate the stability, reciprocity, and structure of the group, to examine the effect of rearing history on grooming network position and the role of sex in agonistic behavior. Both the grooming and agonistic networks correlated across all three periods, while affiliative networks correlated only between periods 2 and 3. Males had significantly higher out-degree centrality in agonistic behaviors than females, indicating that they carried out agonistic behaviors more often than females. There was no significant difference in centrality between hand-reared and mother-reared chimpanzees. Overall, the group structure was stable and cohesive during the first year after the introduction of the new female, suggesting that this change did not destabilize the group. Our findings highlight the utility of social network analysis in the study of primate sociality in captivity, and how it can be used to better understand primate behavior following the integration of new individuals.

Utilization of Social Network Analysis (SNA) in Knowledge Sharing in College

Campus competition in Central Java creates superior and empowered human resources to make XYZ campus optimize the Knowledge Sharing process. In optimizing the Knowledge Sharing process on the XYZ campus through interaction and communication between students in the study program. This study aims to identify the Knowledge Sharing collaboration of students on the XYZ campus in three study programs with 100 respondents using the Social Network Analysis (SNA) method. The parameters used in this study include density, degree centrality, closeness centrality, betweenness centrality, and clicks (subgroups). Based on the analysis of the results obtained by the level of density level of 4.7% or weak ties because under 50%. Actor 98 has the highest degree of centrality with outdegree value 32 and indegree 7, while actor 65, which has the highest closeness centrality with inCloseness value 16,952 and outCloseness value 1,020. Actor 15 also has the highest centrality betweenness with an amount of Betweenness 2750,148 and nBetweenness 28,346. In this study, it can be concluded that there is collaboration in the Knowledge Sharing of students on the XYZ campus from each divided into three study programs, namely, informatics engineering, accounting computerization, and graphic design.

Sulawesi Crested Macaque (Macaca nigra) Grooming Networks Are Robust to Perturbation While Individual Associations Are More Labile

Social and environmental disturbance occurs naturally, and species in bonded social groups should be resilient to it. Empirical evidence of social responses to disturbance in primates, however, remains limited. We constructed social networks using group-level scan samples (N = 299) to test the robustness of grooming networks in a captive group of 20 Sulawesi crested macaques (Macaca nigra) to two management interventions involving environmental and social disturbance. During the first, the institution removed six castrated males and one female, contracepted six of the nine remaining females, and moved the group to a new enclosure. The second involved the introduction of a novel, reproductive male five weeks later. Networks remained stable following the first intervention. However, after introduction of the male, the number of grooming partners and the frequency of grooming with non-maternal kin increased in female-only networks. We observed less marked increases in the grooming frequency and number of grooming partners in whole group networks. Ten weeks later, network structure was more similar to that of pre-intervention networks than post-intervention networks. Our results suggest that reproductive males play a more important role in structuring Sulawesi crested macaque social networks than castrated males, as networks expanded and relationships between non-maternal kin occurred more frequently after introduction of the reproductive male. However, network responses to interventions appeared to be temporary as networks following a period of acclimation more closely resembled pre-intervention networks than post-intervention networks. Our study demonstrates the utility of social network analysis for understanding the impact of disturbance on stable social groups.

The Spread and Utility of Social Network Analysis across a Group of Health Behavior Researchers

The Spread and Utility of Social Network Analysis across a Group of Health Behavior Researchers

Social network analysis in humanitarian logistics research

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to promote social network analysis (SNA) methodology within the humanitarian research community, surveying its current state of the art and demonstrating its utility in analyzing humanitarian operations.Design/methodology/approachA comprehensive survey of the related literature motivates a proposed agenda for interested researchers. Analysis of two humanitarian networks in Afghanistan demonstrates the use and utility of SNA, based on secondary data. In the second case study, the use of random graphs to detect network motifs is demonstrated using Monte Carlo simulation to create the benchmark null sets.FindingsSNA is an adaptable and highly useful methodology in humanitarian research, quantifying patterns of community structure and collaboration among humanitarian organizations. Network motifs suggesting distinct affinity between particular agencies within humanitarian clusters are observed.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors summarize common challenges of using SNA in humanitarian research and discuss ways to alleviate them.Practical implicationsPractitioners can use SNA as readily as researchers, to visualize existing networks, identify areas of concern and better communicate observations.Social implicationsBy making SNA more accessible to a humanitarian research audience, the authors hope its ability to capture complex, dynamic relationships will advance understanding of effective humanitarian relief systems.Originality/valueTo the best of knowledge, it is the first study to conduct a systematic analysis of the application of SNA in empirical humanitarian research and outline a concrete SNA-based research agenda. This is also a currently rare instance of a humanitarian study using random graphs to assess observed SNA measures.

Multi-network-based diffusion analysis reveals vertical cultural transmission of sponge tool use within dolphin matrilines.

