K. Gregson, K.N. Boorman and P.A. Frost
Aims to provide an expert system to offer dietary advice to thoseon a vegetarian diet or responsible for catering for vegetarians. ChoseProlog as language for the construction of…
Abstract
Aims to provide an expert system to offer dietary advice to those on a vegetarian diet or responsible for catering for vegetarians. Chose Prolog as language for the construction of the expert system (a language initially developed for use on mainframe computers but which more recently has become generally available for PCs). In its present form the system assesses the intake of protein, calcium, iron, zinc and vitamin C and offers relevant dietary advice. It works on a 24‐hour recall system, prompting the user to enter the type and quantity of food eaten at each meal. The system also provides a facility to enter different drinks and snacks taken throughout the day. The extension of the database (in terms both of nutrients and of foods) and the provision of a cursor‐key or mouse‐driven input system (to highlight the chosen option in each menu) would produce a package suitable for use in a commercial environment.
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Evidence suggests that, in the presence of imperfect market institutions, individuals devote resources to the establishment of reliable connections to attenuate the frictions that…
Abstract
Evidence suggests that, in the presence of imperfect market institutions, individuals devote resources to the establishment of reliable connections to attenuate the frictions that reduce trading and insurance opportunities. In this chapter, the author surveys the relevant literature on strategic formation of networks and use it to study this particular economic situation. A simple model is built to show that the investment in strong ties often, though not always, produces stable configurations that manage to improve upon the imperfections of market institutions.
Cinthia B. Satornino, Patrick Doreian and Alexis M. Allen
Blockmodeling is viewed often as a data reduction method. However, this is a simplistic view of the class of methods designed to uncover social structures, identify subgroups, and…
Abstract
Blockmodeling is viewed often as a data reduction method. However, this is a simplistic view of the class of methods designed to uncover social structures, identify subgroups, and reveal emergent roles. Worse, this view misses the richness of the method as a tool for uncovering novel human resource management (HRM) insights. Here, we provide a brief overview of some essentials of blockmodeling and discuss research questions that can be addressed using this approach in applied HRM settings. Finally, we offer an empirical example to illustrate blockmodeling and the types of information that can be gleaned from its implementation.
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The authors suggest that there has been a militarisation of the Third World since the Second World War. This militarisation and consequent hostilities are a representation of the…
Abstract
The authors suggest that there has been a militarisation of the Third World since the Second World War. This militarisation and consequent hostilities are a representation of the power structure of the present world system. While there may be a reduction in the direct hostilities between the superpowers this is made up for and played out in regional conflicts between Third World nations. Such conflicts are provisioned by military supplies from the west.
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I present and evaluate various explanations for why new workers who were sponsored by oldtimers tend to have better job outcomes (better performance, more satisfaction, and less…
Abstract
Purpose
I present and evaluate various explanations for why new workers who were sponsored by oldtimers tend to have better job outcomes (better performance, more satisfaction, and less turnover) than do new workers who were not sponsored.
Methodology/approach
My evaluations involve searching for evidence that fits (or does not fit) each of the explanations.
Findings
The two most popular explanations argue that the job benefits of sponsorship arise because (a) sponsored newcomers have more realistic job expectations than do unsponsored newcomers, or (b) the quality of sponsored newcomers is greater than that of unsponsored newcomers. Unfortunately, these explanations have weak empirical support. A third explanation, largely untested as yet, attributes the performance benefits of sponsorship to social pressures that can arise when someone is sponsored for a job. These pressures include efforts by newcomers to repay the people who sponsored them, efforts by sponsors to assist the newcomers they sponsored after those persons have been hired, and stereotypes among coworkers about the kinds of people who get jobs through sponsors. Although limited as yet, the evidence regarding this new explanation seems promising.
Research implications
More research on this third explanation for sponsorship effects should be done. Suggestions for how to do such research are reviewed and a relevant experiment is presented.
Social implications
The ideas and evidence presented here could help employers who want to improve the job outcomes of their new workers. Poor outcomes among such persons are a major problem in many settings.
Originality/value
Although some of my ideas have been mentioned by others, they were not been described in much detail, nor were they tested. My hope is that this chapter will promote new theory and research on the performance benefits of sponsorship, a topic that has been largely ignored in recent years.
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Ranjay Gulati and Sameer B. Srivastava
We propose a framework of constrained agency grounded in the actors’ resources and motivations within their structurally constrained context. Structural positions influence the…
Abstract
We propose a framework of constrained agency grounded in the actors’ resources and motivations within their structurally constrained context. Structural positions influence the resources available to actors and color the motivations that shape their actions. Resources equip actors to exert agency, while motivations propel them to do so. We derive a typology of network actions and illustrate how the form of constrained agency through which a particular network action is taken can affect actors’ ensuing structural positions and the nature of the constraints they subsequently face. Our conceptualization of constrained agency identifies new sources of endogenous change in network structure.