Service-learning (SL) is a socially embedded and experience-based pedagogy that develops the link between theory and practice through community engagement. It fosters learning outcomes for students and benefits for community members. This thesis builds on recent applications of the pedagogy and advances our understanding of SL by studying a limit case of student autonomy in the absence of faculty intervention. Student-community and peer-to-peer relationships are particularly influential on students' lived experience if their interactions are unmediated by educators. This thesis firstly explores how students enact SL if left to their own devices. Secondly, by adopting a relational embeddedness perspective, it investigates the influence of student-community and peer-to-peer relations on participants' learning experience. An organisational (“at-home”) ethnography in a student-led social enterprise yielded insights into the two streams of research. The findings suggest that students' learning process consisted of a blend of emergent and deliberate micro learning processes that highlight the importance of - among other components of students' learning experience - role enactment, student autonomy, peer engagement, informal learning, and community co-education. With regards to the relationality of this limit case of SL, community and peer relations had an enabling and constraining influence on student learning. The findings further speak to the causality of such impact and suggest that the nature of inter-personal relationships determined the effects they had on students' experiential basis for learning. These findings contribute to the debate about the promise, effectiveness, and principles of SL in business and management education by problematizing student autonomy and faculty intervention. Moreover, this thesis responds to a gap in the literature and sheds light on the relationality of the pedagogy.

Prospective education leaders face challenges in a demanding environment often lacking critical resources necessary to make a difference in schools. The potential to acquire these resources may be found in the mentoring relationships formed during internships in educational leadership preparation programs. A lack of understanding exists regarding variations in the nature of these mentoring relationships—specifically in terms of relational embeddedness—the type and degree to which partners form ties embedded within a social relationship. Variations in relational embeddedness may impact mentoring quality and the potential to acquire the resources needed to succeed in demanding school environments. Theoretical frameworks in mentoring and social network theory were used in this quantitative study to examine the nature of relational embeddedness and its association with a variety of internal and external factors, which may influence the potential relational embeddedness developed in these relationships. Internal factors such as sex and behavior characteristics of both the perspective education leaders and their mentor principals, as well as previous relationship history were among the variables associated with relational embeddedness. This study lays theoretical groundwork and suggests directions for future research regarding relational embeddedness as a means to influence the mentoring quality needed to acquire resources for effective school leadership outcomes. This study also provides practical implications for administrators in educational leadership preparation programs regarding the multidimensional nature of relational embeddedness and the internal and external factors associated with its development.

Problem description: This study of relationship embeddedness in the construction industry is conducted within the network of the case company Peab AB and limited to their project operations in Finland. The industrial marketing theories, sociological embeddedness theories and construction industry characteristics are forming the foundation of the theoretical framework. The current academic literature has revealed two contradictive approaches of favorable level of relationship embeddedness in the construction industry setting. Therefore, this thesis aims to reveal how embeddedness from structural and relational perspective influences to Peab network relationship development by example of two projects and whether they are developing towards the embedded, high-involvement and closer or arm’s length type of relationships. Purpose of the research: The purpose of this paper is to examine how embeddedness from structural and relational perspective influences relationship development and to reveal which level of embeddedness is favored in the construction industry network by examining two projects of Peab AB. Research question: How does embeddedness influence Peab’s business relationships within its existing network in the construction industry? Methods: This study consists of qualitative research with a case study method, where the chosen case company is Peab AB. The empirical data was gathered by conducting five semi-structured in-depth interviews from the key persons of two different construction projects including the top managers of Peab Foundation Sweden and Peab Infra, Peab Industry/MBR and Tensicon. Interviews revealed in detail two different project conditions from bidding process, selecting the subcontractors, actual performance and adjustment requirements and conditions for cost related and loyal relationship conditions. The theory part in this research consists of theories concerning industrial marketing, construction industry characteristics and sociological theories that were searched through carefully selected academic articles, journals, books and e-books. Conclusion: The Peab network supports closer internal ties and longer-term-oriented external ties, and therefore, the internal ties tend to become stronger compared to the external ties. Structural and relational embeddedness are complimenting and overlapping perspectives and it is recommendable to consider both dimensions when examining relationship development. It should be noticed that the embeddedness has many variations and levels, and therefore, the network and the industry conditions should be examined thoroughly as they all influences the business relationship development. In the Peab network the low price and close relationship goes hand in hand. Nearly always the lowest price determines who gets the project, but through the trusted relationship the price can be adjusted.

