Predicting Employee Turnover from Friendship Networks

Employees (n=40) at a fast-food restaurant were surveyed about characteristics of their position and their level of satisfaction. Employees were then asked to report with whom they regularly communicated inside and outside the workplace and to indicate how close they were to employees with whom they were linked. Employee turnover was measured after three months had elapsed. A goal of the research was to replicate a model of employee turnover that predicts employees more central in their social network to be less likely to leave, and to test a social support explanation of the centrality model. The results indicated that employees who reported a greater number of out-degree links with friends were less likely to leave. The number of in-degree links with friends did not significantly predict turnover, and neither did network links with peers. Friendship prestige, measured by the number of in-degree links, was strongly correlated with relational closeness and amount of time spent with employees outside the workplace.     

An Erosion Model of Employee Turnover Based on Network Centrality

An Erosion Model (EM) of employee turnover is introduced to explain the previously observed negative relationship between network centrality and employee turnover. The EM hypothesizes that social support moderates the centrality–turnover relation as those more active in the organization's social network experience less job strain due to esteem provided by work peers. Three EM hypotheses were supported using meta-analytic procedures with significant relations identified between centrality and turnover (k=5, r=.29), social support and centrality (k=7, r=.23), and social support and turnover intentions (k=17, r=.35). Future research for EM expansion and practical applications are proposed.     

Freshmen Engagement Through Communication: Predicting Friendship Formation Strategies and Perceived Availability of Network Resources From Communication Skills

First-time freshmen completed communication skills questionnaires at the beginning of a fall semester. Approximately 6 weeks later they completed another questionnaire regarding friendship formation strategies and the perceived availability of resources from their new social network. Results suggest that different profiles of communication skills predicted how much freshmen reported using group involvement, online social networking, disclosure, responsiveness, and invitations as friendship formation strategies. Communication skills and friendship formation strategies were also associated with the perceived availability of social, personal, and instrumental resources. Implications for freshmen's social integration into a new university environment are discussed.     

Connections at Work: How Friendship Networks Relate to Job Satisfaction

Previous research in the association between network centrality and job satisfaction has not established a consistent relationship between the two. Considering a specific type of network and multiple measures of centrality may clarify this relationship. Thus, the current study examined the association between various types of centrality in workplace friendship networks and job satisfaction in a Korean construction company. Friendship network centrality measured as closeness was positively related to job satisfaction. However, friendship centrality measured as betweenness and degree was not related to job satisfaction. The results suggest that distinguishing among measures of centrality and network type is vital for future research.     

Entropy-Based Centralization and its Sampling Distribution in Directed Communication Networks

This article proposes a new measure of network centralization and reports the results of a simulation designed to determine the sampling distribution of the proposed measure. The measure is based on the information-theoretic concept of entropy and is appropriate for those networks in which traffic flows over paths and propagates by means of transference. Tables of critical values are constructed which allow the researcher to conduct tests of significance.     

A cross‐cultural test of the association between temperament and communication apprehension

The research reported in his study was a cross‐cultural test of the communibiological model of communication apprehension as temperamental expression. The study was designed to replicate the findings reported by Beatty, McCroskey, and Heisel (1998) in the U.S. and Japan. In this study participants from Japan and the U.S. completed measures of communication apprehension, neurotitism, and extroversion. The results indicated that, for both Japanese and U.S. college students, scores on the measure of communication apprehension were significantly correlated with measures of neuroticism and extroversion. Multiple regression analyses indicated that both neuroticism and extroversion predicted unique variance in communication in both cultures and that the multiple correlations for the two cultures did not differ significantly. It was concluded that the replication was successful and that temperament scores are substantially predictive of communication apprehension across the cultures tested.     

中心度指标在期刊引文网络分析中的运用及改进

利用ISI的期刊引证报告（JCR）社会科学版,收集国际图书情报学56种期刊2005-2007年的引证数据,尝试研究社会网络中心度指标在期刊引文网络分析中的运用。发现原来的中心度指标忽略了期刊刊载论文的数量对于期刊总被引频次的影响,针对原有指标的不足,给出平均中心度这一改进型中心度指标,并运用探索性因子分析探究各中心度指标间的相互关系。     

网络中心度用于期刊引文评价的有效性研究

以图书情报学期刊数据实证研究了网络中心度用于期刊引文评价的有效性。结果显示:中介、点度和特征向量中心度都比影响因子更接近同行评议的结果,可用于期刊引文评价;但接近中心度相对不宜用作期刊引文评价指标。     

The role of hurtful and healing messages on eating disorder symptomology and recovery

This study analyzed how clinically diagnosed women with eating disorders described the hurtful messages from parents, siblings, and peers that triggered eating disorder symptomology as well as the healing messages that assisted with coping and recovery. Three themes overlapping across all groups were revealed for hurtful messages: 1) critical, 2) social modeling, and 3) direct comparison. Our findings show that fathers, siblings, and peers similarly used teasing. Other points of distinction were uncovered for fathers: aggressive messages and denial of eating disorder. Competition with female siblings and friends was also a triggering factor for young females with eating disorders. Four distinct categories of healing messages were identified: 1) emotional, 2) instrumental, 3) informational, and 4) appraisal. Point of distinction for friends’ and siblings’ healing messages was absence of negative comments about weight and appearance. Results were able to encapsulate both helpful/supportive and hurtful/unsupportive messages, and these findings will be helpful for treatment centers who may incorporate them in recovery programs.     

The Evolution of Networks and the Resilience of Interorganizational Relationships after Disaster

This study uses social capital and evolutionary theory to examine organizational resilience in terms of interorganizational networks of disaster-struck organizations following Hurricane Katrina. Approaching post-disaster organizational resilience using social network analysis highlights the way pre-disaster relationships and networking patterns play a vital role in post-disaster rebuilding. Data support the idea of structural inertia, suggesting that disaster is an event that further strengthens pre-existing networks and is not a time when organizations might benefit from forging new networks in seeking support and fueling survival. Implications suggest that the social capital accrued through long-standing partnerships and efficient pre-disaster networking through building communities of practice significantly impact post-disaster resilience.     

Social support within an on-line cancer community: an assessment of emotional support,perceptions of advantages and disadvantages,and motives for using the community from a communication perspective

This study investigated an on-line cancer support community emphasizing communication concerns important to the community administrators. The researcher conducted an on-line survey of participants (N v = v 103) focused on their on-line communication activities and social support. The results indicate a modest negative correlation between emotional support received on-line and perceived stress, differences in emotional support scores based on perceptions of disadvantages of on-line support groups, and different motives for using the community between people with cancer and family members. The study also describes suggestions based on the results that were made to community administrators and which could be used by other on-line support communities.     

Differentiating telephone surveys from telemarketing to increase response rates

The purpose of this study is to test whether including “I'm not selling anything” in telephone survey introductions reduces refusals and increases response rates. Experiences with and attitudes toward telemarketing also are assessed. Based on telephone interviews with an RDD sample of 655 in the Seattle metropolitan area, including the statement “I'm not selling anything” in the introduction does not significantly affect response rates. Only an introduction with a university reference significantly increases response rates. Also, respondents in the condition with no survey legitimization have a significantly more favorable attitude toward telemarketing than respondents in the condition with survey legitimization.