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Article
Publication date: 19 June 2017

Christofer Laurell

The aim of this paper is to conceptually explore how spatial features of social media can be explained.

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to conceptually explore how spatial features of social media can be explained.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a conceptual approach, specific spatial features of social media are reviewed in terms of location, locale and sense of place within the wider frame of the social media landscape.

Findings

In the literature stream of social media management and marketing, central conceptualisations relate implicitly to the notions of space and place. By drawing from the field of human geography, this implicit spatiality of social media is made explicit by approaching social media applications as the building blocks of digital space in which digital places are created, maintained and integrated with each other over time as a result of interactions and relationships forming between users that inhabit digital places.

Originality/value

The present paper contributes to extant literature by providing a spatial approach to social media that depicts the character of social media, its interrelation with the physical world, as well as how it currently transforms and evolves. Furthermore, it also addresses how social media places represent settings in which social meaning of commercial relevance is created that affects the way consumption activities take place beyond the physical realm of human co-existence.

Details

Management Research Review, vol. 40 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8269

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 January 2019

Samanthi Silva and Stefan Schaltegger

The necessity to assess and manage supply chains to be free from social problems such as human and labour rights abuses has become particularly apparent since the introduction of…

1233

Abstract

Purpose

The necessity to assess and manage supply chains to be free from social problems such as human and labour rights abuses has become particularly apparent since the introduction of conflict minerals regulations in the United States (Dodd-Frank Act) and the European Union. Similarly, stakeholders demand that products are free from social problems. Ever more companies are therefore challenged to assess and manage social issues in their supply chains. At the same time, the increasing literature on assessment and management of social issues is disperse and an overview missing. This paper aims to provide an overview of the existing literature on social assessment and management approaches relating to conflict minerals and connected to social issues in supply chains.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of the academic literature on social assessment and management of conflict minerals to provide an overview is currently missing. This paper addresses this gap by systematically reviewing the existing research literature on approaches for the social assessment and management of conflict minerals from a supply chain perspective.

Findings

The systematic literature review found 21 social assessment and 30 social management approaches with reference to conflict minerals, with the most referenced approach being the OECD guidelines. Overall, the conflict mineral related literature discusses rather general social assessment and management approaches, such as codes of conduct, while the effectiveness of the approaches is not analysed in depth. The paper finds that an analysis of the effectiveness and interlinkages of different approaches is missing. The large variety of social and human rights issues addressed in the academic literature ranges from corruption to violence, going beyond the scope of regulations focused on conflict minerals. This indicates that regulations on conflict minerals and the consequences for management are seen as a specific case with wider implications for future regulations and the necessity for management to solve social problems in supply chains in an effective way.

Research limitations/implications

The review paper is conceptual and develops a framework to classify social assessment and management approaches for conflict minerals, drawing on the supply chain management literature.

Practical implications

The overview reveals that research refers to broader social assessment and management approaches indicating wider implications for assessing and managing social issues in supply chains in general, irrespective of whether they are conflict mineral related. Research has, however, so far not addressed the effectiveness and interlinkages between social assessment and management approaches. The aim of the emerging regulations, however, is to foster more effective management of social issues in supply chains. Management is therefore challenged to develop and implement innovative approaches to effectively reduce social problems in supply chains beyond conflict minerals. Conclusions are drawn for management and research.

Social implications

The paper highlights the need for collaboration with NGOs, industry associations and suppliers, recommending to engage in supplier development.

Originality/value

The paper conducts the first systematic review of academic literature on conflict mineral related social assessment and management approaches. A framework is proposed to classify social assessment and management approaches based on supply chain management literature. While conflict minerals often represent a small fraction of components in a product, they can have huge and costly implications for companies, which require (potentially) large changes for the sourcing and supply strategy of a company. Conflict mineral regulations represent the first attempt to regulate social and human rights abuses in supply chains holding companies responsible for misconduct caused by suppliers abroad.

