Mathematical Sociology

Mathematical sociology is a fascinating field. From Wikipedia, the free, on-line encyclopedia:

Mathematical sociology is the usage of mathematics to construct social theories. In sociology, in general, the connection between mathematics and sociology is confined to problems of data analysis; employing statistical models. Many sociological theories are strong in intuitive content, but weak from a formal point of view. In mathematical sociology, the preferred style is encapsulated in the phrase "constructing a mathematical model." This means making specified assumptions about some mathematical objects and providing an empirical interpretation for the ideas. It also means deducing properties of the model and comparing these with relevant empirical data.

Mathematical sociology provides a rich set of tools for entrepreneurs to use in thinking about their products and their customers. If they don't do the math, they end up with weak ideas about the world around them. One of the most interesting applications of mathematical sociology is in network analysis.

If you're interested, read the entire Wikipedia article and follow its references and links. And post a comment.

All my professional activities are informed by entrepreneurship. For entrepreneurial real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.com/blog and for entrepreneurial writing to www.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com.

Graphs

Social networks had been studied for nearly a century. John Scott, in Social Network Analysis; a Handbook(London: SAGE Publications, 2000,) pp. 7-33 gives a history of it. Sociologists knew that people operated in social contexts. Then someone thought up a graph to represent it. A graph is also called a sociogram.

From Wikipedia, the free, on-line encyclopedia:

In mathematics and computer science, a graph is the basic object of study in graph theory. Informally speaking, a graph is a set of objects called points, nodes, or vertices connected by links called lines or edges. In a proper graph, which is by default undirected, a line from point A to point B is considered to be the same thing as a line from point B to point A. In a digraph, short for directed graph, the two directions are counted as being distinct arcs or directed edges. Typically, a graph is depicted in diagrammatic form as a set of dots (for the points, vertices, or nodes), joined by curves (for the lines or edges).

Graphs are important to entrepreneurs because they offer a powerful tool for entrepreneurs to visualize their social networks. If you're a visual person, seeing something makes it a lot easier to remember. If you're interested in this, read the entire Wikipedia article and check out the Scott book. It give a terrific overview of social network analysis.

Entreneurship informs all my professional activities. If you're interested in anything I say in this blog, post a comment. For entrepreneurial real estate, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.com/blog and for entrepreneurial writing go to www.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com

Social Network Theory

From Wikipedia, the free, on-line encyclopedia:

A social network is a social structure made of nodes (which are generally individuals or organizations) that are [linked] by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as values, visions, ideas, financial exchange, friendship, kinship, dislike, conflict or trade...

Social network analysis views social relationships in terms of nodes and [links]. Nodes are the individual actors within the networks, and [links]. [Links] are the relationships between the actors. There can be many kinds of [links] between the nodes. Research in a number of academic fields has shown that social networks operate on many levels, from families up to the level of nations, and play a critical role in determining the way problems are solved, organizations are run, and the degree to which individuals succeed in achieving their goals.

In its simplest form, a social network is a map of all of the relevant [links] between the nodes being studied. The network can also be used to determine the social capital of individual actors. These concepts are often displayed in a social network diagram [called a graph], where nodes are the points and [links] are the lines.

This concept is crucial for entrepreneurs. Their entreprises consist of them and their connections. Networks provide the social capital the entrepeneur needs to succeed. Customers buy and are influenced by their social networks. Social networks provide opportunities and information which the entrepreneur needs to succeed. Social network analysis provides a very rich set of tools by which the entrepreneur can analyze his or her social capital and manipulate their networks in order to manage risk and increase the odds of success. Note in the above quote I have substituted the work "link" for "tie." And if this interests you read the entire Wikipedia article and follow the links adn references. I assure you that you don't have enough hours to get your mind around all the stuff that's been written on Social Network Analysis.

Entrepreneurship informs everything I do. If it does this for you to, post a comment. For entrepreneurial real estate go to www.yourstopforrealestate.com/blog and for entrepreneurial writing to www.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blogspot.com

Networks

A network is one of the most elegant concepts ever conceived. A network is simply a set of nodes and links. It's as simple as that. Nodes and links. Nodes are points and links are the relationships which tie the nodes together. Entrepreneurs have to deal with many different kinds of networks: social networks, computer networks, electronic networks, road systems, and so forth. There is an immense body of literature analyzing networks stemming from social psychology, mathematics, and other fields. We'll try to sort it all out as we go forward.

Entrepreneurship informs all my other activities. If you read something interesting, post a comment. For my real estate blog, go to www.yourstopforrealestate.com/blog and for my writing blog, to www.kearneymusicschoolmurders.blotspot.com.