WHAT BENEFITS DO THEY BRING? A CASE STUDY ANALYSIS ON ENTERPRISE SOCIAL NETWORKS

Over the last years, Enterprise Social Networks (ESN) have gained increasing attention both in academia and practice, resulting in a large number of publications dealing with ESN. Among them is a large number of case studies describing the benefits of ESN in each individual case. Based on the different research objects they focus, various benefits are described. However, an overview of the bene-fits achieved by using ESN is missing and will, thus, be elaborated in this article (research question 1). Further, we cluster the identified benefits to more generic categories and finally classify them to the capabilities of traditional IT as presented by Davenport and Short (1990) to determine if new capabilities of IT arise using ESN (research question 2). To address our research questions, we perform a qualitative content analysis on 37 ESN case studies. As a result, we identify 99 individual benefits, classify them to the capabilities of traditional IT, and define a new IT capability named Social Capital. Our results can, e.g., be used to align and expand current ESN success measurement approaches

Enterprise Social Networks: The Case of CERN

Social networks are commonly seen as a global trend that allows users to search and contact others with similar interests, write a post, reply, like or share content, create groups and organize events. This said, there is much more that can be done to exploit the full potential of social media. In order to improve the business, providing employees, customers and partners the best tools to cooperate and gain value from the whole community, many organizations are taking the matter in their own hands, using Enterprise Social Networks. Close analysis of case studies and comprehensive statistics shows why it is important to pursue this path. At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, where the number of employees, students and volunteers that everyday work in partnership both on site and through the network reaches the thousands, a new kind of platform has been deployed, able to exploit the social knowledge of the personnel. The thesis will describe the case study of CERN to understand not only why it is essential to become a social organization but also how a social environment can be developed. The last chapters will focus on examining my work on the platform, considering a mobile responsive design, realized to make the environment adapt to any screen size, an integrated resource planning tool, which gives the scientists the mean to easily manage the everyday work on the particle accelerators, and the platform’s Application Programming Interface, which allows anyone with the right credentials to include content from the enterprise social network into a personal or departmental webpage, giving everyone an even easier way to participate

Individual and Neighborhood Impacts of Neighborhood Reinvestment's Homeownership Pilot Program

The benefits of owning versus renting a home have been extolled by policy makers for many years, and there is substantial recent research to support those views. Yet the research supporting these claims largely has been conducted on general samples of homeowners. Low- and moderate-income homeowners may have a different experience due to difficulties in keeping up with housing-related payments or a difference in the quality of the homes being purchased. A major objective of this report is to assess the impacts of home ownership on a sample of low- and moderate-income homebuyers.We also know very little about the experience of lower-income homebuyers after they purchase their homes. To what extent do low-income homebuyers experience unexpected costs associated with maintenance or repairs? What proportion of low-income buyers take out home equity loans and what do they use the funds for? What proportion of low-income homebuyers default on their loans? What do buyers feel are the greatest advantages and challenges to owning a home? Answers to these questions may provide insight into how prospective lower-income homebuyers can be better prepared for home ownership.The research described in this report involved a sample of persons who graduated from home-ownership classes taught by eight NeighborWorks organizations that participated in the Neighborhood Reinvestment Homeownership Pilot program. Neighborhood Reinvestment has encouraged its affiliated NeighborWorks organizations to offer services designed to increase access to home ownership among low- and moderate-income families. Building on Neighborhood Reinvestment's Campaign for Home Ownership, the Homeownership Pilot program was designed to assist low- and moderate-income households to obtain home ownership by providing them with counseling, down-payment assistance and affordable loans.This report is the third of three reports on the implementation, outcomes and impacts of the Homeownership Pilot program. The first report, entitled An Assessment of Neighborhood Reinvestment's Homeownership Pilot Program: A Preliminary Report (2000), covered the early implementation of the Pilot. The second report, entitled Supporting the American Dream of Home Ownership: An Assessment of Neighborhood Reinvestment's Homeownership Pilot Program (2002), covers the outcomes of the Homeownership Pilot, including the number of persons counseled and new homebuyers assisted. This final report was designed to:1. Assess the proportion of customers trained by NeighborWorks organizations who go on to buy homes, as well as the factors that predict who among those graduating from the homeownership training go on to buy homes and who do not.2. Assess both the social and financial impacts of buying a home on the program participants.3. Assess the postpurchase experience of low-income homebuyers.4. Assess the loan repayment experience of a sample of the affordable loans held by Neighborhood Housing Services of America (NHSA).5. Assess changes in the Pilot program target areas before, during and after the Pilot program was in effect

