A preliminary study of social interaction in the classroom

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Kansas, Sociology, 1930

Reframing Opportunism in Strategic Alliances

Literature suggests that opportunism in strategic alliances reduces performance by limiting collaborative opportunities, inciting retaliation, and causing reputational damage. While acknowledging that this is likely when opportunistic behavior is egregious, we suggest that modest instances of opportunism may not follow the same pattern. Building from in-depth interviews with alliance managers, we underscore how opportunism can occur at varying levels of intensity that may generate different performance outcomes. We argue that mildly opportunistic behavior can enhance performance through superior private benefits in addition to common benefits; while preserving or increasing future performance. By illustrating how opportunism can be beneficial, we demonstrate that it is a more complex behavior than extant strategic alliance research may impl

Biblical Worldview Development While Learning Origins Science

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenology was to understand the lived experience of how homeschooled high school students integrate origins science into a biblical worldview. For this study, biblical worldview development is the process of faith development in either form or content through an individual’s understanding and application of the Bible. The theoretical framework guiding this study is Fowler’s faith development theory as it relates an individual’s physical, mental, and moral growth to the development of their worldview. This study sought to answer the following research question: how do homeschooled high school students integrate origins science into a biblical worldview? Participants were selected from homeschooled families from across the United States. Data collection included free word association documents, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group. The result of this study is a model for biblical worldview development that explains the lived experience of homeschoolers integrating origins science into a biblical worldview through the components of preparation, education, determination, and reflection. Parents significantly influence the components of the resulting model, causing participants to develop their worldview according to that of their parents. The resulting model for biblical worldview development aligns with the faith stages of Fowler’s faith development theory and supports the latter’s use as a worldview development theory

Coopetition: Value Creation Opportunities for Entrepreneurial Firms

Firm’s pursuing entrepreneurial rents often face challenges such as risk, uncertainty, and limited resources. Our paper lays out insights from three theoretical perspectives, the resource-based view, dynamic capabilities, and game theory, to illustrate how coopetition can be a significant source of value creation in this context. We suggest that the types of resources most relevant for value creation are often held by competitors, who are servicing similar customers and confronting similar challenges. This facilitates access to complementary resources where internal development is time-consuming or costly. In addition, competitors can use each other’s knowledge and resource flow to extend and upgrade resources in dynamic environments. This enables positive-sum outcomes that exceed the sum-total of value creation efforts if pursued independently. Our paper illuminates underpinning value creating mechanisms in coopetition, demonstrates unique benefits that may be exclusively available to entrepreneurial firms, and underscores the value creating potential of coopetition

Reframing Opportunism in Strategic Alliances

Literature suggests that opportunism in strategic alliances reduces performance by limiting collaborative opportunities, inciting retaliation, and causing reputational damage. While acknowledging that this is likely when opportunistic behavior is egregious, we suggest that modest instances of opportunism may not follow the same pattern. Building from in-depth interviews with alliance managers, we underscore how opportunism can occur at varying levels of intensity that may generate different performance outcomes. We argue that mildly opportunistic behavior can enhance performance through superior private benefits in addition to common benefits; while preserving or increasing future performance. By illustrating how opportunism can be beneficial, we demonstrate that it is a more complex behavior than extant strategic alliance research may impl

Coopetition: Value Creation Opportunities for Entrepreneurial Firms

Firm’s pursuing entrepreneurial rents often face challenges such as risk, uncertainty, and limited resources. Our paper lays out insights from three theoretical perspectives, the resource-based view, dynamic capabilities, and game theory, to illustrate how coopetition can be a significant source of value creation in this context. We suggest that the types of resources most relevant for value creation are often held by competitors, who are servicing similar customers and confronting similar challenges. This facilitates access to complementary resources where internal development is time-consuming or costly. In addition, competitors can use each other’s knowledge and resource flow to extend and upgrade resources in dynamic environments. This enables positive-sum outcomes that exceed the sum-total of value creation efforts if pursued independently. Our paper illuminates underpinning value creating mechanisms in coopetition, demonstrates unique benefits that may be exclusively available to entrepreneurial firms, and underscores the value creating potential of coopetition

Multi-asset derivatives: a stochastic and local volatility pricing framework

In this thesis, we explore the links between the various volatility modelling concepts of stochastic, implied and local volatility that are found in mathematical finance. We follow two distinct routes to compute new terms for the representation of stochastic volatility in terms of an equivalent local volatility. In addition to this, we discuss a framework for pricing multi-asset options under stochastic volatility models, making use of the local volatility representations derived earlier in the thesis. Previous approaches utilised by the quantitative finance community to price multi-asset options have relied heavily on numerical methods, however we focus on obtaining a semi-analytical solution by making use of approximation techniques in our calculations, with the aim of reducing the time taken to price such financial instruments. We also discuss in some detail the effects that the correlation between assets has when pricing multi-asset options under stochastic volatility models, and show how affine methods may be used to simplify calculations in certain cases.Open Acces

Revisiting cooperation dynamics: implications for opportunism and value creation when firms compete and cooperate simultaneously.

Referring to simultaneous competition and cooperation between firms, coopetition is emerging in practice as a promising source of value creation. However, the scholarly literature is dominated by a widespread assumption that opportunism, a core behavioral assumption of transaction cost economics, hinders value creation and requires formal safeguards in coopetition. The assumption of heightened opportunism in coopetition is at odds with rising adoption in practice, which often proceeds without formal safeguards. This raises concerns about the utility of existing theory for explaining coopetition dynamics and their implications for value creation. Building from theories of competitive dynamics and the resource-based view, my research challenges the dominant assumption of heightened opportunism and develops an alternative explanation to better explain coopetition dynamics. I identify and test informal market-based safeguards which reduce opportunism in coopetition. This provides theoretical resolution for conflicting findings in the literature and develops a nuanced understanding of the factors affecting opportunism in coopetition at multiple levels. It addresses the failure of extant research to explain coopetition dynamics and establishes foundations for systematic analysis of coopetition benefits and costs in future research. For managers, my findings move beyond simplistic perceptions that have emphasized instability, knowledge leakage, and the resultant need for formal safeguards in coopetition. Instead, I identify an efficient and effective alternative for constraining opportunism. This indicates that establishing, maintaining, and ultimately achieving value creation in coopetition relationships may be less challenging and costly than the literature assumes. Given the benefits of coopetition for both firms and society, this has important economy-level implications

Mapping the landscape of male-on-male rape in London: an analysis of cases involving male victims reported between 2005 and 2012

Male-on-male rape remains an under-researched area, and little is known about the characteristics and outcomes of this type of crime. This study examines 122 rape cases involving young adult and adult male victims reported to the London Metropolitan Police Service between 2005 and 2012. Overall, there were a number of similarities with cases involving female victims; however, male cases were more likely to involve strangers, substance use, and a victim with mental health issues, alluding to specific vulnerabilities. Moreover, younger victims, victims with poor mental health, and victims who had consumed alcohol or drugs were less likely to have their cases referred to prosecutors and more likely to be ‘no-crimed’ by police. This paper provides unique insight into the profile and trajectories of male-on-male rape cases, and preliminary recommendations for both police practice and future research are provided