You searched for +publisher:"University of Southern California" +contributor:("Monge, Peter"). Showing records 1 – 19 of 19 total matches.
1. Hou, Jinghui. Leveraging social normative influence to design online platforms for healthy eating.
Degree: PhD, Communication, 2015, University of Southern California
URL: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/556989/rec/3814
► Recent literature suggests that the social normative approach is one of the most influential yet underexplored areas on food consumption decisions. This dissertation project advances… (more)
▼ Recent literature suggests that the social normative approach is one of the most influential yet underexplored areas on food consumption decisions. This dissertation project advances this area by testing how two distinct types of social norms, information cued through the direct decision-making environment that conveys norms about how other people have behaved (descriptive norms) and what they think is appropriate to do (injunctive norms), influence food intake decisions. Study I examined the intervening psychological processes involved in responding to each type of social norms, and assessed the differential effects of self-regulation resources on the likelihood of conforming to the two norms in a controlled laboratory experiment (N = 139). Moreover, following the nudge approach, this project probes how to implement cost-effective nudges in technology-mediated environments to influence food consumption decisions. Study II tested two technology-based nudges, anchor setting and normative feedback, in an online food ordering website using a field experiment (N = 93). ❧ Across our studies, our primary findings are that descriptive norms cued through the immediate environment in which food consumption decisions are made function as anchoring heuristics. In other words, people depend on others' consumption volume as anchors to which they match their own intake. Conformity to descriptive norms is moderated by the level of self-regulation resource such that people are more responsive to descriptive norms of others' consumption quantity in the state of ego depletion. Moreover, adherence to descriptive norms can be fostered using personalized comparison feedback made saliently to the immediate technology environment. Employing technology-based nudges of setting an initial low anchor combined with providing comparison feedback can potentially lead people to order and consume less food. Finally, similar to other types of environmental factors, descriptive norms inferred from the environment operate in nudging people's intake decisions without people being aware of their influence. Advisors/Committee Members: McLaughlin, Margaret L. (Committee Chair), Monge, Peter R. (Committee Member), Wood, Wendy (Committee Member).
Subjects/Keywords: descriptive norms; food consumption decisions; environmental cues; anchoring heuristics; ego depletion; technology-based nudge; personalized comparison feedback
Hou, J. (2015). Leveraging social normative influence to design online platforms for healthy eating . (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Southern California. Retrieved from http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/556989/rec/3814
Hou, Jinghui. "Leveraging social normative influence to design online platforms for healthy eating." 2015. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Southern California. Accessed January 17, 2021. http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/556989/rec/3814.
Hou, Jinghui. "Leveraging social normative influence to design online platforms for healthy eating." 2015. Web. 17 Jan 2021.
Hou J. Leveraging social normative influence to design online platforms for healthy eating. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2015. [cited 2021 Jan 17]. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/556989/rec/3814.
Hou J. Leveraging social normative influence to design online platforms for healthy eating. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2015. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/556989/rec/3814
2. Margolin, Drew Berkley. The evolution of social and semantic networks in epistemic communities.
► This study describes and tests a model of scientific inquiry as an evolving, organizational phenomenon. Arguments are derived from organizational ecology and evolutionary theory. The… (more)
▼ This study describes and tests a model of scientific inquiry as an evolving, organizational phenomenon. Arguments are derived from organizational ecology and evolutionary theory. The empirical subject of study is an epistemic community of scientists publishing on a research topic in physics: the string theoretic concept of "Dbranes." ❧ The study uses evolutionary theory as a means of predicting change in the way members of the community choose concepts to communicate acceptable knowledge claims. It is argued that the pursuit of new knowledge is risky, because the reliability of a novel knowledge claim cannot be verified until after substantial resources have been invested. Using arguments from both philosophy of science and organizational ecology, it is suggested that scientists can mitigate and sensibly share the risks of knowledge discovery within the community by articulating their claims in legitimate forms, i.e., forms that are testable within and relevant to the community. ❧ Evidence from empirical studies of semantic usage suggests that the legitimacy of a knowledge claim is influenced by the characteristics of the concepts in which it is articulated. A model of conceptual retention, variation, and selection is then proposed for predicting the usage of concepts and conceptual co-occurrences in the future publications of the community, based on its past. Results substantially supported hypothesized retention and selection mechanisms. Future concept usage was predictable from previous concept usage, but was limited by conceptual carrying capacity as predicted by density dependence theory. Also as predicted, retention was stronger when the community showed a more cohesive social structure. Similarly, concepts that showed structural signatures of high testability and relevance were more likely to be selected after previous usage frequency was controlled for. By contrast, hypotheses for variation mechanisms were not supported. Surprisingly, concepts whose structural position suggested they would be easiest to discover through search processes were used less frequently, once previous usage frequency was controlled for. ❧ The study also makes a theoretical contribution by suggesting ways that evolutionary theory can be used to integrate findings from the study of science with insights from organizational communication. A variety of concrete directions for future studies of social and semantic network evolution are also proposed. Advisors/Committee Members: Monge, Peter R. (Committee Chair), Fulk, Janet (Committee Member), Valente, Thomas W. (Committee Member).
Subjects/Keywords: evolutionary theory; semantic network; semantic evolution; social network; epistemic communities; variation; selection; retention; organizational evolution; scientometrics
Margolin, D. B. (2012). The evolution of social and semantic networks in epistemic communities . (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Southern California. Retrieved from http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/202867/rec/6704
Margolin, Drew Berkley. "The evolution of social and semantic networks in epistemic communities." 2012. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Southern California. Accessed January 17, 2021. http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/202867/rec/6704.
Margolin, Drew Berkley. "The evolution of social and semantic networks in epistemic communities." 2012. Web. 17 Jan 2021.
Margolin DB. The evolution of social and semantic networks in epistemic communities. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2012. [cited 2021 Jan 17]. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/202867/rec/6704.
Margolin DB. The evolution of social and semantic networks in epistemic communities. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2012. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/202867/rec/6704
