Building upon Granovetters well-known study of the job search behaviors of white males, this research extended the degree to which his findings apply across cultures to Chinese minorities, and across time to the Internet age. Using quantitative and qualitative data collected through systematic observation, questionnaire surveys, and in-depth interviews, this research investigated the impact of culture, Internet usage, gender and age on the communication patterns of foreign-born Chinese jobseekers in the U.S. It is found that jobseekers adopt either one or a combination of traditional (printed publications and direct application), institutional (the Internet, job fairs, and employment agencies), and personal (personal network) approaches. Within the institutional approach, the Internet job search strategy is a rsing preference among younger jobseekers. Through the personal approach, jobseekers enjoy four benefits of personal networks: information, trust building, position creation, and job market expansion. Across culture, guanxi, the Chinese version of the personal network is compared and contrasted with its American counterpart. Further, Granovetters argument about the strength of weak ties holds true in todays Internet age. Job-leading weak ties are usually those infrequently contacted professional and social connections working in targeted organizations at the time of a job search. Meanwhile, Chinese jobseekers mainly encounter six obstacles in the U.S.: racial discrimination, cultural obstacle, linguistic obstacle, insufficient network, immigration background, and an intercultural communication gap.

Abstract Title: Last Exit? A Study of Prison Sentenced Recidivists’ Subsequently Choice to Make Use of Criminals Return Into Society (KRIS) as a Resource in Order to Terminate the Criminal Lifestyle  Author: Jimmy Karlsson  A point of departure for this essay is my and my co-author’s bachelor thesis The Refuse to Walk More Yards Prison Corridor.   The purpose of the present essay is to illuminate in which conditions the organization KRIS (Criminals Return Into Society) develops from being directly or indirectly realizable to being a realized resource for recidivists who have served several prison sentences. The theoretical basis is Caroline Tovatt’s concepts potential, realizable and realized resources combined with Pierre Bourdieu’s capital metaphors and Mark S. Granovetter’s concept of strong and weak ties. To illustrate the process that led the interviewees (which I have interviewed from a life story perspective) to the realization of KRIS as a resource and ultimately the ending of the criminal lifestyle, I have used Helen Rose Fuchs Ebaughs stage theory of the role exit process.   The results indicate that recidivists’ choice to realize the resource KRIS has been occasioned by a specific composition of necessary components and a social capital. The necessary components are represented by negative life experiences which via a transformation in three stages have resulted in making KRIS available as a resource for the interviewees. The social capital in turn, which has to interact with the necessary components, is represented by weak and negative ties subsequently remodeled into positive ones. These ties have paved the way for the interviewees to access the organization. To finally fulfill the role exit process the interviewees have to possess or acquire an embodied cultural capital which allows them to differentiate and maintain all aspects linked to the previous and the current role, both to themselves and also to other individuals.

