This article introduces a general sociological readership to multiagent systems (MAS), a new computer simulation technology that has increasingly been used to describe and explain sociological phenomena. The author uses the term artificial societies to refer to social simulations using MAS and he describes MAS technology and contrasts it with other social simulation technologies. The author argues that MAS have attained a level of maturity where they can be useful tools for sociologists, and he shows how MAS provide new perspectives on contemporary discussions of the micro-macro link in sociological theory by focusing on three aspects of the micro-macro link: micro-to-macro emergence, macro-to-micro social causation, and the dialectic between emergence and social causation.

We explore the role of negative relationships in the context of social networks in work organizations. Though network researchers have emphasized the benefits and opportunities derived from positive interpersonal relationships, we examine the social liabilities that can result from negative relationships in order to flesh out the entire “social ledger. ” We define a negative relationship as an enduring, recurring set of negative judgments, feelings, and behavioral intentions towards another person – one person dislikes another. We identify the factors that lead to negative relationships in the workplace as well as factors that may moderate the relationship between negative relationships and individuals ’ task and socioemotional outcomes. We argue that these negative relationships may have greater power than positive relationships to explain workplace outcomes. We derive our argument from theory and research on negative asymmetry. Negative Relationships in Networks 3 “A man’s stature is determined by his enemies, not his friends. ”-- Al Pacino, City Hall Employees in organizations are embedded in social networks that can provide opportunities and benefits such as job attainment, job satisfaction, performance, salary, power, and promotions

Pennsylvania in 2000. His primary research interests focus on the intersection of information technology and markets. He has investigated issues regarding competition and pricing in electronic markets and online privacy. His second research interest is in the area of open source software. His research has been published in Journal of

This paper focuses on the concept of 'connection ' in the Industrial Network Approach. The concept of 'triad ' has been proposed in order to overcome 'dyadic reductionism'. However, use of 'triads ' seems to impose some limitations on further theory development. The concept of 'serial tetrads ' is proposed in order to avoid 'triadic reductionism'. PROLOGUE In 1923, the religion philosopher Martin Buber wrote the book "I and Thou " on the dialogue between man and God based on Judaism. In this book he discusses living with Nature, living with people, and living with the spiritual realities. In this book he discusses two pairs of words. The first is 'I-Thou ' and the second is 'I-It'. Buber (1923, p. 5-7) explains the two pairs of word, and relates them to each other, in the following way: "The first cardinal word is the word pair I-Thou. The second cardinal word is the word pair I-It. Because, in the cardinal word I-Thou, the I is different from the I in the cardinal word I-It. " "No I exists per se, only the I belonging to the cardinal word I-Thou and the I leading to the cardinal word I-It. When man says I, he implies one of the two. When he says Thou or It, the I

The authors are listed in reverse alphabetical order. They gratefully acknowledge the support of IRI/Europanel, who provided the data on which this study is based. They thank the participants at the MSI Conference on Competitive Reaction for constructive comments on an earlier draft of this work. Financial support by the Flemish Science Foundation (F.W.O) under grant G.0145.97 and the Research Council of the Catholic University of Leuven under grant OT.96.4 is greatly How do competitors react to each other’s price-promotion and advertising actions? How do these reactions influence the net sales impact we observe? We answer these questions by performing a large-scale empirical study of the short-run and long-run reactions to promotion and advertising shocks in over 400 consumer product categories, over a four-year time span. Competitive reaction can be passive, accommodating or retaliatory. We first develop a series of expectations on the type and intensity of reaction behavior, and on the moderators of this behavior. These expectations are assessed in two ways. First, vector-autoregressive models quantify the short-run and long-run effect of a promotion or advertising action on competitive sales and on competitive reactions. By cataloging the numerical results, we are able to formulate

this paper, we use a resource dependence perspective to examine how entrepreneurs respond to human resource challenges as they build their firms. We believe that the early years of firm development and growth represent a dynamic period of entrepreneurial responsiveness and learning about employment practices. Key events and developments shape entrepreneurs' choices and the employment practices that come to characterize their firms. We focus on one common early human resource management experience: dependence on ostensibly "indispensable" employees. Entrepreneurs' responses to perceived dependence on indispensable employees have important implications for the development of employment practices in 3

Using a study of technology-intensive start-ups, we develop and test the hypothesis that employment practices are shaped by the ways in which entrepreneurs respond to experiences of dependence on early indispensable employees. We find strong evidence that the experience of dependence on employees influences the types of employees hired, recruitment and retention strategies, the timing of adds-to-staff, and whether incumbent employees believe they are treated fairly. We draw several implications for entrepreneurial practice and entrepreneurship education. INTRODUCTION The Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) literature suggests that employment practices are an important component of strategic management, and that better alignment of human resource practices and business strategy will lead to better firm performance. However, employment practices in entrepreneurial firms -- the mechanisms used to attract, select, retain, coordinate and control human resources -- have received ver...

iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS No need to be mushy; after all, this is only a dissertation. The contributions of others to the graduate career which has culminated in the completion of this document are many and have taken numerous forms, from friendships that will always be cherished to brief conversations that provoked a cascade of enjoyable thought. Instead of being maudlin about it, let me be abecedarian. Forthwith, the support of the following people during my studies at

Concern over online information privacy is widespread and rising. However, prior research is silent about the value of information privacy in the presence of potential benefits from sharing personally identifiable information. We analyzed individuals ’ trade-offs between the benefits and costs of providing personal information to websites. We found that benefits – monetary reward and future convenience – significantly affect individuals ’ preferences over websites with differing privacy policies. We also quantified the value of website privacy protection. Among U.S. subjects, protection against errors, improper access, and secondary use of personal information is worth US$30.49 – 44.62. Finally, we identified three distinct segments of Internet consumers – privacy guardians, information sellers, and convenience seekers.

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