Innovative companies in technologically advanced environments have to deal with the consequences of choosing between a resource based strategy and possibly missing out on the benefits of cooperative knowledge, or collaborating with their network of suppliers, customers and even competitors and risk diluting their competitive advantage. This thesis is concerned with the cooperative aspect within intricate networks of technologically innovative firms. To gain a better understanding of this phenomena, the most innovative sector in Sweden has been chosen for a case study. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the dynamics of innovation within the telecom sector in Sweden, and determine the level of cooperation within the telecom sector, in terms of the flows of information and embeddedness. The method chosen to fulfil this purpose was via a qualitative approach, and in the form of a case study. Relevant data was collected through five interviews with key personnel within the two companies of interest (Ericsson & TeliaSonera), and triangulated with secondary quantitative and qualitative data. Results indicate that the Swedish telecom sector benefits from a fertile environment that fosters innovative activity, and to that reason it has claimed leadership in the worldwide telecommunications industry. Additionally, this same environment promotes collaboration between the different actors in the sector. A closer examination of the cooperation between TeliaSonera and Ericsson in the 4G network roll-out, indicates that the cooperation, albeit being successful, could be ameliorated further through an increased embeddedness of the partnership.

Many studies have focused on the effects of MNC subsidiaries' external relational embeddedness. Little attention has been given to its antecedents and especially to the potential effect that the business network context might have. We try to fill this gap and attempt to explain variation among subsidiaries' degree of relational embeddedness. Our results show a strong and robust effect of the business network context -- i.e. the network context in which the direct business relationships between the subsidiary and its partners are embedded -- on the degree of relational embeddedness. However, contrary to previous literature, we find an inverted u-shaped relationship. We discuss our findings with regard to the issue of over-embeddedness and the literature on the strength of weak versus strong ties.

Survey instruments utilized to quantify relationships, or aspects of relationships, may introduce multiple sources of nonindependence"”clustered variance"”into scores, including from actor, alter and dyadic sources. Estimating the magnitude of actor, alter and dyad nonindependence and their impact on the reliability of scores is an important step towards assuring quality data. Multilevel confirmatory factor analysis and the social relations model offer methods for quantifying the influence and estimating the reliability of multiple sources of clustered variance. The use of these methods is illustrated in the analysis of data gathered via a survey designed to quantify relational embeddedness in social network analyses.

The Armed Forces of the United States and specifically the U.S. Army seek to have a racial/ethnic mix of officers (leaders) who match the racial/ethnic mix of the soldiers they lead and the country they defend. Currently Hispanic Americans are under-represented in the officer corps especially at senior levels. Social network theory was used to facilitate understanding a potential officer candidate's network of alters (people they interact with) and their relationships when they are seeking to make decisions related to enrolling in college and Army ROTC. When making the decision to enroll in Army ROTC, there is a complex social network of multiple alters who influence those decisions. This study identified those actors and defined the types of relational embeddedness (social relationships which demonstrate dyadic interaction, personal relationships and/or social capital) each role had in their relationship with the ego resulting in influencing their decisions to enroll in college and Army ROTC. This qualitative research engaged Hispanic American cadets enrolled in Army ROTC at four universities and compared them to a representative group of non-Hispanic American cadets using UCINet and NVIVO software. The findings provide insight about the Hispanic American cadets' social network of influence and the level of relational embeddedness which defined the relationships. The findings indicate the need for those who seek out the best candidates (recruiters) to educate the members of a candidate's social network about the opportunities for future officers and the process to access college education and leader development training through programs like Army ROTC. Some alters have greater relational embeddedness and could provide greater positive influence on identifying the best candidates for officer accessions programs, but few members of the network have actual experience in ROTC, as officers, or in any capacity in the Armed Forces, making it difficult for them to provide informed guidance unless they are educated by people knowledgeable about the military. The greatest application of this research is that it will assist Professors of Military Science and others tasked to find and recruit Hispanic American cadets as future officers who beyond the actual candidate they should be engaging to influence the best quality and an increase in quality of officer candidates. The research is also potentially powerful for other organizations seeking to better understand decision making by young people and their social networks of influence which impact those decisions.

The English learner (EL) population in the United States continues to grow. To improve their pedagogy in working with this population, many educators have received training in English as a Second Language (ESL), but the gap between ELs and their native English speaking peers persists. When teachers engage as members of professional support networks, they are more likely to successfully implement the strategies learned in their ESL professional development (Echevarria, Richards-Tutor, Chinn, & Ratleff, 2011). This study considered the nature and function of the professional support network of a district's ESL-endorsed teachers. Using network theory methods, 257 teachers and other school personnel responded to an online survey. Through an understanding of the professional support needs of these teachers, whom they contact for support, and the nature of those ties (in terms of reciprocity, homophily, frequency, influence, and relational embeddedness), district and school administrators can be better positioned to enhance successful professional support networks and facilitate the implementation of effective teacher practices learned through professional development. Based on the findings, practical suggestions are given to help district administrators strengthen these professional support networks with the intent to maintain compliance with governmental standards, help schools to meet federally and state-mandated progress requirements, and have a positive academic impact upon English-language learning students.

