scholarly journals The Sharing Economy and Sustainability of Urban Destinations in the (Over)tourism Context: The Social Capital Theory Perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 2310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piotr Zmyślony ◽  
Grzegorz Leszczyński ◽  
Anna Waligóra ◽  
Wiesław Alejziak

This article contributes to the discussion on the sustainability of the sharing economy by adopting the Social Capital Theory to expand explanations of the sharing economy’s role and scope of relations with local communities in the context of overtourism. As mutual relationships have not been fully recognized through a theoretical perspective, the article aims to examine the sustainability of the process of the sharing economy impacting urban tourism communities in light of Robert Putnam’s approach to Social Capital Theory. On the basis of a selective systematic review, the article discusses the sustainability of the sharing economy through the lens of bridging and bonding social capital. We argue that a new configuration of social capital, i.e., a sharing platform-modified social capital, arises from the unsustainable and disruptive power of the sharing economy implemented by virtual platforms, thereby contributing to an overtourism syndrome. However, from a medium- and long-term perspective, the sharing economy also impacts the bridging nature of social capital, which should lead to a more sustainable balance in its structure. This initial framework for understanding the impact of the sharing economy on sustainability of local communities provides an alternative approach to studying residents’ perceptions and attitudes towards tourism in the areas affected by overtourism.

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bertrhude Albert ◽  
T. Grady Roberts ◽  
Amy Harder

The purpose of this research was to identify how teaching at multiple institutions impacts social capital of faculty within the Haitian AET system. Putnam’s social capital framework was used in the current study. Social capital is developed based on relationships with others. Bonding social capital is homogenous; bridging social capital is heterogonous; linking social capital connects an individual with external resources. A mixed methods approach was used in order to accomplish the study’s objectives. Results from the quantitative portion of this research showed a low positive association between teaching at multiple institutions and bonding social capital. Similarly, a moderate positive association between teaching at multiple institutions and linking social capital was found. Conversely, data showed a negligible negative association between linking social capital and teaching at multiple institutions. The qualitative portion of this research showed that most educators were optimistic about teaching at various institutions; however, faculty indicated teaching at multiple institutions did not translate directly into an increase in their social capital. In fact, teaching at multiple institutions only increased the demands on their time caused by having multiple appointments. It is recommended that universities invest in platforms and strategies to increase faculty’s social capital. From a theoretical perspective, this research applies social capital theory in a new context. This research may also have value to development researchers working with higher education faculty in other countries.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3371
Author(s):  
Ana Kopren ◽  
Hans Westlund

This article examines the value and effect of social capital deriving from cross-ethnic business cooperation on social networks and society in the aftermath of war. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of the social function entrepreneurship conveys beyond its economic role. Based on Putnam’s bridging and bonding social capital theory and Granovetter’s theory on weak ties, the article studies ties between entrepreneurs originating from different ethnic groups in ethnically divided post-conflict societies. This study highlights the capacity of entrepreneurs to produce and generate social capital across ethnic lines. The field study includes surveys and interviews in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and North Macedonia. The results show that the majority of entrepreneurs cooperate and employ across ethnic lines. Cross-ethnic business relationships formed between entrepreneurs create benefits not only for entrepreneurs but also for building social capital across ethnic lines, thus forming valuable, yet depleted, social capital in post-conflict societies. Voluntary relationships between managers and business owners set a valuable model of weak ties facilitating associative behaviour among divided ethnic groups. Business exchange and relationships create social values that transcend a simple financial transaction. Value is in the form of friendship and trust, a reliance that maintains entrepreneurs’ relationships and contributes to the social capital.


2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 184-196
Author(s):  
Maja Dorota Wojciechowska

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.


2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-219
Author(s):  
Wan Idros Wan Sulaiman ◽  
Maizatul Haizan Mahbob ◽  
Shahrul Nazmi Sannusi

Department of Information of Malaysia is one of the public organizations directly involved in the provision of information to the public. To ensure that all services rendered acceptable, organizational communication in the Department of Information should be given serious consideration so that each activity can be transformed properly. Therefore, this study was undertaken to assess organizational communication in a learning organization in order to see the extent to which employees have a description of social capital and support to the organization of learning activities. The main purpose of this study is to examine the relationship that is formed through the social interactions between workers and management by integrating the four aspects of social capital, namely social trust, institutional trust, social norms and networking. For this purpose, a total of 190 respondents from the Information Department headquarters staff in Putrajaya was selected for this study. The study uses questionnaires as research tool and analyses key findings using the Pearson correlation test to examine relationships between various aspects. The study also applied social capital theory as the basis of research framework the when analyzing findings. The results showed that staff describe positive social capital within the organization and consider organizational learning as a strategy to improve the performance of the department in the future.


