The Benefits and Pitfalls of Social Capital: Empirical Evidence from Two Organizations in the United Kingdom *

Recently, there has been a shift in the way management scholars view the firm, from traditional models that are based on ideas of opportunism and market failure to newer knowledge‐based theories that argue for a more socialized perspective. One of the key components of these theories is the notion of social capital. Social capital is the set of resources that accrue to an individual or group by virtue of their social connections. As such, it is a resource that is jointly owned. Most recent research adopts a more‐is‐better approach to social capital, suggesting that individuals with larger quantity of ties derive more positive benefits. However in this paper, we argue that using social capital has both benefits and drawbacks for organizations, and that these positive and negative aspects of social capital occur simultaneously. To substantiate our claim, we use data collected from sets of interviews with senior and middle managers in two organizations in the United Kingdom. Our findings indicate that while social capital has many beneficial effects with respect to information access and retrieval, community building, and underlying group norms, there are also a number of less‐beneficial aspects, which are under‐explored in the current empirical literature. Furthermore, we suggest that organizations must develop an understanding of the bridging and bonding elements of social capital, as these are critical for its implementation. Implications of the research findings and future research directions are discussed.     

Modelling safety climate in the prediction of levels of safety activity

This study examined the architecture of the relationships between components of organizational safety climate, including employee attitudes to safety issues and perceptions of the work environment, and related this to self-reported levels of safety activity. Data were collected from a large multinational manufacturing organization by questionnaire. A total of 915 valid questionnaires were returned and formed the basis for structural equation modelling and subsequent analyses. These data showed that a common structure, or architecture, of attitudes to safety issues and perceptions of the work environment could be constructed that explained levels of safety activity. The strength of employees' attitudes with regard to safety management played a pivotal role in this model through both direct and indirect paths. This is consistent with earlier findings on the importance of management commitment in organizations with well developed safety cultures. An examination of the differences between plants/sites showed that employees differed in their attitudes to safety issues, such as the management of safety and communication, and in their perceptions of workplace hazards. It is intended that this model be further utilized within the organization under study as a basis for monitoring safety performance and planned improvements in safety.     

A "READER'S THEATER" INTERVENTION TO MANAGING GRIEF: POSTTHERAPY REFLECTIONS BY A FAMILY AND CLINICAL TEAM

The sudden and accidental death of a child can be one of the most devastating events in the life of a family. This paper describes one couple's reflections of their grief and mourning following the death of their adolescent son as well as the clinical team's reflections of therapy. The uniqueness of this paper is that it offers a "reader's theater" intervention that enabled further change to occur. The clinical team used a belief model, emphasizing that altering constraining beliefs is at the heart of healing from such tragedies as sudden death (Wright, Watson, & Bell, 1996). This approach is operationalized through therapeutic conversations between family members, clinician, and clinical team. Interventions such as reflecting teams, therapeutic letters, and "homework tasks" were used to modify or challenge constraining beliefs of both the family members and the clinical team members. However, the intent to co-author a paper with this couple provided the serendipity intervention of a "reader's theater" that further served to identify, affirm, and solidify facilitating beliefs.     

Adolescent slot machine dependency and delinquency: Questions on a question of methodology

This paper responds to Abbott, Palmisano and Dickersons' methodological challenge to Fisher's (1992) study of adolescent fruit machine gamblers, carried out with young video game players. It is argued that important differences in the game under study, the measure of pathological gambling used and sample characteristics seriously undermine the extent to which a comparison and extrapolation of findings are achieved. In the analysis which follows, the author wishes to highlight areas of constructive criticism as well as limitations to the challenge with the aim of progressing academic endeavour in this important field.     

Governmental response to juvenile fruit machine gambling in the U.K: Where do we go from here?

The U.K. Gaming Act of 1968 prohibits young people under the age of eighteen years from all commercial gambling except on slot machines, commonly known as fruit machines and officially known as amusements with prizes. The U.K. Government responded to growing public concern, that some children are becoming addicted to this form of gambling and committing crime to fund their play, by directing the Home Office to undertake its own investigation. The researchers found no evidence of an association between the playing of amusement machines, dependency and delinquency. The Home Office study is critically assessed both on its own merit and in the light of research undertaken before and since. Suggestions are made for future sociological research initiatives.The author would like to thank the Economic and Social Research Council for funding this work through a Research Studentship Grant. The author would also like to thank David Dunkerley and Mark Griffiths for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper.     

