Abigail M.A. Love, Kirsten S. Railey, Marissa Phelps, Jonathan M. Campbell, Heidi A. Cooley-Cook and R. Larry Taylor
The purpose of this paper is to investigate outcomes associated with a training designed to improve interactions between first responders and individuals with autism spectrum…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate outcomes associated with a training designed to improve interactions between first responders and individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Design/methodology/approach
Authors examined the responses of a group of first responders (N = 224) who completed a survey before and after a training to assess their (a) knowledge of ASD, (b) confidence for working with individuals with ASD, (c) comfort responding to a call and (d) ratings of the training they received.
Findings
Findings indicated first responders demonstrated more knowledge of ASD, increased confidence for working with individuals with ASD and improved comfort when responding to a call.
Research limitations/implications
This preliminary report serves as initial evidence of the importance of rigorous work examining trainings designed to improve interactions between first responders and individuals with ASD.
Practical implications
The results of this study justify continued rigorous research on the effectivness of ENACT, as a training designed to improve knowledge and comfort of first responders who work with individuals with ASD.
Originality/value
This study fills an identified need for research on trainings designed to educate first responders about ASD.
Details
Keywords
Considering the unique characteristics of equity crowdfunding platforms including the removal of stringent structural barriers (e.g. lack of co-location), high visibility and…
Abstract
Purpose
Considering the unique characteristics of equity crowdfunding platforms including the removal of stringent structural barriers (e.g. lack of co-location), high visibility and traceability of investor characteristics, large pool of available investors and simplified transaction process, the authors aim to examine how the two most prevalent mechanisms (i.e. homophily and repeated ties) unfold in this context by incorporating the contextual characteristics. The authors theorize an inverted U-shaped relationship between leader-backer similarity and the likelihood of co-investment in a syndicate on equity crowdfunding platforms. In addition, a leader–backer dyad is more likely to form new syndicates if the students have more prior co-investment ties.
Design/methodology/approach
The empirical study is based on data from the AngelList syndicate platform and a linear probability model (LPM) with fixed effects is adopted to estimate the syndicate formation.
Findings
The authors find that the similarity between a leader and a backer has an inverted U-shaped relationship with the leader and backer's likelihood of co-investment in a syndicate, which is different from the dominant homophily-based tie formation in venture capital (VC) syndicates and other digital platform contexts. Although equity crowdfunding platforms encourage the possibility of exploring new partners, investors are more likely to co-invest with others who have stronger prior ties.
Originality/value
This research theoretically contributes to the scant literature of equity crowdfunding syndicates by contextualizing two most prevalent mechanisms (i.e. homophily and repeated ties) driving tie formation in VC syndicates and digital platforms.