Community social capital and entrepreneurship : analyzing the links

This study examines the effects of community social capital on entrepreneurial intentions (EIs) in rural communities in a developing country. Entrepreneurship, in the form of business start-ups, is widely recognized as an integral component of local economic development programs designed to address poverty and limited livelihood opportunities, especially among poor and marginalized communities in rural areas in developing countries. Using a survey of 496 individuals residing in five rural communities in the Philippines, and drawing from the theory of planned behavior and social capital theory, we examine the direct and indirect effects of community social capital (CSC) on an individual’s EIs. The findings show that CSC largely influences EI by shaping an individual’s perceived self-efficacy (PSE) to engage in entrepreneurship, perceived desirability of entrepreneurship (PDE), and perceived social norms toward entrepreneurship (PSNE). High levels of PSE, PDE, and PSNE have a positive influence on an individual’s EI. These findings offer more nuanced explanations of how social capital within a community can facilitate entrepreneurship as a means of community economic development. Implications of the findings and areas for future research are discussed.

Clarifying the link between social capital and MSME innovation performance : the role of absorptive capacity

A conceptual framework is proposed in this article showing how the social capital of a community shapes the innovation performance of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through the exercise of absorptive capacity as the mediating phenomenon between the two. Its significance stems from the unprecedented effort of explaining how community social capital matters in the innovation performance of MSMEs, a departure from previous studies which typically examined market-related or hierarchical social capital in the form of formal networks and directly linking them to firm innovation without due regard to knowledge management within the firm as an antecedent of organizational innovation. The aim is to stimulate further thinking and empirical research on the subject of social capital of a community in an MSME and/or entrepreneurial context.

Community efficacy and social capital

It has been suggested that the quantity and quality of a community’s social capital has a large impact on that community’s capacity to manage change. Despite many attempts, social capital remains notoriously difficult to measure. There is general consensus that social capital is the ‘property’ of a community or collective, yet in measurement frameworks social capital is normally aggregated up across individuals and different levels. Communities are not homogeneous; we argue that the differential capacity of various groups within the community to participate should be considered. Any measure of community social capital must take account of the diversity of the community and potentially unequal access of groups and individuals to community social capital: the nature and quality of opportunities is not uniform. Further, the validity of social capital depends in fact on its contextualisation – social capital resources that are effective in one context are not necessarily effective in another.

In this paper we present a new way of thinking about the social capital of a community, linked to the community’s capacity to deliver favourable outcomes for its members. We use the term community efficacy for this capacity to manage change and influence the future of the collective and community members. We present a framework that describes the nature and quality of the factors that influence community efficacy and are at the heart of a community’s social capital resources. The framework recognises that social capital resources are used at the point of interaction between community members; hence opportunities for interaction are important. We suggest that the framework can be applied to measure community efficacy in various contexts, and discuss how it can be applied to a rural community’s ability to foster successful transitions to young adulthood for its young people.

A complex connection : community newspapers and tiers of social capital

At a time when newspaper circulations across the globe are plummeting, there is increasing interest in the concept of `local over global' and research linking small newspapers with the `strength of community'. There has been a myriad of definitions on social capital including Coleman, Bourdieu and Putnam which focus on the value of the strength of relationships formed by individuals and groups within communities. While newspaper circulation has been linked to community social capital, little attention has been paid to the way social capital works within the news organisation from those who produce news and information to those who read it. Given the complexity and multiplicity of the sociology of news production, this paper examines the role of organisational social capital in this process and argues Ronald Burt's theory of 'structural holes' (1997) may be an appropriate theoretical lens through which to consider this.

Social capital for knowledge management : the case of small and medium-sized enterprises in the Asia-Pacific Region

This article proposes a conceptual framework that explains that the social capital of a community shapes the innovation performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through knowledge management within the firm. The study's significance stems from the unprecedented effort in explaining how community social capital matters in the innovation performance of SMEs, a departure from previous studies that have typically examined market-related or hierarchical social capital in the form of formal networks and directly linked them to a firm's innovation performance without due regard for knowledge management within the firm as an antecedent of organisational innovation performance. The aim is to stimulate further thinking and empirical research on the subject of social capital of a community in the SME and/or entrepreneurial context.

A framework for exploring the sense of community and social life in residential environments

Sense of community and social life are two key concepts related to social cohesion, which have been the subject of extensive studies in several disciplines including sociology, psychology and built environment. Social life studies have been mostly conducted in the built environment discipline focusing on city centres; while sense of community studies were mostly the target of sociologists and psychologists focusing on neighbourhoods. As a result, the role of the built environment on the sense of community and social life of neighbourhoods is considered as a missing gap in the literature. This paper, through defining the concepts of social life and sense of community, aims to develop a conceptual framework for further implementation in future research. Accurate implication and interpretation of the concepts show that neighbourhoods can include the sense of community in the residential environment and the social life in the commercial environment. This is because residential environments are where residents' requirements can be met through their commitment to the community and commercial environments are the fulcrum of interaction and communication.

