Many entrepreneurial research studies underline implicitly the positive evidence of a connection between the economic success and networks. However, any social relationship which an entrepreneur maintains does not necessarily have positive effects and consequently does not represent a capital to the new established organization. Dysfunctional effects result from the circumstance that the different actors have different, sometimes contrary requirements on networks. The aim of our article is to explore dilemmatic constellations within networks and to enable entrepreneurial founders or consultants to face the related challenges.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 194-209).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Western Sydney, 2009. / A thesis presented to the University of Western Sydney, College of Arts, Centre for Educational Research, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Includes bibliographies.

Det finns många miljömässiga och ekonomiska baksidor med de konsumtionsmönster som har utvecklats i västvärlden. Detta har lett till ökad medvetenhet kring problemen. Kollaborativ konsumtion är en företeelse som fått allt större spridning tack vare modern teknik och internet. Det innebär ett sätt att förändra konsumtionsmönstren genom att dela på materiella tillgångar. I den här pilotstudien intervjuades sju personer. Fem av dessa har valt att delta i Swinga Bazaar, en nystartad digital tjänst för kollaborativ konsumtion av föremål. De begränsningar som framkom gällande ägodelar kan delas upp i två slag: Hinder, alltså något som gör att respondenten tvekar eller avstår från att delta, och förebehåll, vilket innebär att de kan delta men på vissa villkor. Mest frekvent förekommande var förbehåll angående vem respondenterna kunde tänka sig att låna/hyra ut till. En slutsats är därför att man bör anpassa digitala tjänster för kollaborativ konsumtion till att ta detta resultat i beaktande; användarna bör ges möjlighet att välja att låna/hyra ut bara till personer de känner sedan tidigare. Ytterligare ett syfte med studien var att undersöka drivkrafter bakom valet att delta i kollaborativ konsumtion. När det gällde Swinga Bazaar var sociala relationer viktigast, men även när det gällde den generella synen på kollaborativ konsumtion angavs sociala aspekter som en av de viktigaste fördelarna. Därför är en slutsats att de aktiva användarna är viktiga som förebilder. De bör involveras i arbetet för att locka ännu fler att delta. Andra fördelar med kollaborativ konsumtion som framkom i intervjuerna var bland annat miljöskäl och möjligheten att spara pengar samt ett mer effektivt nyttjande av egna och andras ägodelar. Denna bredd av motiverande faktorer möjliggör olika tilltalssätt för att locka fler människor till att delta. / There are many social and economic downsides to the consumption patterns that have developed in the Western world. This has lead to an increased awareness·of the problem. Collaborative consumption is a phenomen that is gaining traction thanks to modern technology and the internet. It represents one way of changing consumption patterns by sharing tangible assets. In this pilot study, seven people were interviewed. Five of these have chosen to participate in Swinga Bazaar, a newly established digital service for collaborative consumption of goods. The limitations that emerged regarding belongings can be divided into two kinds: obstacles, that is, something that makes the respondent hesitate or refrain from participating, and restrictions, which means they can participate but under certain conditions. The most frequently occurring restriction concerned who the respondents were willing to lend or rent to. One conclusion is therefore that one should adapt digital servives for collaborative consumption to consider this result; the users should be given the option to lend/rent only to people with whom they are already familiar. Another aim with the study was to investigate the driving forces behind the choice to participate in collaborative consumption. In the case of Swinga Bazaar, social relations were the most important. But also concerning the general view of collaborative consumption, social aspects were identified as one of the most important benefits. Therefore, one can draw the conclusion that the active users are important as role models. They should be involved in the work to encourage even more people to participate. Other benefits of collaborative consumption emerging from the interviews were environment reasons and the possibility to save money as well as a more efficient use of their own and others belongings. This breadth of motivating factors enables different ways to attract people to take part.

Il lavoro è il risultato di una ricerca finalizzata a realizzare una tipica “integrazione tra saperi” (giuridici, empirico-criminologici e filosofico-politici), che si è dedicata particolarmente alla riflessione sulla rilevanza politico-criminale di nozioni ormai ben conosciute e studiate dalle scienze sociali, quali quelle di “capitale sociale” e di “sviluppo umano”. Dopo averne esplorato alcune essenziali corrispondenze con i princìpi della Costituzione italiana (innanzi tutto quelli espressi dall’art. 3), si è dedicata a una ricognizione della giurisprudenza della Corte Costituzionale che ha applicato tali princìpi in materia penale e processuale-penale, per verificare possibili percorsi ricostruttivi delle categorie penalistiche in grado di valorizzarne significati e contenuti normativi. / The dissertation is the outcome of a research lead according to a method of “knowledge integration” (namely compounding the legal, criminological and political-philosophical fields), which has dealt mainly with “social capital” and “human development”: two highly thought-provoking concepts, widely studied by social sciences. After having pinpointed some parallels thereof in principles of the Italian Constitution (mainly to be found in the art. 3), a set of relevant decisions of the Constitutional Court applying them in criminal cases have been considered. Some hints and proposals are finally advanced in order to improve, aptly through this sort of “constitutional reading” of “social capital” and “human development”, the meaning and possible development of essential conceptual schemes well established in the criminal law.

