The relationship between employment and social networks in the older population

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 321-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Haynes ◽  
Laura Banks ◽  
Michael Hill

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between employment and social network membership in a secondary data set of European citizens aged 50-69 years. Design/methodology/approach – A subsample of the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) covering 13 European countries is analysed. Principal components analysis is used to reduce numerous social network characteristics to core elements than can be compared with country of origin, sex and employment status. A logistic regression is used to determine involvement in a community organisation. The independent variables are country of residence, age, sex and employment status. Findings – Those employed were more likely to participate in a community organisation and to have a greater number of friends. Employment status did not affect the amount of family contact. Being employed was found to increase the chances of an individual being involved in a community organisation, but for many respondents, their country of origin had a great influence on the probability of not being involved. Research limitations/implications – The ISSP provided no data on subjective health status and so it was not possible to control for the influence of poor health on employment and social network status. The limitations of sample weighting are discussed. Practical implications – There is evidence from this research that continued employment in late middle age and early old age increases advantageous social network contacts. Originality/value – This research challenges some previous research that suggested employment in old age might reduce social network activity.

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 320-333
Author(s):  
Yuxian Gao

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to apply link prediction to community mining and to clarify the role of link prediction in improving the performance of social network analysis. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the 2009 version of Enron e-mail data set provided by Carnegie Mellon University was selected as the research object first, and bibliometric analysis method and citation analysis method were adopted to compare the differences between various studies. Second, based on the impact of various interpersonal relationships, the link model was adopted to analyze the relationship among people. Finally, the factorization of the matrix was further adopted to obtain the characteristics of the research object, so as to predict the unknown relationship. Findings The experimental results show that the prediction results obtained by considering multiple relationships are more accurate than those obtained by considering only one relationship. Research limitations/implications Due to the limited number of objects in the data set, the link prediction method has not been tested on the large-scale data set, and the validity and correctness of the method need to be further verified with larger data. In addition, the research on algorithm complexity and algorithm optimization, including the storage of sparse matrix, also need to be further studied. At the same time, in the case of extremely sparse data, the accuracy of the link prediction method will decline a lot, and further research and discussion should be carried out on the sparse data. Practical implications The focus of this research is on link prediction in social network analysis. The traditional prediction model is based on a certain relationship between the objects to predict and analyze, but in real life, the relationship between people is diverse, and different relationships are interactive. Therefore, in this study, the graph model is used to express different kinds of relations, and the influence between different kinds of relations is considered in the actual prediction process. Finally, experiments on real data sets prove the effectiveness and accuracy of this method. In addition, link prediction, as an important part of social network analysis, is also of great significance for other applications of social network analysis. This study attempts to prove that link prediction is helpful to the improvement of performance analysis of social network by applying link prediction to community mining. Originality/value This study adopts a variety of methods, such as link prediction, data mining, literature analysis and citation analysis. The research direction is relatively new, and the experimental results obtained have a certain degree of credibility, which is of certain reference value for the following related research.


2016 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 536-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaista Wasiuzzaman ◽  
Siavash Edalat

Purpose – The vast amount of information available via online social networks (OSN) makes it a very good avenue for understanding human behavior. One of the human characteristics of interest to financial practitioners is an individual’s financial risk tolerance. The purpose of this paper is to look at the relationship between an individual’s OSN behavior and his/her financial risk tolerance. Design/methodology/approach – The study uses data collected from a sample of 220 university students and the backward variables selection ordinary least squares regression analysis technique to achieve its objective. Findings – The results of the study find that the frequency of logging on to social network sites indicates an individual who has higher financial risk tolerance. Additionally, the increasing use of social networks for social connection is found to be associated with lower financial risk tolerance. The results are mostly consistent when the sample is split based on prior financial knowledge. Originality/value – To the authors’ knowledge this is the first study which documents the possibility of understanding an individual’s financial risk tolerance via his/her social network activity. This provides investment/financial consultants with more avenues for gathering information in order to understand their current or potential clients hence providing better services.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matti Haverila ◽  
Jenny Carita Twyford

