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The study sets out to explore the mediating role of intellectual capital (IC) dimensions (i.e. human, structural and relational) between scholars' affiliation to online academic networks and institutional knowledge capitalization. Online academic networks are tackled through the lens of knowledge networks which have been of primary importance for new relevant knowledge acquisition during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A questionnaire-based survey of 305 academics from 35 different countries was conducted from July to December 2021, employing a partial least squares structural equation modelling technique. The database was initially filtered to ensure the adequacy of the sample, and data were analyzed using the statistics software package SmartPLS 3.0.

Evidence was brought forward that the proposed conceptual model accounted for 52.5% of the variance in institutional knowledge capitalization, the structural and relational capital availed by knowledge networks exerting strong positive influence on the dependent variable.

The study has both research and managerial implications in that it approaches a topical phenomenon, namely the capitalization of online academic networks in the COVID-19 context, which has dramatically altered the way that research and teaching are conducted worldwide.

The most important contribution of the paper resides in the comprehensive research model advanced which covers individual, organizational and network multifaced layers, starting with the personal and institutional motives to join a specialized network, continuing with the opportunities provided by knowledge networks in terms of intellectual capital harnessing, and ending with its influence on higher education organizations.

This paper aims to examine the use of online social networks by doctoral students.

A quantitative online survey was conducted – 448 doctoral students from 15 universities and 11 research institutes in Lithuania were asked about their participation in both academic and non-academic online social networks.

The results show that despite efforts to link academics to society, doctoral students are not supported by universities/research institutes nor are doctoral students trained for this purpose, including regarding such threats as offensive posts. Additionally, more comprehensive information is disclosed in academic social networks, but these networks are less common and less frequently used.

International doctoral students in Lithuania cover about 4.4 per cent of the total population of doctoral students. They were not invited to participate in the survey. Furthermore, doctoral students consider any online social network as their professional (academic) network, as was found from our results. This resulted in the confusion of our definition of academic online social networks.

Learning about the diverse online roles doctoral students may take could be facilitated were doctoral students to receive clear and consistent awareness-raising and develop self-awareness in the importance of the roles, the most central online social networks and potential threats, and related institutional support to address them.

This study provides results on how engagement of doctoral students in online social networks might affect their links with society and what academic institutions should promote in doctoral education.

Drawing on the experience of the Observatories, a set of interconnected research centers in Italy, this chapter explains why academics are in one of the best positions to orchestrate interorganizational initiatives of change and development, and highlights two prerequisites that appear necessary to render salient this orchestrator role of academics: (i) the extensive use of multiple approaches of collaborative research and (ii) the creation and maintenance of a platform allowing the management and diffusion of the network-based learning mechanisms underlying each change and development effort. The contributions extend existing knowledge on organization development and collaborative research.

The purpose of this study is to explore the antecedents of digital technology adoption by firms, specifically the role of strategic leader social ties such as board networks and executive academic connections in promoting digital transformation. Moreover, the authors also aim to examine the moderating effect of exploratory innovation strategy on the relationship between board networks, academic connections and digital transformation.

This study uses the panel data of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2010 to 2019. Through text analysis of data such as company annual report, media interaction, asset annotation and International Patent Classification, the authors measure degrees of digital transformation from four dimensions: management attention, media discussion, digital input and digital output. Further, this study employs social network analysis and instrumental variable method to examine the causal relationship between strategic leader social ties and digital transformation.

The study finds that an expansive board network can significantly promote the digital transformation process of companies, in which academic connection of senior executives plays a positive synergistic role with board network. Additionally, firms with exploratory innovation strategies are more likely to utilize board networks to accelerate their digital transformation process.

One limitation of this study is the use of Chinese A-share listed companies as the sample, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to other contexts. Additionally, the study focuses only on two types of strategic leader social ties and does not consider other potential antecedents of digital transformation.

This research provides insights for governments to promote digital economy and industrial upgrading. Policymakers can facilitate industrial digital transformation by creating a supportive policy environment that encourages university–industry collaboration. By fostering academic entrepreneurship and cross-border knowledge transfer, governments can create a thriving ecosystem for digital innovation, thereby enhancing industrial competitiveness and economic growth.

This study helps to improve social welfare. By reducing production costs and enhancing customer experience, digital transformation increases economic surplus for both consumers and manufacturers, enabling society as a whole to benefit from the digital dividend. By promoting collaboration across borders and embracing a digital-friendly culture, businesses and governments can achieve long-term success in the digital age and contribute to building more prosperous and sustainable societies.

This research makes several contributions to the literature on digital transformation and leadership. Firstly, this paper empirically examines the role of board network and executive academic connection in promoting the adoption of digital technology, filling the research gap of leadership antecedents of digital transformation. Secondly, the authors put forward a relatively comprehensive measure for digital transformation, which could help to advance the literature on digital transformation and provide a more nuanced perspective on this topic. Finally, the paper enriches the theoretical understanding of board network and executive academic connection from the perspective of social capital theory and organizational learning theory.

This study analyses the role of social networks and their effects on academics' entrepreneurial intentions (AEI), from an academic cognitive perspective. Specifically, the paper investigates how business (distinguishing between industrial and financial links) and personal social networks, through opportunity-relevant information and support, could influence academics' intentions to start a business venture on the basis of their research knowledge. The paper examines the mediator roles of entrepreneurial attitudes (EA) and self-efficacy on opportunity recognition (SOR) as important psychological variables for academics. In the same context, the paper examines the mediator role of gender.

The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling analysis, on a sample population of 500 Spanish academics engaged in commercially oriented fields of research.

