Social capital and national innovation system: a cross-country analysis

2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 453-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sepehr Ghazinoory ◽  
Ali Bitaab ◽  
Ardeshir Lohrasbi
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
National Level ◽  
Innovation System ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Positive Effect

Purpose – In the last two decades, researchers have paid much attention to the role of cultural values on economic and social development. In particular, the crucial role of different aspects of culture on the development of innovation has been stressed in the literature. Consequently, it is vital to understand how social capital, as a core cultural value, affects the innovation process and the innovative performance at the national level. However, to date, the impact of different dimensions of social capital and innovation has not been properly portrayed or explained. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of four different dimensions of social capital (institutional and interpersonal, associational life and norms) on two of the main functions of national innovation system (NIS) (entrepreneurship and knowledge creation) based on over 50,000 observations in 34 countries. Design/methodology/approach – In this regard, national-level data from the World Values Survey database was employed to quantify social capital. Entrepreneurship is, in turn, assumed to consist of three sub-indexes and 14 indicators based on the Global Entrepreneurship Index. Knowledge creation is also measured through US Patent Office applications. Also, exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling approach were used to build the measurement model and investigate the impact that each factor of social capital had on entrepreneurship and knowledge application, respectively. Measurement and structural models were built and their reliability and validity were tested using various fit indices. Research findings suggest the strong positive effect of institutional trust and networking on entrepreneurship. Also, interpersonal trust and networks were shown to have high influence on knowledge development at the national level. Norms appear to have naïve to medium negative effects on both functions. Findings – Research findings suggest the strong positive effect of institutional trust and networking on entrepreneurship. Also, interpersonal trust and networks were shown to have high influence on knowledge development at the national level. Norms appear to have naïve to medium negative effects on both functions. Originality/value – However, to date, the impact of different dimensions of social capital and innovation has not been properly portrayed or explained.

The role of public libraries in the development of social capital in local communities – a theoretical study

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 184-196
Author(s):  
Maja Dorota Wojciechowska
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

PurposeSocial capital, understood as intangible community values available through a network of connections, is a factor in the development of societies and improving quality of life. It helps to remove economic inequalities and prevent poverty and social exclusion, stimulate social and regional development, civic attitudes and social engagement and build a civic society as well as local and regional identity. Many of these tasks may be implemented by libraries, which, apart from providing access to information, may also offer a number of services associated with social needs. The purpose of this paper is to present the roles and functions that libraries may serve in local communities in terms of assistance, integration and development based on classical social capital theories.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews the classical concepts of social capital in the context of libraries. It analyses the findings of Pierre-Félix Bourdieu, James Coleman, Francis Fukuyama, Robert Putnam, Nan Lin, Ronald Stuart Burt, Wayne Baker and Alejandro Portes. Based on their respective concepts, the paper analyses the role of the contemporary library in the social life of local communities. In particular, it focuses on the possible new functions that public libraries may serve.FindingsA critical review of the concept of social capital revealed certain dependencies between libraries and their neighbourhoods. With new services that respond to the actual social needs, libraries may serve as a keystone, namely they may integrate, animate and engage local communities. This, however, requires a certain approach to be adopted by the personnel and governing authorities as well as infrastructure and tangible resources.Originality/valueThe social engagement of libraries is usually described from the practical perspective (reports on the services provided) or in the context of research on the impact of respective projects on specific groups of users (research reports). A broader approach, based on original social theories, is rarely encountered. The paper draws on classical concepts of social capital and is a contribution to the discussion on possible uses of those concepts based on an analysis of the role of libraries in social life and in strengthening the social capital of local communities.