創業精神的研究對象概可分為新創企業及已奠基廠商，本研究是關注已奠基廠商的創業行為研究，稱為公司興業精神研究。此研究的主軸是興業精神行為模式，此模式是以興業導向衡量公司興業精神，主要在探討公司興業精神與廠商績效的關聯，過去二十多年來在許多學者的努力下已有豐碩的理論發展與實證成果。然此類研究也遇到發展瓶頸，因而學者建議此類研究應往國際化活動或是結合社會網絡觀點發展。 本研究是以興業精神行為模式為基礎，結合社會網絡觀點中的關係鑲嵌性概念，經由文獻回顧歸納出影響多國企業子公司興業精神的關係鑲嵌性包括母子公司間公司鑲嵌性、顧客關係鑲嵌性、供應商關係鑲嵌性及政府單位關係鑲嵌性，探討不同關係鑲嵌性與多國企業子公司興業導向的關聯。 經由個案訪談及問卷調查方法，對台灣企業在大陸子公司的230位經理人進行調查，以統計方法檢定各項假說，並再對未符合預期的假說進行較深入探索性分析，研究結果發現：（1）多國企業子公司興業導向與顧客關係鑲嵌性有導U字型關聯，（2）多國企業子公司興業導向與供應商關係鑲嵌性有導U字型關聯，（3）多國企業子公司興業導向與政府單位關係鑲嵌性無關聯，（4）多國企業子公司興業導向與母子公司間關係鑲嵌性有正向關聯。此結果顯示在社會網絡理論中的重要觀點：「平衡網絡」或是「過度鑲嵌」，會在多國企業子公司的興業精神中發生，換言之，本研究證實與顧客或供應商過度鑲嵌時，會不利於子公司興業精神行為。 本研究同時也探討環境中的政策不確定性、產業不確定性及競爭不確定性與子公司興業導向的關聯，研究結果顯示：（5）多國企業子公司興業導向與政策不確定性有正向關聯，（6）多國企業子公司興業導向與產業不確定性無關聯，（7）多國企業子公司興業導向與競爭不確定性有正向關聯。研究結果顯示：在面對政策上的不確定或是競爭上的不確定時，多國企業子公司會發揮更高的興業精神來因應此環境下的變動。 最後，本研究依理論架構與實證發現，提出研究的理論貢獻、實務意涵及後續研究的建議，使未來研究能彌補理論發展或是實證研究的不足。 / Research on corporate entrepreneurship(CE) has grown rapidly over the past decades. Both scholars and practitioners remain interested in studying and better understanding CE(Ireland, Kuratko & Covins, 2002).CE has bees viewed as the driver of new business and economic growth within on-going enterprises as achieved through innovativeness, proactiveness, risk-taking(Miller, 1983; Covin & Slevin, 1989e), new business venturing (Burgelman, 1983b, Guth & Ginsberg, 1990; Zahra, 1995), self-renewal(Guth & Ginsberg, 1990; Zahra, 1995; Shama & Chrisma, 1999), opportunity pursuit(Stevenson & Jarillo, 1990; Shane & Vankataraman, 2000), etc. CE can be important not only for small and medium size enterprises but also for large corporation(Antocic & Hisrich, 2001). The previous research mainly focused on the relationship between CE and firm performance and generated an study axial of entrepreneurship behavior model that used measures as the firm entrepreneurial orientation(Covin & Slevin, 1989, 1991; Zahra, 1996,1996; Lumpkin & Dess, 1996). Although this kind of research has come out with valuable theoretical concepts and rich empirical results, it till encounters the bottleneck of research. Some scholars suggested that CE research should be extended to international business activities or include the social network perspective(Zehra et. al. , 2003). Approximately 15 years ago, research on networks emerged as an important new era of inquiring within the field of entrepreneurship, but published papers on journals were relatively few and mainly focused on the development and consequences of networks in the new venture creation process, or focused on small medium-sized firms(Hoang & Antocic, 2003). There was lack of the network perspective research on the established firm in the field of entrepreneurship. This research extended entrepreneurship into international activities and conducted an empirical study on multinational enterprise’s subsidiaries with relational embeddedness of social network perspective. Through the literature review and case study, we generated a research framework and a set of hypothesis which described the relationships between relational embeddedness and subsidiary’s entrepreneurial orientation. We collected data and used statistical tool to verify the hypothesis. Besides, we conducted an exploratory analysis on some field of what hypotheses were not supported to further understand how relational embeddedness influence the entrepreneurial behavior in the subsidiaries of multinational enterprises. This research finds that (1)there exists the inverse U shape relationship between the customer relational embeddedness and subsidiary’s entrepreneurial orientation, (2)there exists the inverse U shape relationship between the supplier relational embeddedness and subsidiary’s entrepreneurial orientation, (3)there exists no relationship between government relational embeddedness and subsidiary’s entrepreneurial orientation, (4)there exists the positive association between the mother-subsidiary relational embeddedness and subsidiary’s entrepreneurial orientation. This results imply that the important phenomenon of balance network or over embeddedness be exactly happen in the filed of subsidiary’s entrepreneurial behavior. Our study verified that over embeddedness will negatively influence the entrepreneurship of subsidiary, especially over embeddedness with customers or suppliers. This research also searched the relationship between the environmental uncertainties and subsidiary’s entrepreneurial orientation. This result finds that (5) there exists positive association between the policy uncertainty and subsidiary’s entrepreneurial orientation, (6) there exists non-association between the industry uncertainty and subsidiary’s entrepreneurial orientation,(7) there exists positive association between the competitive uncertainty and subsidiary’s entrepreneurial orientation. This imply the subsidiary will advance his entrepreneurial behavior to overcome the environmental uncertainty or pursuit the business opportunities in the dynamic change. Finally this research proposed the theoretical contribution, practitioner implications and further research suggestions