2007 ◽  
Vol 52 (174-175) ◽  
pp. 152-167
Author(s):  
Natasa Golubovic ◽  
Srdjan Golubovic

Despite the great interest for the concept and a considerable number of papers that deal with the subject of social capital, yet there is no unique and consistent definition of social capital. Forming a consistent theory of social capital is hindered by the presence of several different approaches in the analysis of this phenomenon. Depending on the author?s theoretical position in the definition of social capital or the analysis of its sources, components and outcomes, the emphasis rests on different social processes and relationships. The aim of this paper is to analyze alternative approaches in the conceptualization of social capital, their advantages and shortfalls, and their implications for the development of the social capital theory.


Author(s):  
Mohd Mahzan Awang ◽  
Jalal Deen Careemdeen

This study aims at identifying the level of social capital to improve soft skills among university students in Malaysia. Social capital construct based on Putnam's [1] social capital theory. Social capital in this research refers to students' participation in community-based activities and university's clubs. Soft skills construct included university students' communication, leadership, teamwork, continuous learning, critical thinking, ethics and professionalism, and entrepreneurship skills. This study is a survey research design using a questionnaire instrument for data collection. The sample was chosen randomly, participating in a total of 264 university students in Malaysia. The study used descriptive analyses such as mean, standard deviation, t-test, and Pearson Correlation to analyze the data. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 23 was used for the data analysis The findings of study demonstrated that the majority of university students had moderate levels of both constructs, namely social capital and soft skills. Results from this study revealed that there was no significant difference in social capital based on Gender. However, the results of the study found there is a significant difference in soft skills based on Gender. Accordingly,' it has been found that male students had a higher soft skill compared to female students. Correlation analysis demonstrated that there was a significant positive relationship between social capital and soft skills. Overall, this study suggests the importance of social capital towards soft skills development.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arlika Anindya Putri

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to develop a structural equation model to explain the complexrelationship between social network and firm performance by introducing the mediating role of trust, sellingcapability and pricing capability.Design/methodology/approach – The research model with hypothesis development was derived basedon the literature. To provide empirical evidence, this study carried out a survey in which the data wereequated with a list of questionnaires with a random survey of 380 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) inthe Indonesian context.Findings – This study indicates that the use of social media in management process will not affect theincreasing firm performance, unless the firms build trust upon social networks. The social network with trustallows the firms to gain a pricing capability and a selling capability, which brings a positive impact on firmperformance. The results also show that the selling and the pricing capabilities become essential following theutilizing the social media, which concerns on trust building.Research limitations/implications – This study focused on the small-to-medium context, which hasconventionally provided an exemplary site for the development of social capital theory but raises issues ofgeneralizability across different contexts.Practical implications – To the managers, it is advisable to encourage their employees to consciouslyexploit the selling capability by enhancing the business networks via social media to achieve the firmperformance.Originality/value – This paper contributes to the social capital theory by explaining the mediating role oftrust in the complex relationship between social network and firm performance. This study provides evidencethat trust plays a pivotal role in social networks, which enable the observed firms to achieve the performance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-140
Author(s):  
Anna Vladimirovna Shentyakova

Modern megalopolis concentrates all groups of resources including economic, political, cultural, information, human resources, etc. The high population density, economic and geographic situation, complex multiethnic and multicultural structure of large cities contribute to certain types of values and behavioral models in the younger generation. The neo-institutional approach and social capital theory were chosen as a methodological basis. The article examines a number of methodological works devoted to various aspects of the social capital and explores the opportunity for this concept application for analysis of the protest behavior motivation and assessment of the protest potential of young people. Combination of the economic model of multilevel analysis for measuring social capital by S.А. Sysoev and socio-political parameters for the empirical part allowed to clearly defining the main categories and indicators of analysis. Measuring the levels of social capital of a megalopolis with the inclusion a network component expands the range of opportunities for assessing and identifying the protest potential of large Russian cities residents.


2020 ◽  
Vol 120 (5) ◽  
pp. 903-922
Author(s):  
Yung-Shen Yen ◽  
Mei-Chun Chen ◽  
Chun-Hsiung Su

PurposeThis study aims to explore the impact of social capital on job performance when workers interact with coworkers through social media in organizations.Design/methodology/approachStructural equation modeling was conducted, and a sample of 230 workers in Taiwan was investigated.FindingsThis study found that bonding social capital has a greater impact on job performance than bridging social capital for interactions among coworkers through social media in organizations. Moreover, bridging social capital affects job performance more strongly for male workers than for female workers, but bonding social capital affects job performance more strongly for female workers than for male workers.Research limitations/implicationsThis study extended social capital theory by adding the mediating effects of job satisfaction and relational satisfaction and the moderating effect of gender into the model.Practical implicationsThis study suggests that company managers need to train workers how to use social media to appropriate their affordances and consider the work team relationship to position adequate strategies for male and female workers.Originality/valueThis study advances the previous knowledge of social capital theory for workers interacting with coworkers through social media in organizations.


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