3. Oh, Poong. The evolution of scientific collaboration networks.
► Scientific collaboration networks are a special kind of social and communication networks in which nodes represents authors, and they are connected in pairs by an… (more)
▼ Scientific collaboration networks are a special kind of social and communication networks in which nodes represents authors, and they are connected in pairs by an edge if they have worked together to publish a paper. Collaboration networks grow and change over time as new authors join the networks and new collaborative connections are formed between authors. However, the addition of nodes and edges is highly selective. Only authors who can produce acceptable papers can join the network and be connected only to their coauthors. Therefore, collaboration networks are not just growing but evolving under the evolutionary constraint that selection prefers particular authors and collaborative connections. ❧ To account for the structural change of scientific collaboration networks, this dissertation proposes an evolutionary model that incorporates the three fundamental mechanisms of evolutionary dynamics—replication, mutation, and selection. The replication and mutation processes were adopted to formulate the growth mechanism of collaboration networks. The growth mechanism describes the process in which new authoring teams are formed by replicating the membership structure of existing teams with mutation and generates an ensemble of possible networks by adding the new authoring teams to an ancestral network. Selection takes place at the team level where particular authoring teams are chosen from all the possible teams based on their capabilities to produce acceptable papers. The results of numerical experiments suggested that collaboration networks tend to show high levels of robustness against random failures which comes at the expense of the tolerance for targeted attacks but to be highly modular under strong selection, which is consistent with previous literature on network robustness and modularity. ❧ The proposed model was fitted against empirical collaboration networks. They were constructed based on the bibliographic information about the papers published in the eight leading journals in their fields across diverse disciplines, including a communication journal. The dataset included 168,557 papers and 161,797 authors. The structural changes of the collaboration networks were measured and decomposed into two parts: (1) the amount of the change due to the replication and mutation processes and (2) the amount of the change due to the selection mechanism based on the Price equation. The decomposition of the observed changes revealed that the structural changes of the empirical networks were not fully explained by the growth model alone. More specifically, the observed changes significantly deviated from the changes predicted by the replication and mutation processes. The analysis of the residuals of the growth model showed that the observed changes were consistently biased in the direction predicted by the selection mechanism. Further, a series of regression analyses found that the structural changes of the empirical collaboration networks were more fully explained when all three evolutionary mechanisms were included than… Advisors/Committee Members: Monge, Peter R. (Committee Chair), Fulk, Janet (Committee Member), Kempe, David (Committee Member).
Subjects/Keywords: network evolution; scientific collaboration networks; replication; mutation; selection; team formation mechanism; network robustness
Oh, P. (2015). The evolution of scientific collaboration networks . (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Southern California. Retrieved from http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/590546/rec/6703
Oh, Poong. "The evolution of scientific collaboration networks." 2015. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Southern California. Accessed January 17, 2021. http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/590546/rec/6703.
Oh, Poong. "The evolution of scientific collaboration networks." 2015. Web. 17 Jan 2021.
Oh P. The evolution of scientific collaboration networks. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2015. [cited 2021 Jan 17]. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/590546/rec/6703.
Oh P. The evolution of scientific collaboration networks. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2015. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/590546/rec/6703
4. Lu, Li. How social and human capital create financial capital in crowdfunding projects.
► This dissertation explores factors explaining crowdfunding success by examining how resources residing in crowds can be transformed into financial capital. It aims to answer the… (more)
▼ This dissertation explores factors explaining crowdfunding success by examining how resources residing in crowds can be transformed into financial capital. It aims to answer the following two questions from an entrepreneur's perspective: What attributes should I look for in potential investors to increase my chance of being funded? What is the best way to pitch my idea given certain funder characteristics? ❧ Results from this study suggest that projects with high social capital in the form of network embeddedness, including structural embeddedness, junctional embeddedness, and positional embeddedness, are likely to attract more funding. Further, the rate of facilitating effects of network embeddednesses on attracting funding increases initially and then decreases. Human capital residing in the crowds in the form of the number of experienced crowd-funders predicts funding success as well. What's more, the amount of knowledge exchange within the crowd is the underlying mechanism translating benefits of social capital (and human capital) into funding success. Specifically, knowledge exchange can fully explain benefits of junctional embeddedness and human capital, and can account for partial effects of structural embeddedness and positional embeddedness. Displayed passion and preparedness in entrepreneurs' pitches both aid entrepreneurs to attract more funding. Yet, displayed preparedness fully mediates the relationship between displayed passion and funding success, meaning that it is only through the pitch content or its substance that crowds are willing to contribute. Lastly, human capital within the crowd attenuates the positive effects of both displayed passion and displayed preparedness in the pitch on funding success. Advisors/Committee Members: Fulk, Janet (Committee Chair), Monge, Peter R. (Committee Member), Jian, Lian (Committee Member).
Subjects/Keywords: social capital; human capital; crowdfunding; crowdsourcing; structural embeddedness; entrepreneurial passion
Lu, L. (2014). How social and human capital create financial capital in crowdfunding projects . (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Southern California. Retrieved from http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/480141/rec/3262
Lu, Li. "How social and human capital create financial capital in crowdfunding projects." 2014. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Southern California. Accessed January 17, 2021. http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/480141/rec/3262.
Lu, Li. "How social and human capital create financial capital in crowdfunding projects." 2014. Web. 17 Jan 2021.
Lu L. How social and human capital create financial capital in crowdfunding projects. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2014. [cited 2021 Jan 17]. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/480141/rec/3262.
Lu L. How social and human capital create financial capital in crowdfunding projects. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2014. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/480141/rec/3262
5. Chai, Lin. Community structure as collective identity construction and resource search.
Degree: PhD, Business Administration, 2011, University of Southern California
URL: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/259142/rec/1489
► Drawing from organizational ecology, network, and economic sociology theories, our study investigates how the mechanisms of collective identity construction and resource sharing contribute to the… (more)
▼ Drawing from organizational ecology, network, and economic sociology theories, our study investigates how the mechanisms of collective identity construction and resource sharing contribute to the formation of various structural tendencies at the community level. Here, community is defined as an aggregation of the network of inter-organizational ties. Community also consists of various organizational forms connected by commensalistic and symbioticrelations. These interdependencies are manifested in a number of interaction patterns reflecting the macrostructure of the community. Using the U. S. film industry as our empirical context, we analyze collaboration networks among film producers at two points in time - 1985 and 2005 – to examine these interaction patterns. Our findings suggest that both collective identity construction and research sharing mechanisms explain decentralized, polycentric structuraltendencies of the film producer community.; In addition, generalists that are highly diversified tend not to collaborate with each other. They also are less likely to collaborate with specialists within a narrow technological space. Collaboration is most likely to occur among producers that are moderately diversified and have greater technological distance from each other. In addition, we found that producers differing in cultural identity are not precluded from collaboration with each other, which is especially true for member organizations from the dominant population. High-reputation producers tend to attract more collaborative partners, but they tend to cooperate only with other high reputationpartners. Just as status-based competition is localized (Podolny, 1993; 1994), status-based cooperation is also localized to the extent that producers tend to interact with those who are in similar status categories. Community structure exhibits such tendencies and becomes polycentric and clustered around different status categories. Our findings resonate with Fligstein's (2001) political-cultural approach to the market. Advisors/Committee Members: Rajagopalan, Nandini (Committee Chair), Kennedy, Mark T. (Committee Member), Monge, Peter (Committee Member).
Subjects/Keywords: collaboration networks; community structure; identity; resource exchange
Chai, L. (2011). Community structure as collective identity construction and resource search . (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Southern California. Retrieved from http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/259142/rec/1489
Chai, Lin. "Community structure as collective identity construction and resource search." 2011. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Southern California. Accessed January 17, 2021. http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/259142/rec/1489.
Chai, Lin. "Community structure as collective identity construction and resource search." 2011. Web. 17 Jan 2021.
Chai L. Community structure as collective identity construction and resource search. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2011. [cited 2021 Jan 17]. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/259142/rec/1489.