Social capital in the theory and research of LIS professionals in the light of the literature on the subject. Review of current knowledge

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maja Dorota Wojciechowska
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Social Capital ◽  
Rural Libraries ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Moment ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to present the latest scholarly trends in the field of social capital in libraries, to review research concepts published by LIS professionals and to suggest further research possibilities in this area. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents a review and critical analysis of literature associated with research on social capital in libraries to highlight its importance for the development of LIS and its impact on the functioning of environments linked with various types of libraries. The goal of literature analysis was to determine the current condition of research on social capital in libraries. The main trends were identified and the need for further qualitative analyses, which are missing at the moment, was confirmed. Findings It was determined that, so far, LIS professionals have focussed mainly on the role of municipal libraries in developing social capital, the problem of building trust, especially in immigrant circles and the impact of libraries on promoting a civil society. Academic libraries, rural libraries, organisational capital in libraries and individual social capital of librarians were a much less frequent subject of research. The role of libraries in developing social capital in educational (primary and secondary education) and professional (non-university professionals) circles is practically non-existent in research, and it will require in-depth studies and analyses in the coming years. Originality/value This paper constitutes a synthetic review of the latest research concepts concerning social capital in libraries. It identifies the most important research trends and areas that so far have not been explored and suggests research methods to help LIS professionals design future research in this area more effectively.

The effect of consumers' religiosity on consumer ethics: the mediating role of ethical ideology

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Denni Arli ◽  
Fandy Tjiptono
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Ethics ◽  
Ethical Ideology ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Central Java ◽  
Consumer Ethics Scale ◽  
The Impact

PurposeReligious doctrines generally encourage people to behave ethically. However, in daily life, individuals notice inconsistencies between religious beliefs and behavior, leading them to ask, in the context of commerce, why religious consumers would behave unethically. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of consumers' intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity on their ethical behavior. Specifically, the moderating effect of ethical ideology on the relationship between Indonesian consumers' religiosity and their ethics was examined by means of a survey.Design/methodology/approachThe data derived from the questionnaire were complemented by convenience samples of Indonesians living in Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta (DIY) in central Java. The researchers distributed 600 questionnaires in two major shopping malls and several housing areas in the region, of which 467 were completed and returned, for an overall response rate of 77.8%.FindingsThe results indicated that the participants' intrinsic religiosity negatively impacted their ethical beliefs and was mediated by their idealistic ethical ideology. The present study also found that idealism had negative effects on three of the four dimensions of the consumer ethics scale (CES) (actively benefiting, passively benefiting and questionable behavior), while relativism had positive effects on two of the dimensions (passively benefiting and questionable behavior.Research limitations/implicationsOne limitation of the present study was that the analysis did not distinguish among the religions practiced by the respondents to the questionnaire.Originality/valueThis is one of the first few studies investigating the mediating role of ethical ideology in a religious society. This study contributes to the literature on these issues in theoretical and managerial terms by extending the Hunt-Vitell theory (1986) to the context of consumer ethics.

Social capital, knowledge sharing, work meaningfulness and creativity: evidence from the Pakistani pharmaceutical industry

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabeen Hussain Bhatti ◽  
Dmitriy Vorobyev ◽  
Ramsha Zakariya ◽  
Michael Christofi
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Pharmaceutical Industry ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Employee Creativity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Social Capital ◽  
Work Meaningfulness ◽  
The Impact

PurposeAs an integral part of intellectual capital (IC), social capital (SC) has been studied as an asset crucial to social relationships among individuals and groups of individuals, which in turn have a significant impact on organizational performance outcomes. This study investigates the impact of organizational social capital (OSC) on employee creativity through the mediation role of knowledge sharing (KS) and moderation of work meaningfulness (WM).Design/methodology/approachThe authors base the analysis on employee-level data gathered via a cross-sectional survey designed for this study. The authors surveyed 217 employees of the pharmaceutical industry in Pakistan. The authors run a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and use structural equation modeling (SEM) and Hayes method to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe authors find that OSC positively affects employees’ willingness to share their knowledge with colleagues, which in turn has a positive effect on employee creativity (EC). The results also show that the relationship between social capital and knowledge sharing is moderated by work meaningfulness.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to the IC in general and the SC literature in particular, by providing empirical evidence that shows how creativity could be a focal and pivotal performance outcome of organizational social capital through the moderated mediation roles of work meaningfulness and knowledge sharing.Originality/valueThe authors adopt the concept of SC from the organizational level to the individual level, examining how an individual's perception of organizational capital influences his or her creative behavior and exploring the role of KS and job meaningfulness (JM) in this relationship.

