Browsing by Subject "social capital"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Business Performance Of Chinese Enterprises In A Relational Perspective
    (2016-06) Zhang, Lei
    This study provides a causal explanation and a statistical analysis of how corporate social capital promotes business performance of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in China. The central argument of this study is that the formation and mobilization of corporate social capital are culturally and institutionally contextualized. China is an exemplary case. Through interviews and an analysis of 830 SMEs sampled in the Pearl River Delta Region of China, I will show how Chinese SME entrepreneurs formed and mobilized corporate social capital from multiplex and reciprocal strong ties to other entrepreneurs and non-economic organizations, and how such ties increased their business performance. This study makes both theoretical and methodological contributions to social capital research. Theoretically, I conceptualize guanxi, the Chinese expression of social connections, as an isotopic social capital, decompose guanxi to its analytical dimensions, and relate guanxi dimensions to business performance. Methodologically, I construct measures of guanxi ties among Chinese SME entrepreneurs, and for the first time in the long tradition of guanxi research I establish and assess counterfactual models in which to investigate the causal effect of guanxi-based social capital on business performance.
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    Quality of Life of Children with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome: Family-, Healthcare-, and Community Relationships Matter
    (2017-12) Barigayomwe, Anna
    Objective: Children with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) have numerous needs that make partnerships between family, health care, and community essential. This study examined the effect of maternal perceptions of social capital on child quality of life (QOL). Mothers’ experiences with family centered care were explored as a mediator. Method: Data were retrieved from the 22q Family Matters Project. Eighty-two mothers from across the US with children who have 22q11DS were included. All mothers completed a mailed-survey. The main outcome measure was parent-proxy child QOL using the PedsQLTM Generic Core Scale. Other variables included the Social Capital Scale, a composite measure of family centered care, child age, child health complexity, and maternal education level. Path models were examined using multiple regression, as described by Baron and Kenny (1986). Results: Children with 22q11DS have complex health problems that negatively affect their QOL (p < .001). Mothers’ perceptions of social capital in their communities explained why some children have relatively higher QOL (p < .05). Family centered care did not explain the variation in child QOL (p > .10); the mediation hypothesis was not supported. Mothers with higher education reported less family centered care (p < .05); however, these mothers also had children with relatively higher QOL (p < .05). Conclusion: This study provides evidence that QOL among children with 22q11DS is affected by more than biomedical factors. Family and community partnerships matter as we seek to develop evidence-based collaborative healthcare models.
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    Social Capital and Our Community
    (2020) Scheffert, Donna Rae; Horntvedt, Jody; Chazdon, Scott
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    Social Capital, Self-Control, and Academic Performance in School-Age Children and Adolescents: Patterns Associated with Race/Ethnicity
    (2018-11) Song, Wei
    Children’s abilities to control behaviors and emotions continue to grow from childhood to adolescence. The thesis examined the degree to which the social capital in family and school contexts shaped self-control among four racial/ethnic groups (i.e., Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, Asian American), and whether self-control served as a mediator of the relationship between social capital and academic performance. It consisted of two studies using two major datasets (Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Kindergarten: 2011 and Minnesota Student Survey). Study 1 analyzed a nationally representative sample of children who entered kindergarten during the school year of 2010-2011, following them through second grade. Study 2 analyzed a statewide sample of adolescents in secondary schools (8th, 9th, and 11th grader) between 12 to 18 years old in 2016. In the investigation of racial/ethnic differences, first the measurement equivalence of family/school social capital, self-control, and academic performance were established in each study. Then multi-group Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was conducted to assess whether racial/ethnic membership moderates proposed associations for children and adolescence. Study 1 found that family social capital positively predicted self-control and academic achievement for Caucasian and Hispanic children, while school social capital was not significant for any group. Self-control was a partial and positive mediator of the relationship between family social capital and academic achievement for the Caucasian and Hispanic children. Study 2 found positive associations from family and school social capital to self-control, and self-control partially and significantly mediated associations between social capital and academic achievement for adolescents across racial/ethnic groups. Implications for prevention, intervention, and public policy for different populations of interest are provided.