Chai L. Community structure as collective identity construction and resource search. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2011. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/259142/rec/1489
6. O'Brien, Nina, F. Effects of economic incentives on creative project-based networks: communication, collaboration and change in the American film industry, 1998-2010.
► Traditional theories of economic development suggest that industry-specific tax rebates, credits and other incentives will promote sector-specific industrial activity, employment, and establishments in the jurisdictions… (more)
▼ Traditional theories of economic development suggest that industry-specific tax rebates, credits and other incentives will promote sector-specific industrial activity, employment, and establishments in the jurisdictions where they are applied. However, project-based industries, which assemble for the completion of a specific task, are both temporary and highly mobile, presenting a challenge for jurisdictions seeking to draw these kinds of industries through incentive programs. This dissertation employs insights from the theories of organizational ecology and interorganizational networks to explain the uneven success of tax incentive programs targeting the film industry in the United States. ❧ Film production is a project-based industry that is characterized by the interaction of specialized firms in a dynamic interorganizational network. This study examines the relationships among organizations which collaborate in the production of feature films to determine whether incentives targeting this industry produce development outcomes like increased in-state filming, film-sector employment and an increase in film-sector establishments in the states that offer them. The dissertation explores ecological and social network predictors of economic development, and tests the hypotheses that states which have more diverse organizational networks, and a larger number of dominant firms enjoy higher rates of filming, employment and establishment. States whose networks demonstrate specific structures associated with successful collaboration, including the balance of ties the state's firms have with others within and beyond the state, the networks' small-worldness and the degree of network coreness relative to other states, are also predicted to result in more significant and stable development outcomes. ❧ This study uses mixed-effects models to examine the effects of incentive programs, organizational diversity, the presence of dominant firms, and networks of communication and collaboration on economic development outcomes in the contemporary American film industry between 1998 and 2010. The results of the study show that states offering an incentive program increase the amount of filming in their state significantly. States offering an incentive program also increase film-industry employment and establishment, but the size of the effect is more modest for employment and establishment than it is for filming. The amount of money a state offers does not appear in these analyses to make a statistically significant difference, suggesting that states do not need to outspend one another to achieve positive development outcomes. However, post-hoc analysis reveals collinearity among the variables which measure incentives, and suggests that the claim that the presence of incentives is more important for outcomes than the dollar value of those incentives cannot be fully supported until the question of collinearity is resolved. ❧ An even more significant predictor of positive outcomes for incentivizing states is their organizational diversity:… Advisors/Committee Members: Monge, Peter R. (Committee Chair), Fulk, Janet (Committee Member), Young, S. Mark (Committee Member).
Subjects/Keywords: economic development; film industry; organizational ecology; organizational networks; project-based industries
O'Brien, Nina, F. (2015). Effects of economic incentives on creative project-based networks: communication, collaboration and change in the American film industry, 1998-2010 . (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Southern California. Retrieved from http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/301775/rec/2215
O'Brien, Nina, F. "Effects of economic incentives on creative project-based networks: communication, collaboration and change in the American film industry, 1998-2010." 2015. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Southern California. Accessed January 17, 2021. http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/301775/rec/2215.
O'Brien, Nina, F. "Effects of economic incentives on creative project-based networks: communication, collaboration and change in the American film industry, 1998-2010." 2015. Web. 17 Jan 2021.
O'Brien, Nina F. Effects of economic incentives on creative project-based networks: communication, collaboration and change in the American film industry, 1998-2010. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2015. [cited 2021 Jan 17]. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/301775/rec/2215.
O'Brien, Nina F. Effects of economic incentives on creative project-based networks: communication, collaboration and change in the American film industry, 1998-2010. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2015. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/301775/rec/2215
7. Ghosh, Rumi. Disentangling the network: understanding the interplay of topology and dynamics in network analysis.
Degree: PhD, Computer Science, 2012, University of Southern California
URL: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/60034/rec/2039
► Understanding the complex interplay of topology and dynamics in complex networks is necessary to answer a variety of questions, including who are the important people… (more)
▼ Understanding the complex interplay of topology and dynamics in complex networks is necessary to answer a variety of questions, including who are the important people in a social network, what are the authoritative pages on the world wide web, who to quarantine to minimize the spread of an epidemic, what are the functional modules in a protein-protein network, and even how the world trade network affects the robustness of the global economy. To address these questions, we build predictive network models that take dynamic interactions into account. Our mathematical models are grounded empirically on data from online social networks on sites such as Digg, Twitter and Facebook. ❧ We claim that network structure is the product of both topology and dynamics. We propose a generalized interaction model that describes a range of dynamic processes, or interactions, taking place in complex networks, from random walks to epidemic spread. Traditionally, network analysis methods, including those used to identify central nodes and communities in the network, either ignore or make implicit assumptions about network interactions. We show, however, that different interactions lead to different views of network structure, and empirically verify this insight using real-world data from online social networks. ❧ A wide spectrum of heterogeneous activity spanning from information diffusion to spamming has been observed in online social networks. We have designed a simple, scalable and robust, information theoretic framework to automatically classify different types of activities. Of these, we are especially interested in information spread. We have developed a mathematical framework to quantitatively measure how information spreads on networks, and showed that standard epidemic models fail to describe the spread of information in real-world networks. ❧ Our work is a step towards the ultimate goal of building theoretically justified, empirically grounded network models that improve the prediction of future behavior, aid information discovery and outbreak control, and help in designing network policies for our connected world. Advisors/Committee Members: Lerman, Kristina (Committee Chair), Teng, Shang-Hua (Committee Member), Liu, Yan (Committee Member), Monge, Peter R. (Committee Member).
Subjects/Keywords: centrality; communities; information diffusion; network analysis; network dynamics; online social networks
Ghosh, R. (2012). Disentangling the network: understanding the interplay of topology and dynamics in network analysis . (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Southern California. Retrieved from http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/60034/rec/2039
Ghosh, Rumi. "Disentangling the network: understanding the interplay of topology and dynamics in network analysis." 2012. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Southern California. Accessed January 17, 2021. http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/60034/rec/2039.
Ghosh, Rumi. "Disentangling the network: understanding the interplay of topology and dynamics in network analysis." 2012. Web. 17 Jan 2021.
Ghosh R. Disentangling the network: understanding the interplay of topology and dynamics in network analysis. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2012. [cited 2021 Jan 17]. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/60034/rec/2039.