A method for building community resilience to climate change in emerging coastal cities

Rapidly urbanising coastal locations represent prototypes of future cities. While these "sea change" locations will face a range of issues associated with rapid growth such as infrastructure provision and enhancement of social capital, anticipated environmental impacts are likely to add significant challenges. Climate change is likely to have dramatic impacts on sea change communities through diminished potable water supplies, rising sea levels, storm surges, and increased intensity of flood events - with indirect impacts on health, financial sectors, and biodiversity. Given the inherent diversity within sea change communities with regard to age, culture, and socio-economic status there are likely to be differences in ways of adapting, the ability to adapt, and the desired direction of any changes. Cognizant of the potential enormity of climate change impacts, the need for rapid responses, and the diversity within communities, this paper proposes a participatory and transformative method to work with communities in responding to climate change and variability within rapidly urbanising coastal locations. The method focuses on determining probable futures for various communities of place and interest within sea change areas and aims to build the capacity for dynamic on-going learning to achieve those futures, both within and between the communities. Through this process community members may be empowered with dynamic and future-orientated learning skills that build upon community knowledge, innovation, and resilience.

An exploration of sense of community, part 3: dimensions and predictors of psychological sense of community in geographical communities

Within the discipline of community psychology there remains considerable debate as to the latent structure of psychological sense of community (PSOC). One of the few theoretical discussions is that of McMillan and Chavis (1986), who hypothesized four dimensions: Belonging; Fulfillment of Needs; Influence; and Shared Connections. Discussion has also emerged in the literature regarding the role of identification within PSOC. However few studies have empirically investigated the role of identification in PSOC. The current study explored PSOC in a sample of residents of rural, regional and urban geographical communities (N = 669). In an endeavor to clarify the underlying dimensions of PSOC, a test battery included several measures of PSOC as well as measures of identification with the community. The study also examined the role of demographic factors in predicting PSOC. Results provided support for McMillan and Chavis' (1986) four dimensions of PSOC. Further, a fifth dimension emerged, that of Conscious Identification, suggesting that identification is separate to existing dimensions of PSOC. The demographic factors significantly associated with PSOC were type of region, with rural participants displaying higher PSOC than their urban counterparts; participation in local organizations; having children; and a vision of one’s neighborhood as broader than just a street or block. These results, and the implications for PSOC research, are discussed.

Social inclusion through cultural engagement among ethnic communities

This study analyzes arts attendance of six ethnic communities in Australia using social inclusion as a theoretical lens. Qualitative data from 20 interviews and 6 focus groups (N = 37) were examined. Respondents were from established (Italian, Greek), moderately established (Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian), and newly settled (African) communities. Four themes were identified that are linked to social inclusion: (a) social connectedness; (b) link with home culture; (c) link with host and other cultures; and (d) inclusive initiatives. All ethnic participants shared views on social connectedness; Vietnamese, Chinese, and Indian participants expressed a strong need to maintain links with their home culture and develop links with the host culture. Italian and Greek respondents focused on developing links with host and other cultures. African respondents wished to maintain home country links. The study advances arts marketing literature and cross-cultural marketing initiatives using a social inclusion lens to explain arts attendance by ethnic communities.

Community-based environmental monitoring goes to school: translations, detours and escapes

Community-school partnerships are an established practice within environmental science education, where a focus on how local phenomena articulate with broader environmental issues and concerns brings potential benefits for schools, community organisations and local communities. This paper contributes to our understanding of such educational practices by tracing of the diverse socio-material flows that constitute a community environmental monitoring project, where Australian school students became investigators of and advocates for particular sites in their neighbourhood. The theoretical resources of Actor-Network Theory are drawn upon to describe how the project—as conceptualised by its initiators—was enacted as both human and non-human actors sought to progress their own agendas thus translating the concept-project into multiple project realities. We conclude by identifying implications for sustaining educational innovations of this kind.

Social media as an information system : improving the technological agility

There is an increased focus on research involving social media. This research however has failed to catch up with the pace of the technology development and may prove disadvantageous for both practice and theory. The longitudinal study presented in the paper was conducted over a 3-year period involving Australian banks and popular social media technologies. The paper empirically tests the Honeycomb model as a tool that enhances the technological agility of social media. The paper fills a key research gap and provides dynamism to social media strategy formation, continuous improvement of strategy development in support of greater business agility.