The purpose of study was twofold. The primary purpose was to describe and explain the perceptions and lived experiences of high school teachers through their involvement in a Professional Learning Community, as defined by Hord (1997). Teachers' experiences within a Professional Learning Community were examined for patterns of cultivated leadership and social capital. The second purpose of the study was to identify the influencing variables connected with how the participants viewed themselves as leaders as a result of their participation in a professional learning community. One influencing variable in particular that was examined was the influence of social capital in professional learning communities. Hord's explanation of a professional learning community was the conceptual framework for this study, which states that such communities are made up of five essential dimensions: (1) Shared and supportive leadership, (2) Shared values and vision, (3) Collective learning and its application, (4) Shared personal practice, and (5) Supportive conditions. Online survey research method was used in order to investigate teacher leadership in Professional Learning Communities and the underlying variables associated with participation in such communities. The findings of this study indicated that teachers have varying perceptions of their work with professional learning communities. Overall, the data suggested that teachers' experiences and perceptions negatively correlated with their development as a teacher leader. Although most teachers in this study did not experience empowerment as a teacher leader, most gained some sense of social capital through their collaborative efforts within their learning communities. The data reflected that most teachers felt connected to the colleagues within their communities. School leadership is vital to the sustainability of professional learning communities and towards the professional growth of teacher leaders. Consequently, this study suggests that future research is conducted to examine the influence of school leaders on teacher leadership development and the impact that professional learning communities have on such development for teachers.

Abstract Globalization is forcing many American college students to re-evaluate their perspective on foreign travel. If they are offered an opportunity to improve their cultural relativity skill set by immersing themselves into a new culture, the more astute students might choose to embark on that journey especially if it would result in resume enhancement. This paper focuses upon a group of twelve community college students' cross-cultural experiences, navigation techniques, and adaptation methods as student interns teaching conversational English in Changchun, China for a period of nine to thirteen weeks in spring 2011. Several areas of interest emerged from their experiences and observations to allow for pedagogical inquiry: the global divide between Chinese and American cultural and educational initiatives; utilization of social, economic, and cultural capital by some but not all participants; successful teaching methods to deal with different learning styles; and negotiation of identities to become effective teachers and cultural ambassadors. The body of analysis, conclusions, and interpretations sections identifies the successes and failures of the twelve subjects and suggests that there is importance to this ethnographic study for sociology and education scholars. The bottom-line significance becomes apparent as more future college graduates will be seeking work both inside and outside the US in education and business fields. As employers peruse college graduates' resumes for something substantially unique, a candidate who has lived and worked in an emerging foreign country can be a huge advantage for their career aspirations.

Building from existing literature on anthropology of food, political economy of food and consumption, and social movement theory, I examine the direct agriculture network of Tampa Bay Florida through a mixed-method ethnography. The research consisted of one year of field-work, with 6 months and over 100 hours of active participant observation, open-ended interviews with eight local producers, and short surveys with 100 market patrons. This thesis is an analysis of the results of this rigorous qualitative and quantitative work and, perhaps more importantly, an account of my own personal struggles in joining the direct agriculture network and my ultimate commitment to the movement. This report documents one student's transition from a researcher to an activist, finally settling in a local place that occupies both worlds in an effort to help increase the accessibility of others who wish to join the movement; an equal access based not only on economic capital, but also social and cultural capital in order to sustain an alternative food social movement.

This study sought to research and documents the experiences of a group of Mexican undocumented college graduates in the state of Texas. Mexican students were chosen for this study because they are the largest undocumented group residing not only in the United States, but also in the state of Texas. Furthermore, this study revealed perceived and real opportunities Mexican undocumented students have after college graduation. The study focused on college choice as aspirational capital, Latina/o critical race theory (LatCrit) through testimonios as counternarratives, social capital, and cultural wealth to frame a discussion on the post-college experiences of Mexican undocumented college graduates. Furthermore, the study provided a review of legislation and policies addressing the broader immigration context. Overall, this study concluded that for the participants in this study, social capital as well as cultural wealth played important roles in how critical connections and networks operated. After exposure to social capital, participants were able to build their own networks and by tailoring it to their unique needs, were able to help their community by providing access and information about the college admissions process and available options after college graduation. In doing so, they were able to adapt, thrive, and survive within racist and discriminatory societal structures. College choice played a pivotal part in this study, but given the participants’ immigration status, they were left to attend institutions in their home state of Texas. However, given the participants academic acumen, they were able to attend and graduate from the state’s premier public flagship institution. Through their testimonios, activism, and civic engagement the participants shared their experiences as undocumented college students as well as college graduates. In the process, participants dispelled myths about their intellectual abilities and their potential to succeed. Still, their options were limited given their lack of a social security number. This study contributed to the limited literature about opportunities and challenges Mexican undocumented college students face upon degree completion. / text

Club Texas: Building Community in Electronic Music Fan Culture through Online Collaboration is a report of results from a content analysis that analyzes the role of online participatory culture for community development and social capital for a local underground EDM ‘scene’ (Electronic Dance Music) in Dallas, TX. This study analyzes DallasDanceMusic.com (DDM), one of the first and largest message board communities to support the EDM community in Dallas, TX since 1994. The study measures participatory culture and social capital using content analysis of the site during high profile activity for a four-month period in 2012. / text