Betweenness Centrality as a Driver of Preferential Attachment in the Evolution of Research Collaboration Networks

We analyze whether preferential attachment in scientific coauthorship networks is different for authors with different forms of centrality. Using a complete database for the scientific specialty of research about "steel structures," we show that betweenness centrality of an existing node is a significantly better predictor of preferential attachment by new entrants than degree or closeness centrality. During the growth of a network, preferential attachment shifts from (local) degree centrality to betweenness centrality as a global measure. An interpretation is that supervisors of PhD projects and postdocs broker between new entrants and the already existing network, and thus become focal to preferential attachment. Because of this mediation, scholarly networks can be expected to develop differently from networks which are predicated on preferential attachment to nodes with high degree centrality.Comment: Journal of Informetrics (in press

Temporal Social Coordination Through Social Networks

Temporal communication is mainly associated with the concept of time. The social network derived from temporal environment is constantly changing; a communication link can be connected and disconnected highly frequently. Further with the communication technology such as cell phone, time itself has shifted from an absolute time to a relative time. Mobile communication is closely related with temporal communication, due to its micro coordination property and also the constant establishment of links and breakage of links from time to time. To study the network in the temporal domain, we are constrained by the relative time concept. As communication behaviour is highly dynamic, we expect formation of new ties and breakages of existing ties over time. This is especially different when comparing to social network studies conducted through self report surveys as the network through self report survey remains relatively static for the duration of the survey. In our study, we are interested in how a person would be expanding its network only. Thus we use an accumulated network structure to study the total links a person acquires over time and how such influences the network position

Hybrid Centrality Measures for Binary and Weighted Networks

Existing centrality measures for social network analysis suggest the im-portance of an actor and give consideration to actor's given structural position in a network. These existing measures suggest specific attribute of an actor (i.e., popularity, accessibility, and brokerage behavior). In this study, we propose new hybrid centrality measures (i.e., Degree-Degree, Degree-Closeness and Degree-Betweenness), by combining existing measures (i.e., degree, closeness and betweenness) with a proposition to better understand the importance of actors in a given network. Generalized set of measures are also proposed for weighted networks. Our analysis of co-authorship networks dataset suggests significant correlation of our proposed new centrality measures (especially weighted networks) than traditional centrality measures with performance of the scholars. Thus, they are useful measures which can be used instead of traditional measures to show prominence of the actors in a network.Comment: a short version accepted in the 3rd workshop on Complex Network [Full Paper submitted to JASIST in April 2011

Towards A Complex Adaptive Link Prediction In Health Insurance Fraud

In this paper, we provide a comprehensive review of methodology for detecting anomalies based on the literature, industry expert and our findings. We elicit links between health service providers based on their shared customer base. Looking at the connections of providers, their geographical arrangements and statistical comparison of profile attributes, we highlight links which could be classified as suspicious or fraudulent behaviour

Trust for E-Business Management

How do we develop and sustain trust? What is the process for building trust between business partners in virtual environments? Is there a significant difference between the development and sustainability of trust online or offline? In this paper, we first introduce the concept of e-business and discuss the importance of trust for ensuring effective collaboration. Secondly, we discuss the relationships between e-collaboration and trust for managing e-business. Thirdly, we suggest a framework, which may help facilitate the development and sustainability of trust in an online environment. Finally, implications for the development and sustainability of trust online, which can be used to understand the interplay among technologies, e-business and collaboration is provided. We suggest that the implications of this study are three-fold: trustworthy relationships among business partners, effective sustainable collaboration, and optimal use of ICT for supporting e-business activities

Measuring Coordination through Social Networks

In this study, we explore the correlation between actor centrality and project based coordination. By drawing from established coordination and organisational process theory, a text-mining tool is designed and implemented to measure coordination from a large dataset of emails. Here, we provide effective mechanisms for: (i) cataloguing coordination key phrases from an email corpus; (ii) the calculation of coordination score based on project scope; (iii) the construction of social network matrices using centrality measures, and (iv) approaches for exploring the association between network centrality and coordination score. We argue that actor centrality affects the ability of an individual to coordinate the actions of others. The following questions guide this study--What is the effect of network centrality on organisational coordination? How is the actor’s ability to coordinate projects related to their structural position in the communications network? We developed multi-layered test designs to explore this relationship in a project-based (macro) and cross-project (micro) level. We suggest four major findings from the analysis of communication data from Enron email corpus. Firstly, it is concluded that centrally positioned actors show more coordinative activity. Secondly, it is found that betweenness index of centrality is the most potent predicate for coordination. Thirdly, the influence of an actor is associated with coordination more so than the actor’s prominence. Lastly, results suggest that coordination ability is more closely correlated to actor centrality than the organisational position. It is therefore concluded that centrally ‘well-connected’ people are able to exercise greater coordination within the network structure

Network Structure, ICT Use and Performance Attitudes of Knowledge Workers

In this study, we examine the effect of social network structure and information and communication technologies (ICT) use on performance attitudes of knowledge-intensive workers in dispersed occupational communities. We first develop a theoretical framework and use it to develop a valid and reliable survey instrument. Secondly, we apply structural hole measures (constraint and efficiency) for exploring the association with ICT use and attitudes to performance. Empirical results suggest that density of knowledge workers\u27 professional network is positively associated with ICT use whereas network efficiency is negatively correlated with ICT use at both task and communication-structure level. The findings show that social network structure measures of density, efficiency and constraint are important factors that influence patterns and frequency of ICT use by knowledge workers rather than attitudes to performance

Building and Managing Social Capital in Virtual Communities

We suggest that the development and sustainability of social capital is related to the social context in which individuals, groups or firms operate. Therefore, we argue that there is a direct relationship between how one party conceives to be benefited from being part of another group or network and its implication for the development of social capital. In this paper, we use a social exchange metaphor for understanding the challenges related to the management of social capital in a virtual community. First, we provide an overview of virtual community and discuss the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for supporting this type of community. Second, we address the management challenges for the development process of social capital from a sociological standpoint. Lastly, we suggest the implications of study for the management of social capital in virtual community. The following research questions guide this study—What is/are the key strategic challenges for the management of social capital in virtual community? How do establish an effective knowledge sharing process for supporting the development of social capital in a virtual community? How can the social exchange metaphor help in managing the strategic challenges related to the formation of social capital in a virtual community