Communication dynamics : discussion boards, weblogs and the development of communities of inquiry in online learning environments

Online learning environments (OLEs) are now critical to teaching and learning across Australian higher education. Their influence impacts on the availability of content, the design of courses and, perhaps most pedagogically significantly, the nature of communication. The discussion board is the ubiquitous communication tool within these OLEs and hence significantly shapes the kind of communication that takes place. In light of this, the degree to which a successful community of inquiry can be facilitated through the use of discussion boards is examined and compared to the possibilities afforded by weblogs in the same role. Weblogs, it is argued, offer new opportunities in the development of social, cognitive and teacher presence online and should be considered in the development of or alongside established OLEs.

People, places and public health : evaluating the benefits of civic environmentalism in an urban local government context

Recent political, economic and social trends pose threats to the sustainability both of ecosystems and of human health. Australia’s environmental management record is poor, and while by international standards Australians enjoy good health, this is variable (AIHW, 2000). Within developed nations, heart disease, depression, alcohol dependence and stroke are major health issues (Mathers et al. 2002). In Australia, mental disorder is the number one contributor to the disease burden (Vos & Mathers 2000). Recent research has highlighted the role of social capital as a key determinant of health (Kawachi et al., 1997). Despite this, Putnam (1995) observes that social connectedness and civic engagement are in decline. People have less time for leisure and for volunteering, as many juggle paid work and caring for children. Anecdotal evidence suggests that engagement in civic environmentalism has human health benefits, relating to a combination of exposure to natural environments and increased social capital (Maller, Brown, Townsend & St. Leger, 2002). This link is supported by Furnass (1996) who defines well-being as including: satisfactory human relationships, meaningful occupation, opportunities for contact with nature, creative expression, and making a positive contribution to human society. Research conducted by Deakin University confirms the efficacy of linking people and places through civic environmentalism for addressing both ecosystem sustainability and human health and wellbeing. The research has included a pilot study to explore the human health benefits of membership of a local parkland ‘Friends’ group, and a more detailed follow-up study. The aims of the pilot study included:- To identify the range of motivations for joining the Friends group;- To document members’ perceptions of the benefits gained from membership of the group;- To assess the potential for Friends groups to be used as an ‘upstream’ health promotion measure.Face-to-face interviews were conducted with eleven members of a ‘Friends’ group in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Data was analysed thematically and key findings included:- Motivations: environmental; social; and pragmatic.- General benefits: community belonging; personal satisfaction; learning opportunities; physical activity; and better environment.- Health benefits: physical health; mental health; and social support. There was unanimous support for the use of ‘Friends’ groups as a tool for health promotion.The follow-up study, in the western suburbs of Melbourne, expanded on the pilot study by measuring the group’s social capital and by collecting self-report data on levels of health service usage. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews and a questionnaire. The findings were similar to the pilot study in relation to the motivations, benefits and the health promotion potential of such groups. However, health service usage data highlighted an apparent anomaly: while respondents perceived significant health benefits, some were nevertheless utilising health services at a relatively high level. This poses some questions requiring further exploration: Is this due to the poorer baseline health of the high health service usage members compared with their fellow members? Does involvement in the group offer health benefits that enable people who would otherwise be too unhealthy to participate in community groups to continue such involvement?If this is the case, then we may do well to look to locally-based mechanisms for promoting ecological sustainability as a tool also for promoting human health. Instead of prescribing a pill, connecting people and places through engagement with a local friends group may address our health problems at the same time as addressing local environmental problems.

Staying healthy : the case of cotton and cane growers in Australia

Farmers and fishers have always been exposed to the vagaries of climate and global economic forces. However, in recent years there has been an accumulation of factors which are having a particularly severe impact upon rural Australia. The global financial crisis has negatively affected commodity prices and the viability of some rural communities is under threat. There is evidence to suggest that climate change is already impacting adversely on many primary producers and their ability to farm using traditional methods. Furthermore, many parts of rural Australia are still experiencing the effects of long-term drought and associated problems. Together, these circumstances can rightly be conceived of as 'difficult times'. Key areas recently identified in a decline in mental health among farmers include: increasing isolation, ongoing drought, increased government regulations, and a widening of the schism between urban and rural Australians. While there is a body of literature on behaviour around illness in the context of the stress of ' difficult times', there is little on preventative behaviours in these circumstances. This chapter reports preliminary findings from an exploratory research projects that investigates the process by which farmers and fishers achieve and maintain good physical and mental health in the context of 'difficult times'. The research takes a multiple case study approach, with five Australian sites, each with a different industry base, representing communities undergoing 'difficult times'. This chapter focuses on two of the sites and data obtained from interviews with farmers in the cotton and sugar industries. It discusses the behavioural choices that they make to maintain good physical health and mental wellbeing. These include choices about nutrition, physical activity, social connections such as participation in community, social or farm-related groups, opportunities for relaxation and regular medical check-ups.