The Centre for Business Network Analysis have many projects underway. Find out about some of CBNA's projects below.
Fostering informal interaction in hybrid/online work
Prof Bruce Cronin, Assoc Prof Riccardo De Vita, Assoc Prof Sara Gorgoni, Dr Guido Conaldi, Dr Anna Piazza, Dr Antoinette Saint Hilaire, Dr Vladimir Popov
A study of how informal social networks can be effectively fostered in hybrid online/offline situations, mapping the social networks underpinning formal work tasks and informal social relationships and gathering qualitative evaluations of those aspects of the adopted work practices in aiding or hindering the formal and informal relationships.
Modelling the structure, temporal evolution and performance of teams
Assoc Prof Nicola Perra
A US Army Labs-funded project.
Thamesmead regeneration project evaluation
Dr Zhen Zhu
A Peabody Trust-funded development of an evaluation programme for the Thamesmead Regeneration project in partnership with ARUP and TSIP. Funding includes a three-year PhD scholarship in data mining and sentiment analysis of social media postings.
Modeling and characterizing complex contagion processes on time-varying networks
Assoc Prof Nicola Perra
A US Army Labs-funded project in partnership with City University exploring the efficiency of different mechanisms aimed at promoting interactions across otherwise separated groups clustered around different opinions, norms, and beliefs. The project aims to advance understanding of social contagion processes unfolding on social networks both from a theoretical and a practical standpoint, addressing pressing societal issues such as the polarization and the emergence of filter bubbles in modern interactions.
LinkedIn economic graph: Micro and macro teams composition and performance
Assoc Prof Nicola Perra
In partnership with the Universities of Turin and Indiana the project uses using de-identified or aggregate data provided by LinkedIn to consider questions such as the impact of having diverse skills and roles on businesses, from start-ups to larger and more well-established firms. The team plans to adopt a blending of network science and machine learning to model team intelligence at a global scale.
The hidden story: Mapping knowledge exchange partnerships for the creative economy
Prof Bruce Cronin, Dr Matthew Smith
An AHRC-funded study in partnership with the University Alliance developing new methods for understanding knowledge exchanges underpinning the Creative Economy ecosystem.
Industrial clusters in Italian footwear
Dr Riccardo De Vita
A project commissioned by the Italian Footwear Manufacturers' Association aims to identify the competitiveness of several Italian regional cluster active in the footwear industry. The project, integrating different methodologies and data collection techniques, specifically focuses on the complexities associated with the management of a diverse set of interorganisational relations.
Computational social science summer schools
Dr Nicola Perra
Funded by Volkswagen Stiftung and in association with GESIS, University of South California, Cornell University, this series of three summer schools in Cologne, Los Angeles and Calgari provides doctoral students with opportunities to engage with world leading scholars in computational social science.
Online innovation networks: a multilevel perspective
Dr Guido Conaldi, Dr Riccardo De Vita, Dr Pi-Chi Chen
Examines dynamics of innovation in the London Tech-City industrial cluster from a multiple perspective: at the individual level by looking at the behaviour of individual software developers; at the company level by considering the activities of firms; and at the regional level.
Social networks of medieval Scotland
Dr Cornell Jackson
A University of Glasgow/ Kings College London project exploring the use of social network analysis on the People of Medieval Scotland database.
Joining the dots: Using social data to measure the effects of events on innovation
Prof Bruce Cronin, Dr Riccardo De Vita, Dr Guido Conaldi
A Nesta-funded studies of the effects of participation in face-to-face events on online-mediated collaboration.
Financing small and micro businesses in cultural and creative industries: An international comparison
Dr Kai Liu
Examines use of social networks and online crowd-funding in creative industries.
Enhanced networking with social media
Prof Bruce Cronin, Dr Paola Tubaro, Dr Nicky Garsten
Examines the potential for developments in social media to enhance client relationship management in professional services.
Re-defining the space for company-community interaction
Dr Riccardo De Vita, Dr Guido Conaldi
Explores how firms can leverage the innovative potential of the open source software production model.
Youth worklessness
Dr Riccardo De Vita, Dr Gabriella Cagliesi, Dr Denise Hawkes
This work draws on insights labour economics, behavioural economics and social network analysis to understand the role of behavioural variables, social factors, and measures of capabilities and well being in explaining worklessness.
Political network analysis (CIFOR)
Dr Riccardo De Vita
Training and methodological support for data collection and analysis concerning the policy networks involved in REDD (Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation) initiatives in developing countries.
Official statistical data for social science in Europe (CNRS)
Dr Paola Tubaro
A study of solutions to improve access to, and sharing of, official statistical data across Europe, to enhance social science research.
Black and minority ethnic career support networks
Prof Bruce Cronin, Dr Karen Janman
An NHS-funded study examining closure and brokerage patterns in support networks among different ethnic groups, finding cross-ethnic brokerage by senior managers important to BME career progression.
Testing the 'end of privacy' hypothesis in computer-mediated communication: An agent-based modelling approach (CIGREF)
Dr Paola Tubaro, Professor Antonio A. Casilli, Yasaman Sarabi
An agent-based computer simulation approach of how online social networking sites are changing perceptions of privacy, the ensuing ethical challenges and policy guidelines.
"Ana-mia" sociability: An online/offline social networks approach to eating disorders.
Dr Paola Tubaro, Professor Antonio A. Casilli
A study of the personal networks, both online and offline, of users of eating-disorders related websites, forums and blogs. Multi-method approach, with social network analysis and computer simulation tools, aiming to draw policy guidelines.
Interorganisational networks in microfinance
Dr Ana Marr, Prof Bruce Cronin, Dr Cornell Jackson, Dr Vladimir Popov, Dr Paola Tubaro, Dr Riccardo De Vita, Dr Francesco Guidi
A Leverhulme Trust-funded project employing network analysis tools to map collaboration partnerships of microfinance institutions with external providers of funding, particularly wholesale lenders. The project examines how inter-organisational financial flows contribute to improving microfinance institutions' capacity to tackle poverty while also ensuring financial sustainability.