Ghosh R. Disentangling the network: understanding the interplay of topology and dynamics in network analysis. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2012. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/60034/rec/2039
8. Frank, Lauren Bethany. Contagious: social norms about health in work group networks.
► The goal of this dissertation is to advance theorizing about how people working together in groups understand health issues and make health decisions. The theoretical… (more)
▼ The goal of this dissertation is to advance theorizing about how people working together in groups understand health issues and make health decisions. The theoretical framework draws from a variety of extant health communication theories, as well as theories of social influence and social contagion. Thus, rather than solely emphasizing individual level behavior change, this dissertation recognizes that individuals exist within social groups. To further theory around social norms and how they may relate to understanding of health issues, a new methodology to examine group social norms about a health issue, H1N1 flu, through social network analysis is proposed. Specifically, this dissertation hypothesizes that attitudes, self-efficacy, subjective and descriptive norms, and social network group norms will all be associated with behavioral intentions. Additionally, moderators of the relationship between group norms and behavioral intentions are explored. Finally, collective group norms are expected to influence behavioral intentions beyond how individual group members perceive those norms. Building on existing social network analysis techniques, a new method for assessing social norms within groups, the cognitive social norm structure (CSNS), is developed and tested. Data were collected from twenty complete work groups using an online survey tool. Two specific H1N1-related behaviors were studied: intention to get the H1N1 flu vaccination and willingness to stay home from work if sick with the H1N1 flu. The data were analyzed using social network analysis and hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). As predicted, attitudes, self-efficacy, and social norms all related to behavioral intentions for at least one of the behaviors under study. While controlling for these individual level predictors, the groups' consensus about the social norms of the whole group had an additional impact on behavioral intentions. For members of work groups in which pairs were perceived to agree in their support for H1N1 vaccination, the effect of individually perceived group norms on behavioral intentions was stronger than for groups with less agreement. Taken together, these group level effects highlight the importance of assessing entire groups and explicitly incorporating the social environment into understandings of health behaviors. Individually perceived norms alone cannot fully account for individuals' health behaviors choices. Instead, group level effects are also important, even in cases where the individual perceptions of group norms may not be predictive of behavioral intentions. Thus, the incorporation of the cognitive social norm structure (CSNS) into studies of health communication was supported. Moreover, these data underscore the importance of using existing, complete groups to examine the group social influence process. Integrating group level conceptions of social norms into health communication theories will allow for a more complete and nuanced understanding of health behavior choices. Guidance for future studies and for the… Advisors/Committee Members: Murphy, Sheila T. (Committee Chair), Ball-Rokeach, Sandra (Committee Member), Monge, Peter (Committee Member), Mayer, Doe (Committee Member).
Subjects/Keywords: health communication; organizations; social norms; small groups; social network analysis
Frank, L. B. (2013). Contagious: social norms about health in work group networks . (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Southern California. Retrieved from http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/614515/rec/1615
Frank, Lauren Bethany. "Contagious: social norms about health in work group networks." 2013. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Southern California. Accessed January 17, 2021. http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/614515/rec/1615.
Frank, Lauren Bethany. "Contagious: social norms about health in work group networks." 2013. Web. 17 Jan 2021.
Frank LB. Contagious: social norms about health in work group networks. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2013. [cited 2021 Jan 17]. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/614515/rec/1615.
Frank LB. Contagious: social norms about health in work group networks. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2013. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/614515/rec/1615
9. Ognyanova, Katherine. Intermedia agenda setting in an era of fragmentation: applications of network science in the study of mass communication.
► This work proposes a relational approach to the study of news agendas and media fragmentation in a digital age. It examines the origins, development, and… (more)
▼ This work proposes a relational approach to the study of news agendas and media fragmentation in a digital age. It examines the origins, development, and current status of mass communication theories dealing with news selection and impact. Recent conceptual and methodological challenges facing research in a changing information environment are discussed. A broad analytical strategy exploring the media system as a dynamic multilevel, multidimensional network is outlined. ❧ Implementing this approach, the study sets out to evaluate fragmentation levels and factors predicting agenda convergence in a longitudinal network of news outlets. The analysis is based on secondary data collected by the Pew Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism (2008) and the 2008 National Annenberg Election Survey. The study sample contains U.S. news outlets from five industry sectors: newspapers, online sources, radio, cable and network TV stations. ❧ The results uncover a decrease in fragmentation over time, with a minimum reached during the U.S. presidential elections in November 2008. The dynamics of agenda convergence are found to be shaped by the story selections of popular outlets and driven by similarities in format, audience demographics, and political ideology. Audience size does not significantly influence the correspondence in news source agendas over time. The analysis also shows that co-ownership relations lead to lower agenda convergence for the outlets in the sample. Advisors/Committee Members: Ball-Rokeach, Sandra J. (Committee Chair), Monge, Peter R. (Committee Member), Overholser, Geneva (Committee Member), Crigler, Ann N. (Committee Member).
Subjects/Keywords: agenda setting; agenda; fragmentation; media studies; mass communication; journalism; network analysis; network science; new media; political ideology; actor-based modeling; issue salience
Ognyanova, K. (2013). Intermedia agenda setting in an era of fragmentation: applications of network science in the study of mass communication . (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Southern California. Retrieved from http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/225755/rec/3592
Ognyanova, Katherine. "Intermedia agenda setting in an era of fragmentation: applications of network science in the study of mass communication." 2013. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Southern California. Accessed January 17, 2021. http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/225755/rec/3592.
Ognyanova, Katherine. "Intermedia agenda setting in an era of fragmentation: applications of network science in the study of mass communication." 2013. Web. 17 Jan 2021.
Ognyanova K. Intermedia agenda setting in an era of fragmentation: applications of network science in the study of mass communication. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2013. [cited 2021 Jan 17]. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/225755/rec/3592.
Ognyanova K. Intermedia agenda setting in an era of fragmentation: applications of network science in the study of mass communication. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2013. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/225755/rec/3592
10. Rhee, Eunice Yunjin. Essays on strategic categorization.
► This dissertation proposes the notion of strategic categorization and explores how organizations can strategically influence the categorization process of external audiences. Extant studies on categorization… (more)
▼ This dissertation proposes the notion of strategic categorization and explores how organizations can strategically influence the categorization process of external audiences. Extant studies on categorization have shown that organizations that do not fit into an external audiences' category structure are devalued. These studies, however, have not examined the role of organizations in influencing their categorization and thus have failed to develop an understanding of the categorization process that encompasses both the organization's categorical sensegiving and audience's categorical sensemaking. This dissertation helps to fill this gap by building on micro and macro perspectives of categorization and insights from the literature on organizational identity and identity management to argue that organizations can influence the categorization process of external audiences by engaging in self-categorization strategies. The first essay develops a theoretical framework for understanding the concept of and the process by which organizations can engage in strategic categorization. In particular, it argues that category studies need to investigate insights drawn from the vertical structure of categories in addition to the horizontal structure of categories that has been the focus of prior studies. The second essay empirically examines the effect of strategic categorization on audience's evaluations. The results based on firms that had gone through the initial public offering (IPO) process demonstrate that organizations can manage the degree of category inclusiveness and range of category spanning to influence potential investors' evaluation and that the effectiveness of such strategic categorization depends on the level of audience knowledge and the prevailing logic of valuation. Specifically, while the overall results suggest that changing category inclusiveness to take on a broader identity and changing category spanning to create a more focused identity are positively evaluated by IPO investors, they also show that institutional investors are influenced more by reducing the number of categories spanned, and retail investors are influenced more by increasing the degree of category inclusiveness. This dissertation considerably advances the categorization literature by revealing the role of organizational agency in the categorization process and ways in which organizations can engage in strategic categorization based on both vertical and horizontal structures of categories. Advisors/Committee Members: Fiss, Peer C. (Committee Chair), Rajagopalan, Nandini (Committee Member), Monge, Peter R. (Committee Member), Zhu, Feng (Committee Member).
