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This study combined quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate the relationship between Internet use and identity, particularly age-identity, in older Internet users. It has a theoretical basis in symbolic interactionism – particularly the theories of Erving Goffman – and conceptualizes identities as roles that are negotiated during social interaction. The focus on older users was motivated by the strong focus of prior Internet research on younger users. Few studies have examined older users specifically, and fewer still have examined age-identity. Thus, the focus in this study is on how changes in social interaction that occur due to Internet use affect the identity negotiation process. The research is focused around two key areas: whether older users experience the same kinds of online identity processes as younger users, and the impact exposure to novel audiences has on identity negotiation. The study consists of two phases. In the first, a quantitative survey was administered in which a measure of age-identity was assessed and compared with measures of audience novelty. Results showed that a significant increase in variance of ageidentity is associated with communication with people from other countries. This finding supports the theory that identity is formed in negotiation with the audience with whom one communicates, and that expanding this audience may lead to identity effects. To investigate this issue more deeply, a qualitative phase was conducted in which participants were interviewed using rapid ethnography techniques, and at the conclusion of which a model of the interaction between age-identity and Internet communication was developed. This model was then verified with follow-up interviews with key informants and with field observations from sites of online social interaction among seniors. The model developed during the qualitative stage identifies three ways in which ageidentity is influenced by social interaction on the Internet. First, the Internet is used in response to emotional or practical consequences of ageing. Second, older Internet users could take advantage of the ability to manage their personal front online to achieve agelessness, and third, the Internet is used as a backstage area to discuss ageidentity issues. The context of these claims is all-important; each individual’s unique circumstances, emotions and motivations influence the way in which they will use the Internet and respond to others encountered through it. The extension of Goffman’s dramaturgical metaphor to age- identity on the Internet and to include the concept of character development, in which identity evolves over time in response to inner tensions and external events, is a tentative but powerful finding. It poses a challenge for future research into the nature of identity change, both online and offline.

African agriculture has attracted increased global policy attention over the last 10 years due to concerns over both food security and economic growth. In this context, social impact investing (SII)—where investors use financial models to achieve positive social impacts as well as financial returns—is presented as a viable means of financing agricultural development in the context of reduced public funding This thesis is concerned with how SII (and its understandings, assumptions, and models of agricultural development) interact with smallholder farming in Tanzania. I unpack how the concept of SII takes shape, how it is translated into the Tanzanian context, and how it interacts with farmer livelihoods through a case study of Cheetah Development in Lower Kilolo District. I take a political ecology approach drawing mainly on qualitative methods. The concept of assemblages is employed to investigate how diverse actors enter into relationships, how those relationships hold together, and how they fall apart. I focus on three key analytical themes: power (discursive, disciplinary, and institutional), moral economies, and the role of socio-material entities. My findings show that SII is being driven by the pursuit for new profit frontiers and concerns over business risks, and also by a belief that a more ethical capitalist economy can be built. This has resulted in a narrative of ‘Africa rising’. How exactly ‘social impact’ is being defined and the motivations for pursuing it, however, differ widely within SII. To investigate how agricultural SII is translated in Tanzania I focus on Cheetah Development, an American social impact investor that provides agricultural inputs on credit to smallholder farmers and attempts to involve them in new maize value chains. Cheetah’s model identifies existing maize value chains centred around middlemen as features of an immoral capitalism. It also views smallholders as not only lacking market access and inputs, but also lacking in business-orientated mindsets. The Cheetah model builds various mechanisms to discipline farmers and render them bankable. Through examining farmer livelihoods, I find that farmers conduct diverse livelihood activities, and maize plays a variety of roles in village life. Farmer livelihoods are underpinned by a moral economy involving flexible relations of borrowing and lending. I conclude that assumptions of ethical capitalism embedded in the Cheetah model clash with farmer livelihoods and their conceptions of just socio-economic relationships.