人脈理論相關的文獻,尤以 Granovetter(1973)提出非常優雅的「弱連結 (weak tie)」一詞最為經典,他的論文發現經由弱連結介紹新工作的成功率高於 強連結,同時提出弱連結相較於強連結(strong tie)更多元,因此弱連結對宏觀世 界的效益必大於強連結。而後 Rogers(2006)也在創新的擴散中提出弱連結應 該屬於異質性連結,強連結則屬於同質性的連結,異質性不容易連結卻對擴散的 影響更大。因此本研究的動機將以弱勢的創業家為研究對象,探討弱連結擴散的 動機與擴散方法,並回答研究問題弱連結的擴散效益為何? 本研究發現弱連結的脆弱並不全然是異質性不易溝通之故,因為弱連結與強連結最大的不同是強連結靠關係遠近產生連結,弱連結則是自願性的連結居多,因此創業家的創夢才是真正點燃連結的起源,此外弱連結的橋樑特質是喜好轉介稀有性消息,產生消息經濟的效益而達到更廣泛的連結,因此研究者認為弱連結應用於創新擴散將有三點效益,第一點是弱連結因為自發性動機與可被信任的第三方而提高傳遞意願,第二點是弱連結以泛泛之交居多,他們喜好轉介稀有性消息,因此提高傳送廣度,最後發現所謂的六度分隔除了代表差異性人脈將造成平 均為六的結果外,也代表著六個人脈圈,本研究因此發現第一度的人脈差異將影 響網際網路時代的小世界接受率。 而對於創業家以弱連結來進行創新擴散,研究者認為實務上建立異質性創業 團隊將有助於進入不同特質的弱連結樞紐區,此外創業家勇於發表創夢的想法, 其心態越開放也有助於凝聚弱連結,因此創業家可以藉由社群網站或部落格等媒 體建立自行發聲的管道,將有助於幫助創業家位於樞紐中心,強化擴散的能力。 研究者在回顧文獻後也發現,弱連結在開放式網絡下的橋樑特質與效益被後來學 者忽略,同時隨著網際網路興起帶來多元的媒體與開放式人際關係,研究者認為 將更有助於觀察弱連結對創新擴散的幫助,本研究觀察 Apps 產業裡 Bonnie’s Brunch 個案後,經由八位訪談者與半年的網路社群媒體追蹤的結果,發現弱連 結的橋樑功能是資訊的聚集處,也是連結的捷徑,因此擁有對的連結的確是很重要的事,但是弱連結卻未必時常擔任善意的陌生人,因此弱連結的連結困難在於弱連結的自願性動機,因此研究者在理論貢獻部分提出弱連結的力量來源為自願性的動機,這股隱性的力量唯有受到單純動機的點燃才能爆發出來,因此創業家成功的方程式還有一項無法被操控的弱連結影響力,唯有創業家經過長期的耕耘,持續提供資訊交換,才能與弱聯結維繫關係。 / Among the personal network theory related literatures, the elegant term “weak tie” proposed by Granovetter(1973) is the most classic theory. His thesis paper finding shows that the success rate of introducing new jobs through a weak tie is higher than that of a strong tie. Hence, he believes that as the macroscopic view of the world’s weak tie is more diverse than the strong tie, the benefits produced after creating the tie are definitely greater than the strong tie. Rogers (2006) later proposed in diffusion of innovation that the weak tie is the tie of heterogeneity, while the strong tie is the tie of homogeneity. Heterogeneity does not easily produce a tie, but it has a greater impact on diffusion. Therefore, the weak tie diffusion motivation and diffusion method were explored in this study, and the research problem, i.e., the diffusion benefits of the weak tie, was answered. It was found in this study that the vulnerability of the weak tie is not entirely due to the communication difficulty of heterogeneity, because the greatest difference between the weak tie and strong tie lies in the fact that strong ties produce ties depending on the distance of a relationship, while weak ties are generally voluntary ties. Hence, entre- preneurs’ building of dreams is the actual source that triggers ties. In addition, the weak tie bridge is characterized by a preference to prefer rare news, Newsonomics, and achieve more extensive links. Thus, the researcher believes that there are three benefits when the weak tie is applied in diffusion of innovation. First, the weak tie enhances the willingness to convey messages due to its own voluntary motivation and trustworthy third party. Second, weak ties are generally formed by acquaintances. They prefer to refer rare news, thus the broader conveyance. Lastly, it was found that the so-called six degrees not only represents differential personal networks that result in the outcome of six on average, but also represents six network circles. It was therefore found in this study that the first-degree personal network will affect the small world acceptance rate in the Internet age. As for entrepreneurs, they engaged in diffusion of innovation through weak ties. The researcher believes that, in practice, the establishment of the entrepreneurial team of homogeneity is conducive to entry into weak tie hubs of different characteristics. In addition, entrepreneurs had the courage to express their ideas about building dreams, and their open-mindedness also contributed to the gathering of weak ties. Hence, it is suggested that entrepreneurs establish channels to voice themselves through communi- ty networks, BLOG, and other medias, which will help them stay in the hub and strengthen their ability to diffuse. Through literature review, the researcher found that the bridging characteristics and benefits of the weak tie in the open-type network had been neglected by subsequent researchers. At the same time, the rise of the Internet has brought about a diversity of media and open-type interpersonal relationships, which is believed to be more helpful for weak ties to contribute to diffusion of innovation. Through observations made on the entrepreneurs of Bonnie’s Brunch in the App industry, the results of interviews with 8 individuals, and long-term tracking of Internet community media, it was found that the bridge of the weak tie is a gathering place of information and it is also a shortcut of ties. Therefore, having the right links is indeed important. However, the weak tie is not always willing to serve as the stranger that displays goodwill. The difficulty in linking weak ties therefore lies in the voluntary motivation of the weak tie. In the researcher’s theoretical contributions, it was mentioned that the source of the weak tie force is the voluntary motivation, and this implicit force can only explode after igniting pure mo- tive. Therefore, the successful equation still possesses the influence of the weak tie that cannot be manipulated. Only through long-term cultivation of entrepreneurs and con- tinuous provision of information exchanges to maintain the relationships with weak ties.

Background/Problematization: Many purchase decisions are made in-store and one wayof influencing the decision making process is through signs. Signs are said to drawattention to the product on which they are placed and result in increased sales. Sale signsare widely used to influence purchase decisions, but are there other types of signs that canimpact the purchase decision? Recommendations have also shown to affect consumer’spurchase decisions. However, most of the research within the subject have been done on thepower of social influences from friends and family, e.g. strong-tie relationships. Howrecommendations from experts (e.g. weak-tie relationships) can influence purchases is lessresearched, especially which type of recommendation sign have the most effect. Purpose: The purpose is to examine and map how different types of signs on shelvesrelated to staff recommendations for specific products affect their sales. Method: The scientific approach of the study is deductive and the corresponding researchmethod is a quantitative study with an experimental design and a descriptive focus. Anexperiment was executed in a supermarket on 28 products to test stimuli with differentlevels of information concerning staff recommendations with the use of signs. Result/Conclusion: The result showed only one stimuli to have significantly increasedsales. The stimuli consisted of adding a name of a specific staff member to therecommendation sign. The increase in sales might however have been caused by otherfactors than the applied sign as the outbreak of Covid-19 resulted in changed consumerbehavior at the time of the experiment. The results showed that no significant differences insales could be seen according to the number of alternatives each product had. This mighthowever be a result of the tampered data caused by the changed consumer behavior.