Details

Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, vol. 10 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8021

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 June 2014

Ingrid Alina Christensen and Silvia Schiaffino

The purpose of this paper is to propose an approach to generate recommendations for groups on the basis of social factors extracted from a social network. Group recommendation…

3371

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose an approach to generate recommendations for groups on the basis of social factors extracted from a social network. Group recommendation techniques traditionally assumed users were independent individuals, ignoring the effects of social interaction and relationships among users. In this work the authors analyse the social factors available in social networks in the light of sociological theories which endorse individuals’ susceptibility to influence within a group.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach proposed is based on the creation of a group model in two stages: identifying the items that are representative of the majority's preferences, and analysing members’ similarity; and extracting potential influence from members’ interactions in a social network to predict a group's opinion on each item.

Findings

The promising results obtained when evaluating the approach in the movie domain suggest that individual opinions tend to be accommodated to group satisfaction, as demonstrated by the incidence of the aforementioned factors in collective behaviour, as endorsed by sociological research. Moreover the findings suggest that these factors have dissimilar impacts on group satisfaction.

Originality/value

The results obtained provide clues about how social influence exerted within groups could alter individuals’ opinions when a group has a common goal. There is limited research in this area exploring social influence in group recommendations; thus the originality of this perspective lies in the use of sociological theory to explain social influence in groups of users, and the flexibility of the approach to be applied in any domain. The findings could be helpful for group recommender systems developers both at research and commercial levels.

Details

Online Information Review, vol. 38 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1468-4527

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 August 2021

Leandro da Silva Nascimento, Fernanda Kalil Steinbruch, Daniel Max de Sousa Oliveira, Júlio César da Costa Júnior and Fernando Bins Luce

Due to social enterprises' (SEs) relevance to social value creation, marketing increases its attention to these hybrid organizations. However, there is no consensus on how…

Abstract

Purpose

Due to social enterprises' (SEs) relevance to social value creation, marketing increases its attention to these hybrid organizations. However, there is no consensus on how strategic marketing can improve SE performance. Thus, this paper aims to discuss how commercial, social and societal strategic marketing approaches relate to compensatory and transformative social entrepreneurship scopes to improve SE performance.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is conceptual. We hold discussions and raise reflections to advance knowledge on both marketing and social entrepreneurship fields, more precisely by intertwining them.

Findings

We develop a conceptual model for adapting three strategic marketing approaches to compensatory and transformative SEs. We argue that SEs have three types of performances: commercial, social and societal. Social and commercial strategic marketing are essential for SEs acting in compensating local failures of capitalism. Societal and commercial strategic marketing are essential for SEs focused on transformative actions to changing global system. Such relations can leverage social impact, which we conceptualize as compensatory or transformative.

Practical implications

The model contributes to improvements on strategic marketing decisions by marketers and entrepreneurs in social entrepreneurship.

Originality/value

We propose a decomposition of strategic marketing into three approaches: commercial, social and societal, which constitutes a novelty to the field. This can facilitate management of SEs with different actions and performances, whether at local or international levels.

Details

Marketing Intelligence & Planning, vol. 39 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-4503

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1985

Tomas Riha

Nobody concerned with political economy can neglect the history of economic doctrines. Structural changes in the economy and society influence economic thinking and, conversely…

2554

Abstract

Nobody concerned with political economy can neglect the history of economic doctrines. Structural changes in the economy and society influence economic thinking and, conversely, innovative thought structures and attitudes have almost always forced economic institutions and modes of behaviour to adjust. We learn from the history of economic doctrines how a particular theory emerged and whether, and in which environment, it could take root. We can see how a school evolves out of a common methodological perception and similar techniques of analysis, and how it has to establish itself. The interaction between unresolved problems on the one hand, and the search for better solutions or explanations on the other, leads to a change in paradigma and to the formation of new lines of reasoning. As long as the real world is subject to progress and change scientific search for explanation must out of necessity continue.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 12 no. 3/4/5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 17 February 2022

Ulla-Maija Sutinen

The paper aims to elucidate the potential of a socio-cultural approach to social marketing. Drawing on a practice-theoretical understanding of change, the paper discusses how a…

2869

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to elucidate the potential of a socio-cultural approach to social marketing. Drawing on a practice-theoretical understanding of change, the paper discusses how a socio-cultural approach can inform social marketing and enhance the possibilities of the field to address complex, multifaceted issues that require changes beyond the individual.