Raising the Titanic: Rescuing Social Work Documentation from the Sea of Ethical Risk

Abstract

One of the most contentious issues in social work practice concerns what should be written about people who access social work services, how comprehensively, and in what format social work assessments, interventions, and outcomes should be documented. The present paper describes a structured approach linked to an action research project that was undertaken by hospital-based social workers to identify and minimise problems associated with documentation in the medical record. The Social Work Ethics Audit provided social work staff with a risk-management tool that highlighted documentation as a key area of ethical risk. Through a process of evaluating existing recording practices, social workers were able to meet the challenge of improving social work recording in medical records, returning it to its proper place as a vital component of clinical and ethical practice rather than an administrative task submerged beneath competing priorities. It was anticipated that the social work documentation proforma that resulted from the ethics audit process would have applicability in other health care settings.     

Men's Self-Perceived Adequacy as the Family Breadwinner: Implications for Their Psychological, Marital, and Work-Family Weil-Being

Researchers note a link between men's changing role as the family breadwinner and declines in their personal and marital well-being. To explore this link more fully, two aspects of the breadwinner role, earner status (single- [n = 50], main-[n = 46], dual-earner [n = 43]) and self-perceived adequacy as the family breadwinner, were examined. Using analysis of variance, 139 family men are compared in terms of measures of psychological, marital, and work-family well-being. Self-perceived inadequate breadwinners (n = 51) report more depression and marital conflict than adequate breadwinners (n = 88). Men in single-earner families report less work-family stress than either main- or dual-earner men. If they perceive themselves as inadequate breadwinners, time conflicts between work and family responsibilities are a concern for men in main-earner families. If they view themselves as adequate breadwinners, dual-earner men report a greater sense of work-family role overload than if they view themselves as inadequate breadwinners.     

Use of an Online Community to Provide Support to Caregivers of People With Dementia

One challenge faced by many family members caring for persons with dementia is lack of information about how to take care of others and themselves. This is especially important for persons from ethnic minority groups, because linguistically and culturally appropriate information is often not available. In response to these needs, we developed a web site for Spanish-speaking caregivers. Cuidatecuidador.com provides bilingual information on dementia and caregiver issues. Content was developed and then evaluated by caregivers residing in 3 countries. Findings suggest trends that exposure to information may be related to a higher sense of mastery and a reduction of depressive symptomatology.     

Long-Term Care of Older Adults in Malta: Influencing Factors and Their Social Impacts Amid The International Financial Crisis

ABSTRACT

This article explores recent changes in long-term care (LTC) for older persons in Malta, resulting from restructuring or other contextual factors related to the international financial crisis. The ageing population continues to grow, while traditional ways of providing care for the ageing population are progressively dwindling. Waiting lists for residential care have grown longer, although public-private partnerships have served to shorten these lists to some degree. Community care services are not keeping pace with need, and the frail elderly wishing to remain in their own homes often cannot do so without significant assistance from other sources.

Service recipients fall into four groups: those affording private residential care; those granted a government-subsidized residential bed; those cared for at home by relatives; and those similarly cared for by nonfamily live-in caregivers with (or without) input from family members. Existent data are reviewed and analyzed along with a focus group of 30 stakeholders to explore this topic further. Future recommendations are made and consequences are explored as caregiving options move away from the responsibility of the traditional family system toward greater pressure on state-provided care, use of expensive private care, and waiting lists to secure services.     

Modeling sensitivity and specificity with a time-varying reference standard within a longitudinal setting

Diagnostic tests are used in a wide range of behavioral, medical, psychosocial, and healthcare-related research. Test sensitivity and specificity are the most popular measures of accuracy for diagnostic tests. Available methods for analyzing longitudinal study designs assume fixed gold or reference standards and as such do not apply to studies with dynamically changing reference standards, which are especially popular in psychosocial research. In this article, we develop a novel approach to address missing data and other related issues for modeling sensitivity and specificity within such a time-varying reference standard setting. The approach is illustrated with real as well as simulated data.