Social Networks and Market Competition
Aims
The main goal of the course is to give students a deep understanding of network theory, focusing in particular on the theoretical mechanisms that account for why social networks affect behavior and performance. At the end of the course, students will be able to critically review social network research and develop their own social network research projects.
The course offers a comprehensive survey of social network analysis. Network analysis is the study of how the social structure of relationships around a person, group, or organization affects beliefs, behavior, and performance. While the primary focus of this course is on the antecedents and consequences of networks among business organizations, the course should be of interest to students in all the social sciences.
Information
The course is organized around five different aspects of social networks: 1) Network relationships (strong versus weak ties); 2) Network prominence (centrality and status); 3) Network contagion (equivalence versus cohesion); 4) Network brokerage (autonomy versus closure); 5) Network structure (small worlds). We will read both foundational network theory and the most recent empirical applications from a variety of disciplines, such as strategy, organization theory, sociology, and economics.
Assessment
During the course, students are expected to develop a research proposal using theory and methods from the course
Materials
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Additional info
More information and detailed timetables can be found here.
ERIM PhD candidates and Research Master students can register for this course via SIN Online.
External (non-ERIM) participants are welcome to this course. To register, please fill in the registration form and e-mail it to miizuka@rsm.nl by four weeks prior to the start of the course. Please note that the number of places for this course is limited. For external participants, the course fee is 260 euro per ECTS credit.