Design/methodology/approach

While the paper is conceptual in nature, it uses an illustrative example of food waste as the basis for an investigation of what a socio-cultural approach, rooted in practice-theoretical understanding of change, means for social marketing.

Findings

The paper is conceptual in nature but highlights new opportunities for social marketing connected to a socio-cultural approach foregrounding practice changes. The paper introduces potential roles that social marketers can adopt to initiate and support practice changes in the context of food waste.

Practical implications

The paper emphasises the importance of focussing on the socio-culture and practices connected to the issue in question, both when scoping for insight and when developing the ways to address it.

Originality/value

By integrating a practice-theoretical understanding of change, social marketing and food waste literature, the paper offers novel insights about the potential of adopting a socio-cultural approach to social marketing. The paper discusses a socio-cultural approach to social marketing in context, emphasising the roles social marketers can play in practice changes.

Abstract

Details

Breaking the Poverty Code
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83753-521-7

Book part
Publication date: 12 March 2020

Sergio Paternostro

There are still many different theoretical approaches and practical interpretations about what an integrated report is. Starting from this premise, the overall purpose of this…

Abstract

There are still many different theoretical approaches and practical interpretations about what an integrated report is. Starting from this premise, the overall purpose of this chapter is to critically analyze the relationship between integrated reporting (IR) and social/sustainability disclosure. Indeed, although some scholars considered IR as a tool to improve the sustainability approach of the companies allowing to disclose more relevant social information, others are more critical about the potentiality of IR to improve social disclosure. Therefore, the general research question is: Is there a natural link between IR and social disclosure (true love) or is the IR a practice to “normalize” the social disclosure and accounting (forced marriage)?

In the attempt to provide a preliminary answer to the research question, the chapter analyzes what is the approach of three categories: (1) academics; (2) soft-regulators; and (3) companies. From the methodological point of view, a mixed method of analysis has been adopted.

From the analysis of the three different points of view, IR can be considered as a “contested concept” because of the heterogeneous and sometimes conflicting interpretations and implementation that are done on this type of report. This leads to relevant theoretical and practical implications.

Details

Non-Financial Disclosure and Integrated Reporting: Practices and Critical Issues
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83867-964-4

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 20 May 2011

Harry F. Dahms

Any endeavor to circumscribe, with a certain degree of precision, the nature of the relationship between social science and critical theory would appear to be daunting. Over the…

Abstract

Any endeavor to circumscribe, with a certain degree of precision, the nature of the relationship between social science and critical theory would appear to be daunting. Over the course of the past century, and especially since the end of World War II, countless efforts have been made in economics, psychology, political science, and sociology, to illuminate the myriad manifestations of modern social life, from a multiplicity of angles. It is doubtful that it would be possible to do justice to all the different variants of social science, in an assessment of their relationship to critical theory. Moreover, given the proliferation of critical theories since the 1980s, the effort to devise a “map” that would reflect the particular orientations and intricacies of each approach to critical theory also would be exacting, in its own right.1

Details

The Vitality Of Critical Theory
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-85724-798-8

Book part
Publication date: 28 July 2008

Harry F. Dahms

Any endeavor to circumscribe, with a certain degree of precision, the nature of the relationship between social science and critical theory would appear to be daunting. Over the…

Abstract

Any endeavor to circumscribe, with a certain degree of precision, the nature of the relationship between social science and critical theory would appear to be daunting. Over the course of the past century, and especially since the end of World War II, countless efforts have been made in economics, psychology, political science, and sociology to illuminate the myriad manifestations of modern social life from a multiplicity of angles. It is doubtful that it would be possible to do justice to all the different variants of social science in an assessment of their relationship to critical theory. Moreover, given the proliferation of critical theories since the 1980s, the effort to devise a “map” that would reflect the particular orientations and intricacies of each approach to critical theory would also be exacting in its own right.1

Details

No Social Science without Critical Theory
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84950-538-3

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