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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
611

The role of social and human capital in assessing firm value : a longitudinal study of UK firms

Gundogdu, Didem January 2017 (has links)
This study examines the role of board social and human capital in assessing the market value of firms in the UK context. As the world economy has shifted from manufacturing to service and knowledge-based economies, attributes such as knowledge, expertise, skills, ability and reputation are increasingly fundamental to the success of business enterprises. There is a growing consensus that these attributes are an increasingly valuable form of capital, asset or resource, despite their intangibility. In accounting, there are a number of problems arising from the accountability of non-physical, non-financial capital. Firstly, some forms of capital and certain assets are neither recognised nor presented in the statement of financial position. Secondly, some accounting practices relating to intangible assets are very conservative, resulting in undervalued assets and overstated liabilities. Consequently, there is an increasing gap between the book value and market value of firms. This gap restricts the relevance of information presented in financial statements and suggests that there is something missing in financial statements. This is the research problem being addressed in this study. While prior literature demonstrates that it has proven difficult to operationalise intangible forms of capital, there has been significant empirical attention and theoretical development in social and human forms. This thesis aims to contribute to accounting theory and practice by exploring the impact that board social and human capital have on firm market value. In light of extant research, it is hypothesised that social and human capital possessed at board level are positively related to the market value of firms. This study employs the Ohlson’s (1995) residual income valuation model to test the impact of social and human capital using a sample of UK firms listed on the FTSE All Share index for a period of 10 years (2001-2010). Social and human capital measures are derived from interlocking directorate ties and detailed biographic information of board directors. This study benefits from Pajek and Ucinet network packages to generate network maps and calculate positional metrics such as centrality and structural hole measures.
612

The Home Field Advantage: Exploring Elements of Immigrant Entrepreneurship

Rich, Loren H. 01 July 2015 (has links)
Immigrants participate in entrepreneurial activity more frequently than other groups, largely resulting from restricted access to traditional occupational advancement. Recent studies have reported that immigrant entrepreneurs focus on their abundance of human and social capital to obtain the financial resources necessary to fund their ventures. Lack of financial resources has been identified as a major barrier for immigrant entrepreneurs; however, as this study indicates, both native and immigrant entrepreneurs face similar financial hurdles in locating initial startup funding. Where major differences arise between native and immigrant entrepreneurs is that native entrepreneurs more frequently transition to business forms of debt, a key component to long-term success. Resulting from their lack of embeddedness in their host context, immigrant entrepreneurs are far more likely to rely on social network based resources to fund growth, which removes their businesses from the opportunities business forms that debt provides. Using the Kauffman public data, I investigated the relationship between financing strategies engaged by "immigrant" versus "native" entrepreneurs.
613

A phenomenological exploration of the lived experiences and human and social capital among older adults using emergency shelters: implications for the counseling profession

Butler, Maggie K. J. 01 August 2017 (has links)
As the number of older adults experiencing homelessness continues to increase, understanding the experiences of older homeless adults is necessary. Although housing first initiatives are vital to removing individuals from homelessness, the psychosocial aspects of homelessness are often neglected. The efforts to end and prevent homelessness among older adults require interagency collaboration to include counseling professionals who can assist with the psychosocial aspects of the phenomenon. In an effort to provide a platform for older adults experiencing homelessness to inform researchers and practitioner alike, a phenomenological qualitative study was conducted to explore their lived experiences and their human and social capital. The findings of the study suggest that the experiences older adults participants of this study ranged from maladaptive behaviors (e.g., poor decision making) to positive outlooks for their future. Overall, both their human and their social capital are impaired, and they require interventions that address psychosocial aspects of homelessness, such as loss of social ties and financial insecurity.
614

Resources Matter: The Role of Social Capital and Collective Efficacy in Mediating Gun Violence

Dean, Jennifer Lynne 25 March 2014 (has links)
Abstract This study explains how community activists make use of available social capital and collective efficacy while attempting to mediate gun violence. It specifically focuses on twelve in-depth interviews of activists' perspectives, processes and rationales to alleviate community gun violence, based on informal social control models. Findings suggest activists must establish trust and respect with youth they work with before mediation begins, which is established through similar life experiences or backgrounds. Once a strong bond is established with youth, activists identified five core processes to reduce violence: 1) improve the mindset, 2) provide life skills, 3) assist youth as their liaison between networks, 4) expose and provide tools to other opportunities such as college or jobs, and 5) activists challenge system policy that they feel contributes to Chicago's gun violence.
615