Subjects/Keywords: categories; strategic categorization; category inclusiveness; labels; initial public offering; IPO
Rhee, E. Y. (2014). Essays on strategic categorization . (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Southern California. Retrieved from http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/489529/rec/2479
Rhee, Eunice Yunjin. "Essays on strategic categorization." 2014. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Southern California. Accessed January 17, 2021. http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/489529/rec/2479.
Rhee, Eunice Yunjin. "Essays on strategic categorization." 2014. Web. 17 Jan 2021.
Rhee EY. Essays on strategic categorization. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2014. [cited 2021 Jan 17]. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/489529/rec/2479.
Rhee EY. Essays on strategic categorization. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2014. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/489529/rec/2479
11. Meng, Jingbo. The formation and influence of online health social networks on social support, self-tracking behavior and weight loss outcomes.
► The current dissertation provides an examination of online health social networks in intentionally designed health-related social media. It investigated the theoretical mechanisms that drive the… (more)
▼ The current dissertation provides an examination of online health social networks in intentionally designed health-related social media. It investigated the theoretical mechanisms that drive the formation of online health social networks, examined the joint dynamics of network selection and network influence on individual health outcomes, and tested a model of ego network structure, social support and self-tracking behavior. The dissertation is situated in an entrepreneurial online weight management social networking site, FatSecret. It employed a four-month longitudinal study design, and collected unobtrusive behavioral data extracted from the site and self-reported data from an online survey with the users of FatSecret. ❧ Drawing on MTML framework, the first study found that demographic homophily including age and gender similarity, inbreeding homophily in the form of group affiliation, and health-related homophily including initial health status and health progress significantly predicted the selection of online health buddies. Similarity in health goal was not a significant predictor due to its strong correlation with initial health status in the specific health issue of weight loss. A person's frequency of updating personal health information was marginally significant in predicting tie formation. By conducting a SIENA analysis, the study also found empirical support for a social influence effect among health buddies, such that an individual's weight outcome tended to become similar to the average of the individual's health buddies' weight outcomes. The second study drew from literature on structural and functional social support, the buffering model of social support and self-regulation depletion studies. By conducting SEM analyses, the study found that both the size and triadic closure of an individual's ego network predicted perceived social support for weight loss in FatSecret. Then, perceived social support predicted more active self-tracking behavior, and self-tracking behavior predicted improved health progress. Post hoc analysis showed that there was a negative and significant effect of health progress on self-tracking behavior, such that improved health progress at an earlier time point would reduce the amount of self-tracking at a later time point. Finally, the implications of designing effective web-based weight loss interventions by better organizing and engineering peer-to-peer social networks were discussed. Advisors/Committee Members: McLaughlin, Margaret L. (Committee Chair), Fulk, Janet (Committee Member), Monge, Peter R. (Committee Member), Jordan-Marsh, Maryalice (Committee Member).
Subjects/Keywords: online health social networks; homophily; personal health information; social influence; self-tracking; social support
Meng, J. (2014). The formation and influence of online health social networks on social support, self-tracking behavior and weight loss outcomes . (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Southern California. Retrieved from http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/418289/rec/6738
Meng, Jingbo. "The formation and influence of online health social networks on social support, self-tracking behavior and weight loss outcomes." 2014. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Southern California. Accessed January 17, 2021. http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/418289/rec/6738.
Meng, Jingbo. "The formation and influence of online health social networks on social support, self-tracking behavior and weight loss outcomes." 2014. Web. 17 Jan 2021.
Meng J. The formation and influence of online health social networks on social support, self-tracking behavior and weight loss outcomes. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2014. [cited 2021 Jan 17]. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/418289/rec/6738.
Meng J. The formation and influence of online health social networks on social support, self-tracking behavior and weight loss outcomes. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2014. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/418289/rec/6738
12. Hilbert, Martin. Mapping out the transition toward information societies: social nature, growth, and policies.
► This research thesis sheds lights on different aspects of the transition toward information societies. It consists of a collection of interrelated studies that analyze in… (more)
▼ This research thesis sheds lights on different aspects of the transition toward information societies. It consists of a collection of interrelated studies that analyze in more rigorous terms three main and complementary aspects of the transition (see Figure below). After and introductory CHAPTER ONE, the consecutive CHAPTER TWO of this thesis looks at the social nature of the current transition toward the information society, which is characterized by a diffusion process that is known as digital divide. This chapter focuses on the socio-demographic characteristics of the transition, and characterizes its bottlenecks, such as the cost-income relation of ICT and users, as well as its opportunities, such as the opportunity to fight long-standing gender inequalities. CHAPTER THREE focuses not only on equality, but also on growth of the world's information and communication capacity in absolute terms. The chapter consists of two sections that quantify the magnitude and growth of information in the information society, measured directly in bits and bytes. This provides insights into the speed and general pattern of the transition from analog to digital information processing in society. Both chapters combined provide complementary insights into what have been traditionally the two main pillars of socio-economic development: equity and growth. In this case the focus is set on the equality and growth of technologically mediated information. Various particularities of the transition become evident, such as the exponential rates of change of the transition, the all-pervasiveness of ICT in the social realm, and the unequal diffusion process. The final CHAPTER FOUR studies a concrete example of successful policy making in the digital age that takes these particularities into consideration. The case study focuses on a foresight Delphi exercise aimed at identifying future policy priorities that offered input into the inter-governmental negotiation of an Action Plan in Latin America. It is believed to have been the most extensive online participatory policy-making foresight exercise in the history of intergovernmental processes in the developing world. The process of policy-making in this international multi-stakeholder Delphi embraces the particular characteristics of the transition toward Information Societies by design. ❧ Figure 1 Overview: "Mapping Out the Transition toward Information Societies" ❧ The Chapters consists of a collection of complementary studies, which use a diverse array of methodologies and data sources to map out diverse aspects of the transition toward this new form of socio-economic organization. The three main Chapters consist of 6 articles that have been produced during the time of my doctoral program at USC's Annenberg School of Communication (since August 2008). Chapter Two consists of three articles (resulting in three complementary sections), Chapter Three consists of two articles, and the final Chapter Four of one article. These articles are by now all published in recognized peer-reviewed Journals,… Advisors/Committee Members: Castells, Manuel (Committee Chair), Monge, Peter R. (Committee Member), Gross, Larry P. (Committee Member), Bar, Francois (Committee Member), Bar, François (Committee Member), Valente, Thomas W. (Committee Member).
Subjects/Keywords: information society; information and communication technologies (ICT); digital; public policy; ICT for development (ICT4D); digital divide
Hilbert, M. (2012). Mapping out the transition toward information societies: social nature, growth, and policies . (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Southern California. Retrieved from http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/122978/rec/3947
Hilbert, Martin. "Mapping out the transition toward information societies: social nature, growth, and policies." 2012. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Southern California. Accessed January 17, 2021. http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/122978/rec/3947.
