Love thy neighbour? Associations of social capital and crime with physical activity amongst women

Using a multilevel study design, this study examined the associations between social characteristics of individuals and neighbourhoods and physical activity among women. Women (n = 1405) recruited from 45 Melbourne (Australia) neighbourhoods of varying socioeconomic disadvantage provided data on social factors and leisure-time: physical activity; walking; and walking in one’s own neighbourhood. Individual level social factors were number of neighbours known and social participation. Neighbourhood-level social characteristics (interpersonal trust, norms of reciprocity, social cohesion) were derived by aggregating survey data on these constructs within neighbourhoods. Objective data on crimes within neighbourhoods were obtained from Victoria Police. In bivariable regression models, all social variables at both the individual and neighbourhood level were positively associated with odds of physical activity, walking, and walking in one’s own neighbourhood. Associations with individual social participation (associated with all three physical activity variables) and neighbourhood interpersonal trust (associated with overall physical activity only) remained significant in multivariable models. Neither neighbourhood crime against the person nor incivilities were associated with any form of physical activity. These results demonstrate that women who participated in local groups or events and, less consistently, women living in neighbourhoods where residents trusted one another, were more likely to participate in leisure-time physical activity. While redressing macro-level social and economic policies that contribute to neighbourhood inequalities remains a priority, public health initiatives aimed at promoting physical activity could consider focusing on fostering social interactions targeting both individuals and communities. Further investigation of causal mechanisms underlying these associations is required.

Helping business leverage web 2.0 to generate social capital

Businesses large and small are keen to leverage Web 2.0 applications to interact with customers, suppliers and other stakeholders. Whilst some have achieved success, others are still struggling to understand the opportunities and threats associated with using Web 2.0 in business. This paper discusses the development of a conceptual framework to help businesses understand how they could leverage Web 2.0 applications to generate social capital. The proposed framework helps businesses (i) identify opportunities to leverage the strengths and features of various Web 2.0 applications, and (ii) develop business strategies for Web 2.0. As a positional paper, it contributes to theory by proposing a systematic and structured approach for understanding how social capital is created, captured, distributed, and consumed online.

Social capital, educational institutions and leadership

Social capital refers to the norms and networks that enable people to act collectively. It is a set of resources that reside in the relationships among people that allow them to share their knowledge and skills. Social capital is built and accessed through interactions between people and groups. Educational institutions and their community benefit from building social capital. Educational leaders who are committed to lifelong learning and view the community as a resource for the institution have a key role in unlocking and building social capital. Social capital is developed through a partnership process with common purpose or vision where leadership is gradually shared between institution and community.

Building professional capital : New Zealand social workers and continuing education

In a qualitative study of the engagement of New Zealand social workers in continuing professional education the construct "professional capital", a form of symbolic capital, explains complex links between perceived status within institutional settings and the aspirations of practitioners. Strategies for developing greater engagement in scholarship and research are recommended.

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.

Can investors hedge residential price dynamics of Australia's capital cities?

The study described in this paper focuses on testing the short-run and
long-run relationships between house price and consumer price indices in Australia’s capital cities from 1998 to 2008. The autoregressive distributed lag model is adopted to obtain the estimates of the short-run relationships, while the error correction model is used to investigate the long-run relationships. The t-statistic is used to compute the significance of these relationships. The research results give no evidence that house price indices are correlated with consumer price indices in the short run. However, the long-run relationships between house and consumer price indices exist in most of the cities.

Demystifying the supply of capital and labour in a nation’s economic chain

Public capital has been considered to be the wheels of economic activity in a nation or region. The reverse effect, the contribution of economic growth to public capital, is also worth analysis. The non-structural vector auto-regression (VAR) approach is performed for the Australian economy using yearly data for the 1960-2008 period. The optimal lag is investigated to build the VAR model that is then tested for stability. The impulse response function is further employed to examine the response of one economic variable to the innovation of others and to determine the lagged terms for the maximum absolute value of the other variables’ responses. The results will provide historical evidence for the federal and regional governments of Australia to estimate the effects of these production variables, in particular, the effect of infrastructure spending on the gross domestic product.

The role of reflexive capability in relation to intellectual capital on multi international partnerships

This paper reports the results of an analysis of five Malaysian firms who have worked successfully on multi international partnerships and/or megaprojects. A case study methodology was employed to examine the barriers and successful strategies the firms used in decision making in various international markets. A common characteristic across the firms was the ability to self reflect and adapt their practices to different international conditions despite numerous differences between countries including cultural, social, project governance structures, regulatory, terminology and codes. A reflexive capability model developed from the social sciences theory of individual agent reflexivity was developed to explain the way in which firms as an entity can develop awareness, responsiveness and adaptability for long term success in diverse international markets. This paper builds upon an initial Australian study which developed the model grounded in empirical observations of internationalising design construction firms by presenting the results of a second study of Malaysian firms. Results indicate that the model of reflexivity capability is a useful way to interpret practices that are undertaken in multi partner relationships on larger more complex projects. Successful Malaysian firms within joint venture relationships display an ability to self reflect and adapt. This transformation process is critiqued in relation to the relationships between social, cultural and intellectual capital. Reflexive capability is a characteristic of the successful case study firms working within global models of practice. The reflexive capability model is explained in relation to common themes identified in relation to the management of intellectual capital in successful multi international partnerships and megaprojects.