EXECUTIVE PEER ADVISORY GROUPS: WHO THEY ARE? WHAT ARE THEIR BENEFITS? WHY DO MEMBERS JOIN AND STAY?

Executive peer advisory groups (EPAGs) are exclusive organizations in which chief executive officers (CEOs) and presidents of businesses can problem solve business challenges, discuss business strategies, share best practices, and solve critical growth and performance issues. Executive peer advisory groups are based on the premise that the collective experience and resources of peer groups empower like-minded executives to solve challenges more effectively and more rapidly than they could do on their own. A key component of EPAGs is the forum, in which six to 16 members meet, typically monthly, in small-group sessions to function as each other’s personal advisory boards. Other components of EPAG membership can include educational events, social events, leadership development opportunities, and opportunities for coaching. The earliest account of a formal peer advisory groups can be traced to Benjamin Franklin’s Junto group, also known as the Leather Apron Club, founded around 1727 (Franklin, 2019). The Junto, at the time, consisted of 12 men who met with the purpose of mutual improvement and discussed topics ranging from politics to business to philosophy. Modern EPAGs have existed since 1950, when the Young President’s Organization (YPO) was established in Rochester, New York. The three largest EPAGs—YPO, Vistage, and the Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO)—collectively have over 70,000 members with job titles such as CEO, president, director, and managing partner. Executive peer advisory groups operate under nondisclosure and confidentiality standards; consequently, little is known about them beyond what can be found on the organizations’ websites. Executive peer advisory groups are seldom discussed in academic literature, and empirical studies examining EPAGs are limited. A search of the literature on CEO networking through EPAGs, executive isolation, and outcomes associated with joining an EPAG revealed few studies. Given the number of business leaders who participate in EPAGs and their collective power, there is a need to study EPAGs to learn about why their members say they exist and have proliferated and the benefits they appear to provide. After an extensive document analysis, four individuals were purposely selected from each of the three organizations (YPO, EO, and Vistage) for an extensive interview that examined how their organizations’ function, why CEOs and presidents join these organizations, and what perceived benefits they receive with membership. Results revealed that the participants in this study were primarily introduced to their EPAG via referral. The participants opted to join hoping to remedy the isolation they feel as their organization’s top executive, to learn and grow as a leader, and to expand their professional network. Despite steep membership fees and a substantial time commitment, interviewees largely believe there is a substantial return on their EPAG investment and largely reported they plan on participating indefinitely. Participants reported the core of the EPAG experience is the forum, where camaraderie and trust are built among a small group of six to 16 members. EPAGs also offer recurring social and education events at the local, national, and international level. Importantly, participants in this study reported that EPAGs serve as an exclusive and confidential environment where they can be vulnerable among their peers, and vicariously learn from one another, often resulting in significant financial gain

THE MARKETING OF SOCIAL ENTERPRISES: Understanding the concepts of marketing and market orientation of social enterprises within the context of Pakistani market

