Recent Scottish Government policy has increasingly emphasised lifelong learning as the means of developing the nation’s skills and employability. Colleges are frequently presented as the key driver of widening access to lifelong learning in Scotland and are expected to provide effective responses to both social and economic problems. This research focuses on the balance struck in government policy in relation to Scotland’s colleges with regard to social and economic objectives and how this policy is mediated in three diverse colleges. Utilising case studies of three colleges in Scotland, this study found that the economic focus of the Scottish Government, coupled with the market values of the college sector following the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992, has resulted in some colleges emphasising economic priorities at the cost of social objectives. College education is presented as the bridge to the labour market and this has resulted in students equating college learning with acquiring the necessary qualifications to obtain employment. In the larger colleges (both the result of recent mergers) social network development is treated as a by-product rather than a central objective and the connections made by students tend to be confined to narrow subject areas. Learning at these colleges is compartmentalised, so that students develop ‘bonding’ rather than ‘bridging’ social capital, which may narrow rather than widen their horizons (Putnam, 2000). Pursuit of funding initiatives and performance indicators at the larger colleges led to tensions amongst staff members over the loss of community focus and, in the case of one college, a significant increase in learners under 16. The smaller college exhibited a clear community focus, allowing for greater levels of social interaction. It is suggested that colleges need to develop further their role as generators of social, as well as human, capital.

In 1992, the Government of Botswana appointed a National Commission to review the education system and advise how it could promote human resource development to address the country’s socio-economic challenges. The Commission identified the need to diversify the labour market and shift towards occupational groupings based on skills, attitudes and competence. However, fifteen years on, Botswana’s dependence on diamond mining, coupled with immigration from neighbouring countries and a mismatch of skills supply and demand has resulted in a pool of labour exceeding the number of jobs available. Access, opportunity and social inclusion therefore represent major challenges, since large numbers of under and un-utilised people imply a heavy socioeconomic burden. This thesis employed a Problem Based Methodology within the framework of a Project Cycle Management approach to develop a project for an Adult Basic Vocational Education and Training (ABVET) programme as a contribution towards the development of human and social capital in Botswana.

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.

Research investigating women-owned businesses has developed considerably over the past two decades. There are, however, few British studies that have specifically focussed on growth oriented women-owned businesses. The current study aims to fill this gap. Its purpose is to explore the effect of social capital and human capital on the growth of women-owned enterprises in the UK. The research contributes to the knowledge of women's entrepreneurship as the first to study the moderating role of human capital in building and using social capital in the UK. It develops the theoretical premise that women entrepreneurs with higher human capital gain credibility and centrality in networks, accumulating social capital based on their importance for other network members and their business stakeholders. This mixed method study involves both collecting and analysing quantitative and qualitative data. Statistical analysis using SPSS was applied to analyse quantitative data collected through 517 on-line completed questionnaires from three different regions. The qualitative data collected through face to face interviews with 42 women entrepreneurs were also analysed and interpreted. The findings suggest that the social capital possessed by women entrepreneurs plays an important role in the growth of enterprises. Women entrepreneurs use different sources to build and use their social capital at different stages of growth and in different industry sectors such as manufacturing or services. Women entrepreneurs with higher human capital are more likely to identify opportunities, generate ideas and show creative thinking in introducing novel products, services, location, processes or systems, which makes their growth path exponential. There are implications of this study for women entrepreneurs to build and use their social and human capital for the growth of their enterprises. And there are also implications for politicians and business organisations, who must devise policies to develop opportunities for existing or potential women entrepreneurs for building their human based capital.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--School of Business and Public Administration and Dept. of Economics. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2007. / "A dissertation in public affairs and administration and economics." Advisor: Robyne Turner. Typescript. Vita. Title from "catalog record" of the print edition Description based on contents viewed Jan. 2, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 239-249). Online version of the print edition.

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This thesis aims to examine how differences in personal attributes and cultural adaptation affect transnational entrepreneurs' embedding process in Sweden. This paper uses empirical data collected from four small transnational entrepreneurs in Sweden as well as secondary data collected on the topic. The findings shows that background, skills and character have an influence on the embedding process and provides these entrepreneurs with knowledge and opportunities native Swedish entrepreneurs do not have access to. Furthermore, it provides the importance of language during the embedding process. Lastly the thesis discusses implications in practice and for theory and ends with proposals for future research.