Hilbert, Martin. "Mapping out the transition toward information societies: social nature, growth, and policies." 2012. Web. 17 Jan 2021.
Hilbert M. Mapping out the transition toward information societies: social nature, growth, and policies. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2012. [cited 2021 Jan 17]. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/122978/rec/3947.
Hilbert M. Mapping out the transition toward information societies: social nature, growth, and policies. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2012. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll3/id/122978/rec/3947
13. Heiss, Bettina Maria Richards. Organizational mimicry in American social movement communities: an analysis of form communication effects on the evolution of crisis pregnancy centers, 1989-2009.
► Communication scholarship has significantly improved organizational ecology models by emphasizing that the members of organizational communities are participating actively in the enactment of their environment.… (more)
▼ Communication scholarship has significantly improved organizational ecology models by emphasizing that the members of organizational communities are participating actively in the enactment of their environment. Organizational forms are viewed as contested and multi-faceted action frames which emerge from community interactions and simultaneously shape them. Form negotiations mediate the evolutionary fate of population members adhering to a form. Existing institutional ecology approaches focus on discursive strategies foregrounding the distinctive and unique organizational identity underlying a certain form. The assumption prevails that organizational populations can only thrive if their form is recognized clearly by diverse audiences as this entails that it has achieved cognitive legitimacy. But not all organizational populations benefit from clearly communicating who they are, particularly if they are operating in an environment that attaches low cognitive legitimacy to their form. The biological concept of aggressive mimicry, which refers to a competitive evolutionary strategy based on form ambiguity, illuminates the circumstances when members of a population exploit the lack of clarity about their form to their benefits. Among other tactics, aggressive mimics in organizational populations engage in purposive labeling of their names to increase their resemblance with a population of models.; For the purpose of this investigation, aggressive mimicry is introduced and the conditions under which organizational populations might employ it as a strategy are examined. The short-term and long-term consequences of its use are presented along with suggestions about how to revise existing ecological models to account for the evolutionary benefits of ambiguous form communication. A longitudinal investigation of the changing population composition of crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) in the United States provides an opportunity for testing a revised set of expectations in an empirical setting. Some CPCs routinely engage in aggressive mimicry when they closely imitate the organizational forms of reproductive health care providers (RHPs) in an effort to compete with them for the same "clients" women facing unwanted pregnancies. There are two ways to enter the subpopulation of mimics: (1) CPCs select organizational labels reminiscent of the organization names typically chosen by RHPs at the time of founding, and (2) CPCs change their existing organizational names so that they resemble those of RHPs at some point during their existence.; Drawing on multiple archival data sources, the effects of differing cognitive and sociopolitical legitimacy levels on the organizational vital rates of CPCs are investigated. As a measure of cognitive legitimacy in the sense of communicative form stabilization, the study relies on a content analysis of media discourse about CPCs. Based on the analysis of newspaper coverage of CPCs spanning a period of over two decades, textual network approaches are employed to develop a novel longitudinal measure… Advisors/Committee Members: Monge, Peter R. (Committee Chair), Fulk, Janet (Committee Member), Kennedy, Mark T. (Committee Member).
Subjects/Keywords: cognitive legitimacy; community ecology; Cox regression; event history analysis; evolution; institutional ecology; labeling; mimicry; negative binomial regression; nonprofit organizations; organizational forms; organizational identities; piecewise constant exponential models; population ecology; pro-life; meta network analysis; social movement organizations
Heiss, B. M. R. (2010). Organizational mimicry in American social movement communities: an analysis of form communication effects on the evolution of crisis pregnancy centers, 1989-2009 . (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Southern California. Retrieved from http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/420936/rec/4638
Heiss, Bettina Maria Richards. "Organizational mimicry in American social movement communities: an analysis of form communication effects on the evolution of crisis pregnancy centers, 1989-2009." 2010. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Southern California. Accessed January 17, 2021. http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/420936/rec/4638.
Heiss, Bettina Maria Richards. "Organizational mimicry in American social movement communities: an analysis of form communication effects on the evolution of crisis pregnancy centers, 1989-2009." 2010. Web. 17 Jan 2021.
Heiss BMR. Organizational mimicry in American social movement communities: an analysis of form communication effects on the evolution of crisis pregnancy centers, 1989-2009. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2010. [cited 2021 Jan 17]. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/420936/rec/4638.
Heiss BMR. Organizational mimicry in American social movement communities: an analysis of form communication effects on the evolution of crisis pregnancy centers, 1989-2009. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2010. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/420936/rec/4638
14. Stephens, Kimberlie J. The role of capabilities in new alliance creation and performance: a study of the biotechnology industry.
► Strategic alliances, or interorganizational relationships, are a prevalent strategy used to achieve organizational goals. Along with the increasing prevalence of alliances has come a heightened… (more)
▼ Strategic alliances, or interorganizational relationships, are a prevalent strategy used to achieve organizational goals. Along with the increasing prevalence of alliances has come a heightened need to understand the dynamics of these relationships, as approximately half of the alliances entered fail (Kale, Dyer & Singh, 2002). This research, therefore, seeks to expand on our current understanding of alliance capability development by exploring the effects of specific types of alliance and technological experience as well as their interactions on new alliance formation and performance. Using the resource based view of the firm as a theoretical framework, this research finds that firms are significantly more likely to enter into alliance types, and with specific alliance partners, with which they have past experience. The RBV notion that firm resources will be utilized in strategic decisions is supported by this finding. Experience in a particular product area was also found to increase the likelihood of firms entering into non-R&D type relationships suggesting the use of alliance relationships to capitalize on or seek to exploit product specific resources in the alliance context. Alliance experience in general was found to positively influence the performance of alliance relationships, while specific types of alliance experience were only found to influence performance when entering into that type of relationship. In this way, firms seem to develop distinct capabilities in specific alliance types that are not necessarily easily transferred from one relationship type to another. Advisors/Committee Members: Fulk, Janet (Committee Chair), Monge, Peter (Committee Member), Mayer, Kyle (Committee Member).
Subjects/Keywords: strategic alliances; resource based view
Stephens, K. J. (2009). The role of capabilities in new alliance creation and performance: a study of the biotechnology industry . (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Southern California. Retrieved from http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/173205/rec/7206
Stephens, Kimberlie J. "The role of capabilities in new alliance creation and performance: a study of the biotechnology industry." 2009. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Southern California. Accessed January 17, 2021. http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/173205/rec/7206.
Stephens, Kimberlie J. "The role of capabilities in new alliance creation and performance: a study of the biotechnology industry." 2009. Web. 17 Jan 2021.
Stephens KJ. The role of capabilities in new alliance creation and performance: a study of the biotechnology industry. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2009. [cited 2021 Jan 17]. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/173205/rec/7206.