Behavioural differences among social groups can arise from differing ecological conditions, genetic predispositions and/or social learning. In the past, social learning has typically been inferred as responsible for the spread of behaviour by the exclusion of ecological and genetic factors. This 'method of exclusion' was used to infer that 'sponging', a foraging behaviour involving tool use in the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) population in Shark Bay, Western Australia, was socially transmitted. However, previous studies were limited in that they never fully accounted for alternative factors, and that social learning, ecology and genetics are not mutually exclusive in causing behavioural variation. Here, we quantified the importance of social learning on the diffusion of sponging, for the first time explicitly accounting for ecological and genetic factors, using a multi-network version of 'network-based diffusion analysis'. Our results provide compelling support for previous findings that sponging is vertically socially transmitted from mother to (primarily female) offspring. This research illustrates the utility of social network analysis in elucidating the explanatory mechanisms behind the transmission of behaviour in wild animal populations.

Utilización de la metodolología de redes sociales para explorar el proceso de adopción tecnológica en pequeños productores de bovino de doble propósito: una revisión

During the last decade, the interest in social network analysis (SNA) has grown considerably. Although the utilization of social network analysis to study smallholder innovation systems is still very limited, the aim of this paper is to review research themes concerning the application of SNA in livestock systems and related areas, from the focus of the dissemination of innovation and knowledge, to build a conceptual framework and benchmark to study livestock systems in tropical areas. The findings of this review suggesting that the methodology of social networks is an important tool to know the patterns of adoption and dissemination of technological innovation in the smallholders of dual-purpose cattle (DP). The importance of developing technological adoption patterns of each farmer through two-mode matrix is highlighted.

Structural cohesion and embeddedness in two-mode networks

ABSTRACT The detection of structural cohesion is a key utility of social network analysis, but little work has been done to refine the detection of structural cohesion in two-mode networks. Most work on cohesion in two-mode networks either: (1) attempts to detect cohesion in such networks using one-mode projections (which can be problematic for reasons we discuss); or (2) focuses on restrictive substructures like bi-cliques to identify cohesive subgroups. We propose a new strategy for two-mode networks that follows the general reasoning of approaches to detecting structural cohesion in one-mode networks. Our approach identifies the number of actors from one node set that may be removed before disconnecting actors in the opposite set. We also develop a definition of embeddedness that draws on Moody and White’s hierarchical nesting approach.

Reconceptualizing the Policy Subsystem: Integration with Complexity Theory and Social Network Analysis

The concept of the policy subsystem is an essential building block for several of the basic frameworks of policy process studies. Over time issues have become more complex, crossing subsystem boundaries, and so subsystems have escalated in their complexity as well. It is increasingly insufficient to study just one policy subsystem and so scholars have turned to studying boundary‐spanning regimes or policy networks. In this essay, we review the major contributions to developing the concept of a policy subsystem and trace its evolution into broader conceptualizations like issue and policy networks. We argue that the future for theories of the policy process is in more explicit integration of complexity theory and more effective modeling of subsystems with the utilization of social network analysis. In closing, we discuss the enduring nature of the concept of policy subsystems and highlight studies that continue using it in innovative ways.

Exploring the utility of social network analysis for visualizing interactions during argumentation discussions

AbstractSupporting student engagement in science practices requires rethinking how classroom learning occurs, specifically in terms of the interactions that help students build their own knowledge. The types of student‐driven exchanges fundamental to the science practice of argumentation differ greatly from traditional classroom interactions. To help classroom talk shift toward encompassing this practice, it is important to develop understandings of discourse patterns related to argumentation. Several analytic techniques have been used to examine a classroom's engagement in argumentation. However, new methodologies are needed for capturing and characterizing the complex, social dimensions of this science practice. This study explores social network analysis (SNA) as a means by which to attend to this demand. Specifically, this study utilizes SNA on data from two middle school classrooms that participated in an argumentation discussion called a science seminar. Sociograms (images of social relations derived from the SNA) offered visualizations of interactions during the science seminars, highlighting who exactly partook in the various aspects of argumentation, how, and to what degree. Findings suggest the importance of argumentation research examining ways to better support changes in classroom interactions. This study also points to the benefits of using SNA with other types of representations to capture a classroom's argumentation.

Mapping networks: Exploring the utility of social network analysis in management research and practice

Although social network analysis (SNA) offers an increasingly insightful perspective on the relational and structural properties of organizational activity, discourse on how to manage and coordinate its application is relatively scarce. Aimed largely at an applied network analyst, this paper presents a greater understanding of how SNA has been previously discussed in management studies, what the main points are and where these issues can be addressed prior to and during the research process to ensure network data are efficiently managed, analyzed and interpreted. Engaging with several practical concerns associated with SNA – including network boundary specification, data reliability, context of inquiry and network visualizations – a viable framework is developed that is accessible to managers, consultants or researchers in facilitating the structuring, collection, handling and analysis of network data. The discussion illustrates the relevance of this perspective for both a practitioner and a theoretical audience.