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The non-formal adult (25-64 year olds) education in public and private teaching sectors on the basis of social and human capital, including both learners’ and non-formal education organizers’ situation is analyzed in this dissertational research. The specific purpose of this dissertation is seen through the reality that non-formal adult education is more oriented towards the expectations of employers for their employees’ better qualification(s) while placing the possibilities for personal growth and self-expression aside (i.e. escaping from human capital and putting the social capital into the first place). Also, the manifestations of social stratification in these processes are captured as well, by stressing such aspects as: the education of adult learners, the age factor and the sectors where adults work. While implementing the dissertational research, main statements to be defended were explored and confirmed as well: i) human capital remains more oriented towards social capital accumulation in the public and private sectors of non-formal adult education; ii) the differences between non-formal adult education public and private teaching sectors are rather slight. / Disertacijoje analizuojamas neformalusis suaugusiųjų (25-64 metų amžiaus) švietimas žmogiškojo ir socialinio kapitalo aspektu valstybiniame bei privačiame mokymo sektoriuose besimokančiųjų ir neformalųjį švietimą organizuojančių institucijų lygmenis. Formuluojama problematika, kad neformalusis suaugusiųjų švietimas, kaip vienas svarbiausių asmens sėkmingo veikimo visuomenėje, tenkinant jo/jos pažinimo, lavinimosi bei saviraiškos poreikius garantų, yra daugiau orientuotas į esamų darbdavių lūkesčius darbuotojų kvalifikacijai tobulinti/kelti, akivaizdžiai atsiejant individo saviugdos/asmenybės tobulėjimo bei saviraiškos galimybes (kitaip tariant, atitrūkstama nuo žmogiškojo kapitalo į pirmąją vietą iškeliant socialinį). Taip pat šiame procese pastebimos ir socialinės stratifikacijos apraiškos, ypač išskiriant besimokančiųjų grupių išsilavinimo, amžiaus bei sektorių, kuriuose dirbama, aspektus. Tyrimo eigoje buvo išanalizuoti bei patvirtinti ir ginamieji teiginiai, kad: a) neformaliajame suaugusiųjų švietime valstybinio ir privataus mokymo sektoriuose žmogiškasis kapitalas išlieka orientuotas į socialinio kapitalo kaupimą ir b) skirtumai tarp neformalųjį suaugusiųjų švietimą vykdančių valstybinio ir privataus mokymo sektorių yra nežymūs.

Disertacijoje analizuojamas neformalusis suaugusiųjų (25-64 metų amžiaus) švietimas žmogiškojo ir socialinio kapitalo aspektu valstybiniame bei privačiame mokymo sektoriuose besimokančiųjų ir neformalųjį švietimą organizuojančių institucijų lygmenis. Formuluojama problematika, kad neformalusis suaugusiųjų švietimas, kaip vienas svarbiausių asmens sėkmingo veikimo visuomenėje, tenkinant jo/jos pažinimo, lavinimosi bei saviraiškos poreikius garantų, yra daugiau orientuotas į esamų darbdavių lūkesčius darbuotojų kvalifikacijai tobulinti/kelti, akivaizdžiai atsiejant individo saviugdos/asmenybės tobulėjimo bei saviraiškos galimybes (kitaip tariant, atitrūkstama nuo žmogiškojo kapitalo į pirmąją vietą iškeliant socialinį). Taip pat šiame procese pastebimos ir socialinės stratifikacijos apraiškos, ypač išskiriant besimokančiųjų grupių išsilavinimo, amžiaus bei sektorių, kuriuose dirbama, aspektus. Tyrimo eigoje buvo išanalizuoti bei patvirtinti ir ginamieji teiginiai, kad: a) neformaliajame suaugusiųjų švietime valstybinio ir privataus mokymo sektoriuose žmogiškasis kapitalas išlieka orientuotas į socialinio kapitalo kaupimą ir b) skirtumai tarp neformalųjį suaugusiųjų švietimą vykdančių valstybinio ir privataus mokymo sektorių yra nežymūs. / The non-formal adult (25-64 year olds) education in public and private teaching sectors on the basis of social and human capital, including both learners’ and non-formal education organizers’ situation is analyzed in this dissertational research. The specific purpose of this dissertation is seen through the reality that non-formal adult education is more oriented towards the expectations of employers for their employees’ better qualification(s) while placing the possibilities for personal growth and self-expression aside (i.e. escaping from human capital and putting the social capital into the first place). Also, the manifestations of social stratification in these processes are captured as well, by stressing such aspects as: the education of adult learners, the age factor and the sectors where adults work. While implementing the dissertational research, main statements to be defended were explored and confirmed as well: i) human capital remains more oriented towards social capital accumulation in the public and private sectors of non-formal adult education; ii) the differences between non-formal adult education public and private teaching sectors are rather slight.