Drivers of intention to use Murabaha financing: religiosity as moderator

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Naqeeb Ullah Atal ◽  
Mohammad Iranmanesh ◽  
Fathyah Hashim ◽  
Behzad Foroughi
Keyword(s):  
Social Influence ◽  
Reasoned Action ◽  
Intention To Use ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Moderating Role ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Religious Obligation

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of Muslims’ attitude and intention towards Murabaha financing by considering religiosity as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected through a survey of 373 Muslims in Afghanistan and were analysed using the partial least squares technique. Findings The results showed that social influence and religious obligation have a positive effect on attitude towards Murabaha financing. Furthermore, social influence and attitude have a positive effect on the intention to use Murabaha financing. Religiosity moderates negatively the impact of social influence on attitude towards Murabaha financing. Practical implications Managers and marketers of Islamic banks may benefit from the findings of this study, which provide insight into the factors that should be considered to promote Murabaha financing. Originality/value The findings contribute to the literature on Islamic financing products by demonstrating the drivers of attitude towards and intention to use Murabaha financing. The study also extends the literature by testing the moderating role of religiosity. Furthermore, the study extends the theory of reasoned action in the context of Islamic financing by introducing religious obligation as a potential driver of attitude and religiosity as a moderator.

scholarly journals The impact of national social capital on business creation rates in the formal vs informal sectors

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 1739-1768
Author(s):  
Mai Thi Thanh Thai ◽  
Ekaterina Turkina ◽  
Amon Simba
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
National Level ◽  
Formal Sector ◽  
Entrepreneurship Policy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Creation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Business Formation

PurposeThrough utilizing social capital as an overarching concept, the purpose of this article is to investigate cross-country rates of business formation in the formal vs informal sectors. Plus, empirically assess the impact of social capital constructs on the national rates of entrepreneurship.Design/methodology/approachAdopting a regression-oriented methodology, partial least squares (PLS), the study used a sample comprising 50 nations. National rates of registered and nonregistered business creation were utilized as endogenous variables. To determine the indigenous variables, constructs of social capital were measured which is consistent with the World Value Survey (WWS).FindingsThe results of this study show that in the formal and the informal sectors, social networking enables business creation with varying levels of impact. It establishes that institutional trust has a negative effect on informal business creation and a positive effect on business registration; interpersonal trust drives entrepreneurship in the informal sector but has less impact on business registration; norms of trustworthiness are related to business registration than informal business creation.Practical implicationsThe findings of this research have theoretical and practical implications. They stimulate academic debate on the application of social capital constructs at the national level. The indications that social capital promotes business formation in both the informal and formal sectors can influence entrepreneurship policy development in many countries.Originality/valueThe originality of the results of this study lies in how it conceptualizes social capital as having direct impact on business creation in the informal vs formal sector. Thus, the findings elevated the conceptualization of social capital to the national level thereby enhancing knowledge on the entrepreneurship process as well as developmental economics.

Trust me, I'm a bot – repercussions of chatbot disclosure in different service frontline settings

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nika Mozafari ◽  
Welf H. Weiger ◽  
Maik Hammerschmidt
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Customer Retention ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Outcomes ◽  
Levels Of Service ◽  
Positive Effect

PurposeChatbots are increasingly prevalent in the service frontline. Due to advancements in artificial intelligence, chatbots are often indistinguishable from humans. Regarding the question whether firms should disclose their chatbots' nonhuman identity or not, previous studies find negative consumer reactions to chatbot disclosure. By considering the role of trust and service-related context factors, this study explores how negative effects of chatbot disclosure for customer retention can be prevented.Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents two experimental studies that examine the effect of disclosing the nonhuman identity of chatbots on customer retention. While the first study examines the effect of chatbot disclosure for different levels of service criticality, the second study considers different service outcomes. The authors employ analysis of covariance and mediation analysis to test their hypotheses.FindingsChatbot disclosure has a negative indirect effect on customer retention through mitigated trust for services with high criticality. In cases where a chatbot fails to handle the customer's service issue, disclosing the chatbot identity not only lacks negative impact but even elicits a positive effect on retention.Originality/valueThe authors provide evidence that customers will react differently to chatbot disclosure depending on the service frontline setting. They show that chatbot disclosure does not only have undesirable consequences as previous studies suspect but can lead to positive reactions as well. By doing so, the authors draw a more balanced picture on the consequences of chatbot disclosure.

