No description available.

Network data, particularly social network data, is widely collected in the context of interactions between users of online platforms, but it can also be observed directly, such as in the context of behaviours of animals in a group living environment. Such network data can reveal important insights into the latent structure present among the nodes of a network, such as the presence of a social hierarchy or of communities. This is generally done through the use of a latent variable model. Existing network models which are commonly used for such data often aggregate the dynamic events which occur, reducing complex dynamic events (such as the times of messages on a social network website) to a binary variable. Methods which can incorporate the continuous time component of these interactions therefore offer the potential to better describe the latent structure present. Using observed interactions between mice, we take advantage of the observed interactions’ timestamps, proposing a series of network point process models with latent ranks. We carefully design these models to incorporate important theories on animal behaviour that account for dynamic patterns observed in the interaction data, including the winner effect, bursting and pair-flip phenomena. Through iteratively constructing and evaluating these models we arrive at the final cohort Markov-Modulated Hawkes process (C-MMHP), which best characterizes all aforementioned patterns observed in interaction data. The generative nature of our model provides evidence for hypothesised phenomena and allows for additional insights compared to existing aggregate methods, while the probabilistic nature allows us to estimate the uncertainty in our ranking. In particular, our model is able to provide insights into the distribution of power within the hierarchy which forms and the strength of the established hierarchy. We compare all models using simulated and real data. Using statistically developed diagnostic perspectives, we demonstrate that the C-MMHP model outperforms other methods, capturing relevant latent ranking structures that lead to meaningful predictions for real data. While such network models can lead to important insights, there are inherent computational challenges for fitting network models, particularly as the number of nodes in the network grows. This is exacerbated when considering events between each pair of nodes. As such, new computational tools are required to fit network point process models to the large social networks commonly observed. We consider online variational inference for one such model. We derive a natural online variational inference procedure for this event data on networks. Using simulations, we show that this online learning procedure can accurately recover the true network structure. We demonstrate using real data that we can accurately predict future interactions by learning the network structure in this online fashion, obtaining comparable performance to more expensive batch methods.

No description available.

The problem of this study is an investigation of the effects, if any, of the professional support systems for the careers of women educators. This research should contribute to an understanding of the interaction among women and the impact of such interaction, if any, on career achievement. Women who want to become administrators can utilize this new information concerning support systems. By understanding the role of mentors and the interaction of a network, women as mentors may gain some valuable information with which to prepare themselves for a career in administration. The researcher leaned upon the Glaser and Strauss book, The Discovery of Grounded Theory as a methodological basis of this study. Generating theory and making hypothesis provided the basis for generating new theory and constructing associated hypothesis. Glaser and Strauss put forth the idea that generating a theory from data means that hypothesis and concepts come from data and are systematically worked out in relation to the data during the process of research. Theory is a process and generated during the course of a study. In grounded theory research, data interpretations are seldom conclusive and the research process is seldom finished. The respondents felt that alliances and networks had not really aided their career aspirations. However, the respondents did report having depended on male mentors in the pursuance and attainment of their positions. Because womens’ networks and their impact on the careers of in-place administrators is such a new concept, a relatively unresearched topic, many questions are left unanswered and future studies could further examine the phenomena of womens’ networks. Based on this study women would be advised to develop a mentor relationship or form an alliance with a male network. / Ed. D.

Despite a substantially greater risk factor profile, Hispanics in the United States (US) consistently demonstrate better health outcomes compared to their non-Hispanic White counterparts, an epidemiologic phenomenon termed the Hispanic Mortality Paradox. Emerging hypotheses suggest cultural values regarding relational interconnectedness and social support may help to explain these surprising health outcomes. The present study sought to inform these hypotheses via two aims: the first was to examine racial/ethnic differences in perceived social support, and the second was to examine the relationship between acculturation and perceived social support among Hispanic college students. Non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic college students (N = 330) completed an online survey for course credit. Contrary to expectations, no racial/ethnic differences in perceived social support were observed, nor was an association between acculturation and perceived social support evident among the sampled Hispanic students. The limited sample size, homogeneity in social support levels across groups, and the restricted range of age and acculturation may have obscured relationships that may exist outside the college environment. Future work should consider a more heterogeneous sampling strategy to better assess these associations.