The results obtained highlight the positive roles played by business (industrial and financial) networks, both directly in promoting AEI, and indirectly via EA and SOR. The paper finds that male and female academics differ in their perceptions of support from business and financial networks and in their use of these resources in business start-up.

An understanding of these issues offers opportunities to shape government interventions to assist academic entrepreneurs embarking on a business venture, or those already active in this respect, increasing their effectiveness in building, utilizing and enhancing the quality of networking activities.

The paper explores business networking for academics as a factor promoting entrepreneurship. Furthermore, the paper considers an under-researched area that of female entrepreneurship in what is traditionally considered a male-dominated activity.

The purpose of this paper is to explore whether the Medici Fellowship Scheme addressed attitudinal and resource barriers to the commercialisation of knowledge within five research‐intensive universities. The following research questions were explored: Did the Medici fellows change the attitudes of academic network members in host departments towards the commercialisation of research? Did the Medici Fellowship Scheme encourage fellows to accumulate human and social capital? Did the Medici Fellowship Scheme encourage fellows to leverage their academic and practitioner networks?

The scheme was implemented in Biomedical departments across five universities located in the Midlands in England. Six months after the completion of the scheme information was consistently gathered from six Medici fellows, six technology transfer officers (TTOs) and six senior academics. Face‐to‐face interviews were conducted. Information was gathered through structured and semi‐structured open‐ended questions.

Fellows who accumulated human and social capital were able to act as agents of attitudinal change in their host departments. The fellows did not markedly change the culture towards commercialization, but they addressed several structural holes by building network bridges with actors positioned in practitioner networks. They created new weak ties with external actors who provided early stage funding, market and legal information and potential customers. Fellows also strengthened existing ties within academic networks both inter and intra university. The career destinations of the fellows after the scheme helped sustain bridging behaviour by providing points of contact for their peers and/or by demonstrating the viability of alternative sources of funding and prestige for academics.

Despite a widely perceived successful scheme, structural holes were still apparent in the monitored departments. Additional bridges need to be built between academic networks and actors, such as surrogate entrepreneurs and private equity financiers, to ensure the sustained development of new ventures.

Guided by insights from human and social capital theory and network theory the outcomes associated with a novel structured training initiative were monitored. Case study evidence was gathered from three types of university stakeholders (i.e. Medici fellows, TTOs and senior academics) involved in the commercialisation process.

The aim of this exploratory study is to investigate the role of personal networks in supporting academics' professional learning. In particular, the paper examines the composition of academics' networks and the implications of network tendencies for academics' learning about teaching.

The study adopts a mixed-methods approach. Firstly, the composition of academics' networks is examined using social network analysis. Secondly, the role of these networks in academics' learning about teaching is analysed through semi-structured interviews.

Findings reveal the prevalence of localised and strong-tie connections, which could inhibit opportunities for effective learning and spread of innovations in teaching. The study highlights the need to promote connectivity within and across institutions, creating favourable conditions for effective professional learning.

While the study makes a valuable contribution to the literature, the generalisability of these findings is limited, because the sample is restricted to 37 academics. Participants' characteristics and networking behaviours may not be fully representative of academics in a wider range of contexts and settings. Another limitation is that the evaluation of people's learning was limited to self-reported measures. Future research should measure a broader range of evidence related to academics' professional networks.

This study extends the discussion of professional learning in academia in a novel way, by taking a social network perspective. The approach employed attempts to enrich the limited understanding of academics' networks, by unpacking the ways in which academics' personal networks support their learning.

The originality of this work lies in its intent to uncover relationships that condition professional learning and enhancement of teaching practice. Reflection on personal networks can potentially enable individuals to determine the effectiveness of their networks and the significance of their network connections.

Three different governing boards of higher education in Louisiana joined together to create the Louisiana Online University Information System (LOUIS). Key players in this endeavor describe progress from an idea formulated in 1990 to the 1993 reality of an effective statewide online system. Improved services to users and more effective use of collections are examples of what the various libraries throughout Louisiana are expecting to realize from this collective action. Various lessons learned are detailed. Budget components are addressed openly. In 1993, the state of Louisiana was awarded a federal $2.48 million grant that enabled the completion of this statewide infrastructure. Other states contemplating a statewide library network may want to look closely at the planning for and implementation of LOUIS.

This chapter explores the prevalent role of networks, both in person and online, in the gendered academy. The voices and reflections of women scholars are drawn upon to highlight the increasingly important role of social media in the [gendered] academy; implications of networks and social media as a contemporary networking tool are deliberated. Social media may not only boost an individual academics' visibility but also serve as a valuable and efficient networking tool, a navigational compass for academic networks. Brief tips and guidance as to making your online network work for you are also provided in the chapter.

The present study aimed to investigate the impact of social networks on the use of academic libraries by university students.

The method used in the present study was a survey. The statistical population included 461 university students. The data collection tool was a questionnaire. The result of the Cronbach test was equal to 0.726 indicating the acceptable reliability of the questionnaire. For data analysis, descriptive statistical methods and inferential statistical methods using SPSS 21 software were employed.

The findings showed that 243 of the participants used social networks for 4–6 h a day, 192 students never used university libraries and 229 used the university library only once in a month. Communication with friends was also reported to be one of the main goals in using social networks. The results of regression analysis also indicated that four predictor variables including information retrieval, social influence, trust and attractiveness of social networking environment were statistically able to explain the variance of reluctance to use university libraries.

The present study is one of the few studies that has examined the negative impact of social networks on visiting university libraries.