Submitted by PEDRO MESQUITA (pedrovmesquita@gmail.com) on 2016-01-26T13:59:53Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação MSc Pedro Mesquita.pdf: 333112 bytes, checksum: 19c620f913bea534bc0c66b9eab0c763 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by ÁUREA CORRÊA DA FONSECA CORRÊA DA FONSECA (aurea.fonseca@fgv.br) on 2016-01-27T18:52:08Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação MSc Pedro Mesquita.pdf: 333112 bytes, checksum: 19c620f913bea534bc0c66b9eab0c763 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marcia Bacha (marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2016-02-01T11:55:48Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação MSc Pedro Mesquita.pdf: 333112 bytes, checksum: 19c620f913bea534bc0c66b9eab0c763 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-02-01T11:56:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação MSc Pedro Mesquita.pdf: 333112 bytes, checksum: 19c620f913bea534bc0c66b9eab0c763 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-12-07 / Extant literature examined the benefits of relational embeddedness in facilitating collaboration between organizations, as well as the necessity of firms to balance their knowledge generation into exploration and exploitation activities. However, the effects of relational embeddedness in the specific outputs of firm-university collaborations, as well as the elements that affect the exploratory nature of such outcomes remain underexplored. By examining fine grained data of more than 4.000 collaborative research and development projects by a firm and universities, 5.000 patents, and 300.000 scientific publications, it was proposed that relational embeddedness would have a positive effect on resource commitment and on joint scientific publications, but a negative effect on joint patents and exploratory outcomes resulting of such collaborations. Additionally, it was proposed that knowledge similarity would have a negative impact in exploratory endeavors made in such projects. Although some of the propositions were not supported by the data, this study revealed that relational embeddedness increases resource commitment and the production of joint scientific publications in such partnerships. At last, this study presents interesting opportunities for future research. / A literatura existente examinou os benefícios de intensidade da relação como facilitador de colaborações entre organizações, assim como a necessidade de empresas balancearem a geração de conhecimento em ações exploratórias e de aplicação. Todavia, os efeitos da intensidade da relação nos resultados específicos das parcerias entre empresas e universidades, assim como os elementos que afetam a natureza exploratória desses resultados, permanecem subexplorados. Examinando dados detalhados de mais de 4.000 projetos de pesquisa e desenvolvimento em colaboração entre uma empresa e universidades, 5.000 patentes e 300.000 publicações científicas, foi proposto que a intensidade da relação teria um efeito positivo no investimento de recursos e na produção de artigos científicos conjuntos, porém um efeito negativo na geração de patentes conjuntas e nos empreendimentos exploratórios resultantes dessas colaborações. Adicionalmente, foi proposto que semelhança entre conhecimentos teria um efeito negativo nas iniciativas exploratórias realizadas nesses projetos. Apesar de algumas proposições não terem sido confirmadas pelos dados, esse estudo revelou que a intensidade da relação tem efeito positivo no investimento de recursos e na produção de artigos científicos conjuntos nessas parcerias. Por fim, o estudo apresenta oportunidades interessantes para pesquisas futuras.