The theme of this thesis are forms of advertising on social networks and consumer protection. The main informational source is above all research of specialized literature, articles, online or other sources in connection with author's own observations and analysis of the respective legislation and ultimately the comparison with author's gained professional experience. The result of this work is a comprehensive overview and introduction to the law of social networks and advertising, demonstration of the importance and significance of this topic and finally evaluation of the effectiveness of legislation that protects consumers in the environment of social networks.

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / John Keller / Innovative communities create cities rich in culture and opportunities to attract like minded residents and business owners to advance their city and their community. This study looks at the entrepreneurial startup community, Kansas City Startup Village (KCSV) and seeks to understand how social networks benefit entrepreneurs and how KCSV helps establish these networks. Through a review of similar startup communities and literature surrounding the topic, essential components within startup communities and characteristics of entrepreneurs were identified. To better understand the role of these elements within KCSV, ten entrepreneurs and members of support organizations of KCSV were interviewed regarding the social networks of the Village. The interviewing process utilized a grounded theory approach, with a text coding and analysis of the transcribed interviews to identify the role of entrepreneurs and social networks within KCSV. Findings were consistent with many of the topics discussed in the literature review and within the Comparative Communities section. Kansas City shares many common elements of the startup communities of Saint Louis, Missouri, and Boulder, Colorado; most notably the networking and social capital-building practices that keep entrepreneurs connected. The entrepreneurs possess traits that gave them an entrepreneurial advantage including formal education, past business experience, risk taking, and broad, forward thinking goals. Strong and weak ties were used in different scenarios and at different stages within their company’s lifecycle to assist with opportunity identification, resource acquisition and gaining legitimacy. KCSV was most influential in establishing the peer networks of entrepreneurs, which assist primarily with opportunity identification and resource acquisition.

It has long been argued that Social Capital, a concept represented by the value embedded in the social relationships of individuals or collectives constitute strategic resources for individuals and organisations. Social networks are thus perceived by businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises, as a means to access those resources, for example gaining privileged access to strategic information that could secure financial resources. In reality, and because of the inherent characteristics of Social Capital, entrepreneurs or business owner/managers who effectively use resources available within social networks are driven by a clear and compelling vision and sustained by a set of leadership attributes which are in line with the process of recognising, evaluating and exploiting opportunities. This study reinforces the concept of Entrepreneurship as a multi-social construct. Using survey data from 359 SMEs in UK South West food and drink manufacturing, this study uses a structural equation model to evaluate the relationships of interdependence between Social Capital, Leadership and Entrepreneurship Process. The mediating role of leadership in this interaction first, explains the relationship between Social Capital and Entrepreneurship Process and second, exposes the entrepreneurial behaviour common among SW food and drink manufacturers as the underlying explanatory factor of the competitiveness. Notwithstanding the prevalence of social networks, the level of brokerage appears to be very concentrated on closed networks with providers of professional services and local associations. This inadequate level of brokerage heightens the existence of structural holes which points to a situation of ‘over-socialisation’ suggesting that social norms prescribe economic action. The lack of appropriate market knowledge among ii owners/managers of small medium enterprises in the UK South West food and drink manufacturing frustrates the formulation of a comprehensive vision, in spite of the fact that values of ‘hard work’, ‘continued improvement’ and ‘ambition are largely shared among them. The main findings contribute toward a better understanding of Social Capital as distinct from social networks and the leadership role in business competitiveness. It makes a significant contribution to the debate on the integration of individual and environmental perspectives as a direction of future research on the understanding of Entrepreneurship. The study implications address policy-makers and business managers in filling the skills and knowledge gaps which are restraining the competitiveness of SMEs in this important and strategic sector

published_or_final_version / abstract / Mathematics / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education