EXEMPLIFICATION EFFECTS THROUGHOUT DISASTER STAGES IN SOCIAL MEDIA

Rice, Robert George 01 January 2018 (has links)
Two studies were performed to research potential exemplification effects throughout various stages of natural disasters. Exemplification theory (Zillmann, 1999, 2002) promotes the use of exemplars, media examples, because of their potential ability to motivate risk related information seeking and their possible influence in optimizing protective action (Zillmann, 2006). Study one examined potential exemplification effect differences between various stages of natural disasters. Study two was designed to test for differences in trust, perceptions of severity, and intentions to volunteer depending on the organization type supplying related exemplars in social media. Results indicate that exemplification effects do not differ depending on disaster stage. However, exemplification effects do depend on the source of the exemplars. Furthermore, differences in perceptions of trust were detected between the two organizations providing the exemplars. And, intentions to volunteer vary depending on the current disaster stage. Specific findings, related theoretical implications, and practical suggestions are discussed.
616

Idéburet Offentligt Partnerskp- IOP : En kvalitativ studie av IOP- samverkan i Karlstads kommun / Voluntary Sector Organisation Public Partnerships- IOP : A qualitative study of IOP collaboration in Karlstad municipality

Pettersson, Carola January 2019 (has links)
Voluntary Sector Organisation Public Partnerships (IOPs) are a new form of collaboration for voluntary and public organisations, which aim to give financial support ta a welfare service provided by the voluntary actor. The aim of this study is to examine the importance of voluntary organisations in the modern welfare state. The importance they have as welfare producers. In this study i have chosen to look at how Karlstad municipality works with IOP cooperation. My theoretical starting point of this study have been the concept of social capital and how IOP collaboration works from a trust perspective. I have used both document study and interviews to answer my purpose. I have interviewed both officials in Karlstad municipality and representatives of the voluntary organisations that have IOP cooperation with the municipality in Karlstad. The conclusion I have found here is that Karlstad municipality and the three voluntary organisations I met, have a good collaboration with a high level of trust between them. But there is also some dissatisfaction that it is the municipality that benefits most from the cooperation. Another conclusion is that IOP collaboration has a great impact on the individuals who get help through the voluntary organisations. The study shows that many of these individuals would be completely helpeless unless the voluntary organisations improve their work.
617

The Impact of Social Capital on Innovation Intermediaries

Munkongsujarit, Songphon 13 May 2013 (has links)
In today's open business environments, innovation happens in globally dispersed organizations that exchange technological knowledge across increasingly permeable boundaries. Innovation intermediaries play an important role in these technology transfer processes. They operate as middle-men between solution seekers (companies seeking technological knowledge for solving their problems) and problem solvers (experts with specialized knowledge and solutions) and thus help to connect suppliers and customers of technological knowledge. Currently, clients that select an intermediary organization and managers of intermediary organizations that assign agents to a project have very little guidance as to what type of an intermediary they should select to guarantee that the intermediation process is successful. This study will provide much needed guidance. Successful technology transfer is operationalized as gains in efficiency and/or improved innovativeness, though it is likely that a trade-off exists between these two goals. This is commonly referred to as the productivity dilemma. To be successful, intermediaries need to understand the solution seeker's problem (problem framing) and reach into their networks of contacts or connections with various experts (social capital) to match the right expert to the problem. The literature on technical problem solving states that problem solvers that frame a problem as the need to reduce uncertainty solve the problem by reaching for readily available resources and tend to provide solutions that are similar to previous solutions. These incremental improvements are efficient, but not very innovative. Problem solvers that frame a problem as the need to reduce ambiguity do not expect the solution to be found in readily available sources and reach further. The outcome of this problem solving is likely to be dissimilar to the previous outcome, resulting in radical changes and high innovativeness. I argue that an innovation intermediary's choice in problem framing is likely to be dictated by two different focuses (bonding versus bridging) in the social capital of the agent. The agent with a high level of bonding social capital generally reinforces existing relationships (deepening the connections) and can easily access the appropriate experts. Consequently, bonding social capital is related to uncertainty reduction problem framing and, in turn, efficiency improvement outcome. As for the agent with a high level of bridging social capital, the agent tends to build and seek new contacts from different fields of expertise and specialization (broadening the connections), thus the agent can always reach different experts in different fields of specialization. Consequently, bridging social capital is related to ambiguity reduction problem framing and, in turn, innovativeness improvement outcome. The aim of this study is to contribute to the body of knowledge in technology management by exploring the relationship (that has never been explicitly identified in the past) between problem framing, social capital and the outcomes of innovation intermediation process. This indeed provides a much needed means to match intermediaries and projects in ways that lead to the desired levels of innovativeness and efficiency. In this study, the research model that identifies the relationship between problem solving, social capital and outcomes of the intermediation process is developed from the literature review of three different streams of research, namely technical problem solving, social capital and innovation intermediary. The hypotheses are set according to the relationship identified in the research model. Then, the data on the innovation intermediation process is collected from an intermediary organization in Thailand called iTAP which provided full access to its intermediary agents and archival records of its projects, resulting in a rich data set that is thoroughly analyzed by appropriate statistical models to explore the relationship in the research model. The results indicate that there are strong relationships between social capital and the outcomes of intermediation process. Specifically, ease of reach is a dimension of social capital that has a positive impact on both the outcome with efficiency improvement and the outcome with innovativeness improvement; while trust and mutual understanding show a negative relationship with the outcomes. The results also support the linkage between social capital and ambiguity reduction in problem framing. However, the other linkages between social capital and uncertainty reduction in problem framing, and between problem framing and outcomes, do not have statistical evidence but the data are in favor of the research model. An additional alternative theory of temporal and dynamic problem framing variables is introduced and thoroughly discussed to explain the innovation intermediation process. In summary, this study suggests that while more is better for bridging social capital, there should be a balance in bonding social capital. By bridging the relationships with different and diverse groups of people, the intermediary agents gain greater benefit in broadening their network of contacts that can help in solving the problems with both efficiency improvement and innovativeness improvement. On the other hand, by deepening the relationships with their existing network of contacts, the intermediary agents may also benefit by gaining more trust from the network but the closeness of their relationships may also hinder them from looking for better answers to the problems due to the false assumption (groupthink) and familiarity with the network (not-invented-here syndrome). The key to success for managing the successful innovation intermediation process is to promote strong bridging social capital and balanced bonding social capital of the innovation intermediary agent.
618

