scholarly journals Rural development: how to measure performance imbalances in agribusiness chains

2012 ◽  
pp. 21-27
Author(s):  
Adrienn Molnár ◽  
Xavier Gellynck

The aim of this article was to contribute to the understanding of the role of intermediary organizations, and especially of network administrative organizations (NAOs) in the development of social capital in interorganizational networks in the food sector in particular. Our study shows that there are many options available to NAOs to build social capital within the networks they are responsible for; options which we propose to categorize in three main distinct groups. First, NAOs may nurture the development of social capital within the network through creating ‘space’ boundary objects which appear, in our study, to be an absolute precondition for the development of interactions and hence creation of ties between network members. Second, NAOs may impact the development of social capital by favoring certain members – or set of members – over others due to their characteristics such as good reputation, possession of common past experiences, multidisciplinary experiences, non-conflicting goals, similarity in terms of sector of activity and/or experience level and common mindset towards information exchange. Third and finally, NAOs may foster social capital development by enhancing effective communication between members on the one hand, and between members and the NAOs’ coordination and decision bodies on the other hand, via a clear mandate, network decision making bodies composed of members, the use of ex-post evaluations and formal governance mechanisms (e.g. legal contracts), and the selection of staff endowed with a proactive and perspective taking behavior and able to show neutrality when conflict arise.

2012 ◽  
pp. 11-20
Author(s):  
Virginie M. Lefebvre ◽  
Adrienn Molnár ◽  
Xavier Gellynck

This paper is concerned with the role of network administrative organizations (NAOs) in the development of social capital in interorganizationalnetworks aiming at supporting their members to innovate in the food sector through interacting with one another. A multi-case study approach is used whereby three Belgian interorganizational networks are investigated i.e. Wagralim, Réseau-Club and Flanders Food.Our study shows that there are many options available to NAOs to build social capital within the networks they are responsible for. We propose to categorize these options in three main distinct groups. First, NAOs may nurture the development of social capital within the network through creating ‘space’ boundary objects which appear, in our study, to be an absolute precondition for the development of interactions and hence creation of ties between network members. Second, NAOs may impact the development of social capital by favoring certain members – or set of members – over others due to their characteristics such as good reputation, possession of common past experiences, multidisciplinary  experiences, non-conflicting goals, similarity in terms of sector of activity and/or experience level and common mindset towards information exchange. Third and finally, NAOs may foster social capital development by enhancing effective communication between members on the one hand, and between members and the NAOs’ coordination and decision bodies on the other hand, via a clear mandate, network decision makingbodies composed of members, the use of ex-post evaluations and formal governance mechanisms (e.g. legal contracts), and the selection of staff endowed with a proactive and perspective taking behavior and able to show neutrality when conflict arise. 


2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 378-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Cui ◽  
Ilan Vertinsky ◽  
Sandra Robinson ◽  
Oana Branzei

Extending the literature on social capital development in the community, this article examines the impact of diverse social interactions (in the community and the workplace) on the development of social trust in the workplace, and investigates whether their effects differ in individualistic and collectivistic cultures. Using survey data collected in Canada and China, the authors find that the diversity of one’s social interactions in the community is positively associated with one’s social trust in the workplace, and this relationship is not significantly different between the two cultures. Diversity of one’s social interactions in the workplace is also positively associated with one’s social trust in the workplace, though only in collectivistic cultures.


2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Friedrich

Although social capital has been often debated in the last 20 years, there is a widely accepted definition missing and the approaches to measuring its size are not very well-developed. Therefore, the definitions of social capital are stated and analysed, whether they are appropriately designed also for measurement purposes. We end up with a division between capital consisting of real capital as fixed and working capital and financial capital on the one hand, and capitals, which are referring to human capital and social capital in a narrow sense on the other hand. The last two are named here as social capital. The stock of the first kind of capital can be expressed as net capital when the liabilities are deducted is booked to the final social balance, as well as the remainder of the stock accounts. The stock of the second one can be identified as social assets reduced by social liabilities. Non-commercial values of economic activities are gathered in social accounting. With social accounting there are several approaches, however most of them are not developed to such an extent that the social capital can be determined through an adequate ex-post analysis. A welfare economic oriented approach comprising a bookkeeping system helps to determine social capital. Based on the willingness to pay approach a commercial bookkeeping system and an additional social bookkeeping were designed where the respective “private” and additional social capital were verified. Both together show the total social capital related to an economic subject. The result is illustrated by such a social accounting for the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of the University of Tartu for 2006. The author discusses the limits and possibilities of this kind of social capital determination.


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 446-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyyed Abolfazl Vagharseyyedin ◽  
Bahare Zarei ◽  
Mahdi Hosseini

Background Affective organisational commitment (AOC) refers to employees’ emotional attachment to the organisation and identification with it. It is vital that nurses explore contributors to their AOC because they stand as the largest group of employees in healthcare organisations. Aim This cross-sectional, analytical study explored the role of workplace social capital (WSC), compassion satisfaction (CS), and secondary traumatic stress (STS) in AOC in a sample of Iranian nurses. Method The study sample consisted of 250 nurses working in eight hospitals affiliated with Birjand University of Medical Sciences, eastern Iran. Participants’ WSC was measured using the Social Capital at Work Scale developed by Kouvonen et al. (2006). CS and STS were measured using CS and STS dimensions of the Professional Quality of Life measure (Version 5) developed by Stamm (2010). Results Significant positive associations were found between WSC and AOC ( p < 0.001), between the cognitive dimension of WSC and AOC ( p < 0.001), between the structural dimension of WSC and AOC ( p < 0.001), and between CS and AOC ( p < 0.001). The correlation between STS and AOC ( p < 0.001) was negatively significant. Conclusion Effort to promote WSC and CS on the one hand and prevention and early recognition of STS on the other hand can enhance nurses’ AOC.


Author(s):  
Olga Smirnova ◽  
Luisa Svitich ◽  
Mikhail Shkondin

The role of journalism and the media in forming the world of everyday life has been viewed as a key one for quite a long period of human history. Moreover, in the context of digitalization and mediatization of every social reality, it is becoming even more important. The integrative nature of the modern media provides for an environment where interaction between journalism, the media and their audiences has a crucial impact on all social phenomena, on the life of every person and of the society in general. The article states that, in the context of media digitalization, the world of everyday life is intensively mediatized and undergoes radical changes, which makes it a relevant object of media studies. The authors emphasize the great significance of the media in social construction processes that are based on fast information exchange and the synchronous dynamics of events in the world of everyday life. They also underline the relevance of studying both journalism and media processes as integral parts the world of everyday life, which features continuous variability of social realities and their newsworthiness. In today’s society, contradictions between the opportunities offered by digitalization and mediatization of social realities on the one hand, and the limited practical usage of these opportunities on the other, are aggravating. Therefore, it is necessary to reassess the functions of journalism in optimizing the world of everyday life, and correlate the renewed understanding of these functions to that of journalists as key agents that provide informational support and coverage of all social processes.


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