PurposeDrawing upon the relational exchange theory, the longitudinal relationship between various stages of project management customer satisfaction, value for money and repurchase intent are examined.Design/methodology/approachUsing a survey questionnaire, data were gathered over four consecutive quarters (N = 2,537). The statistical methods included exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory composite analysis (CCA) and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsProject management was perceived as a three-dimensional construct (proposal, installation, commissioning/start-up). There was a significant longitudinal relationship between project stages and satisfaction in the complete data set. The results varied on the quarterly basis. The relationship customer satisfaction/repurchase intent was significant in the whole data set and during all quarters. This was the case for the relationships between value for money and customer satisfaction and between value for money and repurchase intent. The effect sizes were small between project management stages and customer satisfaction, small to medium for the value for money construct and large for the customer satisfaction construct.Originality/valueAn important implication is the significant relationship between the stages of project management and satisfaction. However, the effect sizes were small, however. The importance of the effect size in comparison to the significance of the relationships is highlighted especially when the sample size is large. The paper also confirms the linear relationship between satisfaction and repurchase intent. The nature of the relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty is based on a moderate exchange relationship in the relational exchange continuum. The study contributes to the relational exchange theory in the context of project management.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joelle Rodway ◽  
Stephen MacGregor ◽  
Alan Daly ◽  
Yi-Hwa Liou ◽  
Susan Yonezawa ◽  
...  

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is two-fold: (1) to offer a conceptual understanding of knowledge brokering from a sociometric point-of-view; and (2) to provide an empirical example of this conceptualization in an education context.Design/methodology/approachWe use social network theory and analysis tools to explore knowledge exchange patterns among a group of teachers, instructional coaches and administrators who are collectively seeking to build increased capacity for effective mathematics instruction. We propose the concept of network activity to measure direct and indirect knowledge brokerage through the use of degree and betweenness centrality measures. Further, we propose network utility—measured by tie multiplexity—as a second key component of effective knowledge brokering.FindingsOur findings suggest significant increases in both direct and indirect knowledge brokering activity across the network over time. Teachers, in particular, emerge as key knowledge brokers within this networked learning community. Importantly, there is also an increase in the number of resources exchanged through network relationships over time; the most active knowledge brokers in this social ecosystem are those individuals who are exchanging multiple forms of knowledge.Originality/valueThis study focuses on knowledge brokering as it presents itself in the relational patterns among educators within a social ecosystem. While it could be that formal organizational roles may encapsulate knowledge brokering across physical structures with an education system (e.g. between schools and central offices), these individuals are not necessarily the people who are most effectively brokering knowledge across actors within the broader social network.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Zhang ◽  
Yuran Li ◽  
Mark Frost ◽  
Shiyu Rong ◽  
Rong Jiang ◽  
...  

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the critical role played by cultural flow in fostering successful expatriate cross-border transitions.Design/methodology/approachThe authors develop and test a model on the interplay among cultural intelligence, organizational position level, cultural flow direction and expatriate adaptation, using a data set of 387 expatriate on cross-border transitions along the Belt & Road area.FindingsThe authors find that both organizational position level and cultural flow moderate the relationship between cultural intelligence and expatriate adaptation, whereby the relationship is contingent on the interaction of organizational position status and assignment directions between high power distance and low power distance host environments.Originality/valuePrevious research has shown that higher levels of cultural intelligence are positively related to better expatriate adaptation. However, there is a lack of research on the effect of position difference and cultural flow on such relationship. Our study is among the first to examine how the interaction between cultural flow and organizational position level influences the cultural intelligence (CI) and cultural adjustment relationship in cross-cultural transitions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Ndou ◽  
Giovanni Schiuma ◽  
Giuseppina Passiante

PurposeThe creative process through which the territorial resources, knowledge and culture are used, exploited and configured to match needs and to achieve congruence with the changing business environment has become a crucial process for competitiveness. This is even more relevant for economies of developing countries which are continuously struggling to reap the benefits of globalisation, as well as to grasp the new opportunities for competitiveness. As such, this paper aims to try to concentrate on the dynamic perspectives of the creative economy of countries by distinguishing between the potentialities and performance. The paper tackles the influence that creativity capacities might have on performance of countries.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology consists in identifying creative economy indicators from a diverse data set of the World Economic Forum and distinguish them between potential and performance indicators.FindingsData reveal as good progress and emphasis is being devoted to increasing the level of creativity; however, the Balkan countries still holdup in their capacity to boost innovation.Practical implicationsThe paper provide a new focus of research on creativity measurement that is significant for understanding what creative capacities territories possess and the ability to make proficient use for growth and innovation.Originality/valueThis paper proposes a new operational framework for measuring and interpreting the creative economy indicators by identifying not only indicators that gauge the potentialities of a country, but also indicators that are linked with the performance dimension, as well as the relationship amongst them.