Stephens KJ. The role of capabilities in new alliance creation and performance: a study of the biotechnology industry. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2009. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/173205/rec/7206
15. Weber, Matthew Scott. Media reinvented: the transformation of news in a networked society.
► This study presents an examination of the organizational process of transformation, specifically examining how new organizations emerge as the result of new information communication technology,… (more)
▼ This study presents an examination of the organizational process of transformation, specifically examining how new organizations emerge as the result of new information communication technology, and how existing organizations emerge in response. In aggregate, the process of transformation is examined in three stages. First, this study looks at the nature of organizational forms, and seeks to understand how organizational forms emerge in rapidly changing competitive environments. Second, this study examines the process of legitimation in an attempt to better understand how emerging organizational forms are established as legitimate. Third, this research examines the process of organizational transformation, and seeks to introduce organizational strategy as a critical determinant of transformational success for existing organizations.; In order to answer these theoretical issues, this study specifically looks at the emergence of social media and socially driven news, such as blogs and social networking sites, and examines how these organizational forms developed over time. Simultaneously, the transformation of traditional print-based news organizations in response is studied. As these different organizations have interacted in the online environment, a link economy has emerged in which hyperlinking has emerged as a critical component of online information flow. Thus, in addition to the above, the effect of hyperlinking is considered as a strategic tool that enables organizational success in the long run.; The results of this study introduce the process of speciation as a key mechanism for understanding the rapid emergence of new organizational forms. In addition, this study finds that media coverage and professional organizations are early indicators of developing organizational forms. Finally, with regards to strategy, this research finds that organizations implementing aggressive strategies incur a higher risk of failure, but also a high potential for decreasing the risk of failure. Advisors/Committee Members: Monge, Peter R. (Committee Chair), Castells, Manuel (Committee Member), Kennedy, Mark T. (Committee Member).
Subjects/Keywords: organizational evolution; strategy; news media; networks; social network analysis; longitudinal network analysis; network structure; organizational ecology; community ecology; online news media
Weber, M. S. (2010). Media reinvented: the transformation of news in a networked society . (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Southern California. Retrieved from http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/373334/rec/4031
Weber, Matthew Scott. "Media reinvented: the transformation of news in a networked society." 2010. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Southern California. Accessed January 17, 2021. http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/373334/rec/4031.
Weber, Matthew Scott. "Media reinvented: the transformation of news in a networked society." 2010. Web. 17 Jan 2021.
Weber MS. Media reinvented: the transformation of news in a networked society. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2010. [cited 2021 Jan 17]. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/373334/rec/4031.
Weber MS. Media reinvented: the transformation of news in a networked society. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2010. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/373334/rec/4031
16. Okhmatovskiy, Ilya. Content, structure, and performance implications of board interlocks: the role of institutional contingencies.
► My dissertation examines antecedents and consequences of board interlocks. The focus of my analysis is on the moderating effects of institutional factors. By bringing the… (more)
▼ My dissertation examines antecedents and consequences of board interlocks. The focus of my analysis is on the moderating effects of institutional factors. By bringing the institutional perspective into the analysis of intercorporate ties I explain some of the inconsistent results of prior studies by showing how, under different institutional conditions, similar intercorporate ties are used differently and have different performance implications.; My dissertation consists of three separate but related studies. In all three studies I use data on board interlocks that I have collected for a large sample of banks and industrial companies in Russia. For cross-national comparisons I use data reported in prior studies of board interlocks in other countries. My first two studies are about institutional factors that affect how organizations use interlocks in response to resource dependencies. In the first study about inter-industry and intra-industry interlocks I analyze institutional factors that determine whether resource dependence is associated with uncertainty and whether board interlocks are used to alleviate this uncertainty. In the second study I develop and test hypotheses about the association between banks' dependence on different sources of financial capital and their positions in the network of board interlocks. The third study is focused on performance implications of ties with different parts of the state and I analyze profitability and growth of banks with representatives of different state organizations on their boards. Together these studies demonstrate that the tendency to use interlocks under conditions of resource dependence as well as performance implications of interlocks are contingent on the institutional context. Advisors/Committee Members: Adler, Paul S.Zucker, Lynne G. (Committee Chair), Liebeskind, Julia (Committee Member), Monge, Peter (Committee Member).
Subjects/Keywords: boards of directors; interlocking directorates; resource dependence, institutional context; Russia
Okhmatovskiy, I. (2009). Content, structure, and performance implications of board interlocks: the role of institutional contingencies . (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Southern California. Retrieved from http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/329369/rec/1621
Okhmatovskiy, Ilya. "Content, structure, and performance implications of board interlocks: the role of institutional contingencies." 2009. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Southern California. Accessed January 17, 2021. http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/329369/rec/1621.
Okhmatovskiy, Ilya. "Content, structure, and performance implications of board interlocks: the role of institutional contingencies." 2009. Web. 17 Jan 2021.
Okhmatovskiy I. Content, structure, and performance implications of board interlocks: the role of institutional contingencies. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2009. [cited 2021 Jan 17]. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/329369/rec/1621.
Okhmatovskiy I. Content, structure, and performance implications of board interlocks: the role of institutional contingencies. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2009. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/329369/rec/1621
17. Lee, Seungyoon. The coevolution of multimodal, multiplex, and multilevel organizational networks in development communities.
URL: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/87196/rec/6515
► The current study is an attempt to understand organizational networks and organizational community in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Development by… (more)
▼ The current study is an attempt to understand organizational networks and organizational community in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Development by exploring the coevolutionary processes of multidimensional networks. The study addresses three major areas of network research: network structure (the longitudinal evolution of network structure), network dynamics (endogenous and exogenous mechanisms that lead to tie formation), and network effects (the impact of interorganizational networks on outcome). The study draws theories and hypotheses from the intersection of evolutionary theory and social network theory. The intersection of the two fields can be found in their common focus on resources. The current study contributes to the integration and extension of these two distinct theoretical frameworks.; The study suggests that the coevolutionary dynamics can be more comprehensively understood when considering the intricacies of multidimensional networks. Three aspects of multidimensional networks are explored: multimodal, multiplex, and multilevel networks. The findings from the study demonstrate that multimodal (within and across organizational populations) and multiplex (two types of networks) dynamics are significant drivers of tie formation. In addition, the study emphasizes that the evolution of a community needs to be explored at multiple levels, including the global and subgroup levels of network structure, dyadic and triadic levels of tie formation, and nodal level of organizational position.; The investigation focuses on organizational populations in the ICT for Development community, which plays a key role in the global efforts to extend the benefits of ICTs toward enhancing development capacities in the underdeveloped regions of the world. The study explored the evolution of network structure in the community over time, and the network dynamics behind this structural evolution. The results provided support for the decentralization of global network structure and the increase of within-region and within-population ties over time. Further, the study examined the effect of these organizational networks on a collective outcome in the community. The outcome is reflected through the sharing of ideas, represented by technologies and applications adopted in development projects. The results complement the literature that examines the effect of niche overlap and structural equivalence on knowledge sharing. Advisors/Committee Members: Monge, Peter R. (Committee Chair), Bar, Francois (Committee Member), Valente, Thomas W. (Committee Member).