The concepts of social entrepreneurship and social enterprises have been extensively discussed in the previous two decades, yet the topic is still not matured yet. Most of the available literature is focused on defining these terms. Similarly, limited number of authors has discussed the marketing function of these enterprises or how marketing is interpreted in social entrepreneurship models. However, there is a plethora of literature on marketing entailing many different theories, amongst which the newest one is the “market orientation concept”. Market orientation is a mix of customer orientation, competitor orientation and inter-functional coordination suggesting marketing to be a part of the business philosophy. This study focuses on the marketing and market orientation of social enterprises while giving an overview of the literature of marketing and market orientation in social enterprises. This study aims to provide two basic questions, 1) what is the literature on marketing and market orientation of social enterprises while explaining the literature of social enterprises in Pakistan and 2) how these concepts are interpreted in social enterprises in Pakistani market. Key features of research methodology include case study approach while conducting thematic analysis using thematic networks. The results indicate that only a limited number of authors have discussed market orientation concept in social enterprises. The results from the interview data indicate the usage of marketing by a firm unconsciously without a specific marketing department. In addition to that, it has been found that in social enterprise world competition is tackled through a win-win approach with a view that many enterprises working for society improve the society which is the basic mission of any social enterprise. The data also showed that in Pakistani market, social enterprise concept is not legally used yet, which allows for more room for innovation. This study intends to give a new perspective to the theorists to use market orientation concept in social enterprises and also to managers to use marketing as their business philosophy in order to satisfy the stakeholders for better delivery of their businesses and as well for social good.siirretty Doriast

Something to Say: Success Principles for Afterschool Arts Programs From Urban Youth and Other Experts

Engagement in the arts can help youth in myriad ways: as a vehicle for self expression, acquiring skills, and developing focus and teamwork. Unfortunately, with the develine of arts education in public schools, few urban, low-income young people have high-quality engaging art experiences at school. Alternatives outside of school, such as private lessons or arts camps, are typically limited to children of families with the resources and savvy to get access to them. What narrow arts experiences low-income youth have are often dull arts and crafts projects where they are instructed to follow a prototype, rather than create something from their own imagination. Consequently, many urban, low-income youth grow up without even a cursory understanding of what high-quality arts programs are like, or what benefits may accrue from participation. Even when there is awareness or interest in out-of-school time (OST) arts programs, many young people choose other activities for a variety of reasons. Further, community groups often report a steep drop-off in teen OST engagement and participation. That finding points to the importance of captivating young people's interest prior to the teen years when, as tweens, they are more willing to try new OST experiences. This report attempts to answer the following questions: How can urban, low-income tweens and teens gain equal access to high quality arts experiences? Is there a model of practices that could provide a blueprint for community based organizations to emulate, so that proven approaches could be deployed in more places, more often? Is there a way to approach the analysis of these problems that respects and honors the young people as consumers who make informed choices? and how do the insights of what tweens and teens want align with what other experts say they need

Exploring how professional leaders in social enterprises develop their leadership practices

This thesis examines the practices enacted by leaders in a case study social enterprise in Scotland. The study investigates the complex issues involved in social enterprise as leaders navigate uncertainty caused, for example, by changes to government policy, funding decisions and external events, all of which can have a material and lasting impact. It explores a different way to think about leadership in social enterprise through considering leadership as practice-based to take into account the heterogeneous actors that enact practice. The study considered a social enterprise in Scotland due to its particular policy and political context as this drives policy and funding priorities. The data collection was undertaken over a six-month period and involved one social enterprise who is a company limited by guarantee with charitable status. A qualitative ethnographic approach was adopted, which provided an inductive approach to the research, allowing the findings to emerge as the research unfolded. Methods included observations, semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The collected data were analysed using Actor Network Theory (ANT) and thematic analysis. There were six participants involved in the study. Analysis of the data identified four leadership practices. First, practices enacted by leaders as they sought to mobilise, manage and deliver funded projects were identified. Second, practices performed by leaders on delivering through networks. Third, practices enacted by leaders on leading and governing effectively. Finally, practices enacted by leaders through stakeholder advocacy to deliver the social mission. The thesis contributes to the knowledge in the social enterprise sector as it provides new insights into leadership in social enterprises through the use of ANT concepts and methods and combines this with more traditional thematic analysis. This adds to the discourse and challenges in current thinking on the practices that leaders require to lead a sustainable social enterprise in Scotland. The originality of the research is in the unfolding of alternative perspectives with which to better understand the complexity and messiness of this diverse field of study. It also serves to foster further discussion of social enterprise as materially mediated and socially constructed assemblages of practices