The aim of this study was to investigate how Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in South Africa balance sustainability with developmental objectives. Twelve semistructured, in-depth interviews were conducted with microfinance subject matter and microfinance institutions. The research found that commercialisation is not compatible with social impact as it leads to mission drift, which can be managed by an inclusive stakeholder governance structure. The trade-off between sustainability and social impact (outreach) was evident for commercial MFIs; while sustainability can be achieved through scale and cost management. In addition, MFIs achieve lower delinquency rate by implementing non-financial interventions such as client training and using group lending methodology that fosters social capital in the client base. The lack of a visible collaboration between MFIs has deprived the industry of a strong voice that can mobilise society to leverage the benefits of microfinance to help South Africa reduce inequalities. Despite the fact that regulatory restrictions concerning savings mobilisation for micro enterprise lenders are inhibiting product innovation and curtailing outreach, microfinance has proved to be a valuable tool that South Africa has not leveraged to alleviate poverty and reduce income inequalities. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Background: Considering increased global challenges and societal issues, more and more people are directing skepticism towards governments' and established businesses' abilities to fully address urgent social problems. Social entrepreneurship constitutes a new entrepreneurial movement where societal issues are addressed by a combination of market-based methods and social value creation. Social entrepreneurship generates social and sustainable benefits to society and has thus received growing attention from both researchers and policy makers around the world. Social enterprises may take on varies forms, ranging from non-profit organizations to commercially driven enterprises. To focus on sustainable business models, this thesis has delimited the study to solely focus on for-profit or hybrid organizations.   Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe what inhibiting factors Swedish social enterprises face in scaling processes. Scaling refers to the magnitude a social business maximizes its social impact, primarily, but not limited to, through organizational growth. Furthermore, the thesis aims at explaining how social forces co-shape preconditions and actor decisions connected to scaling.     Method: To fulfil the purpose of the study, a qualitative research methodology was used. The empirical data was primarily collected through semi-structured interviews held with founders, COO’s and CEO’s from seven social enterprises in Sweden. To fully explain inhibiting factors of scaling, an abductive research approach was used with a combination of open and encouraging questions to promote discussion and develop theory.   Conclusion: The empirical findings of the study revealed a total of 14 inhibiting factors for scaling social impact in Sweden. From the findings, a development of existent theory resulted in a model illustrating the relationship between inhibiting factors, social forces and scaling social impact.

More than ever before, engineers are creating products for developing countries. One of the purposes of these products is to improve the consumer's quality of life. Currently, there is no established method of measuring the social impact of these types of products. As a result, engineers have used their own metrics to assess their product's impact, if at all. Some of the common metrics used include products sold and revenue, which measure the financial success of a product without recognizing the social successes or failures it might have. In this thesis I introduce a potential metric, the Product Impact Metric (PIM), which quantifies the impact a product has on impoverished individuals -- especially those living in developing countries. It measures social impact broadly in five dimensions: health, education, standard of living, employment quality, and security. By measuring impact multidimensionally it captures both direct (having to do with the products main functions) and indirect impacts (not related to the products main functions), thereby revealing more about the products total impact than with other metrics. These indirect impacts can have a larger influence on the consumer than the direct impacts and are often left unmeasured. It is calculated based on 18 simple field measurements of the consumer. The Product Impact Metric can be used to predict social impact (using personas that represent real individuals) or measure social impact (using specific data from products introduced into the market). Despite its challenges, the measurement of a program or policies social impact is a common practice in the field of social sciences. This measurement is made through social impact indicators which are used to measure, predict, and improve potential social impacts. While there are clear benefits to predicting the social impact of a product, it is unclear how engineers are to select social impact indicators and build predictive models. This thesis introduces a method of selecting social impact indicators and creating predictive social impact models that can help engineers predict and improve the social impact of their product. First, an engineer identifies the product's users, objectives, and requirements. Then, the social impact categories that are related to the product are determined. From each of these categories, the engineer selects several social impact indicators. Finally, models are created for each indicator to predict how a product will change these indicators. The impact categories and indicators can be translated into product requirements and performance measures that can be used in product development processes. This method of predicting social impact is used on the proposed, expanded U.S. Mexico border wall.

<p>The impact of sport participation among youth is a widely discussed phenomenon. Researchers argue that sport participation can contribute to both positive and negative impact. The aim of this study is to find out how youth in a disadvantaged community in South Africa experience the social impact of sport. The data were collected through four group interviews with 24 youth (aged 16-20) who participated in three different teams; soccer, basketball and mountainbike. The result indicates that the respondents experienced an overall positive social impact from their sport participation. Six categories were identified as prominent in the result; <em>acquire life skills, building friendship, emotional development, the importance of positive leadership, avoiding drugs</em> <em>and crime</em> and <em>support from the community. </em></p><p><em> </em></p>

The impact of sport participation among youth is a widely discussed phenomenon. Researchers argue that sport participation can contribute to both positive and negative impact. The aim of this study is to find out how youth in a disadvantaged community in South Africa experience the social impact of sport. The data were collected through four group interviews with 24 youth (aged 16-20) who participated in three different teams; soccer, basketball and mountainbike. The result indicates that the respondents experienced an overall positive social impact from their sport participation. Six categories were identified as prominent in the result; acquire life skills, building friendship, emotional development, the importance of positive leadership, avoiding drugs and crime and support from the community.