Subjects/Keywords: community ecology; evolutionary theory; information and communication technology for development; knowledge sharing; multidimensional networks; multilevel; multimodal; multiplex; network dynamics; network effects; network structure; niche; organizational networks; population ecology; replicability; resource; scalability
Lee, S. (2008). The coevolution of multimodal, multiplex, and multilevel organizational networks in development communities . (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Southern California. Retrieved from http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/87196/rec/6515
Lee, Seungyoon. "The coevolution of multimodal, multiplex, and multilevel organizational networks in development communities." 2008. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Southern California. Accessed January 17, 2021. http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/87196/rec/6515.
Lee, Seungyoon. "The coevolution of multimodal, multiplex, and multilevel organizational networks in development communities." 2008. Web. 17 Jan 2021.
Lee S. The coevolution of multimodal, multiplex, and multilevel organizational networks in development communities. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2008. [cited 2021 Jan 17]. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/87196/rec/6515.
Lee S. The coevolution of multimodal, multiplex, and multilevel organizational networks in development communities. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2008. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/87196/rec/6515
18. Coronges, Kathryn. Social selection and influence of alcohol & marijuana implicit cognitions and behaviors: a longitudinal investigation of peer social network dynamics.
Degree: PhD, Preventive Medicine (Health Behavior), 2009, University of Southern California
► Individuals are embedded in social contexts – their cognitions, attitudes, resources, and normative references are meaningful to the extent that they define individuals relative to… (more)
▼ Individuals are embedded in social contexts – their cognitions, attitudes, resources, and normative references are meaningful to the extent that they define individuals relative to others. Yet, statistical models are routinely applied to behavioral theories, which assume that individuals act independently from one another. Even day-to-day decisions about private activities require cognitive pathways that depend on social meanings and contexts. Implicit cognitions, characterized by being non-conscious and automatic, are stored in memory with physical and social information. Evidence suggests that implicit attitudes can be communicated and spread through social exchanges, and can influence behaviors and drive social structures.; Social network analysis (SNA) is a set of tools and concepts that assess how relationships between people influence their behaviors (rather than teasing out interdependence as a nuisance). A relatively new area of SNA allows statistical inference about behavioral and network evolution using stochastic actor-oriented modeling. In these dissertation studies, the role of classroom friendships on alcohol and marijuana implicit cognitions and behaviors are examined by regression and SNA techniques.; Data are from an evidence-based drug intervention delivered to High school students over 3-months. Classes were randomly assigned to either the: standard program, (led by health educators), experimental program, (facilitated by peer leaders), or control condition (no intervention). Regression findings show that individuals adopt their friends' behaviors and cognitions regardless of program condition. Network findings show that in the standard condition, friends' alcohol behaviors influenced one's own behaviors, and there was a preference for alcohol using friends. In the experimental condition, findings show preferences for friends who are non-drinkers and who have similar alcohol behaviors, and there was an overall reduction in alcohol cognitions. An explanation for this may be that using existing social relationships to disseminate educational material facilitates gradual shifts in social norms towards healthy alternatives to alcohol and marijuana use.; Interventions that target both (overt) behavioral and implicit cognitive changes at both the individual and group levels may be more effective at creating a cultural setting that supports healthy behaviors. Harnessing the spread of unconscious cognitive tendencies through friendship structures may be an effective strategy for creating behavioral change. Advisors/Committee Members: Valente, Thomas W. (Committee Chair), Monge, Peter (Committee Member), Pentz, Maryann (Committee Member), Chou, Chih-Ping (Committee Member).
Subjects/Keywords: social network analysis; social contagion; implicit cognition; SIENA; alcohol; marijuana; intervention
Coronges, K. (2009). Social selection and influence of alcohol & marijuana implicit cognitions and behaviors: a longitudinal investigation of peer social network dynamics . (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Southern California. Retrieved from http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/176870/rec/5932
Coronges, Kathryn. "Social selection and influence of alcohol & marijuana implicit cognitions and behaviors: a longitudinal investigation of peer social network dynamics." 2009. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Southern California. Accessed January 17, 2021. http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/176870/rec/5932.
Coronges, Kathryn. "Social selection and influence of alcohol & marijuana implicit cognitions and behaviors: a longitudinal investigation of peer social network dynamics." 2009. Web. 17 Jan 2021.
Coronges K. Social selection and influence of alcohol & marijuana implicit cognitions and behaviors: a longitudinal investigation of peer social network dynamics. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2009. [cited 2021 Jan 17]. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/176870/rec/5932.
Coronges K. Social selection and influence of alcohol & marijuana implicit cognitions and behaviors: a longitudinal investigation of peer social network dynamics. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2009. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/176870/rec/5932
19. Shen, Cuihua. The patterns, effects and evolution of player social networks in online gaming communities.
► This dissertation presents a critical examination of the social interactions among MMOG participants by focusing on network patterns, effects and evolution. It is situated in… (more)
▼ This dissertation presents a critical examination of the social interactions among MMOG participants by focusing on network patterns, effects and evolution. It is situated in a popular MMOG, EverQuest II (EQII), drawing on a combination of unobtrusively collected behavioral server logs and a comprehensive survey conducted with the players directly through the game engine.; An exploratory analysis of network patterns revealed that the social architecture of the world was quite effective in shaping the structure of interaction, as the involvement in various social networks was influenced by class choice and character level. However,sociability among players was quite diffuse, with a sizable number of players opting to play solo despite the built-in mechanisms that encourage collaborative play. Second, drawing on the theory of social capital, this study tested the effects of different structural properties of player social networks. Players who bridged diverse, otherwise unconnected partners were rewarded with better task performance in EQII. But contrary to expectation, players located in dense and closed cliques did not show higher level of trust towards guildmates or sense of community. Lastly, a longitudinal analysis of tie persistence and decay demonstrated the transient nature of social relationships in EQII, but these ties became considerably more durable over time. Also, character level similarity, shared guild membership and geographic proximity were powerful mechanisms in preserving social relationships. Advisors/Committee Members: Monge, Peter R. (Committee Chair), Fulk, Janet (Committee Member), Williams, Dmitri (Committee Member), Robertson, Peter John (Committee Member).
Subjects/Keywords: MMOG; social networks; online communities; network evolution; sociability; social relationships; online games; social capital
Shen, C. (2010). The patterns, effects and evolution of player social networks in online gaming communities . (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Southern California. Retrieved from http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/394587/rec/7065
Shen, Cuihua. "The patterns, effects and evolution of player social networks in online gaming communities." 2010. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Southern California. Accessed January 17, 2021. http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/394587/rec/7065.
Shen, Cuihua. "The patterns, effects and evolution of player social networks in online gaming communities." 2010. Web. 17 Jan 2021.
Shen C. The patterns, effects and evolution of player social networks in online gaming communities. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2010. [cited 2021 Jan 17]. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/394587/rec/7065.
Shen C. The patterns, effects and evolution of player social networks in online gaming communities. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Southern California; 2010. Available from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll127/id/394587/rec/7065