Questions and (my own answers) of the Practice exam 2021 and Reexam “Network Society” OHM220 20th April 2017
Please be aware these answers might be incorrect. I did add a question mark when I was really unsure about the correctness of the answer.
Practice exam 2021
Question 1. (11 points, max 250 words) Toyota manages to create a supplier network
where knowledge is effectively generated, combined and transferred. Dyer and
Nobeoka mention three solutions to the knowledge sharing dilemma’s that Toyota
faced. Could you describe the three dilemmas, and how Toyota managed to solve
them?
Question 2. (11 points, max 250 words) In the article of “Social structure of interfirm
networks” Brian Uzzi describes “the paradox of embeddedness”. Explain the paradox
of embeddedness.
Question 3. (11 points, max 250 words) Ronald Dunbar and Susanne Shultz explain in
their article “Evolution in the social brain” why primates developed unusually large
brains. Describe their explanation.
Question 4. (5 points, max 60 words) When are two innovating firms that operate on
the same market in a structurally equivalent position with respect to their
collaboration relations?
Question 5. (18 points, max 80 words) Assume that you have to study two markets of
innovating firms. Whereas in one market firms often succeed in developing innovations
via collaborating with each other, the firms in the other market often fail during the
collaboration process. Write down one explanation of this difference: which
characteristic(s) of the firms’ social network(s) could explain the difference in
successful innovations and how/why they affect the innovation success. Refer to an
adequate social network theory for the explanation and summarize and apply the
arguments of the theory
Question 6. (10 points, max 100 words) Some employees do well (for instance, they
get early promotions and frequent raises in salary), others do less well. Provide two
sound theoretical arguments concerning which employees are more likely to do well ...
a. ... one argument without any reference to networks
b. ... one argument using only network properties
Question 13. (13 points, max 100 words) Both Thomas Kuhn (1962) and Giovanni Dosi
(1982) made significant contributions towards understanding the development of
knowledge. Summarize the commonality of their contributions, as well as the main
differences.
Question 8. (8 points, max 100 words) Provide a concise definition of the following
terms: (a) start point, (b) end point, (3) component, (4) isolate.
Question 9. (12 points, max 100 words) In order to determine a top main path, two
approaches were discussed in this course: Search Path Link Count (SPLC) and Search
Path Node Pair (SPNP). Shortly describe each approach, and discuss the differences
between these two approaches in terms of the nodes they will select for the main
path.
, Answers Practice exam 2021
Question 1. (11 points, max 250 words) Toyota manages to create a supplier network
where knowledge is effectively generated, combined and transferred. Dyer and
Nobeoka mention three solutions to the knowledge sharing dilemma’s that Toyota
faced. Could you describe the three dilemmas, and how Toyota managed to solve
them?
1. Sharing valuable knowledge: They created a network identity through the
whole group that involved subgroups and knowledge sharing group. The shared
identity created shared goals and fosters cooperation.
2. Free-riding: Norms to prevent free-riding
a. Using law of reciprocity. By providing free on-site assistance and
knowledge sharing an obligation is created and signalling that it expects
it will be reciprocated.
b. Managing expectations and norms.
c. Enforcing norms
3. Efficient knowledge sharing:
a. Knowledge diffusion
b. Knowledge creation
c. Explicit knowledge information
d. Tacit/embedded knowledge
Question 2. (11 points, max 250 words) In the article of “Social structure of interfirm
networks” Brian Uzzi describes “the paradox of embeddedness”. Explain the paradox
of embeddedness.
There is a difference between arm’s length ties, market relations hips and embedded
ties, more personal. The more embedded ties the more embeddedness. In the
following processes embeddedness can create advantages but can also reduce the
organization’s ability to adapt.
- Relief organization: Embedded ties can create trust, but also feelings of
obligations.
- Feuding: if a relationship trust is violated, dark social mechanism can arise.
- Social blindness: Les source of heterogeneous noval information.
Question 3. (11 points, max 250 words) Ronald Dunbar and Susanne Shultz explain in
their article “Evolution in the social brain” why primates developed unusually large
brains. Describe their explanation.
Primates evolved larger brains (and especially neocortices) than any other animal
species so as to handle the unusual complexity of their social world.
Question 4. (5 points, max 60 words) When are two innovating firms that operate on
the same market in a structurally equivalent position with respect to their
collaboration relations?
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