Neighborhood and Community Influence on Adolescent Obesity

Harrison, Peggie Arnzellique 01 January 2017 (has links)
In the United States, over two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese, and the number of children and adolescents who are overweight is increasing. Obesity is a significant issue as obesity-related chronic diseases can result in diminished quality or life, high morbidity and mortality, and substantial healthcare costs. The purpose of this study was to examine neighborhood social capital and how it relates to adolescent obesity. The socio-ecological model was used as the theoretical framework of this study to examine how the environment and social contexts influence health behaviors. Utilizing a quantitative cross-sectional research design, bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted on 43864 10 to 17 year-olds using secondary data from the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children's Health. Controlling for age, gender, race, and overall health status, logistic regression analysis indicated that supportive environments predict the odds of adolescent overweight and obesity, while safer communities did not significantly predict the odds of adolescent overweight or obesity. The results of this study showed that there was a significant association between living in a supportive neighborhood and a decreased likelihood of an adolescent being overweight or obese (OR = 0.797). Associations were also found in demographic variables such as race, gender, and age. Positive social change implications from this study may include use of the findings by public health practitioners to better understand the factors that influence adolescent obesity in general, and the role of the social neighborhood environment in particular. In turn, public health workers can use this improved understanding to improve the quality of interventions, programs, and policies, resulting in positive social change among adolescents.
619

Exploring the Strategies for Accessing Microloans Used by Small and Medium Enterprises

Kashim, Abdul Rashid 01 January 2018 (has links)
The inability of small and medium enterprises to access microloans from microfinance banks is a major concern in business growth and development in Nigeria. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to explore strategies for accessing microloans from microfinance banks by owners of small and medium enterprises for business growth and survival. Using the conceptual framework on social capital theory, I selected 20 small and medium enterprises owners who have accessed microloans from microfinance banks and have operated their businesses beyond 5 years with significant growth were interviewed using face-to-face semistructured interviews. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and reviews of company documents. The use of member checking strengthened the trustworthiness of the interpretation of the participants' responses. A phenomenological approach was used for the qualitative interview with data analysis using a descriptive method. Nine themes emerged from this study: Obtaining a saving account before accessing microloans, group members serving as collateral, business social networks, business sustainability strategies, historical financial health, maintaining loan repayment deadlines, archiving business documents, use of competent guarantors, and strength and weakness analyses. The findings of the study may contribute to positive social change to create awareness among SMEs leaders in federal and state government, and individuals on how to gain access to microloans, thereby improving profitability, generating employment, reducing poverty, and enhancing standards of living among SME owners in Nigeria.
620

A Faith-Based Organization's Engagement of an African American Community in Disaster Preparation

Douglas, Tronda L 01 January 2018 (has links)
Researchers have revealed that rural African American communities, which have been adversely impacted by disasters, could minimize personal injuries and property damage by being prepared before a disaster strikes. Data from past studies have shown that social networks, such as faith-based organizations (FBOs), have been instrumental in assisting rural African American communities recover from disasters such as floods and fires. This exploratory qualitative case study addressed the research question: How a rural, FBO organized resources to build a community based, all-volunteer fire department. The conceptual framework for this study incorporated concepts from social network theory and social capital theory. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit 11 participants. Data were collected through interviews, newspapers articles, and church documents. Data were analyzed using inductive analysis and Colaizzi's method for determining emergent themes. Results revealed that community members lacked the knowledge and resources needed to build the fire department. Findings further revealed that the FBO was the hub of activities where social networks organized the social capital needed to engage, recruit, and unite members in building the fire station. The themes of determination, dedication, resilience, and persistence further revealed that community members used social networks and social capital to overcome obstacles to building the fire station. Findings from this study contributes to positive social change by providing information to human services professionals, government agencies, policy makers, and community members on how FBOs can be utilized as social networks that can leverage the social capital needed to prepare isolated, rural communities for disasters.

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