Social capital Management
Year:2020 | Volume:7 | Issue:1|Papers Count:6

The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of physical activity on depression in the elderly considering the mediating role of social capital. This study is an applied research in terms of purpose and a descriptive-correlational one based on structural equation modeling in terms of data collection methods. The statistical population of the study was all the elderly over 55 years old in Qom who had continuous physical activity and exercise. The sample consisted of 203 people who were selected through purposive sampling. In order to measure the variables, Karimiyan’ s (1396) physical activity participation rate, Nahapiet and Ghoshal’ s (1998) social capital, and Beck’ s (1972) depression questionnaires were used. The validity of the questionnaires was confirmed based on a survey of 12 sports management professors, while their reliability coefficients were found through Cronbach's alpha to be 0. 83, 0. 87, and 0. 79, respectively, using a pilot test. The findings of the study obtained through structural equation modeling showed that physical activity has a negative and significant effect on the elderly depression rate through the mediating role of social capital. As a result, social capital might effectively reduce the elderly depression rate by increasing social relationships, social support, and social trust obtained through participation in sports activities.

According to the agency theory, the company manager may use his discretion to maximize his personal welfare. Thus, on the one hand, he manages earnings and on the other hand – based on the entrenchment strategy – uses his discretion to conceal the negative effect of earnings management on the firm value by performing and disclosing real social responsibility activities or by formally disclosing such activities (where both will have a positive effect on the company reputation and stakeholders’ support). The main purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of earnings management on the relationship between social responsibility and the firm value. To this end, a sample of 150 companies listed in the Tehran Stock Exchange during the period 2011-2016 has been used to test the research hypotheses. The research findings obtained through regression analysis showed that carrying out social responsibility activities increases the value of the company in the stock market, but earnings management cannot affect the relationship between social responsibility and stock market value of the company. It seems that on the one hand, due to the novelty of the social responsibility discussion in Iran, both in its performing and disclosing, managers are not aware of the enveloping effect of the disclosure of social activities on the abuse of their discretion. On the other hand, because of the deficiencies in Iran's capital market, investors do not get aware of the lowered quality of social responsibility.

Competing in international export markets poses considerable challenges to companies and calls for dynamic capabilities. This study aimed at identifying the dynamic capabilities necessary to be successful in export markets and investigating the effect of external social capital on identified dynamic capabilities considering the mediating role of exchange climate. The study was a mix-method research project, and included qualitative and quantitative phases. Semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis were used to collect and analyze qualitative data. Thematic analysis resulted in the extraction of five sub-themes and two broad themes for dynamic capabilities. The sub-themes of “ export market exploitation” and “ manufacturing flexibility capabilities” were categorized into the broad theme of “ exploitation dynamic capabilities. ” In addition, the sub-themes of “ export market exploration” , “ research and development” , and “ export entrepreneurial orientation capabilities” were classified into the broad theme of “ exploration dynamic capabilities. ” In the quantitative phase, research population included export companies of Isfahan province selected as top export companies in 2016 and 2017. The statistical population was limited, so all of the population members were studied. The data was collected via a questionnaire and analyzed through structural equation modeling conducted by Smart PLS3. The obtained results indicated that external social capital positively influences dynamic capabilities and exchange climate. Moreover, the mediating role of exchange climate in the relationship between external social capital and dynamic capabilities was confirmed.

oday’ s fast-changing and uncertain business world has changed the competitive business environment, and organizations must pay attention to innovation to achieve success, growth, and competitive advantages. Accordingly, the main objective of this study was to examine the effect of social capital on strategic innovation in insurance companies of Tehran. Furthermore, the study intended to examine the role of innovative climate in strengthening or weakening the foregoing relationship. The study was comparative in terms of approach and a correlational survey in terms of data collection. To this end, after reviewing the literature and designing the conceptual model, a questionnaire consisting of 21 questions was distributed among 43 companies. At least three managers from every company answered the questions, and the average scores of their responses were analyzed. Face and content validity of the questionnaire was verified based on expert opinion and the use of a standard questionnaire, while its construct validity was ensured through confirmatory factor analysis. In addition, the reliability of the questionnaire was approved by the application of Cronbach's alpha test and composite reliability. Then, the collected data was analyzed using Smart PLS software through the correlation matrix, the structural equation modeling, and the model fitness analysis. Finally, it was found that social capital is effective on strategic innovation. In addition, the innovative organizational climate has a mediating role in the relationship between social capital and strategic innovation.

One of the key factors that influences democracy is social capital. The current study seeks to investigate the effect of social capital of Non-Governmental Organizations of Markazi province in Iran on democracy. The intended indicators of social capital are social trust, participation, and cohesion. To this end, the theories of Putnam, Coleman, and Fukuyama have been used. In addition, data collection was done through survey (using a questionnaire) and document analysis (using books and articles). Then, using Amos software and structural equation modeling, confirmatory factor analysis was performed, while the descriptive statistics were obtained using SPSS software. The Cronbach's alpha for 22 items was found to be 0. 929, which is an acceptable rate of reliability. The statistical population included the members of Markazi province NGOs (1304 individuals), out of which a sample of 384 participants was selected using stratified random sampling based on the Cochran formula. The findings of the study revealed that the social capital of Markazi province NGOs has a positive and significant effect on democracy. It plays an important role in realizing the socio-cultural forefront of the Revolution, creating democratic institutions and developing a civil society, and synergizing all capacities to organize the political objectives of Iran, fight enemies, and face challenges ahead. NGOs should attract and use talented and young individuals to reach their goals. They should also have mutual relationships with various networks, organizations, governmental organizations, and different layers of people.

Considering the importance of the social capital subject and its unique role in the context of a multifaceted phenomenon such as sports that can underpin various interdisciplinary studies and be of interest to researchers, the necessity of having a valid and reliable instrument matching the context of sports is increasingly felt. Therefore, this study aimed at determining the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the Social Capital Questionnaire in recreational-sports clubs by Forsell, Tower, and Polman (2018). The methodology of this study is descriptive-survey, and in terms of purpose, it is an applied study. The power-based sample size estimation was performed using SPSS Sample Power software. Indices such as confirmatory factor analysis based on structural equation modeling were used to evaluate the validity and reliability of the tool. In addition, maximum and average shared variance (for discriminant validity), average variance extracted (for convergent validity), and Cronbach's alpha and combined reliability (to estimate internal consistency and component reliability) were used. The results of all indices showed the desirable evaluation of the instrument in the sport context. In other words, empirical data supported the theoretical model of research. Therefore, it is recommended that the Persian version of the Social Capital questionnaire in the sports context can be used as a suitable tool for studying and evaluating the social capital in sports.