Social Impact Assessment (SIA) is the process of assessing the social consequences that are likely to follow specific policy actions or project development. SIA has not been widely adopted and is said to be the orphan of the assessment process. Using Environmental Assessment (EA) however, there are two primary limitations to EA: first, EA is inherently biased toward the biophysical environment, and social impacts, when considered, are only considered in an indirect or secondary manner; second, EA is targeted at the project level, where many alternatives that may have met the larger goals have been rejected. These limitations are reflected in Canadas agricultural sector where SIAs are rarely, if ever, undertaken. Agriculture is responsible for approximately ten percent of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Canada, and several better management practices (BMP) have been suggested for managing these emissions in Canadian agriculture. However, there has not been a strategic assessment of the on-farm socioeconomic effects of such programs, nor the geographic implications of a one-size-fits-all policy solution. <p>This paper presents a higher level strategic assessment of alternative policy options for managing greenhouse gas emissions in Canadian agriculture. Data are collected using a stakeholder survey assessment, and the process is guided by a seven-phase strategic environmental assessment framework. Using this strategic framework, the on-farm social impacts of alternative greenhouse gas mitigation programs are assessed. Data are aggregated using multi-criteria weighting techniques. Stakeholder preference structures for the alternatives set are identified as well, the results of the SIA identified adoption of zero till practices as the most socially acceptable alternative. The research results suggest that a one-size-fits-all GHG mitigation policy would not be acceptable from a social perspective. The implications of include such issues as: the applicability of regional policies based on soil zone, alternatives to governmental top down hierarchical policies, and the necessity for collaboration and meaningful dialogue between on-farm individuals and policy makers. Adoption of a GHG mitigation policy in Canada will require education and collaboration between all affected stakeholders and decision makers. The application of a strategic framework illustrates how the SIA process is enhanced when an assessment is completed at the plan, policy, and program level it enables proactive consideration of the social effects on par with the biophysical effects, and it facilitates consideration of a broad range of alternatives, in support of sustainable development principles.

Social Impact Assessment (SIA) is the process of assessing the social consequences that are likely to follow specific policy actions or project development. SIA has not been widely adopted and is said to be the orphan of the assessment process. Using Environmental Assessment (EA) however, there are two primary limitations to EA: first, EA is inherently biased toward the biophysical environment, and social impacts, when considered, are only considered in an indirect or secondary manner; second, EA is targeted at the project level, where many alternatives that may have met the larger goals have been rejected. These limitations are reflected in Canadas agricultural sector where SIAs are rarely, if ever, undertaken. Agriculture is responsible for approximately ten percent of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Canada, and several better management practices (BMP) have been suggested for managing these emissions in Canadian agriculture. However, there has not been a strategic assessment of the on-farm socioeconomic effects of such programs, nor the geographic implications of a one-size-fits-all policy solution. <p>This paper presents a higher level strategic assessment of alternative policy options for managing greenhouse gas emissions in Canadian agriculture. Data are collected using a stakeholder survey assessment, and the process is guided by a seven-phase strategic environmental assessment framework. Using this strategic framework, the on-farm social impacts of alternative greenhouse gas mitigation programs are assessed. Data are aggregated using multi-criteria weighting techniques. Stakeholder preference structures for the alternatives set are identified as well, the results of the SIA identified adoption of zero till practices as the most socially acceptable alternative. The research results suggest that a one-size-fits-all GHG mitigation policy would not be acceptable from a social perspective. The implications of include such issues as: the applicability of regional policies based on soil zone, alternatives to governmental top down hierarchical policies, and the necessity for collaboration and meaningful dialogue between on-farm individuals and policy makers. Adoption of a GHG mitigation policy in Canada will require education and collaboration between all affected stakeholders and decision makers. The application of a strategic framework illustrates how the SIA process is enhanced when an assessment is completed at the plan, policy, and program level it enables proactive consideration of the social effects on par with the biophysical effects, and it facilitates consideration of a broad range of alternatives, in support of sustainable development principles.