Social entrepreneurs’ perceptions on the contribution of networking toward organizational sustainability of social enterprises in Cape Town, South Africa

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS)The main aim of this study was to make contributions to the body of literature on social enterprises, and more specifically in an African context. The nascent nature of social enterprises as an organisational structure is one of the reasons that the body of research and literature is not as expansive as other more established research fields. Social enterprises differ from traditional commercial enterprises in that they bridge the gap between commercial growth, and social and economic development goals. For the purpose of this study, social enterprises refer to any business that pursues commercial activity to address a social problem. They are becoming more noticeable as a driver of sustainable job creation, service delivery, social development and economic growth. Ensuring their sustainability is expected to have positive economic consequences, which is why studying social enterprise sustainability is important and even more so for developing countries. Qualitative methodology was used to collect data. Purposive sampling was employed to select the sample that was included in the case study in Cape Town. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather information. The data was analysed using content thematic analysis to explore and interpret the meaning of the participants’ views and experiences. A networking approach of the social capital theory was used as the theoretical framework that provided a guide on the discussion of the findings. For the purpose of this study, social capital was defined as the resources embedded in networks. The findings indicated that the social entrepreneurs’ did not consider networking as the sole contributing factor to social enterprise sustainability, but rather the contribution of multidimensional factors. The resources embedded in networks that were considered valuable were: 1. Information and innovation, 2. Credibility, 3. Mentorship and advice, and 4. Support. The participants also gave their opinions on policies that would create favourable conditions for sustainable social enterprises i.e. information accessibility, public-private partnerships, and education and training. This study makes contributions to literature in an African context and to social enterprise practice

Impact in networks and ecosystems: building case studies that make a difference

open accessThis toolkit aims to support the building up of case studies that show the impact of project activities aiming to promote innovation and entrepreneurship. The case studies respond to the challenge of understanding what kinds of interventions work in the Southern African region, where, and why. The toolkit has a specific focus on entrepreneurial ecosystems and proposes a method of mapping out the actors and their relationships over time. The aim is to understand the changes that take place in the ecosystems. These changes are seen to be indicators of impact as increased connectivity and activity in ecosystems are key enablers of innovation. Innovations usually happen together with matching social and institutional adjustments, facilitating the translation of inventions into new or improved products and services. Similarly, the processes supporting entrepreneurship are guided by policies implemented in the common framework provided by innovation systems. Overall, policies related to systems of innovation are by nature networking policies applied throughout the socioeconomic framework of society to pool scarce resources and make various sectors work in coordination with each other. Most participating SAIS countries already have some kinds of identifiable systems of innovation in place both on national and regional levels, but the lack of appropriate institutions, policies, financial instruments, human resources, and support systems, together with underdeveloped markets, create inefficiencies and gaps in systemic cooperation and collaboration. In other words, we do not always know what works and what does not. On another level, engaging users and intermediaries at the local level and driving the development of local innovation ecosystems within which local culture, especially in urban settings, has evident impact on how collaboration and competition is both seen and done. In this complex environment, organisations supporting entrepreneurship and innovation often find it difficult to create or apply relevant knowledge and appropriate networking tools, approaches, and methods needed to put their processes to work for broader developmental goals. To further enable these organisations’ work, it is necessary to understand what works and why in a given environment. Enhanced local and regional cooperation promoted by SAIS Innovation Fund projects can generate new data on this little-explored area in Southern Africa. Data-driven knowledge on entrepreneurship and innovation support best practices as well as effective and efficient management of entrepreneurial ecosystems can support replication and inform policymaking, leading thus to a wider impact than just that of the immediate reported projects and initiatives