A perceptional view of the Coleman model of trust

In his classic model of trust, Coleman (1990) argues that the decision of an actor to trust or not is a function of the expected gain and loss involved. In this paper we show how actors who attempt to recruit others into network marketing employ narrative in manipulating the recruit's expectations. For example, we show how the costs involved in recruiting friends and family into network marketing are transformed into benefit through narrative strategies. Through the strategic use of narrative, recruiters change the recruit's perception of the parameters of the Coleman model and make perfectly rational behavior that was not considered rational before. In addition, we argue that recruiters use similar narrative on themselves in reconfirming the validity of their own previous decision to trust.

The specification of weight structures in network autocorrelation models of social influence

Many physical and social phenomena are embedded within networks of interdependencies, the so-called 'context' of these phenomena. In network analysis, this type of process is typically modeled as a network autocorrelation model. Parameter estimates and inferences based on autocorrelation models, hinge upon the chosen specification of weight matrix , the elements of which represent the influence pattern present in the network In this paper I discuss how social influence processes can be incorporated in the specification of . Theories of social influence center around 'communication' and 'comparison'; it is discussed how these can be operationalized in a network analysis context. Starting from that, a series of operationalizations of W is discussed. finally, statistical tests are presented that allow an analyst to test various specifications against one another or pick the best fitting model from a set of models.

Corporate social capital and strategic management paradigm:a contingency view on organizational performance

The strategic management paradigm explains organizational performance through the alignment between environment, strategy, and reference points. We extend this paradigm by incorporating the role of interorganizational networks on firm performance, thus integrating strategic management and corporate social capital theory. This results in four normative propositions that describe the conditions under which particular interfirm network structures assist or impede firm performance

The specification of weight structures in network autocorrelation models of social influence

Many physical and social phenomena are embedded within networks of interdependencies, the so-called 'context' of these phenomena. In network analysis, this type of process is typically modeled as a network autocorrelation model. Parameter estimates and inferences based on autocorrelation models, hinge upon the chosen specification of weight matrix , the elements of which represent the influence pattern present in the network In this paper I discuss how social influence processes can be incorporated in the specification of . Theories of social influence center around 'communication' and 'comparison'; it is discussed how these can be operationalized in a network analysis context. Starting from that, a series of operationalizations of W is discussed. finally, statistical tests are presented that allow an analyst to test various specifications against one another or pick the best fitting model from a set of models.

A perceptional view of the Coleman model of trust

In his classic model of trust, Coleman (1990) argues that the decision of an actor to trust or not is a function of the expected gain and loss involved. In this paper we show how actors who attempt to recruit others into network marketing employ narrative in manipulating the recruit's expectations. For example, we show how the costs involved in recruiting friends and family into network marketing are transformed into benefit through narrative strategies. Through the strategic use of narrative, recruiters change the recruit's perception of the parameters of the Coleman model and make perfectly rational behavior that was not considered rational before. In addition, we argue that recruiters use similar narrative on themselves in reconfirming the validity of their own previous decision to trust.