Supervisor workplace gossip and its impact on employees

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chien-Chih Kuo ◽  
Chih-Ying Wu ◽  
Chia-Wu Lin
Keyword(s):  
Communication Style ◽  
Control Variables ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Member Exchange ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of supervisor gossip in the workplace. This paper proposes a hypothetical model in which supervisor gossip has an effect on leader-member exchange (LMX), in turn resulting in perceived supervisor ostracism among subordinates. Design/methodology/approach A dyadic research design was applied to collect data from Taiwanese employees. Supervisors participated in a survey containing measures of supervisor gossip and control variables, whereas subordinates responded to a questionnaire on LMX, perceived supervisor ostracism, and control variables. Findings The results indicated that positive supervisor gossip significantly affected LMX. Furthermore, healthy LMX reduced subordinates’ perceptions of supervisor ostracism. Research limitations/implications All participants were recruited in Taiwan, which is a limitation for generalising the research findings. Future studies should investigate multiple societies of various cultural profiles. Practical implications To improve the quality of the supervisor-subordinate relationship, supervisors should adopt a positive informal communication style, and organisations should provide supervisors with information regarding the implications of workplace gossip, illustrating the substantial benefits of positive gossip and the potential drawbacks of negative gossip. Originality/value The present study highlighted the role of supervisor workplace gossip in the field of leadership and empirically investigated the impact of supervisor gossip on subordinates’ reactions.

Investor reaction to R&D investment

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-147
Author(s):  
Xin Li ◽  
Tienan Wang
Keyword(s):  
Stock Price ◽  
New Product ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Innovation Activities ◽  
Development Capacity ◽  
The Impact ◽  
D Investment ◽  
Investor Reaction ◽  
Positive Effect

Purpose This paper aims to examine the impact of research and development (R&D) investment on firms’ stock price from the perspective of investors. Design/methodology/approach Building on signaling theory, the authors propose that R&D investment sends important signals to the investment community regarding future growth, which in turn impacts investor reaction to such investment. Findings Using a sample of listed pharmaceutical firms in China from 2007 to 2011, the authors find that R&D investment has a positive effect on firms’ stock price, indicating that investors have a positive reaction to R&D investment signals. Further, the authors find that the signaling role of new product announcements mediates this relationship between R&D investment and investor reaction. Originality/value The authors also find that the signaling role of development capacity (DC) has a moderating effect on the relationship between innovation activities (i.e. R&D investment and new product announcements) and investor reaction, such that DC strengthens the positive effect of R&D and new product announcements on investors.

Investigating the role of social media on mental health

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hassan Ebrahimpour Sadagheyani ◽  
Farin Tatari
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Body Image Dissatisfaction ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Today with the internet expansion, social media has also been identified as a factor in evolutions. Social media is the title used to refer to the set of sites and tools that have been born and developed in the space created by modern media such as communication networks, the internet and mobile phones. The effects of emerging phenomena, such as social media on human health, especially mental health, are important. As the effects of social media on users mental health is unclear, and the evidence in this field is contradictory, this study aims to determine the role of social media on mental health. Design/methodology/approach The current study was a review conducted in 2020. According to keywords, an extensive search was conducted on Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Magiran and SID databases. In total, 501 articles were obtained. The articles were screened in three stages. Finally, out of 501 evaluated articles, 50 cases were carefully assessed and included in the study. Findings The findings showed that social media has negative and positive effects on mental health. Negative effects included anxiety, depression, loneliness, poor sleep quality, poor mental health indicators, thoughts of self-harm and suicide, increased levels of psychological distress, cyber bullying, body image dissatisfaction, fear of missing out and decreased life satisfaction. Positive effects included accessing other people’s health experiences and expert health information, managing depression, emotional support and community building, expanding and strengthening offline networks and interactions, self-expression and self-identity, establish and maintain relationships. Originality/value The impact of social media on mental health can be considered as a double-edged sword. The important thing is to be able to reduce the negative effects of social media on mental health and turn it into an opportunity by implementing appropriate strategies and actions and to increase and strengthen the positive effects.

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