Author(s):  
Arifur Khan ◽  
Dessalegn Getie Mihret ◽  
Mohammad Badrul Muttakin

Purpose The effect of political connections of agency costs has attracted considerable research attention due to the increasing recognition of the fact that political connection influences corporate decisions and outcomes. This paper aims to explore the association between corporate political connections and agency cost and examine whether audit quality moderates this association. Design/methodology/approach A data set of Bangladeshi listed non-financial companies is used. A usable sample of 968 firm-year observations was drawn for the period from 2005 to 2013. Asset utilisation ratio, the interaction of Tobin’s Q and free cash flow and expense ratio are used as alternative proxies for agency costs; membership to Big 4 audit firms or local associates of Big 4 firms is used as a proxy for audit quality. Findings Results show that politically connected firms exhibit higher agency costs than their unconnected counterparts, and audit quality moderates the relationship between political connection and agency costs. The results of this paper suggest the importance of audit quality to mitigate agency problem in an emerging economic setting. Research limitations/implications The findings of this paper could be of interest to regulators wishing to focus regulatory effort on significant issues influencing stock market efficiency. The findings could also inform auditors in directing audit effort through a more complete assessment of risk and determining reasonable levels of audit fees. Finally, results could inform financial statement users to direct investments to firms with lower agency costs. Originality/value To the knowledge of the authors, this study is one of the first to explore the relationship between political connection and agency costs, and the moderating effect of audit quality of this relationship.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 235-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meg Patrick Tuszynski ◽  
Dean Stansel

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between state economic development incentives programs and entrepreneurial activity. Design/methodology/approach The authors use panel data and a fixed-effects model to examine the determinants of five measures of entrepreneurial activity. To measure state economic development incentives programs, they use a new and substantially improved data set from Bartik (2017). They also include a measure for economic freedom, the Fraser Institute’s Economic Freedom of North America index. Findings The authors find a robustly negative relationship between development incentives and patent activity. They find some evidence that incentives are negatively associated with small business establishments (<10 employees) as a percentage of total establishments but positively associated with the large business establishment (>500 employees) share. They also find evidence of a positive relationship between economic freedom and both patent activity and net business formation. Research limitations/implications The results imply that economic development incentive programs are unlikely to increase entrepreneurial activity and may decrease it. They also imply increased economic freedom (lower taxes, lower spending, and lower governmental restrictions on labor markets) may increase entrepreneurial activity. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this paper provides the first examination of the relationship between development incentives and entrepreneurial activity that utilizes Bartik (2017), a new vastly improved data set of state economic development incentive programs. The paper also contributes to the literature on the relationship between economic freedom and entrepreneurial activity.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. D'Amato

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between intellectual capital and firm capital structure by exploring whether firm profitability and risk are drivers of this relationship.Design/methodology/approachBased on a comprehensive data set of Italian firms over the 2008–2017 period, this paper examines whether intellectual capital affects firm financial leverage. Moreover, it analyzes whether firm profitability and risk mediate the abovementioned relationship. Financial leverage is measured by the debt/equity ratio. Intellectual capital is measured via the value-added intellectual coefficient approach.FindingsThe findings show that firms with a high level of intellectual capital have lower financial leverage and are more profitable and riskier than firms with a low level of intellectual capital. Furthermore, this study finds that firm profitability and risk mediate the relationship between intellectual capital and financial leverage. Thus, the higher profitability and risk of intellectual capital-intensive firms help explain their lower financial leverage.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings have several implications. From a theoretical standpoint, the paper presents and tests a mediating model of the relationship between intellectual capital and financial leverage and its underlying processes. In terms of the more general managerial implications, the results provide managers with a clear interpretation of the relationship between intellectual capital and financial leverage and point to the need to strengthen the capital structure of intangible-intensive firms.Originality/valueThrough a mediation framework, this study provides empirical evidence on the relationship between intellectual capital and firm financial leverage by exploring the underlying mechanisms behind that relationship, which is a novel approach in the literature.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vijay Kumar Shrotryia ◽  
Kirti Saroha ◽  
Upasana Dhanda

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to shed light on the relationship between organizational commitment (OC) and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) as mediated by employee engagement (EE). The impact of different facets of OC (affective, continuance and normative) and EE (alignment, affectiveness and action-orientation) is examined with respect to OCB.Design/methodology/approachInsights from the literature underpin the hypotheses on how EE mediates the relationship between OC and OCB. Primary data using survey questionnaire were collected from 881 permanent employees of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in India. Hayes' model 4 has been used for the mediation analysis.FindingsThe analyses show that only one facet of OC- affective commitment and the alignment and action-orientation dimensions of EE positively affect OCB. The relationship between OC and OCB is fully mediated by EE.Practical implicationsThe results imply that engaging employees is pivotal for effectively fostering citizenship behavior among employees. Organizations should be willing to implement strategies and interventions which enhance the emotional experience of employees to foster a sense of belongingness with the organization and engage them.Originality/valueThe paper draws on a unique data set of a prestigious organization in India to provide insights with substantial degree of generalizability into the relationship between OC, OCB and EE, whilst applying a comprehensive definition of these constructs. It is the first study to examine the inter-relationship among different facets of these constructs.


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